Bluebird

Sorry to disappoint you, Capybara, but the casting on the ROH website was the only version I saw and I didn't see any mention of a Family Matinée. Having said that, I think you're probably right. Partnerships who are only down for one public performance, almost always do either a schools or a family matinée.

That Traviata broadcast was in 1994.

They've given in. Cast sheets were freely available for this afternoon's performance. Sadly, attendance was so poor that even the Upper Circle was closed. Only the Stalls and the Dress Circle were open.

......also, stalls circle bench seats C17 to 21 and C92-96 are now available during Friends' priority booking.. Those (+ the standing places Anna mentions) account for all but one of the lost places.

When the Autumn casting was first published the Welcome Performance and Schools' Performance casts were on the list. They were swiftly taken off but I kept a copy of the original. The Welcome Performance cast is scheduled to be Francesca Hayward and Matthew Golding. The Schools' Performance is scheduled to be danced by Yasmine Naghdi and Matthew Ball. Neither will appear on the ROH website as the Welcome Performance is for families who have never bought tickets to a performance at the ROH and the Schools' Performance is, of course, only for groups of school students. Edited to add link to details of Welcome Performances: http://www.roh.org.uk/learning/families/welcome-performances

I think the problem is that they have decided that the tickets for two of the mixed bills this Autumn should be priced in the same way as full evening ballets - i.e. seats that have, in the past, been priced at £6 for mixed bills are priced at £16 for the Monotones/Two Pigeons bill and also for the Viscera quad bill.

..........and Swan Lake.

A couple of names seem to have been left off the ENB Friends' email. Tiffany Hedman has also been promoted to First Artist and the names of Nicola Henshall and Chantel Roulston have been added to the mid-season leavers. Here is the link to the announcement which is now on the ENB website: http://blog.ballet.org.uk/promotions-new-joiners-20152016-season/

It's been pointed out to me that Isaac Hernandez has a very similar appearance to Joan Zamora and I now realize that it might well have been Isaac that we saw at the far end of the Markova House studio.

I was there that day and also thought that I saw Joan Zamora. However the person I thought was Joan was only watching the rehearsal - i.e. he didn't take part in it.

News just sent to Friends of ENB: PROMOTIONS AND NEW JOINERS Artistic Director Tamara Rojo is delighted to announce promotions within the Company and details of new joiners for 2015/2016 season. Alison McWhinney, James Streeter, and Max Westwell have all been promoted to Soloist. Cesar Corrales, who joined the Company in 2014, has been promoted to Junior Soloist. Anjuli Hudson has been promoted to First Artist and Barry Drummond has been promoted to 8th Year Artist. Huge congratulations to them all! We are also thrilled to announce Osiel Gounod, currently a Principal with The Norwegian National Ballet, joins us as Guest Artist for the 2015/2016 season. You can read more about Osiel here. Emilio Pavan, currently a Junior Soloist with Queensland Ballet, joins the Company as Soloist. Joining English National Ballet as Artists are William Beagley, Josie Frick and Erik Woolhouse (The Royal Ballet School),Naomi Bottomer (English National Ballet School) and Prix de Lausanne prize winner Rina Kanehara. The excitement isn't over: continuing to work with the very best talent from around the world, ENB also sees the legendary Irek Mukhamedov join its artistic team at the start of the 2015/2016 season when he joins as Principal Ballet Master and Character Artist. Many of you will remember the exhilarating masterclass he led in September last year and we are delighted that Irek is returning to ENB next season. LEAVERS After 22 years with the Company, Lead Principal Dmitri Gruzdyev retires at the end of the 2014/2015 season. Having joined English National Ballet in 1993 Gruzdyev performed Principal roles in all the major classics including Balanchine’s Apollo, both Des Grieux and Lescaut in Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon, Romeo in Nureyev’s Romeo & Juliet, and more recently in the Company’s production of Le Corsaire in the lead roles of Conrad and Lankendem. After 11 years with the Company, Principal Arionel Vargas, also leaves English National Ballet. Vargas performed Principal roles in Mary Skeaping’s Giselle with Albrecht being a particular favourite role and recently appeared in the Company’s production of Le Corsaire. Vargas has also danced both Lescaut and Des Grieux in MacMillan’s Manon and made many guest appearances throughout the world. Nathan Young, Seo Yeon Yu and Joan Sebastian Zamora, left the Company mid-season.

Too late to edit the above posting, but it just occurred to me that some might challenge my view of Ratmansky as a 'western' choreographer. If so, I apologize for applying the term too loosely.

But surely this music appears in a number of versions by western choreographers? I don't remember whether or not Bintley uses it but it's certainly in the final act of the Corder and Ratmansky versions. Also, unless I'm very much mistaken, although Wheeldon doesn't use it in the final act, he does use it in Act 2 for the dances of the three princesses (Russian, Spanish and Balinese)

Below is the list of this year's RBS contracts as printed in the Linbury Season Programme: Chisato Katsura Royal Ballet Lukas Bjørneboe Brændsrød Royal Ballet Aud Jebsen Young Dancers Programme Harry Churches Royal Ballet Aud Jebsen Young Dancers Programme Leo Dixon Royal Ballet Aud Jebsen Young Dancers Programme Isabel Lubach Royal Ballet Aud Jebsen Young Dancers Programme Julia Roscoe Royal Ballet Aud Jebsen Young Dancers Programme Letícia Dias Domingues Birmingham Royal Ballet Rachele Pizzillo Birmingham Royal Ballet Brooke Ray Birmingham Royal Ballet Kento Sumitani American Ballet Theatre William Beagley English National Ballet Josephine Frick English National Ballet Erik Woolhouse English National Ballet Adam Ashcroft Estonian National Ballet Monja Obrul Mikhailovsky Ballet Laurynas Vejalis National Ballet of Canada Killian Smith National Ballet of Portugal Henry Dowden National Romanian Ballet Alexander Yap Northern Ballet Grace Robinson Northern Ballet – Apprentice Kenji Wilkie Norwegian National Ballet – Apprentice Grace Horne Scottish Ballet Giulia Frosi Semperoper Ballett Dresden Gareth Haw Semperoper Ballett Dresden Benjamin Thomas Stuttgart Ballet – Apprentice Sophie Moffatt Washington Ballet Studio Company Apologies for the strange spacing. I don't seem able to copy and paste Word documents accurately!

I had the same experience so I went to my address book and found the postcode of an American friend. The Chicago Tribune was quite happy with that and allowed me to register!

Leanne Cope's success on Broadway is featured in an item in today's London Evening Standard: http://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/leanne-cope-tonynominated-royal-ballet-dancer-takes-on-broadway-10299457.html

That's interesting that the Astaire Awards were announced in advance. When I posted earlier today I posted the only reference I could find. There has, however, since been another: http://www.broadway.com/buzz/181039/an-american-in-paris-on-the-town-share-2015-astaire-award-wins/ I note that Leanne Cope was the only winner of the Best Female Dancer award. Chris Wheeldon shared his award for Best Choreographer with Joshua Bergasse (On The Town) and Robert Fairchild shared his award for Best Male Dancer with Tony Yazbeck (also On The Town)

Were the Astaire Awards winners announced in advance? I just saw a tweet saying that An American in Paris had won several of them. I've had trouble finding details online but the following article contains the names of the winners of the awards, including Leanne Cope, Robert Fairchild and Christopher Wheeldon: http://www.showbiz411.com/2015/06/02/harvey-weinstein-gets-the-astaire-award-we-need-new-voices-on-broadway-we-need-guys-like-me-on-broadway

Thanks, Bruce. I happened to notice that the awards were given yesterday and didn't know that the recipients had been announced in advance of the ceremony.

2014-2015 Theatre World Awards for An American in Paris Robert Fairchild and Leanne Cope have both won awards for their roles in An American in Paris: Robert Fairchild is named as a Theatre World Award Recipient. . Leanne Cope is named as the 2015 recipient of the Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in the Theatre. http://www.theatreworldawards.org/current-recipients.html

A fascinating interview and beautifully written up. I'm especially interested as I've been following Charlotte's career since I first saw her dancing Liam Scarlett's choreography in the Linbury when she was in Year 7 at White Lodge. Now she's following in Liam's footsteps. The last time the Genée was in London Liam was the commissioned choreographer. This year Charlotte has that honour! http://www.rad.org.uk/news/charlotte-edmonds-to-be-genee-2015-commissioned-choreographer

Just noticed that Francesca Hayward's name is no longer on the Coliseum website. I hope she hasn't withdrawn from the production.

I just noticed that Ryoichi Hirano is to replace Rupert Pennefather in the performances of Song of the Earth on May 29 and June 4 http://www.roh.org.uk/news/cast-change-ryoichi-hirano-to-dance-in-song-of-the-earth-on-29-may-and-4-june-2015 Edited to correct typo

I felt the same way, Alison, so was pleased to see that the complete solo, including the gargouillades, can be seen on the BBC website. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02qqf09

A "certain Mr McRae" did do it and, anyone who has the 2005 DVD, will still be able to see him leading the pony. As for the cinema performance, we had a recent recruit (Calvin Richardson, who graduated from the RBS last summer) and a Second Year student, currently still at the RBS. I'm not sure if it's appropriate to post the student's name here.