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Blossom

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  1. Blossom
    So pleased I have worked out how to wirelessly connect from my laptop to TV (ok - the truth is I have my own personal IT support at home). Very interested to see if the live digital experience has even a hint of the atmosphere there is usually at Emerging Dancer - was sitting next to Jeffrey Cirio, Adela Ramirez and a few of their colleagues last year who were really cheering on their mentees. I also remember a certain singer/actress in front of me sticking her fingers in her ears every time they whooped and cheered...
  2. Blossom
    Am I right in thinking it's a Petipa extravaganza? Can't wait to watch!
  3. Blossom
    Just booked for the same performance - so pleased to have got tickets as already so sold out. With you on the sentiment - it's going to be a very long wait!
  4. Blossom
    10am and booking not live...
  5. Blossom
    Jane Haworth - end of an era. I remember seeing her in the 90s as a teenage ballet fan and there's always a certain nostalgia felt when I see her on stage... Delighted to see such a comprehensive announcement of what's to come. Smaller and more agile than the ROH, ENB always seems to be breaking boundaries. Can't wait for their Autumn programme albeit a little sad that Creature and Raymonda are to be postponed - atlhough noted that the January date at the London Coliseum has not been cancelled yet!
  6. Blossom
    Thanks Capybara. I was disgruntled to receive the Opera email when I am not remotely an opera goer and am desperately waiting for some ballet. Glad to hear there is some on the way but 9 October still feels so far away!
  7. Blossom
    Much respect for Joseph Sissons for using his profile in the dance world to comment so eloquently on this issue. I think one of the biggest challenges we will see though is how all of the supportive talk will translate to actual change, especially in America, within the police force and their governance. In other news, Mariinsky TV on Youtube is currently showing The Fountain of Bakhchisarai - live since Sunday evening but not sure how long for... They have also put Raymonda back online again. Not sure how long for hence reluctant to post in the calendar but I've embedded links below. Both feature Xander Parish and Victoria Terekshina. In Fountain, really enjoyed performance of Anastasia Matvienko as Maria and Roman Belyakov as the Crimean Khan. Mariinksy TV seems to be quite the operation and enjoying having such good access to ballets which are less usual in the UK.
  8. Blossom
    I have had just over 3/4 of my booking refunded to my credit card although I had asked them for ROH credit which is strange. I chased a couple of weeks ago and got a reply today, followed by the refund. They said they are dealing with refunds in the order they came in though, plus the website says could take up to 60 days...
  9. Blossom
    Just great news that they are scenario planning and have something deemed workable enough to action. Also great news that the article (and more so the double page article in the Times 2 which is even more thorough coverage) suggests that dancers need to get back sooner than others to get back into condition. However, the question is when this will happen. My workplace has said we are unlikely to reopen till September and even then will likley be on a shift basis. Dancers will need a couple of months or so to get back into condition for the stage and there's the issue of social distancing and whether it's possible... The Times 2 article also tried to explain that the reason why the ROH's streaming has been so poor is because they don't have the rights to a lot of their own content, but that something big is coming, possibly on reopening.
  10. Blossom
    ENB are definitely doing this lockdown right. They have balanced one acts and full ballets, new works, classics and 'new classics' (thinking R&J) well. It's all very accessible and there is something for everyone. I hope it serves them well once they can return to the stage.
  11. Blossom
    Unfortunately it does
  12. Blossom
    🤣🤣🤣🤣 Glad i am not the only one. Score for Alice is just about bearable but neither WT or Alice listenable on their own. Hope Wheeldon has a different composer in mind for his upcoming offering.
  13. Blossom
    Winters' Tale is indeed a wonderful ballet, but find I really do not like Jony Talbot's score (and not isolated to this ballet alone). Please someone explain to me how wrong I am and why.
  14. Blossom
    Really enjoyed the performance and as @DanJL said, the intimacy of this recording, obviously not meant for broadcast. Also not a big fan of the Nureyev choreography, but even more so of the libretto for this version. However, the acting and the dancing from the ENB cast were superb. Particularly enjoyed the treat of having Cesar Corrales as Mercutio, a fabulous role to play and well interpreted. Also love Alison McWhinney who I assume was Rosaline. She is such an expressive and joyous dancer, would love to see her as Juliet (I didn't particularly like the section they chose to perform at the 70th gala where she briefly appeared as Juliet) - and also to see her promoted. I spent a little time watching the Mariinsky version which is currently available on YouTube but found that the dancing and storytelling didn't work with the music and the acting (or gross overacting) was just painful to watch. Having not seen Cranko's version, which I believe is what inspired MacMillan to choreograph his version a few years later, I can honestly say that choreography wise, MacMillan cannot be beaten. Before seeing his version, this was not one of my favourite ballets and I would not have chosen to listen to Prokofiev's score. Having now seen and enjoyed his choreography and libretto, I feel that he really gets under the skin of the story and more so it is a perfect match for the music - every note now makes sense to me.
  15. Blossom
    Really enjoyed this, but having seen the opening bit live at the gala, watching it on TV in broad daylight with kids interrupting is no replacement for live theatre... I also think that the way the opening was filmed didn't give the viewer a full opportunity to view the full impact of that piece of the choreography, with all of the connected, rippling arms.
  16. Blossom
    Thinking about it and seeing how a lot of dancers are working with e.g. Bloch to run online classes or are doing interviews with social influencers, I would imagine that a lot of dancing staff are on furlough. In terms of the digital premieres on facebook, one consideration is probably digital rights to broadcast online. I remember when I used to work with publishers to create video content on behalf of my advertising clients, digital rights were completely separate. Thinking about their content partnerships with the BBC and the likes of Marquee TV, maybe they don't have the rights to distribute themselves online. So here's a proposal for you all, who is in? We know the ROH has lots of content, but should we consider ourselves key influencers (i am sure our non-ballet friends would consider us to be) for the Royal Ballet and share some of their best bits? I We could start a thread specifically for this to share some of the great content with introductory blurb, highlighting what's officially available on Sky/YouTube/Facebook for the ROH and all British companies. We could all share the same content at the same time and make it a weekly or twice weekly thing (or promote their Friday premieres, ENB's Wednesday watch parties and then agree on 1 piece of other content to share weekly). Essentially we can be the digital version of the Royal Ballet in wartime, showcasing as much as possilbe to the length and breadth of the country, to generate new audiences to keep the ROH and others in business!
  17. Blossom
    I have communicated with the Friends team to let them know I'm awaiting some account credits for cancelled performances and will renew as and when this is with me. In their reply, they have copied and pasted a paragraph which has no mention of extended timeframes, just heartfelt thanks for any support they can get during this difficult time. That's not to say on renewing, that the membership won't be extended, but gut feel is it won't. I don't think it's a case of taking Friends for granted, but they are in an absolutely dire situation at the moment. I do think that there could be an additional programme of exclusive online events for Friends, leveraging non-furloughed staff (assume dancers not furloughed??) from home for interviews etc. As a general aside, if you look at the history of the Royal Ballet and how their growth and success is underpinned by their constant touring in WW2, it makes you wonder how they could capture and adapt a bit more of that wartime spirit in the Covid-era to gain a bit of traction with new audiences - even making more of promoting the existing content they have (insights etc).
  18. Blossom
    It's strange no email has gone out to people to say that they will be refunded?? I am glad I checked the events I'd booked. Can completely understand why up close events have been cancelled but not very good communication.
  19. Blossom
    Oh no but also will be lovely to see Ball again
  20. Blossom
    Press night was Tuesday. I was sitting next to a journalist who was scribbling away in the dark!
  21. Blossom
    So that means Francesca Hayward will be out as well... Although she's definitely been on stage since being back from Milan.
  22. Blossom
    Sad for McRae. But yes, can see Corrales in the role too. And can completely see Osipova as the Siren (and Clare Calvert for her dates too).
  23. Blossom
    Just received also. Does this mean McRae is still out injured?
  24. Blossom
    Broadway world review in links today refers to Armand's father as Marguerite's father. Frustratingly incorrect. Without a huge review, M&A is among my favourites when delivered well. I actually didn't think it was at all on Saturday night, but generally I am quite critical of most casts dancing M&A so potentially I am the one with the problem! Having said that, overall, I think it was under-rehearsed or under-coached. While Alina delivered Marguerite's fragility, I just didn't feel her passion for Armand. There was nothing specific I could put my finger on, it makes me wonder who coached the piece and whether they had danced Marguerite before to pass on their insight (think back to the acting notes conveyed by Zenaida Yanowsky in the Swan Lake insight a couple of weeks ago). Was this simply Cojocaru's personal interpretation? I thought Frola was excellent though, despite some wobbles in the scene where they first encounter each other, and he proves that ENB has some strong actor-dancers. Kobborg, on the other hand, was not. I found him rather wooden and as one review suggested, was just going through the motions. Again, this could suggest a missing link in the teaching/coaching of the role.
  25. Blossom
    @alison and @cackles I hope you are going to post a review - keen to read before going on Saturday night!
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