Tango Dancer

Gary Avis should definitely not be allowed to have a body clock, he's too amazing to do without If he ever stops doing Rome and Juliet I will cry.

That's awesome. How great having them all rally round like that. it reminds me of the first ever opera I saw as a teenager. It was Magic Flute done by Opera North. Tamino had a really bad cold so he couldn't sing. They'd found a tenor from ENO but he didn't know the staging so the chap with the cold walked through the opera (sneezing a couple of times) and the ENO tenor stood in the orchestra pit and did the singing. As a teenager I thought it was amazingly cool having the voice coming from a different place from the action. I think that's been my favourite opera ever since.

Yes. I was at the Piano des Jacobins festival in Toulouse watching a recital by Nelson Goerner and the 2 men next to me did nothing but moan the whole way through and refused to clap at all. I thought it was most disrespectful to the pianist and wanted to strangle the pair of them. Fortunately the woman in front of us turned around and told them to button it at the end of the first half. I've been to things I've not enjoyed but you either leave at half time (which I've only ever done once for a really bad play) or you sit through it quietly.

Perhaps I was unclear. I mean he needs to charge enough to cover his costs but not elevate them so much beyond the cost of doing business that it will mean that people can't or won't attend. Obviously he needs to cover the cost of running the show but it's no good covering the cost of running the show if the tickets cost so much that people don't want to buy them. I discussed this show with a few people from ballet class today and some of us thought the prices were on the high side so decided not to attend. I'm sure the organiser has calculated what people are willing to pay and priced it accordingly, but that does mean some people rule themselves out. As long as there are enough people who are willing to pay the prices (and there appear to be), then all is well for everyone. I think personally it would have been better if they could have got sponsorship to allow them to offer some cheaper tickets.

I love Beethoven's 7th symphony but not being a ballet expert, hadn't realised someone had done a ballet to it. In that case I'm definitely going to have to see the mixed programme when it comes to Sadlers Wells. I'm a bit ambivalent about some of the rest but let's see how it works out.

I think this would be good. I mean obviously he needs to charge what will cover his costs. That said, the tickets for this are quite expensive especially those with a good view. For the same price one could get 2 tickets for something at Sadlers Wells. London is somewhere with a lot of wonderful and different dance events on and most people have a limited budget for entertainments (I certainly do). Accordingly some of the prices here are going to put people off. It's up to the organiser I think to decide the balance between charging what he needs to cover his costs and charging something people are willing to pay. For me on this occasion, I think I'll pass because to have a good view would cost more than I am able to spend on a single event when there is so much else I want to see.

I'm so jealous as it looks amazing and I love Zenaida Yanowsky. I'm saving up because I'm hoping to go and see this next year.

Thanks for telling me that a few more were available as I'd given up. I managed to get the last one on sale 😀😀

This looks really interesting, thanks for sharing this @Jan McNulty as I'd not have known otherwise. Laura Morera is always amazing to watch and I've never managed to catch her in Royal Ballet performances. I've now booked my ticket for the show. How wonderful.

It's a lovely little theatre, beautifully preserved and maintained. I go to see things there from time to time and they have an interesting programme. I'm going to see Balletboyz there later this year.

I hope it's alright to post a review of this version of Nutcracker which I saw at Richmond's beautiful Frank Matcham theatre. It's a lovely venue if a little cramped in the leg room stakes. People obviously were shorter in 1899 I can only assume. The Nutcracker, as performed by Moscow City Ballet is a brilliant demonstration of good basic ballet technique on a shoestring budget. It was also a slightly unusual version of the story with some features I've not seen before https://moscowcityballet.com/the-nutcracker/ . This included the fact that Drosselmeyer turned himself into a younger man to be a suitor for Clara as a rival to the Nutcracker Prince and that he. rather than Clara, did the dance of the Mirlitons. Is anyone else familiar with this version of the story because it's a new one on me? Is this a usual version in Russian presentations of the piece? I'm more used to the Royal Ballet or BRB versions and don't recall this take on the story before. The set was very simple with some nice painted backdrops. The party scene was rather nicely presented and I thought Fritz did a great job of being a charmingly naughty boy. Drosselmeyer was rather creepy in my view, he looked quite old and Clara was very childlike and petite so I found his interest in her a little on the uncomfortable side for my personal taste and it made me feel slightly uneasy as he tried to turn into a suitor for her. I was not the only one who thought this as I heard 2 ladies in the row in front saying as much on the way out. The Nutcracker Prince and Clara both danced well, with the pas de deux a particularly strong point showing good chemistry. I also enjoyed the Spanish and Chinese dances particularly as the 2 gentlemen in the Chinese dance tackled the leaps with enthusiasm and skill and the lady in the Spanish dance had a lovely port de bras in my view. The corps de ballet were well disciplined and beautifully synchronised. As programmes were £7 I didn't pay for one so am not sure of any of the performers' names on this occasion. On the whole while this isn't an amazingly memorable production and there were some ropey costuming moments, I enjoyed myself. It's a touring production so if it's on where you are, it's probably worth going but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. I should also say that there were a number of young children in the audience and I was pleasantly surprised how well behaved they all were and how captivated by the story.

I agree with LinMM some days are better than others. In class yesterday my pirouettes were dreadful and for some reason I struggled with a turn I had thought I'd mastered. Then the adage went really well and I felt really chuffed with myself. It can be deeply frustrating but when it works it all feels worthwhile. Can't wait for class tomorrow 😀😙

Agreed. He has the loveliest smile. Sorry I missed it.

I must say I had assumed the others were shipwrecked around the coast and that Ali was salvaging the provisions and making Gulnare a nice cup of tea.

I can't comment on Hernandez as I don't think I've been when he's been performing. I agree though that Shevelle Dynott has great timing and style and brought a lot of character to a small part.

I thought about this news in swing dance class this week, as my teacher came and adjusted my posture and straightened my shoulders, which is a thing I'm completely happy for a teacher to do. Dancing can be a very intimate thing with a lot of physical contact. I'm a middle aged. middle class professional with a reasonable degree of confidence who pays for dance classes for my amusement. When I did a tango class with a teacher who I thought was being inappropriate I told him to piss off and never went back. It's a lot harder to do that as a child or teenager who depends on their teachers more and looks to them for support in a career journey. It's even harder if a predator grooms the child to accept unacceptable behaviour. So I think parents definitely have to be careful to make sure their children are being protected.

Praise is due to the chap who told off the 2 people texting at the start of the third act of Le Corsaire tonight. Thanks whoever you are for taking action. No praise to the woman behind me who started asking her friend which of the men was the hero really loudly at the start of the piece.

Just back from the evening performance. I thought the dancing was amazing. Erina Takahashi was a thing of beauty in motion and Francesco Frola jumped as though suspended in air. I loved all the parts but Daniel McCormick shone as Ali in particular. I'm no expert but he looks like he's got the potential to go far.

So pleased to hear this. I booked for the 1 night I was around before the casts were announced, wanting Kase / Mack but got Takahashi / Frola. I'm so glad you've said it was so good in the dress rehearsal as I'm now looking forward to it even more.

I think I'm looking forward to this the most as I loved the production before and want to see what they're going to do with it.

Definitely. I started just over a year ago and the first few weeks were very confusing. I was lucky because the teacher I had to start with (who is not teaching at present) went in for a lot of explanation of everything. I found it really helpful to watch company class by a professional company to see what the moves look like when they're done properly. I really enjoyed Birmingham Royal Ballet in company class because the balletmaster said the moves really clearly so I could follow what they were doing and how it fit the music. There are a few on youtube if you look for World Ballet Day.

For me it would be Matthew Bourne's Romeo and Juliet. I know it got good reviews but I hated it. I hated that I couldn't tell the people apart because they all dressed the same so it was impossible to identify who was who or build up any feeling for any of them.. I hated the fact that the ending made no logical sense to me. I liked some of the ideas but found the delivery rather a letdown. I think Matthew Bourne has done some amazing pieces of work but I don't think this is one of them. Apologies to anyone who loved the piece. One of the people I saw it with loved it, but I'm afraid it wasn't good for me.

Agreed. I thought her Giselle was amazing. I really hope she gets to play Kitri in Don Quixote next year. I think my overall favourite of the year was the ENB Cinderella at the Albert Hall. I loved the staging and the design and Maria Kochetkova was beautiful to watch. I thought the whole production was absolutely perfect.

I also love the fact that as well as being technically brilliant, whatever he's in, whether it's rehearsals or performances, he looks so happy and as though he's having the time of his life and that he's found himself in the place that's right for him. He also seems like a thoroughly nice person when he's interviewed.

That's stunning, he's always so beautiful when he jumps and spins and looks so beautifully light in motion. I agree with others that lighter coloured tights would have shown off his legs better. They did rather blend into the background.