AnneMarriott

After relief, it seems the news is not good after all. There are reports that the poor little boy has died. Such a tragedy.

Isn't it Millwall supporters who have a chant, "No-one likes us, we don't care"? I've never known why!

Poor Chipdog! He's wagging his tail, though, so I guess he's taken to the enforced paddling after all! Best wishes to him for a speedy recovery from Anne, Bruce, Bluebell and Freddie.

This review clarifies for me exactly why I didn't enjoy the ballet. I'm not familiar enough with the score or Glazunov's music in general to notice the changes others have found worrying, and have only ever seen the entire ballet on stage once (discounting the cheeky Trocks version with the White Lady teetering around with a wedding cake at inopportune moments). I thought the idea of resetting it in the Crimean war was interesting and was really looking forward to seeing the complete work again. But the feast of dancing in the first act turned into a glut (as Shakespeare had it "play (dance) on, that surfeiting, the appetite may sicken and so die". I couldn't get involved with the characters and thought all the cheerful dancing (performed with much pizzazz - can't fault the dancers at all) was at odds with the setting of a war camp. There were enjoyable moments throughout, not least two pas de trois which referenced similar episodes in Manon and Mayerling and the male reinterpretation of the Kingdom of the shades from La Bayadere, but on the whole I found it difficult to reconcile the score with the setting and the choreography with the music. However the first night audience clearly enjoyed it, including most of those posting here so I wish it well.

I think you're forgetting Tales of the Unexpected.

Yes, an hour and a half of snooker followed by a few minutes of Yuli is not what I was hoping for!

I only wish I hadn't!

This reminds me of the last time we went to see the company at the Hexagon in Reading, some years ago. We decided to give them a last chance after several disappointing performances but left at the interval muttering darkly about how awful it was. Meanwhile the foyer and bars were buzzing with people saying how thrilling it was. I'm now in two minds about whether it is better to have seen something second, or even third rate, and enjoyed it or to have never seen any ballet at all.

Absolutely, and I do feel for them as individuals - but a paying, ballet-loving audience deserves better.

Unfortunately this is the experience of many ballet-goers who do not have access to major venues, certainly now that touring by major British companies is severely reduced. A few Russian companies tour constantly with small repertoires of well-known ballets, performed with varying degrees of competence and enthusiasm. Production values are often low - your appreciation of the costumes is a definite plus! Thanks to the reputation of the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky, there is a perception that "if it's Russian it must be good" and it is sad that many audiences will think that what they are seeing is the best that ballet can offer.

My word - Back in the USSR

Yes - the coveting, not the fitting.

I actually tend to agree but I feel that Rose gave the better performances over the whole competition. Of course choice of music, choreography and costumes also play a part in the overall impression - it's all highly subjective.

Well you didn't get your wish, Janet! I felt so sorry for poor A J and her partner - it would have been a far more exciting final with three contestants battling it out; but Rose deserved to win and John and Johannes were gracious in defeat, so all's well that ends well.

Aha! Now that makes sense of my gut feeling that the public vote is ultimately decisive despite the 50-50 weighting. Thank you for clarifying.

I'm far from being a mathematician but I do recall that the judges' scores carry an equal weighting to the public vote. I wonder if they somehow translate the judges' scores into a similar scale to the public vote, so that the couple with the highest judges' score would get a mark equal to the number of couples in the competition and so on down the leaderboard. Not sure if that would answer your point, but it would certainly make the 50-50 weighting more clear. Pure conjecture of course!

Well I think it works like this: The judges' marks speak for themselves. Then the couple getting the most public votes is given a mark equal to the number of couples in the competition e.g. 6 couples remaining, the highest scoring couple gets a mark of 6, and so on down the scale of votes. Then the judges' marks and the public marks are added together and Bob's your uncle. I'm happy to be corrected if I've got it wrong.

Well I'm actually enjoying watching Dan. He seems to me to be a halfway decent dancer now (although clearly not the best, by any means) but the public is responding to his engaging personality in much the same way as they did for Christopher Parker, East Enders actor, who reached the final despite being a woefully bad dancer, and John Sergeant who resigned for fear of winning and making a mockery of the competition. Whenever you have a competition in which the public vote is so decisive it is going to become a personality contest. Thoroughly agree about Rhys. If I'm honest I have found John and Johannes toe-curling at times, although John is obviously a very good dancer and deserves to reach the final. Perhaps I'm a grumpy old woman, too.

Thanks for reminding me - I had forgotten about the categories for couple's choice. This series it has all rather looked like "non-specific flailing about" to me, and naff, as you say. I really like the idea of having it all in one week - surely far more fair to judge one couple against another if they're all doing the same sort of thing.

Absolutely agree on both counts. The judging this year seems to be all over the place and I really don't know what the Couple's Choice is supposed to be - when it was first introduced didn't the couples choose a dance style (quickstep, for example) and then do a freestyle adaptation, incorporating otherwise illegal moves, like a show dance? Or does my memory fail me?

The same thought occurred to me.

So sorry. I didn't realise it was a name.

Mystified, not offended. Still mystified, by the way!

BD? I'm not up on short forms so looked it up. Big deal - or big "something" unsuitable for posting here. Can this be right?

Agree absolutely. I haven't been following it very closely this year because most of the contestants are unfamiliar to me. One of the judges mentioned more (or better) dance content in Judy's routine as a reason for saving her and I was very surprised. Obviously seeing it in the flesh is rather different from seeing it on television!