Blossom

Links, Sunday 3 March, 2024 Review – Ballet national de Marseille, Roommates, Southbank Centre, London: Grace Spencer, The Reviews Hub Marian Kennedy, London Theatre 1 Franco Milazzo, Broadway World Review – Grand Kyiv Ballet, Giselle, Pennsylvania: Staff, Times Leader Review – Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Connecticut: Lara Beckius, Her Campus Review – Regional Area Dance Festival, Wellspring Theater, Kalamazoo, Michigan: Marin Heinritz, Revue West Michigan Preview – Royal Opera House Muscat, La Fille Mal Gardee, Staff, Times of Oman Preview - Ballet Hispanico reflects on changing images of Latin culture in Sarasota program: Jay Handelman, Sarasota Herald Tribune Feature - Ingrid Silva: Shattering Ballet Stereotypes, From Rio Slums to Global Stage: Saboor Bayat, BNN Feature - How Brazilian Dancer Ingrid Silva Is Changing the World — Starting with Ballet! (Exclusive): Gillian Telling, People Article - Ukraine's Lviv Opera Ballet Members Flee Amid War, Sparking Debate on Conscription Evasion: Salman Akhtar, BNN Article - 2 yrs on, Ukraine evacuees dance in Japan for peace in motherland: Ko Hirano, The Mainichi Article - Coco Kopelman Reflects on Her Time at the School of American Ballet: "It Was Like a Degas Painting": Isiah Magsino, Town and Country via AOL Feature - Bethany Truax: Vienna Dancer's Decade with Mid-Ohio Valley Ballet and Artistic Future, Muhammed Jawad, BNN And finally… Article - Beyoncé Goes To The Ballet In A Sleek Suit And Oversized Coat: Quincy Legardye, Harper’s Bazaar

Back to my original question, I've drafted the following after doing a bit of reading up! I wonder if we as a group can try to lobby for some preview articles? Mixed bills are the ballet equivalent of a tasting menu – a chance to see a range of shorter works in one evening, with a mix of different styles of ballet, music and costume and set design. The first in this year’s mixed offerings from the Royal Ballet is set to be a corker, showcasing a range of works by leading 20th Century choreographer, Kenneth MacMillan, creator of ballets now performed across the world, including Manon, which is just finishing its current run on the Royal Opera House stage. The 3 offerings being shown draw on a range of his choreographic styles and music, from purely orchestral offerings to the choral. The bill opens with Danses Concertantes, MacMillan’s first commission for the Royal Ballet at the young age of 26, with designs by Nicholas Giorgiadis, who became his long term collaborator, working together on ballets including Romeo & Juliet and Manon. The choreography mirrors the brittle and fractured sounds of Stravinsky’s score of the same name with sharp, abrupt movements and spiky fingers. The structure of the ballet fits with the traditional steps and hierarchical structure of classical ballet, but is said to have hints of jive, revue, cinema, and the circus. Following this is MacMillan’s 1984 take on Buchner’s Woyzeck, a story of a soldier’s physical and mental decline as he is subjected to menial jobs and degrading medical experiments, resulting in him murdering his mistress and then taking his own life. The ballet was described by eminent critic Clement Crisp as ‘uncomfortable, haunting, brave’. It’s apt that Guardian critic Mary Clarke at the time wrote that ‘it should be seen especially by those who think that ballet is Swan Lake’ as the MacMillan programme coincides with this ballet. The final piece, to Faure’s Requiem, was first performed in 1976 by the Stuttgart Ballet and is dedicated to the memory of their artistic director, choreographer and friend of MacMillan, John Cranko. The piece is a portrait of the ballet company mourning his loss – in places, the dancers’ fists are raised in anger and their mouths are open with silent howls of grief. This beautiful expression of grief, danced to both orchestra and voice and was met with great critical acclaim, rated as MacMillan’s best ballet to date. This triple bill opens on 20th March with only 6 performances. Tickets at roh.org.uk

I assume we will get the Georgiadis designs, in which case why is there no focus on this as part of his big anniversary which is being trumpeted around the display areas of the ROH? Really what I would expect rather than more paid advertising is a PR push to drive some previews content to help support the MacMillan legacy.

To me, it’s little wonder that ROH are struggling to sell as they are saying very little other than ‘it is ballet by MacMillan’. The studio rehearsal on 14 March may get people to the cinema but it’s a bit late for the ballet run. I’ve booked tickets but having not seen the ballets before, I would love some more info to help sell in to some friends! For each ballet, What is the theme/narrative? Is it classical/lyrical/contemporary etc? What is the music like to listen to? What are the costumes like? What should the audience look out for in the performance? You will like this ballet if you like xxxx There is content on the MacMillan site of course but would love to hear from the audience or at least be pointed to some old but relevant reviews.

Having looked at the dates it’s taken me a few minutes to work out why I hadn’t booked them in the first place. Unfortunately travel plans mean I will have to rely on all of your wonderful reviews! Sad to hear Lauren is out of the running.

Just received from ROH We are looking forward to welcoming you to the Royal Opera House for our upcoming performance of Kenneth MacMillan's Danses Concertantes / Different Drummer / Requiem. Following the news that Principal dancer Alexander Campbell has been appointed Artistic Director of the Royal Academy of Dance, the following cast change has been made: 20 March, 4 and 9 April, 7.30pm: Alexander Campbell is replaced by Francisco Serrano as the Drum Major in Different Drummer. 🤔

🤣

Every time I see these messages I sigh with sadness as I just can't make either of them. I do hope that he has a wonderful send off at his last performance and I hope those of you that are able to be there will film - and share - what I hope will be a similar send off to that of Beatriz Stix Brunell with the procession of colleagues presenting flowers.

The new additions are for April, previous ones were for March

At least some of these look like unsold access seats. Some stalls seats are reserved for people who are partially sighted who need to be close up (met someone who uses these seats recently)

An astute statement.

To book, you must first sign into your online account using your email address and password. We ask that you do not sign in more than 10 minutes before 9am as this can mean the website doesn’t correctly update to allow you to book. If you have signed in and are unable to book your tickets, the following fixes should be your first port of call: Signing out of your online account and back in again. Please ensure you click Sign Out rather than closing the page. You can then re-enter your email address and password. Refresh the webpage (method will depend on device and browser). Clearing your browser cookies and data. Try a different web browser or, if possible, a different device.

I think Premium Friends had mentioned this previously. Secretly hoping this means a change in date (and day of week).

The tabs aren't ROH recommended, just the logging in, but the tabs were all inactive and only used one by one, so not sure how this could clog anything up... Either way, very smooth running and no waiting times.

The idea is that it doesn't clog up booking or lead to long waits vs people logging in on multiple devices and with multiple tabs ready and waiting.

I followed the Friends Newsletter instructions to the letter this morning and had a dream booking session. I didn't log in before 8.50am as specified, but had a tab open for each production ready to book. At 9am, I managed to get straight into my first production with no wait. By 9.12am I was done - first choice tickets for everything except for Next Generation and had to get some side stalls for one of the Sarasota Ballet performances. As a number of the dates are not an option for me, I was incredibly relieved that it was so easy. Last night I was in a seat in the balcony and used the opportunity during the interval to test out a few other spots - standing and seated so that I had a back up plan but I didn't need it! For Ashton fans, there are still a good number of seats for Sarasota Ballet across each performance at varying values.

When Kevin O'Hare came out in front of the curtain before the performance last night, I have to say, my heart sank a little, having specifically wanted to see this cast, so it was quite a relief that this special evening was made even more special, hearing that Dame Antoinette Sibley was in the audience, although, as luck would have it, directly underneath me... By the end of the performance, I was feeling the usual emotional impact of the final scenes and when Antoinette Sibley came out on stage with Joseph Sissens, I have to say, I got a little misty eyed. This was a special performance all round - I was keen to see this season's debuts, if not their first performances - and particularly keen to see Fumi as Manon. As others have shared from their first performance, I did find Fumi and Vadim's connection take a little time to build, I loved their dancing in act 1, but didn't neccessarily feel the electricity of their connection and there also seemed to be a couple of moments in their pdds which were perhaps not as well oiled as some of the other partnerships I've seen, or it may have been my off-centre balcony vantage point... All was well though from the beginning of act 2, with the step change in Manon from girl to knowing woman. Her solos and the dance where she is passed around almost as an object from man to man were absolutely spellbinding and you could feel the tension and the hurt in her pas de deux with de Grieux and the absolute connection in the second bedroom pas de deux. Act 3 was heart wrenching and the final pas de deux was one of the most dramatic and emotive I have seen. Every ballet step Vadim takes is perfect, regardless of the level of drama. He dances with such respect for classicism and MacMillan's choreography, every solo made my heart soar. I also really enjoyed his partnership with Fumi overall and look forward to seeing them dance together again. Joseph Sissens was another reason why I was so much looking forward to seeing this cast and he is another dancer whose every step seems perfect. Back in the insight, this meant that he'd struggled to play drunk, so I really enjoyed seeing his character development there., He delivered a brilliant death scene, it felt more real and more shocking as the curtain came down. I also enjoyed seeing Leticia Dias as his mistress, a role I look forward to seeing her develop further in future runs. Her pdd with the drunk Lescaut got the customary laughs and I can imagine it's not easy going against everything you've learnt in terms of placement and centre of balance to create the desired effect. As always, the music was entirely absorbing, the 'sub plots' in the background were well delivered by a cast who really know how to act as well as dance, which is what makes this company so special for me. Unfortunately my last Manon of this run, but the sumptuous score is still running through my head and I will at least have a spring in my step on my dog walk this morning!

I'm organising a group of non-ballet goers to see this at Sadlers Wells. Really looking forward (except for having to babysit a group).

Links, Tuesday 27 February, 2024 Review – Birmingham Royal Ballet, Sleeping Beauty, Birmingham: Jonathan Gray, Gramilano Review – Birmingham Royal Ballet*, Sleeping Beauty Dreams, Birmingham: Aislin Slater, Redbrick *with amateur dancers Review - Jamiel Lawrence Ballet Nights, Ballet Nights 004, Lanterns Studio Theatre, London: Maggie Foyer, Seeing Dance Lucy Carter, Everything Theatre Stuart Sweeney, Critcal Dance Review – National Ballet of Canada, Angels Atlas/Emma Bovary, Ottowa: Sheenagh Pietrobruno, Critical Dance Review – San Francisco Ballet, Swan Lake: Saul Sugarman, Medium Review – Kansas City Ballet, Peter Pan: Gabriel Flynn, The Pitch Review – Grand Rapids Ballet, Sleeping Beauty, Michigan: Marin Heinritz, Revue Review – Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Mixed Programme, New York: Makayla Morrison, The Review Review – Australian Ballet, Alice in Wonderland, Sydney: Geraldine Higginson, Dance Australia Review – Latitude 37, Transfigured, Melbourne: Elizabeth Quinn, Limelight Review – Lewis Major, Maliphant x Major and others: Melbourne: Lisa Lanzi, Dance Australia Preview – Matthew Bourne, Edward Scissorhands, Nottingham: Marta Tavares, Newark Advertiser Preview – National Ballet of Canada, Alice in Wonderland, Canada: AA Cristi, Broadway World Preview – Joffrey Ballet, Anna Karenina, Chicago: Lou Fancher, 48 Hills Preview – American Repertory Ballet, Swan Lake Act 2/Sleeping Beauty Act 3, New Jersey: Staff, New Jersey Stage Preview – Ballet Tech, Kids Dance 30th Anniversary, Philadelphia: Chloe Rabinowitz, Broadway World Preview – Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, Lac (Swan Lake), Chloe Rabinowitz, Broadway World Preview/Article - The Liceu launches the dance season: Staff, Gran Teatre del Liceu Film Preview – Stephen McCrae is a Resilient Man: Staff, Dance Australia Essay – Poussin and the dance (to the music of time): Alastair McCauley, alastairmccauley.com Article – Campbell brings new vigour to RAD: Tamsin Flower, British Theatre Guide Article – Once banned by communists, Poland's stately 18th century dance garners UNESCO honors: Monika Scislowska and Rafal Niedzielski, AP via AOL Article – Poland, UK join forces for new take on Szymanowski’s ballet 'Harnasie': Staff, Polskie Radio Article – Two things you wouldn’t expect to find together: The National Ballet’s new season and a dog-feces incident: Marsha Lederman, The Globe and Mail Article – Photographer Jason Capobianco and VML bring the 2024 West Australian Ballet theme ‘The Discovery’ to life in new campaign: Lynchy, Campaign Brief News - BalletCollective Announces Open Application Call For 2025 Commission For Developing Choreographers: AA Cristi, Broadway World Obituary – Steve Paxton, Alastair McCauley, alastairmccauley.com

Completely agree with this

I meant alongside the like (heart) and thanks button to save quoting and adding an emoji! But this will do otherwise!

We need a ‘shocked’ response button/emoji. Somewhat dreading Wednesday morning as I only have very specific dates I am able to do in June…

Links, Monday 26 February, 2024 Review – Royal Ballet, Manon, ROH, London: Sarah Crompton, Guardian Review – Jamiel Lawrence Ballet Nights, Ballet Nights 004, Lanterns Studio Theatre, London: John O’Dwyer, Seen and Heard Review – Varna International Ballet, Swan Lake & Sleeping Beauty, Northampton: David Mead, Seeing Dance Review – La Scala Ballet, Memento, Teatro alla Scala, Milan: Graham Spicer, Gramilano Book Review – Ballet Confidential by David McAllister Geeta Pillai, BNN Kylie Knott, South China Morning Post Article - Ballet superstar Darcey Bussell helps bring Sleeping Beauty to Lowry: John Anson, Yahoo News Article - Misty Copeland to Illuminate the Madame Walker Legacy Center with Her Presence, Not Performance: Staff, BNN Article - Alex Campbell appointed RAD director: Staff, Dance Australia Article - Defying the Odds: The Artistic Journeys of Anya Nicole Alindada and Rubby Coyiuto: Waqas Arain, BNN Pat P Daza, The Philippine Star Article - Milwaukee Ko-Thi Dance Company; expression rooted in tradition: Aaron Maybin: Fox Local/AOL News News- The Royal New Zealand Ballet dances around the regions: John Pearson, The Press And finally, perhaps a forward facing solution to the funding crisis which could be mirrored in the UK… Article - “En Pointe” for Philanthropy: Jeunes Gouverneurs’ Night of Giving!: Staff, Mountain Lake PBS

It's possible there is a ticket limit though as with other events in the Linbury. This provides a fairer opportunity.

I was also at the 5pm performance today and really enjoyed the mix of choreographers. The programme opened with a piece from Rentaro Nakaaki which was fun once the music started and it was great to see Miguel Angel Maidana and Julia Conway up close. There were 2 presentations by Wayne McGregor Co, the first from Jordan James Bridge as intellectual study of movement and music as you’d expect from Wayne McGregor himself. I particularly enjoyed the work by Breanna Foad which was joyous and musical, aided by the connection Aitor Arrieta and Ashley Coupal had with each other. She mentioned that she mostly choreographs while listening to music on long flights to and from Australia which got me thinking about how hard it must be to sit relatively still for so long. I also really enjoyed Denilson Almeida’s piece, the clever use of props (chairs) to set the work and the relationship between 2 friends, one of whom was the brilliant Caspar Lench. There was also a beautiful neo classical piece from George Laing of Northern Ballet and a piece from Hannah Joseph of Wayne McGregor which was very accessible and felt quite street dance in style. Joseph danced in the piece herself and explained how different the process is to choreograph when in a piece vs choreographing on others. If this is an example of the sort of work which is shared in Draft Works I now feel like I have been missing out and need to better schedule my time in future!