Saodan

With all due respect but I wasn't really talking about reasons not to promote dancers but about reasons why to promote dancers. 

That is true. I guess I find it difficult to separate the two. 

I personally feel discussions can never be premature: a discussion is a discussion, an opinion is an opinion, a thought is a thought, and I think those of us who have wished to express their opinion have done so; those who feel it is premature are free to wait until May or June. 

Not trying to stifle discussion. I simply meant that technically we are still in the Winter Season, spring starts with Jewels, so technically we are still in the first half of the season. I'm not sure that matters though. We have certainly had enough performances to give the management something to think about, so its only fair we should think about it too.

Melissa Hamilton has posted a video on instagram of her and Eric Underwood working, at the Royal Opera House, on a new piece by Craig Davidson. Potentially several interesting implications for next season…

A promotion is given by the AD in recognition of the talent of a particular dancer...

Do we know this to be true? It seems to me that their are plenty of other reason not to promote a dancer: financial, logistical, structural, pastoral. There are certainly a number of dancers that the company presumably believes are good enough to dance principle roles regularly, and yet are not principles. Whilst we would like to think that dancers are justly rewarded for their talent, I fear the world (and corporate structures) can be unjust. It seems to me that you may have the roles of audience and AD the wrong way round when it comes to considerations for promotion. 

​Either way, this whole discussion seems a touch premature considering we have only just entered the second half of the season. 

Michaela DePrince has received some attention. Her book sold well and she has been featured in lots of tv and print (or online is you prefer) news articles. Also an appearance on 'Dancing with the Stars' in the US and she was in the music video for a Beyonce song. I’m not sure how many people could name her, but some may recall hearing about her story. Perhaps it speak volumes that any fame she has is for her life (impressive as it may be) rather than her dancing.

I shouldn’t get involved, I really shouldn’t…

I can see where billboyd is coming from. In places, TTP’s post seems to impute intention to Osipova. 

From the moment she leapt onto the stage, I thought to myself, and here is Osipova giving the audience all of the tricks she knows they will applaud her for. 

...there wasn't enough precision or even respect for the choreography.

These comments seem to be implying that Osipova has a lack of respect for the the Royal Ballet production and is self-involved and egocentric in performance. Criticising a performance is fine, but questioning a performers motivations is unfair. It is the difference between saying “Saodan’s post upset me” and “Saodan is deliberately trying to upset me”. Criticise what someone says or does, don’t criticise their reasons for doing it if you do not know what they are. 

Incidentally, FLOSS, I hope you didn’t perceive my earlier comment on audience behaviour as aimed at you. It was meant as a general commentary on discussions we have been having on several threads.

Having spent some time considering my thoughts on this, I have come to the conclusion that whilst Polunin is clearly a wonderfully gifted dancer, he does not have the disposition to be a good company dancer. As Penelope has said, it takes more than pure talent to make it in a classical ballet company. You need a certain humility, a commitment to the company and its artistic vision, and a preparedness to dedicate oneself fully to rehearsals in order to produce the best possible results for the company, not yourself. 

Polunin’s current engagement with ballet companies appears to be self serving in that he parachutes in, performs, and leaves. Whilst his performances may be good, and he may attract audiences and attention, I can’t believe that the company will benefit in the long term. Certainly it is at odds with comments made by other dancers about wanting to get to know the companies they guest with. 

As others have said, Polunin must either move on or face up to the realities of being a company dancer. I would be sceptical of him having any further involvement with the Royal Ballet so long as his focus remains squarely on his own career rather than his role as one cog, all be it an important one, in a collaborative art form. 

Whilst I agree with everything regarding superfluous applause, I can’t help but be a little concerned about the tone as well. If ballet is elitist this is why. As a relative novice, it does feel sometimes that there is an ‘in club’ with certain rules that one is disdained for not following. This may create an atmosphere of exclusion where individuals feel they cannot enjoy a performance in their own way, but have to follow rules of etiquette that they don’t know and don’t understand. If people feel like this, they may be put off from attending as they don’t know the rules and are too afraid to learn. 

To be clear, all the things mentioned in the Audience Behaviour thread (eating, drinking, using mobile phones, picnicking, fornicating, talking etc) are general rules, manners if you will, that everyone should follow. When it comes to talking during the ‘pause’ I don’t like it, but understand that some may come to see dance and, when no dance is happen, feel like there is a break in performance. Music is just background. 

As for applause mid performance, I have found that sometimes, particularly in classical ballet, awkward moments can be created when dancers ‘strike a pose’ to the audience. To someone unfamiliar with the choreography it seems to say “look at me, aren’t I clever?” so people clap. Case in point is the finale of Sleeping Beauty: the dancers who performed the diverts renter the stage, dance a little, pose, then take their place. To me it feels like one should clap the cast of each divert as they take their place, and not to would leave them expecting applause, but not getting any. I don’t clap, incidentally, because I hate clapping mid performance in anything, but it does leave me feeling a little uncomfortable. 

I can see how those unfamiliar with the production may become confused. Unless we wish to exclude newcomers, or insist that audience members complete an introductory course in etiquette for ballet-goers before being admitted, we may have to be somewhat tolerant of accidental miscreants. Flagrant disregard, however, should earn the culprit a tarring and feathering onstage at the end of the performance.

I does seem like a long time, but 1 year appears to be about the standard lead time for RB dvds. The cinema relay for the Nunez/Muntagirov Giselle was a little less than a year ago and the dvd is officially released today (although it's been available from the ROH for a few weeks). The Two Pigeons and Frankenstein dvds also took about a year. The Anastasia dvd is scheduled for the autumn, also about a year after broadcast. I'm not entirely sure why it takes this long. Surely it doesn't take a year acquire the stock?

No news of a Woolf Works dvd yet though?

There will be a Woolf Works dvd, but there is no date yet. If I were to guess, I'd suggest it will be out about a year after broadcast...

DVD of Royal Ballet Sleeping Beauty to be released April 2018. Seems like they are releasing every cinema relay as a DVD now. 

I really struggle to forgive Sergei for... the way he talks about ballet in general. ...it really angers and even hurts me the way he frequently talks about ballet like it's this 'uncool', ancient artform that should have been left behind years ago. 

I agree with this completely. If he means everything that he has said about classical ballet and the life of company dancers, why is he still dancing with classical ballet companies?

I worry that many people now treat the RB and other companies as a kind of soap opera, and the rise of social media, streaming of insights and so on, and all these "behind the scenes peeks" mean that audiences focus on (their perceptions of) the personalities of the dancers, at the expense of the art.  The intense fan focus on casting and promotions and stupid minutiae such as endless videos of dancers preparing their pointe shoes is I think symptomatic of this dumbing down.

I don't think this is a fair representation of those who take an interest in the artists who create the art we enjoy. Also, if it is a dumbing down, it is nothing recent. Many of the the Romantic artists and poets in the 18th century traded on their reputation. 

The age old question of separating art from artist. Wagner is another example. 

In another thread, there has been some discussion of audiences disrupting enjoyment of a performance. If this is true, and I believe it is, it seems entirely reasonable for one’s enjoyment of good art to be spoiled by an artist one does not ‘like’.  

Incidentally, I do like Polunin, admire his talents, and am happy to watch him dance. I would certainly not wish to deny him the freedom to perform. The question is whether he should be invited to dance under the Royal Ballet banner. Considering his very public disavowal of the company, and stated intention to pursue his own projects, I see no reason for Polunin and the Royal Ballet to work together. 

That said, if Polunin does dance with the Royal Ballet again, I will be doing everything I can to get a ticket.

I saw Campbell at the Opera House and Muntagirov in the cinema. Both put in exceptional performances, but they can only work with the material. I guess for me Florimund is a caricature. That both gave me at least a sense of a real person, rather than a gormless halfwit speaks volumes for their artistry. Lets just say I don’t watch Sleeping Beauty for the plot!

Has Watson never danced Florimund? It's never to late for a debut

The cinema relay really was a great performance by all concerned. Nunez’s Rose Adagio and Muntagirov’s solos were especially well received in my cinema, as were the fairy variations and diverts. The company seems to be in really good form of late and is handling an apparent spate of illness incredibly well. 

I don’t want to rehash the discussion about narrative above, but at points during the performance, especially during Muntagirov’s act 2 solo, I couldn’t help but remember the cinema relay of Giselle a year ago. It is a crying shame to see the efforts of two such talented dramatic dancers go to waste on such a banal narrative. There is only so much you can do to breathe life into Florimund.

I suppose what I am struggling with is does talent trump all? Or is a combination of (less spectacular) talent and loyalty equally important? Is ballet a 'team sport' (for want of a better expression) or should it revolve around the star talent? I don't know!

I value loyalty. 

I love ballet, and enjoy watching different companies where I can, but the Royal Ballet is my company. I attend as much as I can, I know the dancers and can pick them out on stage, I have my favourites, both established dancers and up and coming young dancers, and I enjoy watching them develop and cheering them on. As such, I can’t help but take a sleight against the Royal Ballet somewhat personally, however irrational that may be. 

Polunin is a wonderful dancer and I have a huge amount of sympathy for the struggles he has been through. However, after all he has said, not once but repeatedly over a number of years, I’m not entirely sure why the company should invite him back. The Royal Ballet has enough talent in house, and does not need his profile to sell tickets. I would rather performances be given to the younger dancers who actually value the company. Those who want to see Polunin dance can go elsewhere. 

That said, if he has got his mind straight and is serious about linking up with the Royal Ballet again, maybe we owe him the chance. He is one of our own after all..

On the other hand, Kit Hartington said that theatre would die if these sorts of rules   prevented young people from coming...

I don’t accept this at all. Asking people not to eat or text or tweet during a performance is not ‘preventing’ young people from coming. It is simply asking that they keep their hands away from their mouths and electronic devices for a couple of hours. This seems like a reasonable request.

I guess this means that everybody who goes to the cinema relays will get an incorrect cast sheet! 

The casting looks different for me. Hinkis and O'Sullivan instead of Crawford and Hayward as the fairies. Sambe, Naghdi, and Magri as Florestan. Takada and Campbell as Bluebird. 

...they *are* organising an event around the performance...

Judging by the details on the site ("Aim to arrive by 7pm at the latest"), it looks like this 'event' is escorting you from the door to your seat. This seems like blatant profiteering to me. 

Ok, after writing that I thought I'd look at the site more. It looks like the aim is to help groups of like minded people do things together. Perhaps that more understandable, but it still seems an open invitation for exploitation. 

I feel particularly disappointed to have missed both the Naghdi and Hayward performances during this run. 

You and me both.

I was thinking all these things. Surely the fact that work has already started implies that this is a significant piece, if not full length. Also, it seems that someone let the cat out of the bag. Perhaps it was the interview, perhaps something else, either way it seems like the company lost control of the message somewhere along the line! I’d suggest that McRae’s tweet was the social media department trying to reassert control. If you can’t do a press release, a tweet from a prominent dancer will have to do…

I would defend fairytales, and the fanatical, against any criticism. As Terry Pratchett said, “fantasy is an exercise bike for the mind”. 

However, Sleeping Beauty, as often told, is a particularly ‘nonsense’ fairy tale. The relationship between Florimund and Aurora is never expanded; we have to make do with ‘happily ever after’ and trust that they do actually get on after the kiss. Whilst there is much of interest to read into the fairytale (coming of age, especially the role of first love; the value of parents ‘sheltering’ children; whether vengeance and spitefulness pay etc), the focus invariably  remains superficial. The idea of good vs evil and true love conquers all are particularly out of fashion of late. Not much of interest or relevance is teased out of the story and explicitly addressed. 

As such, I would agree that Sleeping Beauty is ‘nonsense well done’. The same is true of the Nutcracker, both stories with so much potential, but told on a facile level. In contrast, Giselle and Swan Lake are both fairy stories, but for me they have depth and are told in a way that explicitly addresses thematic elements in an interesting and relevant way. Fairytales are the spiritual home of narrative ballet and we need more of them, but we need fairytales well told. 

That said, there is nothing at all wrong with nonsense!

I was told that Takane and Campbell had just half an hour rehearsal together

Alexander Campbell has posted this on his instagram. Takada "was brave enough to step in and with just half an hour's preparation produced a wonderful performance". Brave indeed. 

I hold you personally responsible for this Jamesrhblack, you told me not to worry! I had also been looking forward to seeing Stix-Brunell’s Lilac Fairy since seeing Sim’s post. Reasons not to read this forum I guess! I hope neither her nor Hayward are too seriously ill/injured and are feeling better soon. 

Takada did remarkably well, especially considering she must have thought she had danced her last show this run. If I’m nit-picking, the Rose Adagio balances were a tiny bit tentative, but that is being really mean. She really is a wonderful dancer and put in an impeccable performance, which the audience seemed to enjoy a lot. I certainly did. 

How does this  type of change of partner affect a performance , if at all due to limited reharsal time.

I don’t know how much rehearsal time Takada and Campbell had, but I can tell you that, so far as I could see from my seat in the Amphitheatre, they managed to execute three near perfect swan dives. We all know that, whoever you end up getting, the dancers will always be top quality, but it boggles my mind sometimes. You would not have known they weren’t scheduled to dance together. Hats off to them. 

I am in complete agreement with those above who have praised Campbell’s characterisation. One of my biggest problems with Sleeping Beauty is a gormless prince, but he did a wonderful job of convincing me that he was indeed a character who was yearning for true love. And he was technically brilliant, but that goes without saying. 

Naghdi danced a superb Fairy of the Golden Vine. Arestis was a sarcastic and domineering Carabosse. Kobayashi and Zucchetti got a very warm reception for their Bluebird, and I thought Edmonds, Cowley, and Heap did a creditable Florestan. Ashely Dean danced a good White Cat and received some flowers, presumably one of the first times she has got flowers on stage, which is nice. 

Special mention to Claire Calvert for taking over as the Lilac Fairy having been scheduled as another fairy. She did so confidently and is a great dance actress. As a result, Mayara Magri had to switch her fairy and Tierney Heap had to dance a fairy in addition to Florestan. Thanks to both. Thomas Whitehead and Thomas Mock also stepped in as princes for Takada’s Rose Adagio. Isabella Gasparini was busy, dancing a fairy, one of Aurora’s friends, and Red Riding Hood. 

At the curtain call Takada gave a flower to both Campbell and Koen Kessels. Both were thoroughly deserved for helping her through what must have been tricky circumstances. Super-sub indeed!

Based on my experience last night, it seems that they light the pause as they do the overture: curtain and orchestra pit lit, houselights down. 

I don't like it, but I can forgive those who talk during the prelude; they are excited, talking about the performance, and perhaps not ballet-literate as FLOSS says. I can't, however, forgive those who immediately get their phones out. There was even someone taking a selfie in the amphitheatre. Seriously, if you can't go three hours without checking your phone, there is something wrong with you. 

Well, reading these comments has been a rollercoaster. I'm not a huge fan of Sleeping Beauty, but thought I would brave it to see Hayward and Campbell on 20th. Reading so many good things has made me very glad that I have tickets and I'm now really looking forward to it. Then Jamesrhblack says she's unwell? Please don't do this to me!