Tango Dancer

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. 

6 hours ago, Tony Newcombe said:

BRB Giselle. All the Giselles were superb, but if I had to single out one for special praise it would be Miki Mizutani

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. 

1 hour ago, Sim said:

The balances are a complicated deal between the ballerina, the princes and the conductor.  If Aurora feels that she can hold a balance for longer than the intended time of the music she will do so and a good conductor slows the music down.  Likewise he keeps a close eye on how long it is taking for the dancer to let go of the prince's hand;  if she is taking a while to find her balance he will again slow down the music.  If at the end of the Rose Adagio the dancer can and wants to hold a long balance, she subtly signals to the English Prince to walk on by.  Gary Avis is brilliant at this;  he gives a little head bow of appreciation as he walks past her.  Yet another example of how much goes on behind the scenes to create a few steps in ballet.  Or in this case, non-steps!   

How interesting 🙂 .  Mind you I'd just say Gary Avis is brilliant full stop.  I can watch him in anything, he adds so much to all the characters he takes.  

On 09/12/2019 at 12:11, Jan McNulty said:

I saw the opera as part of a double bill in Budapest many years ago ... I suspect I won't be booking for this either!

I saw a concert version of it at the Proms. It was very interesting musically but not exactly fun. I think I will pass on this one.

One of the teachers in my class (ex royal ballet school) makes us do them at the end of barre.  We do 16 on each leg and the last 4 are a complete killer. 

We go up for a count of 2 and then down for 2.  She usually uses the song por una cabeza by Carlos Gardel for the exercise so it's fairly slow and you definitely feel you've done them. 

I saw this as well.  My ballet teacher is in the company for this, and they're currently rehearsing in Moscow.   I'm hoping it comes to the UK as well so I can see him performing. 

It looks very interesting and dynamic.

17 minutes ago, York UK beginner said:

Two or three mentions of private lessons here, but I'm not really seeing any adverts or invitations for such in my Googling.  Fact is, it seems to me, most ballet classes are taught by people who slot it in as a kind of labour of love after work or childcare, in hired facilities which makes you wonder if they even break even so them doing all that for just one person seems unlikely to me.  So I don't know ... are private lessons best found by some kind of as yet undiscovered directory of such people??

In my experience it's more that you find a good teacher via group classes and then arrange a private with them. Privates do cost more than group classes which is how they can afford to offer them. 

Privates can be expensive so I would want to see how they teach and ensure compatibility in a class first and then book. To take a non ballet example I've regularly been to tango workshops by one visiting  teacher from France. I liked his style so I had a wonderful private lesson with him last week. 

Unless it's Baryshnikov, I wouldn't take a private on spec. That said, if I did have one with Baryshnikov I'd probably be too embarrassed at my crapness and smitten with his lovely eyes to dance. 

Is there anyone you've been to a class with that you could see as teaching in a good way for you? If so maybe ask them what they charge?

In answer to the other question yes there are male teachers around. My class usually has a man. I've not noticed anything vastly different between him and the female teacher who covers when he's out. They are different because they're different people but the gender doesn't seem to affect their teaching. I learn loads from them both. 

I've been dancing ballet just over 1 year and I think everyone struggles with centre. It's the most challenging part and often where new content is introduced. There is usually a comforting routine to the barre even if it's hard to make the body do it. Centre is less predictable and harder. My teacher introduced the entrechat last weekend and we mostly sucked at getting the legs to cooperate.

That said in a proper beginner class they should be open to breaking the move down. My class has a fair amount of "which foot are we on and which way do we turn" and "are we doing stuff with the arms" type questions. You need I think a teacher who can teach and adapt to different learning styles. You need someone who works for you and that's harder to find. I am not a visual learner so need the step and body parts involved explained. So I look for teachers who will do that. 

I'd definitely suggest a couple of privates so you can go at your own speed. The other thing I found helpful was watching company class with BRB. Seeing the centre work done professionally helped me understand what it involved.

Ballet isn't easy. It's the hardest thing I do and some days I want to scream. That said I am completely addicted to it. it can take a few months to start getting the hang.

I'm very happy for you to suggest yourself.  Your skirts look lovely and actually a bit longer than the ones I've seen which is good. I will find a tape measure and send you an order later this week. 

I know what you mean about being sized out of things.  It's a real shame that they don't make dancewear in larger sizes as a rule.  I had great difficulty finding a larger leotard with some chest support.  If you made things in larger sizes, I would certainly consider buying them. 

21 hours ago, maryrosesatonapin said:

I agree, and was thinking about this last night when watching Muntagirov partner Nunez.  Although he is a great dancer in his own right, he gives the impression (eg in interviews etc) of being quite self-effacing yet considerate, and I think this shows in the way he is rather a selfless and skilful partner.  Probably the complete opposite character from that of Nureyev (whom I also adore).

I agree, Muntagirov always looks like he wants his partner to shine whoever he is dancing with.  He seems like a really nice person whenever I've seen him interviewed and has a really sweet, shy smile. Steven Mcrae always strikes me as someone who is considerate of his partners as well, when I've seen him in rehearsal. I love Nureyev too but more when he's dancing solos and can really let rip with the jumps and spins. 

I've never danced ballet with a partner, but I dance tango and swing dance with many different partners and to me the best ones are those who are considerate and responsive, not trying to show off how many complicated steps they can lead and how flashy they can be, but simply enjoying the embrace and the feeling of unity in the dance and the music and the moment.  There's a quiet intensity to me in a good dance with a partner and I come away from the dance feeling good about myself. 

Hi

I'd really like a wrap skirt for ballet class but I am struggling to find them in larger sizes.  Does anyone know where I might obtain one?  I'm about a size 18 in street clothes and it seems impossible to find anything close online.  I don't want to go to physical shops because I'm concerned people will laugh at the fat woman doing ballet (like they did when I looked at shoes in a couple of shops) so would prefer online.  Does anyone have any ideas which makes I could try?  I love my ballet class and while there isn't a class uniform I'd like to look more like a dancer when I do it. 

Thanks

I wasn't planning to go to see this but we've been dancing Waltz of the Snowflakes (badly) in class this afternoon and so I've got the music on the brain.  With those prices, I might be seriously tempted.  Any idea of the cast and who's in it? 

There's only 1 date I can do so I had booked one of the offers blind. I had hoped for Brooklyn Mack and Shiori Kase but sadly not. Still delighted I have Erina Takahashi and Francesco Frola. I liked him in Cinderella. This will be so much fun.

On 26/10/2019 at 01:32, JNC said:

Thanks bluebird for notifying us. 

 

Slightly surprised to see McRae being cast for the Prodigal Son - this sounds very hopeful considering the comments that his injury was quite serious.

 

(If it turns out to be true it’s of course great he would recover so quickly but I feel that this casting is likely going to change, although if he can dance it I’ll be very impressed!) 

I hope he is recovering and can dance it.  I love watching him and was gutted he was injured.  If the casting doesn't change, I'd have a difficult choice whether to book for that cast or for the Sambe /  Heap casting as I love them both.  Tough decisions 🙂  

5 hours ago, Ivy Lin said:

 

Ok you touch upon something that really angers me about balletomanes (not all, but some). They seem to act like Degas in that they view dancers' bodies as their personal aesthetic hobbyhorse. A dancer does not OWE you to wear your favorite/prettiest brand of pointe shoes. A dancer does not OWE you to dance on a tiny tapered platform so it looks better. A dancer has a job, and that job is to get through his or her dance assignments preferably without injury and a minimum of pain.

 

All those pictures of older dancers dancing on tiny tapered pointe shoes were re-touched. There's plenty of evidence that in real life these dancers wore more practical shoes -- just watch the films. Do you see the same tapered tiny toe shoes?

 

Yes I've observed this too.  I once sat behind 2 men who spent the whole interval discussing the fact that one of the dancers was apparently carrying more weight than she had last time they saw her.  They weren't commenting on her dancing skills but entirely talking about her bodily proportions and comparing them unfavourably with a different dancer.  They seemed actually quite indignant that she had dared not to maintain the same weight.  Honestly I was quite annoyed by the whole thing as it was her body and no business of theirs. 

I've always viewed pointe shoes as a tool.  You choose the ones that work for you bearing in mind the feet you have and the works you're performing in. The information on how they can be customised is deeply fascinating though.  I had no idea they could do so much to adjust them. 

Just now, capybara said:

 

That's a difficult question as both Lankendem and Birbanto have a lot of very prominent stage time and can dominate the ballet (as can Ali) if a particular Conrad is not equal to the 'competition'. Irmgard (above) gives an example of a performance in which Conrad did not come across quite strongly enough.

Maybe, if you are a newcomer to Le Corsaire, Dawnstar, it would be a good idea to enquire on here as to which overall  line-up people would recommend.

It's certainly good news that the casting is due out this coming week.

You're right, Conrad can come across as rather bland if the performer isn't careful because Lankendem and Birbanto are both strong characters. 

19 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

This is probably a daft question but is Conrad the largest male role? I want to make sure, once the casting for the Coliseum is announced, that I book for the leading man I want to see & it's a bit confusing with some of the principals dancing multiple roles. Wikipedia unhelpfully does not provide a plot synopsis for Le Corsaire so I can't deduce it from that as I usually do for unfamilliar to me plays/operas/ballets.

Yes, whenever I've seen it, Conrad is the largest male role and the hero although all of the male parts are pretty good.  It's very annoying that the Coliseum doesn't publish casting very far in advance.  I messaged them on facebook and they said they'd announce the Coliseum cast this week.  I hope you get the leading man you want for it.  I've just picked the day I can do and am hoping for Brooklyn Mack as he looks amazing on Youtube.  Although I'd be happy with any of them as I like most of the principals at ENB. 

Thanks for this fascinating and comprehensive review. I have tickets for the Coliseum in January (cast still tbc) so it's wonderful to hear your views on the approaches of the different dancers.

1 hour ago, rowan said:

Yes, but let’s not go there... All sorts of geopolitical and diplomatic machinations behind the scenes, hence the cultural push from the embassy, etc. I didn’t see either company, though a friend of mine saw Astana Ballet on the off-chance and raved about them. 

I saw Astana and thought they were very worthwhile. There were a couple of rough edges in parts but they had a lot of talent. I liked the tango fusion piece and the Edith Piaf songs best.

I really liked the variety in the programme.

4 hours ago, ninamargaret said:

And I could add another couple of names to the list!!

Definitely! Marcelino Sambe for me every time, I think he's just amazing and stunningly gorgeous.  

I think I'd say that while there are various versions of the tale of Sleeping Beauty, some of which do vary into the less worksafe, the one they use in this ballet obviously is very pure.  He kissed her on the forehead gently to wake her for goodness sake.    

I must confess I fast forwarded through the bit about the Beaux Dormants because it was dull.  Yu Hang was really sweet to watch and I loved watching her being coached.

I was really hoping they'd rehearse the Florine and Bluebird variations and pas de deux and the puss in boots and white cat sequence.  I love those the best out of the ballet.

The thing that really annoyed me about Bidisha's review  (to the point of me stopping lurking and actually registering here to say so) is that she implied ballet dancers were fragile.  It just smacks of someone who has no understanding of ballet and the sheer physical challenges it presents and how hard it is.  I do an adult beginners ballet class (very badly) twice per week and at the end of the class I'm shattered.  To be able to sustain a high quality of dancing for a whole evening is the opposite of fragile.  The costumes are delicate and gossimer fine and sparkly, the occupants of the costumes are incredible athletes and it really irritates me that she doesn't get it. 

She also seems to have no understanding of the way the ballet is put together, the fact it is, as others identify, a ballet for the whole company .  Also how anyone can say Florimund hasn't much to do I have no idea. 

I don't know why they've made her the dance critic when she appears to have no understanding of the medium and doesn't seem to like ballet very much.

Also if she thinks there are metoo issues with this ballet, I don't know what she's going to make of it when she has to review German Cornejo's tango show next year at Sadlers Wells.  I love tango but subtle it usually isn't when on a stage.