Ianlond

Lots of interesting casting (The Dream with Lauren Cuthbertson & Vadim Muntagirov looks enticing as I can imagine she will bring out the character well, plus Vadim in an Anthony Dowell roll should be great!). Lovely that Romany is back (but I wonder if it might not be a last performance). I do feel for James Hay who is surprisingly not cast at all in these Ashton works, & generally seems to be cast very little - I believe he has an on & off injury that flares up but can’t help thinking he might be thinking of moving on soon.

Went to last night’s performance and enjoyed it very much, mostly I think due to the dancers rather than what they were dancing (sounds familiar?). I was extremely impressed by the quiet/ silent landings from the men (other companies take note!) and musicality on display. Rotunda was ok I suppose, I didn’t hate it but I *did* hate the hideous brown costume inflicted Adrian Danchig-Waring (some of us do buy programmes to assist with spelling lol). The most memorable part, for me, was the solo section featuring (I believe) Daniel Ulbricht (not Albrecht as my autocorrect suggested!) which I found very moving due to the music & his performance (those beautiful soft landings from hardly any plié!). The rest was very forgettable. Due Concertante was, unsurprisingly, beautifully danced by the pin-sharp & very stylish Megan Fairchild and Anthony Huxley. His beautifully controlled & correct dancing reminded me somewhat of James Hay. However, it didn’t wow me & some of the choreographic ideas seemed a bit too obviously linked to the music/ playing an instrument (sorry Balanchine!). Other than the piano pushing section (why??), I loved Gustave Le Gray for its clear movement (much influenced by Cunningham) & intensity. The amount of unison movement is very difficult to pull off & is a testament to the fantastic control of the dances involved. I also rather liked the costumes which I thought added to air of quiet drama. Love Letter (on shuffle) was enjoyable enough (I quite like James Blake) but didn’t really hold up to comparison with Forsythe’s Blake Works. Taylor Stanley was an obvious stand out, their combination of classical/ modern/ street dance very impressive. They were also very well matched with (I’m guessing) Harrison Coll in a moving duet. While it is interesting see new choreography from NYCB (which still seems more classically influences than much of the RB’s new work), it really would b great to see a more representative programme. Is the Coliseum stage really too small?? (Or perhaps it’s just the memory of losses during the last visit).

Bruce it is, as always, fascinating to read your reviews for their descriptive and unique turn of phrase and your insights. However, I do hope that dancing McGregor does not further erode the RB’s Ashton abilities (& I came to dance through watching Random Dance Company) as Ashton should be its jewel in the crown. I’m aware many disagree! While I’m in no way criticising your ability to enjoy Balanchine (& Robbins etc ) danced by the fine artists of NYCB, I do resent the idea that for many of us at least, we should no longer hope to see our largest ballet (yes ballet) company dance any of these works. I suppose I could go to Paris to see a bit more but even that is not always practical financially or logistically. i hope no one takes this as a personal criticism as it’s not intended as such. I’d just like to see some Balanchine in London lol

Really interesting Insight BUT even more frustrating is the inability of the RB (or any other UK company for that matter) to actually perform these works. I know Monica Mason programmed Les Noces a few times but when was the last time Les Biches was performed? It’s not as though the music or choreography is perceived as ‘difficult’ as Les Noces & I’m guessing the costs for performance is less than the Stravinsky? Next year perhaps (unlikely unfortunately).

So someone, somewhere within the ROH organisation recognises that the choreographic legacy of Nijinska is worth marking, and yet the resident company does not seem to think it’s worthwhile dancing either Les Noces or Les Biches in their centenary years. (Arguably Les Biches is in more dire need of a revival). Hopefully the Insight is a sign of something to come but somehow I doubt it & do wonder how much this event has been driven by archivists, dance historians or the music department rather than the Royal Ballet itself. I would love to be proved wrong.

A fascinating topic capybara - thank you. Personally, I stoped using Instagram a few years ago as I was using it too much for no benefit, but I would certainly urge anyone who hadn’t seen it to look at the ROH Insight: Interrogating the Ballerina in which (towards the end) Sarah Lamb extremely eloquently outlines her own thoughts on the subject. Very impressive. I’m glad my time at dance school was before social media & I stopped dancing professionally before Instagram really took off! However, as Monica Mason mentions in the same insight, dancers have historically been rather silent & even seen as stupid so I absolutely see the worth of dancers being able to express their views more clearly &, perhaps, take more agency in promoting their own career.

NiniGabriel, thank you so much for your reply!

Thank you, that’s really helpful. I hope you enjoyed it!

Thank you so much - that’s really helpful. Fingers crossed! 🤞

Hi all, I wonder if anyone can help. I’m really keen to go to Stuttgart for the ‘Remember Me’ double bill in November but have a few questions, having never booked for Stuttgart before. Is the ticket system ballot, where you put in a bid before sales open? Is there any point trying to get tickets for Saturday 4th (realistically the only date I can make it for) as I’m sure it will be popular? How easy is it to set up a SEPA direct debit as instructed? Thank you in advance for any help! Ian

Well I very much enjoyed Untitled & really can’t see what’s getting everyone into such a fuss. True, the movement doesn’t always match the score but I do think they work well together & why should choreography directly reflect the music. Loved the backdrop & bright lighting! There were certainly quite a few Cunningham references & I thought it worked well as a whole. I was rather moved by the final Richardson/ Bracewell (I think) diet & solo. Certainly would like to see it again. In Corbyantic Games I could see the invention & actually liked the costumes! I wasn’t able to see it the first time round so am not sure how distracting the black straps were then but they seem fine now. Lovely to see two pieces that focus largely on dance throughout rather than an unnecessary story & I think the slightly ‘lighter’ feeling to the Wheeldon contrasted well with the McGregor. Sometimes I felt I was watching Wheeldon’s undoubted facility for creating sequences of movement but then at others was totally drawn in. Anastasia Act 3 is hardly a rousing end to an evening, season or career but of course it gave Laura Morera a fitting send off - & how appropriate to be dancing with Bennett Gartside. However, as a work it does seem dated now (although, why should that matter?) & I’m certainly in no rush to see it again (or the three act version which, imo, isn’t great either). But the last word should be about Laura: what a versatile dancer (my personal favourite memory is dancing Symphonic Variations paired with Belinda Harley) & I know from personal experience how generous she will be as a coach in the next phase of her career! I’ll let others describe the farewell more fully but what a joy to see Ricardo on stage again!

A bit late to the party but here goes... Firstly, many thanks to everyone who has posted details of the new season as well as given there insights - what an interesting and entertaining read! Secondly, sorry for what has turned out to be a long post... My first, predictable, thought was what NO Nijinska at all? I'd love to know why (probably seen as not good at the box office, expensive to mount and too much time needed to rehearse). While I do agree that work on any stage by any company should ideally be there due to their merit as a work of art (both Les Noces and Les Biches surely do have considerable choreographic merit!), the fact that they were created by a woman choreographer is of significance and should be celebrated - as Candleque mentions above, representation is important. However, these works deserve to be on the main stage primarily on the choreographic strength. Ashton obviously thought so.... I'll get off my soap-box now! Unsurprising to see lengthy runs of Don Q, Swan Lake and Nutcracker - KOH must have a difficult job balancing the books at the moment and they put bums on seats. I certainly have no interest in Don Q and rarely go to Nutcracker but hopefully some interesting casting might tempt me to Swan Lake; with so many performances, there will probably be some First Soloists/ Soloists cast as Odette/ Odile. (I'd like to think Claire Calvert might be back for the end of the season and perhaps Melissa Hamilton might be in with a shout?) Manon is the least interesting MacMillan three-act ballet to me so will be saving money there. The Dante Project - interested to see who is cast and will certainly be going. Although the third part seems choreographically uninspired and repetitive, there's enough in the other two parts to make up for it. I wonder if anything will have been adapted since its first run? The Winter's Tale - really like this ballet (although the 'transformation' from statue to human always seems very prosaic to me!) and, like others have said, it will be interesting to see who steps into the shoes left by Watson/ Bonelli/ Soares - Matthew Ball and Vadim Muntagirov probably. Bracewell? Anemoi/ The Cellist - I'm afraid to say that nothing could make me go to see Anemoi again; I am mystified why something so derivative is on the ROH main stage (apologies if that offends anyone!) but might try The Cellist. I don't remember it being particularly satisfying but willing to give it another go. Interesting that two significant roles for Lauren Cuthbertson are being revived for her to return to. Excited to see what transpires regarding the festival of new choreography - watch this space I guess! MacMillan triple - very, very pleased to be able to see Danses Concertantes and Requiem once again and certainly intrigued by Different Drummer. Mostly, I'm pleased for some variety in programming that lets us appreciate MacMillan's undoubted gifts in more unfamiliar ballets. Finally the best: ASHTON! All is not lost, although it's dispiriting that there seems to be any idea that his works only need to be programmed together (why not put something on before The Cellist? There's certainly enough to pick from). Thrilled to have The Dream back as well have the company dance Les Rendezvous again even though it is, I think, intentionally old fashioned so needs to be viewed in this way. Like other have mentioned, Rhapsody seems to be being programmed a bit too frequently although it is undeniably enjoyable (I always find it treads a fine line between a bit too much and a fantastic showcase of dancing). What a treat, too, to have The Sarasota Ballet performing but I'm sure getting good seats will be painful! Hopefully Daphins and Chloe next year....I can dream I suppose! Disappointed that there are no new works announced on the main stage (I wonder when this last happened? When Anthony Dowell was in charge perhaps?) but can see that the company need to save some money and of course there is some new work being created on and around the dancers. No Balanchine is not great (although possibly deliberate since NYCB will be at Sadler's Wells) or Robbins. I would love them to get a new Robbins: Goldberg Variations? Fanfare?

Thank you Miliosr for such a detailed review. I agree Les Noces has challenges regarding its appreciation by audiences (and probably directors and dancers too!) but that it’s also an extraordinary work of art that larger companies really should programme. If everything was Don Q or Swan Lake Act 3, it would get very dull, very quickly. I have everything crossed for the RB’s new season announcement!

Fantastic! 😊😊

How wonderful to hear again this score that I love & see some of Ashton’s choreography back on stage! However…the fairy attendants (the children) really look ridiculous, & are completely unnecessary - especially in Act 2 when they badly clutter & distract. Get rid of them completely (it may also allow greater space for the 4 season fairies to dance their solos in Act 1. Melissa Hamilton looked particularly cramped). Fumi Kaneko had a slip in her solo but otherwise made as much as possible of it, while I very much enjoyed Anna Rose O’Sullivan as spring once I ignored the dandelion! Joseph Sissens a standout as one of the prince’s friends (who don’t really interact very much with him). The production certainly looks like a ‘show’. Perhaps too much? I agree with whoever posted before about the fairy costumes in Act 1 being replaced by those from the rest of the ballet (as appears to be the case in the Dowell/ Sibley snippets online?) although I actually quite like the bright colours. Summer however is way, way over decorated. I would also like to take some scissors to Cinderella’s bow in the ballroom scene! Having seen the previous production, was more impressed with the step-sisters this time as their roles do seem to have been toned down; however, the start of Act 2 still drags somewhat. Nunez was delightful & poised throughout but I wasn’t especially moved - will be interested to see other casts in the run. There were a lot of happy sounding children tonight & I can see this being a hit at Christmas with families so hopefully will stay in the rep more permanently.