FionaM

The gala is on the home page of the PDL https://www.prixdelausanne.org/ It was sponsored by Medici TV so might also still be available on their website/app. By contrast, the competition itself was streamed by Arte TV. Those videos are on the PDL YouTube channel. And probably also on Arte TV website, app, and YouTube.

@alison perhaps Romany is on leave of absence. Her life partner Dane Hurst (previously AD of Phoenix Dance Theatre) returned to South Africa for family reasons over a year ago.

Over a year in advance … it’s not yet 8 February 2023 !!!

I think we have to change our thinking … it is not meant to be value for money … it’s about sponsoring the tour with added bonus of special access events.

429 applicants 83 participated in the Lausanne week 22 finalists 2 gold medal winners 11 scholarships plus 6 other prizes

Re the survey …. How they will unwind the criteria of show, ticket price, day of week and time of show … I’ve no idea. Complex. I seemed to choose the *none of these* option quite often. I was priced out. It will be illuminating to hear the results.

I’m guessing a DIY version including flights (£1,200), hotel for 12 days at say £200/night and show tickets (say 10 at £150) amounts to £5,100 each and that doesn’t include any of the extras or expeditions, nor the £8,000 donation of course. I’m guessing the hotels in the package are higher quality/cost. So maybe circa £16,000 isn’t so pricey when you consider what it includes. Of course the donation is on top and is what helps to pay for the company tour. Oh to win the lottery!

@CeliB all impressions are valid and are irrespective of knowledge! You’ll know which pieces and dancers affected you most in some way. Any feedback would be much appreciated. I hope you both enjoy the show.

And many Ukrainian born or trained dancers remain in Russian companies. Only a few left.

There have been galas recently including both Russians still based in Russia, with dancers (of all nationalities) from Europe together. There’s another in Cyprus soon including Bolshoi (Tsvirko and Kretova), ENB, DNB, Berlin and others. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CoE_Fqvg59R/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= After the Bolshoi dancer incident in Tashkent I doubt any would risk dancing abroad without permission again. And Vishneva is currently deputy chair on the PdL jury. I for one am glad that ballet is being more inclusive

@alison I’ve no idea on the finances on Rome Opera Ballet company. I do know there is state support in Munich and top price there for ballet is usually £90.

The show is produced by Natalia Gromova, mother of Laura Fernandez-Gromova who is now a principal at State Ballet of Georgia, previously at Mariinsky (corps de ballet), Stanislavsky (soloist) and guest lead with PoluninInk inbetween. Laura completed her training at Vaganova after winning the best Swiss candidate prize at Prix de Lausanne. Mum is Ukrainian, Dad is Spanish and their home base is Switzerland. Hence the location of the gala. Laura and Xander Parish are performing a pdd by Juliano Nunes at the PdL gala on this same weekend.

Top price in Rome for Bayadere with Olga Smirnova and Jacopo Tissi is €75

I know an 18yo YAGP finalist (last year) who was in the masterclasses and was offered a number of places for one or two year self-funded further training. (Ie more money off mum and dad), but no direct company positions. Fortunately someone saw him and proposed him to an Eastern European company. He’s getting soloist opportunities there within 3 months of starting.

I cannot find anything on their website about Don Quixote itself (never mind a cast list) … maybe it’s somewhere in News but there isn’t a search function so who knows? I did find info on the original film relay online … but that has NO CAST INFO not even the two leads. Hopeless. https://www.donquixoteballetfilm.com/movie/don-quixote/synopsis-and-cast

It is a new book … author Ashley Killar was planning to come over to UK from Australia for the launch in October 2022, but that got postponed due to his age and health and rising Covid cases. He was planning a launch and presentation at the old RB School buildings in Barons Court to which the London Ballet Circle @LBC had been invited. More info here https://www.tlbc.org.uk/events/book-launch-of-cranko-the-man-and-his-choreography-members-only

The Prix De Lausanne Gala will be streamed free on Sunday 5th February 2023 at 4.30pm Lausanne time on Medici and Mezzo tv and PdL website https://www.prixdelausanne.org/live-streaming/ GALA PROGRAMME: Alina Cojocaru and Friedemann Vogel Lady of the Camellias Choreographer: John Neumeier Music: Frédéric Chopin Laura Fernandez and Xander Parish Closure Choreographer: Juliano Nunez Music: Franz Schubert Matthew Ball Dance of the Blessed Spirits Choreographer: Frederick Ashton Music: Christophe Willibald von Gluck Madison Young and Julian Mackay Giselle Choreographer: Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot Music: Adolphe Adam Marcelo Gomes and Alejandro Azorin Faun(e) Choreographer: David Dawson Music: Claude Debussy Elisa Badenes and Vadim Montagirov Black Swan pas de deux 
 Choreographer: Marius Petipa Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Maria Kochetkova 27 Zero Choreographer: Ella Rothschild Music: Franz Schubert Partner School Choreographic Project BOLD Choreographer: Goyo Montero Music: Owen Belton and Claudio Frasseto Marcelino Sambé and Francesca Hayward The Dream pas de deux Choreographer: Frederick Ashton Music: Felix Mendelssohn Steven McRae Czardas Choreographer: Steven McRae Music: Vittorio Monti Mayara Magri and Victor Caixeta Don Quixote Choreographer: Marius Petipa Music: Ludwig Minkus Alejandro Azorin Solo 01: 3 Parts Ligeti Choreographer: Houston Thomas Music: György Ligeti Precious Adams and Eric Snyder This Bitter Earth Choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon Music: Max Richter, Clyde Otis, interprété par Dinah Washington de la bande originale du film Shutter Island Max Richter, Clyde Otis, performed by Dinah Washington from the motion picture soundtrack for Shutter Island Mackenzie Brown Limelight Choreographer: Katarzyna Kozielska Music: New Tango Orquestra Margarita Fernandes and Antonio Casalinho Diana and Actaeon Choreographer: Agrippina Vaganova Music: Cesare Pugni and Riccardo Drigo Mizuka Ueno Dying Swan Choreographer: Michel Fokine Music: Camille Saint-Saëns Olga Smirnova and Victor Caixeta Nutcracker pas de deux Choreographer: Jean-Christophe Maillot Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

@Thelittleswansyou asked about why there are no candidates from the UK this year. My guess is that’s because anyone decent enough is already at a vocational school. Of course there may have been candidates who applied and didn’t make it through. I asked Christopher Powney a similar question on the zoom interview hosted by the London Ballet Circle@LBC last week. He had three parts to his response: Firstly he said the PdL was originally designed to gather students from lesser schools to gain access to companies and premier schools like RBS. And of course this is still its main purpose. Secondly, the RBS and other top professional schools … Paris, Amsterdam, many German ones, San Francisco, ABT, Canada, see it as a recruitment opportunity. And those schools tend not to send candidates either. Thirdly, on a practical note he said he would not be able to choose candidates to send and therefore would have to offer the opportunity to all 30 students in all 3 years at the upper school and that would be impossible to coach with the staff they have!!! I thought the last excuse was a cop opt. Of course he and the staff could choose to enter a few across the whole school if they wanted to. They do selection anyway for soloist roles in annual performances. Of course, there is then added pressure on those selected students to perform well …what if they didn’t make the finals or win any prizes? That would not reflect well on the school. In fact Diana Vishneva talked about that in an interview today. She is deputy head of the jury this year and was the first candidate to represent the Vaganova Academy in St Petersburg. She talked about the expectation and pressure of performing back then, in order not to let her teachers or school down. (She won).

@Jan McNulty can you source a full cast list so we can learn about all these lovely dancers? 🤞

Whilst watching the Prix de Lausanne, one of the presenters quoted Aaron Watkins who apparently has said that watching a petit allegro exercise tells him everything he needs to do know about the dancer. This bodes well for the types cast in the Neapolitan 😉

Casting for Illusions - like Swan Lake is announced. Alina performs the role of Odette (there is no Odile in this version) on 11 & 12 February 2023

urgh … the TV people are so uneducated in dance 🙈

I would have liked to seen others tackle the Anastasia role. There are so many dramatically strong principals … Fumi, Yasmine, Akane

There was an announcement … no performance this year 2023. There will be a video produced … compilation of performances from the prior years.

Is the ROH now going to investigate and ditch all sponsors with questionable or objectionable origins of their money ??? That’s a very short route to complete shutdown. Most money is made by questionable morals or exploitation somewhere. Perhaps an alternative route would be to get the questionable people to double-up their arts investment whilst also pressuring them to change.