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loveclassics

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  1. loveclassics
    I also have found the ROH locator a little unreliable but I find it's worth logging into the websites of the individual chains such as Odeon, Vue etc. to get up to date information. You can often get 2 for 1 or other discounted tickets as well - I get 2 for 1 at weekends in Odeons, via my Times online subscription (plus freebies for previews) and now the Meerkats are in on the act as well. I thought special transmissions like those from the ROH might be excluded but no, you can still get 2 for 1 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays if you've bought insurance through their website in the last year. Sorry if this sounds like a promotional blurb but we OAPs have to find bargains where we can! Linda
  2. loveclassics
    Carlos Acosta was interviewed by Graham Norton this morning and you can hear this on iPlayer for the next 7 days. Here's the link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p037dxvd Linda
  3. loveclassics
    There are a few options in outer London: The Odeon, Wimbledon, for example, is only 10 minutes by train from Waterloo or Stratford Picturehouse/Vue are about 20 minutes by Jubilee line. Depends on where you live of course but Kingston, Beckenham, Putney might be possible (all Odeons). I find the choice a bit surprising since I would expect a mixed bill like this to appeal more in central areas like the West End or Islington, all of which showed the first transmission. Linda
  4. loveclassics
    That occurred to me too. I remember Guillem refusing to dance Giselle in the same season as Ek's Carmen, saying she thought it bad for her body to rehearse & perform in both classical and more contemporary styles at the same time. It's nice to hear Osipova's enthusiasm to embrace other forms of dance but perhaps she should get some advice about the likely physical effects of this first? Re Polunin - I do think the Press seize every opportunity to emphasise his so-called 'bad boy' image. He's not exactly a boy now and hasn't done anything outrageous for years, as far as we know. Since he is obviously serious about continuing his dancing career, can't we forget about his earlier indiscretions and focus on his work instead? Linda
  5. loveclassics
    Thank you for your help. I will pass your information onto my friend and I'll let you all know what she goes to see. Have to say, I'm rather envious! Linda
  6. loveclassics
    A friend of mine is visiting St Petersburg next July and wants tickets for the ballet but the prices offered by the tour company are frightening. Is there a website in English that anyone can recommend? Thanks Linda
  7. loveclassics
    Right now I can only think of light operas: Gaite Parisienne, Pineapple Poll & the Merry Widow come to mind. I'm sure there must be at least one ballet adaptation of Faust but the source there is literary rather than operatic. Personally I'd like to see ballet versions of Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld or Ls Belle Helene. Both have pretty straightforward stories and lovely danceable music. Not to mention Strauss' Fledermaus. Linda
  8. loveclassics
    Thanks for the info - I'm glad they're getting more opportunities because, although I wouldn't normally comment on a rehearsal, I was very impressed with Matthew Ball's Escamillo and I thought Lauren & Eric Underwood were excellent in L'Apres-midi. Sadly I can't be sorry I didn't buy a ticket for a performance since I don't really get Viscera and the two short pieces don't justify the cost for me, lovely though they were. I won't add to the chorus of disapproval for Carmen but to anyone who was there on Friday afternoon, I was responsible for the "OMG" during the Chippendale moment. Sorry, it was a completely involuntary response - I won't do it again (hoping never to have to!) Linda Ed for clarity.
  9. loveclassics
    I notice there have been several references to Carmen's second cast but what about the third? I saw them at the last rehearsal - was that their only outing? Linda
  10. loveclassics
    I've had exactly the same problem with this bill, Alison. I suppose it isn't that important worrying about it now given that there is almost certainly going to be a cast change due to illness or injury nearer the time. Linda
  11. loveclassics
    Well isn't that the main strength of Ballet.co? Everyone can contribute their ideas, suggestions and opinions as long as they don't express them unreasonably or without respect for others. I think our moderators do a great job stemming any abuse without reducing the site to mere fan worship. But if people don't think they can say what they think, within the guidelines of course, it will become a very dull site and ultimately, one which will be abandoned for something more stimulating. IMHO, naturally! Linda
  12. loveclassics
    Thanks very much - I will try that. Linda
  13. loveclassics
    Where can I find the latest casting for RB cinema transmissions. I have no problems with the full length ballets but the info on RB's website is unhelpful for the mixed bills, particularly the Rhapsody/Two Pigeons programme.
  14. loveclassics
    I think Muntagirov was either lucky or very perceptive in going to ENB first. It's a brilliant proving ground and has often been instrumental in developing potential in dancers who were not quite ready (or perceived to be ready) for a bigger company. Dancers at ENB (or BRB) get more opportunities to essay principal roles much sooner than they would at the RB and, as others have pointed out before, in London real potential sometimes gets overlooked in favour of more extrovert/precocious dancers (how else could Xander Parrish have been allowed to leave?) I saw Muntagirov in his first Des Grieux and was VERY impressed. It's not just his technical skill but his emotional involvement in a role that is so remarkable. He can express vulnerability in a way many young dancers seem afraid to reveal and I thought he captured the character better than anyone I have seen since Jonathan Cope (admittedly he was coached by him, so no surprise there). I am soo looking forward to his Romeo! Linda Edited for clarity.
  15. loveclassics
    I thought one of the most interesting things about the ST article on Steven McRae was the photo of him with his wife and baby. It's credited to Xander Parrish - another dancer building a second career in photography? The other bit I liked was when he named his best investment as the engagement ring he bought for his wife (Elizabeth Harrod): "because getting married to her was the best thing I’ve ever done". Lovely! Linda I hope I'm not breaking any rules with this brief quote.
  16. loveclassics
    Yes, but in London, the non-white population tends to be much newer to this country and, in East London at least, largely Muslim. In their eyes professional dancers & their performances are morally dubious, to put it mildly. In my borough many immigrant parents will not allow their children to participate in or even attend music classes at school so I doubt if a career in ballet or any form of dance is considered acceptable. Wasn't there an RB soloist about 10 years ago whose family came from the Middle East and put pressure on him to abandon his career for something more respectable? What worries me more about the future of ballet is the age of the audience - I never see more than a handful of people under 40 in the audience at the ROH or the National Theatre and those I do see are mostly tourists getting a quick blast of culture before getting back to shopping in the rest of their trip. I'm sorry if this is not PC but I don't think we should focus on ethnic minorities on stage and I think laying emphasis on their skin colour and not on their talent and artistry is counter-productive. It's a hard enough struggle to become a professional without worrying about what is largely a matter of others' perceptions. Linda Edited for punctuation errors.
  17. loveclassics
    I think you will find that true of audiences at many events in UK - 96% of the population IS white. Sorry but we are not responsible for our celtic/scandinavian/roman ancestry!
  18. loveclassics
    I also saw the first performance of this performance in Copenhagen back in the 70s and although I disliked it I have never forgotten it. But so many other ballets are just blurs in my memory which must say something about this production. Not exactly sure what though.
  19. loveclassics
    I saw the Cranko production a few years ago when one of the German companies brought it to London. I wish I could remember whether it was the Stuttgart or Frankfurt company but sadly it did not have a huge impact on me. I remember coming out thinking it was OK but not nearly as emotionally engaging as the MacMillan version. And I saw a TV recording of the Lavrovsky production yonks ago and like Ms Shortcake (lovely name!) found it very dated. It's not just a familiarity thing as I am most familiar with Dowell's 1987 production of Swan Lake and it is NOT my favourite version. Linda
  20. loveclassics
    In my case I was due to be in West Sussex today because the London performances clashed with my father's 90th birthday. Then I oome down with a cold and I'm not allowed to go & see him in case I spread my germs around the nursing home - grrr! I've only seen this production danced by the Swedish Royal Ballet (hope that's the correct title) and like all Sir Peter Wright's classic productions it is wonderful. Beautifully directed and designed it is, IMHO, the perfect interpretation of the music and choreography that creates a lucid and intelligent work to appeal to newbie and balletomane alike. Quite the best Swan Lake I have ever seen and I would love to see it again particularly with the wonderful young stars of the BRB. I'm now debating whether to go to Birmingham or Southampton in January. Any recommendations? Both would take about the same journey time from London but I'd like to know more about the theatre in Southampton. Am now going to scour YouTube for some clips from the Wells performances. Linda
  21. loveclassics
    I just meant she was very unhappy when she was at ballet school (or so she said in the film). Not an unusual situation I suppose as I can think of at least 2 RB principals who have said they felt the same when at White Lodge. I simply wondered why you felt she didn't deserve to be promoted, given the good reviews she has received when in the UK. Linda
  22. loveclassics
    i don't know what to make of this comment. She has had many positive reviews when the Mariinsky were in London and seems to have formed a good partnership with Xander Parrish. I saw A Beautiful Tragedy too and was impressed with her dedication to ballet when she was clearly desperately unhappy. What exactly do you object to about her promotion? Are there other dancers in the company you consider more deserving? Linda
  23. loveclassics
    Did anyone else watch this or were you all indoors enjoying ballet? I waited up until it started at 01.10 Monday morning when the size of the moon was amazing but the eclipse hadn't even started. When I looked next around 4 a.m. the moon was not so much crimson as chocolate brown because the eclipse was past totality. But as compensation I was rewarded with the brightest sky I have ever seen: full of brilliant stars. I was staying at my mother's, on the south coast and with none of the light pollution that spoils the London sky it was truly astonishing. Any other (extra-terrestrial) star enthusiasts out there? Linda
  24. loveclassics
    Actually it was Ronald Colman and Douglas Fairbanks Jr in the 1937 version but that particular move occurs in many swashbuckling films including Errol Flynn's Robin Hood in which he was fighting Basil Rathbone. Linda
  25. loveclassics
    I have to agree and I would add the harlots and 'Keystone Cops' in Mayerling. God knows what personal demon MacMillan was trying to exorcise but sometimes it feels like ALL his ballets have to feature a scene in a whorehouse. Linda
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