Lizbie1

I doubt that we're talking about the same dancer but you've reminded me that I was meaning to be brave about this after I'd seen the production again. This all comes with the caveat that I only saw her once in Giselle and it was in this ENB 2017 run. I don't know how representative this is of her Giselle in general, or in this production or in the later part of her career, but I didn't love Cojocaru in the role. I should make clear that this had nothing to do with technique but was down to characterisation. One thing in particular sticks with me: while the peasant pas de deux was going on Cojocaru made a circuit of the onlookers, to show them her new necklace. I thought this wasn't just bad stage manners - quite distracting for the audience - but would have been bad manners in Giselle the character. For me it tipped Giselle over into the wrong kind of childish (over-indulged and perhaps simple-minded) and coloured the whole thing for me. I'm bringing it up on this thread because people have mentioned her above as an exemplary Giselle and I'd like to know if seeing her earlier would have shown me something else - those who've seen her throughout her career might have an interesting perspective. Also, I like to see minority opinions aired so I shouldn't just leave it to others to be brave. I should probably delete my account now!

Since the last ACE funding announcement I've wondered if the point will one day be reached where fulfilling the latter is no longer worth the lost revenue from the former. ROH - though the headline figure is large, partly because in effect it covers three institutions - is in percentage terms less dependent on ACE funding than most of its peers. Perhaps the board should consider the impact of cutting the umbilical cord.

I was quite far to the side and could see OK from the balcony, if that makes any difference.

I've been asked quite a few times and the requests have always been courteous. Most recently it was for a group of visitors from Africa who wanted a photograph in front of Charles Wesley's statue. I'd have felt very churlish refusing, but that's not because they'd have set out to make me feel that way. It's good to be in a position to do something nice for people, especially strangers!

Just a few thoughts from me on yesterday's matinee: first and foremost, thanks are due to Irmgard for her loving care of this production. It is a thing of great beauty (definitely my favourite Giselle), and I'm very pleased that she has resisted the entrechats six and the Bolshoi lift. Lee and Haw were very affecting yesterday - this is the first time I've seen them at any length and I'm very pleased both are now at ENB. Aside from the dancing: I was in the Balcony, albeit near the front, and my eyesight is not the best, but I thought that the lighting was the right side of "atmospheric". The audience - and I'm judging many were not regulars - were well behaved. I sat next to a first-timer couple who were not from the usual demographic and they enjoyed it a lot. I just wish that ACE could be bothered to understand that classical ballet, done well, transcends age, race and politics.

There are relatively few ballets set to Handel's music, I think. Has anyone used the Fireworks Music?

IMO the current Garland Dance is the most disappointing part of the production.

He's also very busy (!) but IMO Forsythe does, or at least can do, this too.

It might be that the scenery etc. is reaching the end of its life. It's been through a lot of performances! (I'm one of those who don't like the current production.)

I can't remember the last time I had that reaction!

Is there anything formally known or understood on good authority about the rank at which RB dancers are excused corps work? I've seen a number of versions asserted with confidence on various threads, another being that first soloists would only be pressed into the corps in extremis (and possibly only with their consent).

Not sure I've ever seen anyone vote for Isadora before! I'm a stuck record on this but we are definitely overdue for Symphonic Variations, which should be a cornerstone of the RB rep, danced every season if I had my way. I wonder if the rights holder being the same as that of Cinderella has something to do with its absence since 2017.

I thought this was an interesting but bleak thread about ACE's attitude to classical music. I wonder if it might also apply to ballet.

I would really like to see brisés instead for a change!

One trend in straight theatre that we have occasionally seen copied in ballet (I'm thinking of the recent ENB Raymonda) and opera is for the original "happy ending" of Miss X marrying Mr Y being subverted by the director/producer in the name of feminism. Call me unsophisticated but I hope this fashion passes - it's so preachy!

People sometimes find this hard to accept, but growing up my siblings and I didn't have bedtimes and simply turned in when we were tired. We were quite well behaved - it's just that bedtimes were never a thing so nobody got into stand-offs about them. I don't know about 11.30 but I certainly stayed up to watch the 10 o'clock news on occasion when really quite young. If I had been tired I'd have put myself to bed by then. I'm not saying this would work for everyone but it did for us - we weren't yawning our way through school the next day. (By no stretch of the imagination would my parents have considered themselves "progressive", though as both worked full time and there were four children - and no nanny - I suppose benign neglect became their style of parenting by default.)

Coming late to this it seems, but I was mostly confused by the "tap" description because it doesn't look like that is what's going on - even if you didn't know what a ronde de jambe is I can't see how a gargouillade can have that appearance unless it's being done very badly!

I am definitely getting old because In the Middle was performed there less than six years ago - sadly no longer "a very long time ago" in my book.

Head exploding!* *...with shock. My imagination might possibly stretch to not liking Monotones but preferring Untitled 2023 is a step too far for it!

🤯

Add me to the list

Yes! I liked that post because I'm usually pleased to see minority opinions but this puzzled me too.

Not sure how long this offer will remain available: https://officiallondontheatre.com/tfl-offer/

But this is what happens when you have a cough that's on its way out (as I have now). It's not a regular or predictable thing. To coin a phrase, they do not cough for their own amusement.

I find most cough sweets horrid to the point that I can't use them BUT Boots blackcurrant glycerin pastilles are very palatable (like real sweets!), do the job for me and - as long as you open the inner package sufficiently in advance or even decant them into the cardboard box - are not noisy.