Mandy Kent

I am so pleased that I got to watch Max Westwell as the Swan/ Stranger this afternoon with Liam Mower as the Prince. It was my first time to watch Max in the lead role and I was not disappointed. He has a physicality and presence that holds the eye and his ballet training ( ex ENB) is evident from his beautiful pointed feet to his strong feral leaps. His Swan was very powerful and fierce.His Stranger was HOT ! Oh my ! The Tango between the Stranger and the Prince was full of tension and menace. Liam Mower is one of the best Princes I’ve ever seen, in my view up there with Scott Ambler ( rip) and Matthew Hart. He moved me to tears and his dancing is so light , effortless, and balletic... more so than the original choreography made on Scott. I usually concentrate on the Swan in the pdd between Swan and Prince, but today I was focusing more on Liam , not to detract from Max , but Liam is just so good . Back for more this evening with Will Bozier and Dominic North. I didn’t find the recorded music a problem But the tempo seemed faster at times than the live orchestra at Sadlers Wells... not sure !

I’m going on Thurs 20th . I’ve heard this is well worth seeing. It was on in Edinburgh and had good reviews though sounds very bleak and powerful! https://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/2018/mother-starring-natalia-osipova-arthur-pita-eicc-edinburgh/

The Mother https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/133037-mother-2019 A powerful narrative dance production based on Hans Christian Andersen's dark tale, choreographed by Arthur Pita and starring Natalia Osipova. International dance superstar Osipova, principal of the Royal Ballet, stars alongside multi-award winning dancer Jonathan Goddard. The Mother is set to original live music by Frank Moon and Dave Price and is choreographed by Arthur Pita, the choreographer of critically acclaimed productions The Metamorphosis and The Glass Menagerie. As a young single mother sets out to save her child, she must face fantastic creatures, impossible trials and cross the line between life and death itself. Will she succumb to the forces of evil, or will the power of motherhood prevail? With an original score by Frank Moon and Dave Price, design by Yann Seabra, lighting by David Plater and dramaturgy by Anna Rulevskaya. Produced by Alexandrina Markvo. Presented by Bird & Carrot. 20 Jun 2019 - 22 Jun 2019 WHERE Queen Elizabeth Hall PRICING £30 - £70 Booking fee: £3.00 (Members £0.00)

Thanks for the info Penelope, that’s very useful and I’m looking forward to it even more. The food doesn’t bother me as I’ll eat veggie there. The veggie food supplied at such occasions is rarely much to write home about. I’m just going for a lovely night out with some of my very favourite dancers xxx

Well he is listed on the poster on the website. I’ll let you know if he recovers in time ! Let’s hope Steven makes a speedy recovery.

http://www.courtyardatparkfarm.co.uk/ I’m staying here 😀

On the Hatch House website there is a list of local hotels and local taxi services.

Some opera tickets at ROH cost more than this and this includes a reception and a 3 course dinner and wine. A chance to mingle and meet the dancers and so on . And for me the chance to see Mara dance again ! I’m spending my kids inheritance !

Hatch House Wiltshire http://coventgardendance.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=63&Itemid=497 dancers include Mara Galeazzi, Vito Mazzeo, Steven McCrae and Lauren Cuthbertson. There are still tickets for Sun 28th July when I’m going . Anyone else ?

There are still some tickets available if I can tempt anyone to join me xx

Is anyone on the forum coming down to Wimbledon for Thursday 18th April either show and would like to meet up? I’ll be at both ! A Swan Lake Fan xx

Thanks for the heads-up Jan. I just watched the interview with Matty 🤩 It's around 13 mins in from the start and can still be downloaded from the BBC North West news programme. Lovely to see some rehearsal clips and to hear how Matthew and his parents feel about bringing Swan Lake, starring Matthew, to his home town. And they said tickets are STILL AVAILABLE !

All sorted thanks to Minder and Grey Rabbit. Thanks also to Alison .

Yes please Minder !!!!

WANTED 1 ticket pref stalls or 1st circle for She Persisted ENB for tomorrow’s evening show Sat 13 th April. Please PM me . Best wishes Mandy

Regarding the sword fighting; When Romeo and Tybalt were fighting hell for leather, Tybalt sustained an injury! I know because Gary showed me the graze on his hand at the stage door that night

Romeo and Juliet is one of my favourite ballets. Last night’s performance went beyond ‘ an old favourite’ to the realm of living and breathing the tragic story step by step, note by note, breath by breath This was due to the superb dancing and acting skills of all the lead roles, the wonderful orchestra playing Prokofiev’s beautiful music plus a large sprinkling of fairy dust, of fire and spice, of magic and mystery. Just one of those very special nights. Matthew Ball’s Romeo was heartfelt, his dancing a joy to watch, his emotions clearly portrayed as they moved across his handsome features, his supportive partnering giving Lauren Cuthbertson the freedom to fully explore the role of Juliet knowing how well he would look after her. Lauren’s Juliet was so nuanced, from the delightful child dancing with her nurse, to the young lover and then the desperation and hopelessness of her final scene. Lauren’s dancing was so light and fluid , her acting skills faultless. She paid attention to every detail required to tell her story. In a very stellar cast, Gary Avis stood out as a ferocious Tybalt, adding a level of inebriation to his wrath in the duelling scene which fuelled the drama. Valentino Zucchetti was a lively mischievous Mercutio with James Hay as Benvolio . Itziar Mendizabel danced a frolicsome lead Harlot with great zest. Ryiochi Hirano showed us a baffled Paris who could not understand Juliet’s disdain for him, his grief at the end sincere, his murder unjust. Marcelino Sambe was an expressive and energetic Mandolin Dancer . So many other characters gave their all. So many of the audience were in tears as the red curtains fell. Bravo the Royal Ballet !

Precious Adams made her debut as The Chosen One tonight. Utterly brilliant .

and then some :)

Despite the general complaints here on the lack of Russian Icons , I thoroughly enjoyed this mixed bag of sweets and fireworks ...with the occasional dud . It was worth the expensive ticket price just to see Watson back on stage and reading the many heartwarming welcome back messages on his Instagram page from dancers and fans alike shows just how much we were all thrilled and , yes,relieved to see him back on stage, commanding the McGregor choreography as only Ed can. Sarah Lamb was an exceptional partner in the Qualia pdd. Did anyone else find Julian MacKay’s lurching Flames of Paris embarrassing to watch ? His gurning and his messy lunges were so off putting but I liked his partner Khaniukova who danced with brio yet with delicacy . Bernal’s Zapateado had us eating out of his hand... his footwork was extraordinary, his hands beautiful and his shading of expression sublime. What to say about Daniil Simkin other than he is a joy, and his partner Maria Kochetkova was a scheming minx of a Sylphide. Perfect timing and execution of the Bournonville choreography. I am skipping over some of the pieces which did not resonate with me, however the final one of the first half was the much celebrated partnership of Naghdi and Sambe in the DonQ pdd which brought the house down. Sambe has the Acosta ability to hang in the air, defying the laws of gravity. He could calmly have a cup of tea up there then land gracefully without spilling a drop. Naghdi radiates charm and her execution was brilliant. After an interval of being dazzled by some of the ladies in the audience’s couture gowns... we returned to Scheherazade with Krysanova, resplendent in her sea green tutu , and Vasiliev who impressed me with his dancing despite a very slight slip on one landing and despite a rather unflattering costume. It made him look chunky and he is not a tall dancer, although still graceful . Carmen by Victor Ullate and danced by his son Josue with the stunning Lucia Lacarra was for me a true highlight of the gala. Carmen is about sex and power and these dancers showed us that they understood the very essence of the piece. I would like to see the entire work based on this short gala piece, it had the wow factor for sure. After that the Black Swan pdd danced by Misa Kuranaga and Jeffrey Cirio provided plenty of dazzling dancing which was warmly received . . Simkin returned to the stage in a solo Pacopepepluto which gave him free rein to show off his comic timing and talent. It was my first occasion to watch Daniil dance ,other than on film, and I thoroughly enjoyed both his performances. The evening finished with La Bayadere danced well by Konivalova and Picone. It may have disappointed all those who had paid for the chance to see the ‘Names who Appeared Not’ but I was more than happy with my evening. As an aside I had the pleasure of meeting young up and coming future star Shale Wagman who was a delight and had come to support his ENB friends . Certainly one to watch.

My point , with due respect to the very talented Cathy Marston, is that one shouldn't have to let the details 'wash over' one, or just accept that they are all spouses, children or indeed cardinals. A little ( or a hefty dose of ) editing would have brought greater clarity without over simplification of the biography. I'm sure, having read the programme( £5) afterwards, that a lot of culling was done by Cathy Marston and her dramaturge. But I hadn't read up on my history beforehand or watched the TV programme 'The Young Victoria' and I was rather lost which I found detracted from my enjoyment.

I have mixed thoughts about this ballet. It tries to tell the story of Queen Victoria through the eyes of her youngest daughter Beatrice and through insights from the Queen’s many diaries, she kept hundreds of volumes. I think Cathy Marston should have tried to distill the essence of Victoria’s life instead of baffling us with the details. Did all her eight children need to be represented, AND their spouses ? In Act 2 did each and every labour and childbirth HAVE to be represented? The latter episode became quite comical to me and perhaps that was intended ? Anyway the Act 2 love pdd between Victoria and Albert was superb and the standout piece of this ballet . Strongly danced by Abigail Prudames and Joseph Taylor the pdd showed both emotional and carnal love in Macmillan influenced passion and was a triumph. Would I recommend it? Yes with reservations...excellent dancing, lovely music, beautifully danced with some original choreographic ideas ... just confusing in the narration of the tale.

Did anyone attend the Borne to Dance charity gala last night? https://www.borne.org.uk/support-us/events/borne-to-dance-2019/

Well I’ll just have to plan a Grange visit. Team outing anyone? Rather pricey !

I’m very sad to hear of the loss of your dear friend Kevin , may he rest in peace and may his soul continue dancing in the heavens .