RosiesDream

I thought it was an extremely well balanced program

What was it like then?

Sorry to be grumpy, but I am NOT going to subscribe at a tenner a month for that lot. I would rather save the cash for the DVDs - at least they won't be taken off stream. Anyways, looking at the offerings I've either got the DVD already, or I'm not bothered because I don't care for the dancers or the  programme. Why don't they stream some of their back catalogue? There are past productions I would give my right arm to see. 

Now that sounds exciting. Much more my cuppa than Mexican magic realism.

Mayerling, Anastasia...

Well, my National Theatre account got hacked, so very careful these days

There have been some overlooked ballet offerings on the minority TV channel "London Live". They showed Fonteyn in the Firebird and Ondine, and had Ballet Orient on for the kids a while back.

Everything is disappearing behind a paywall these days

Sadly, ballet is nothing but competition, and a sensitive person can be desperately hurt.

Don't stop competing, folks, just don't let it matter too much, it is all good practice for life's ups and downs. The following is really good advice

On 19/01/2022 at 14:47, Angela said:

Emeralds, I know all that (at least most of it), and I know about certain variations being given to totally different characters than they were intended to. But cutting some national dances in Nutcracker or Swan Lake sounds a bit different than what Macaulays review says:

"She and her musical colleagues Gavin Sutherland and Lars Payne disregard structure and style, shift individual numbers from act to act, set busy dance steps to non-dance music, and reassign music to different characters. In the first scene, for example, Petipa and Glazunov composed an ensemble waltz for Raymonda’s name day that pauses to give the heroine a brilliant pizzicato solo. But Rojo interpolates a medley of other numbers before the pizzicato – which she gives to a different ensemble rather than to the heroine."

Again, I have not heard the score at ENB, but this sounds - hm.

Well, I'm guessing that for better or worse, 99% of folk that will watch this ballet won't understand the background - In a similar fashion, I am the only person, ever, whose blood boils when she sees the BBC's misguided appropriation of Lark Rise to Candleford, which is not a piece of feel-good Victorian fluff, but a beautifully observed biography of rural Oxfordshire written by a working-class woman, which is socially and culturally important...and I'll get me coat and take my soapbox with me...the thing is, the BBC's version is the one everybody will remember, and I'm thinking that will be the case with Raymonda. Sorry if I digressed too much.

Best wishes to ENB and all who travel to see them...Raymonda looks super in the videos on YouTube...I'm loving the choreography, even if nobody else does.

Wow, nice line-up

Very disappointed that Tamara is going. From my point of view, she's irreplaceable.

I'd resort to Kipling on this one..."Rewards and Fairies"...nice present, if you haven't already got it, though he's out of fashion on many things, the Master of the Soundbite got this one right

Is there a DVD of Sarah Lamb's performance, as she is my favourite Alice. Thanks for any help

You know, in that case they better get rid of the Caterpillar in Alice In Wonderland. I don't want to offend anyone, but people are offended by this? They must have the lowest of "Offence Thresholds". Very sad.

Well, I'm now in my eighth decade, and in my experience, this sort of thing is not confined to the dance world. If one ventures into any walk of life there are toxic elements, be it in the performing arts or the sports world, and when my children were growing up, we experienced it in both. However, they have come through unscathed and although they may not be taking the West End by storm or winning Olympic gold, I believe their experience has been a positive one in the long run, because in adult life, they have the confidence to deal with those difficult situations effectively. Like in Love, it is better to have danced and called it a day, than never to have danced at all.

I was browsing on YouTube a while ago and found this lovely clip

I think one has to accept R&J with all its flaws or do it a la Baz Luhrmann with Radiohead instead of Prokofiev...

Myself, I don't see Nunez as the sugar Plum Fairy. I know others will disagree with me, but hey...

Haven't seen Matthew Bourne's version, but frankly, I've always had my doubts about the  Nutcracker. As a child I just didn't get how a metal crusher could turn into a prince, and the when I actually saw what the painted nutcracker looked like I found it really grotesque. And the mice thing, what's that? It was the stuff of nightmares, I tell you and childhood nightmares linger. Matthew's take on it can only be an improvement.

46 minutes ago, annamk said:

I couldn't see this Gerald Dowler review of Osipova/Clarke cast in the links but apologies if it's there and I missed it. 

 

https://www.classicalsource.com/concert/the-royal-ballet-giselle-natalia-osipova-reece-clarke/

That's an interesting review, and one I mostly agree with, but I don't quite get the reference to Romanticism. I know that the ballet dates from the "Romantic" Era of Music and Art but does that mean it has to be a period piece as in playing Bach on Baroque instruments? [That's a genuine question, not rhetorical] 

One of the points raised is the shallowness of Albrecht's portrayal. I have to say I have never seen a performance of Giselle where I have either been compelled to despise or feel compassion for him, I always feel he is a mere cipher. I know my knowledge is very limited in these matters, because I have seen so few, but I struggle to connect with the classical Albrecht. I'd be happy to hear other folks opinions and even more, their suggestions for a great interpreter.

I have seen the Nureyev interpretation, at least on video, but to me, it was a very self-absorbed portrayal, possibly reflecting more of his own character than Albrecht's; Acosta seemed somewhat removed from the character, as if he was observing rather than inhabiting the role. 

For all of the weaknesses of ENB/Akram Khan's version of the tale, I feel it explores the characters of Hilarion and Albrecht were explored much better.

I would have loved to see Valentino dance Mercutio 😥 I hope he's better soon

Although it's ballet [?]  I thought I'd post this link here, Bolshoi's Nikolay Tsiskaridze as the Sylph. He make a pretty good job, of it too, although not necessarily a pretty Sylph

I enjoyed the ballet rather more than I thought I would, because a) I'm not mad on Petipa's choreography, and b) when I read the synopsis I was reminded of the amusing Victorian "Cameo" ballet in Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, with the woodcutter and the butterflies.

It was a very thin plot for an hour and a half run. Bubblegum ballet, if you will. But after all the tough stuff that's been thrown at us recently, I was in the mood for pretty and tuneful.

I will leave comments on technique to others, but the performance was sweetly pretty with an artless sincerity that is impossible to fake. The music was delightful and the costumes simple and colourful. The little girl dancing the Lily Queen seemed rather good and I hope she will find a career in ballet

I loved it and I think the school can be proud.

9 hours ago, zxDaveM said:

My only small qualm is that 'Ballet' Cymru is becoming more 'Contemporary Dance' Cymru every time I see them (which is sadly less often than I would like), the point shoes are disappearing. The latter two pieces, to my eyes, definitely more contemprary dance (and don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed them) than ballet, and even the first piece wasn't 'classical' ballet. It seems more and more of the small, charming ballet companies are making this conversion, which does make me a little sad

The performance sounded fascinating, but I share your sadness at the prevalence of contemporary dance, not because I dislike contemporary, but because I love ballet, and hate to see classically-trained dancers not using the skills that have taken them so many years of hard work. I always hope to see ballet democratised, but instead it is becoming more elitist, because it is being sidelined [A general comment, not a criticism of Ballet Cymru]

I can only think it's because of the cost of the costumes and the shoes, which although understandable, just makes ballet more precious because it is becoming so rare