OnePigeon

As a slight divergence, I can’t help but feel that Muntagirov is woefully underused in this country. His dancing is sublime and he has a special and unique style and artistry that screams out for being showcased. If I was a choreographer I would be falling over myself to get a chance to create something on him, or if I was the AD of a company I might be pushing to ensure his talents are fully utilised and celebrated. I wish I was able to see every pairing of Manon as each interpretation brings a new perspective and food for thought. Macmillan has created such riches to mine for each performer and audience to member to explore. As someone who has only just returned to watching live ballet after a long hiatus away, I am really hoping they do Romeo and Juliet next as I haven’t seen it since Rojo and Acosta made their indelible impression and I think there are some incredible pairings who could bring so much to the roles.

I completely agree with you. Osipova was my first and only other Manon in this run and she brought so much nuance to the role - I was mesmerised from the minute the curtain went up, whereas last night I was distracted by comparisons and therefore some critical thoughts which took me out of just absorbing what I was watching. I was a little underwhelmed by the bedroom PDD, usually a big highlight for me, by thinking she’s too tall for him for the lifts to look completely comfortable and I felt that I wanted more emotion from Fumi than just a huge smile. What I love about Osipova is that she’s willing to inhabit the character and move more naturalistically when not dancing, so I’m not just watching a beautiful ballerina playing a role, albeit very well. Having said that, in Act 2 they really began to dazzle me and Vadim took it up a whole other notch, his Act 2 solo being so sublime and emotive I felt privileged to be in the same room watching it. He was so impassioned and anguished that I lived it with him and came away a little in love with his DG. I thought Fumi sizzled with an aloof sexuality, aware of her beauty and its effect on the men around her, but remaining a little aloof as if to say, “Yes, I’m beautiful, but you can’t actually have me.” Although she was lured by the promise of the riches bestowed on her and was prepared to do what it takes to get them, she was never going to fully give herself over to anyone apart from DG. I thought the bracelet scene between them was really well done, with her flaunting it in front of him and his at times violent response to her taunting, full of passion and anguish which she responded to by being confused at his anger. Those final lifts/throws in Act 3 actually made my stomach flip and had me wondering what I’d actually just seen - so dangerous, skilled and shatteringly spectacular. The first cast I saw was so stellar I was a little underwhelmed last night by comparison (principals not withstanding). Sissens danced beautifully, though I thought his characterisation needs a little work to bridge the gap from his initial brooding brute to pure comedy drunkard. Dias did well but doesn’t have Magri’s skill just yet and the beggars and gentlemen needed to tighten up - some of it was very untogether and sloppy. Is there any role Gary Avis is less than amazing in? Someone give him a one man show! I loved his Monsieur GM when I saw it and he brought an extra layer of hideous lasciviousness to it that was lacking last night. His gaoler was fantastically brutal though. I think I shall weep when he retires from performing.

Me neither, but it doesn’t mean it won’t happen. We shall see...

I have a strong suspicion that Joseph Sissons will be cast in Rhapsody (and perhaps, with the departure of Campbell, soon promoted?) and can also imagine Luca Acri may be given a chance. I wouldn’t assume that it will automatically go to the principals any more, based on current casting trends, but who knows? (I mean who actually does know? I wish they’d tell us 😉). I think it’s a role more suited to a compact dancer though so can’t imagine someone with Clarke’s length of limb dancing it and don’t think it would suit Bracewell. I’m not sure about Ball, but think Vadim could be a great choice. Sambe and Hayward’s version is currently on the stream and he was incredible. My son was moaning about not liking it until Sambe came on doing some kind of gravity defying jumps, at which point he was transfixed.

I thought it might be to do with the various owners having a say in the staging and casting of the works - perhaps opinions are divided. There could be all manner of issues going on behind the scenes though and I do wonder about them still assessing if certain dancers are fit enough for certain roles - I think Corrales would be great in Rhapsody if he’s able to dance it, but he’s been cast in SL so maybe he needs a slower start back. I’m sure it’s not ideal for anyone and they would put up casting if possible. I’d love to know the reasons for the delay though as I’m very nosy 😆. The Macmillan casting was very late too and some choices and omissions were surprising.

If I ever win the lottery I’ll buy an apartment in New York so I can come and watch every season NYCB perform: Balanchine, Robbins and new works being premiered that are steeped in the balletic idiom. Thank God NYCB honour their heritage and are producing talented choreographers and offering them the opportunities to hone their skills and present them to their audience. It’s so much more to my taste than most of the new works being produced here and in Europe and it has glorious music. Brava Tiler Peck - may she have a long and successful career with her choreography.

I have read the Boston Ballet statement, but I want to know specifically what is deemed insensitive and offensive in La Bayadere (I’m not saying either way if I think it is or isn’t, I just need to know beyond these broad platitudes what exactly is problematic.) If they can’t mount anything with cultural appropriation then surely no company is allowed to depict anything from a culture outside their own - so the RB need to stick to Enigma Variations, Birthday Offering and maybe some abstract works. Where do we stand on Shakespeare though? Can we still perform Romeo and Juliet, as Shakespeare was English, or should we leave that to Milan as it’s set in Italy? Or maybe he was the ultimate cultural appropriator and should be banned? Or is it only some cultures that can’t be appropriated? So many questions....

It’s an old ballet that isn’t steeped in authentic Indian dance or culture, and neither does it purport to be: it’s a Russian ballet set in India. I don’t think Giselle is an accurate depiction of peasant life in Middle Ages Rhineland either, do we need to revise that by making it more accurate? We’re going down the route of decrying anything depicting something that isn’t Western as some kind of perjorative cultural appropriation, regardless of whether it’s actually culturally insensitive or just a fantastical story set outside Europe. The world won’t end because La Bayadere is no longer performed, but the censoring and self censoring that’s occurring in the Arts at the moment is not a very healthy environment for creativity to thrive as we narrow down who is allowed to tell which stories. I haven’t seen La Bayadere for years and accept its possible that some things need tweaking if need be, but I’m not sure we need to consign it to the dustbin of history because of how the fakirs moved, or because it’s inauthentically Indian, or Nikiya isn’t an Indian name, isn’t performing proper temple dance and is often danced by white women - that’s a racial slippery slope I really don’t wish to go down. As long as no one is applying makeup to make themselves look like a different race, in this era of blind casting, I would be very uncomfortable with a caveat being that the dancers must be from a certain racial background. Back to the topic though, that’s fantastic news that Rojo has been given such a cash injection - would that these donations were more numerous. Imagine how it could help Northern Ballet right now.

Even with that awful wig Francesca Hayward still manages to look absolutely luminously beautiful. Sambe has never been my first choice in a role like this, but it seems I may have to check him out in future - he’s certainly a stunning bravura dancer, but I’m really keen to see them together when I next get the chance. There are too many wonderful pairings for my budget unfortunately, but I’m very excited for my final Manon on Friday - fingers crossed for a stunning Kaneko/Muntagirov interpretation.

I’m also not overly familiar with Forsythe, but I did have a look at some videos of Playlist on YouTube and whilst choreographically it was interesting and I liked it, musically it had me wanting to do a Van Gogh and on that basis I’m not sure I could actually sit through it.

I’m in the tiny minority of liking Eagling’s Nutcracker too - not sure what was so bad about it? 🤷‍♀️ I’m definitely up for something non-Nutcracker this year though, so fingers crossed the RB do something else (Dear Santa, please send me Coppélia this year!) Though it’s bound to be Cinderella.

I think when you’re still under 30 you can’t have a clue what it’s like to watch your health and looks deteriorate and the world you live in rapidly declining in many ways. It was an innocuous comment about being older than a baby, I don’t think it’s fair to turn it into some kind of comment on who has had it best. It’s not a crime to not enjoy the ageing process and perhaps when it hits you you’ll understand - and I don’t mean that rudely, it’s just that I’m somewhat further along this process than you and until it happens you can’t comprehend it. Ageing can be incredibly depressing, especially if your health deteriorates and you are living in pain - it’s not actually a privilege for many people and can be a long, tedious struggle towards the inevitable. Older people are still living in this world and not unaffected by world events. We’re all different and all have different experiences so it’s a bit simplistic to tell old people to not bemoan old age. Anyway, I’ve taken it further off topic, so back to the ballet....

Well the positive is that at least I’ll be saving a lot of money, the negative is that, for me, it’s a total let down of a season. Why would you perform two Giselle and after both have been seen so recently? I’ve just seen Giselle and much as I loved it, I’d much rather see something I haven’t seen ever or in a long time. I have no interest in AK’s Giselle; I might go to the Forsyth and I think I might be all Nutcrackered out for a while. When are we likely to get the RBs next season announcement?

All their performances are Monday - Wednesday though. One Thursday, Friday or Saturday would have been most welcome to the many people who have to get up for work the next day. Ah well, I might actually just give it a miss.

I so agree with you, it’s not a trend I’m very keen on. Personally, when tickets are so expensive and priced the same across all casts, I’m not as thrilled to see a soloist get a top role when there are so many amazing principals at the top of their game who have worked hard to get where they are, only to get a few performances each, or none at all. I would be more prepared for this trend if there were a certain amount of performances with non principals which were slightly cheaper, but it doesn’t make economic or artistic sense to me to keep casting lower ranked dancers in top roles when there are already so many principals. I also don’t understand why a ‘premium’ cast with 4 of the top and most popular principal dancers in the company are dancing on early week day nights when surely they should be given at least one weekend. It’s almost like the audience aren’t really a consideration.

Those Nunez/Ball etc dates are really unfriendly for anyone who lives and works outside London!

Glad it’s not just me that found the music a challenge to get through. It’s not unbearable, but I found it incredibly bland and lacking in soul and depth. Music is incredibly important to me and I found myself thinking it must be quite challenging to dance to something so lacking in a strong melody - how does one interpret something so bland? When I think of how glorious the music to R&J and Manon is, for example, it really stirs your soul, conveys deep emotions and takes you on the journey of the story. The ballet and music are inextricably bound together - this not so much. Glad the Ashton is comparatively cheap and it’s two pay days away until booking opens, giving me time to save for a stalls seat. I really hope we get casting before booking opens though. I’m not prepared to pay top whack for TWT as I don’t love it, but I’ve only seen it on the stream so would like to give it a go live once with the right cast.

I’m probably in a minority here, but when the company is so heavy with principal dancers and then casting is announced and roles that could go to a principals seem to mainly go to soloists and first soloists, I find it quite puzzling. It seems a shame for the audience that they don’t get the opportunity to see more principals when they have such an abundance of riches in that department. I know it’s important for non principal dancers to get experience and opportunities - and they should certainly have a fair amount of good roles as there is a great roster of talent in those ranks too and I mean absolutely no disrespect to those wonderful dancers - but when I look back at old programmes of triple bills it seemed you used to get more principals for your buck, so to speak. I used to find mixed bills a great way of seeing different pairings and dancers from my preferred usual dancers, so I could see Bussell, Guillem, Acosta, Rojo, Kobberg and Cojocaru etc all in one evening. I also think lots of people book to see principals more than soloists, so a more starry roster can only be good for box office takings.

Yep, wish I’d held off booking before casting was announced! Luckily I was able to swap my ticket and I can live with the £4 fee. I’m surprised (and disappointed) there’s no Yasmin Or Fumi in any of the pieces though.

I don’t think you’ll be disappointed - I was mesmerised from the minute the curtain went up. It was an incredible ensemble with top performances from a stellar cast and one of those performances where you’re totally immersed and not being distracted with the odd critical thoughts (but maybe that’s just me?). I loved Osipova’s interpretation of Manon and her willingness to act as the character, sometimes moving in a more naturalistic way and not just always being the perfect ballerina. I would love to have stayed to see Naghdi and Bracewell, but as that wasn’t possible I’m very happy with the cast I saw.

Marquee TV did have the 2018 Merry Widow when I had it just over a year ago, but not sure if it’s still available on there as I no longer subscribe. Amber Scott is a very beautiful dancer, I’d definitely like to see her in other roles.

Not dance, but dancer related, BBC IPlayer has a 1972 Play of the Month version of The Merchant of Venice starring Maggie Smith and a certain young and lovely Christopher Gable as Bessanio.

It’s most likely to be the 2018 version with Amber Scott as Hanna and Adam Bull as Danilo, as opposed to the 1993 version with Heathcote as Danilo and Lisa Pavane as Hanna (which is still available on dvd.) The 2018 version is also available on Sky Arts on demand if you can access it. I fear it’s the only way we’re ever going to get to see the joyful ballet in the UK.

Absolutely - all that hard work and training for two nights of performances. It seems mad to me that there are so many principal couples who only dance the role a few times each. Surely fewer casts and three or four performances each would make more sense, giving people more opportunities to catch the pairing they want to see and giving the dancers more time to really get into their roles.

I’m seeing Osipova/Clarke, mainly because my friends wanted to do a matinee, though I am interested in seeing Osipova’s interpretation of Manon - it should be interesting. I’m also seeing Kaneko/Muntagirov as they’re both firm favourites of mine and I’ve decided to try and see Muntagirov in as many roles as I can while he’s still in his prime and with us in London. I think if it was only my decision I would have picked Naghdi and Bracewell instead of the Osipova cast, but I’d probably be fretting about that too. I love the Lamb and Muntagirov version on the streaming service and would have loved to see them paired again. The last time I saw Manon was with Tamara Rojo and Carlos Acosta, so I’m really excited to see it again live. I’ll be interested to see Campbell’s drunken Lescaut. I’ve yet to see anyone better David Wall, but it requires someone with some subtle comedic acting skills (and the nerves to just drop down like a dead weight) so I’m hoping Campbell will get it.