Bruce Wall

How wonderful that we get a peek at David Hallberg with the Bolshoi

So like life, huh. One wishes Mr. Berlanga well in his future pursuits. He served ENB well during his time in the company.

On a side note - and as a way of attracting potential interest in the dancers - and knowing Tamara's desire to 'step forward' in terms of branding ... I, myself, would love to see film portraits such as are available on the website of the VIENNA STATE BALLET for the dancers at ENB. While they are not, of course, dressed by a leading fashion designer - let alone the legendary Vivenne Westwood - one gets the distinct feeling that each dancer has an input in terms of their own personality for the film segment here ... and the whole gives a very clear picture of both life in and around their opera house and the repertory of their company. It is interesting to note that there are filmed segments for all principals (here noted as first soloists) and others in the soloist - AND EVEN DEMI-SOLOIST - level (including Scottish/UK dancer, Grieg Matthews who graduated from the RBS. This filmed provision, in the RB, would stretch to First Artists. (I do not believe there are even RB bios on the ROH site but I may be wrong.) It is interesting also to see that there is only SIX (6) dancers in this substantive Austrian subsidised company at ANY soloist or principal level who was actually born/reared in Austria. Manuel Legris (surely one of the finest dancers of the last half century ANYWHERE -- well, surely one of the finest dancers I have had the privilege of seeing internationally) has obviously had a keen effect on this company compared with the last time I had the privilege of seeing them which was a couple of decades ago now. http://www.wiener-staatsoper.at/Content.Node/home/kuenstler/taenzerinnen/uebersichtsseite-Taenzer.en.php If such a fine record of introduction were to be possible I, myself, would understand if a company/opera house wanted to restrict their filmed/photographic personnel to specific dedicated artists to help 'build a mutual brand'. If such dedication were sustainable - and that point is, I suppose, arguable - and the results as fine as they are here - then it would, I think, not only be understandable but applauded by a vast many.

Dear Aileen, I think two contributing factors why feedback on Laurretta's DEBUT may have been somewhat curtailed: (i) cost (the price of these seats are genuinely expensive in a period where most people's personal disposable income is contracting and therefore the reality of monetary choices are often constricted against desire) and - much more fundamental - (ii) her debut was on a mid-week matinee when many people now gainfully employed (and therefore able to afford to see her both in terms of leisure time and money) are not able to attend. Of course, I understand that this does not account for those fine readers of the wonderful balletcoforum who are either (i) independently wealthy or (ii) on a scale of benefits larger than, say, the now ever burgeoning (or so it seems to me) number of common working 'people' with ever-shifting levels of pension attainment dates and a multitude of other statutory and sociological concerns ever gathering upon all of their plates as they step up to bat. Somehow, I'm certain that Laurretta herself would understand this and would know (I pray) that the support 'in general' for her fine work is rife within the willingness of our collective spirit. I am sure - well, I would hope - that the interest in the development of any notable performing artist such as Laurretta (and I, for one, have much admired what I have seen in her ascension) would be of keen interest to ANY and ALL balletomanes no matter where they may hail from.

I too attended the LBC meeting with O'Hare. He made it very clear that his priority was concentrating on "in-house" dancing talents. He spoke about the six young people he was taking/had taken in. I still think this will leave him stretched - especially in the current male principal performing ranks. His focus is brave and certainly may prove to be his most prudent decision in the long-run. It certainly does look - attempting to read between his clearly stated lines - that his core priority is the development of the new works by the three designated home talents (i.e., the desired focus being firmly set on the creators rather than the collaborative instruments - not to take anything away from them or these forums, of course.) When an audience member asked him about Tudor he said that he thought 'much of it today seemed rather old fashioned'. Refreshing to hear him say that he had been very impressed by the work of Justin Peck when he was in NYC to see McRae guesting in ABT's Corsaire. Important that he should get about. Grand that he does. (On a side note: Wonder if McRae will guest with ENB in their 'new' production of that work ... given that both will have been fashioned by the same Anne-Marie Holmes. Certainly it will be good to see Vadim in THAT.)

Much thanks, Bruce, for your kind reply. It is keenly appreciated.

The grass is often - if not ALWAYS - greener on other sides. Tis, I fear, the way of the world ... and not reserved to that of the ballet or CERTAINLY the purvey of the Royal Ballet. There are countless examples in oh, so many arenas. Perhaps it is just human nature. Look at the creative talents who are celebrated AFTER their deaths. (Not dancers, of course). Surely that too is but a facet of 'coming back' and crossing (back on) boundaries.

Given that it has been a week since my last posting/request, I just wondered if there had been any advance on this important issue. Much thanks for anyone's kind advice as and when available on behalf of all.

This kind of ratio is fairly standard for an American (e.g., US) arts organisation. The level of Federal support (which then dishes out the monies to the various States' arts panels) is VERY low per capita compared to the British/European models. (I can speak with some authority on this as I sat as a member of, first, the Pennsylvania State Council for the Arts and, later, the (Federal) National Endowment under Jane Alexander's Chairmanship.) That said, it is not as bereft as some of the above postings might have you fear. The BIG difference lies in the tax break given to the individual tax payer who wishes to support the arts. [i ran a LORT (League of Regional Theaters) theatre in the US in the early 80's. At that time (thank you, Mr. Regan) donors got 50 cents on the dollar. I believe now it is more akin to 35 cents on the dollar. ] This gives an incentive for individual giving. I feel in a way the British Arts Council (ACE) model cripples the arts organisations that are healthy (e.g., actively serving their public). [Let us also not forget that ACE itself is not some age-old institution having only been established in the 60's, but a mere decade and a half behind the official establishment of the 'Royal Ballet'. The seeds of the NEA in the US were set out some 30 years earlier in the US by Roosevelt's administration - at the same time as the 'WPA' programmes (Work Projects for Artists) were created during the depression.] Individual giving in the US FAR outstrips the ratio of public monies distributed in the UK while the British/European format also succeeds in robbing the individual of a practical incentive to actively support their own focused arts choice. There have over the years, of course, been many cries for a similar alteration to the system here (e.g., the practical application of the combination of both). It has yet to happen and I suspect never will as the Treasury will always feel that THEIR piggy bank will be further pilfered for this, a non-mandated cause. Here the choice is ultimately theirs, not ours .... whilst understanding that everything in THIS LIFE is relative. Perception continues to be ALL and the arts lobby remains - on the whole - RELATIVELY weak in the UK ... no matter what its employment/practical impact percentage may imply. .

I really think that Kevin O'Hare should be applauded for giving so many different people opportunities in terms of casting at so many different levels in comparison with, say, his immediate predecessor - without necessarily changing rank. This gives so many different people a chance to prove their worth; a chance to 'earn' as much as to 'learn'. One of the things I think has been most especially welcomed is the beginning of the dancer exchange with ABT and the continued co-production schedule with the National Ballet of Canada, two established classical sources - one institutionally older; one just a little younger than the Royal Ballet as an organism in and of itself. I realise that the dancer exchange has started at the young principal level (S. MacRae for C. Stearns). I, myself, would love to see that continued with dancers at different rankings and established with other companies with a core classical background (a la the RB) e.g., the Paris Opera Ballet, say, or the Mariinsky. This would not only allow dancers to show their skills in adapting to world stages (so important for ANY significant POTENTIAL etoile on a world stage today) but also crucially give informed practical insight from shared views between key world ballet company directors, especially those of major classical companies who share similar plights. Let's face it, the reality of being at the top has to lead to significant moments of keen isolation - no matter where the individuals themselves may physically reside. (On a similar note, I, for one, would love to see segments of the Ashton Festival that Iain Webb is mounting for Sarasota Ballet (and has been preparing for years) in London at, say,Sadler's Wells. I feel this could but enhance and inform by example and encouragement - rather than rob from any potential audience such as has oft been suggested historically. It is most refreshing to see that the fact that NYCB has so much Balanchine (as it should) performed annually does not stop ABT, SFB and other major international ballet companies showing (as they have in the past) their own turn at these major works in NYC. Everyone is richer on these occasions I feel.

Yes, Janet. Karen Kain made this point recently when being asked about hiring Lukina as a principal for the NBoC.

For the dancers involved it seems as if it's a bit like being on the honours list. ....... Guess those around them might suspect much when suddenly they go all silent like ...

Last night in the programme for ENB's ;SWAN LARGE' at the RAH Matthew Golding noted 'future engagements will include the Royal Ballet'. I think this may well have been because the programme material was submitted prior to the completion of his guesting engagement with the RB in La Bayadere. I, for one, hope that he is not being brought into the RB as a permanent principal as I do, sincerely, feel that on a WORLD SCALE the RB could well (needs must) end on the better side of that particular compromise. That is to take NOTHING away from the competency that Mr. Golding so proudly presents - and - with equal sincerity - I do mean that as a compliment. Competency at that level is worthy of anyone's applause but IF (and this may understandably now NOT be the case) the RB wishes to be judged as a classical company on a WORLD rather than PROVINCIAL scale (and there is no question but the latter is worthy and may well BETTER serve the rigors demanded by the just celebration of the native born contemporary sons in building an all too necessary future) then it will - as history has continually proven internationally - need to reach beyond. . So, yes, options NEED to be explored ... and certainly not rushed. Patience, we pray, is a virtue ... although Syria is pushing ALL boundaries monumentally at the moment.

It is actually less dancing .... more sweeping. In fact entirely such.

I attended with a friend / critic last night .... This is certainly 'swan XXL' ... or 'circus swan' if you prefer ... but, let's face it, it IS the RAH and you have to take that on its own merits as well. So enjoyed seeing Tamara glow in the third act (her natural home) ... but then Odile is in the driver's seat there. It's clear that Tamara prefers to steer. Maybe for that reason Golding looked more comfortable there too. While not the most expressive of dancers (he seems to have one all-purpose knob fixed on his expression pallet) his native Canadian largess gives him the necessary stealth to eat space so crucial for any principal to register in this arena. Osipova and Vasiliev or certainly Ashely Bouder would have them panting in an appropriate vehicle. Still, here, one longed for the informed elan of, say, a Sarafanov or Fairchild or T. Angle who, at least in this very moment in time, simply seem have it ALL (and this is, after all, a craft of seeming in detail). Looking at the cast sheet I was most looking forward to seeing the potential of J. Acosta in the Neopolitan. (He must have worked out his visa problems as he did actually appear.) ... Sadly he gave a very messy telling. Steps were fudged in execution. It was what my mother would have termed 'muddied'. The boy MUST learn that the whole is what ultimately counts not simply the flash otherwise his partnering, as it was here, will ALWAYS remain, - at least from my position, Row 10, Section J, Door 3 in the stalls - disastrous. Perhaps it looked better from a different angle but something tells me it most likely didn't. All this said the audience seemed to love it. I pray it does indeed help fill the ENB coffers.

Alison .... this tweet came up this morning from the ROH .... don't know if you 'do twitter' .... If you're booking, we experienced a short spike in bookings which may have caused slight slow down - apologies for any inconvenience.

It is on this evening at 9.05 pm I believe. Am recording it so I can see it after getting in from ENB press night

Wondered if this meeting had now taken place given the pressing concern of a matter of but a week ago ... which in this dear day and age can, it seems, appear (at least on twitter) to have been a lifetime? Grateful for your kind advice on behalf of all.

LinMM One of reasons I joined the Friends was to be able to go to such things as insight evenings so feel very disappointed that unless I pay even more money out for membership this is now unlikely. And the ROH SAY they are concerned that the arts should NOT be seen as elitist. Seems to me on the face of this - yet another piece of shielded information - that their 'other hand' appears to be very busy indeed at Covent Garden! Oh, - not only that - but here we find yet another example of 'transparency plus' into their (already costly) 'Friends' bargain. (Where will these divisions end? At least at the House of Commons you have bells and can roam about on a restricted basis and EVENTUALLY reveal the identity of the Whips.) Sounds to me here like the ROH Friends scheme would be good fodder for an item for one of those of those consumer rip-off TV programmes which happily burrow undercover. Forget Esther Rantzen, Gloria Hunniford or even that doyen of the balletic arts Angela Rippon, I bet if you roamed about the House of Lords you'd find a goodly number to takers who'd be happy to front it in no time at all. Just think of all those free tickets!!! On the street, however, the cries will be less 'here, here' ... than 'tut, tut' I should think. Still, I suspect ALL will be met with a time honoured 'shhhhh'. What is it they say: Some things NEVER change. Well, we'll see .... or maybe we won't. None of us does - in the end - live THAT long.

Well, a movable feast as I recall .... especially as it concerns a certain balcony

Including a trio of new works celebrating the century hallmark of the First World War to be performed at the Barbican ... and Deane's R&J with Rojo/Acosta @ the RAH ... oh, and Nutcracker, Coppelia and Le Corsaire (production premiere) at the Coliseum ... http://www.standard.co.uk/news/a-special-step-for-tamara-rojo-reunited-with-carlos-acosta-as-starcrossed-lovers-8651777.html

I enjoyed parts of the score as well. I saw Raven Girl for the second time on the Saturday matinee. (I had seen it first at the premiere, but did catch a total of four Symphony in C's.) It did appear that there was more light in the production now .... and also there was less literal stretcher prancing in the removal of the arms segment. (Actually that was one aspect I didn't feel needed to be cut as it at least gave a variety in terms of the overall dynamic of the choreography which otherwise had (within limits) an all-too-similar dynamic fixed to an oft all-too-strictly registered tempi. (I could, for example, have done with a cut of the 19th Century couple ... (Let them waltz elsewhere - if at all - I for one didn't get them AT ALL) ... or a little less bike riding or letter sorting (sorry, Ed) .... but then I assume that would make more major cuts in the score and be more difficult to patch in the short term.) The regimentation did make things draw out. During one of the exclusively 'electronic' sections (an attractively oblique one it must be said) I peered down from the heights of the Amphi into the pit. The faces of the orchestra players looked distracted in boredom. It was amusing to see them turn and and respond to each other ... One of the players looked like Nadal just before he's about to strike out in a serve... and that was in but the few seconds I happened to have a 'look see'. Still those few seconds offered a moment of humour; a tale in and of itself of humane humanity which I feel (and I know so many others feel differently about here) that separates, say, Robbins or Ratmansky or Ashton from the McGregor's of this world. That said, one STILL lives in hope: Chroma in its way shone ... and, at least for me, it told MORE of a narrative tale within the remit certainly of my own mind's eye .... or is it but that I simply felt it more telling ... a world more easily grasped and therefore more fully entered into; one clearly challenging and therefore able to fully entertain. I realise they are entirely different entities ... but I do feel the ultimate goal remains the same. Surely ALL concerns our ultimate engagement. On that score Raven Girl for me was inconsistent.

I noticed there were several 'new' (e.g., new to Sky Arts 2 I assume) programmes in the coming week's schedule. One was about de Valois and her passing on of Pavola's 'dying swan', another on the preservation of the Cunningham canon and yet another 'new' (as advertised) Balanchine documentary featuring Barbara Horgan et al. (Forgive me if notice of these has been already posted).

Dear Janet ....I agree ... (It was only that the person responsible for the CORSIARE mounting here was the same as that for several other companies including ABT and the upcoming ENB.) One should always hope ... well, look for the best. I will too ... Well, certainly I always try. I pray that the ENB CORSIRE proves commercially popular as I'm certain that was the intent ... especially given the current economic climate. I'm sure there will be more ACE cuts and Westminster has already confirmed itself to be a write-off. Tamara has her talented hands full. I certainly don't envy her.. (That said you certainly could not have today a more star-studded cast than the ABT opening one proffered and reviewed in that notice.) Our prayers are with ENB in these hours of our/their mutual need. I am sure we ALL wish them naught but the best.

What's the saying: 'What goes around, comes around' ... ????? .... According to this review: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/793b18d8-ce9d-11e2-8e16-00144feab7de.html#axzz2VapccxBm Oh, dear ....