Bruce Wall

A video introduction to each of the 2015/16 POB etoiles (segments of which - including the voice overs - go to make up the promo film in Item no. 13) can be found here.

Janet, I believe that is the same video I had posted immediately above taken directly from the POB YouTube Channel.

A Benjamin Millepied promo .... available for free (I assume) ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tOziQuNKPg#t=14

Love the rating ... So BALLET: “Ballet 422” is rated PG (Parental guidance suggested). Brutal treatment of toes and toenails.

An interesting annotation of but one scene in Ballet 422 by its director as presented by the NYT here. In the dancing of this segment you get a clear indication (or at least I do) of the association with Ashton as Macaulay drew in today's NYT review of Peck's new Rodeo for NYCB which premiered on 4th February. But three sentences from that same: But it’s this male quintet that brings Mr. Peck’s most haunting poetry. The way in which its five men lyrically — in overlapping melodic lines — share one mood, partner one another, give complex dance voice to one unbroken, slow, expansive feeling strikes me as something unprecedented in choreography. Its nearest parallels lie in the work of Frederick Ashton and Mark Morris; for City Ballet, it’s a breakthrough in style.

Mmmmm ... It is true that the competition was set up through a codicill of Bruhn's will, to wit: In a codicil to his will, Bruhn left part of his estate for the establishment of The Erik Bruhn Prize, recognizing dancers from the three companies with which he was most closely associated: the Royal Danish Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and the National Ballet of Canada, each of which are invited to send one male and one female dancer to the competition, held in Toronto, Canada. I'm sure that Kain/NBOC must have sent invitations/advice out to ABT as per those terms. It is a shame indeed that they are are not fulfilling that commitment but wonderful that the RDB and NBoC are determined to maintain this important prize as elected by Bruhn himself. It is wonderful too that other companies (e.g., outside of those listed by Bruhn himself) are participating and able to benefit from the fine traditions as practiced/instigated by Bruhn. It is, of course, understandable - especially over a defined period of several years of very real funding cuts - that the UK's Royal Ballet are not always able to be in that enhanced number. How wonderful to have had the glorious Francesca Hayward and the very fine James Hay amongst the historical EBP throng. They remain outstanding within - indeed amongst the very strongest of - current RB constituents. I believe Hayward/Hay did the Flower Festival pas and were coached in that by Kobborg - then a RB principal - when they participated in the EBP competition. In that way they too upheld Bruhn's native attributes. Most fitting. We were treated I remember to an excellent showing of that in one of the Galas that Cojocaru instigated on behalf of a Romanian orphanage. Excellent it was. It would be wonderful if, perhaps, one day another of the major UK balletic forces - say, the very fine ENB, BRB, NB or SB - might have a pair of participants amongst/aside that designated core number which was so close to Bruhn's own heart and so crucial to the development of his own stellar career. I'm certain those young dancers could but benefit from that experience and that - in and of itself - would I'm certain have delighted Bruhn.

Well, Alison, I guess everything has to 'move on' .... Somehow I think Bruhn would have accepted ... and applauded that. Kain, as she ever was, is a wise creative leader.

If it was me I'd be programme No. 1 all the way. You will get a much broader selection of both ABT and NYCB principals - and other dancers - with those programmes listed - and certainly much greater variety in the choreography. As much as I love Ashton - and I do - I much prefer Balanchine's La Valse to his ... so much more dramatic in keeping with the music .... whereas I prefer Ashton's Dream to Balanchine's in terms of the story telling/character development. That said Balanchine's second act PDD is truly glorious in that. So many choices .. but it would definitely be Option One for me. Maybe you'll get Sara Mearns or Tyler Peck in La Sylphide. I'd imagine that would be devoutely to be wished .... Let's pray that put that - with the wonderful Bournonville Diverts a la the one and only Stanley Williams - in the Paris programme. Would that you could have both Rodeos - the De Mille AND the new Peck which has just had fine reviews - even with the sudden injury of one of the two principal dancers taken into consideration. How I would LOVE to see it. All I can say is - YOU ARE ONE LUCKY LADY, DonQFan.

That makes total sense, Lynette, as of course de Frutos choreographed Norris' West End production of Cabaret ... and this is Norris' first season as the NT AD. Should be interesting.

What a wonderful selection of companies.

Just to clarify an item in my first paragraph above, it DOES appear that NYCB will be appearing - and at the Chatalet - in Paris during the summer of 2016. (This should be very close to the Chatalet's closing for restorative measures.) I assume the NYCB Paris season will be for the better part of a month as per the SFB programme last year and the AA one to come. Source from the Theatre du Chatalet webside here.

Ball and Muntagirov discuss etching Lensky here:

And heaven knows we have enjoyed a goodly share of those since the launch in 2008 of the so-called 'Great Repression'. Yesterday the IMF declared that the greatest number of cuts in this country are yet to come - or, as they put it, 'need to' do so. We have, it seems, only just begun. A further 14 per cent cut across the public sector is - they feel - mandated in the next parliament. That is a greater number than in the last (e.g., current) one. With key elements being promised to be understandably ring-fenced over the coming years (e.g., health, education, international contributions,) the arts must certainly be among those segments now feeling an even greater strain. Why do I feel that the only way is up in terms of ROH and ENB prices? (Just this season the lowest ENB Coliseum season price moved from £10 to £14 which, in and of itself, is a considerable augmentation.) Striving to get back to the core content of the topic - I'm pleased to see that Millepied/POB have somehow maintained sufficient courage (in what surely can never be an easy balancing act - especially in a country as currently challenged from both a political and fiscal perspective as France) to enforce, encourage and hopefully emboss the balletic idiom in the 21st Century. I'm sure we can all applaud that as much as I'm certain history shall - whatever the cost. The Academy for Choreographers is I think to be particularly celebrated.

Just looking at this - i.e., the POB prices for a three act ballet in the 2015/16 season - I'm not SO certain that these prices - being in Euros - are SO very different from the CURRENT ROH tariffs. Just to be fair let's compare the top and bottom SEAT figures with those of the ROH for the RB and an evening performance of the upcoming three act SWAN LAKE. For those the Royal Ballet is charging a top price of £125. In today's Evening Standard the GBP closed trading at £1.3243 per one Euro. At that rate the top ROH/RB/SWAN LAKE 2014/15 Evening performance ticket will cost 165.5375 Euros. The lowest ticket price for a SEAT for the POB La Bayadere at the Bastille in 2015/16 is 5 Euros. The lowest ticket price for a SEAT at the ROH/RB/SWAN LAKE evening performance is £6 for a slip seat and that is 7.9458 Euros. On both those scores it would appear - at least to me - that the prices at the POB in 2015/16 are in fact marginally lower than those at the ROH for the current season. (The RB ticket prices may well, of course, go up for the 2015/16 season. RB ticket prices have I believe in the past been known to do so.) I wonder how does this compare with the Canadian prices, Katherine? (But then, of course, Canadians may get paid much more - say on minimum wage.) I mentioned this to Alison who was standing in the Amphi T's with me at this evening's Oneign. As she swept pass me in the corridor at the commencement of the second interval Alison kindly turned smiling and said: 'But they get more subsidy'. I know the ROH gets in the region of 21 million pounds (or circa 27,720,000 Euros at today's rate). Do you know how much the Paris Opera gets, Alison? Does anyone? I'd certainly be curious to know. Happily - on this occasion at least - I took (and paid for) the bus to/from the ROH. (My shoes were, I'm sure, appreciative.) As I turn 60 in July I will get free transport with a City Card. (Bless Boris.) I, for one, simply can't wait. Those savings will certainly fund more than a few crossings to Paris ... and BEYOND!!!

Source Of special note is the fact that our national company (well, England's at any rate) will dance its glorious Le Corsaire in June 2016 at the Palais Garnier. A decisive cry of 'YEAH!!' and 'Well Deserved' goes up from this quarter. With Balanchine's Brahms-Schonberg Quartet (one of my definitive favourites); Robbins' Opus 19/The Dreamer and Goldberg Variations and not one but TWO Justin Peck specials - and a new-multi-choreographer (including Pita) Nutcracker (on a double bill as it was originally with Iolanta) there is much to look forward to in Millipied's first announced span. There are also new works by RB associates Scarlett and McGregor. IF (as someone suggested on another BcoF page yesterday) NYCB ARE to dance in Paris in the summer of 2016 they will be free to bring a really exciting rep as the Parisian audience will obviously be extremely well primed. Millipied is also establishing a new academy for choreographers to see that they have a similar discipline in training as that received by their fellow musicians. This will be headed by Forsythe. There is also to be a new full-length from Ratmansky (whose Seven Sonatas is to be included in this coming season) and that title - whatever it may be - will be featured in the 2016/17 POB mix. I have a feeling my miles on Eurostar are about to climb!! If I can't afford that I'll take the bus. Somehow there MUST be a way

They are, of course, presenting the Acosta programme. I understood that the ROH would be largely dark for three summers to allow for the completion of the refurbishments (if all is on schedule).

The Chatalet has a seating capacity of approximately 2,500 so it is larger than, say, the ROH main theatre at 2,256 and certainly larger than the Palais Garnier. The Chatalet traditionally has a long dance season with one company every year in this specific time slot. Indeed, the display cases on the first balcony level feature displays from each company who has been prominent in this spot (e.g., NYCB, MCB, etc. and even those like AA who have had repeat showings). Last year SFB did 38 different programmes in three weeks. It was a very exciting season and well attended. Anyone wishing to attend I would suggest that you buy tickets directly from the box office on your arrival rather than over the internet if you wish to save money. This is what I did for both SFB and An American in Paris and had no problem at all and got very good seats from a sightline perspective at a very reasonable price (circa eight Euro/£6).

Bless you for this, Janet. I'm so pleased she was so full of praise for Golding as well as Osipova.

Well, I had a very different response from jm365. I thought that Golding (now appearing - mit mustache - at times most dashing a la a young Dom Ameche) made a fine stab in his first outing as Cranko's Oneign, From where I was standing at the back of the Amphi he appeared to carefully build his performance over all three acts and gave a knowing variety to his catalytic characteristics. Certainly he proved an able partner. Oneign (the ballet) has always been a jalopy of a work; one where the choreographer gave bones upon which the four fascinating artists in the key principal roles could add their own very special brand of flesh. Each must be filled out lest they be seen to rattle or the work itself be seen as simply sturdy - not that the latter is in any way a bad thing in and of itself. Not at all. So many works we see sink in their own trace. (Still you can see why Balanchine had the reaction he did to this interpretation when you consider the rich detail embedded in the Pushkin masterwork's canvas.) We have been so lucky in London to have seen such fine balletic exemplars who have added such thrilling embellishments; such unique perfumes to their Oneign outings first with LFB/ENB - our cherished national company who brought so many of the 20th Century's most famous dancers to shine in front of us - including the ever glorious original Tatiana - and then the RB who latterly chose to root it in their own particular repertory. There can I think be no question but that Natalia Osipova will be amongst the leading balletic stars of the early 21st Century and I look forward to watching her develop in this role. Her responses in the opening scene - so clearly etched in the romantic novel's moment - indicated that all will be rich in time. Her second act variation was spectacular being vividly trapped in its own distressed zeal. The outline of future greatness in the defining pas de deuxs was, I thought, there but as yet mixed with a little caution. Perhaps this may have been nerves or even a certain understandable care having been recently injured in Acosta's DQ. Osipova's performance in Ashton's Month in the Country (a far more detailed and cunning narrative depiction) so enriched over her three performances. I feel instinctively her cherished Tatiana will do so as well. I so look forward to following the potential path of that achievement. Yasmine Naghdi was a delight in her entirely sun kissed performance as Olga; one gloriously musical throughout. Matthew Ball was her fetching consort as Lensky. His dancing in the first act showed a distinct placement that glowed as stealthily as his masculine smile and his dramatic insult in the second act was as carefully calculated in terms of his own theatrical fullness. For these reasons I'm certain that the consistency of his legato line during his third act dramatic monologue will only grow in his own next two outings. (Oh for a Patrick Armand to pass on tips in that regard.) Also a special note of thanks to Mr. Marcelino Sambe for his wonderfully animated field worker in the opening act. This fine First Artist always brings every theatrical communication he makes into clear personal focus; one that enriches. K. O'Hare's philosophy of building the RB ranks from the bottom up continues to pay dividends. That said I thought the corps looked a tad rocky during the pavane that opens Oneign's third act; most specifically in the case of another RB First Artist, Kevin Emerton, who seems (at least in my experience) to be consistently out of sync with the music and therefore (more often than not) not surprisingly finds himself out of alignment. While thinking of the score: Musically this performance did nothing but inflate the reputation of the ENB Philharmonic and its glorious leader, Gavin Sutherland, as the leading UK ballet ensemble/leader. Dominic Grier - unquestionably handsome in his own person - conducted this performance (well intentioned I'm sure) as if it best hailed from the waterlogged - well, politely restrained shall we say - Martin Yates School of Music. Whenever in doubt (and there was much uncertainty that sounded) it veered towards the pastoral. One wonders if this is now intended as the Royal Ballet's house style. I, for one, very much hope not. The somewhat choppy orchestration that is this particular patchwork score is not always strong in terms of the diversity of its own character (as opposed, say, to Tchaikovsky's own operatic largess) and therefore proffers even less reason to bludgeon any (let alone the majority of) highlights into polite submission - especially in the the depiction of the final pas de deux. Surely it needs - indeed deserves - to spike.

Touche ..... Those same fragrant thoughts passed through my own mind. Bless you, Ian, for making me smile

Well, got what I wanted .... but at a Churchillian price .... Maybe this was the ROH's answer to a celebration of 'blood, toil, tears and sweat'. May the great man rest in peace .... The rest of us weren't living in such this morning ... Well, not when tangling with the ROH. And, just think, it's not even April yet. What I wonder will transpire when the next general booking period launches on 31st March ... ??????? Oh, dear .... How did Sondheim put it: 'Perpetual Anticipation'. And here was I thinking it would be quick. Thank heavens I booked the entire morning off. Something told me I knew better.

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HORROR STORY .... Tell me, did anyone get ANY Tickets .... I gave up of frustration after a bit - with only four tickets in my basket ... and they wouldn't even let me check out .... I printed off a copy of my basket ... Think I'm going to insist that they honour it ...

Janet, would that have been in honour of a special bequest? That is such a lovely gift that will continue to serve others for much time to come. Most generous.

That is QUITE a different kettle of fish .... ENTIRELY ... Would that it might have been the Swedes ... Ah, well ...