Bluebird

It would appear that Sergei's visa problems are over for the next few years:

http://www.thisislon...-dance-in-uk.do

I am certain that there are many, many people who'd be more than happy to make a financial contribution so as to safeguard the future of the site. Maybe the committee could give us an idea of the total amount which might be needed?

I wanted to edit the message above to add something but the editing window must be quite short. I just wanted to add that I've emailed to offer to help in whatever way I can. I hope that email arrived. Do let me know what I can do.

I am certain that there are many, many people who'd be more than happy to make a financial contribution so as to safeguard the future of the site. Maybe the committee could give us an idea of the total amount which might be needed?

Lifted straight off the website:

 

"Booking unavailable due to essential maintenance

16 Feb - Customers cannot book tickets online, in person or over the phone from 7pm Sat 18 until the afternoon of Mon 20 Feb. Calendar and production pages also unavailable."

 

Suspect this means they're rolling out the new website?

I don't think the new website is due till later in the year. They're just preparing the ground for it. Here's a quote from the website:

"This weekend’s work is essential for the new website but all of these changes are behind the scenes, rather than to anything you will be able to see when we reopen booking on Monday."

Agree that Monotones has been sadly neglected by the RB - it's well overdue for an outing. I would also love to see Nijinska's fun 'Les Biches' again And are we going to see MacMillan's 'Prince of the Pagodas' revived at last? It was promised a few seasons ago but plans were abandoned. Wouldn't mind seeing Balanchine's 'Prodigal Son' again soon (although admittedly the gap since we last saw it hasn't been that long).

 

I will think of more...

You haven't got long to wait for Prince of the Pagodas, Ann. It's one of the Period 4 productions. First night 2nd June.

Oh really Bluebird. I stand corrected, thank you. I must have missed that. I would still like to see it in the repertoire again

So sorry. I didn't mean to sound abrupt. I'm doing a lot of things at once and didn't take enough time over the wording of the posting. Sorry!

I should love to see the Royal Ballet doing 'Onegin' again. I think it is 10 years since it was last done.

10 years since it was first done but only 2 since it was last done.(October 2010)

http://www.rohcollections.org.uk/production.aspx?production=6410&row=0

Suite en Blanc's being done at the London Coliseum again, unless the programme's changed in the last few days. Edit: In fact, I see it has: there's no mention of the new Toer van Schayk piece, and I don't remember noticing this before: "Artistic Director Wayne Eagling reconstructs Nijinsky's Jeux with music by Debussy which sees a man and two girls flirting in a summer's garden, following a game of tennis. The performance also features the Acrobat from Nijinska's Le Train Bleu with music by Milhaud."

They don't seem to have informed the Coliseum of the change. The ENO website is still showing a new Toer van Schayk piece:

http://www.eno.org/s...hp?&itemid=1789

Ashton's Two Pigeons (according to the ROH collections database , it's not been done since 1985), Façade (not done since 1994) Monotones (not done at the ROH since 2001) + more performances of those works which have been done more recently - Symphonic Variations and Les Rendezvous

edited to add more works

There was a review in the hard copy Telegraph today but it's not online. It's by Laura Thompson and she gives it 4* . She described most of the cast of Dream as looking "vaguely shell-shocked" & McRae "seemed uncharcteristically overwhelmed by his spinning solos." Of Carlos and Tamara in Song she says "What true, intelligent artists these two are..." Hopefully it will appear online soon.

It's online now:

http://www.telegraph...den-review.html

I think the Telegraph has the wrong month. Wayne Eagling is the artistic director of the Russian Ballet Icons Gala on March 4.

http://www.eno.org/s...hp?&itemid=1991

Something interesting is happening at the moment. The information and casting page for The Dream/Song of the Earth bill is coming up as an error page (all other pages on the ROH website are working normally). I wonder if they're in the process of putting up the modified casting?

Forgot to congratulate Dave on his photos. I know the photographers were messed around a bit that day but it hasn't affected the quality of the photos. As always, they're excellent.

I think a lot of us missed the first night due to a clash with the Royal Ballet Dream/Song of the Earth Insight Evening. I went last night. I’d only seen Narcisse once before (when Tsiskaridze did it in a gala at the RAH). I hadn’t taken to it then but Sergei really impressed me in it last night. The piece that impressed me even more, however, was Maliphant’s AfterLIght, performed by Daniel Proietto. The music, the lighting, the dancing - in fact, everything about the performance, seemed quite sublime.

Just checked my father's Sunday Times which has yet another article on the subject. Hope it's OK to quote a bit from it:

"...........his conduct at the Royal Ballet was exemplary until Tuesday when, according to an insider, there was an argument between him and the company after a rehearsal.

“He was having a bad day — a bad rehearsal — when he took offence at something the coach said. It was a strop. He stormed to the director’s office, and I think the decision was maybe mishandled,” the source said."

A great evening overall but, for me, the highlight was Beatriz Stix-Brunell in Valentino Zucchetti’s piece, Brandenburg Divertissement. She brought to mind the first time I had seen her, as a 15 year old, in Christopher Wheeldon’s Commedia at Sadler’s Wells. That evening she was like quicksilver and the impression she made then has stayed with me ever since. People were saying, after yesterday's performance, that Valentino has the knack of bringing the best out of his dancers. I would agree with that and would say that, in her case, this was doubly true.

end of an era - thanks to all who brought us the links, I know I'm not the only one who appreciates all the hard work that went into them

You're most certainly not the only one, Dave. It must be a very rare ballet.co reader who hasn't made good use of these links. Those who have been compiling them over the years have had a complex and time-consuming task. I can vouch for this as Ann Williams once spent a day training me to do them. I was able to experience for myself the dedication required. Unfortunately family circumstances meant that I wasn't able to make use of my training but I'd been made aware of the incredibly hard work and dedication involved. Many, many thanks to all those who've given up their time to provide us with these links.

I just had a look at the Period 4 prices. The prices for Metamorphosis: Titian 2012 are lower than those for Prince of the Pagodas EXCEPT for the price category which covers the rear and side amphi,row B in the block next to the stage and the Lower Slips. In these areas the prices are actually higher than those for Prince of the Pagodas. I've written to the Box Office querying this and they've replied that it's correct. Odd that they should 'victimise' one group of patrons in this way!

Melissa and Sergei had their second performance this afternoon. I was also at their first and I think I can say that things went more smoothly this time. Poor Melissa had to cope with a crying child throughout her variation but it didn't seem to affect her. Wulff mentions problems with turns. These problems are still there but, apart from the fouettés, I thought I could see some improvement.

I'll be really sad to see Francesca go. Like Alison,. I'll miss her Fairy Godmother. This was a role which suited her to perfection. Amongst her many other roles, she was a gorgeous big swan.

Some time ago, at a Ballet Association meeting, she said that the role she would most like to do was the nurse in Romeo and Juliet! I have no memory of her achieving this ambition. A pity!

I'll second Meunier's comments. This is the best Christmas present you could have given us. Thank you! Let's hope we can all make it work.