Blossom

I started taking ballet classes at the age of 6/7 at my insistence and a couple of years later my grandma started to take me to the ballet- she was a huge balletomane. I grew up in Manchester so mostly saw English National Ballet and Northern Ballet and remember seeing most of the classics in addition to Alice in Wonderland and something Christopher Dean had choreographed. After heading off to university things tailed off a bit as it was too expensive/no youth access programmes and then when I started working in London I was simply time poor and never thought to go on my own, then had small kids I couldn’t leave. Once they were all of school age I started to focus on myself a bit more! The first ballet I saw was Le Corsaire by ENB at the Coliseum back in 2015/16 and I slowly started to discover what was on at the ROH, starting small by only choosing a few productions a year. I was generally going on my own, but the last Jan which ENB performed Giselle, I invited a new friend to join me and we were a very bad influence on each other and started to see everything together! She unfortunately emigrated in July 2020 and combined with Covid only allowing households to sit together, my eldest daughter has become my most frequent companion. Because there hasn’t been so much ballet since March 2020 I’ve been taking her to lots more in terms of musicals too. She has been bitten by the theatre bug and as she is almost 15 she now wants to encourage her friends to go and see more with her (definitely my mini me!). My husband is not a ballet fan and was seemingly done after Nutcracker and Dante Project but having played the playlist for Forsythe’s Playlist and shown him some clips online I now have a 3rd attempt to show that ballet can be diverse and interesting and trying to see if I can entice a few more friends along.

This is madness. There’s surely a huge opportunity as theatre revives itself after the Covid dearth to replicate the WW2 approach of touring every corner of the country, in turn growing back a greater demand for (high quality) dance with completely new audiences. Essentially the Arts Council is shooting itself in the foot.

I agree, the programme had lots of interesting content and explained a lot more about why certain things were done which helps the production stand up. Still think this will hold up well over time and looking forward to seeing ENB properly your it.

They did seem to be filming, however, based on equipment, not sure if it was streaming/DVD quality filming or for internal critical use

Fond memories of RAD grade 6 connected me immediately to the music on seeing Raymonda for the first time (Mariinsky full version remotely during Covid and Royal Ballet Act 3 live before that). Between that and grade 7 (La Sylphide) in years gone by, I've realised how important the RAD is in driving my music appreciation. I think there's also a piece from Raymonda used in the current Intermediate syllabus also for the classical dance. I don't dance anymore but it does produce quite an emotional response for me as a result. I've been watching Royal Ballet's Act 3 today to really get a feel for the stylistic impact on Act 3 in the new version, it's a lot more classical (vs character dancing) than I recall, with only Raymonda's solo not being remotely demi charactere (but dramatically really fitted the story line) and perhaps one more short solo. Given the fabulous opening dance led by Emily Suzuki and Henry Dowden which had lots of Character with a capital C, I think I can accept it even with a more 'purist' head on. Can't wait to see again on Sat night, same lead cast but hoping there is some opportunity to see some different dancers in other roles.

Did you ever take RAD grade 6? Grand battements and battements cloche exercise used this.

I think the questions to be asked are 1. Is this a good ballet in its own right aside from any purist context? 2. Does it hold up authentically as 'Raymonda' in terms of music and choreography? 3. Does it need to do both to be considered a success? 4. Can you/we see it as a lasting part of the rep?

But more substantial than Raymonda original! And just to add, ENB really are on top form. When I think about where I would want to put my money as a supporter, it’s definitely in backing this company, especially with their national focus (fingers crossed touring will be back). Looking forward to seeing what is next for them.

What a wonderful way to start the ballet year. I’ll start by saying that the design was stunning, with the clever use of giant photo frames to set each scene. A digital screen with newspaper cuttings, cartoons and a journey across a map took us to Crimea and the scene of the ballet and was beautifully done. Costumes were exquisite. Apparently there has been some moving around of bits of music and some cuts made according to one of the insight films available on YouTube, but although familiar with the music from Raymonda (from RAD grade 6 back in the day), I wouldn’t know it well enough to notice. A really nice touch given the Hungarian character dancing in act 3 was having some musicians on stage - a violin, a hurdy gurdy and cimbalom at the back right - look out for them. I found the storytelling a breath of fresh air - it’s the first ballet with a story I have seen this season which can actually be followed without needing to read up on it and was easy enough for my daughter to follow. There was a bit of a twist ending which I didn’t expect, but good on Tamara Rojo and her dramaturg! What did disappoint a little is that having chosen who she would marry, there was no big fight between the men (I was prepared for no fight to the death but had expected a bit of a manly punch up rather than everyone being friends). I enjoyed the choreography on the whole, it looked like there was quite a lot of choreographic input in the first 2 acts in particular and only some of the Hungarian style remains in act 3. There is a beautiful lamp last scene which reminded me of a classic ‘white scene’ which provided a great opportunity for some gorgeous dancing from the corps de ballet (and there was a little bit which was reminiscent of the beginning of the Bayadère white scene using 4-6 of the men which if intentional was clever). Did the old and new choreography blend well? Did the new bits hit the spot for me? Going to wait til I’ve seen it again on Saturday night before commenting on that. Acting - I always find ENB a little lacklustre in the acting department, is it just me? I found Shiori Kase fell a bit flat in act 1 in particular and would have liked more passion. Her dancing, however was beautiful. Dancing wise, great to see lots of familiar faces on stage, particularly the radiant smile of Rhys Antoni Yeomans (more stage time please!) and Daniel McCormick, with a fabulous opportunity to see big roles danced by Precious Adams as Sister Clémence, Julia Conway as Henriette who were brilliant. This is a great addition to the repertoire, I am sure a few bits and pieces will be tightened up in time (even with Rojo heading to San Francisco I hope this will be the case) and it is a wonderful story ballet. I do think act 1 felt rather drawn out and while I wouldn’t want to miss a minute, it might be more of a struggle for those of us who aren’t die hard fans. The creative team came on stage during the curtain call and I had an old moment (despite being younger than her) hoping that Tamara Rojo didn’t fall out of her exceptionally low cut/high slit dress!!!

Would love to see Alison McWhinney make principal.

I’d like to see promotion from within. Although it’s quite a bland statement, perhaps it wasn’t working for ENB

I think what's interesting with Royal Ballet is that there is some nurturing of choreographic talent through Draft Works, but where does it go from there? The dancer-choreographers get to showcase their work in a 2 date studio showcase, but little to nothing (excluding Zuchetti's Scherzo) actually makes it to the main stage. It must be immensely frustrating for dancers with a desire to stretch themselves or considering choreography as a chance to future proof their careers within their existing company (Zuchetti seems to be working with other smaller companies to fulfill himself).

Also understand your thinking - needless to say the selection committee will have a tough job! What I love about Tamara Rojo is her very clear vision, articulates it well and I believe has has a very strong idea as to how to enable it. It will be interesting to see what the individual ideas for development are for those who decide to apply for the role and whether they have such clarity and determination.

Challenge here is classical credentials. To be honest, the only name in the Balletcoforum ring which has sparked my interest is the mention of Viviana Durante by @blackdove. The reason I think this is because she has danced the greats and with the greats, she leads the school which fuels (theoretically) the company so will be of the right mindset from that perspective and because of the projects she has undertaken with her eponymous company which demonstrates the value of exploring old works and the springboard this creates to produce new works. What she is doing within her company at the moment demonstrates her passion for ballet and dance and a similar lack of fear to Tamara Rojo. It would also ensure the continuity of diverse - in this case female -leadership within the top companies in the UK.

I am absolutely devastated and genuinely in shock. On the plus side, professionally, it's always good to leave a company on a high with so many achievements under her belt, with Raymonda hopefully being the icing on the cake. I can only commend her on the diverse programming of ENB which has something to appeal to everyone and never fails to excite me. On the negative side, it's going to be very hard to recruit a replacement who can be as determined a leader, within the company and across the broader dance landscape. Tuesday night's premiere is going to feel somewhat bittersweet, but am looking forward to what I hope will be her lasting legacy.

Still reading everyone else’s wish lists but really want to chime in!!! I think ENB can surprise me- have loved their eclectic programming of new and old works with new versions of old works like Raymonda (which I hope will be fabulous). I would love to see them tour Raymonda and assume it would come back to London too as they will need to get some value out of it as habe really missed out with postponement and cancellation. More new short works of many styles - loved their first programme last year at Sadlers which included the comical Jolly Folly. I would like to see BRB bring their full length performances to London - there is a huge value in offering what the ROH offers at a much lower price to make Don Q or R&J more accessible (and with fewer poor views). Last time they brought Fille to London I took both of my daughters for little more than one ticket for similar seats at the ROH. I want to see more of their heritage - follow ENBs lead on balance of old and new. For ROH I definitely want to see more Ashton too- this year’s offering is largely a rehash of what they have done in recent years and a bit of a disappointment. Someone needs to compromise to get Cinderella back on stage. I’d like to see a more surprising mix of one acts pulled together. In terms of full length ballets other than Cinderella, I’d like to see Bayadère, Anastasia, Sylvia with a preference for all of these over Sleeping Beauty. Another Chance to see Winter Dreams as the Christmas/Jan mixed bill would be great: More productions with shorter runs- great to have proper ballet back this year but feels like we’re still quite limited in number.

This is devastating for the company but at least they have managed to hold out for so long vs others.

Same feeling here. Familiar with much of the music from taking RAD grade 6 back in the 90s - I’ve come to realise how much their music has educated me as well as the dancing! At the moment there are a number of versions of Raymonda to watch on YouTube- Mariinsky with Xander Parrish, DNB’s updated version which tries to be a bit more D&I friendly and yet to watch La Scala but think they will all be good for thought when watching ENB in Jan. I have such high expectations and hope it meets them (especially the Act 3 character dancing which I am slightly baffled about in terms of the fit with the scenario).

Last night I picked up a programme which I am just devouring now which contains a very interesting article by Sarah Lenton about the changes made to Nutcracker to make it Covid safe last year. So many arrangements made for only a handful of performances to actually go ahead - thankfully I made one of them AND the rehearsal. It covers things like managing casts, wigs and even how many people handled the angel brought by Drosslemeyer’s assistant in addition to changes in choreography. The snowflakes are mentioned - apparently fewer snowflakes means you can see the patterns better - and that it’s expected in the future that numbers will go back to ‘normal’. In terms of the battle scene, she writes ‘Last year it was thought too risky to have huge numbers of youngsters on stage, and even this year, one positive test could mean a whole group might be isolated’. Nutcracker has never been my first choice of ballet but the magic has definitely returned for me given our Covid experiences and I do think for this reason I am unlikely to miss a season. I just need to plan ahead to see my dream cast next year!!

Ditto on the photos- and you must be very fast on the button to capture everyone so well. Despite prime position, I missed so many!! Re: Osipova, I expect it depends what sort of expectations you go in with! My expectations weren’t very high for this very British choreography where the British port de bras is so important- this is why Cuthbertson or Hayward would be my first choice, availability allowing (and actually Nunez would not be a particular preference for me here). However, Osipova brings a regal air to her performance. In terms of some things in the overall performance being a bit off, I agree that there were a few rough edges and not Royal Ballet standard (of perfection) but I think a lot can still be forgiven thanks to Covid. Despite a slip at one point, enjoyed seeing Nadia Mullova-Barley in a soloist role as a lead flower - she danced with such joy. It was lovely to see her progress since appearing in the 2016 Nutcracker documentary on the BBC. Very much also enjoyed David Donnelly as a cavalier (and mouse king) and pleased to see he is getting more soloist roles.

I was there tonight and honestly wasn’t sure if I had made the right decision to see Osipova (given I was beholden to dates with returns) but it was well worth it. She absolutely sparkled. Reece Clarke was standout too - a perfect Prince but also A perfect partner for a complete force of nature. Shame about the child next to my daughter who evidently became ill during the second act and started to cough persistently. She must have been 9 or 10 years old and therefore was not wearing a mask and was spluttering all over the place which was distracting mostly because it became pretty obvious that she was feeling pretty unwell when she lay down on her mother and should not have remained there for other people’s sake.

It was fabulous - really excited to hear it will be on! Barbican in the West End though? Found it strange that they claimed this when publicising the show.

My book just arrived from ROH - beautifully wrapped in their ROH tissue paper. Can't wait to dip into it - a great coffee table book and like the way it's organised. Thrilled to see there are photos too. I do think though that the cover is a little bit bland/dull (esp for a coffee table book) and incongruous with the contents, so much so, I'd initially thought that this was a holding image on Amazon when the book was first listed. It could have been much more interesting even with a cover photo of Clement Crisp himself! Definitely a great gift if you have someone to buy it for - especially if you can get 25% discount on the current discounted cost on the ROH site.

It seems Bonhams have actually posted the Jason Kittleberger piece on YouTube for anyone to see.

An interesting read from Alastair Macauley addressing some of the elephants described above. For Ashton’s Ballets, the Future May Be Perilous - The New York Times (nytimes.com)