JNC

1 hour ago, RobR said:

First, we all knew Clement Crisp's reputation and he posted under his own name and not a pseudonym. You suggest that @Buru ‘seems familiar with the ballet and has seen other productions and is therefore not an SL novice'. Who knows?
 

Second, whilst you may be right I can’t imagine Clement Crisp or any other professional critic, much less a fan on a forum such as this, singling out a particular and identifiable dancer (or two in this instance) in the way the original post did. 
 

I think the mods on this forum do an excellent job of deciphering what is opinion (critical or not) vs things that overstep in unacceptable ways (dancers’ appearances for example as well as perhaps sharing of personal/confidential information).

I personally don’t see an issue with the original post. I don’t think it’s unfairly personal - of course when we talk about individual dancers on here it is personal to an extent they are individual humans! But also they are performers, professionals and we comment on them here in that capacity. 
 

Pseudonyms are accepted on this forum. We comment as not professional dance critics but audience members (a spectrum from those who may be well versed in technique like dancers, teachers, parents etc to those with no training or discernible eye). 
 

We also single out dancers for positive criticisms, so I really don’t see the issue with the same for negative criticism (as long as it falls within the rules as above, eg nothing on personal appearances or anything overtly cruel etc…)

To say the swans are a disaster might not be nice and could be on the borderline of too far/harsh but it is a valid opinion and I don’t think it’s overstepped the line both in terms of forum rules but also valid opinion? The heaviness of the cygnets is a bit more tricky as that risks potentially being a comment on weight (which definitely breaches forum rules and is a very personal comment that has nothing to do with technique/dancing), so that’s something that perhaps should be avoided without clarification. Even this though at this stage is probably not quite overstepping the mark as it could also mean the cygnets were not as “bouncy” as one might prefer (for example) so giving benefit of the doubt it’s not about weight, I think it’s fine to stand. 
 

As much I enjoy reading glowing reviews I also find the more critical reviews insightful. I don’t agree with them all (the same way I don’t agree with the positive ones sometimes!) but I find the different viewpoints the benefit of this forum. Professional critics tend to only review one cast of each performance so coming on here and reading various reviews of different casts, and different people finding different points to comment on (both good and bad) and contributing to the discussion is why I come here. 
 

It’s unclear from your post what you think the resolution is? If you think that the comment should be deleted? (Because it’s broken forum rules?) then report the post. If you disagree with a post, you can reply accordingly, which you have done - fair enough. 
 

But what I take issue with is expressing concern about whether or not someone’s post is valid because we don’t know whether they are “qualified” to make such comments and because they haven’t provided the detail for this feels a bit unfair to me and risks people only posting positive and glowing reviews on here. By way of similar example, I could say “I didn’t enjoy Naghdi’s performance” and I don’t need to give a justification for this if I simply wanted to post that. 

(I didn’t see this performance, it’s just an example!)

I really hesitated whether or not to post this but in the spirit of the lively discourse of the forum decided to do so. If the mods/others feel that the comments were overly harsh / unfairly personal and therefore breaking forum rules I’ll go and refresh myself on the forum rules and also would be interested to know why this did fall into that category, as I don’t think it had crossed that line so open to being challenged on that but would need a bit of rationale. 

In response to Ian’s article - allowing a short picture or video is a real slippery slope.

It means audience members who call out these behaviours (because ushers don’t notice or are too far away) will receive rude(r) and more emboldened pushback as now they’re “allowed” to do it. A photo becomes a video, a short clip becomes recording a whole scene etc. 

Lunacy from Birmingham I’m afraid, if this were my local venue I’d be writing to tell them I’d no longer be attending performances there until they get rid of that allowance. Why would I spend money to see a unique live performance only risk being distracted by the audience!

I always remain baffled at people who don’t understand why live performances are so exciting. You are physically there, in the moment, watching it with your own eyes not through a screen. Why you want to shove a phone in front of your face to record it, just go home and watch the DVD? If you want social media “bragging” rights taking a photo of the curtain call, or pre curtain up, or in the floral hall etc should suffice. 
 

Maybe they should make attending a theatre compulsory for all schoolchildren (I know I know unrealistic with current funding etc) with a pre production talk from the company about why it’s so important to be in the moment and how cameras ruin it for everyone. I wonder if they do pre talks for the school matinee performances that could cover this! A pipe dream to build a generation of theatre/dance etc loving children! 

3 hours ago, alison said:

Just for clarification, it was bad enough as it was, but I don't think anyone actually mentioned a *fight*.

Sorry for misinterpreting I think for some reason I (incorrectly) assumed glasses breaking and swearing meant a fight but from follow up reports it’s clear the individual had some issues they were dealing with. 
 

In any case I think ROH staff can’t prepare for absolutely every eventuality, so whilst I agree it’s always good to think about “lessons learned” and if anything could have been managed better, in the moment when things are unclear and it’s all very stressful it sounds like it was managed as well as it could have been to a certain extent. Or at least there was minimal (to no) disruption to the performance happening on stage, though of course it would have been disruptive to those around. 
 

Anyway, re the bill itself - I hope Requiem is revived in the future (5-10 years?) although I would like to see other works not seen in a while first like Gloria, Song of the Earth, Rite of Spring etc. I’m also intrigued by one mentioned in the programme where notations are lost but some sort of video exists so being that back to the stage through some dance detective work could be an interesting project for a choreographer (or maybe even Laura Morera?) Reading the programme notes seems she is doing an excellent job in her new role and I’m pleased ROH retained her.

2 hours ago, Blossom said:

On the Onegin front, is this a rumour or a solid prediction? 

At this stage just rumour (unless someone has some insider confirmations which presumably they couldn’t share on here anyway). 

12 minutes ago, RHowarth said:

I think that might have been why he wasn't evicted - he started with a slow handclap 5 minutes in, left after maybe 20 minutes, stormed back in 5 minutes later, then left again of his own accord after breaking the glass and swearing. I could hear an usher's radio crackling and it seems as if they were waiting at the exit to that area for him, but he wasn't actually ejected from his seating area. I don't think it would have been safe to do so without dropping the curtain and putting up the house lights. 

What on earth goes through someone’s head when they behave like this! A slow handclap for what purpose? If you really don’t like something generally you just fit through and bear it (or have a nap), it seemed he at least had the right idea when he left the first time if he really couldn’t contain himself for whatever reason but can’t imagine what possessed him to then storm back in!! Unless there are some mitigating mental health type factors to be aware of, I really don’t understand this behaviour. 
 

@RHowarth hope your evening wasn’t totally spoiled! 

11 hours ago, San Perregrino said:

Is Like Water For Chocolate due for a revival?

I think so yes but also think it’s unlikely to get this and Alice (2 full Wheeldons) in one season. I would expect it therefore maybe a following season, unless it really didn’t sell well/wasn’t well received when they might scrap it altogether or wait a bit more.

Did Dante sell well at its revival? If not as well as expected perhaps it indicated it was too soon to revive so they may delay LWFC further.

I’ve noticed a bit of a formula with RB seasons now 

- Christmas ballet (Nutcracker usually but also we’ve had Coppelia or now Cinderella - essentially something with tutus and a child friend plot) 

- One of the Tchaikovsky two of Swan Lake/Sleeping Beauty

- one of the MacMillan three of Manon/Mayerling/Romeo and Juliet 

- an adult/dramatic (non comic) ballet, e.g. Giselle, Bayadere, Woolf Works, Onegin, A Winter’s Tale, Like Water for Chocolate 

- a contemporary triple (eg new work, Pite, Wheeldon, MacGregor, Marston etc)

- another triple that’s a bit more neoclassical/heritage (eg Balanchine, Ashton, Robbins, Firebird, Raymonda, one act MacMillans etc) 

- a comic/child friendly ballet separate to a Christmas - eg Alice, Cinderella, Don Quixote, La Fille 

Ashton, MacMillan, Wheeldon, McGregor are usually always represented at least once during the year (ie a minimum of a one act somewhere). There’s also usually at least one new commission (usually McGregor but also recent works by Tanowitz, Zuchetti, Pite, Abraham, Marston etc do show some variety!), not necessarily it’s own separate category but definite as either a full length (McGregor) or a shorter piece as part of a mixed bill. Usually it’s covered/overlaps with the above already but there’s also a category of “full length McGregor” which pops up most years I’d say! 

Of course this is all pure guesswork on my part but that’s why I think if we have Onegin as an adult/dramatic ballet I’m not expecting to see Sylvia or Bayadere or Giselle. And why if we have Alice I wouldn’t expect to see La Fille as well (also because Ashton is already represented by Cinderella so that will either be it for him or he’ll get maybe a one act in a mixed bill and not another three act). 

Oh dear sorry to hear there was a fight (!!) but glad the police arrived and sorted it reasonably quickly (?). I feel awful for those nearby in the amphi who certainly would have been at the least distracted, otherwise pretty scared and with a ruined evening. Glass smashing is scary and emphasises why glasses shouldn’t be allowed in the auditorium. That combined with the swearing, if the dancers did hear it they were totally professional and carried on, I couldn’t notice any difference in their performance.
 

Sounds like the individual needs a lifetime ban from ROH (maybe all theatres!) and some sort of police record / fine. I couldn’t hear the fight at all from where I was down in the Stalls Circle but imagine it would have been pretty distracting and a bad atmosphere up in the amphi. I hope no one was injured. And I hope the fainter recovered quickly as well. 
 

With regard to the final lift in Requiem my respect grows further for Matthew Ball (and Sarah Lamb who has to fully trust him not to drop her!). I noticed Ball appeared to be exerting a little more effort than usual (only a tiny tiny amount that I imagine many wouldn’t have noticed)  and wondered if perhaps it was meant to be Hirano and Ball lifting together and he was left to do it solo. This would still be impressive but I’m just in awe that this was done last minute under these conditions and very grateful to the dancers for remaining absolutely professional throughout these various events on/off stage to try and give the audience the best performance possible. 
 

Despite the sad/unpleasant events it was a good evening for me and I’m glad I went, mainly because Requiem was beautiful. Such a shame this set of performances had to end this way though. 

2 minutes ago, capybara said:

Both Corrales and Cuthbertson have recently posted themselves rehearsing TW’sT on social media so, hopefully, whatever ailed them is now in the past.

Good news! 

Well onto the review …

DC 

I liked this piece but didn’t love it. It felt like MacMillan trying to do Ashton (maybe because it was) and whilst there were some really nice choreographic moments it didn’t reach the heights of Scenes de Ballet or Symphony in C or if we’re talking MacMillan Concerto for me. It was early on in his choreographic career and you can see hints of his style developing but it’s not quite there yet. There were some really lovely parts - Gaspirani in particular was lovely in this and just absolutely wonderful. The costumes were quite quirky and to be honest I’m not sure they worked for me. I thought they were ok but a revamp which isn’t a total redesign but changes elements of the patterns and the hats would be something I’d be interested to see. Alas it seems they are to be preserved in aspic due to the (deserved) reverence that Georgiadis has. Overall this is something I would happily see again as part of a triple but not something I’d go out of my way to see again. 
 

DD

It’s personal preference (as always) but I just didn’t like this piece. Sambe and Hayward were brilliant in it (making me regret to have missed their Manon) and we do see MacMillan’s strengths on show with some great pas de deux, lifts and “tortured” movements. But it felt a bit too bleak for me and like too much detail to cover in one act making it a bit over complicated and overwhelming in parts. I didn’t like the sets and costumes (please explain the bathtub and the electricity line?) and despite googling the plot (as it wasn’t in the programme or on the cast sheet!) I still didn’t understand who particular characters were or what their motivations were. I’ll add that I’m not against grim/depressing ballets (eg I like Manon, or the sad Woolf Works) but I feel like trying to tackle something on this level in one act felt a bit rushed. I had similar thoughts about Anastasia Act 3, and also Creature. 
 

I wouldn’t be interested in seeing this again to be honest, though if it was the middle of a triple where I wanted to see the other two works I’d sit through it. (If it was at the end or beginning I’d be tempted to skip…)

Requiem

The highlight of the evening, MacMillan’s genius in full force. Just a really thoughtful piece with some sublime choreography that is quite different in tone to other works making it feel very fresh but also timeless at the same time. The music completed it perfectly (perhaps I wasn’t so strongly keen on the other two musical pieces which may have affected my overall thoughts).

Sarah Lamb was so ethereal and magical in this role. The whole thing went so quickly for me as I was so engaged and just mesmerised by it all. Excellent partnering from Hirano, some really smooth lifts and turns (so sad he’s injured and I’m lucky to have seen the perfect duet with him prior to that). Ball also a tour de force with his solo - I feel it would have been easy for him to make it very masculine and almost aggressive but it was strong yet also soft. All dancers in this fantastic in the ensemble pieces, Luca Acri was also a welcome addition. I’ll state the obvious but I’d love to see this again! 
 

Overall the bill was a bit disjointed for me. I’m glad to have seen three works I’ve not seen before and 2/3 worked for me (one more than the other!). If I’m being honest I’m not sure they flowed very well together. I wonder if something like Concerto (which I’ve seen before and loved) or Song or the Earth/Rite of Spring (not seen before so perhaps way off base here) would have worked better in the middle. Or maybe it’s too similar to Requiem (I’ve not seen it so again could be way off) but perhaps Gloria in the middle? DD just felt a bit too off in tone for me in the middle to be honest. 
 

It was positive to see in the programme Kevin O’Hare talked about how he’d like to bring more MacMillan’s one acts back to the stage so I hope to see more of his works that haven’t been seen for a while revived! 

3 hours ago, Mary said:

I've seen a Russian company's production with Siegfried drowning- years ago, I can't remember who it was, but I'm afraid the sight of a very bouffant wig slowly bobbing about just above the cardboard waves then disappearing was very funny and ruined the ending...

This reminds me of the DVD production of Nureyev/Fonteyn which I believe is Nureyev choreography with the Vienna Opera ballet/orchestra. Lots to commend and enjoy about this performance but Nureyev at the end flinging himself up and down around a massive piece of fabric (“the lake”) I simply could not take seriously and ruined the tragic/dramatic ending.

For reference I’m in agreement re:

- get rid of black tights for Siegfried in Act 3 (and or improve lighting / change floor colour)

- More dancing for Siegfried, particularly Act 1 (feels like Benno gets a lot more in certain parts at least, not against extra opportunities for male dancers but it’s odd Benno seems to dance more certainly in Act 1 and even in Act 3 I feel it’s equally matched?) 

- I don’t like the ending where Odile turns back into a human. Partially because logical me can’t suspend disbelief as I know it’s not the dancer we’ve seen as Odile due to the tutu costume change and hair obscuring the face. Also does Siegfried throw himself into the lake to get her body? Or does it wash up on shore? I prefer the ones where they both throw themselves off the rock/into the lake (this can come with or without the reunion in the afterlife). Either way I think they should both die. Siegfried left alive feels a bit similar to Giselle or La Bayadere to me. Masculine stereotype or not I expect him to fight VR and die in the process, or be overcome with grief about Odile losing and how he broke his promise to her (sort of unintentionally but still) he doesn’t see the point in living anymore (similar to Romeo/Juliet). 
- not other ending but I don’t enjoy the prologue as I find it unnecessary (and again the use of two obviously different people just ruins it for me). Most people know the story of swan lake anyway but Odile also explains what happened in the mime scene! 
 

Pros of this production for me do outweigh a large part of Dowell’s - which while choreographically sound (from memory and I’ve only watched the DVD and haven’t seen it live) I couldn’t take it seriously as I didn’t enjoy the sets and costumes at all. And while more authentic the use of the original Act 4 music just feels like it’s missing an element of dramatic tension in the resolution. The new sets and costumes are fantastic, I do like the Benno role addition (though he shouldn’t overshadow Siegfried!) and Act 3 is pretty much perfect for me (I’ll be honest and say I find Act 1 a bit dull, this could be solved by giving Siegfried more dancing I think). 

Yes a slightly eventful evening…

I was surprised when I arrived at ROH and downloaded the cast list to see Hayward and Sambe and wondered if I downloaded the wrong one or if there was an error. As already explained Clarke was unwell, and due to the intricacies of the partnering required for DD (lifts, lots of “intimate” style movements) I can see why it didn’t make sense to swap Sambe for Clarke and a full cast change was required. It’s already been said but amazing credit to Sambe and the rest of the cast for stepping in so the should could go on (and you’d never know he’d done Siegfried the night before as the performance was 110% effort). I hope Clarke recovers well because currently RB seems to be carrying a large number of injuries/illnesses…

As already mentioned sadly Hirano seemed to suffer some sort of injury on stage. It was after a sublime duet with Sarah Lamb in the group piece where they were running and jumping and he seemed to get some pain somewhere and given the circumstances exited the stage rather gracefully and subtly (although he was very clearly injured as there was a limp). Initially I wondered if it was just an unlucky cramp but he didn’t reappear for the rest of the performance nor the curtain calls which indicated it was something more serious so I really do hope he is ok and recovers well. Having never seen Requiem before I’m not sure how much of a gap was left by him leaving at that point, there were a few points where I sensed a bit of an empty space but it really wasn’t that obvious and the dancers handled it incredibly well and it was so smooth, I was genuinely so impressed with how they naturally worked around it. If I hadn’t seen Hirano leave the stage when he did (which would have been rather hard, although not impossible to miss), you probably wouldn’t have necessarily known any different I imagine. 
 

The other aspect was Ashley Dean was a last minute cast change indicating some injury or illness (Kevin announced on stage at the start in addition to Clarke’s illness announcement) so that was another sub with Hinkis covering for her in DC and Gaspirani in Requiem. 
 

Have any of these performances been danced with their original casts?

It seems like two distinct casts for each piece have combined and morphed into one over the performances! 
 

I wonder if the Swan Lake schedule has been particularly gruelling and is now taking its toll. Aside from lack of diversity in repertoire maybe this is why usually we don’t have such long runs of performances that require a lot from the whole company with lots of corps work…? Either that or there’s just been an unlucky spate but currently I think off the top of my head we have Hirano, O’Sullivan, McRae, Corrales, Cuthbertson out with injuries? That leaves only Bracewell, Ball, Muntagirov and Sambe (and Clarke, assuming/hoping whatever was wrong today is a short term sickness bug or something like that) as male principals which feels rather light (4-5). At least on the female side it’s looking a bit better assuming Takada is back now and O’Sullivan is recovered by the Ashton bill.

such detective work! Thanks for sharing on the forum @Blossom

re the announcement date I think on another thread the 30 April was mentioned as the date but I’m not sure where this information came from and if it’s definite - I hope we’re not waiting into May! Presumably they would do the full announcement before the Friends’ Preview as even if it’s called a preview it would be more of an opportunity to deep dive into things otherwise the information is sure to leak and presumably they want it to all go through the official press release? 
 

From what’s been announced so far - well no surprises here!

I’m glad to see Cinderella back but this is tinged with the disappointment that this means we’re unlikely to get La Fille or Sylvia. (or Les patineurs…) I hope with Cinderella they mix up some casting and maybe have some debuts to keep it a bit fresh. I’d love to see James Hay given a leading role and maybe O’Sullivan to debut. (I can’t remember if Takada was cast last time or if she was injured but she’d be on my list, dates permitting.) 
 

I am not surprised by R&J either and hope that Kaneko and Bracewell are cast in it together again as I’m still annoyed I missed them last time. Kevin O’Hare if you’re reading please cast them together again! 
 

So looks like so far confirmations are:

Madaddam

Alice

R&J 

Cinderella 

Onegin (not 100% but highly likely)

that leaves 3-4 slots which by previous patterns my guess would be: 

Sleeping Beauty

Modern/contemporary mixed bill (eg Pite/Wheeldon/Marston or a new work from Abraham etc)

Dare I remain hopeful for Balanchine especially given no other company are doing it in the Uk next season…in some sort of neoclassical/heritage style triple…maybe with a Robbins or even MacMillan or something like Raymonda Act 3 

If Onegin is the “adult” ballet I doubt we’ll be getting Giselle either, so that remains on my wish list for next next year…

If they’re doing Cinderella at Christmas it’s unlikely they’ll do Nutcracker as well (though not impossible). I could see them doing a shorter mixed bill (eg Les Patineurs or something Balanchine) alongside Nutcracker but not two fairytale type ballets requiring large casts at the same time? 
 

Maybe we’ll finally get La Fille, Giselle in 2026…I do feel Fille is likely given Paris and BRB doing it this year shows there is interest and a pattern there. Similarly if ENB are doing Giselle in January I can see why it makes sense to perhaps delay until later in 2025 or 2026 for RB. 

I’ve all but given up on Sylvia, La Bayadere and works like Les Sylphides now. Hopeful to be proved wrong!  

3 hours ago, Lizbie1 said:

Much worse IMO is the front row of the Paris Opera Garnier top tier: I made it through the performance but did NOT adjust to that.

Is it just as bad not in the first row?

I have read views are good and unobstructed but awful leg room and gets very hot. Given I’m not a regular in Paris I’ve therefore avoided that part of the theatre and treated myself to their version of orchestra stalls, as well as the their version of the balcony (one below top tier) and I’ve also been on the stool seats at the back of a box. In fact my worst view was from the middle of the orchestra stalls as the was little rake and the seats aren’t staggered so someone’s head is right in front of you! Overall on average I do think you get better views at the ROH (although I haven’t sat in the orchestra stalls at ROH!)

thanks all for comments. From what is said I’d probably prefer the Nureyev version but DQ probably still isn’t necessarily a ballet I will ever love!

I now remember I saw the Bolshoi dance this when they came to London in 2018 (or 2019?). I remember enjoying it more than Acosta’s version but still thinking it perhaps wasn’t ever going to be one of my favourite ballets or a “must see” for me. But from what I vaguely recall the “supporting” soloist type roles were “better” than Acosta’s version with classical choreography and a bit of excitement. 
 

Re lights - I have no insight but you can buy warm toned LED lights so unless there’s a reason why they can’t get them for business/industrial levels it must have been a choice to go for the cold white light? 

Hope this isn’t too off topic but interested to how this compares to Acosta’s version for those who have seen both?

I have to be honest and say I don’t enjoy Acosta’s version. Of course Kitri’s solo is iconic and I like the more classical parts of the Dryads and the grand pas but I find it a bit “panto” in parts (not helped by some of the sets, the windmill one in particular) and the choreography doesn’t “wow” me the way other classical ballets do.

I guess I’m interested in whether I would enjoy a different version of DQ, or whether the aspects I don’t enjoy about Acosta’s are to do with his choreography? 

5 hours ago, Scheherezade said:

even stranger that that selfsame evening performance is cheaper throughout the house than every other performance in the entire run. 

Could this be dynamic pricing in action? If for some reason the algorithm spots seats have sold less well on a particular date it’s decided to reduce prices? I see @Emeralds has already suggested this!

Personally I’m not in favour of dynamic pricing. It disadvantages people not living in London by raising the price of weekend performances if I had to guess. It could also disadvantage those who have to book in advance or are committed fans who book earlier only to find last minute discounts - this then has a knock on effect by potentially causing people to “wait and see” and not book sooner next time…? On the flip side some people can’t commit to dates months in advance so then having to pay over the odds at a later date also feels unfair. Set prices make sense and are fair for all - I accept that very last minute sales are fine as some money recouped is better than none and I don’t begrudge that too (also indicates pricing was too high to begin with so unrealistically optimistic that future pricing is mindful of this). 
 

In any case I feel dynamic pricing is a bit of a lose-lose situation and could further discourage audience members from attending!

For a “longer” run it maybe would have made sense to bring two productions? I echo the comments about why not Bayadere, particularly with RB and ENB recently I know it’s a big ballet name recognition but it may not be the safe bet they think it is for sales, Bayadere or something different may have caught interest more. 
 

Looking at their website they also seem to have a fair bit of Balanchine in the rep, as well as ballets we don’t see often in London like works by Jiri Kylian and Folkine. I feel it would have been so interesting to see those and I would be booking if it wasn’t swan lake! 
 

I probably won’t be attending myself but interested to read reviews of those that do go. 
 

I did also clock the 2h15 time and so they must be making a lot of cuts? Even without a second interval that’s anything between 15-30 minutes of music/dance? To be honest I sometimes find Act 1 drags a bit so I wouldn’t be devastated to see that trimmed! 

12 minutes ago, Balletfanp said:

I’m on the fence re Matthew Bourne. I certainly found I enjoyed his shows a lot more once I stopped thinking of them as ballets, rather as shows.

I agree with this - I think I found his Red Shoes a disappointment in part because I was expecting a ballet! For his Swan Lake therefore I was prepared for it to be not ballet (or at least not classical) and enjoyed it much more. But also having seen it once don’t feel the need to see it again (but I could see classical Swan Lake many times over!) 

1 hour ago, art_enthusiast said:

 

Really, did you not like Alice? I've never seen it live, only clips, but I would be happy to see it next Season if they brought it back. A lot of the music seems lovely.

I think it feels a bit too soon for Cinderella as it was only on last year. I liked it very much though

I’ve only seen it on TV (think the BBC streamed it many years ago when it was first created) but remember feeling very disappointed and underwhelmed. Felt a lot of “dance acting” to me rather than lots of choreography and “proper” dancing. I know in a full length ballet there is some filler to a point, but in classical works or Ashton it still feels like choreography/ballet to me. (I find some of MacMillan’s veers towards filler at point but he manages to keep the balance just about right and also his pas de deux make it worthwhile!) Just personal preference.

I don’t think I disliked it and if I still lived in London I imagine I would go and see it to try it. But now I don’t it’s too much money for me to spend on a whim, similarly that’s why I’m not seeing a Winter’s Tale (that I would have been more interested in but there’s no matinee so I would have been up for putting in the train costs but not the accommodation on top, and the tickets were practically swan lake priced!). 
 

I agree it’s maybe too soon for Cinderella BUT they did revive Dante in a similar timeframe (2 years after premiere) so it wouldn’t be unheard of. I don’t mind if Alice is revived, means I can save more money! 

53 minutes ago, Mora said:

Totally! In fact, that is what I do🤭

I think it is a matter of taste  😉

of course! Same as with me and Matthew Bourne - I respect what he does (anyone who is this successful in bringing people to see dance is to be commended) and clearly he’s very popular but just not for me. I don’t dislike his works but with limited time/budget I can’t see everything so would prioritise “ballet” at RB, ENB, BRB and Northern ballet etc over Bourne. 

On 07/04/2024 at 14:46, San Perregrino said:

Ticket sales are slow at the moment for BRB’s La Fille in both Birmingham & London but if it proves to be a crowd-puller perhaps that will add weight to bringing it back at the ROH. 

Do many people book ballet months in a dance like mega fans on here? I would guess yes for things like Swan Lake and Nutcracker which do sell out reasonably early but for all other programmes there seems to be more sales closer to the time once people investigate what to do in the next two weeks or so and or see PR pushing recent programmes.

I’m hopeful La Fille sells very well (surely 3 performances in London is easy enough to do…?) and I wouldn’t be too concerned about it not selling yet. NYCB sold pretty well (it sold out quite a few weeks before I think?) which I was pleasantly surprised by. All the ballet seasons having been announced highlights how late ROH’s announcement is in comparison. I am guessing it will be announced by the end of the month with ticket sales for the autumn season starting around July (for general booking) I’m imagining.  Realistically I don’t expect Fille if BRB are doing it (though conversely if people go in October and enjoy it would they be likely to be excited to see it in Spring at ROH?) but that means I’m hopeful for Sylvia, or failing that I’d like to see Cinderella revived again (although not necessarily so soon over other works that haven’t been, but would rather have that than Alice!). 

19 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

 

Matthew Bourne has done a terrific production of The Red Shoes...

I think whether or not you like this will depend on how you feel about Bourne’s productions generally!

I love the Red Shoes film but I found Bourne’s production a bit disappointing - it’s not classical ballet (to be fair it’s not trying to be..?) and so I didn’t dislike it but it wasn’t what I had envisioned at all. 
 

Similarly I thought his Swan Lake was a really clever concept but the overall story and choreography wasn’t my cup of tea! I think for me the main issue is it’s not really “ballet” - I think I went thinking it would be and it’s more contemporary dance (some parts ballet inspired). I would certainly recommend ballet fans seeing Bourne’s Swan Lake as it’s good fun and that will give you a sense of whether or not you’ll enjoy his other productions. For me I was happy to see this once but I wouldn’t be fussed about seeing it again. 
 

On 07/04/2024 at 19:43, Mora said:

Marianela talent's is undeniable but her posts have already made me tired. 

 To go back to social media, as others have said I’m not fussed how dancers use social media - over or “under” sharing is their choice. I am not a big fan of lots of promoted content and if the balance of that goes too far I tend to unfollow. I do actually really like Marianela’s instagram though, it feels very personal and genuine (but not over sharing) and it has a good balance of some promoted stuff but other genuine behind the scenes looks. (Also I feel she, and lots of other dancers, tend to only promote stuff they actually genuinely like? It’s all rather banal stuff like clothing or beauty or dance related stuff usually as opposed to anything controversial!) 
 

If you don’t like her (or anyone’s!) content it’s very easy to simply not follow, but her account is one I do follow. There are other dancers who I have unfollowed because while I like their dancing their instagram content isn’t for me - nothing wrong with that, dancing is a job at the end of the day and they’re allowed to have lives and other interests! I lean towards enjoying seeing more “behind the scenes” dance content as well as the odd personal touch, less a fan of overly posed fashion shoot style photos and lots of sponsored/ad contents. 

Oh dear I’m really sorry to hear recent experiences, particularly @emmarose those people sound foul.

I know it seems more faff but I would echo others’ advice and email ROH. What that man did was assault and perhaps battery. He should certainly be banned. Not that it would have been ok if you weren’t alone but particularly as a solo woman (as I often am at the ROH) it can be very intimidating to not feel like anyone would step in to help if things escalate, and whilst I appreciate FOH staff don’t have eyes everywhere it is their job to be on the lookout proactively for these things - particularly if there has been an “incident”. 
 

If everyone emails perhaps they will ban the man! They should do so just on your account but this is why it’s probably worth emailing - the more people that do the more action you’d hope they would/should take. 

these things can really sour experiences and for me they really do affect my enjoyment of the performance as much I try not to let it. I’m considering being more vocal in “complaining” to ROH for future incidents (if there are any) so ROH are aware of the scale of the problem and hopefully start proactively doing more. The tickets themselves are expensive but if you add on things like travel, hotels etc if such behaviour becomes more likely than not, on the balance of things it becomes a less enjoyable experience and too risky for me to spend money on. I’m still quite far away from this thankfully but I do really think standards have gone down since the pandemic where it’s now expected that for every performance somewhere in the auditorium a phone will flash or record or go off. 

I’ll add that while I’m disappointed not to see Alina I’m not cancelling my tickets. Sleeping Beauty is one of my favourite ballets and I’m intrigued to see another version other than the Royal’s. I’m very much looking forward to it still! 

34 minutes ago, lady emily said:

 

Really sad about this. I had considered it probably one of, if not the, last time I would see her dance a full-length classical ballet. 

 

Ditto, I booked a specific trip to London for this. Her Royal Ballet DVD is my favourite recorded performance of the role.