Emeralds

Funnily enough, the Royal Ballet's Swan Lakes have had Siegfried in black tights for Act 3 from as far back as the late 1970s (at least!) till now - in the Ashton/Morrice, Dowell and Scarlett productions. But Siegfried has been visible in the two older versions. The difference has been the lighting and the set- this has been the darkest set and lighting we've had. I've been able to see Siegfried easily in the others but this one is really dark. (And I don't think our eyesight collectively deteriorated dramatically between 2015 to 2018!) Even if you watch the Act 3 pas de deux on DVDs of the 3 productions on the same day, the current production is too dark. Perhaps they could reposition some courtiers further back and more centrally to add a bit of light colour to the background!

I definitely agree commitment to the home company should come first- and if it's SFB, would have thought 2 weeks was more than enough time to learn a production. Many guest artists learn it in far less time. I'm still assuming it's a good reason (ie not due to guesting) unless we are told otherwise, but hopefully not due to serious injuries or anything worse. Sorry you have to miss tonight's show, @capybara- lots of lovely performances among the second casts and the ensemble.

Beatriz Stix-Brunnell was a popular choice with Wheeldon (she joined his Morphoses dance company while still a student at ballet school) and always looked excellent in his ballets- she danced Alice at every run, as far as I can recall. Fun fact: Marianela Nunez actually danced Alice in the first run opposite Rupert Pennefather as Jack/the Knave of Hearts but hasn't danced the role for a long time. Wonder whose choice that was- I would have bought tickets to see her in the last run as well, if she'd been cast 😊 Hope Vadim will still be on the list to dance Jack/TKOH. I'd like to see Sambe, Clarke, Corrales, Bracewell &/or Hay in the role too.

Yes, it's all a bit of a mystery as Osipova isn't due to dance anything with RB till 7 June in the Ashton mixed bill (Five Brahms Waltzes....) and Clarke is dancing Swan Lake with Lamb next Saturday (replacing Hirano) but his name is still on that....and Lamb is dancing tonight. Osipova is scheduled to dance Swan Lake on 30 April and 3 May at San Francisco Ballet but that's 2 weeks and 3 days away...surely there would have been sufficient time to dance tonight then fly over to SFB for rehearsals. I haven't looked up the rest of Osipova's freelance schedule. Wonder what the underlying reason is, as it's three dancers replaced. Hope nobody is injured. It would be a pity if any patrons had booked tonight just to see the second cast for DD, having already seen the first cast, although they would know substitutions can occur. (Excellent first cast though!)

Well spotted @Dawnstar- I must say I thought Donnelly being cast as Rothbart last night for Swan Lake was very unexpected because he would be quite worn out after a full length turn as Rothbart (who unusually is in 4 acts plus prologue whereas in other productions he's only in 3 acts, +/- prologue) to be then dancing Drum Major the following night too. Maybe the cast was changed because of this, or maybe it was due to something else. That said, Marcelino Sambe could also be tired out after dancing Siegfried last night- an even more tiring role! - and he's now dancing Woyzeck tonight! Glad it's not just me that's spotted the Verklarte Nacht/Different Drummer mismatch/juxtaposition - thanks for the poem quotes, @JohnS. Come to think of it, it would be great if any company (ballet or contemporary dance) could revive/acquire Kylian's Verklarte Nacht (which is much older than Different Drummer) - it's a positive story and almost looks like a classical ballet minus the pointework. Used to be danced a lot by various companies and not just NDT. Hopefully next time round the souvenir programme or cast sheet will provide the much needed synopsis of the Different Drummer storyline, which was definitely available in the programme or cast sheet a long time ago. I can't attend tonight but would be keen to read the opinions from those who are going tonight, since I'll be missing Isabel Lubach in the Agnus Dei role.

With regards Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, I saw it on TV with the original cast before seeing it live in ROH, and initially wasn't sure about whether to watch it live. I would say that if you watch it on tv/DVD/online first then live, it is much, much better live, and you don't have to go with children-to me it actually looks more adult and teenager oriented than child oriented! Nothing at all like Disney or the older Derek Deane production for ENB. NB if your seat is quite far away, eg middle or rear Amphitheatre (or even closer), I would advise using opera glasses or binoculars to enjoy the full effect of the jokes.

Correct- 6. The Friday matinee is labelled "schools matinee" to let patrons know there may be school groups attending, but unlike the ROH schools matinees that are only for schools, the public can book and attend ENB schools matinées.

Unfortunately it clashes with the BRB Sleeping Beauty- and unfortunately I can't go for any of the other performances so it has to be Sat for SB. I highly recommend this orchestra (London Philharmonic), the conductor (Jurowski), and singers Sinead Campbell-Wallace, who was a stunning Tosca at ENO (the Royal Opera should really hire her ASAP) and Claire Barnett Jones, who was picked as a last minute replacement for a candidate with a positive Covid test at the Cardiff Singer of the World competition and went on to win her group and wow audiences.

There's also the May and June performances and I think the Rothbarts and Bennos tend to be matched with the Odette-Odiles and Siegfrieds they have already danced together with. There's the possibility that Donnelly might be Rothbart to another Odette-Odile/Siegfried team in April, May or June (provided it isn't too close to his Winter's Tale performances I suppose). I suppose once you see the casting for the first dates that Hayward, Takada, Kaneko, Naghdi, Lamb, Sasaki, Osipova and Calvert are dancing, you'll have an idea of who their Rothbart will be for their next performance. It's tempting to suggest getting a Friday Rush a week in advance for any pairing who are only dancing Fridays and weekends - just risking £4 to return it if it turns out not to be the supporting cast you'd like, but at least you won't miss out on a bench ticket again. Must say that's really very unusual that Anna Rose O'Sullivan and Marcelino Sambe were assigned only Fri & Sat shows; usually everyone gets at least 1 week night.

That's really bad luck about the timing, @Dawnstar 😟 ....missing out on the information just by several hours! Can only hope a return ticket miraculously appears in an area you can buy for the 18th. 🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀

So it's very likely (though no guarantees, as injuries/illness/etc can occur) that David Donnelly and Taisuke Nakao will reprise their roles as Rothbart and Benno respectively at the 18th April evening and 27th April matinee performances. I believe these are role debuts for both Donnelly and Nakao- very exciting! Madison Bailey and Liam Boswell were brilliant in the Neapolitan Dance in the last run. Great casting in tonight's show! Toi toi toi to all

Tiny digression but while we're comparing (or just recalling) Don Quixote productions eg Nureyev's vs Acosta's, National Ballet of Canada is acquiring Acosta's production of Don Q this season. From the photos and trailer used for marketing it, it looks like it is the BRB version that they have in mind.

ABT is the latest company to dance Woolf Works, Wayne McGregor's successful full length ballet about Virginia Woolf and her writings, originally created on Alessandra Ferri and the Royal Ballet with an original score by Max Richter. ABT performed Woolf Works for the first time last night at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California, and the run ends on Sunday 14 April. The company is due to perform the ballet in June at the Metropolitan Opera House as well. The scheduled casts include Hee Seo, Devon Teuscher and Gillian Murphy in the role of Virginia Woolf/Mrs Dalloway, and Isabella Boylston, Skylar Brandt, Catherine Hurlin, Christine Shevchenko, Cassandra Trenary, Joo Won Ahn, Aran Bell, Daniel Camargo, Thomas Forster, Calvin Royal III, Cory Stearns and James Whiteside in other roles. Looking forward to reviews and feedback from any members who are attending one or more performances! 🙂

Wasn't meaning "interesting" in a negative or sarcastic sense, as some might do- I meant that it's actually made me interested in looking for returns (the performances are sold out), although I've never been to Draft Works before.

Interesting to see that Xander Parish is dancing in the Norwegian National Ballet's offering!

If she had fallen, she is likely to have killed or permanently paralysed whoever she fell on downstairs in the orchestra stalls while she escaped with minor or no injuries (unless the seats and aisles were all vacated). Even a small object like a mobile phone or opera glasses falling from the ledge could cause serious or paralysing injuries if knocked off onto someone below. Another reason why I no longer buy orchestra stalls tickets any more.....and if I have to, it's as far away from all the ledges as possible.

I've seen a number of Don Q productions - some brilliant and some not as enjoyable. I think for me Nureyev's version comes out ahead of Acosta's two versions, and Acosta's BRB version comes out slightly ahead of his RB version. But Carlos needn't feel too upset about that conclusion- Nureyev had had a lot of practice staging the classics before he did his Paris Opera Don Q, while the RB Don Q was Carlos's first ever attempt at a full length classic. By the time he did the BRB production, he had had a bit more practice, and he could improve or correct some parts that didn't work so well. The only bit of the BRB version- which I enjoy immensely- that could probably do with some revisiting is the costume and hairdo for Amour because they look perfect on some dancers and strange on others! Have a look at other versions by Nureyev and some others on YouTube or DVD and see what you think.

Ah, Dawnstar, my longwindedness might have implied I didn't agree but I think we're actually singing from the same hymn sheet, so to speak. I think we agree that the current lead principals are correctly ranked and I'd say the current absence of (non-lead) principals is just coincidence. Like you, I thought it was surprising that Haw wasn't offered a principal position, but as there is a big jump in pay from first soloist to principal at ENB, perhaps Watkin was being cautious of offering a promotion before audiences, the board or both had seen him dance a full ballet here. I think Haw, McCormick and Khaniukova deserve promotion to (non-lead) principal now, for the quality of the performances all three have given recently.

Operalia has probably overtaken Cardiff SOTW in terms of influence as a competition in the last two decades. The equivalent of these two would be the International Ballet Competition which rotates around Varna (Bulgaria), Jackson (in Mississippi, USA), Helsinki, New York and Shanghai each year. Previously Tokyo and Moscow were part of the same group while Helsinki, New York and Paris were initially organised independently. Moscow now goes it alone (more so after February 2022). The Tokyo one has stopped although there are now competitions in Nagoya and neighbouring Seoul that replace it. Not quite sure if the Paris one has stopped as well. There are actually more dancers who have taken part in them than people realise: Lauren Cuthbertson and Laurretta Summerscales each got noticed more and cast in lead roles then promoted, after returning with a medal from a competition; Shiori Kase, Jeffrey Cirio, Isaac Hernandez, Tamara Rojo, Carlos Acosta and Sarah Lamb, for example, have all won medals at one or more of these competitions. Not all winners go on to succeed in professional dance careers and you don't have to enter one to have a successful career, but it's often useful for getting a good first job or getting lead roles and promotion.

Really sad to hear that you or anyone you know has been charged extra, Peanut68. Simple standard variations (OK they are not simple to do well) should be taught at all ballet schools. Music students get taught standard sonatas, etudes and concertos as part of their syllabus and they can enter competitions with that. No need for extra fees. (Of course, not everyone is necessarily good enough to win, not without a lot of study and practice.) Ballet students should get the same. If they aren't learning the Giselle, Don Q and Swan Lake variations, what in the world are they doing all day?? (Practising the technique, some might say, but it has to be put together into a variation. Many ballet schools abroad are teaching the variations as young as 14- not in a precocious or freaky fashion (that would be teaching it at 7....which unfortunately does exist!) but educating them about the phrasing, line and meaning, so they gradually build up the difficulty. I don't know of any successful winner at a major competition who went with a teacher- you've been tricked if a teacher said they must go. Katherine Healy (silver, Jackson, gold, Varna) went with her mother to Jackson because she was underage (14) but most go on their own. If they are young, and it's a city where English is not the first language, going with a parent or trusted relative can help. Don't pick an expensive hotel. There's absolutely no need to bring a teacher or coach- it's too late to learn anything new, and there's no need to analyse a performance afterwards- it really doesn't help the student. Many competitions such as YAGP put the rounds on YouTube. Competitions shouldn't be expensive either- you're don't get more points for a couture tutu, and you're not expected to fly direct to get there. You do have to get costumes but there are inexpensive second hand tutus, or you can dance Giselle and Swanilda's variations which have cheaper skirts, and Medora's variation can also be danced in a costume with a flowing skirt which works out cheaper. Likewise there are sensible ways to create a good male costume. Don't be quick to fork out a lot of money or assume you must. But graduates do need to have the drive to get ahead. There are an awful lot of very good graduates all competing for the same job. That said, companies that advertise auditions when there are no jobs or charge money for auditions- both are deplorable. You must ask before going to any audition- any decent company will tell you how many jobs are available. They're not obliged to hire if nobody is good enough but they should be honest about no vacancies.

I did wonder if Watkin was doing away with 2 categories for Principal, Dawnstar, but the truth is that the dancers he elevated to Lead Principal, Hawes and Arrieta, had actually been performing at Lead or "Etoile" level for some time now. Whether one likes their performing style or not, the quality of Hawes' and Arrieta's dancing and acting in the last season and this season show that they've earned that elevation. And although I complained about Sangeun Lee getting an instant promotion to Lead Principal on entry to ENB, she proved straightaway in the new Dawson work that she's definitely dancing like an etoile, or Lead Principal, and deserves that rank. Every performance I've seen her give has been that of a true star. I think Gareth Haw is dancing like a principal too, and deserves promotion soon. although I need to see him in a few more classical variations to be able to say whether that's more like Premier danseur/Principal/junior Principal level or more like Lead Principal/Etoile level. Certainly his partnering is like that of a Lead Principal. I just need to see more of the other side of his skills. 😊

I'm afraid 200 dancers to audition for just 4 places is actually common around the world - 12 is actually a massive number- if you shortlist it to only 25 or even 30, the 170 who weren't called will say "why wasn't I shortlisted? At least let me turn up to show you what I can do in person. A photo can't dance". There isn't an easy way to answer the question. Nobody wants to believe they will be the 13th dancer who won't get hired for one of the 12 spots or the 5th dancer who doesn't get one of the 4 jobs available. That's how you end up with 200 at one audition. I personally wouldn't pay for pre-audition classes/sessions/talks etc. I suspect sometimes they get organised because they get so many queries by phone or email from candidates (or their parents) hoping for tips. (I personally wouldn't organise one either- the costs of studio or room hire, cost of music or a pianist, insurance etc....) If you're very good, they will hire you whether you've done the session or not. And unfortunately, with the arts scene the way it is nowadays, LCB could even have filled all their positions with experienced freelance dancers in Britain without sp much as an audition because there are many of them. I have mentioned this next suggestion before and some parents have strong views about this: competitions. Not any fly by night one but just YAGP, Prix de Lausanne and International Ballet Competition Varna, Helsinki, Jackson (in Mississippi, USA), New York, Tokyo, or Shanghai. Ballet company directors do attend them, watch the rounds, and offer jobs to medallists and finalists they rate highly. Yes, there is a cost involved to prepare and get there. But if you think about it, travelling to every company individually for an audition adds up by the time you travel to 10 companies especially if they are abroad. (I understand PdL covers or subsidises travel expenses but you might need to double check current rules.) At a competition, 15 or more directors could be watching to select dancers. So with an international competition it could end up cheaper than going to audition at 15 different companies across the UK and abroad. You will be given a chance to perform your solo or pas de deux on stage whereas at auditions you could be rejected even before you have finished barre work. If you do really well in a competition you get a certificate or medal (or even prize money as well) which nobody can take away from you and will always remain on your cv (eg "finalist, senior women, IBC Helsinki" "bronze medal, junior division, YAGP Rimini/Tamps/New York etc") whereas you can't put down "made it to the last 6 of audition for X Ballet but didn't get hired". There is video preselection for competitions of course- some competitions are more tough to get through and others less so. With regards to ballet companies, graduates/students/parents might also want to look up Grand Audition and see if that is something that will work for you/your offspring. 10 companies currently take part. This is not advice saying what one must or mustn't do. Just options to consider. Being a dancer is a realy tough career nowadays.

They have those blocks at the back which the dancers move themselves on the stage ...hopefully the company has checked they fit the venue OK! Would be curious to know what you think of the production, Sophoife!

Very interesting and informative points, thank you @Linnzi5. Regarding the autocue issues, I wonder why they can't print out what is on it (since it's obviously pre-written) and give Darcey a copy in advance so that she can prepare/memorise it, and even if she changes a couple of words, it's better than witnessing her stumbles onscreen. Had no idea it was Petroc Trelawney co-presenting.....I'm sure if they had said, to him "Do a summary of the meaning and text of Fauré's Requiem to fill 2 minutes" he will do so beautifully as he will have covered it for Radio 3 before. He also presents at the Proms and Cardiff Singer of the World so he's used to filling in x number of minutes or seconds on a live broadcast. And of the current classical music presenters working today, he and Katie Derham are the only ones I've seen who are able to discuss ballet knowledgeably. They could also have got Darcey to fill in about Requiem being a tribute to Cranko as she has danced the ballet many times. What a shame about cast list for cinemas being wrong .....especially when the correct one was online at the same time! I assume the printed lists are done far in advance in their office but perhaps the cinemas could have put up printed notices saying that cast changes are online and given the link address or QR code.

I came here thinking there were some more reviews about the last performance on 6 April or suggestions about future debuts/performances to look for and got slightly confused by the Matthew Bourne discussion. 😉 Don't mind me..... 😁