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Xandra Newman

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  1. Xandra Newman
    No, it seemingly didn't harm her at all, and according to the recent Vogue interview "... it sends her shopping addiction through the roof and fuelled her handbag habit" https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/francesca-hayward-ballet-cats-shopping-habit
  2. Xandra Newman
    The panning of the Cats movie seemingly knows no end, all reviews like an act of damnatio at bestias https://www.wsj.com/articles/cats-review-going-to-the-dogs-11576794144
  3. Xandra Newman
    I was there on the last night and it felt as if time suddenly stopped when Yasmine Naghdi and Ryoichi Hirano slowly walked towards each other on that beautiful music, it really felt as if the audience froze in their seat and collectively stopped breathing, as if entering a dreamlike state. It was very palpable, the audience became one with the dancers during a moment of pure visual poetry. Although Ryoichi Hirano has not more to do than be Yasmine Naghdi's partner he does it with immense distinction and together this couple were breathtakingly beautiful. I honestly hope their Concerto will result in a DVD (with Anna Rose O'Sullivan in the 1st Movement and Mayara Magri in the 3rd Movement).
  4. Xandra Newman
    Opening Night cast "Dances at a Gathering" has been announced. Marianela Nuñez Yasmine Naghdi Fumi Kaneko Francesca Hayward Laura Morera Alexander Campbell William Bracewell Federico Bonelli Valentino Zucchetti Luca Acri
  5. Xandra Newman
    Must have been that one Matinee, my memory clearly served me wrong. I apologise
  6. Xandra Newman
    But that was in the Linbury Theatre downstairs no (with Monotones) not on the main stage I think. Unless she got the only Matinee - 2nd November...
  7. Xandra Newman
    No Melissa Hamilton is not dancing the 2nd Movement pas de deux at all. On18th and 20th December/Matinee the pas de deux is danced by Sarah Lamb, the evening performances pas de deux is danced by Yasmine Naghdi
  8. Xandra Newman
    https://seenandheard-international.com/2019/12/new-ballet-icons-gala-2020-at-the-london-coliseum-on-26-january/
  9. Xandra Newman
    I have seen several Aurora's in this run and, as others have also stated, after dancing her 4th Aurora in this run Yasmine Naghdi has made this role her own, alongside her beautiful, blossoming partnership with Matthew Ball. The prolonged applause and cheers she got from the audience after her Rose Adagio spoke volumes. Naghdi's Aurora is at another level now. She has danced Aurora numerous times not only as a soloist but also as a Guest Principal of San Francisco Ballet last season and she has reached a high level of maturity, dancing with great ease and grace, her superb technical control giving her total freedom. Matthew Ball has gained maturity and he too was wonderful to watch. Mr. O'Hare really seems to nurture their partnership in the classics this season as they not only dance SB together but also Coppelia and Swan Lake. Romany Pajdak, Anna Rose O'Sullivan and Mayara Magri stood out yet again as Prologue Fairies, all three of them beautiful, alongside Claire Calvert's Lilac Fairy. I was disappointed too in Yuhui Choe/Luca Acri (Bluebird/Florine) and felt sorry for Choe who had an unfortunate fall but she got up quickly and carried on dancing as if nothing had happened. O'Sullivan and Magri, partnered by Zucchetti, were also lovely as Florestan and his Sisters. I agree with Jenny Taylor, Anna Rose O'Sullivan made an impressive debut last week, she was really lovely.
  10. Xandra Newman
    Graham Norton must be a ballet lover as he invited RB Principals Matthew Ball and Yasmine Naghdi on his BBC Radio 2 show prior to their Romeo & Juliet live cinema relay (Jonathan Ross??? He better not interview ballet dancers, his interview with Carlos Acosta was a total joke, good Carlos Acosta kept his dignity!)
  11. Xandra Newman
    Can you name me one ballerina who does NOT make a mistake/wobble/ fault ? That's not a basis upon which to judge a technique The great and good, past and present, have all wobbled and made mistakes. You are not a fan of Naghdi, that you have made very clear in previous posts, and that's absolutely fine but dance critics' reviews contradict your judgment. You are of course perfectly entitled to your own opinion!
  12. Xandra Newman
    I get your point Janet, but I was solely talking about technique, not artistry. Two very different angles.
  13. Xandra Newman
    I am wondering how many people attending a ballet really do know/can see the difference between a good and a weak/bad classical technique? Most people attending a performance are there to enjoy the show, they sit back and watch the dancer tell a story. They do not/cannot see the difference between a dancer who has a good/strong technique and one who has a weak/bad technique. Only regulars attending the ballet, those who choose/can afford to see a variety of dancers and principals, and those with profound knowledge of the classical ballet technique, are able to make such a distinction and compare. "The gap between the floating ribs and hip-joint is too small, she is too down in the torso...": this is very visible in the photo taken of her in the white tutu/Coppelia. Flaws in classical technique really do show up when dancers perform the tutu classics, there is absolutely nowhere to hide their shortcomings; and if they also do not have the physical attributes necessary to enable them to execute the pure classical technique weaknesses do show.
  14. Xandra Newman
    Meaghan Grace Hinkis, Anna Rose O'Sullivan, Tierney Heap, Claire Calvert and Beatriz Stix-Brunell are all BLOCH Influencers. Yasmine Naghdi is the appointed BLOCH Ambassador (previously Sarah Lamb was the BLOCH Ambassador). Marianela Nunez promotes Freed of London. When one considers how much some top athletes and sports individuals earn through advertising watches, sports shoes, clothes (and crisps in the case of Gary Lineker), top ballet dancers are nowhere near such extra earning capacity. Their career demands are as hard, if not harder, but ballet dancers are at the bottom when it comes to supplementing their income through advertising.
  15. Xandra Newman
    Culture Whisper published this interview ahead of the Opening Night and covers the Naghdi/Ball partnership. https://www.culturewhisper.com/r/dance/yasmin_naghdi_interview/14960
  16. Xandra Newman
    In the above link, Olga Balakleets, CEO of Ensemble Production, lists all the dancers invited to perform at the Russian Ballet Icons Gala 2020. Surely her list is the most reliable one.
  17. Xandra Newman
    Are those very pointed pointe shoes, as in the above photo, still manufactured nowadays? As far as I know they aren''t . All major pointe shoe manufactures sell pointe shoes with wide blocks (surely they are far better for the feet, avoiding bunions in between the toes and on the toes, etc.)
  18. Xandra Newman
    https://www.broadwayworld.com/uk-regional/article/BALLET-ICONS-GALA-Will-Be-Held-At-The-Coliseum-20191105 Held at the Coliseum on 26th January 2020. Dancers from The Royal Ballet are: Natalia Osipova Yasmine Naghdi Matthew Ball Marcelino Sambe. Repertoire is not specified.
  19. Xandra Newman
    Any dancer chooses their pointe shoes according to their own very specific needs, who are we to know what their needs are? We have the luxury to sit back and watch, and one may not like the look of a particular pointe shoe, it is the dancer who has to dance and deliver, not us.
  20. Xandra Newman
    ...and another very informative article: https://britishballetnowandthen.com/category/the-sleeping-beauty/
  21. Xandra Newman
    https://britishballetnowandthen.com/author/britishballetnowandthen/ As The Sleeping Beauty is currently being performed at the Royal Opera House, it seems apt to reflect on the RB's quintessential British principal ballerinas, past and present. Here Rosemarie Gerhard talks about Margot Fonteyn, Lauren Cutbertson, Yasmine Naghdi and Francesca Hayward.
  22. Xandra Newman
    Please see my post of 4 hours ago.
  23. Xandra Newman
    We were talking about female principals (the comment of a poster about age and who is younger or not (...) was in reaction to my earlier post re. Osipova and Monahan's review).
  24. Xandra Newman
    Still makes them both 27 ...
  25. Xandra Newman
    Both born in 1992
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