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art_enthusiast

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  1. art_enthusiast
    Indeed - I have a few ballet DVDs and have been tempted to purchase some more, but mainly for my grandparents. I watch all content online mainly through Amazon Prime and YouTube, and I feel that there's not much point buying DVDs if I'm not going to use them! But I still really want to watch the ballets. I have the Marquee TV app on my phone, which I also use a lot for watching ballet/opera on the go. It would be great if the ROH could have their own version of that...
  2. art_enthusiast
    The ROH Instagram has just shared the promotion news, along with some excellent photos.
  3. art_enthusiast
    Streaming is definitely more accessible, for those who aren't in close proximity to a cinema or those who may have mobility concerns preventing them to travel. Just wondering, what would be the financial barrier to making more online streams available? I would think that they could charge a relatively reasonable monthly fee which might give users access to a few streams to watch - in a model similar to Amazon Prime or Netflix. I can think of many people (including myself) who would gladly pay a subscription for it. It would also bring in new audiences.
  4. art_enthusiast
    Just letting everyone know - Swan Lake (2018) is still on BBC iPlayer for a short while, if anyone wants to watch.
  5. art_enthusiast
    Yes indeed. Just because a male dancer isn't particularly tall, which I believe is a significant characteristic of the 'danseur noble' it shouldn't mean that they are relegated to certain types of roles based on height, when they have so many other incredible technical and dramatic qualities that are definitely suited to principal roles. I recall Steven McRae saying in a podcast that he was told to dye his hair darker in order to make himself look more 'princely' and that he was initially made to feel a bit self conscious about his height. Well, look at him now - excelling in the princely roles, as well as many others! It definitely doesn't affect his partnering ability. I love that the male (and female) principals of the RB have such differences which make them all unique and interesting performers.
  6. art_enthusiast
    That's very true. I was admittedly slightly underwhelmed by Francesca Hayward's Odette/Odile. But I am well aware that she's obviously an amazing dancer, with extremely strong artistry and dramatic qualities and her Ashtonian ability is known as one of her great strengths. I saw her in Rhapsody twice in April and was completely spellbound by her performance. I remember thinking that the role appeared to be made for her, she appeared to be so much more confident. Not saying she isn't made for Odette/Odile as well - just that more experience with the role will make her more confident in it. If a dancer doesn't excel in the role now, they most likely will in the future.
  7. art_enthusiast
    Indeed. Food critics are not professional chefs, art/music critics are not artists or musicians, and dance critics are most commonly not dancers. Yet somehow they are paid to express their opinions. I'm not sure why the rules should be different for experienced and knowledgeable ballet enthusiasts, as long as they express their views respectfully and constructively.
  8. art_enthusiast
    I wholeheartedly agree with this. What would be the point of a forum at all, if everyone agreed with each other? I originally visited this forum for different perspectives and honest opinions that would help me improve my own critical thinking. I don't believe that politeness and respect necessitate agreeing with everyone, particularly in the art world where opinions can be largely subjective, and audience members react in different ways. Surely that's one of the main purposes of art in the first place - to incite different reactions, to educate people about different things and broaden their frame of reference. With regards to Anna Rose O'Sullivan's performance, I was at the debut where she slipped. I do agree with @Finnbarr's point, it does break the 'spell' in a certain way, and you do start to worry about them as people, not the characters they are portraying - I felt the same way at Sarah Lamb's very small slip on Tuesday, which did not detract from the rest of her amazing performance but does jerk you out of the story slightly. You wonder if they are possibly ill or not feeling their best, or potentially now injured or unsettled - I know that dancers do perform ill or injured at times because they have no other choice, and I have huge respect for them for doing that. Also, I understand that as a consumer, you have paid a premium price for a performance experience that has been marketed as very high quality, by a company that is internationally renowned. Therefore, you will have certain expectations. That is entirely reasonable - especially if it's your first time seeing the ballet, as it also was for me. But as people have said, the fouettés are a very small part of an extremely rich four act ballet and she was superb in every other respect. I also attended her later two performances with Steven McRae. I thought that she was very driven to have another chance to prove herself, and I saw her greatly improved, almost hitting the complete number of fouettés without a single pause before adding some pique turns to make up for the rest of the counts. I found her much more confident and relaxed in the role. It just goes to show the importance of experience and how it can be extremely beneficial for a younger dancer to have more than one attempt a such a huge role - which is why I wish some of the other Odette/Odile debutantes had the chance to do additional shows as well.
  9. art_enthusiast
    Definitely agree with all of these. I actually assumed that Ashley Dean, Leticia Dias, Mariko Sasaki and Sae Maeda were already Soloists initally, as I've noticed them a lot this year (particularly during the Swan Lake run) and they all seem extremely stunning, capable dancers. Of course there are many others who are extremely well deserving - and I believe Annette Buvoli has been in the company for quite a while? Definitely due for a promotion I would say. It's been great to see her as one of the Two Swans, as I missed her Myrtha performances. It's really good to see how well she has recovered from her injury. I would love to see Joseph Sissens as First Soloist, though I agree with @FLOSS's point about prioritising promotions in the lower ranks, as it looks as if there would be a more significant advancement there for many different dancers. I always notice Joonhyuk Jun and Téo Dubreuil on stage - also Stanisław Węgrzyn, who has really stood out to me in all the Draft Works performances! Regarding the Aud Jebsen Young dancers, does anyone know how many normally get taken into the company? I believe they all had a significant contract extension due to the impact of the pandemic? I personally find all of them amazing.
  10. art_enthusiast
    Surely none of the other male principals are at retirement age? (I hope not anyway!) I understand that they could leave for other reasons as well.
  11. art_enthusiast
    Thanks for the explanation. Why exactly, though? It seems quite unfair, having to purchase both seats in order to sit where you want to sit
  12. art_enthusiast
    Yep it's working, but it keeps saying "Your selection cannot leave single seats" which is really annoying. Is anyone else experiencing this? I only wish to book one seat! It seems for the first and last nights, you have to book multiple seats. Bizarre
  13. art_enthusiast
    Was wondering where to ask this...the title of this thread does include 'lockdown', and I certainly don't want to predict or mention another one happening. But - is anyone concerned about the monkey pox virus at all, and the whether the rising cases will impact anything?
  14. art_enthusiast
    Is the website down for anyone else? Currently can't see the performances listed
  15. art_enthusiast
    Interesting - will this film be available to watch afterwards, does anyone know?
  16. art_enthusiast
    Thanks - so I assume from this that as long as you purchase insurance with the ticket, you can obtain some sort of refund
  17. art_enthusiast
    Just wanted to add my agreement to this. I also wanted to add that Steven McRae was a superb Siegfried (in both of his performances) and it was great to see his restored confidence and passion for dance on stage again. His relationship with her was very strong throughout, they really told the story incredibly well through their emotions. I have been following his recovery journey via Instagram, as I'm sure many others here have as well - it's very inspiring to see him conquer the obstacles and get back to where he wants to be. I very much like to see the reality/hard work behind perfection - which is why the RB's rehearsal/class videos (and other companies) are some of my most watched on YouTube! I'm also very interested in the psychological aspects of ballet and injury recovery, and how the trauma of an injury can literally make you terrified to dance again. To anyone who has overcome that (as I'm sure most if not all ballet dancers have) it is such an incredible achievement. It really makes you appreciate the performance as a whole even more.
  18. art_enthusiast
    Does anyone know if Theatre Royal gives credit notes if you can't attend due to illness/Covid/some other reason
  19. art_enthusiast
    That's true, I also noticed that
  20. art_enthusiast
    I find it very gracious, the way that Sarah gives a flower to her partner and the conductor as well. Very sweet to observe!
  21. art_enthusiast
    This is definitely a valid concern. I also noticed this issue on my laptop when booking for the summer season - unable to click on seats properly in order to select them. Sometimes refreshing the page can solve it - but then of course, you've most likely lost the seats.
  22. art_enthusiast
    Indeed. Either way, it was great to see Claire back as a Big Swan tonight as well. Sublime performance from Sarah Lamb and Ryoichi Hirano - I was particularly moved by Act 4.
  23. art_enthusiast
    Joseph is back as Benno! 😊
  24. art_enthusiast
    Was just wondering, where did you hear about this?
  25. art_enthusiast
    Indeed. She's an amazing dancer, and definitely deserves more opportunities. I found her Juliet this year incredibly moving.
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