JNC

Thanks @jmhopton as you say the way it's worded makes it seem like casting will be announced before general booking opens, but not necessarily before Friends' priority booking opens. I'm not a Friend anymore but I think I would probably drop my membership if they didn't do advance casting at the point of Friends' booking opening as I would feel almost disadvantaged at having to pay but not getting the same information as people before general booking! As a non-Friend, I appreciate the advance casting 1-2 months before booking opens (i.e. when Friends' booking opens) as it gives me time to coordinate my diary to see what casts I want to make and prioritise, as well as coordinate with friends' calendars and potential hotel prices for various date options. It basically provides a bit of logistical breathing room to confirm plans so I'm confident in booking exactly what I want/can make on general booking day. If I only received advance casting say a few days before booking opened, it wouldn't have enough time to sort it all out!

The Evening Standard article says this, which clarifies immensely: The organisation will be called Royal Ballet and Opera from the new season, which starts in September (though the building will remain the Royal Opera House). Why this very clear statement wasn't part of the 'official' press release from ROH (now RBO) on their website though... So 'Royal Opera House' as an organisation no longer exists, this is now the 'Royal Ballet and Opera'. But the building will remain known as the Royal Opera House. (This is probably a clever way to probably not faff about too much with the web address I think.) The article also clarifies the Royal Ballet will still exist in its own right, as each the Royal Opera and Royal Ballet get their own mentions for their new season programming as they mention much about the 'two companies' in the article, so I don't think that seems to be changing. Not to take it too far off topic but it's interesting they talk about the desire for new repetoire and how they're moving to a more approachable and less elitist organisation, implied through programming. But honestly, the biggest barrier and what makes RBO elitist right now (in my opinion!) isn't the programming but the ticket prices. I started attending regularly in 2018 and I'd say it's got much less 'approachable' due to the ticket prices, particularly post-pandemic. It's just a bit irritating to me they talk about making things approachable / less elitist but there is no mention of the price of things being the biggest issue...Credit where it's due, I think their Young ROH initiative is fab and must be a big reason why they are drawing in younger audiences more, but weirdly the article doesn't even mention or promote that! And I felt a bit bad for Kevin re his photo - he does look incredibly grumpy, surely the photographer could have asked for another shot as Kevin usually is quite smiley and approachable looking so it's unfortunate he doesn't look so here (when ironically the article talks so much about approachability!).

@Aruna S indeed, I'm not aware of that many (if there are any?) regular trains between Stansted and Birmingham anyway so you'll likely need to go into London one way or the other, unless you can get a coach from Stansted to Birmingham directly (which actually may be quicker if it cuts the in/out London part on the train, and will certainly be cheaper!) I hope you enjoy the show and am very impressed you are coming all the way from Italy for it!

I don’t think crosscountry is an less or more reliable than any other company as so much depends on strikes (which to be announced at least 2 weeks’ in advance, which isn’t that much notice), and even if there’s no strike on the day you could have issues with people on the tracks (anything from trespassers to suicides/deaths which can be minor delays to hours and cancellations). I don’t know how much time you have to visit but if you’re flying from Italy I’d try and come the day before and maybe spend the night in Birmingham (presumably you’d have to stay at least one night anyway and Birmingham is cheaper than London). If you do travel on the day to Birmingham I’d give yourself plenty of time to arrive in case there are any issues on the day. Depending on other travel plans, rather than direct from Stansted if you go into central London you have a few options for trains - Avanti are the main one to Birmingham but if there are issues on that line you have the option of getting Chiltern railways from Marylebone which splits the risk a bit as you’re not reliant on one service/line (it doesn’t go into new street but once you’re in Birmingham it’ll be much easier to get a bus or walk or taxi as you prefer). You could also look to see if they have any direct coaches from airports to Birmingham (eg mega bus or national express). That might also give you a few more options and while maybe not as quick and comfortable as a train coaches aren’t beholden to strikes or engineering works. My other general advice is trains seem to run less frequently on Sunday and or have engineering works planned that day. I have often travelled on a Sunday so it’s not a major inconvenience but something to look out for. You also get to experience the joys of advance tickets vs anytime vs peak vs off-peak…! Good luck and I hope you have a lovely (transport stress free) time!

This is bad audience behaviour and incredibly rude. It's ok to not like something and share an opinion (if asked or once someone has experienced in their own terms) but I wouldn't say anything in the performance itself as we are all different and I wouldn't want to spoil others' enjoyment. Imagine if you were wearing a bright red dress you loved and someone said to you 'oh I hate red, no one suits it'...it's cruel and unnecessary. If she was so annoyed about Cojocaru not dancing why did she still attend? Sounds like it would have been better for her to return her ticket so someone more appreciative could have gone! I too have had the music stuck in my head, I think it's my favourite ballet score. It's so well composed with each character/scene having a different flavour, but everything works well in harmony. It's also a score that stands strongly in its own right as a musical piece.

Thanks for trying! Was it the friends general email? I'd be quite annoyed if I was a Friend and they removed a dedicated contact channel they had for me! Or the general customer services one? customerservices@roh.org.uk - this is still on their website as the contact email so if they've done some big changes there they haven't communicated it adequately and have failed to do the necessary web updates.

I'm surprised that they've bothered to do a big name change announcement, logo etc and yet the logos on the ROH webpage, twitter, social medias etc remain the same. Maybe it will be rolled out in time for the start of the 2024 season I guess. As @Rob S has noted I think I'll do a good browse of the shop during the Ashton programme to see if I want anything with the current logo on before it goes! I obviously wouldn't expect the web address to be changed for example, as that is more structural and you lose people if you have a whole new webpage (and not sure the booking systems could cope!), but I would have expected the new logos to be ready to be embedded into the webpages, and the twitter/instagram/facebook picture icons are very easy to swap. Maybe I'm just too familiar with the old logo but the letters seem too close to me on the new one. At the end of the day I don't really care too much about the logo, as much as I've got an opinion on it! I'll still call the building 'ROH'. What is more important to me is what they are programming, and the fact that the Royal Ballet remains a 'thing' in its own right (obviously as part of a wider 'Ballet & Opera' company, as was/is the case).

Not to task anyone to do this but I wonder if someone should email the RBO team to ask directly about this? I am tempted to do so myself but not a Friend so it might be a bit odd coming from me! I'm hopeful it's just poor communication rather than meaning no advance casting at the time of booking.

I feel the press release and statements from Beard and O'Hare about the name change are a bit unclear to me. I'm not sure exactly what (and how) is changing? Is it the overarching company name, the building name, the structure of the company/companies, or a combination of all the above? Whilst I don't think the name change was necessary, I'm not opposed to it for the overarching company, it makes sense for Alex Beard for example to be CEO of the Royal Ballet and Opera. But regarding the name of the building itself, without 'house' it doesn't make sense. If I say 'I'm going to the Royal Ballet and Opera' (as opposed to going to see the Royal Ballet/Opera) it just sounds odd to me. It is an opera house! Like or not 'ballet house' just isn't a thing, historically ballets have been performed in opera houses. Surely the building is still going to be called ROH? And I presume the part of the company that is still the 'Royal Ballet' will remain its own (sub) entity within the wider 'RBO' brand? Otherwise we have got rid of the Royal Ballet? Re the new logo I don't love it. The proportions seem odd to me - the old one was all 'within the lines' whereas the new one is a bit wider and so not as 'tidy' in space? My eye is drawn more to the '&' so it looks off-centre to me. The font feels like it's trying to be more 'trendy' than 'timeless' and too thick/bold to be in harmony with the text in the crest (the way the current one is). Reading what Kevin says I suppose that's deliberate though for the visual impact for it to be stronger with advertising.

It feels a double insult to not have a Balanchine matinee and it's not being 'compromised' by having a live cinema stream either. We also didn't get the Ashton triple from 2022 streamed, nor the one this year. I'll try not to take it too personally (I am half-joking...!) I can understand why they have chosen to stream Alice, Cinderella, R&J as those are the 'well known' names. But the Wheeldon mixed bill is an interesting choice, particularly over Maddaddam. Despite the fact I won't see it in person, I would have been interested to see Maddaddam in cinemas as it's something that I would give a go if I lived in London (price dependant) but it's not worth the expense of additional travel for me now. I imagine if Onegin was advertised well it could be a draw in cinemas too. I'm coming round more to it being the 'Royal Ballet and Opera'. Although I hope they don't spend lots of money on rebranding when finances are tight elsewhere. Re Giselle - I feel after the Tchaikovsky ballets it's probably the most well known ballet? It used to be the one that companies would bring on tour so I feel it is reasonably familiar. R&J, Cinderella and Alice are known more widely for their plots, but not necessarily as ballets in their own right would be my take. Looking at youtube clips of Alice, my personal feeling is it feels a bit more like it's trying to be a 'west end' style theatre production, rather than a ballet. I can see the issue with Fille being an unknown story and the French title perhaps doesn't help things. This is easily overcome with good pictures on posters and videos/relevant advertising. I am hopeful it sells well for BRB, preparing the way for a ROH 25/26 revival. They seem to like reviving things on an 'anniversary' (the press release talks about 60th anniversaries for R&J and Onegin) so with Fille premiering in 1960, 2025 would be the 65th anniversary? Failing that 2030 makes it 70 years, although I hope we don't have to wait that long! We also have the 100th anniversary of the Royal Ballet coming up in 2026, maybe we can hope for lots of heritage works then (like Les Noces, Symphonic Variations etc). Also I imagine Sleeping Beauty is all but guaranteed that season then.

My delight at the Balanchine triple has been dampened the fact there is not a single matinee performance. They did this with the MacMillan triple recently and also more oddly a Winter’s Tale. aside from the much shorter run of ballet to broadway it is the only thing scheduled to not have a single matinee. Does ROH not want ballet lovers outside of London/SE to see Balanchine without spending a near fortune on hotel rooms? At least Onegin has a few matinees. R&J has loads but I’m discounting half of them as with them being on bank holiday weekends hotel prices will be a premium and there’s always issues with rail it seems around those days!

so the building remains “Royal Opera House” (ROH)? But before the Royal Ballet was part of a wider company called ROH which has now been rebranded as Royal Ballet and Opera? Whilst I’m happy to see ballet reflected I presume there will still be two separate companies/entities within the wider company - so it will still be referred to as “the Royal Ballet production of…” or the “royal ballet company”…not the royal ballet and opera production of etc…? Unless there are bigger structural changes (only one orchestra?)?

Well it certainly appeared to be in 2022, at least according to O’Hare in the article I linked above: ”Although Nijinska is not our heritage since Kevin took over, he’s tried four times to put on Les Nocesand it will happen but is very expensive so is always the one that has to go when they’re cutting cloth to fit the budget.” @Paco I don’t presume RB dancers are bored, I don’t say that. I obviously can’t speak to that as I don’t know any of the dancers. I think it’s great RB dancers are valued and respected overseas and I think guesting provides nice opportunities for them on individual professional and personal levels so if you think my post was implying they shouldn’t guest that’s not my opinion anyway. If we had an increased repertoire (for example 12 works a year rather than 7/8) there would be increased dancing opportunities for principals at the RB - which I would presume is something they are interested in, and it wouldn’t prohibit them from continuing to guest. I could be wrong of course and I’m also of the mind that not every principal is suited to every principal role so I wouldn’t expect nor want them to be obligatory cast in everything (meaning they’d still presumably have time to guest regardless).

I think ultimately yes everyone has preferences but the problem is I see very little of the Royal Ballet’s history and style in this season at all. It’s really only Cinderella and R&J (and I say that as someone very delighted to see Balanchine and looking forward to Onegin). That on top of no classical works for a premiere classical company is a bit surprising, and worrying. If it’s just this year I’ll give it a pass but if it happened next year it would set real alarm bells on the direction of the company (and finances too, given they sell incredibly well). This is from two years ago now but makes for interesting reading https://balletassociation.co.uk/pages/reports-2022-kevin-ohare Alas it gives me little to no hope for Bayadere (I remain still a little hopeful because Nunez and Osipova surely must be on stage together again). And why on earth they’re reviving the Weathering and giving Wheeldon a full mixed bill evening when the contemporary triple with DGV and the Weathering was the worst seller of the 2021/2022 season…!! I think ROH might be in for a bit of a shock with it’s Autumn sales, unless they’re trying to make some weird point or gather evidence for the Arts Council… I’d like to see the day they return to 11 or 12 programmes a year not the 7 or 8 they do now, give the principals something to do otherwise they spend months not on the stage in London and guessing elsewhere (don’t blame them at all for both development, enjoyment and financial reasons why wouldn’t they!). And it seems one third heritage (here defined as Ashton, MacMillan and De Valois), one third classics and one third contemporary is right out the window too. Maybe O’Hare counts Balanchine (and Onegin?!) as classical but surely not! Is Les Noces definitely still on the cards? (Come on ENB did it…) Will Fille and Symphonic Variations and the Two Pigeons be revived? Will we ever go back to 11 programmes a year? Hmmm…. Overall I’m actually not feeling that negative about this season. Yes I’ll probably go to only a handful of performances over the year but it’ll save me money and I’m delighted with the Balanchine (mainly because of Serenade), and happy to see Cinderella return (would I have preferred Fille, Sylvia or Bayadere, yes, but I’ll take this over Nutcracker even if it costs me more as I don’t see Nutcracker anymore!). And as much as I don’t love Onegin I do like it and I’m getting excited about potential casting - I’m thinking I must prioritise Osipova and if the dates and prices line up I’d like to see a Kaneko debut with hopefully Muntagirov and or Bracewell.

This is a sad and pertinent point. If they don’t bring back the likes of Giselle, Fille, Sylvia in the next few years we may never see these dancers in these roles live again. Nunez feels unstoppable right now so I’m hoping she’ll keep going for at least another 3-4 more years. Osipova is also a bit younger so another decade is perhaps wishful thinking but I’m hopeful for at least 5+ years. Laura Morera retired at around 45, Lamb is the eldest so by age alone she would be next to retire. Of course it’s all very personal and you never know what might happen so apart from Nunez and Osipova in particular being such great character ballerinas I’m very aware of this fact and try to prioritise them when booking casts, because even without retirement it could be injury or illness (or a train strike!). None of what I’ve said is intended to be rude about their ages, it’s more a reflection of the uncertainty of anything happening combined with the inevitable that they will retire at some point. I very much hope to see Nunez, Osipova and Lamb in Giselle again. And would love to see Nunez in Fille and Sylvia. And the unforgettable Bayadere with Nunez/Osipova is one of the best performances I’ve ever seen so can only dream they dance those roles in London again. RB principals are already doing lots of guesting overseas so I imagine there will be months where we don’t see lots of them in London (not because they’re choosing guesting over RB commitments but because there isn’t enough repertoire to go around!). I am very surprised at no Sleeping Beauty - it offers lots of great solo roles for those coming up the ranks (all the fairies and the final act solo pieces). From the money angle it’s also odd not to have one of the Tchaikovsky ballets as they are so well known and command high prices with both non ballet addicts and ballet fans alike selling out every show. Cinderella and Romeo and Juliet will sell out no problem but I don’t think they have quite the same draw as the Tchaikovsky ballets, particularly if you happened to see Cinderella last year unless you really adored it probably might be too soon for most? The more I look at this season the less it makes sense. Will people (families) who see Alice in October want to fork out for Cinderella in December? No. And the more likely opposite option is that people won’t see Alice as they anticipate Cinderella as their treat (and nearer to Christmas). To be stereotypical, Alice is less likely to appeal to the “young ROH” crowd who probably want to see either classical works or the “edgier” McGregor/contemporary stuff. And how many will want to see Madaadam and the contemporary four ballet mix around the same time? Probably not unless they are big fans of McGregor/contemporary ballet, you’d probably pick one unless you have unlimited budget and are very keen. Cinderella will do alright at Christmas, Onegin will sell ok I imagine (although if they price too high there’s a risk people can’t afford to see it multiple times and that may affect overall ticket sales for the lesser known Onegin). Then Romeo and Juliet will sell fine too, as will Balanchine I imagine given there will likely be only 6 or so performances of the latter and no other Balanchine scheduled in the Uk next year. Perhaps this is a bit harsh but will a Wheeldon short works bill sell ok? Say what you like about McGregor he has fans and critics seem to like him. Wheeldon, I’m not so sure he appeals to classical ballet fans but he doesn’t have the contemporary edge of McGregor? Then Onegin round 2, this could sell well if casts are interesting and the price is right and the first tranche was well reviewed and promoted driving sales for the second round but it still feels a risk to me to split across months and you lose momentum of all the performances before, this happened to me when they split R&J, I saw it in October and had booked a few performances in Jan/Feb but when it came down to it life plans (and train strikes?) got in the way so I just returned the tickets. Whereas conversely sometimes I enjoy seeing the same ballet in a row to compare casts while still fresh in my mind. Very long post, more an inner monologue so well done if you’ve read it all…just a lot more questions than answers this year!

Haha dance hades is an excellent description I had a little chuckle. I agree it’s odd Wheeldon has what appears to be a full contemporary mixed bill to himself, combined with the full length Alice it feels like too much (especially when Ashton only appears once and Petipa not at all!). He’s even pipped McGregor! And does anyone know if there’s a particular reason why they have now regularly split works across the season? See this year’s Swan Lake in both Spring and Summer, same with Sleeping Beauty the previous season, then a few years ago R&J in Autumn then in Spring, now we have Onegin split and Alice split. I personally find it a bit annoying as it’s less likely I’ll be able to combine various casts in one visit. And they produce two different programmes (although I tend to not always buy them anyway.) Is the thinking that people who “missed out” earlier in the season read reviews of when its on or hear from friends (by which time depending on the production it’s sold out) so then they book in the next season tranche? Or is it to contain casting and allow principals to guess elsewhere for a big chunk of time if they know they won’t be appearing in a particular quarter? I really hope the 2025/2026 balances out with lots of classical, romantic and neoclassical works. Do the contemporary works sell much better than classical? I can’t imagine so. Maybe better than neoclassical…? I wonder how much of this is driven by sales revenue and how much by a desire to be innovative with new contemporary works being commissioned and revived regularly.

Well how odd they have sent this out by post in advance - you’d think they’d issue it out first class tomorrow - better late than before the embargo? It feels a very odd season to me - some things I’m pleased to see but a lot of things I’m not interested in. I’m shocked there is no big Petipa/Tchaikovsky ballet, I often moan about things being formulaic but I still have the Sleeping Beauty score from BRB last week in my head so surprised that RB isn’t mounting that. I don’t mind there not being one of these three but they haven’t replaced it with similar classical style works I’d actually want to see, and it feels overwhelmingly contemporary as a season. Everything is pretty much post WWII except the Balanchine works. And then we have Cinderella in 1948 but R&J / Onegin in the 1960s. Everything else is post 2000, or even 2010? Anyway God tier BALANCHINE BALANCHINE BALANCHINE. So delighted I can finally see Serenade and the Prodigal Son. I’ve seen Symphony in C before but adore it so this is my standout of the season. I am always happy to see more of the Balanchine repertoire because who knows when it’ll next come round. Good tier Cinderella - I know some people think it’s too soon but they spent a lot of money on a new production and I for one adored it. I’m excited to see this again, particularly if they shake up some casting and I’m glad the grip of the Nutcracker is gone, even if for one year. Also I will never complain at a full length Ashton (except maybe Beatrix Potter but to be fair I’ve not seen that…) I was lucky to see a few casts last time so I’m interested to see if they mix up the pairings or keep what they had previously but I’d happily see a cast I’ve already seen as the production is wonderful. I expect ticket prices for this will mean I only see it once though. Onegin - while I don’t think I hold as much affection for it as others here do (I’d much rather have had Giselle or Sylvia), I appreciate an adult/dramatic ballet and I’m interested to see the casting for this one. Feel that would elevate it for me. (Imaging Bracewell, Muntagirov and also Kaneko as some good debuts here.) Average level Romeo & Juliet - I’m surprised that while they’ve shaken up no Tchaikovsky/Petipa we STILL have to have a full length dramatic MacMillan and one of the three always in rotation. I would be more interested to see more one acts like Song of the Earth, Judas Tree, Winter Dreams. What about Prince of the Pagodas - was that terribly received at the time because it seems to hardly ever be revived or discussed? Despite me thinking it’s a bit of an unoriginal or inspiring programme at this point, I’ll probably make an effort to see it if there is a cast that appeals (Kaneko/Bracewell please!) otherwise I’ll probably give it a miss, particularly given imagined ticket prices. Will save my money Madaddam - I liked Woolf Works, Dante Project was interesting in parts but I find McGregor pretty repetitive at this point. I feel this is something where if I lived in London and I could get a decent amphi ticket for £30 I’d maybe give it a go, but in the current climate with rail strikes and ticket prices it’s not worth it for me. If it’s well received I may see the revival a few years down the line, so will read forum reviews with interest (and perhaps might try to catch a cinema screen if they do one). Alice - haven’t seen it live but was very disappointed when they broadcast it many years ago - to me “ballet theatre” rather than the beautiful choreography I love about ballet. Also do we really need it *twice* and spread across the whole year… Autumn contemporary mixed bill - does anyone really need to see The Weathering again? I actually like Pam Tanowitz but I am not paying to take a risk on a new work when the other works just aren’t worth the time, money, and effort for me. Unless Toonga pulls something good out of the bag I hope this is his “swan song” for RB and the end of that relationship. I hope to see a new ballet choreographer take his position and be nurtured. Wheeldon mixed bill - I like Wheeldon but actually probably only in small doses; eg I find his one act works watchable as part of a mixed triple, but nothing I’ve seen I would really go out of my way to see again as while its generally pleasant it’s not particularly inspiring or groundbreaking. Bit annoyed he seems to be getting two full whole programmes to himself this season (unless I stand corrected following official announcement tomorrow). Overall the more I look the more disappointing it is. Where is the CLASSICAL (and or early romantic) ballet. Even if not doing a Petipa, what about Coppelia or Bayadere (hah!) or La Sylphide. Not Don Quixote obviously as we just had that. I suppose Cinderella is more classical ballet in style but technically neoclassical as choreographed by Ashton. To have no classical ballet in an entire season sends a very worrying statement about the direction of the Royal Ballet, which is at its heart a classical company (unlike say ENB who certainly excel in classics but also have more of a contemporary balance). And no new “classical” style ballet works either - all the new works are not ballet (Toonga isn’t really ballet to me) or contemporary ballet…Cinderella is really the only “tutu” piece?! And yes I know this is a bit off topic but I’m still waiting for Sylvia, Bayadere, Fille. Surely Fille must be next year after Paris and BRB. I’d like to see more one act MacMillans rather than a full length next year, and more one act Ashtons that haven’t been revived recently too (symphonic variations!). And Coppelia now edges up my list, as does Giselle. Will we ever see Les Sylphides, and Ballet Russes period works again…

heavenly

I saw last night’s production. I think others have captured most thoughts but to add some diversity - whilst I very much enjoyed the production I have to say the Royal Ballet’s current version remains the gold standard for me in terms of plot, costumes/sets (the choreography is to be honest mostly similar, so felt very consistent!). I actually prefer the lilac fairy as a tutu role, but this didn’t detract at all. I did think the costumes for BRB were a little drab - with the set heavy on the brown tones and the lighting a bit dark and overly “spotlight” it felt a bit gloomy overall, particularly the prologue and act 1. The lilac fairy costume was more grey! And I wish the individual fairies’ costumes were distinguished a bit more as in the RB version. And red riding hood was more orange riding hood…and I found the interval after the prologue not my preference - as already mentioned an interval during the 100 years of sleeping makes more sense (and provides more set variation). I also feel the pacing works better in the RB version - there was a bit “extra” of Carabosse lurking in her cloak after Aurora collapses which removed some of the dramatic tension for me. I actually don’t mind the scene with the spindles in RB, I probably wouldn’t be bothered if it was removed but I don’t dislike it. I did think the scene when they travel to the castle in act 2 worked better here as the “sledge ride” (aptly described!) is a bit of a momentum killer in the RB version. The pacing of the music was excellent throughout, though to be honest I wouldn’t say it was obviously slower than the Royal’s version. I agree that Beatrice Parma was a standout as one of the fairies and as the female bluebird companion. Lachlan Monaghan gave a really good performance in the finale pas de deux and did some impressive turns. Daria was a great Carabosse and overall the company looked good. Kurihara was technically fine as Aurora but to be honest I didn’t connect with her - this is less an issue with her and more that I’ve been very lucky to see fantastic Auroras at ROH - Naghdi, Hayward, Nunez, Kaneko - all technically strong in this role and they bring a wonderful character and ease with lots of smiles to the character. Overall this was a lovely evening and I enjoyed seeing a different version of the ballet. My (minor) criticisms are more preferences and I’m very much looking forward to seeing the company in La Fille later this year (I think I spotted Parma is in the photo advertisement for the piece so if I’m lucky maybe I’ll see her!). Re intervals - I think 15 minutes can be a bit tight if you’re trying to go for a comfort break as well, I don’t like overly long intervals but if the trade off is no food and drink in the auditorium and no delays past advertised times then I think it’s a fine trade off.

To make it clear I’m not trying to diminish how physically demanding dancing is, particularly the big solos and pas de deux. I also certainly think people should applaud during the performance as imagine this is very positive for the dancers and pushes them on, as well as creating a nice atmosphere for the audience. I certainly wouldn’t begrudge a bit of a pause in the wings while the applause continues. Bowing on stage during the plot doesn’t spoil the performance at all. It’s more in the slightly irritating preferences category. I appreciate others in the audience probably like showing their appreciation in this way directly right after a particular solo.

@San Perregrino I think any professional dancer knows the difference between a gala, where an excerpt is danced and yes you still convey emotion and character but it’s only a segment, so once you’ve performed of course you take your applause and bow straight after. This is different to a full story ballet being performed where dancers (in my opinion) should be in character when on stage until the very last curtain drop. I appreciate that dancers perhaps feel they are responding to the prolonged applause and “thanking” the audience for this, but I’d rather the conductor swiftly moved the music along and the dancers saved the bows for the curtain call (unless as already mentioned it could be part of the plot where they’re dancing to an audience in the ballet itself, in this case I think they’re still in character). It’s obviously not easy to keep dancing with maximum effort but they shouldn’t “need” to have an on stage bow for stamina reasons, other dancers can manage. The choreography/music is designed so after a big solo or pas de deux they have some rest time in the wings while the other dancers do their bit. This isn’t be being critical to Nunez/Muntagirov specifically, I don’t like it when any dancer does this type of thing. Galas and plotless ballets are different! Imagine if Hamlet broke character for a bow and some smiles to the audience after a big soliloquy? Ultimately anything that is definitely a break in character before the final curtain call I tend to find removes me from the plot slightly and therefore removes some of the “magic” of the story they’re trying to tell. It’s not going to stop me seeing performances by great dancers or writing into ROH to complain but it’s my preference.

I can’t answer your question but I very much agree with this. On opening night there was almost a mini “curtain call” (no curtain) for Marianela and Vadim after the act 2 pas de deux. Deserved but it totally broke the spell of the plot for me and yes felt “untraditional” to ROH - in as I see this more from Russian companies but it didn’t really happen much at ROH previously? I suppose they are only responding to fans but I do wish they wouldn’t do it at certain points. It maybe doesn’t make sense but I have less of an issue with it in Act 3, as there it’s almost a performance within the plot for the court, so a little bow to the applause doesn’t detract from the plot here for me as it’s like they are showing off and bowing to the audience *in the plot* (I.e. courtiers watching them). Similarly I don’t mind the bows in the sleeping beauty pas de deux finale or even after Aurora’s act 1 solo as they both in plot audiences at those points. But I would be annoyed at Manon and Des Grieux taking a bow after their bedroom pas de deux!

@Lindsay I agree that we had a few “golden years” just before the pandemic when we had first soloists with the calibre of Kaneko, Magri, O’Sullivan etc. This chimed with when I started to regularly attend ROH so I perhaps took it a little for granted at the time. Now I look back thinking I was spoiled with such casts (and the pricing back then!). I think the RB is still an incredibly strong company across the ranks but I admit no one has really caught my eye at (first) soloist level the way Kaneko, O’Sullivan, Magri did on the female side to be honest. This is probably because I attend fewer performances now, and I also appreciate the pandemic years probably had some sort of impact. And I definitely think the talent is there - I think Gaspirani may be the one I would say comes closest - she really impressed me in Danses Concertantes recently. And Annette Buvoli and Ashley Dean are also a few that have caught my eye. On the male side of course Sissens and Hay (since Bracewell and Clarke have now been promoted). But (in my non technical opinion) I don’t think they’re quite principal level yet, although I’m sure many of them might be in a year or few years. (Hay is maybe the exception and should perhaps have been promoted a few years ago.) What we essentially had before the pandemic/promotions was multiple principal level dancers on the male/female side dancing as first soloists in non-principal roles for a relatively sustained period of a few years, and this is unlikely to be the case again anytime soon. I look back on those years now to think how lucky I was to see some of those fantastic casts. Kaneko and Magri as big swans for example, O’Sullivan and Sambe in the Neapolitan dance…what a dream!

I think the first time I watched this production I was surprised how little dancing the princesses did. Given they’re credited individually on the cast sheets I expected a bit more. I think more actually dancing is given to those in the “national dances” segment. Not a problem but I just found it at odds with the way the cast sheet displayed the princess casting more prominently. I can’t recall how this compares with other productions as I’ve not seen too many others live (and certainly not recently). Now I’m used to it I do enjoy Act 3 (in fact I think it’s my favourite act in this production) and the presentation of the princesses and the fact they don’t do too much dancing does make sense in the context of the plot. And the national dances give excellent opportunity for soloists/artists to shine. But I do feel the casting of the princesses is a bit wasted!

I was trying to see things from all potential perspectives/interpretations. I don’t think it was a weight comment either but I just wanted to clarify if it was (which is very much not likely) that obviously wouldn’t be acceptable.