marcse8

Well having seen the very well attended showing at Greenwich Picturehouse last night I find myself in almost complete agreement with @Scheherezade and @Jake and as a fellow violinist I so echo and reinforce what @Linnzi5 says about the new leader/concertmaster Magnus Johnston and the enthusiastically charming conductor Martin Georgiev. A magnificent performance of the score which just emphasised again what a major masterpiece it is - how underestimated because it's a ballet - I think it's the equal of Mahler symphonies or Wagner operas. I saw the Scarlett production live on stage a couple of years ago so it was good to see it from the different angles in a live relay and I appreciated the chance to see closeups I can't usually get from my usual Amphitheatre seats. I'm finding the production is growing on me more and the interval interviews helped me appreciate the painstaking work and dedication that goes into the fabulous costumes and sets. Matthew Ball is perhaps my favourite current male dancer at the RB so it was an added bonus to see him close up and for me he epitomises Siegfried - his looks and bearing and dramatic yet elegant style just shout prince to me ! He's also such a thoughtful and genuinely questioning dancer and artistic thinker - there's a fascinating post on his Instagram account where he discusses his recent thoughts about the role and ballet and the music - and mentioning another of my faves, Sibelius, only increased my respect !

It was a wonderful performance tonight. William Bracewell's magnificent arabesques and stunningly elegant line really brought to mind Dowell and how the role was created on him. Then in the last act he added his own ardent passion to devastating effect in combination with the touching and vulnerable Yasmine Naghdi. Luca Acri impressed with his athleticism and bravado as Lescaut too. A moment of light relief was provided by me hearing a man, obviously reluctantly dragged along by his girlfriend, complain in the interval that nothing was happening and they were all just "prancing around" which I suppose is one definition of ballet !

Success ! I paid a visit to the archive at Ballet Rambert yesterday and the helpful archivist Daniel was happy to accept my mum's scrapbook. They will catalogue and take it into their collection for future use. Thank you to everyone for the advice.

Yes, it was lovely to see this again. The clips of Nureyev reminded me of going to see the enthralling programmes he did with London Festival Ballet (as was) at the Coliseum with my mother in the late 1970s-early 1980s - especially the tributes to the Ballets Russes. As others have said, he was already getting near to past his prime but the thing with Nureyev was that his animal magnetism, charisma and sheer stage craft took you over and often made you think his technique was better than perhaps it was. Seeing him leap onto the stage as the Golden Slave in Scheherazade or twining sensually a la Nijinsky as the Faune was unforgettable. Nobody ever twirled a cloak like him either. And when he did Spectre de la Rose he brought on Fonteyn as the special guest artist - although approaching 60 she was the epitome of grace and elegance. Happy days !

Thank you so much @Lynette H that's really helpful, I will email them.

Thank you @Sim yes, in fact as I'm only 20 mins away from the Rambert building on the South Bank, I might try actually taking it in there to show them! Another interesting thing the photos and clipping showed was how much ballet featured in the news and was covered in the papers and magazines back then, it was seen as a major cultural event for the UK.

Hello everyone, first time poster here although have been reading for a while, much enjoying the discussions. Seeking some thoughts and advice from forum members regarding some material I have relating to the Ballet Rambert school and company. My mother won a scholarship to study at Rambert school from 1954-56 and subsequently danced in the corps de ballet there and in theatres across the UK for a few years including at Sadlers Wells in 1961 before retiring from dance due to injury. Following her death a few years ago, I've been sorting out her personal collection and have found a scrapbook she compiled during that period which has lots of press cuttings, publicity photos and autographs from Marie Rambert herself and other leading figures of the time including John Chesworth, Alexander Bennett, Margaret Hill, Gillian Martlew etc. I'm just not sure what to do with it - maybe there is an archive at Ramber that would be interested?