Borzoi

Well, this has been a fun journey! From R&J to the Exorcist to inappropriate giggles (guilty, but mostly in church!), to nude ballet.  There was a troupe named Pilobilus (I probably did not spell that correctly) that was well known for their nude productions  some years back. My then boyfriend and I went to see them. I cursed my weak eyesight, as he seemed to enjoy the performance much more than I did! 🤣

2 hours ago, LinMM said:

I very much hope you will before long Borzoi as the Royal is in very good shape at the moment so definitely worth a trip across the Pond. 
Not that I’m a big Royalist or anything but next year 2022 is the Queens Platinum Jubilee so maybe London will be looking particularly attractive and also Birmingham is hosting Commonwealth Games so quite a bit going on in U.K. so might be a good year to come and even some deals on air fares...though wouldn’t hold my breath for that unfortunately!! 

Well, that will be something to strive for! I might never want to come home...🤣

2 hours ago, jmhopton said:

Sorry if this has been mentioned elsewhere but the latest Friends email or booklet mentioned that the Balletboyz film of Romeo and Juliet : Beyond Words with Hayward/Bracewell has been nominated for an Arts Emmy Award. Hope it wins. It deserves to though I don't know what the competition is.

 

Also aren't we seeing them partner again in Swan Lake? I bet that's really special though I would have loved to see them do Romeo and Juliet together again. 

 

Coming back to Vadim I've booked to see him Friday 22nd Oct. I've only seen him once before in the role and it wasn't long after he came to the RB. It was the only role I've ever seen him in where I wasn't totally convinced by his performance.  Strange, as he did it so much with ENB,  including Daria Klimitova's final performance. Perhaps for me and some others, it might be the one role that eludes him. I sincerely hope not. I'll definitely be rooting for him and hoping I'll be as moved by both their performances as I was by the Hayward/Bracewell film which I thought was terrific, totally believable and heartbreaking. I'm also booked to see Kaneko/Bracewell, Hayward/Coralles and Takada/Campbell so plenty of opportunities for comparison. 

How wonderful you have the opportunity to see all of these performances! I cherish the memory of seeing the RB live when they toured the U.S. many years ago.  Saw R&J with Sibley/Dowell and it was a life-changing event. My favorite ballet company in the world with the best dancers. The prospect of seeing Muntagirov live is the one thing that might get me on a plane again. (Terrified to fly! LOL!)

8 minutes ago, DanJL said:

In the last run Muntagirov danced with Sarah Lamb (as he has in a number of MacMillan ballets). I was lucky enough to be at one of the performances and thought they were wonderful together. Always worth trying other partnerships though of course.

Yes! He and Sarah are wonderful together!

3 hours ago, Scheherezade said:

Back to the Naghdi/Muntagirov reactions, and, oh dear, I've booked to see them next Friday and now I'm wishing I hadn't. Strange, isn't it, that he and Bracewell are both masters of the understated style and yet Bracewell conveys emotion so well. Having said that, I have previously been extremely moved by Muntagirov's Lensky, and he and Nunez certainly tug at the heartstrings in Giselle so perhaps it's just a matter of chemistry - or lack of - between the leads.

Maybe he needs just the right partner to pull it out of him. Wondering why he and Nunez were not cast as R&J?

I want so much to see Muntagirov's Romeo, but will have to rely on the forum comments to bring it to life for me. I am hoping there will be a video capture of some sort. Have greatly enjoyed reading the comments about the R&J performances so far!

On 09/10/2021 at 16:11, maryrosesatonapin said:

My understanding is that Romeo is of the same class as Juliet, just from a rival family.  But I agree Kaneko came over as much 'classier' as you put it.  And yes, I'd love to see her with Muntagirov.

30 minutes ago, bridiem said:

 

That's so funny, Borzoi! But I do understand - even if you really love ballet, there are times when it does take a real effort to go through the whole palava of getting to a performance and getting home afterwards and etc. There have been a few occasions on which I've chickened out; but when I force myself to go, I'm almost always very glad in the end that I did. 

 

Having said that, I now remember a performance by Houston Ballet many years ago at Sadler's Wells - it was Peer Gynt. I'd been very tired and quite reluctant to go, but I did force myself, and I thought it was just awful. It was when some large artificial camels came prancing on that I drew the line and made for the exit. 

Artificial camels??! Oh, I don't think I would have lived through that one! If I didn't leave I am sure I would have been asked to! LOL!

Well, I don't usually post but must chime in on this! I have a good friend (since elementary school!) that is as passionate about ballet as I am. We have attended many, many performances together and, traditionally, will go out for a bite afterwards and discuss the performance.  On this particular Saturday night we were supposed to see the Miami City Ballet and I cannot remember what they were performing (undoubtedly something Balanchine). I was very tired from working all week, but took a long, hot shower and got into my theatre clothes. She was supposed to pick me up and did arrive in plenty of time so we did not have to rush. I got in her car and we sat back, looked at each other, and sighed. "You up for this?" she asked, wearily. 

"You just want to get something to eat?" I said.

Her face lit up. "Yes! Let's get a burger!"

We went to a nearby restaurant that had great hamburgers, then she said, "You need something from Publix?" That is a local grocery store chain in the same parking lot as the restaurant. So, there we were, on a Saturday night, dressed in black glitter, doing our grocery shopping. I remember spending an obscene amount of time smelling the different soaps on the bath aisle. I am sure the performance we missed was stellar, but sometimes fatigue just gets in the way.  I can honestly say that is the only time I have ever intentionally missed a performance. I do crack up every time I think about that night.. 🤣

What a fabulous birthday present! I saw the RB on their US tour a looooong time ago. My ballet teacher and I drove to Atlanta from FL.  Swan Lake with Nureyev and Fonteyn in the evening and R&J the following day with Sibley and Dowell. Seeing them was a life-changing event. Hope you get your tickets. What a good friend you are!

9 hours ago, Fonty said:

 

I never saw her dance live either.  My experience is based entirely on film and Youtube snippets.  I don't think I have ever seen anyone match her for her ability to radiate joy.  

Would this be the video?https://youtu.be/AmbI8azLrS8

12 hours ago, DanJL said:

I was lucky enough to see Osipova / Clarke, Nuñez / Muntagirov and Naghdi / Bonelli live in this run and can honestly say I found all their fish dives, varied as they were in speed, at least as exciting as the two clips above. 

 

I agree that it's all personal preference. But for me at least, the point is that both slow and fast fish dives can be exciting, yes also both can be musical and lyrical. It's not a case of every dancer choosing one over the other - we can enjoy all the different interpretations. Stylistically Nuñez and Muntagirov choose to draw out the move, presumably because they believe that works best with their overall style. It's a choice I enjoy, but of course other preferences exist 🙂

If my memory serves me, don't the Russian companies leave out the fish-dives altogether? At least the Marinsky.  Please correct me if I'm wrong. 

I, for one, flee to the great classical ballets as an escape from this crazy world. It saddens me to think of them altered or reimagined. Sometimes they are the only things that make sense... 

Do you know if the class will be livestreamed?

Symphony in C.  Love it!

My very first post and I hope it goes through.  We could all use a smile!