Sharon

On 04/03/2023 at 23:27, JohnS said:

I thought the second survey was going to all Friends, not a sample, and the  introduction (MJW’s post above) refers to the ‘most comprehensive membership survey yet’ so I rather assumed all Friends would be contacted.
I haven’t as yet received anything unless something was posted. Are other Friends similarly waiting for the survey?

I haven't received anything either.

Although I did contact Mr Beard regarding the incredibly expensive ticket prices and I received a very bland reply that ignored every point I raised. It was obviously just a standard generic  response and therefore not of any use to me. At this point I doubt he even read my email. 

So I'm not surprised I have not been contacted as i am not a happy Friend!

3 hours ago, Sim said:

No surprise there then.  I am full of admiration for her.  I just hope that her family back home is left alone. 

As do I.

I did laugh when I read the announcement though - their loss is definitely our gain. And Olga has the opportunity and freedom to dance a varied exciting repertoire.  And more importantly she has proven to be a woman of principles who stands up for what she believes. And leaves others - ahem Zakharova/Polunin - in startling and disdainful contrast.

My money is on Stuttgart....

On 03/02/2023 at 17:59, alison said:

25 minutes for a bus allegedly 7 minutes away. And too crowded for me to get on 😞

😫😫😫

22 hours ago, Sim said:

So would I.  I will never forget seeing Agnes Oaks dance Aurora at the Coli.  In the Rose Adagio you could have gone out to the bar, had a drink, come back and she would still be balancing en pointe, on one leg.  It was stunning.  The house roared its approval at the end of the adagio...one of the most sustained rounds of applause I can remember hearing during a ballet.

 

I too love this production.  

She was such a lovely ballerina... I wonder where she is now?

I have just seen this news of her death. And it's so very. She made an amazing contribution to the development of ballet in this country. And her own life experiences were so interesting - as so many of the ballerinas from her generation were. I mean dancing Odette at 15yrs!! Not forgetting her performances in the Soviet Union...

I have vivid memories of her from her London Festival Ballet days and following one such meeting she sent me a signed photo of her as Odile. A wonderful inspirational woman.

🙏🏽RIP🙏🏽

After attending performances mostly alone, unless I could persuade my London based friend to come too, it was so nice when Sim arranged to meet up with me. Not only was it lovely to meet a forum member - but it was the opportunity to discuss the performance with someone who also loved ballet that made it so special. I'm quite shy really and having someone extend the hand of friendship whilst away from home meant the world. 

As Sim said a while back, she is definitely another reason to go to Amsterdam....🙏🏽

Just logged on to buy a ticket and I'm so disappointed to find my usual seats costing either £170 or £180.

+ train

+ hotel (?)

Obviously didn't buy.

Heartbroken 😭

She is undoubtedly a very special artist...

Sorry to be a party pooper- but I was a bit underwhelmed by WBD this year. Watching  Olga Smirnova in class and then in SB rehearsal was, I found the most interesting  - what a special artist she is.

23 hours ago, Sim said:

I really like having guest dancers, especially from abroad, because it gives us the chance to see great dancers we might not otherwise see.  If it doesn’t happen too often, it’s very exciting when it does!  

Me too - I would love to see some French stars- Mathieu Ganio or Hugo Marchand...

How sad!

Such a wonderful ballerina  - so many roles I was lucky enough to see.  She was the first Tatiana I ever saw....

RIP 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

This production of Coppelia is utterly delightful. I love the sets. The company were on such good form, as always, but in particular I want to congratulate Brandon Lawrence on a fantastic debut - so assured and confident and such generous attentive partnering - he must be an absolute dream to dance with.

I left the theatre on a high, very happy that a valued friend had invited me to see this gorgeous production.

33 minutes ago, Bruce Wall said:

A steady pair of hands certainly.  

Why do you think that Bruce?

Someone also posted on Instagram that Lesley Collier was retiring.  Has anyone else seen/heard this??

Such a wonderful ballerina and such an asset and treasured coach  - she will be truly missed. 

14 hours ago, Sim said:

Agree with all of the above.  I would say Joseph Sissens is a definite contender for a male First Soloist.  Female, not sure.

Agreed!

For female my first choice would definitely be Romany Pajdak  - this is a ballerina with a very special quality and deserves many more solo roles....

7 hours ago, Sim said:

I certainly hope so, especially since she isn't getting the chance to dance Mary Vetsera next season (although she will make a very fine Larisch).

I hope so too Sim.

I have to say I'm not really bothered about the Mary Vetsera role as I really don't like Mayerling 😒

But she would be a gorgeous Manon.

The performance I'd kill to see is Yasmine Naghdi in Manon & Le Parc, both with Reece Clarke. Both such beautiful pdd's! Le Parc is something I've wanted to see live for ages. But it's fantastic news that Yasmine is dancing Manon - does that perhaps mean she will be cast next time it's performed in London? 🤞🏽🤞🏽🤞🏽

On 17/06/2022 at 05:30, bridiem said:

That's so sad. I still miss Dance Books every time I go to Cecil Court. Thanks to David Leonard and his colleagues for running this special company for so many years.

It wasn't a successful/happy trip to London unless I visited this shop. On one occasion i as so skint I could only afford to buy a couple of old copies of The House from the 60's, which I still have. I remember marvelling at the photos of all the glamorous ballerinas....Happy days.

1 hour ago, capybara said:

When at ENB, and in interviews, the wonderful Irek has said consistently that he wants to coach, not to manage.

Aaa true. But I love Irek and I think he would be an amazing AD - I'm sure he could still coach?? 

Scottish Ballet have announced that principal ballerina Sophie Martin is leaving the company to be closer to her family. 

Sophie Martin has always been a fantastic dancer - in every role I've seen her in. And very much underrated in my opinion. For example her astonishing performance in David Dawson's Swan Lake which was premiered here in Liverpool.  How she didn't win classical ballerina of the year in 2016 I'll never know.

A truly gifted ballerina and I wish her well with all her future plans.

Now this is the Swan performance I really wanted to see. Claire Calvert is such a fantastic dancer and I was really pleased that she was given thus opportunity.  She more than deserves it! She has all the natural attributes for this role - a very strong technique, gorgeous epaulment and the most beautiful feet. I'm only sorry she had 1 performance. 

I hope to hear lots .ore from those lucky enough to have seen the performance. 

On 19/04/2022 at 18:58, Ettore said:

Unfortunately the streaming of performances ends up being more complicated that just copyrights and permissions (which are incredibly complicated on their own). It's also the mechanics and theater time to be able to film and record, as the set ups (or at least with the resources we have at our disposal) require an almost completely different technical set up than that of in-person performances. This would then almost double the amount of time we would need to be in the theater and we're just not able to increase our theater access time.

We would of course love to be able to do so, and LOVE to be able to perform in the UK, but that would require an invite (so if anyone has connections with the Sadler's Wells, start pestering!).

I would say that Sarasota does make a rather beautiful holiday destination, and there are several other quite remarkable arts organizations here in town, including the Sarasota Orchestra who just brought in Bramwell Tovey as their Music Director. Maybe we could help organize a BalletCo tour to Sarasota!?

I WILL get there one day! As well as seeing these Ashton classics - I would be totally starstruck if I happened to spot Margaret Barbieri 🤩

Totally agree Sim.

I saw 2 of her performances in 2018 and there were absolutely no problems with her fouettes. She was whipping out doubles like there was no tomorrow. 

Yes dancers can have an 'off night'. But you are not having an off night if you continually mess up a turn you will have learnt years ago at school,  a turn you may practice daily in class. After all if you are a principal having a pristine technique should be a given, aswell as musicality and artistry and interpretive skills.

Yasmine Naghdi has all of these qualities in spades which is probably why she is the go to replacement when someone is injured.