Swan

7 hours ago, Suffolkgal said:

Slightly tangential but regarding Ross, I did follow him a lot when he was dancing, and interviewed him once too at his home….With Robert Jude and Wayne Eagling he published a book of photos called the company we keep. I think he came to film through that… anyway … there we go

 
And I recently found a copy of The Company We Keep when I was clearing through my loft. Quite enjoyed revisiting it!

There have been so many wonderful comments about Fumi and Will during this run of Swan Lake and I now know why. A masterclass in technique and characterisation that also moved me deeply. Lovely supporting performances too. 

8 hours ago, Fonty said:

When watching the video, did anyone else feel like shouting at Mr O'Hare, asking why, if he held Campbell in such high regard, he cast him much less frequently than other male principals??

I certainly did, @Fonty!  😠 

3 hours ago, Sophoife said:

I'm so grateful for this forum.

As am I @Sophoife, what would we do without it?
 

@lady emily, I can’t thank you enough for recording the curtain calls and speeches for us all. I couldn’t go last night and am crying on my sofa watching You Tube at 7:30am on a Saturday morning. 😢  Alex is a humble, kind and beautiful man as well as an amazing dancer and he will be missed at the RB.

3 hours ago, Mary said:

Well I would book for this rehearsal cast again..

it was a stunning rehearsal today and I’m so pleased that I have already booked to see Sasaki/Sissens on 11 May.

11 hours ago, Blossom said:

In other news, any thoughts on who might be dancing in the General Rehearsal (Swan Lake) tomorrow?

I’m very excited and looking forward to seeing who is dancing Benno etc. I know it’s highly unlikely but I would love to see Magri/Corrales….

I’ve put some thoughts about last night on the Alexander Campbell appreciation thread but, to add to that, it was a great performance from everyone. It was lovely to see Valentino Zucchetti back on stage, Marco Masciari had a real swagger and youthful arrogance as the beggar chief and Nicol Edmund’s gaoler gave me chills every time he stood at the side of the stage looking into the audience!

7 hours ago, lady emily said:

I was there tonight, what an absolutely gut-wrenching performance. Alex and Frankie's chemistry is incredible and you can tell they trust each other so much. It is a crime that we will never have a full-length recording of their partnership. I didn't see her Manon with Sambé but I heard several people in the audience talking and saying that she was far more expressive with Alex. I always love his dancing, but it was his incredible acting that was especially showcased tonight. 

I completely agree with you @lady emily, I loved their performance last night and imagine that their dancing on 8 March will take it to yet another level. I did see Frankie’s performance with Marci Sambe which was terrific but I felt there was so much more chemistry and detail last night. Alex is an amazing dance actor. I was lucky enough to obtain an orchestra stall return so had a lovely view and joined the standing ovation at the end reserving my loudest cheers for Alex. How lovely that both of them were happy to chat at the stage door after such strenuous, emotionally draining performances.
 

I’m so very sad I won’t be able to see Alex dance again but am very grateful for the performances I have been privileged to see during his career. At the moment I can’t get to London on 8 March but am considering moving mountains if a ticket were to become available. 🤔

3 hours ago, Mary said:

Also I am a Friend not just for the advantages, but  partly just to support ROH - a theatre where noone eats popcorn, a theatre I love -  and the Royal Ballet, a wonderful company - and ballet in general.

Me too, @Mary 

There are a few returns on the ROH website for 2 March, have just managed to grab one!

2 hours ago, Sim said:

Yes....his Bratfisch made me weep.  It was so sad and poignant.  His Romeo with Miss Naghdi as Juliet was one of best performances of this ballet I have ever seen, and I have been watching it for decades.  He did it his way, and it worked brilliantly with Yasmine.  It ripped me apart and I will never forget it.  

I will never forget that performance of Romeo and Juliet either and am sad that I may not get the opportunity to see Alex dance again before he takes up his new role. Fingers crossed I can grab a Manon return as his Lescaut is brilliant but I would love to see his De Grieux too.

Congratulations to Alex, I’m sure he will be a huge success but I will certainly miss him at the RB.

18 hours ago, ChrisG said:

Hayward and Sambé this afternoon. No words - just sublime!

I want to comment on the Manon matinee yesterday afternoon but I’m still struggling to find the words. It was awesome and one of those very special performances that I’ll always remember. Magri really suits the mistress role, Campbell is a fantastic Lescaut, Sambe was wonderful and Hayward was incredible. I was moved from act 1 to the end. Bravo to all of the amazing RB dancers on stage yesterday!

7 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

 

I didn't realise that Thameslink was going to be screwed south of London as well next weekend. I know it'll be screwed north of London because of the East Coast mainline signalling works. 

oh no, I have a matinee ticket for 17th! Off to check the website…..

2 hours ago, LinMM said:

Unfortunately I have had to return my ticket for next Saturday matinee’s Manon ( Hayward cast) as the travel both that Saturday and Sunday is just too problematic with two replacement buses via Haywards Heath and Three Bridges plus train and will take two and a half hours ( instead of one hour). I was also told there’s still a shortage of replacement bus drivers so there might be some waiting around involved.

 

So sorry to hear that @LinMM as I know what you’re going through. I very frequently have Thameslink issues to contend with at the northern end of the line! 😬

I’m sure you will enjoy the cinema relay. 😃

I felt really connected with the dancers at the general rehearsal today, am so glad I took the day off work and hurried down to London for an 11:30 start. Note to self: Read the ticket information properly and don’t make assumptions!🤣

I really enjoyed watching Luca Acri as Lescaut, thought Lauren Cuthbertson/Matthew Ball were lovely together, Gary Avis commanding as Monsieur GM and everybody else played their part too. As other members have already said, this is a terrific cast and I’m very tempted to see them again.

Thank you all so much for your hard work and wishing @Ian Macmillan a very happy retirement. I know very few people that I can interact with about ballet therefore this forum is a lifeline for me and I am forever grateful. 🙏 I actually stumbled across the forum by chance when searching google!

Wishing all moderators and members a wonderful New Year and I’m very much looking forward to ENB Giselle and RB Manon in January. 😃

2 hours ago, PeterS said:

I’d buy a ticket for Swan Lake were he to be cast as Siegfried. (IIRC he danced a beautiful pas de deux at the Friends Celebration in the Paul Hamlyn hall back in October 2022).

Lukas BB and Charlotte Tonkinson danced the Swan Lake pdd (IIRC) and I had a front row seat on the floor that Sunday morning. They were lovely and I believe they both joined in the quiz later that morning. I’m looking forward to another Friends Celebration, in 5 or 10 years maybe…!

Very pleased that the Annette Buvoli/Nicol Edmonds rehearsal is on You Tube and available to all. I also highly recommend watching and hope that there might be more events like this in the future. The rehearsal footage allowed us to see how hard the dancers work, the stamina required, a look at how they develop their partnership and ‘tricks of the trade’ offered by Darcey Bussell. 
 

Enjoyed the Q&A too, lovely answers from a delightful couple and I wish I could see their performance on 1 January. Good luck to both!

6 hours ago, Blossom said: To see her dance the Act 1 pas de deux with Daichi was just perfection. He is also superb to watch and they have a great partnership. If only there was room in the music and the action for applause before the snowflakes make an appearance..

I wholeheartedly agree with your comment @Blossom, every time I see the act 1 pdd I long to give the dancers the applause they deserve!

Lovely photos from @Rob S. I would have loved to have seen this cast, particularly those in new roles, and am looking forward to seeing another Nutcracker at the ROH tomorrow.

46 minutes ago, MJW said:

A lovely prelude to the new run of the Nutcracker and how lucky to see Gary Avis (the perfect Drosselmeyer) and Francesca Hayward and Alex Campbell (can't remember the last time I saw him on stage).

 

Marianna Tsembenhoi was a charming Clara and Giacomo Rovero a very handsome Nutcracker. Best of luck to them for their first main performances.

 

 I was so happy when I saw the cast sheet while travelling in this morning, it definitely lifted the spirits on a rainy day. It was lovely to Marianna Tsembenhoi and Giacomo Rovero perform on stage after watching the recent Insight rehearsal and I was delighted to see Francesca Hayward and Alex Campbell together. We also had Gary Avis, 24 snowflakes and much more so I’m very much looking forward to my next visit. 

2 hours ago, Mary said:

I can empathise with these comments. I wonder, has anyone found they changed their opinion of 'Dante', one way or the other, after a repeat viewing?

 

it’s a no from me although I really enjoyed seeing these amazing dancers in a very different production to Don Q, they’re so adaptable! 👏 👏  It was a privilege to see the dancers commit to the choreography and perform brilliantly at an 11:30am rehearsal but the ballet overall doesn’t move me. Very happy to have revisited this ballet at a reduced price but I’m unlikely to see it again.

1 hour ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

Mayara Magri gave us the absolute fireworks last night - singles, doubles and triples AND with the music.  Brava Mayara!

 

A minute of fouettés do not a ballet make and, unless the performance had to be stopped due to injury, I don't mention slips.  IIRC and most definitely paraphrasing did not Mr Balanchine say if someone fell it showed they were giving it their all and taking risks?

 

I wholeheartedly agree @Jan McNulty, we certainly had fireworks last night! My heart was in my mouth at various points during the performance and I think watching on screen really allows us to fully appreciate the effort, strength and poise displayed by these wonderful dancers. 👏 👏 

7 hours ago, Richard LH said:

Same for us (Bedford Vue where only about 20 people attended) and not for the first time for these ROH cinema screenings. Did others suffer the same  poor lighting?

We had around 30+ at Bedford Cineworld so there are a few more ballet fans locally than I thought! 😃

I always enjoy the behind the scenes segments, so interesting and I really enjoyed this performance and close ups. I’d seen James Hay as Gamache earlier in this run but thought he was even better last night. I love to watch Isabella Gasparini and Leticia Dias in anything they do and they were great but my highlight of the evening was Calvin Richardson whose terrific characterisation and dancing as Espada was fabulous!

Mayara and Matthew were sweet together and their dancing was amazing. Felt so sad for Mayara when she slipped but it didn’t detract from the success of the evening, they both excelled as Kitri and Basilio.

1 hour ago, FionaM said:

A fun night.   I did go to the stage door to say these things.  They were all delighted as was Kevin O’Hare “they all did really well” he said with a big smile. 
 

So pleased to hear that, really happy for them all. 😍

3 hours ago, Sim said:

I agree with the above.  In the case of DonQ, just sit back and let the warm sunshine engulf you.  Add a large dose of sheer joy and happiness and if you leave the theatre with a smile, then you have found everything you were looking for.

I found myself smiling throughout last night’s performance of this crazy ballet and watching all the debuts made it that extra bit special. Congratulations to the debutantes. 👏

I was so pleased for Meaghan Grace Hinkis, it was a fabulous night for her and lovely to see so many bouquets presented. I’ve always enjoyed watching Luca Acri and really liked his Basilio characterisation, indeed both dancers seemed to support each other beautifully during the evening. 
 

Did anyone get the chance to chat to the dancers at the stage door? I hope they all went home happy.

I’m still quite new to Don Q and am looking forward to the cinema screening now as well as trying to see if I can get to London for one more show…🤔 @Occasional audience member, I’m sure you’ll have a great time.

Hope you’re feeling much better today @Dawnstar