11 minutes ago, CHazell2 said:

Little Buttercup in HMS Pinafore is described as a 'bumboat woman'.

Yes I know!  And of course G & S is the basis for Pineapple Poll. However, best not to Google in a public place.

I forgot to mention the pony in Fille.  I love the pony, the audience loves the pony.  But...

Don Q solved the horse on stage problem with a 'puppet'. 

At about a minute in, there's a WONDERFUL elephant here, though I'm sure a great deal of this is potentially offensive to someone. I think the only way to present a great deal of this is tongue in cheek and a wodge of humour.

https://www.facebook.com/MinistryofCultureSportandYouth/videos/720673733254895/?extid=CL-UNK-UNK-UNK-IOS_GK0T-GK

Edited to add thanks for that Bayadere link from this post @LinMM

11 minutes ago, CHazell2 said:

I was thinking today about how certain ballets seem to be out of favour with today's audiences, I was just wondering what you all thought about what sort of ballets ought to be performed or should be regarded as out of date.

How odd. I was just thinking about this, then I saw this post. We did recently mention Checkmate (deemed simply old fashioned?) and Pineapple Poll.  Not sure exactly what a 'bumboat woman' is and I'm afraid to Google that one. 

Alain in Fille is a recurring subject of discussions, though a man dressed as a woman giving a good spanking to 'her' almost adult daughter could also be a sticking point.

Certain things have been altered at the Royal Ballet, Nutcracker Chinese and Arabian dances (I loved the old one, I could smell the coffee) and the 'negro' servant (see old programmes) who carries the cushion in Cinderella is now not listed as such.

 I think the Bolshoi last I heard was resisting removing those 'blackface' kids it's so fond of in a couple of ballets. They do come as a shock the first time you see them.

https://balletalert.invisionzone.com/topic/35945-blackface-in-bolshois-the-pharaohs-daughter/

Yes, in fact it is a serious issue.   I know some companies have been looking into this. The more you think about certain ballets the more you appreciate how 'incorrect' certain aspects are. Yet it would be sad to lose them. Do we drop anything with a 'national' dance? That's a huge chunk of the repertoire!

Then there is the issue of 'female' and 'male' steps, shoes and syllabi.

https://www.istd.org/discover/news/ballet-without-restrictions/

Extract (it's all worth reading)

In 2018, Chase Johnsey made headlines performing a typically female role for a major ballet company, English National Ballet, as one of the ladies in the Prince’s court in The Sleeping Beauty.  When questioned about why he’d want to dance as a ballerina, Chase said "women have been my heroes my whole life… Strong ballet women are my superheroes, and that’s what I want to portray."

More recently, Californian company Ballet 22 was founded in 2020 to "push the boundaries of what is possible in ballet by breaking gender-normative stereotypes specifically through the ungendered use of pointe shoes."

The upcoming Cecchetti Society Trust Vocational Classical Ballet Awards

has this in the T & C

CECCHETTI SOCIETY TRUST

Fewster Cecchetti Scholarship and Barbara Geoghegan Award competitors will all participate in an adjudicated ballet
class onstage set at Advanced 1 Level containing free work and the following specified traditional Cecchetti exercises
which should be pre-­‐rehearsed as the set work will not be taught on stage.
• First Set of Ports De Bras.
• Female: Pas de Chaconne and Glissade assemblé, temps levé in arabesque
• Male: Coupé et Fouetté and Assemblé temps levé (en avant and en arrière)
The class will include a pointe work section for those presenting as female work and virtuoso section for those
presenting male work

In fact I've had to re-read this several times in case I've put my foot in it. I am not intending to offend and I'm trying to keep it light but there could be, as the song goes, trouble ahead.

The times they are a changin'

1 hour ago, Swanwings said:

Personally I never had a problem with slipping heels on my shoes

Me neither really, though I routinely used to wet the inside of the shoe at the heel and dab on some finely powdered rosin, and that worked for me, I always think less is more TBH. While inserts etc may well be the answer for some it's an added worry in case they move around isn't it?  Begin with the cheap and simple things?

And in case anyone finds this thread and needs more of the basics, this is what I was trying to describe earlier re folding in the back, angling ribbon, and no don't sew through the drawstring! (We've all done it, once.)

Not pointe shoes and urgh shiny ribbons, but it's the same method.

 This is slightly off the topic but many useful hints about ribbons, elastics and the rest here.  I like the candle for the pointe shoe gods!

Another traditional way of placing ribbons is the folding down the back of the shoe method, and angling the ribbons forward to sew in place. 

I've never melted ribbon, simply turned in the raw edge at the shoe to hide and then cut the ribbon at an angle for the other edge. I admit my sewing was a work of art, but I belong to the olden days when we were taught at school and woe betide us if our needlework wasn't up to scratch!

I've never actually regretted the time spent on perfecting small, neat stitching. 🌞So much more satisfying than algebra (don't ask).

The DancewithmaryNYC YouTube channel has a number of short videos with hints and tips about shoes and how to make them fit and the rest. It is a dark art, all feet are different and use, discard the advice as required. I have known glue (PVA, or rubber type) to be spread thinly inside heels and allowed to dry for extra grip. Look at close ups of Osipova and her shoes, she clearly takes them in with in tucks to get a tight fitting.

dancewithmarynyc.nyc

https://www.youtube.com/@DancewithmaryNYC

Look at all tabs  > Home Video Shorts<

Learning to sew is a great advantage. Learning to sew neatly even better. I see many who have not learned this. A thimble is a help.

Learning how to place your feet while tying ribbons helps too. Baggy ribbons don't look good.

Here's a sample.

20 minutes ago, FionaM said:

Frequently the RB go with character artists who are way too old.   Juliet’s mother should be no more than 30.  RB too frequently has ones who could be her grandmother or even great-grandmother.  (Of course the dancer portraying Juliet is herself much older than the character). 

Yes. I seem to recall posting about this recently on another thread.  Clara's parents too?

21 minutes ago, Pas de Quatre said:

Old fashioned remedy, wet the heel of the tights using a small spray bottle. If this is not enough put the damp heel in the rosin box. Then put on the shoes.  This should make the satin stick.

Old fashioned and it works. I've seen a pic of Nunez rubbing the inside of her shoes in the rosin box.

Wetting the canvas internally is better than soaking the satin, IMO, which then picks up dirt.

Saw a pic recently of a low level tap and sink installed at a ballet company (was it Paris Opera?) so dancers could wet their shoes.

This elastic fetish is relatively new.  In ye olden days, ribbons correctly placed and sewn were normally deemed to suffice. 

Edited to add to the above, if shoes are constantly slipping, maybe a different shoe / fit needed. There needs to be enough shoe fabric to cover the heel properly and pull in the strings to ensure a snug fit.

1 hour ago, capybara said:

Sorry to be a killjoy but The Ballet Association does ask attendees not to post news from their talks on social media.

 

In this case, the RB should be putting the info. out officially; but maybe waiting until the end of Dante.

It's on his Linkedin page that's he's a 'former soloist' etc so it's not really very secret.

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/tomas-mock-07bb6175

33 minutes ago, alison said:

Shame.  Did he say anything about future plans at the Ballet Association last night? 

Well his Linkedin says Tomas Mock is a FORMER soloist at the Royal Ballet and this is a surprise!

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/tomas-mock-07bb6175?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

1 minute ago, FionaM said:

‘hearty villager’

It's the case she does struggle with the 'haughty ballerina' look, she's got such an impish face. However, I liked her and Muntagirov together.

I love how he treats her as something precious. She is. I smiled all the way through.

1 hour ago, alison said:

Pah! I'd forgotten this was on.

It won't do a magical vanishing act so you'll be OK to catch it. It was lovely.

All three dancers impressive, the 'musical interlude' with Kate Shipway  and Rob Clarke playing together a treat. Gary Avis was on top form and all three 'debutante' dancers impressed.

Giacomo Rovero I particularly enjoyed.  Lovely jumps and dance quality. 

Cecchetti Society Trust
Vocational Classical Ballet Awards
Sunday 3rd December 2023 - 12.00 - 17.30
Elmhurst Ballet School, Birmingham

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

The Cecchetti Society Trust Vocational Classical Ballet Awards incorporating the Fewster Cecchetti Scholarship (FCS) and the Barbara Geoghegan Award (BGA) will take place on Sunday 3rd December 2023 at Elmhurst Ballet School, Birmingham, B5 7UH. 

Further information here:

https://www.cecchettisocietytrust.org/vocational-awards-2023/24

The Awards are open to a public audience and the Trustees hope many supporters will be able to attend. Tickets are priced £14.00 Adults and £7.00 for Students and those aged 16 years and under. A ticket allows the holder to attend the programme throughout the day.

1 hour ago, LinMM said:

I thought there were originally 24 and it went down to 16 but have never actually counted them. 

Yes. Sorry. I'm not good at counting!   It just looks more! A proper blizzard! 

For anyone wondering, the link has been moved here so... back to Don Q on this thread.

52 minutes ago, capybara said:

Snowflake load

Counted 32 in the old RB snowflake scene. 16 in the recent.

Is this to do with global warming?

It isn't the same. It looks like a light dusting, small flurry, not a wonderful landscape of thick snow which is what we expect. The magic is diminished. ❄️

Just now, Scheherezade said:

I have to say, I did enjoy the RB's 2019 Act 3 Raymonda, indeed the whole of the Raymonda/Concerto/Enigma Variations triple bill. Lots for principals and up and comings as an added bonus. A similar triple would be much appreciated, by me at least.

 Yes!  

Just bumping this one up as the Nutcracker insight is tonight November 21st. 

This IS the Don Q thread isn't it? Just checkin'...   I know I posted the snowscene but with a nod to the mods I tried to tie it in with Don Q...  😇❄️🌞

You've all gorn *** (Edited the word out as it's ableist language. Sorry.  🤨)

On 19/11/2023 at 16:03, NikkiB said:

I can confirm Beth will be a snowflake

From the summer heat of Don Q to a snowflake! How wonderful. I love this scene.  I know it's a killer to dance, It's utterly magical to watch.

'This is not a three act story ballet'

Back on track... here she is. 😌

I do find it odd that the ROH frequently gives no credit in its publicity on social media to who is dancing.

I thought I'd add this here. A few faces I'm sure forum members will recognise. Darcey Bussell is missing but her apologies were conveyed by Monica Mason.  It dates from 2013 but it's all still very relevant to today. It's not all about Ashton, though he gets a mention!

Ashton style is basically based on his Cecchetti training. Lose that and so much of what Ashton's choreography is about is lost too.

Well worth twenty minutes of your time.

And just to mention this about Richard Glasstone, June 2023

Richard Glasstone MBE awarded Fellowship Award

https://www.istd.org/discover/news/richard-glasstone-awarded-fellowship-award/

An Honorary Fellow is described in the Society’s Rules and Standing Orders as being awarded for ‘exceptionally meritorious services to the art of dancing.’ As such it is the highest mark of honour that the Society confers.

As a world-leading authority on teaching the Cecchetti method, and a pillar of the Cecchetti Society and Faculty for more than six decades, Council were unanimous in their decision to bestow this award upon Richard. 

23 hours ago, Scheherezade said:

Gorgeous voice! Looking forward to hearing him on Friday.

I'm very envious. He comes across as a really caring person also. His T shirt slogan,  he organised a benefit concert for Woman.Life.Freedom for human rights in Iran.

For sheer beauty of voice, you couldn’t have asked for better soloists. In the title role of the Israelite hero, Allan Clayton provided his usual warmth, enfolding one in a comfort blanket of sound. As his brother Zebul, Brindley Sherratt gave a silk-smooth bass. Jennifer France was perhaps the pick of them all as Iphis, with sweetness of tone all the way up to the glittering top of her register. Alice Coote matched Clayton for warmth as his wife, Storgé; countertenor Cameron Shahbazi, as Iphis' lover Hamor, impressed with sinuous phrasing and timbre, just as he did in the recent Picture a day like this. All of these singers gave splendid demonstrations of the ebb and flow of Handelian phrasing and of the change of expression between repeats of their da capo arias. The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and Royal Opera Chorus also produced consistently beautiful sounds.

https://bachtrack.com/review-handel-jephtha-mears-cummings-clayton-france-coote-sherratt-shahbazi-royal-opera-november-2023

More Handel.  I can never have enough Handel, especially when sung like this.

I've said this before and I'm not sure it went down too well, but I don't understand people going to see something they know they won't enjoy...  better to save your money and your ire for things you know from experience and taste you do.

Life's too short and all that.

Some things also require some input from the viewer.

Ballet Black's website has a great deal to interest, not least of which is this page,  films / links to documentaries. Some are for a fee, a number are free.

https://bbonfilm.balletblack.co.uk/

8 minutes ago, Scheherezade said:

Which begs the question of why give every appearance of enthusiasm for works that it has absolutely no intention  of reviving?

Quite. As with today's Insight into Nijinska, all that enthusiasm for the woman and her work and its importance. However, no revivals!

(As an aside, does anyone know if the parts of the Insight not broadcast via YouTube are on the ROH subscription service?)