loveclassics

Abebooks.co.uk has a second hand copy (hardback) in good condition. Search for 'Life in Dance' by Darcey Bussell with Judith Mackrell (though I found the search more effective looking just for books by Judith Mackell). I've bought ballet books from this website before and have always been very happy with the books supplied. Good Luck, Linda

Alison I usually look ahead to see if anything dance-related is on the Arts Channels and if I spot anything amongst the endless programmes about old rock stars, I'll try to post it here. Must say though that what little dance there is is frequently repeated many times. The Robbins programme was good - especially for the performance of The Concert - so there are occasional gems. Linda

I would think it's at least 6 inches when you consider the size of the average foot (or do female ballet dancers have especially dainty ones?). Re the comments on Watson's apparent difficulties with lifts, didn't he have arm surgery some time ago? I do hope this isn't still causing him problems. And now Pennefather is injured too? Does anyone know how seriously? I was looking forward to seeing him in Prince of the Pagodas.... Edited as I am still getting to grips with quotes on this forum.

It's not surprising that young principals find the pressure hard to take but there is one major difference here: a professional dancer normally gives notice and in Jonathan Cope's case he gave the Royal Ballet a whole season before departing. This must have helped not just the RB but also his partners including the fast-rising star, Darcey Bussell. I wonder how she would have felt had he 'done a Polunin' and walked out in September 89, prior to the first night of Macmillan's Prince of the Pagodas. Would her career have been materially affected? Luckily, he worked on for another 9 months and maybe this is why he was welcomed back later. The RB management may 'forgive and forget' but I doubt his fellow dancers will feel the same way about Polunin after his abrupt and graceless departure.

That 'win an iPad' link may be the same as a recent notorious scam cum trojan horse. Be very careful not to be taken in.

I've been a reader/lurker of Ballet.co for nearly 8 years now and when I first heard of its possible disappearance it was a really black day for me. Like many others, I would be very happy to pay an annual subscription to help ensure Ballet.co's survival. But no institution can carry on in the same old way for ever. A point I would like to make is that when I first discovered this site it was not quite so serious. While I appreciate the knowledgeable input from the experienced ballet goers who now post, and whose invaluable input is not available elsewhere, there used to be a lot more light-hearted posts a few years ago, sitting happily alongside the expert reviews and comments. I loved reading about the funny things that happened at master classes and rehearsals and posters' fanciful speculations about everything from unlikely casting to the most unsuitable subjects for ballet (Delia's Complete Cookery Course and Star Trek being some of the wilder suggestions) but over the years these have died out, possibly for fear of seeming over critical of an art form under attack from so many other sources? I agree that many other online forums allow outrageously rude and offensive comments but surely there must be a happy medium between the obnoxious and the over-reverential? I do hope that the committee will encourage the occasionally frivolous post as we all need a lighter look at things occasionally and I miss the laugh-out-moments of old that startled my fellow workers. I would like to add that I am now fully retired and although my IT experience is more with larger, financial systems, I would be happy to offer my help in any capacity. Linda

There was a report on this at lunchtime (BBC London News) and I expect it will also be on tonight's London News.

There's a series of dance events being held this month at 2 Temple Place, London including 'From Street to Stage: an evening with the Royal Ballet’s Thiago Soares'. See their website: twotempleplace.org for more details.