Jamesrhblack

I can recall almost nothing of this (I was five years old at the time) beyond being allowed to watch with my parents who thought I'd get bored but sat entranced throughout it and then demanded to go to ballet class (which didn't happen for nearly a year) although a trip was expedited to Nutcracker at the RFH and I do remember asking my father as we walked out of the matinee if they would ever do it again and when he replied"This evening" asking if we could go back in. The following year, there was a matinee of Giselle. It was Sibley's London debut in the role and my most abiding memory of that is the sheer number of flowers on stage afterwards.

Good to be back at the ROH for Fille and I enjoyed the evening very much although not unconditionally. There seemed some tension in Act 1, understandably as it was the first night of the ballet season, and even some unwonted overplaying which turned to coarseness. Alain's bottom wiggling with the flute is simply crass (and it's not what Alexander Grant did originally as can be seen on the original cast recording now available) and some of Thomas' groping of Widow Simone was heavy handed indeed, literally. I was surprised to see the normally fastidious Gary Avis indulging in this. The problem with such exaggerations is that they distort the tone of the ballet. Yes, its touch is light but its emotions (not just between Lise and Colas) run deep at times and if an audience is conditioned only to see comedy even such tender moments as Lise's little bourrees en l'air as Colas lifts her through the farmhouse door raise an unwanted laugh. That Alain is genuinely hurt by the denouement is shown very clearly in the extraordinarily twisted forwards and back lunges that Ashton choreographs as Lise and Colas plead with Simone; it's not just funny. Something seemed to go awry on two of the big lifts too, one in the first scene in a dismount and a second in the Essler coda which didn't happen at all. Nevertheless, after the interval things seemed much more settled and here the affectionate relationship established between Laura Morera's feisty Lise and Thomas Whitehead's pleasingly unguyed Simone achieved moments of real intimacy adding resonance to the emotional truth of the evening. There was a lovely moment in the first act when in mutual frustration they struck the same pose in mirror form on the bench. This Lise was indeed her mother's daughter. I was pleased to see Morera in a leading role again. She can certainly bend and the neatness and detail of her placement and the sincerity of her acting are always a real pleasure to watch. Her frustration, boredom, then almost rapturous tenderness in the Act 2 mime scene were absolutely beautiful and her embarrassment on being discovered read true as well. For me, she did not, on this occasion, match the sheer technical exhilaration and brilliance that I recall from Collier, Jenner, Marquez and Nunez but her partnership with Muntagirov had true sincerity and connection. I imagine it would be hard for any Lise to dominate dance wise against the wonderful Muntagirov whose effortless virtuosity allied to long limbed lyricism and a joyously natural stage personality seemed to glow ever more brightly as the evening progresssed. Previous preferred Colases (Baryshnikov, Campbell, Jeffries, Mukhamedov, Wall) have been more compact physically: indeed, I don't think I've ever seen such a tall and 'leggy' dancer in the role but his technical command is absolute, his stage manner winning. I'm anticipating a greater emotional frisson at Marquez's farewell (nobody can say goodbye like a ballet audience and her partnership with Campbell, rather like Collier's with Mukhamedov, is one of those that I'm truly sorry not to have seen able to be developed further), but for all the niggles, it was a lovely evening from the red in the morning, whose warning comes true in the storm that interrupts the harvest festivities, to the singing exit and Alain's delight in finding his umbrella, and the orchestra seemed on notably positive form under Barry Wordsworth's always affectionate, sympathetic baton.

It states on his Assistant Ballet Master page that he retired as a dancer in 2016. Sander Blommaert has also left.

Morera is listed as the Gipsy Girl on the ROH DVD / Blu Ray release of Pigeons. It was Kaneko in the cinema surely...

It's definitely long, danced to three complete symphonies (albeit with some internal cuts, two by Tchaikovsjy and one, shorter, by Martinu). I'd anticipate the full three hours ....

With respect, I dislike the assumption that just because people are able to seat in the more expensive seats their interest is essentially social. Cultural awareness isn't restricted to those on a tight budget and those of us who are lucky enough to be able to afford to sit in the lower parts of the house are through our higher ticket prices subsidising the cheaper tickets.

Delighted that one of my artists has been invited to sing Katharina Schratt next season. It's not clear if this will be single or double cast but I'm very pleased

Not only is Soares not appearing in Beauty now, but he's out of Fille and Nutcracker (not sure if he did Fille last time but he's certainly danced it in the past) too. Of course, last time, with Osipova's injury, Choe danced more Auroras than anyone else....

With respect,David Wall did dance Beliaev. Indeed, his last full season performance was of this role in 1984 with Sandra Conley (his absolutely last performance was a one off Mayerling at the start of the 1984/1985 season). I'll need to dig out the programme but I think he danced Raymonda Act 3 with Sibley in the first part of the bill but I'll need to dig out the programme....

Absolutely, Sibley and Dowell together were a wonder but in some ways her partnership with Wall was even more emotionally compelling: wonderful memories of Cinderella and Raymonda in particular and there's that astonishing Manon pas de deux on YouTube. Did they ever dance Month together?

So pleased to see the Hayward / Campbell partnership continuing and Takada / Hay and Naghdi / Ball seem really to be establishing themselves too. Disappointed that Stix-Brunell isn't getting her chance, but there are at least four casts here (Cuthbertson / Clarke the fourth) that I would love to see (and, sadly, I doubt that I will manage that so it's now a question of priorities...). Will hope to catch Nuñez / Muntagirov at my local Kino.

I still remember that Sibley, Wall performance really vividly. There's a wonderful Manon Bedroom Pas de Deux with them also late on showing exactly what Floss mentions: you might quibble technically but the performance is so compelling so scarcely notice....

Fille is surely one of the perfect ballets. Not too long, charming score, blissful choreography and (I'm paraphrasing, I think, Mr Macaulay), "the subject may seem light, but the treatment is anything but." Muntagirov with Morera or Nunez will undoubtedly be great but Marquez and Campbell my top tip and as it's her farewell performances there could be some emotional scenes which would also be great fo a ballet novice - nobody can say goodbye like a ballet audience. I think Anastasia is a most interesting piece, and don't subscribe to the argument that it has lost its value now that we know Anna Anderson was not the daughter of the Tsar. It seems to me to have validity as an exploration of memory and identity too and the last act, to that astonishing Martinu score, is tremendous. Sometimes, a new viewer can be more entranced by something that doesn't necessarily conform to expectation, but it is long and undoubtedly responses to background work, which is not necessarily something to which a relatively new viewer might commit. I hope your friend enjoys their visit, whatever you decide, and returns for many more.

"Delicate but not saccharine...."

One would tend to assume that it was, given their greater knowledge of the demands of repertoire and casting as well as promise shown from within. Obviously, not infallible but likely to be better informed than any of us....

No I didn't. I still feel that if promotion were going to happen it would have happened after that but agree with an earlier poster that it seems strange that management felt confident to put her in her first season as Aurora on for Osipova if they were not intending to promote her.

I have to say, and I'm not an unconditional admirer of Ms Choe, that I thought this was very beautiful dancing. I don't think I have seen her perform quite so impressively in London....

Has Edward Watson intimated that this is a possibility?

Poignant indeed... She's doing the Philip Glass next season (one of my conductors is 'carving") but I do wonder if Marguerite and Armand might be the last we see of this fascinating dancer and actress (and will she get Bolle for that if it is the last show?).... Given that she's not cast in Anastasia, for which she would surely have been obvious as the Tsarina, I wonder if she will dance a limited "Guest Principal" schedule next season. Probably wrong to speculate and apologies if any offence caused. I think she's a most distinguished artist.

It's probably also true (although one should never speculate) that she was given her choice of role (given the repertoire) and partner... I, for one, would have been very sad if she has not been dancing with him.

Why unfortunate? They were fantastic together in it last time round as they were when dancing together in Don Q, with onstage chemistry to burn.

And, of course, Takada hasn't danced Fille....

I've not seen Takada in a full length role but her Beauty and Giselle have been notably well reviewed (as was her replacing Osipova in Don Q), and I do remember her catching my eye during Live Fire Exercise in a way that I've not experienced Choe. Takada was also very moving in Woolf Works, although at Winter's Tale I did feel her being shown up in stage projection as the Young Shepherdess by Ms Hayeard's radiant physicality as Perdita. Even at very close quarters that difference was palpable....

With the greatest respect to Yuhui Choe, I don't think that promotion is going to happen and with all the comments on the situation have been trying to clarify my own thoughts, without trying to be so speculative, and to see if others, better informed, have a more informed take. She is an undoubtedly a delightful, beautifully trained dancer and I think that at one point she really was felt by management to be going all the way. She featured in Dances at a Gathering, was the subject of a Royal Ballet feature promo, and began to dance principal roles as well as building a loyal audience fan base. There was much excitement when she danced a one off Nikiya opposite Polunin, although when the ballet came back she was cast as Gamzatti and, if I recall correctly (it's not a ballet to which I rush) danced rather a lot of them. It seems to me the turning point was the last run of Beauty, Management trusted her, a debutante in her first season in the role, to replace Osipova, a world star, and, if one reads the reviews and forums, it seemed to go well, if not more so. Surely, if she were going to have been promoted it would have been after those performances or at the end of that season. So, what has caused her to stall, for want of a better word? I didn't see her in Beauty and am not sure I see a wide enough range of her work to quantify as she's not a dancer I necessary "follow" and for whom I automatically book, although I did see her in Pigeons, where I found her neat but a little saccharine. I know she is generally regarded as working well with the glorious Mr Campbell but I think the prospect of his dancing with the dynamic Ms Hayward is one really to savour as she has a vividness of stage demeanour and presentation that would seem really to ally with his. I'd be genuinely interested to know what other readers think. I wrote that I wouldn't speculate, but I can only imagine how frustrating and disappointing this time of year must have been to Ms Choe.

If you watch the interview with her on the Opus Arte Swan Lake DVD (Nunez/Soares) she makes it very clear that she was trained to do them to both sides. Ms Nunez reacts in incredulity. From much later in her career, there is video footage of her as Odile at the Bolshoi. The turned in arms look strange to modern eyes (well mine anyway) but her virtuosity is definitely impressive....