Blossom

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When you have seen something really special, absolutely. But that’s just it, it should be special.

I completely agree on this one. There are also plenty of ‘bums on seats’ ticket groups around - tickets available at a few hours notice, in Manchester my parents get deals based on the fact that they live and work in Manchester. This has essentially brought him - a completely new audience - to the ballet and this is where I think the tickets could have most value, offering to people who work in London as seat fillers at short notice. Or great for students at London universities, not just performing arts students, or possibly as an extension of ‘Chance to Dance’ type programmes. On a completely separate note, Francesca Vellicu was a wonderful in the Bluebird pdd tonight - she really shone and I could see why she was shortlisted for Emerging Dancer. Definitely one to watch!

What beats leaving during curtain call? Leaving during the final act of course! Frustrating to have moving bodies leaving the theatre and blocking the stage at Coliseum tonight. I know Sleeping Beauty is a long ballet, but seriously??? Also frustrated by random calls of bravo/brava/bravi post solos. Am I being unduly irritated or is usage getting a bit excessive and show-offy when applause would more than do until the curtain call. Or is this something which is just now routine?

It’s an opinion based on the selection of pdd’s presented and of course, it’s only my personal opinion. I think it’s pretty unfair to call it out as vile - others are welcome to disagree but the joy of having this forum is that we are able to discuss and debate. It would be a pretty dull place if we all agreed with one another. In previous years, there has been more of a balance in terms of what has been presented - more dancers had an opportunity to deliver on award winning virtuosity. That isn’t to say that we wasn’t a worthy winner- my personal preference for the contemporary in terms of individual presentation was his performance. I do, however, believe, based on my huge admiration for Corrales since seeing him stand so hugely apart from his competition at Emerging Dancer 2 years ago that when he leaves at the end of the season, it was going to be hard to find another up and coming star to fill his shoes. I think that McCormick just might be able to step into that gap. Definitely no mean spirited intentions but I don’t think that each of the pieces danced gave an opportunity to be equally objective, different choreographers and different skills were being presented by each of the dancers. While I would have chosen McCormick as my winner, I wonder whether Adams and Garrett were given the best opportunity.

It was obvious McCormick was being set up to win with the choice of pdd and the contemporary piece. It was a bit of a flashback to 2 years ago which anointed Corrales a star and although not quite as striking a performance, he will fill the virtuoso gap quite nicely I’m sure. I really enjoyed Vowles and Garrett’s pdd from William Tell. Garrett has a wonderful sense of humour on stage which was shown in both his pieces and he is definitely one to watch. Vowles is such a pretty dancer and makes the little beats look like a breeze and loved her contemporary performance. Wasnt keen on Harlequinade at all for these dancers as a classical piece but Adams’ talent is evident. Her contemporary piece was not my cup of tea but she was incredible. I do do like this event as a chance to get to know the dancers- shame there are no filmed insights as with the Royal Ballet which really help to build a connection to the company. I love this event but felt that despite being a wonderful piece of PR, especially with the dancers dotted around in the audience, it just wasn’t as exhilirating as in previous years, potentially due to the choices made in terms of choreography.

Polunin has just had his makeup done by make up artist Lisa Eldridge who I follow on Instagram- it’s for Vogue Germany. Pretty striking.

Yes Naghdi mentioned it! There were still a few tickets left this morning but I suppose the thing is that until arriving this evening, it was impossible to know who the panel would be. One lady turned up and when she found out Darcey Bussell would be on the panel decided she wasn’t going to stay... On another note I decided to watch Dowell’s Swan Lake on DVD this evening. The pdt features McRae, Choe and Morera and I know the choreography is different but they just looked more balanced both height wise and stylistically than some of the casts which have been discussed. I also took a cast sheet for tonight on my way out and there were quite a few changes. Cowley, Katsura and Ball replaced in the waltz and polonaise by Heap and Ella with Ashley Dean. Cowley also replaces in Spanish dance - hope all ok there. Stock replaced by Gasparini as a cygnet and by Hannah Grennell in the Czardas. Again, hope all ok with her...

Naghdi was fascinating to listen to. She sounds like she really put everything into the role to get it just right. I wished I could tell her how fantastic she was the other night. She obviously had a close relationship with her coach for the role as she was visibly upset (and mentioned it) when she said that she had left after her debut. Lesley Collier is doing further work with the couple. She seems like a fabulous young principal, she has a lot of personality and obvious dedication. I found Kish much more awkward in terms of answering the questions asked. I very much got the impression that he saw his role as a giving partner to support Naghdi which I very much saw in the pdds but while the challenges of female virtuosity element of the act 3 solos was discussed, I would have liked to have covered whether Siegfried’s solos are equally challenging and why, to maybe understand Kish’s performance a bit better. What I really enjoyed about Darcey Bussell being there was the way the conversation talked about each generation of dancers passing on their expertise to the next in terms of things from an eyeline to how to absorb the character being played. She of course was coached by Fonteyn (for 2 days) which focussed very much on these sorts of details. I also loved her little anecdotes about performing with Cope and his pre-show routines.

Harry Potter reference. ‘A Horcrux is an object in which a bad wizard or witch has hidden a fragment of his or her soul for the purpose of attaining immortality’ A hilarious review. Oh and I am 2 years to old to be considered a millenial...

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 best answer ever!

Do we assume that the pique turns were a statement of solidarity after the Copeland furore or just mixing it up a little?

I got well over 32 and figured I had miscounted! Thanks for your beautiful summary of Naghdi’s outstanding debut. I can’t really find the words to describe how perfect she was in this role. Lovely to see that she posted on Instagram pics which include her debut performance a a cygnet and a reference to appearing in the Darcey Bussell Swan Lake documentary when she was 14.

I've been reading everyone's comments with anticipation ahead of my visit to the ROH today. I really enjoyed Scarlett's storytelling, the addition of context. Loved the new designs and the costumes too. Benjamin Ella was a superb Benno and a favourite for me, my daughter and our friends today. In terms of Siegfried's sisters, enjoyed Gasparini's dancing as always although I found something just wasn't quite right with Tierney Heap in the pdt in act 1 although I didn't feel this again in act 3. She's very tall and regal so maybe was just a mismatch for me with the smaller and more delicate Gasparini. Maybe I just prefer Heap in the more fiery roles - she was wonderful in the Insight rehearsal in the Spanish dance (and today I just didn't feel that Gina Storm-Jensen gave it the same attack). Nagdhi was the perfect Odette/Odile - so fragile in white and so devious in black. Kish was a generous partner in their pdd's, particularly Odette scenes, but he is quite a hammy actor and his jumps were missing the fire they needed, seeming just too careful (not the same as precise, more that they seemed to intentionally lack attack), so came across pretty lacklustre in comparison to Ella. One of my favourite things about Swan Lake is all of the character dancing in Act 3 particularly enjoyed this section. It was clever how various holes in the story have also been filled by Scarlett - where Rothbart has come from, how Odette becomes a swan, the pressure of marriage in order for Siegfried to take the throne, how Rothbart uses Siegfried and Odette/Odile to seize the crown and the final scene where Odette is in human princess form again (albeit dead). It remains true to historical versions while tuning up the storytelling which also gives the story some modern day pace. Thoroughly enjoyed despite what looks like endless criticism above - I really do like Tierney Heap for so many reasons but act 1 pdt was just a little awkward to watch... Kish just not for me. I look forward to reading what others thought. I don't usually manage to squeeze in multiple casts but am looking forward to seeing this one again at the end of the run with Osipova/Ball - felt like a must after seeing him swiftly stand in for Hallberg in Giselle a few months ago.

Yes you can sit in. Also not a veggie or vegan but it caters gluten free which I do need.

I really enjoyed watching Dark Knight having such a varied 'friendship' with his works - there are some that I love and some which I frankly feel indifferent about (unlike Ashton who I love unequivocally). It really helped to build a picture of a man I know very little about and have since picked up a copy of Jann Parry's tome - it arrived from Amazon today and I didn't expect it to be so massive! So I think it did a good job of a basic introduction for those of us who are less familiar with his work. I also enjoyed Dancing in the Blitz although there wasn't much new information there. I'm a historian at heart and I think what was particularly interesting was how the war mobilised a nation in its love for British ballet but I think I would have liked to have understood more about the audiences and how they were converted to ballet from it being far more specialist - over and above the balletomane who created his own newsletters. I would imagine that there are few to none left, however. Still to watch the other programmes...

Sounds like it came across pretty well on camera, it was incredible to be in the studio. I loved Scarlett’s passion for the history, the music, the storytelling and the fact he brought his character dance teacher from school in to help with the detail there. He seems to have built an incredibly strong network to help to build something really special and I can’t wait to see the production. I also think I might be in love with a new choreographer....

I did ask about getting the livestreams all in one place and they said that they are planning to consolidate everything on youtube. I think it’s in their interests to consolidate in one place to be as easily discoverable as possible as well as to maximise the value of investing in the production costs. Just wish they would hurry up!

SMballlet Sambe replaces James Hay tonight. I was thrilled, although feel bad that Hay didn’t get to perform.

Loved Nunez’s interpretation of Marguerite tonight- much preferred to Ferri last season. Every head movement was calculated, every bit of her body told the story and it almost brought me to tears in the final scenes as Marguerite dies. My friend commented that she just didn’t get Vadim’s performance. I feel validated- he is not my sacred cow.... Wonderful to see Beatriz Stix Brunell stealing the show and a great performance from Melissa Hamilton as the lady in the big hat.

Ooh I was hoping for this, or at least for it to be available in cinemas at some point.

Lauren Cuthbertson is the cover photo on The Times today and she and Liam Scarlett on the cover of Times2. Double page spread on pages 4 and 5 about the new production. Getting excited to find out more with the Insight next week...

I really wanted to enjoy Mayerling having seen the fabulously dramatic suicide scene performed by Acosta/Morera at his final farewell. I didn’t enjoy it at all and also didn’t enjoy Song of the Earth at all so thought I had a general dislike for Macmillan until I saw Manon again after many years and just fell in love with the choreography. Wonderful that the POB version is on Sky Arts at the moment - I could just keep watching it.

If you are short on time as I often am between work and performances (generally not matinees), a new vegan fast food place has opened just down the road from the ROH. It's a 2 min walk. It's not as expensive as a proper sit down restaurant but is definitely not fast food prices! Make sure you schedule in time to wait - it's not so fast from order to picking up at the counter but they give you a beeper so you can go and find a table while you wait. Menu here https://eatbychloe.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/byCHLOE_UK_TakeOut_Menu_Web_2018-R4.pdf The address is Drury House 34-43 Russell Street London WC2B 5HA

I thought the same during the last run but she had rave reviews. The emotion was there then but there was something about her physically which just didn’t work for me. Can’t wait to see Nunez/Muntagirov next week but after seeing the photos and clip of Cuthbertson/Ball I wish I was seeing them too!