Blossom

Thank you for the cardi explanation!

Mayerling as a case in point - even reading the info on the cast sheet, I couldn't work out who was who to follow the story the first time I saw it. It took buying the DVD and checking the casting throughout to really start understanding it.. The Cellist by comparison was pretty simple to understand and think it is a fabulous addition to the repertoire. Can't wait to see the second cast and would like to see the first one again! A very special piece.

I’ve wanted to see DaaG for quite a while and was delighted when this programme was announced. In the programme, Robbins is quoted as saying that after creating an initial dance, Balanchine said ‘make more, make it like peanuts’, but I echo Sim in saying that it was probably around 15 mins too long. Despite this, overall enjoyed the glorious dancing which had a lyrical ‘free-movement’ style. Generally well-cast, I was delighted to see another opportunity for Fumi Kaneko here, she suited the style so well and was such a contrast from her sparkling Aurora a few weeks ago. Interestingly, although a beautiful dancer, I think Hayward struggled to make the transition from precise and technically perfect to the more lyrical and fluid style needed for this role. Eponymising the qualities of fluidity and lyricism with a huge amount of charm and humour (and perfect timing) was Laura Morera in green, this is the sort of role made to measure for her. Bonelli and Zuchetti also stood out for me among the male dancers. It’s hard to know where to begin with the Cellist. I should probably start by saying that the choreography really enabled me to feel the intense love du Pre had for her instrument and the longing when she couldn’t play, which was heart-rending (and brought me to tears). It didn’t matter where Cuthbertson or Sambe were on the stage in relation to each other, you could really feel the electricity between them, even more so, in the elements of the choreography where they were intertwined as one. There was a different intensity to Ball’s role as Birenboim, such power and gravitas as the composer and a very different sort of love expressed in his dances with du Pre. I echo previous posters that the 3 main characters were very much my main focus and the choreographed characterisations and the individual dancers chosen to portray them were all outstanding. The ‘narrators’ in grey made sense to me some of the time, in others not so much. I didn’t really understand all of the running around with records (can anyone explain?), for example. I didn’t think it was clear what was going on when I think she was being diagnosed with MS. However, as an orchestra, the choreography was so clever, as each section ‘played’, I saw them more as a physical expression of the sound rather than personifying an instrument. A good use of the full cast was dancing in the ‘wedding scene’ which seemed to have a flavour of Jewish wedding dancing, I assume. I thought the use of the stripy cardigan to convey her childhood/need for parents’ care to her demise (a return to needing her parents’ care) was clever, but not sure what all of the other cardigans represented. Any thoughts on this? In terms of the set, the insight was good pre-enlightenment –Marsden prefers sparse sets and for the dancers to provide most of the context, but the elements of physical set were supposed to represent a deconstructed Cello, hence the curves and the use of wood. Generally this worked well for me in terms of the way they represented home/concert hall etc, but there was a time when the bigger moving piece was going so fast and there were so many ‘narrators’ on stage that it seemed a tad more frantic than the life it was representing. Did the set need to keep on moving or should it have stayed still with only people moving to demonstrate the whirlwind of du Pre’s success? And finally the music… I know most are focussed on the Elgar, but for me, new to du Pre, it was the core cello theme throughout ‘Song without words’ (Mendelsohn) which has been on my mind since leaving the ROH last night. Such a beautiful piece and loved the way it was intertwined with the new score.

Seeing it tomorrow with my daughter and glad I can squeeze in the second cast in a couple of weeks! I'm looking forward to The Cellist, especially after the insight a couple of weeks ago and all of the interviews with Marston. I particularly liked the one where her lovely mum had posted a comment, she is obviously so proud! Really excited for Dances at a Gathering too - was on my wish list and nice to have ended up with this unexpected addition to the season.

A particularly good insight, very well presented and coached. I often go to see these in the studio and love being close to the action but it wasn't possible on this occasion and I am kicking myself for having plans which clashed! I think they focussed on some very interesting elements - the difference between how Odette and Odile dance/perform and a lovely reminder of RB heritage with Ashton's Neapolitan. Zenaida Yanowski really gave some incredible 'thinking artiste' insight into the roles and interesting to hear about the speedy switch from white to black swan between acts! Enjoyed seeing Fumi and Mayara dancing - delighted they both get a chance to dance Odile/Odette this time round. Then onto Wayne Sleep with Anna Rose O'Sullivan and Josep Sissons who are such a joy to watch. Neapolitan dance is a really tough one to be coached in public though - all of those tiny precise jumps with such elevation (as well as the upper body movement and breathing mentioned by Sleep)- it looks exhausting enough in performance, never mind on repeat in the studio.

I have been waiting very patiently to see Onegin, having seen it for the first time last night. My friend had requested to see Osipova at some point and thought this would be a perfect role to see her in. Although initially disappointed to hear she was injured/out and then to hear Reece Clarke was also unable to dance, it was a real treat to find that Marianela Nunez and Roberto Bolle would be dancing Tatiana and Onegin respectively. I have never seen Bolle dance live before and imagine I may not get the chance to see him again, so it really felt like a very special occasion. Incidentally, also saw Gary Avis post on Instagram that this season may be his last Gremin. Was wonderful to see him in a proper dancing role (vs non-dancey character roles), the partnership with Nunez worked beautifully. Bolle’s Onegin was quite an obnoxious character despite oozing swoonsomeness! From his distaste at Tatiana’s intellectual book at their first meeting, to refusing her affections by ripping up her love letter, his frankly mean taunting of her and Lensky by using Olga as his plaything and for generally coming across as though he was completely entitled to be that way. Adored the first ‘love letter’ pas de deux with Nunez and even more so the heart-wrenching final pas de deux when Tatiana rejects him. Nunez shone as usual, would have expected no less from her in the role and she was such a perfect fit both with Bolle and Avis. I relish every opportunity to see her as she is such an accomplished dancer and actress. Matthew Ball and Francesca Hayward were a very sweet couple in love. I found the way they played the role in addition to the choreography suggests they were absolutely head over heels in love and wanted to find the same for Tatiana. How wrong a choice Onegin would have been though! Hayward played her role very sweetly and innocently, not realising she was Onegin’s plaything in act 2. Ball’s interpretation so engaging in Act 2, first with his anger at Olga and Onegin dancing together and in his expressive pre-duel solo, followed by Olga and Tatiana trying to convince him not to fight. This is definitely a role which is made for him. Looking at the bigger picture, there were a few things which really stood out for me, choreography wise. The character dancing throughout was wonderful and very well executed by the corps de ballet. In act 1, there was more of a folky feel to the steps, in act 2, the more formal and elegant mazurka. Cranko really tuned himself in to these dances and the formations he wanted to achieve so there is something incredibly classical about this element of the ballet. I loved the floor patterns and formations for the corps de ballet dances in general throughout the ballet, the way the groupings came together or were separated out, the patterns across the stage, in particular the Act 2 partnered grand jetes across the stage and there were lots of lifts which probably makes these roles more exciting for the more junior members of the cast. I also loved the way the corps de ballet was used to show the world continuing around Tatiana or Onegin when they were showing stillness and inner anguish at the different parties. I loved the dramatic feel of the ballet, with the focus on exciting lifts in the Onegin/Tatiana pas des deux, very Macmillan in feel (yet completely different in so many ways…). Interesting to notice Tatiana’s act 3 dance with Gremin and ‘farewell’ before Onegin arrives is the Winter Dreams Farewell pas de deux music used by Macmillan, I wonder if he was inspired at all by Cranko with this. There were also some very Ashtonian moments in terms of the mini-character vignettes in the Act 2 ball – whether old man/quarrelling couple/man with 2 ladies who didn’t know which one to choose. The set design was exquisite – was fascinated by the foliage in act 1 (would love to get a closer look at how this was designed), the lace in the ‘bedroom’ scenes, the opulence of the act 3 ballroom. There was so much detail here. Music wise, delighted to know one piece of music per act pretty well from an age ago when I took RAD’s grade 8 ballet.

Sad not to see Osipova & Clarke tonight but couldn't ask for a better alternative cast! Very excited!

I am sure you do! I suppose we get the mixed bills to differentiate from what is already on here but I really believe BRB has a huge and separate role to play in democratising ballet as Sadlers is so much more affordable and has mostly clear sight lines across the theatre.

I think there’s lots here to be excited about, living in London, I am pleased that there will be visits in June and October with mixed bills as well as bringing Macmillan’s Romeo and Juliet more affordably to a London. For me, this means my daughter will get to see it for the first time, as, I am sure, will many other Londoners. Hopefully the Acosta name will draw people in to give ballet a go and actually, I think a good mixed bill is a great way to get people engaged. R&J and Cinderella around the country give enough balance for those who prefer story ballets or want to see the classics. On that note, a little disappointed not to get Cinderella in London, prefer Bintley’s to Wheeldon’s offering shared by ENB in the summer. Hope it’s part of the summer 2021 programme at the ROH.

I wonder when casting will be released. Currently have the first Thursday matinee booked but want to ensure I see Cirio. Crossing fingers...

Frankly that’s just not fair on those of us who like the same dancers. He should be warned (by the theatres) to zip it unless actually worthy of a bravo/a/i (his command of grammar is obviously there to impress) or face some consequences. ROH can’t be pleased if it’s coming across in live streams which I assume often become DVD versions.

Geoff I seem to have been at a few events the gentleman in question has frequented. All I can say is, I’d better not ever end up sitting next to him...

a link would have been helpful

Last year’s awards write up gives lots more info. KOH was on last year’s jury and ENB Creature was a nominee. What does this mean for timing of wheeldon’s proposed ‘Like Water for Chocolate’? Next Spring?

😭😱. I remember it taking us 30 mins to get to Liverpool from my family home just 10 mins from the Manchester city centre, but a lot has changed in terms of one way systems, restrictions etc.

Very excited by this - 2 new productions in a single year! Also, despite living in London, I think it's the right decision to launch new productions in other parts of the country - specifically excited that Raymonda will premiere in Manchester, my former home. This is likely high on the Arts Council agenda but probably also plays into all of the bigger political conversations around not being so London centric. This is the sort of thing that makes me really want to support ENB. Interested to see Rojo's take on Raymonda. It's a good choice - as she says, not fully in the repertoire of any company in the UK, but intrigued to see how the new story will fit and if we will retain the Hungarian stylised Act 3. Particularly looking forward to the Forsythe evening - can't wait to see Playlist in full and share this with some of his other works. Unfortunately feels like a very, very long wait until April 2021 and seems more like advanced notice for next season if Creature is part of this year's season. Shame Janet about Liverpool, but at least Manchester is close by.

Had a lovely evening at the ENB gala last night with my friend and our daughters. It was a great opportunity for our daughters to see lots of snippets of different pieces to start growing their tastes. After they were dazzled by Corsaire last Saturday night, we asked them to choose between the 2 evenings and was pleasantly surprised that they chose the gala. Our unanimous favourite was Forsythe's Playlist, which was a brilliant piece of choreography for an all male group. Cirio (a confirmed favourite of ours) shone, but also picked out Rhys Antoni Yeomans who had impressed in the last Emerging Dancer with Forsythe's 'In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated'. He had a wonderful energy at Emerging Dancer and the gala and is one of those dancers who visibly is getting so much joy from being on stage. Dust was incredibly powerful and beautiful, the snippet of Khan's Giselle also, looking forward to seeing his new creation in Spring. On the Classical side, the Sleeping Beauty excerpt was beautifully danced and a delight to see Katja Khaniukova and Daniel McCormick taking the lead roles. Pleased that ENBYouthCO was includied with Of What's to Come -a wonderfully energetic piece and loved the costumes. Between RNBYouthCo and ENB School in Khan's Giselle, it was exciting to see the ability of the students to take on such diverse styles and it demonstrates how much must have changed in the 70 years since the company was founded. Very much enjoyed seeing the company's character dance credentials shared with the colourful reel from Sylphide and Mazurka from Coppelia. Romeo and Juliet disappointed a little. I was looking forward to seeing McWhinney dancing the role, I could imagine how much this would suit her, but was perhaps disappointed with the section chosen for performance (Dance of the Knights) vs e.g. the balcony pas de deux to show off her talents. I think the key thing I didn't like in this piece was the choreography, having a greater preference for MacMillan's. Etudes was a piece on my wishlist, I've never seen it before and very much associated it with the iconinc shadows against a blue lit backdrop. It was a lovely piece to showcase the whole company and delivered excitement as the performance built from barre to grand allegro and a wonderful way to end the evening with everyone on stage. Cirio, Frola and Case were highlights here. As mentioned before, the video elements fitted seamlessly and really helped to celebrate the company reaching this milestone. ENB is a company close to my heart as growing up in Manchester, this was the company I probably saw most frequently. Tamara Rojo spoke about making ballet accessible for all - with touring being (for me the key component to making this happen.

I was at the ROH last night for the final performance. After a horrific day at work, it was such a wonderful way to unwind! Sad not to see Lauren Cuthbertson, but my friend and I were thrilled that if she needed replacing, Fumi was definitely one of our preferred choices. Her rose adage was solid and assured and I actually got quite emotional (for her!) as she received rapturous applause for such a high profile performance. What a career making moment! Speaking of assured and solid performances, lovely to see her looked after by Gary Avis as her English prince. Bonelli was the perfect prince for a last minute switch- he is such a generous partner and a gentleman as well as a beautiful dancer. It was sweet to see them exchanging words as they took their post pdd applause. Contrary to general opinion, I actually really liked Gina Storm Jensen in the role of the lilac fairy. I am not, on the whole, her biggest fan, but I do think this role really suits her. Yes there were some iffy moments, but there were equally a few iffy moments from the wider cast, despite this being the end of the run. For example, at one point during the cavaliers’ allegro in act 1, it did seem as though not everyone was completely on time with each other/the music. Glorious prologue- great cast of fairies and their cavaliers- too many to name individually. Absolutely adore Kristen McNally as Carabosse, one of my favourite roles for her, such strong acting ability. Act 3 bluebird pdd was very special with my favorite pairing- Naghdi/Ball. Ball’s second solo with all of those brisées (please correct me if needed) was incredible and he such authority on the stage. Romany Padjack was a lovely Red Riding Hood and Florestan and sisters dances beautifully by Hay, O’Sullivan and Magri. Despite all of the stars and rising stars in Act 3, the grand pas de deux shone the most brightly. As a final comment, the audience was quite electric last night which I hope came across in the cinema!

Overall, a really enjoyable time was had on Saturday night at the Coliseum. This was the first ballet I went to back in January 2016 after a hiatus due to having babies/small children and general pressures of working late quite often in my early career. It was wonderful to return to the performance which 4 years ago ran at the speed of lightning and was over far too soon! This time, I took my balletomane-in-training 12 year old daughter with me. This is one of those productions which is dazzling on the eye - beautiful sets conjuring up the image of a marketplace in Constantinople, the Pirates' Cave filled with treasure chests, a Middle Eastern palace and of course, the pirate ship with the billowing sail. Costumes are awash with vivid colours and sparkle in places and the big corps de ballet dance scenes were vibrant and joyous. I was also pleased that my daughter commented on how much she enjoyed the music. Standout male performances came from Daniel McCormick as Ali, Jonor Souza as Lankedem and Francesco Gabriele Frola as Conrad. All were technically precise and of course these roles have the ability to wow with giant leaps and turns. It was wonderful to hear the much deserved loud cheers for Daniel McCormick after his solo in the act 2 pas de trois. In terms of female performances, I really enjoyed Emma Hawes as Gulnare and as always, Alison McWhinney's delicately expressive Odalisque. She always seems to get so much joy from the roles she is performing. Erina Takahashi was a bit of a disappointment. She didn't seem to be technically strong enough for this role and there were a few areas where she seemed to struggle. There has to be a special mention for Stina Quagebeur who shone as the lead villager and dealt so professionally with a wardrobe mishap - ducking on and off set as if it was all part of the piece. In general, I have a minor criticism about the quality of acting in the company. There are some standout company members, for example Jeffrey Cirio (who didn't perform last night) who throws as much into the character as he does virtuosity, but in general, acting ability could really be stepped up a notch. The London Coliseum is a great venue for ballet, with great sight lines wherever you are sitting, but it is somewhat lacking in places to sit outside of the auditorium and bar spaces are quite cramped for such a large venue. I am also not at all keen on drinks being allowed in the auditorium, now a bigger gripe given that this means that everything is served in plastic to enable people to take their drinks in, which really goes against the majority of businesses really trying to cut back and consider our environment. Very much looking forward to next week's Gala.

Glad I am not alone in my grump!

It does seem somewhat silly to dance Sleeping Beauty when there has been a long Royal Ballet run this season. Had hoped to see something new with such a top heavy first half of the season. I assume the aim is to interest as broad an audience as possible though, which I suppose will always make the visiting repertoire unoriginal (and no doubt pricey).

Hopefully a fun post for a dreary January morning…. Delighted to hear that my daughter’s class teacher has started an initiative at school with her class. Each week, they will select a piece of classical music to play in assembly and a child will give a short piece of information about it. I hope my daughter will take part – she’s not keen on getting up in assembly but she is open to choosing a piece of music based on the ballets she has seen - Swan Lake, La Fille Mal Gardee, Coppelia (this one at the cinema!) and Giselle which isn’t bad going for a not quite 10 year old! I thought for Fille, the Clog Dance could be a good piece to play with video rather than audio alone as it’s quite fun and there are obvious highlights from some of the other pieces. I’ve also told the teacher I’d be happy to make some recommendations to keep them ticking along across the year. So, what would you choose and why?

For me it’s between Royal Ballet Naghdi/Ball R&J for both their performances and the emotive choreography and the Royal Ballet Firebird/Month in the Country/Symphony in C triple bill which was a wonderful chocolate box of ballets to enjoy. Enjoyed so much else and so hard to choose! Saw some great performances from ENB and BRB also and as always particularly enjoyed ENB’s Emerging Dancer competition this year, so much rising talent.

Saw the movie with the whole family tonight. The kids enjoyed it, I loved the songs as grew up with the poems as well as listening to the cast recording. Steven Macrae was brilliant as Skimbleshanks, his tap routine was probably my favourite of all the dance routines. Francesca Hayward was perfect for the role of Victoria, as a Royal Ballet dancer, she is capable of so much drama with her eyes alone! Was lovely to hear her sing and of course she brought so much talent dance wise. My husband who is a ballet refusenik could see that she and Macrae were a cut above the rest. Having some semblance of a story and dialogue did help pull it all together which is why I think the children enjoyed it. James Corden was pretty good as Bustopher Jones and also loved Mr Mistofelees. Unfortunately though, beyond the songs it was a bit of a car crash of a movie. Cats is a very marmite production- people love it or hate it, but is less forgiving on film than the stage show for many reasons, the 2 main ones being:- 1. The CGI - so poor in places, from details like the computer animated cats tails which were just plain weird to bigger picture dance routines which were obviously green screened but just didn’t look natural or real enough. Some of the green screen elements were too crudely pasted onto the background. 2. Something wasn’t quite right about a lot of the singing For many reasons was wonderful to share with the kids and off to find my copy of TS Elliot’s book and to download the original cast recording... and maybe to force them to watch the stage show which is currently available on Sky Arts.

Completely agree with this, as an audience member the schedule for Autumn/Winter seems pretty full on - and that’s without considering the implications on the dancers. Despite this, I found this triple bill thoroughly enjoyable - it’s always such a treat to have such a range of styles in one evening. Having read earlier comments on this thread about the standard of character dancing and having found the Coppelia character dancing weak and disorderly, Raymonda pleasantly surprised. Still some room for improvement and I think next time such strong character works are scheduled, there needs to be an opportunity to go back and re-teach the stylistic elements of national dances as there are very few who have a natural flair for them. Mayara Magri particularly hits the mark for me and loved her solo last night. Marianela Nunez of course gave her usual all and was a pleasure to watch. Rewinding to the beginning of the evening, was delighted to see Anna Rose O’Sullivan opening Concerto. It’s been an exceptionally busy season for her so far and really enjoy her adaptability to seemingly every role which comes her way. Really enjoyed the choreography, the music, the colours and lovely to see Naghdi/Hirano’s finished work, rehearsed on World Ballet Day. Enigma variations was a lovely work of vignettes based on the diarised observations of Elgar. I assume it takes quite a few viewings to understand exactly who is who but was a perfect parcel of Ashtonian choreography. Only 2 minutes of Matthew Ball but so much character in his performance, as there was also in the comic role Paul Kay played (need to refer back to the cast sheet). Morera played Elgar’s wife with expression in every bone in her body. My friend and I had the pleasure of some lovely neighbours in stalls circle a77 and a80 last night (Identifying incase you are on here!)- was such a pleasure to chat.