Ondine

OK, final word on this from me, it wasn't sarcasm at all (British humour has many facets) it was a bit of fun and yes I'm perfectly happy to be very silly at times. Life would be dull if we were always dour wouldn't it? I reckon at my advanced age I've earned the right to be very silly indeed. I try very hard not to breach copyright. I've added a Tweet (an X doesn't sound right to me) from the ROH to the 'streaming' thread with details of fresh screenings and a lovely clip from the cinema relay of Nutcracker: And another to the 'Ballet Miscellany' posts showing how the snow is enabled for Nutcracker.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! ❄️

Though the live stream and Sunday's 'Encore' screenings are ended, a number of cinemas now showing 'extra' ROH Nutcracker screenings' so it's worth adding your location and getting the list if you have a yearning for a viewing. I note Keswick Alhambra is showing Nutcracker January 1st if you're in the NW. Enjoy the clip.

After which it automatically goes on to full price. Clearly they are hoping to cash in on Christmas viewing and gift subscription. Is there a 'cancel early' option on the half price offer can you see, or are you sucked in for the entire year? I had considered a month's trial also but I don't want a year.

Yes the FB post is from 2022. I thought it gave a flavour of the event for anyone wishing to book. Another upcoming BRB event Feb 14th 2024 (where has 2023 gone?) https://www.brb.org.uk/shows/an-evening-with-brb-at-hockley-social-club An Evening with BRB at Hockley Social Club

It was the Tchaikovsky themed part I thought a good piece of marketing. It might pull in a fresh chunk of audience. https://www.facebook.com/bhamroyalballet/videos/an-evening-of-music-and-dance-is-back-join-our-dancers-and-the-royal-ballet-sinf/4817465055047201/

I found this:

It is streaming fine in the UK.

Several copies of the book available. I have the recording on VHS and yes I have a player. 😊 https://www.wob.com/en-gb/books/margot-fonteyn/magic-of-dance/9780563176459?

Oooh. Nah I'll leave the forum fairies to it, with their magic wands. Are you being Carabosse today? I thought it best not to post a link with unknown provenance, just in case those forum fairies were contacted with a takedown notice by some irate copyright holder though as the clip is from 1979 I & been on Youtube three years suspect not.

I think this is a clever piece of marketing the more I think about it. Nothing obscure, people have heard of Tchaikovsky, heard of Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Nutcracker, nothing too taxing and a concert venue rather than a theatre. Lovely music with benefits. One to take children, perhaps. Nice evening out, before the holiday weekend.

There are several clips on YouTube though some are really REALLY awful quality, search Collier Dowell Cendrillon Cinderella. This one isn't good but good enough for nostalgia! Five minutes of bliss. Search Lesley Collier and Anthony Dowell - PDD from ‘Cinderella’ John Hall (who has so, so much of historic interest on his YouTube channel) 1979 ROH I'll message you the link and anyone else who wants it, though I won't post it as I'm sure the forum removal fairies will frown.

Not keen on tripe... 😉

Today and the countdown is working in the UK at least! https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/116718-000-A/peter-tschaikowsky-schwanensee/

Actually, it's not a bad idea, is it? It could well draw in a fresh audience for ballet via 'popular' classical music (which isn't in any way denigrating Tchaikovsky). People go away humming the tunes and then consider a trip to the theatre to see a production? No names mentioned yet for dancers. It could give a few 'up and comings' a chance to dance these pieces, without the pressure of a full ballet. Symphony Hall, Birmingham. 2,262 seat concert venue. Hopefully makes a few quid for BRB also? https://bmusic.co.uk/events/tchaikovsky-classics-with-birmingham-royal-ballet

The Company’s world-class dancers will perform some of the highlights from these great works including: from Swan Lake, the tender and romantic ‘white swan’ pas de deux from Act II and the breathtaking ‘black swan’ pas de deux from Act III, including the famous 32 fouettés; from The Sleeping Beauty, the exquisite Rose Adage from Act I; and from The Nutcracker, the beautiful grand pas de deux for the Prince and the Sugar Plum Fairy. Alongside these, the Sinfonia, conducted by Principal Conductor Paul Murphy, will play some of Tchaikovsky’s orchestral music that inspired the greatest 20th-century choreographers such as George Balanchine (Theme and Variations). The flashy bits then.

When I was a child, Amahl and the NIght Visitors on BBC TV was a regular. Quite how we afforded one I will never know, however, we had a TV, a Pye, bought c 1952 or 3, and watching this was all part of the Christmas excitement. Imagine that now. So I saw that first BBC production, and yes that was the year Father Christmas brought me the pink tutu, see the 'Nutcracker' thread. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amahl_and_the_Night_Visitors BBC productions The BBC made several productions of Amahl and the Night Visitors in the 1950s. The first performance was broadcast on December 20, 1953, with Charles Vignoles as Amahl, and Gladys Whitred as his mother. The Three Kings were sung by John Lewis (Kaspar), Scott Joynt (Balthasar), and John Cameron (Melchior). Edric Connor was the Page and Josephine Gordon was the dancer. The opera was produced by Christian Simpson and the conductor was Stanford Robinson.[13] This performance was so successful that it was repeated on Christmas Eve 1954 with substantially the same cast apart from the Page sung by John Carvalho and the dancer, Betty Ferrier.[14] Both performances were broadcast live. A telerecording of the 1954 performance was broadcast on Christmas Eve 1956 but this recording seems to have been discarded. An audio recording of the 1954 performance exists in private hands.[citation needed] Further performances followed in subsequent years.[citation needed][15] The 1955 performance was also produced by Christian Simpson, starring Malcolm Day as Amahl, with Gladys Whitred as Amahl's mother. Music was provided by the Sinfonia of London. It appears that this performance was also broadcast live. It was either not recorded or the recording was discarded. It does not exist in the BBC Archives. The second production was broadcast on December 24, 1959. This version exists as a 35 mm telerecording in the BBC Archives. This version was again produced by Christian Simpson and starred Christopher Nicholls as Amahl and Elsie Morison as Amahl's mother. This time music was provided by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The original 1951 US telecast is actually on YouTube Kevin Kalaka Amahl and the Night Visitors 12-24-1951 The original 1951 historic telecast with Chet Allen as Amahl. The first ever made opera for TV. Aired on NBC Christmas Eve 1951. The composer, Gian Carlo Menotti comes on television before the opera explaining his childhood memories around Christmastime and the program was sponsored by Hallmark Cards.

Where even in summer it's risky holding the ball in the garden. While we have a Cinders digression, there's a not great quality (but good enough for nerds) ballroom PDD on YouTube of Dowell and Collier in the old production dancing the PDD where they are alone in the ballroom (no risk of rain) and it is utterly wonderful. Rapturous. Giddy with love, Collier spins and spins, faster than seems humanly possible, and Dowell can't believe his luck.

Well it was a small deviation, I had actually forgotten there was this topic re joiners and leavers, so I put a link here too!

It does and I always feel sad for the children at the RBS who miss out 'their' turn!

I said this on another thread, but more decades ago than I care to think about aged five for Christmas my mother made me a 'Sugar Plum Fairy' dress, pink taffeta silky bodice and pink net skirt, I had a 78 rpm 'Nutcracker Suite' record (still have it) and was allowed to play it on the HMV wind up gramophone and TWIRL. So the Sugar Plum Fairy is very dear to my heart! The first of several tutus she made for me! I have this pattern, my mother kept it, it was with her sewing things when she died. https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/199256158/simplicity-4863-1950s-girls-ballet?gpla=1&gao=1& Slightly later one https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/275366996268 I wonder how many of those they sold over the years?

And here looking very young! (In the 'lower orders' of the named participating dancers in that is Peter Wright. Whatever became of HIM I wonder? 😉)

Well, ignoring the eyes...

And if we want a trio: I quite like the Bolshoi Nutcracker as it's different, with the emphasis on 'couples'. I like the sets too. However, out of the three the choreography of the RB SPF is, to me, the most interesting (and challenging, with the gargouillades, though many do fudge them a little). Also a proper pink sparkly tutu, as befits a Sugar Plum Fairy. You can't beat Julia Trevelyan Oman's designs. (Don't start me on the Royal Opera banishing her La bohème). ttps://www.bristol.ac.uk/theatre-collection/explore/theatre/julia-trevelyan-oman-archive/ Mirlitons. Reed pipes, sweets, also a type of squash! https://jonathanstill.com/2016/11/01/mirlitons-2/ I'm trying to recall which old fashioned choccie box they used to come in, a small cylinder of marzipan with ends dipped in chocolate.

The tulle 'pull' is somewhere on YouTube as I have seen it fairly recently, all rather strange and yes always looks dangerous! Two Sugar Plum Fairies, compare and contrast. I very much prefer this one.