Blossom

Thanks for starting the thread and love the photos! I am looking forward to going tomorrow night. This was one of the first things I booked for this ballet season and i can't believe it's come round so quickly. 

Paul Kay is Alain on the DVD I have of Fille (Osipova/McRae) but his performance live last night far exceeded that on the DVD. Laura Morera made a lovely Lise, but felt that she's not quite 'wayward' enough!

Is anyone going to the first performance tomorrow evening? 

You just go to roh site and put Royalballetoffer in the promo code box

Thanks all for your advice - now all booked! If I was going alone I might have gone for slightly more expensive seating but nice to be able to make a 'girls' night out' of it. Will definitely review - including POV on the seating!

On the whole the sight lines are wonderful ... It is after all the house that Balanchine helped to build.  The sight lines are certainly better than at Covent Garden or - heaven help us - in so many of the seats at the Palais Garnier.  If you can grab the $29 seats on the sides of the third or second ring ... they are - I assure you - prime.  

I am looking at front row of 3rd tier, just off centre for a slightly lower price than bang on centre and I am guessing it is like front row Amphitheatre at ROH. I've been hunting for pics and reviews on Google and so many people say that all of the seats are great. Am a terrible procrastinator when it comes to trying out new seats. Fourth tier seems to be open for this run - looks like they have at least a couple of premiers. I definitely prefer the view from above but dragging my American sister in law along with me and also mother in law so it has the potential to get rather pricey!  

what performances are you going to see? Often they close off the 4th ring altogether.

The sightlines are good pretty much anywhere on the main floor. I haven't sat higher up than that.

There's a gala night which is pretty much fully booked which I would have liked to have seen, but my second option is pretty good and lots of choice of seating. It's quite a good mix actually - a new Jessica Lang, Symphonic Variations (adore Ashton) and Balanchine's Prodigal Son which would feed my curiousity having read about it in a ballet book I had when i was little...

I'm visiting New York in October and want to squeeze in some ballet while there. Does anyone know the David H.Koch theater and can compare it at all to the layout at the ROH for example? There are so many tiers! I want to know which tier is like the front of the ROH Amphitheatre, is the back of the second tier better than being at the front of 3 or 4 in terms of the view overall? Where is good to avoid due to safety rails/pillars etc?

I agree with Barton. Lovely dancing, lots of character dancing which was danced well. Don Q is, I suppose, one of those ballets where there isn't a lot of classical ballet but so much to see with all of the fabulous costumes and other dances to be entertained.

They certainly deserve to be called the 'big' ballet to bring over all of the costumes for this ballet alone. First time I have seen the Bolshoi live so pretty wowed by the whole experience.

Final thought: you know you have seen too much ballet when you can see a dream sequence coming....

ROH tonight - when did it become acceptable to take photos during the curtain call- when a note on the cast list says specifically no photos??? Lots of flashes from all levels of the auditorium...

Not the recent update but have seen on yt the original Ratmansky Cinderella and wasn't enthused.

So, you've seen it somewhere else, then, Blossom?

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From looking at Booking on the Coliseum/ENO site, sales look very disappointing. Great seats still available. I wonder if bringing 2 relatively modern interpretations to London was a mistake. I feel sad that they will be playing to a largely empty theatre but personally unable to go to this one and not so keen on the choreography anyway.

Great photos. Really shows how simple yet striking and elegant the costumes and set were. The wedding dress train seemed to dance its own dance...

Big Ashton fan here and I have just started reading Secret Muses - the life of Frederick Ashton by Julie Kavangh. It's a huge book but very easy to read. There's a Fonteyn event run by the Ivy House programme at JW3 in London (nearest tube is Finchley Road) on Sunday and I get the impression her story will be very much interwoven with his as one of his key muses. Tickets still seem to be available...

Blossom:  I'm pleased that you enjoyed the show, but that 'fantastic' in the thread title might have to be moderated out should it emerge that others don't quite see the show in that light - just saying, as they say.

Makes sense to me! Thanks for editing.

Looked diligently for blue pins but none to be seen

Wasn't sure at all that I would like the new direction story wise, aside from the clunky prologue, very much enjoyed and worth a visit. Music reworked in places to fit the new story of a princess bride losing her husband to his other love, black swan solo music brought forward to the first act to show her demise into madness, music from the lake making its first entrance at the end of act 1 as she is taken away to the sanitorium. Pas de trois incredibly emotive - bringing to life the realisation that there were 3 people in the marriage.

Beautiful costumes, flowed in sync with the dancing and wedding dress of billowing fabric negotiated incredibly well by the dancers. Swan costumes looked feathery soft and light.

Incredible costumes, wedding dress of billowing fabric - negotiated incredibly well by the dancers.

Magical swan scene, beautiful staging, raised 'lake' at one point gave the impression that the swans had taken to the air. Faultless corps de ballet as both white swans and black swans in act 4.

Amber Scott gave Odette elegance as well as emotional highs and lows with every movement.

Didn't really understand the audience going wild for Adam Bull's performance - more so because male choreography overall was a little underwhelming.

Southbank show episode 4 is on Ballet Black. 10mins in and fascinated to learn more about how it came about. Available on catch up.

How disappointing... interedtng to hear essentially that she is very much a classical dancer. Makes me wonder if this more contemporary foray will leave her refocused on classical, or do you think outside influences (ie Polunin) have taken her in this new direction? He's tried his hand (rightly or wrongly) at some different things since leaving the RB..... Speaking of which, can't be long now till the docu-movie about him...

Fille is a great first ballet with lots of attractions - ribbon dance is clever, clog dance is funny, English 'character' dancing of sorts, comedy with the unfortunate character of Alain...and a chicken dance!! Easy to follow story and simply charming. Can't beat a good piece of Ashton choreography.

Loved Capybara's review. It's great to see ENB doing well abroad as well as in the UK and it is a fantastic production (although it seems to all be over far too soon). I have a lot of admiration for ENB at the moment and the way that they celebrate rising talent  but also for all of the community facing work they do engaging as wide an audience as possible with dance. I think they are one step ahead of the competition and it's great to see them get the great tour opportunity in a city celebrated for dance - and doing us proud!

 I really hope they are enjoying themselves as much as the social media posts seem to suggest - and that they get a bit of free time to enjoy Paris too!

Ksenia - #newchapter could mean anything - could be real life news which might require taking a break? Not to assume but it could be something good... 

Just investigated and is also available on Sky Go - only online. To pick up on another thread the Alessandra Ferri/Boots ad is running before the show launches..

Shame as screen size is everything for ballet at home (i.e. TV not laptop) so might need husband to help with some technically wizadry to connect devices....

Delighted to find Flames of Paris available on Sky box sets/catch up as well as Anna Karenina. Matthew Bourne's the Car Man was briefly available but wouldn't download due to dodgy internet connection on my Sky box and now can't seem to find it. Anyone able to see it? Great to see some new programming coming through On Sky at last.

Bit late to this thread but loved Emerging Dancer. A great night of dancing, Interesting choices of pdd's - some really showy pieces, particularly for Cesar Corrales with him exhilarating jumps. Overall a great celebration of talent And healthy competition - very much healthy in the supportive cheers from the Company in the Circle. Corps de Ballet award was a great opportunity to recognise a member of the Corps not just for dancing but for greater contribution. not the sort of collaborative family feel you would expect from a ballet company with all of the negative stories you hear of egos etc. Very much respect Tamara Rojo as a leader with a true vision for the company and expect this sort of event also helps to pick up support in terms of donors...