FionaM

Apologies I seem to have found incorrect data on Matthew Ball’s height (or the wrong Matthew Ball more likely!) I am corrected … the RB principal is 182cm which is 6 foot. I would be grateful if @BalletcoForum Moderators could add a comment to that effect on my original comment. Or remove it completely. I don’t wish to mislead. Thank you

I don’t mind the advance reveals here and on Instagram. It all adds to the anticipation and excitement 😉

And there also have been occasional very last minute changes due to illness, injury, visas, delayed flights … Part of the delight for me is finding out the participants and repertoire when arriving and getting the programme. These are all top quality dancers, even the substitutions! I go for the chance to see dancers who don’t usually perform in UK. I don’t tend to travel abroad for galas. Though I do travel for a few full length shows … to better appreciate artistry and the challenges of those roles and different repertoire.

Anna Ol (Dutch National) will definitely not be appearing. She was on the list but has an injury and will be out for many months. Her honesty on her Instagram posts is refreshing.

Public booking opened today for Nureyev’s La Bayadere at La Scala. Kimin Kim is guesting as Solor on 12 and 14 June, with Nicoletta Manni as Nikiya and Maria Celeste Losa as Gamzatti full casting here https://www.teatroallascala.org/it/stagione/2023-2024/balletto/la-bayadere.html I’ve chosen a seat in front row of a box on the first level in order to have no heads blocking my view. It looks to me that the stalls are low relative to the stage and that will not work for the patterns in the shades and wedding scenes. Also I cannot miss feet and cannot risk tall people blocking my view. In my experience you can meet interesting fellow balletomanes in seats or boxes. If not, one doesn’t have to converse.

@LinMM she did win the “best female graduate from RBS” Dame Ninette Award made by the London Ballet Circle in Summer 2023. (Caspar Lench was the best male graduate). She impressed me too at the annual LBC visit to the RB school with her special artistry and musicality. KoH made a mistake there not offering her a place. But it’s worked to her advantage for sure. Thanks to the universe for looking after her! ❤️🙏

Martha Graham Company have performances on those dates. I’d be getting a ticket to those! https://marthagraham.org/events/

@capybara do say who, please 🙏

@Angela agree. Neumeier’s ballet of Midsummer Night’s Dream follows the play almost word for word, and the costume/set design and music choices make each world very different. In many play versions that I’ve seen (in fact nearly all) the roles of Theseus/Oberon and Hippolyta/Titania are doubled up as Neumeier has done, which offers the view that the fairy world is all Hippolyta’s dream. She is a reluctant bride to be (as Queen of the Amazons she is part of the peace treaty between the Amazons and Athens. Theseus, is Duke of Athens). In her dream as Titania …. Oberon finally becomes appealing to her … after the Puck and Bottom shenanigans are llresolved … and she awakes to welcome their wedding day. It is also the wedding day of the 4 lovers, with entertainment by the mechanicals.

A friend can no longer attend for health reasons. Front row in central section of Upper Circle A21 £90 Interesting and different cast this year

I nearly got the strength to ask this question to KoH at the stage door afterwards. Another time!

I like how Dresden announced debuts on their social media. Tonight Milda Luckute debuts as Lilac Fairy amongst others https://www.instagram.com/p/C4VGIPUoCnu/?igsh=MXNyM3Bnb2I4NWFlNA==

@Angela thanks. Works fine with VPN.

I don’t know what the Kommersant critic means by “not much of a career”. He is only in his second year out of the Academy and he’s already performing soloist jester type roles at Stanislavsky. What more can you expect for a short but virtuoso man these days? Even if you are a standout virtuoso. He could have joined a long list of similar short virtuoso men at RB (or anywhere else) and be lucky to do Chinese in Nutcracker and a beggar in Manon. @TSR101 au contraire. A student I know at Vaganova from UK, was very much highlighted in their recent Nutcracker with two feature roles. As were other non Russian students if they were at a good level. Davide Lorrichio who was the Prix de Lausanne apprentice at ROH for a year, is now at the Mikhailovsky and is currently appearing as their representative in the “Grand Ballet” TV competition, previous won by Smirnova, Polunin, Ovcharenko, Tikhomirova, Shevtsova, Sobolevsky, Shakirova, Kimin Kim, Khoreva and others. He was brilliant in his opening solo earlier today … Cupid in Nacho Duato version of DQ.

Daniel Camargo has had an interesting career, first at Stuttgart, then Dutch National and now ABT. He is Franz in the Coppelia movie opposite Michael de Prince. He guests all over the world, and is only 32. He has partnered Osipova in Giselle at Teatro Colon, Semionova in Giselle at the Kremlin Palace Theatre, Alina Cojocaru in Switzerland, Tereshkina at Mariinsky, Fumi Kaneko in DQ at ROH, Amandine Albison and Semionova again in Swan Lake at Rome Opera, as well as other companies, plus galas all over the place. So yes he is world-renowned. (And to mind a more multi-faceted dancer than Jacopo Tissi ) https://www.instagram.com/p/B6pyuF8gtVY/?igsh=ZW84Mnh2ZGNmNGZ1

I noticed Lukas BB was the client in green who does most of the lifting in the ballroom scene where the clients keep Manon aloft. In all the previous shows it has been David Donnelly. I wanted to recognise and applaud both these dancers for their strength and confident partnering. It is a considerable supporting role. This role is also the 4th man in the card game with Des Grieux, Lescaut and GM. Later as the party really gets going I got distracted by Lukas partnering his real-life fiancée Mariko Sasaki (she was 1 of the 2 fighting courtesans) in the waltz with the sliding splits They were having so much fun together! Wonderful ❤️

Christopher Saunders as a brothel client … in the cinema relay … 7th February https://www.roh.org.uk/tickets-and-events/43/manon-by-kenneth-macmillan/cast-list/54662

you are right he was GM in that cast. So where did I see him as a client? Hmm

This rather assumes that other casts will not be equally as good or better!!!!

Christopher Saunders was also one of the brothel clients at the Calvin/Melissa Manon.

[Matthew Ball is 5’10” and that is a reliable statistic as he’s a model and will have been measured.] EDIT: Incorrect - see post below From this photo Cesar looks to be 2 inches shorter. Whatever… there is no way he is 5’11. https://www.gettyimages.fi/detail/uutiskuva/james-frecknall-marcelino-sambe-francesca-hayward-cesar-uutiskuva/1192961472

Made me laugh out loud in a public space! Hilarious. Thank you!

The box has gone. One in row 5, centre of amphi for £79

A short review: Justin Peck - dull. Nice to have seen Danny Ulbricht live once in my life. Balanchine - delightful, despite challenging music by Stravinsky. Megan Fairchild was especially fabulous. Tanowitz - brilliant, best of the show for me. Loved the costumes especially. Red unitards with four tapered pieces of same colour soft fabric attached to shoulders and legs. Mira Nadon has striking looks and technique that mark her out. Abrahams - I thought the costumes were fun and the whole was worth watching for the truly beautiful duet for 2 men near the end. Names? In summary, super dancers, not enough good choreography. The programme fits the Sadler’s remit of modern/new choreography. Both the Tanowitz and Abrahams pieces were way better than the ones they’ve created for RB.

Mayara was tremendous. Especially when solo … beautifully controlled exemplary technique during her soulful Odette. Exciting Odile with hugely complicated fouetté sequence including attitude turns. Lovely performance. I felt she held the show together … considering she’s not been a principal for that long this was particularly admirable. Cesar was underpowered … clearly not jumping to be careful on his return. In some he barely got off the floor and the entrelace were petit allegro. It was so against his actual character. I kept expecting him to think “right that’s enough of being careful let’s show what I can really do”. But he did not. So it was somewhat disappointing for audience that know his previous abilities. I hope subsequent performances will be at better levels. (and this may be why Rhapsody casting is still unknown) Anyone unfamiliar with Cesar would have thought it was an elegant (yes really) refined performance. I was worried about lifts as I believe there has been a back problem. Those were all well done and held. Bravo. However his partnering in the white acts had her off balance too often limiting the execution of high swan attitude lines. This will be a great partnership in time even though he is slightly too short for her when she’s on pointe. They connect well. Though I agree with earlier comments that chemistry was not fully what I’d expected. No doubt due to first night and long awaited return of Cesar. Wonderful suspended airtime with super height from Jun on his entrelace. And beautifully soft and silent landings. He did a decent job with the role interpretation too. I heard Lukas as Von Rothbart was a late cast change so I wonder how much rehearsal he’s had. Brave man. He did well. I’m sure subsequent shows will be even better. The juxtaposition of his beauty and stage presence with yet another evil character is an utter delight! And really good lifts with Mayara, something the older character artists don’t quite manage for me. A few of the supporting soloists that were noticeable … both sister princesses Leticia Dias and Sae Maeda, Isobel Lubach’s big swan, Yu Hang’s potential bride.