Mandy Kent

Was Leo Dixon and David Donnelly I believe.....

Within The Golden Hour triple bill Thursday 9th May Mandy Kent Thursday's cast consisted of Yuhui Choe with James Hay, Francesca Hayward with Valentino Zucchetti and Yasmine Naghdi with Tristan Dyer. The four girls were Grace Blundell, Ashley Dean, Isabella Gasparini and Romany Padjak, the four men were Leo Dixon, David Donnelly, Teo Dubreil and David Yudes. I found Within The Golden Hour to be just as delicious with the second cast as on the first night. Yuhui Choe and James Hay had a wonderful rapport in those delightful opening waltzing moments, all smiles and blushing charm from Choe and gallant partnering from Hay. Hayward reprised Cuthbertson's role with those tricky 'one foot held' leaning forward arabesques to the point where you felt she might end on her nose but of course her partner Zucchetti was 'strong and stable' and the beautiful slow duet was accomplished with grace and great aplomb. Naghdi partnered by Dyer were also 'charmant'. I love this ballet , it makes you feel happy and content to bask in the glorious sunset glow. As I was sitting close to the stage I particularly noticed Leo Dixon amongst the four men as he has great ability and a lovely line in arabesque . The duo of Dixon and Donnelly partnering each other with Wheeldon's bold and characterful movements was super and well received by the audience. My second viewing of Medusa made me feel even more than on the first night that some judicious pruning, not only of Medusa's head but of her loooong final solo would have made the piece 10 minutes shorter and more impactful. Surely it should end at the death of Medusa? I do like the sinuous movements and the girls' costumes. As I said before the men's costumes are unflattering and they don't look like soldiers, they look like janitors or detectives at a crime scene in protective body suits. However I do like the choreography of Medusa with the soldiers, how she 'kick's a*s' and how they coil and squirm around her. Some fabulous lifts from Lukas BB who seemed to have all the more complex lifts of Osipova, and he achieved these very well. I think the lighting, sets and theme could work better if revised, so hopefully SLC will regard this as a 'work in progress', I hear he often works this way.... Finally, the stunning Flight Pattern. Because I knew what to expect having watched it on Wednesday I was not quite the emotional wreck that the first viewing created. Watching it from nearer also made a difference, I could see the dancers faces and that meant the characterisation was more compelling. Solos by Calvin Richardson, Benjamin Ella with Ashley Dean, Isabella Gasparini and Joseph Sissens punctuated the group movements. towards the end the group look like a flock of birds, trying to fly to freedom, its a beautiful moment. The sheer emotion between McNally and Sambe had you on the edge of your seat...so sad and so brave. The finale, with Sambe writhing and hurting, was painful but essential to watch.

I was on the whole very impressed with the new Triple Bill. This was my first view of In The Golden Hour and I am a great admirer of Wheeldon’s choreography. His inventiveness of movement constantly impresses me with its originality and freshness. He has a light hand and this is a delicate yet powerful work. The three main couples were Stix-Brunel with Muntagirov ( excellent together) , Cuthbertson and Hirano who had an incredible rapport and impressed in their adagio pdd, and Lamb with Campbell. The last pair danced well together and she is always so ethereal. I particularly noticed Nicol Edmonds in the duet for two men and Fumo Kaneko danced with great beauty, however all of the supporting cast danced well. The light sparkly Jasper Conran costumes for the ladies were very pretty but perhaps less lovely on the men ... spangly nude coloured body suits being rather effete for my taste. Overall a great start to the evening with gorgeous music and singing and simple but beautiful lighting . Having watched and been impressed with Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s Medusa at the Insight Evening recently I was looking forward to this very much. The staging was very effective and the costumes for the ladies were beautiful. I didn’t like the diaphanous boiler suits for the men but I did like their mesh Mohawk helmets which were occasionally removed allowing one to identify the soldiers. Olivia Cowley was imperious as Athena and Hirano very powerful as Poseidon ,god of the Sea who attacks and abuses Medusa. Hirano’s dancing has always been good but this year his acting and stage presence has developed greatly and he totally commanded the stage. Osipova was simply magnificent in the leading role. Her attack ( literally!) was fierce and bright. The singers Ailish Tynan and Tim Mead are also integral to the work and sang clearly and beautifully. In general I really admired the ballet but the movement, whilst very sinuous and lovely, does get repetitive after a while and a sharp sword and mirror for a more rapid and traditional decapitation ten minutes earlier would have successfully pruned the piece in my opinion. In general there was rapturous applause and much whooping for the leading lady which was well deserved. Matthew Ball was a valiant Perseus and battled the Gorgon with strength and terrific acting skills as he eventually overpowered his foe. Finally to the most powerful piece of contemporary dance I have ever seen.. Flight Pattern by Crystal Pite. I wondered at first about the Stygian gloom and very repetitive small movements just what we were being subjected to. But almost imperceptibly the semi-abstract group movements became a heart rending tale of displacement from home and loved ones, of forced migration, poverty, loss of family and possessions and grave sadness. I was riveted to my seat watching the wonderful group movements that flowed and eddied across the stage. There were stand out solos from Kristen McNally as a woman with a ‘baby’ and Marcie Sambe who has a powerful and gut wrenching solo in the closing moments . This piece works on so many levels but my overall reaction was of great sadness for the victims of war and of natural disaster who are forced to flee from their homes. This incredible work raises awareness while impressing us with its subtle beauty.

I’m not taking a risk on the alternative show and have asked for a full refund. I’ve had an email back to say they will credit my card asap. Shame .

I

Huge congratulations to choreographer Mark Baldwin OBE and the producers ‘Sisters Grimm’ ( Pietra Mello-Pitman and Ella Spira ) for this terrifically heartwarming and uplifting show. The Soweto Gospel choir are part and parcel of the dancing and are the very heart of the show. The dancing illustrates the singing and the dance ‘characters ‘ in their various costumes and plumages represent a myriad of wild animals, birds, fish or mythical creatures according to your own mood and interpretation. The choir sing in the Zulu language and there is a hint of translation in the very informative programme ( well worth the £5). Plus lots of excellent photos. For an afternoon or evening of pure joy do not miss this show. PS ( you know I love a ps) I had the pleasure of meeting Mark Baldwin as he was watching the show right next to me. My friend and I both said how much we enjoyed the whole show which has live musicians on stage too. Mr Baldwin was extremely courteous and happy to sign my programme. He said he noticed all the little things in the show that weren’t quite right... we reassured him that to us it was perfect .

Yes please Bill

Wise words and I heartily agree.

Please PM me if you have a spare ticket up to £50 max price range for Nunez/Clarke R&J on Wed 29th May. Many thanks Mandy

Ticket gone to a good home 😀

Phew 😍👍

Well worth getting a ticket for this programme. I’ve already been twice At Sadlers Wells and at ArtsDepot. It’s a super show, in particular Us by Wheeldon .

Dear Folks I have one spare stalls ticket to see INALA on this Sunday 5th May matinee 2pm Stalls Row M at £28 . I will be there to hand over ticket.... please pm me or email/ text if you know me! Shame to waste it xx

Was it Nichol Edmonds first Benvolio? I’m a bit out of touch with casting of this role. He gave a very good interpretation with his enjoyment of the role plain to see 😀

Don’t even joke about it Sabine0308 ! 😍😍😍

Yes, Dawnstar, I had better seats for Ball/Cuthbertson and Hirano/Takada. But dont get me wrong, I enjoyed Andrijashenko/Hamilton very much indeed. She danced beautifully as did he. But I wasnt moved to tears or holding my breath....and I think thats because I couldn't see or feel the emotion from my perch in the Amphi !

I was sitting in the Amphi without very good magnification so I can only say in general that I enjoyed Hamilton's portrayal of Juliet but wasn't close enough to see every nuance. So I was not as moved as I might have been if closer. However I really liked Andrijashenko's Romeo. My favourites so far are Cuthbertson and Ball, and Takada and Hirano..... but we all see things differently !

Finally and as a PS to Saturday evenings performance, with Takada and Hirano. I was fortunate enough be sitting in row B of the stalls and right next to the camera man who was filming for Japanese TV. We got chatting to him, as you do, and he explained how he is directed to get the right shots etc etc, and showed us his camera. Also, right at the end, he panned the camera around the applauding audience and finished up on my friend and I. So funny! I guess we will end up on 'the cutting room floor' but if anyone in Japan sees two ladies of a certain age waving frantically at the camera, that's me and my friend !

Coming back to Saturday's matinee, which I enjoyed very much, I just want to give three cheers to the threesome of Romeo (Timofej Andrijashenko ) Mercutio ( Valentino Zucchetti and Benvolio ( Nicol Edmonds) .They were a real power team and were always up to something whether in a dance or in an acting role when someone else was dancing. They were really in tune and clearly enjoying themselves.

As an example of audience reaction ( or lack of it) Takada as Juliet did not receive a round of applause at her first appearance in her scene with the nurse. At every other performance I've seen the leading lady gets a welcoming clap. This was a shame, especially as she went on to give such a stunningly good performance, As did Hirano, he was simply spot on and I hadn't expected him to be such a good actor, he has really blossomed .

I’ve just been to see the Balletboyz again tonight at the ArtsDepot , North Finchley, (the town where I grew up). Being a smaller venue than Sadlers Wells meant I had a much closer view of the stage . I’ve already described the two pieces Them and Us above. In an evening of excellent choreography the stand out piece is the final duet in Us by Christopher Wheeldon. The perfect accord between Harry Price and Bradley Waller as they entwine around each other, lifting and balancing , is so very acute that one forgets to breathe. Sheer brilliance. PS Bradley Waller is also a keen photographer and we were able to buy performance and rehearsal shots signed by him. I treated myself to a rehearsal print which captures the companies unique style.

I was fortunate to get a ticket for the Clore Studio to watch the Medusa Insight live and I found the whole evening provided a very satisfactory glimpse into Sidi Larbi’s new work . The main role of Medusa was danced by Natalia Osipova who was very fierce and danced with power and style. The men, as listed above by capybara , represent Greek Soldiers and Matthew Ball was Perseus though that was not completely clear at first. Osipova is on pointe although the style is largely contemporary as we would expect from the choreographer. The assistant choreographer Jason Kittelberger ran the dancers through one main scene where all the men are controlled by Medusa. In their Greek Helmet masks which are made of a mesh of bronze wire with plumed Mohawk decoration, the men appear anonymous. But from the fourth row of the Clore I could clearly pick out each individual dancer. I loved the choreography which uses a lot of turns and twists of the hips, Jason referred to Larbi’s Moroccan background and the fact he uses hip movements a lot as it is ‘his heritage’. There were some exquisite arms too, sinuous and beautiful. Afrer a discussion by Leanne Cope (the presenter) with Olivia Pomp the costume director, we were shown a duet between Matthew Ball and Natalia Osipova where they are each attempting to annihilate the other! This was very compelling to watch and they were really getting into their characterisation, especially Ms Osipova ! We also saw her try on her snake-y headdress and mask. Until we can see the entire work it is impossible to review the ballet but I for one am very glad to have 2 live and one filmed performance to look forward to.

wot in July? Southern Hemisphere ?

Dear BalletcoForumers, I am posting this on behalf of the team at COVENT GARDEN DANCE COMPANY the information below is not from Mandy Kent Dear all at Balletcoforum , I would never dream of posting personally about the shows but I do feel that the ‘pros and cons’ are not quite accurate. I completely appreciate any and all feedback as it is always invaluable and we strive to improve year on year, which we have. If you have not been to Hatch House for a few years then you will not have experienced any of the improvements we have made over the years. We have worked tirelessly on this show for a decade and from its humble start of 157 people it is now 3 nights of 400+. Hugely flattering. What is more flattering is that it has sold out two nights in record time this year highlighting the fact the all the improvements we have made year on year have had the desired effect. Some further correction is that it is not a dinner with a bit of 'ballet thrown in'. There are three half hour sections of performance. Each half hour section has (usually) four short works in it lasting between 5 and 11 minutes. If you have not been for a few years then you would not know this. Over the past ten years we have put tens of thousands of pounds into commissioning new works on young and emerging creatives. From these shows choreographic careers have been supported and we always open up our dress rehearsals for free to children and students. You might also not know that from this weekend of ballet and dance we created a charity called the Dicky Buckle Fund in honour of him and to support artists and creatives in their careers and to also further the education in the arts. The ticket price has never been £75, the cheapest the tickets have ever been were £95 in 2011, seven years ago. The reason the ticket price went up was because we had to become VAT registered and we discovered one year that we were making a lot of loss! We didn’t want to pass this 20% VAT price hike onto the customer in one go so we passed it on gradually over 4 years. This nearly broke us as a company as we had to take a huge hit in the very small profit. You can thank HMRC for that. We did everything we could to ensure people still came and that everything the show does for all those who love and support still happened. I was determined not to let the dream disappear. The food has always been good. But we always try to improve We have had a new caterer for the last year and the food is now fabulous. We serve over 1,200 three course dinners so we expect the occasional issue. But they really are rare. We also very generous with the inclusive wine, serving over 1000 bottles last year as part of the ticket. Last year for your Best Of British ticket you got: An amazing goblet of superior quality G&T on entry . You had a divine three course dinner with ample excellent wine. (We ensure the wine is excellent because I want people to not only feel amazing on the night but the next day too!) and all 12 world class performances. It is an evening designed so that you can experience the beauty and glory of ballet and dance in the most beautiful surroundings. It is never meant to be an evening of narrative ballet or a ‘Big production’ etc. It is the best of the best in one of the most beautiful natural theatres in England. I hope you don’t mind me straightening the record but I think it is fair to represent the work and dedication not only of my team but also all the incredible artists who have worked with us over the years. It is a passion, and I feel passionately about it. We want everyone from the first timer to the balletomane to come and have the most wonderful evening. The ballerinas are not the only ones who strive for perfection! ;)) Thank you so much for all the support and feed back it is always welcome from everyone. Best wishes to one and all. Admin Team Covent Garden Dance Company http://coventgardendance.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=63&Itemid=497

So, tonight’s performance was yet another example of how a show can transport you to another realm even when you’ve seen it many times before. It helped that I was in the stalls with an excellent view and could pick up all the details and nuances of the performance. Will Bozier was the Swan/Stranger tonight and I have watched him grow and develop in his portrayal of this dual role, from the first weeks at Sadlers Wells. His Swan is so impressive, imperious, regal yet animalistic. His dancing is less balletic than Matthew Ball and Max Westwell but it is so watchable , powerful and graceful, with wonderful arms and very expressive eyes. I admit he is my favourite Swan of this run even though Matthew was superb and I thoroughly enjoyed Max Westwell this afternoon. Just something about Will’s interpretation that feels right to me. His Stranger was sexy and enigmatic and ferocious. Dominic North’s Prince was another fine performance. Again his dancing style is less balletic than Liam Mower but I felt was more like Scott Ambler’s interpretation... Dominic and Will are a good pairing. A big Brava to Katrina Lyndon who was The Queen this afternoon and the Girlfriend this evening showing how versatile a dance actress she is. I also always notice Jonathan Luke Baker who was a Big Swan at the matinee and The Private Secretary tonight. He has a very natural stage presence and expressive features, always one to watch. Many thanks to all the dancers and crew and huge congratulations to Sir Matthew Bourne for his masterpiece Swan Lake and his special award at The Olivier Awards. Happy Easter and Happy Passover to all who celebrate . Mandy