Benjamin

On 13/07/2023 at 02:56, MJW said:

I am going on Sunday and looking forward to it especially after the day I have had at work with intermittent power supply since yesterday evening! However what a strange start time of 3pm?  I am sure it was  Saturday lunchtime last year. 

Throughly enjoyed the show. I think the students were excellent and the program was very well picked. I believe they chose it to start at 3:00pm, because then the students will have more time to get ready, and then the graduates can have their graduation at around 6 or 7pm which seems like the prefers time.

The fact that the prices are this much and this is how we are treated, is crazy to me, only half of the casting that we really desire and then all these booking problems. I might have to opt out of any ranking of the ROH Friends because is it really worth it?

2 hours ago, Sophoife said:

...while I'm hoping it's Australia. 2017 the last time.

That actually kind of makes a bit of sense, the have a lot of Australian artists and I believe more then ever before.

Im just looking a previous tours to see if a pattern appears:

2023: Japan Tour

2022: Cancelled Japan Tour

2021/20: Cancelled 

2019: Tokyo, Los Angeles Tour

2018: Madrid Tour

2017: Brisbane Tour

2016: Japan Tour

2015: USA Tour (Chicago, New York, Washington DC)

2014: Moscow, Taipei, Shanghai Tour

2013: Monte Carlo, Tokyo Tour

I’m very excited for Isabella Gasparini with a promotion to First Soloist. 

Unsurprisingly no promotions to principal. 
 

I think all the promotions are very well deserved.

Just now, Benjamin said:

I’m just  sharing what wa said in the Instagram post to get this news out there asap. 
 

Director of The Royal Ballet Kevin

'Hare today announces promotions, new joiners and leavers for The Royal Ballet's 2023/24 Season!

We are delighted to announce that:

@Gasparini.Isabella is promoted to First Soloist.

@micabradbury, @hannahjayneg, @sae_maeda, @joon_is_joon and @taisuke_ 29 are promoted to Soloist.

@bomin kim

-, Nadia Mullova-Barley,

@katharina_nikelski, @ameliatownsend_ @yuhang_999, @harrisbell, @liamboz, @daichi_ikarashi, @harrison_lee13,

@marco_masciari_ and @aiden_ob are promoted to

First Artist.

@oliviaafindlay, @_scarlett_harvey_, @ellanewtonsevergnini, @martindiiaz.

and

@lucfoskett02 are now promoted to Artists.

Congratulations to all!

These are just instagram usernames, so it might be a bit confusing, but I’m assume the proper press release will be on here soon.

Note: I’m just sharing what was said in the Instagram post to get this news out there asap. 
 

Director of The Royal Ballet Kevin O’hare today announces promotions, new joiners and leavers for The Royal Ballet's 2023/24 Season!

We are delighted to announce that:

@Gasparini.Isabella is promoted to First Soloist.

@micabradbury, @hannahjayneg, @sae_maeda, @joon_is_joon and @taisuke_ 29 are promoted to Soloist.

@bomin kim, Nadia Mullova-Barley,

@katharina_nikelski, @ameliatownsend_ @yuhang_999, @harrisbell, @liamboz, @daichi_ikarashi, @harrison_lee13,

@marco_masciari_ and @aiden_ob are promoted to First Artist.

@oliviaafindlay, @_scarlett_harvey_, @ellanewtonsevergnini, @martindiiaz.

and @lucfoskett02 are now promoted to Artists.

Congratulations to all!

7 hours ago, Richard LH said:

 

 

Hi @Benjaminand @oncnp ...I was wondering where this information was posted? Presumably the Takada interview should be available  by now but I can't see any link or reference to it on the (hopelessly organised) ROH stream pages. Has anyone seen it?

I DO see a reference and a potential link resulting  from  a Search for "Akane Takada" on the main website, but that link (along with many other links  for her and for other dancers) is just giving me the dreaded  "Technical error (error 500)" at the moment. 

I was ready to answer this question but I looked it up and it came up with technical error, so I would wait a bit and hopefully they should be available. A few months ago when I first saw this they had a whole page on the Roh stream website for it.

What horrible stories! What I wanted to say is that ENB at the RAH has a more general, bigger audience (just like the nutcracker) and there people that don’t go to performances that often don’t know the protocols. I’m not trying to justify them just point that out :). I think everyone knows this but I didn’t have any stories so this is it.

55 minutes ago, jmhopton said:

I remember being blown away when I saw Onegin for the first time, when the RB first staged it, possibly in the late 90s. I think it was in Ross Strettons first season so presumably Anthony Dowell must have done all the commissioning and organised the ballet training.

The rest sounds about right but it was first performed in November 2001, just at the start of Ross Strettons first Season.

Excited to hear about ABT’s interpretation on the met opera stage. I just wanted to say I recently checked on ABT’s website to see how tickets had sold on theses run of performances, last time I checked there were a lot of empty seats. Do these shows need a shorter run? I’m not saying that the met opera company is doing well in terms of sales either but Shouldn't ABT be doing less shows?

1 minute ago, capybara said:

Perfectly happy to explore the relative merits of the many and various productions of Swan Lake and/or balancing a ballet company’s finances generally but, if you mean a discussion concerned with Liam Scarlett @Benjamin, I don’t feel that that has a place on BCF.

Sorry I should have been more clear. I meant about Swan lake and Finances.

Just now, bangorballetboy said:

 

The final performance was not filmed (other than for archive purposes) but the first show in the run was filmed.

I didn’t know this, thank you. I guess the closets we will get to a recording is dancers diary’s video.

Unfortunately I couldn’t make it to Morera’s final performance but this has me remembering wasn’t this final performance filmed? I wonder if Anastasia Act III alone will be published on ROH stream. I could also see the chance of untitled being available on there, as they recently realised McGregors Limen and Chroma.

21 hours ago, oncnp said:

 

The decision might be purely financial. Scarlett's Swan Lake is the current production and reportedly cost a fortune. They can't afford a new one at this point (even if they wanted one).  The same with the DVDs. If it makes money they will continue to sell them.

Note: I’m talking about Swan Lake and budgeting. I think this would make an interesting discussion even when it’s not being performed, anyone agree?

On the ROH stream website you can see a new series (not yet available) exclusive to ROH stream called: Spotlight on, which will feature interviews of Steven McRae, Akane Takada, Alexander Campbell, Laura Morera, Vadim Muntagirov and Sarah Lamb. Some of these interviews say coming soon,  but some of them say the will be released through June to August. Sounds like an interesting series!

46 minutes ago, Sim said:

Untitled 2023 tells me that he has run out of anything original to say. Just my opinion.  

Somewhat agree and it’s in the title. Nothing to say at all.

Here’s my thoughts: 

Untitled, 2023: Choreography is pretty good, but nothing special. These costumes are definitely better than others  but they just look like the set? I’m glad that they correlate but would love something that feels like it’s own. The cast was amazing. Music is okay but again, nothing to write home about.

Corybantic Games: I love the music and the set, Choreography is okay and Costumes (although I love the pleated skirts) are hideous. 

Anastasia: Laura did an excellent job on this questionable piece.

A pretty bleak bill and that’s all I have to say.

11 hours ago, Peanut68 said:

Doesn't feel like that many minutes in total of dancing.....is this usual for Jewels? Almost feel like they could run Emeralds & Rubies together, then interval, then Diamonds & - if they must have a second interval - do another short one act ballet or a couple of items from the Sunday Gala.....I'm sure the UK audience have waited a long time for this visit so deserve a bit more stage time!

I’m pretty sure they’ve rounded it down, as well as ROH has long curtain calls compared to other companies (I think) so I could only assume that’s why this is shorter.

Just wanted to say the gala program is announced:

60th Anniversary Celebration: 145 mins / 1 Interval

ACT 1

Harlequinade Larks (Including solos and coda) 
Alexei Ratmansky after Marius Petipa 
Concerto Pas de Deux
Kenneth MacMillan
Little Atlas
Alice Topp
I New Then "Madame George"
Johan Inger
(World Première 23 February 2012, Lucent, The Hague, the Netherlands, Nederlands Dans Theater 2)

Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux
George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust

ACT II

Everywhere We Go Funeral March/High Style/King’s Speech
Justin Peck
Anna Karenina Italy pas de deux
Yuri Possokhov
Watermark
Pam Tanowitz
Don Quixote Fandango, Bridesmaids, Grand pas de deux
Rudolf Nureyev, after Marius Petipa

1 hour ago, Benjamin said:

Infra has to be his masterpiece, right? At least I loved it. Chroma is just okay. 

Yes its definitely my opinion!

3 hours ago, Sim said:

Yes I am going to Morera’s farewell.  Just that one show as I don’t like Corybantic Games and another McGregor short ballet doesn’t excite me.  I love Chroma and Infra but none of his other short ballets have done it for me.  

Infra has to be his masterpiece, right? At least I loved it. Chroma is just okay. 

Also I assume that the uk only livestreams will we be streamed internationally on ROH stream? I understand why the aren’t showing them worldwide in cinemas, but international audiences would probably still want to watch them and with this they could get the chance.

On 30/05/2023 at 06:47, Lynette H said:

Interesting to see that the cinema season also includes Message in a Bottle (Kate Prince / Sting) from Sadler's Wells to be broadcast in in May 2024.   I suppose this is similar to NT Live showing productions from theatres other than the National Theatre, which it does from time to time.  Message in a Bottle returns to the Peacock in October 2023. 

 

https://www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/message-in-a-bottle-2023/

 

It's not clear whether they will be showing a recording from 2023 in 2024 or if there is another run scheduled for 2024.  It's described as a "special screening" which might indicate not live. 

I will definitely tune in but sounds about random? Doesn’t it? If there was anything out of the Royal Opera Houses main seasons I would think they would stream Carlos Acosta at 50 or The Australian Ballet gala? Maybe in future years? Not critiquing this choice by the way.

6 hours ago, Emeralds said:

I wonder if they meant Makarova’s 2003 production for the Royal Ballet, but it was only in the repertoire for a short time, so not many photos of it are online. It’s definitely not the Dowell production from the 1990s, and after those two, there’s only the current one we have. It was designed by Luisa Spinatelli, and the Wolf & LRRH costumes do seem to be in her signature style. It’s also possible that they got the company wrong - the photo isn’t clear enough for me to identify the dancer dancing LRRH under hood and wig with 100% certainty! 

I would love a revival of Dowell’s production from the 1990s because it’s just so visually crazy, but stunning and not ancient.

Quite interesting, I don’t know why we shave MacMillan Celebrated but I would think that at least one of the Ashton bills would be streamed, at least in the uk only? And there’s only 6 ballets and 2 of them exclusively in the Uk.