Blossom

Young ROH gives access to a number of £30 seats throughout the auditorium. My daughter has sat in the balcony, stalls and has stalls circle front row with Young ROH. There aren’t that many tickets available but there are sometimes special Young ROH performances where the whole auditorium or at least the whole amphi are on offer. Tickets are generally easy enough to book on Young ROH day but Swan Lake was impossible. If certain ballers aren’t selling particularly well, they will sometimes release additional seats for Young ROH later on.

Love that I don’t work on Fridays. Errands done, the rest of my morning is clear and I am just up to 106. Can someone remind me how many get selected to go to the finals?

Finally, Yasmine Naghdi in the Spotlight! and American in Paris musical just added.

Delighted to see Arielle Smith working with BRB - loved Jolly Folly, the ray of sunshine she created for ENB for their 'coming out of Covid' mixed bill (and a beautifully produced video version. She's also busy at the moment with Carmen for SF Ballet.

It does indeed say 25-26 on their site.

I hope they are - I think I am going to be away the weekend that it's on here and the Birmingham dates don't work for me either. At least I have the option to pop up to Bham for a Cinderella matinee I guess. Also a bit miffed that BRB2 currently not due to be in London in 2024- although that may be due to late announcement of the Next Gen festival...

This is truly excellent news, I hope that there isn't too much crossover with ROH. I'd go and see it all of course (and much prefer Bintley to Wheeldon for Cinderella) but wouldn't it be nice if there was some coordination this year, noting 3 different Swan Lakes from March through to the end of the season. Hope we get BRB2 back in London - affordable ballet and good for people to see a range of repertoire - am doing my bit to try to cultivate a bit of a following.

@Irmgard all valid points and I don't disagree with what you've said, but there is a bit more of a positive build. The arts may not be the first priority for Ukraine at the moment, but there are various reasons why to still support. This country doesn't have the best reputation for ensuring the continuity of arts during difficult times, of valuing performing arts in education or an extensive history of performing arts accessible to all pre Lilian Baylis (according to some commentary I've read by journalist/author Norman Lebrecht of Slipped Disc) so I wonder if we can't quite appreciate how embedded ballet is in the culture of Ukraine in a way that we don't have here. Interestingly, one of the reasons that the United Ukrainian Ballet, formed since the war, has presented Giselle internationally is that it is specifically seen as a non-Russian ballet. Katja Khaniukova has posted quite a lot over the past couple of weeks at least about the intertwining of politics and the arts, no doubt continuing the desire to move away from anything deemed Russian. Therefore, supporting Ukrainian ballet in producing and profiting from a non-Russian ballet can be seen as quite a positive endeavor. Admittedly not on the level of basic human needs, but people still need to continue living, plus the companies and dancers need to continue producing, training and earning if there is to be a resumption of normal life after the war.

Yes I just did this for my daughter who missed out on Young ROH which was impossible. I’ll be standing so she won’t take my companion ticket (now gone).

Also for dress rehearsal if you missed out first time round

Links - Tuesday 30 January, 2024 Review - AC Workshop, La Strada, London: Louise Levene, FT Review – San Francisco Ballet, Mere Mortals, San Francisco Terez Rose, Bachtrack Charles Lewis III, 48 Hills Lauren Harvey, Daily Californian Review – Ballet am Rhein, A Kiss to the World, Dusseldorf, Vicki Jane Vile , Bachtrack Review – Various, Sydney Festival Part 2, Sydney, Staff, Dance Australia Preview - English National Ballet, My first ballet: Swan Lake, London: Teresa Guerreiro, Culture Whisper Preview - Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Bowie Meets Ballet and More - JT Newman, Chicago Reader Preview - Ukrainian Ballet to Perform in Winnipeg, Kayla Rosen Winnipeg CTV News Preview – Flamenco Festival New York Returns, PR Newswire, Street Insider Preview – Ballet West Swan Lake, The Place, Fox 13 News Interview - Tamara Rojo, AD San Francisco Ballet: Lyndsey Winship, Guardian Opinion – Giselle we Have a Problem, Matthew Paluch, Gramilano News - Washington Ballet’s Nutcracker earns the company $3.4m: Mary Scott Manning, Washington City Paper News – Russian Mayor Orders Quote from Mikhail Barishnikov on Choreography School Wall to be Replaced by Words of a True Patriot, Staff, Medusa News – Groups Partner on Dance Course in Nigeria, Staff, The Nation Feature - Who is Natalie Portman’s Husband Benjamin Millepied? Randee Dawn, Today Feature – Meet the 18 Americans Competing at the 2024 Prix de Lausanne, Kyra Laubacher, Pointe Magazine Feature - Pioneering Juggler Sean Gandini Reflects on How the Spirit of Pina Bausch Has Infiltrated His Work, Sean Gandini, Arts Desk Feature - Caitlyn Mendicino, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s beekeeping ballerina: Karen Dacko, Pittsburgh Magazine Feature - The story behind Van Cleef & Arpels’ Lady Arpels Casse-Noisette: Staff, Savoir Flair Feature – A New Start: After 60 I learned to Tango, Ammar Kalia, Guardian To finish, one for the animal lovers out there. Article – Ballet Dancers Pair Up with Shelter Dogs and Cats to Get them Adopted, Margherita Cole, My Modern Met

Links - Monday 29 January 2024 Reviews - AC Workshop, La Strada, Sadler’s Wells, London Graham Watts, Bachtrack Debra Craine, The Times (paywall) Reviews - Various, Resolution Festival of New Choreography, The Place, London - Sarah Crompton, Guardian Reviews - La Scala Ballet, Coppelia, La Scala, Milan- Graham Spicer, Gramilano Reviews - NYCB, Robbins x Three, Lincoln Center, Mary Cargill, Dance View Times Preview - Watch the Prix de Lausanne Live! - Staff, Dance Australia Preview - Trocks are Ready to Pirouette Their Way into San Diego on 50th Anniversary Tour - Pam Kragel, San Diego Union Tribune Preview - Ballets with a Twist at the Opera House - The Clinton Chronicle (myclintonnews.com) Staff, Clinton Chronicle Preview - Waterbury Theater Welcomes Open World Dance Cinderella (with Misty Copeland) - Staff, The Register Citizen News - ROH Muscat Audience Thrilled to Watch Raymonda Ballet - Staff, Times of Oman News - Doyelstown’s Documentary Film Maker Jennifer Lin tells story of Refugee George Lee Turned Ballet Prodigy - Marion Callahan, Bucks County Herald Article - Ruth Leon Recommends - Spitfire, an Advertisement Divertissement - Norman Lebrecht, Slipped Disc Article - Is Toronto’s Theatre Sector on the Brink of Crisis? - Joshua Chong, Toronto Star Book Review - Errand into the Maze - The Life and Works of Martha Graham - Alexandra Jacobs, NY Times (paywall) Features - Misty Copeland is Stepping Beyond Ballet (beauty feature) - Gaby Ulubay, Marie Claire Obituaries - Longtime PNB Lighting Designer Dies at 74 - Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times And finally… unfortunately not amusing, but one for fans of the Audience Behaviour thread… Article - Horror as ballet fan repeatedly punched in face and left with broken eye socket in row over talking during Swan Lake - Richard Moriarty, The Sun

Links - Sunday 28 January 2024 Reviews – AC Workshop, La Strada, Sadler’s Wells, London David Mead - Seeing Dance Jann Parry - Gramilano Chris Lily – Reviews Hub John O’Dwyer – Seen and Heard Review – Compagnie Herve Koubi, Soul Invictus, Joyce Theatre, New York Faye Arthurs - Fjord Review (behind paywall) Reviews – San Francisco Ballet, Mere Mortals, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco Rachel Howard, San Francisco Chronicle James Ambroff-Tahan - Piedmont Exedra News – Sarasota Ballet …Marks 10 Years of Varied Dances by Graziano – Carrie Seidman, Herald Tribune News – Worcester Theatre Hosts Hundreds of Young Dancers for Ballet Auditions (YAGP) – Bailey Allen, Boston Globe Feature – The Choreographer Wore Pointe Shoes – Brian Seibert, New York Times (behind paywall) Feature – Why Performing Swan Lake is Notoriously Difficult – Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times Feature – The Jungle Book Reimagined: How an Eight Year Old Girl Helped Reinvent a Classic – Dee Jefferson, Guardian Feature – How Elroy Fillis-Bell is Leading Joburg Ballet into the Light – Aspasia Karras, South Africa Times Obituary - Bene Arnold, First Mistress of Ballet West Dies at 88 Jordan Miller , Salt Lake City Tribune Stephen Romney, Fox 13 Now Preview – Stars of Spanish Ballet Come to Rome - Staff, Gramilano Preview - Tallahassee Ballet Presents Intimate Valentine to Dance Lovers - Cynthia Hollis, Tallahassee Democrat Preview- Central Indiana Dance Ensemble Prepares for Ballet Alliance Festival in Spokane Wash – Staff, Hamilton County Reporter

Not sure if this has been shared already.

Looking forward to the reviews and may book for Sunday if I can free up some time! It doesn't seem to have been the best publicised event and wonder if as a guest event, they declined marketing support from Sadlers Wells.

They are a brilliant company to watch - can’t wait to see them in person again. Hoping they might be worthy of an invite for a summer season in order to catch more than one production.

I wonder if this was due to the close ups? I enjoyed the performance but not as much as ENB live, which indeed was more beautiful, but I felt that Frola and Reimar were a more beliavable dramatic pair and ultimately Frola was just so human in the role. McWhinney’s Myrtha for ENB was strong but more elegant than DNB today. I think it’s unfair to compare Khaniukova and Smirnova but glad I have been able to see both live! What Smirnova adds is the beauty of the Vaganova style. The ultimate problem with this event was that without the behind the scenes preamble and interval, to me it was just a dvd release on a big screen.

I also got a larger leaflet through my front door yesterday (end of zone 3) so feeling a bit more hounded to attend than usual!

My thoughts exactly. I have only seen them on DVD but have never been quite satisfied seeing this live on stage.

Both dates werent an option for me and I am devastated.

Just watched episode 6 on iPlayer- a real treat to see Marguerite and Armand with Fonteyn and Nureyev!

Is it just that ROH is particularly generous with legroom? Thankfully feel I can compromise on legroom as have secured an uninhibited view.

Thrilled to see more Smirnova after going to DNB for Raymonda. Secretly hoping we will get a pdd from this… Looking forward to seeing who else is announced. Would love to see Maia Makhatelli (also DNB) again.

No, that was at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. I don’t like Palladium stalls - I recall it being quite tight.

Photos at The London Palladium (aviewfrommyseat.co.uk)