mijosh

In the highly unlikely event of a recording being made of "Onegin" I would certainly hope that it would be of the Soares/Nunez/Muntagirov/Takada cast which was vastly superior in every way to the over-hyped Osipova performances,although I did hugely admire the Lensky and Olga of Matthew Ball and Yasmine Naghidi. Otherwise,no contest.

Zen replaced by Osipova on Friday. But who's replacing Sarah Lamb tomorrow? The ROH website has just changed and it will be Marianela

As I queried, the Feb 14 matinee has now been corrected on the ROH website to read Marquez instead of Nunez,as has the incorrect naming of the wrong Golding to partner Osipova

I've a feeling that Feb 14 matinee should read Marquez with Pennefather,not Nunez. Well,they both end with a Z so an easy mistake to make. ;-)

If James Wilkie's posting on facebook is to be believed the company flew to Moscow on Aeroflot. Happily we know they arrived safely.

"Giselle" is complete as a considerable work of choreographic art and an evening's entertainment and is perfectly capable of standing on it's own and satisfying any true ballet lover without bolstering it's appeal for those who feel they are being short changed with any additional work,either before or,perish the thought,after. The notion of following it with 50 minutes of murder,rape and misoginistic violence strikes me as just too absurd to even contemplate.

Emeralds is a masterpiece which beautifully captures the perfumed elegance of Gabriel Faure's evocative music. For me the 'walking' pas de deux is one of the most serene and gracefully ravishing in all ballet,like a sigh made visible.

Yesterday was also the birthday of Thiago Soares.

Svetlana Beriosova speaking 'poetry in French' was in fact an excerpt from Ashton's ballet "Persephone".

It has been well publicised (so I'm not breaking anyone's confidence) that the main reason for Leanne Cope's sabatical is to appear in Christopher Wheeldon's staged version of the musical "An American in Paris" which is to have it's premiere at the Chatalet Theatre in Paris in December prior,it is hoped,to New York. Leanne will be dancing the role created by Leslie Caron in the '50s movie.

It couldn't happen to a nicer and more deserving person. Xander is a Prince both on and off stage who is finally receiving the recognition as well as the roles. Huge congratulations to him.

Yuhui Choe has now been announced to replace Osipova in next Wednesday's last performance of Sleeping Beauty

Sadly, many of us have been saying that for the last four years or so and it has just never happened. Hope springs eternal !

Having seen some of the stills from this production I was somewhat alarmed (if hardly surprised) to see that Nikolai Tsiskaridze appeaars to be under the impression thet the Widow Simon is a glamourous role. A still of him in ActIII reveals him sitting - or rather posing at the spinning wheel with blue eyeshadow,bright red lipstick and earings. The late,great Stanley Holden must be revolving in his grave.

Today would have been David's 68th birthday had he not been so cruelly taken from us in June last year. He and his wife Freda (Alfreda Thoroughgood) were very dear friends since before their marriage in 1967 at St Martin's in the Field. Arguably the finest male dancer ever to emerge in this country, as well as a man of enormous kindness,dedication and generosity of spirit whom I would like to suggest that we all raise a glass to today in celebration and remembrance of a very special person. I spoke to Freda this morning and she told me that there is to be a Memorial Service in David's honour at that same church in which they were married and where both their children were christened,to be held on May 22nd at 11am. I'm sure that many posters on this site,even those too young to have had the great pleasure of seeing him dance,will wish to attend to pay their respects and remember this great dancer and,to some of us,very dear and much missed friend.

Yes,I would add Ashton's Les Illuminations and Daphnis & Chloe to my previous list,plus Scenes de Ballet which is almost as essential as Symphponic Variations. I would really love to see Frankie Hayward and James Hay in The Invitation ( though,once again,we're missing the wonderful Mara for the wife) and in Two Pigeons.

Sir Peter Wright has expressed a desire to produce a new production of Swan Lake which,when you consider the outstanding quality of his Giselle,sounds like a very sensible idea to me. Alice is being performed at Christmas in place of Nutcracker. I can't imagine they will risk 22 performances of it so another ballet (or ballets) would be essential. Just pray that it isn't Beatrix Potter!! Dances at a Gathering would be more than welcome at any time,as would Robbins' Goldberg Variations. A forlorn wish for Vienna Waltzes which sadly will never happen until the Strauss estate eases it's stringent ruling on performance outside of the USA. My repeated suggestion of a revival of Liebeslieder Waltzer will undoubtedly continue to fall on deaf ears,but I shall continue to hope,as I do for Bugaku. Four Temperaments is overdue for revival, as is Ballet Imperial. Longing for a revival of The Two Pigeons appears to be a lost cause and just more whistling in the wind. Although that,coupled with Les Patineurs would team up nicely with Alice over the festive season. Symphonic Variations ought never to be out of the rep,and I would be happy to see revivals of Ashton's Jazz Calendar or his Sinfonietta. As for MacMillan's works I would wish for The Invitation (as always),Symphony and Baiser de la Fee,the latter two preferably with their original designs. Some Mark Morris would be a lovely addition to the rep,especially Drink to me Only should he decline to create something new. And finally,Tudor's The Leaves are Fading,Shadowplay,Dim Lustre and Pillar of Fire,the latter pair I believe never performed by the RB although BRB have danced Pillar. Sad no longer to have Mara Galeazzi to dance the lead though. Wishful thinking? Mostly,sad to say.

And please remember that Sarah Lamb, Edward Watson,Thiago Soares and Stephen McRae are in two of the ballets and do need a little time to breathe between them.

Guaranteed to be one of the great performances that never happened and a matter of great regret: Lynn Semour in "Marguerite & Armand". She covered it but,alas,never danced it. I have to say that I thought James Hay was quite the best of the three in "Rhapsody" because he was dancing as Ashton would have wanted,with great tenderness and finesse as well as with all the necessary fireworks. Zuchetti was also pretty good if a little self regarding,which is the norm for him. McRae was,of course,spectacular,but it was at a price and unbalanced the ballet. I loved both Morera and Choe but,as for Frankie Hayward, I am bereft of words. Radiant,dazzling,incandescent, need I go on? Not since Cojocaru stepped in for an injured Leanne Benjamin in Romeo & Juliet have I been so bowled over by a debut. A star was certainly born on Saturday afternoon,and I couldn't help thinking how Sir Fred would have adored her.

My first experience (of which I have virtually no memory) was during the war and we were living in Bedford. I must have been about six and a group of were taken from my primary school to see the visiting Ballet Rambert. The only piece in the programme I recall was "Lady Into Fox" with Sally Gilmour. My first full length ballet was "Cinderella" at Covent Garden in 1949 with the original cast,except it was Fonteyn rather than Shearer. The first ballet I actually booked to see myself was in 1955 - a Triple Bill of "Les Sylphides"(with Fonteyn),"Madame Chrysantheme" (Fifield,Grant,Doyle),and "Homage to the Queen". But I think I really became hooked on ballet after the visit of the Marquis de Cuevas company season at the Coliseum in the '50s when I went night after night,paying half a crown to sit in the gallery and watch fantastic dancers like Vyrubova and Hightower in a succession of exotic ballets like "Piege de Lumiere" and "Night Shadow" which seemed to fire my imagination and left me wanting more. I have,happily, never recovered.

For what it's worth,"Chroma" is now in the rep of 13 companies throughout the world. I really struggle to think that a lover of ballet has no interest in seeing great masterpieces like "Serenade" or "The Dream",or even a minor one like "The Concert". The world would surely be a poorer place and we would be the losers without such seminal works for us to treasure and enjoy.

There is nobody I would be happier to see dance Oberon that Ricardo,but I fear that ship has sailed. It has been his dearest wish to dance the role since he used it as his audition for joining the company,but every time the ballet appears in the rep he is passed over. And it's not for want of asking. It seems to me that he is a much more suitable Oberon than the very tall Matthew Golding. Now I see that the even taller Vito Mazzeo is to dance it with Dutch National Ballet where presumably Golding has previously danced it. I feel really sad for Rick; affronted on his behalf actually,that his requests have always fallen on deaf ears.

She'll be dancing mostly with Ed Watson who plays her husband,but also with Bonelli,the cause of her husband's irrational jealousy. The alternate cast has Nunez and Soares in these roles. The other Polixenies is still tbc

It seems to me that whenever I've seen "Diamonds",be it with New York City Ballet,Mariinsky,Paris Opera Ballet or our own Royal production,it has always had the glance after the kiss. And as far as I'm concerned that's the way it should be. It is the perfect 'punctuation' to one of Balanchine's most glorious pas de deux.

Sorry,got my wires crossed so cancelled my posting.