Emeralds

I thought Jane S said explain what they are, but then realised she said what the point of buying, so I gave up, haha, as I don’t even understand the point of buying NyanCat for $500,000, or buying music from Grimes or any artist at that price. If I had $500,000 to spare, I would rather buy a limo ride to the Opera House and back home every show for a year (to avoid rushing for trains), plus extra ballet tickets. I don’t think Natalia is hoping to make it rich this way, but just to experiment with something new. I think normal prices (from what the teens tell me), are more like £1 to £2 per NFT. Natalia is quite adventurous at trying new things.

Just to say, in case I am too busy 2 days before Christmas, thank you to the moderators for keeping BalletcoForum going (with no ad pop ups!!! - that’s rarer than gold these days). I only found it and started reading this year (and finally joined this week 😀) it has so much interesting news, updates and chats...the casting updates are especially good! It’s like talking to lots of fans at the stage door like I used to do ages ago until I moved and catch the train after shows instead. Thank you and congratulations to all the Mods. 👏🥂

An American in Paris was simply dreamy and S’Wonderful. Those who didn’t see it or missed some of it, do watch it on BBC iplayer online. Delightful being able to see Leanne Cope, Max Westwell (from ENB & BRB) and James Barton (from BRB) in their West End musical theatre roles again, as well as Robert Fairchild as Jerry. The choreography and sets look great on tv too!

Great to hear that Shale Wagman and Jinhao Zhang, whom I remember from their performances with English National Ballet, are doing so well in lead roles in Jewels in Munich. Thanks, Sabine.

I liked the Walker ones, but wouldn’t mind a new designer if legal reasons prevent the use of them. I discovered (belatedly!) the clip of Anna Rose O’Sullivan and others dancing Ashton’s choreography to Glazunov’s music for Raymonda, called Raymonda Variations (or something like that). I’ve love to see that in an Ashton Festival! Also, I’d love to see Daphnis and Chloe, Birthday Offering and Les Rendezvous.

Thank you for the update, oncnp. Very sad news. My condolences to Gary and his family.

We are also overdue another Sylvia revival and I wished they’d done one in the 2018-19 season, in the year of Fonteyn’s birthday centenary. Box office numbers would not be a problem as I remember the December 2017 performances were sold out very quickly and I couldn’t get an extra ticket that I really wanted. I remember Doreen Wells, Beryl Grey and Monica Mason, to name just three ballerinas, were cast as Sylvia after Fonteyn, from archive photos. When Darcey Bussell was cast in the revival, I thought, well, that’s definitely a very different style and type of dancer from Fonteyn ! There seems to be an insistence of casting only dancers of tall or medium height as Sylvia nowadays, although Fonteyn and Wells were not tall ballerinas.

But Jan, Snowflakes is in Act 1 and not Act 2. The issue might be whether there are enough hair & makeup personnel during Covid times (in case someone is off ill/with a positive Covid test) at every show to be able to finish wig and makeup during the battle scene in time to get all dancers out on stage without missing their cues. I believe the dancers do perform Snowflakes and then Act 2 roles routinely- I’ve spotted several who were recognisable under the snowflake wigs.

I never got to see this due to clashing schedules, but I know the Joffrey Ballet had Les Illuminations in their repertoire for years and I remember wishing I could see them perform it as their company photos looked so interesting- including their star, Beatriz Rodriguez, as Profane Love, with one shoe off (no tights). For some crazy reason, the description makes me want to see it even more now....lol. I can think of a lot of RB works over the years that have also made me think “x minutes (or hours, yikes) that I’ll never get back”. 😉

I’m guessing they managed got those spots filled by other artists and soloists, since they don’t have to dance anything else (and specifically, change out of a different costume and do new hair & makeup) in that Act? It’s an interesting question. I wonder how long it would take to change out of a party guest/doll costume and into a Snowflake costume and do new hair and makeup - I’m guessing the hair/wig takes some time? Maybe after all this is over, someone in the company will write/put out a book about “How the Royal Ballet coped with Covid”. (Or any ballet company could do this.) It would make fascinating reading.

The Times are really going downhill! Staatsballett Berlin has a magnificent Nutcracker which is a reconstruction of the original. I’ve been watching the pas de deux over and over. Yes, they’re not doing it this year - just like the Royal Ballet didn’t do Nutcracker in 2019-20. They’re having a look at their Act 2 dances after feedback from the public. NYCB did the same and modified Balanchine’s production. Sir Peter Wright did the same examination and altering of the Chinese Dance for his own production, which was something he himself wanted to do for years, he said in an interview for the souvenir programme. I think the modifications are an improvement. Life goes on and if changes are positive and result in better choreography and appearances, it’s great. The Scottish Ballet having a female Drosselmeyer would be very interesting and one I’d like to see. Anyone know if any company has ever fielded a female (godmother?) Drosselmeyer? I’ve read about and seen so many Nutcrackers over the years but that’s a first as far as I know. We already have a female Hamlet, gender switches in Twelfth Night, etc. I think many of the classics, if not performed with integrity or sensitivity, can be offensive in some way: the gypsies in Don Quixote, Alain in La Fille mal Gardee, the Moor in Petrushka, etc. Examination of the repertory is a good thing.

It has been time for an Ashton Festival for the last ten years. Still waiting. 😀

I love Bonynge’s work - he was such an inspiration when I was at school. All the rarely recorded and performed works, both ballet and other genres...so many done by him. When I revisit and discover more (thanks, YouTube!) they are carefully chosen and beautifully played gems that are so delightful. I love Skeaping’s Giselle too....hope ENB will stage it again very soon. (Sorry, back to RB Giselle now. ) 🙂

Such great photos, Dawnstar! Please post them even if others are posting pictures too. I enjoy seeing the curtain call photos people post from seats and sections different to mine, and yours are lovely.

I think it may be because Royal Ballet School senior students usually dance the Snowflakes with the professional artists and soloists of the Company. Can’t remember if it’s usually 6, 8 or more students, but if cutting out the students leaves lopsided patterns and formations I guess they have to cut the extra dancers to make the patterns symmetrical. I thought the dancers made it work very well, and had one not known what the previous version looked like, it would still have looked impressive. The choreography for Clara and Hans Peter has been modified to fill out the space, and once the prop snow falls from above, the stage looks full, like a true blizzard!

Sorry this is a little late- the evening show of the 25th was wonderful, sheer magic. One of the loveliest Nutcrackers I’ve ever seen: orchestra played magnificently under Koen Kessels, dancers were on great form, no repeat of the matinee cake and banner (that would have resulted in many people missing trains home if they stayed!). but Kevin O’Hare did announce before the show it was Sir Peter Wright’s birthday, which led to a round of applause and cheers. Leo Dixon was a brilliant Hans Peter/Nutcracker- he danced and looked like a dream. Meaghan Grace Hinkis was charming, expressive and fleet of foot as Clara, as always. Fumi Kaneko, no nerves evident, presided over Act 2 celebrations as a radiant and regal Sugar Plum Fairy- you couldn’t tell that she was stepping in for Osipova, as she owned the show so graciously and elegantly, as though she was the original cast. Reece Clarke looked chuffed and delighted to be partnering her (they’re not cast together - at present- for other shows) and it was lovely to see his soaring leaps again. The other solo performances were excellent - not a weak link in that cast that night. So very pleased and grateful to have been there!

Thank you for the photos, RobS! I enjoy seeing them as much as the ballets! How lovely to have a photographic record of celebrations for Peter Wright- 95 years old and all those wonderful productions, and his work at Stuttgart, Covent Garden, Birmingham (and when they were based at Sadlers Wells)...truly awesome. (I’m hoping there was more Nutcracker-themed cake backstage.😀)

I was so thrilled to be able to catch Sarah Lamb (finally!) in the role of Giselle at last, after not being able to catch her due to clashing schedules for the last 8 years! She was wonderful- I love how her Giselle is very much of the Romantic Era, so ethereal, old fashioned (in a good way) and in such contrast to her lead roles in newer ballers, eg Manon, Winter’s Tale, Infra, etc. Her Act 1 solo was marvellous- there seems to be a trend among some young dancers now to attempt double and triple pirouettes in the solo resulting in lots of wobbles .....it’s great that they try to “go for it” but for this role and this ballet, I’d rather see just an elegant single and no wobbles. Marcelino Sambé made a brilliant debut as Albrecht and was excellent in both the dancing and partnering, and his acting made it look like he had performed the role many times. Sarah and Marci have never been partnered as leads in the classics before but they really connect with each other and you really believe in them as Giselle and Albrecht. His signature elevation, jumps and turns were brilliant as usual but he really uses technique to portray the character- no temptation to put in extra tricks, he really was fully committed to the story. One of the most enjoyable Giselle performances I’ve ever seen, and worth the long wait! Whoever is going on 2 Dec for their next show is in for a treat.

Leo Dixon now replaces Benjamin Ella tonight as Hans-Peter/Nutcracker, who had himself been scheduled as a replacement for Valentino Zucchetti. Both Benjamin and Valentino are still listed for later performances, eg as the Prince. If I remember correctly this makes tonight a delayed debut from last year in the role for Leo? (Or was his one of the very earliest shows before restrictions closed Nutcracker early? I remember being disappointed that even the livestream got cancelled!)

Hi Art_enthusiast, they will accept tickets for resale in exchange for a credit digital code, ie a digital voucher. The fastest way to do it is to send an email to boxoffice@roh.org.uk with your order number, date and time of the performance and “tickets to return” or “ticket for return” in the title, then in your email briefly explain why. I think there may be a service charge of maybe £4 or £5 per ticket deducted off the credit value (not your credit card), but it’s better than not getting anything, or going reluctantly and feeling frustrated all evening, especially if your travel costs are expensive, or if you have to pay for a hotel stay too. Since you will presumably see another show in future, not getting the money back should not be a problem- it’ll feel like your tickets are cheaper next time! I’ve had to do this on the day of the show when a) we had flooding causing cancellation of trains and couldn’t actually get to Covent Garden and back that night, b) woke up with a fever and flu symptoms, c) friend tested positive for Covid the day before she was going to come to a matinee with us. If you phone, you are often asked to email anyway as proof in writing that you wish to do this. Alternatively you could go tonight and return your other ticket in the future, which may be less stressful- unless there was someone else in the later cast you wanted to see, and not just Fumi. They don’t guarantee resale of course, but Nutcracker might stand a good chance of a resale. Good luck, whatever you decide!