annamk

But aren't the pricing increases at the RoH connected to reductions in funding from the Arts Council ? Or am I wrong and that isn't happening ?

I'm still looking.

Sudden disappearance of all the unsold stalls and central amphi seats for this evening's performance. Did anyone see an offer ?

Bumping this up.

Looking for a SCS if anyone has a spare.

Ticket gone.

£14, message me if interested. Anna

In it’s premier run in 2022 the brilliant Ruination made references to Nutcracker running in the main house and my friend and I today were wondering whether Ben Duke would adapt it for Cinderella. So maybe that’s why a combined insight is not as odd as it might first seem.

@Christine thank you for posting too, it's fascinating to read someone else's take on a performance. I was particularly interested that you mentioned Gabriel Figueredo because I'd seen him dance Lensky last year and I thought his pre duel solo was magnificent, one of the best I'd ever seen. I noted he was on the cast list for Blake Works but I couldn't for the life of me identify him. There was one dancer who resembled him facially but I remembered him being a bit taller. Looking at pictures online has left me none the wiser ! Will definitely message you next time 😄

Looking for a SCS for this performance if anyone has a spare.

My daughter and I went to Stuttgart for a couple of days to see 2 performances of their latest triple bill Shades of Blue and White “showcasing three very different facets of classical ballet”. It wasn’t the first night of this bill which appeared earlier in the season but if I remember correctly that was a couple of months ago. The evening opened with the Shades scene from Natalia Makarova’s production of La Bayadere. The company brought this into their repertory in 2018 although they don’t dance the full length ballet. According to the Stuttgart Ballet website Natalia Makarova herself came to coach the company but on the evening we were there I noticed Olga Evreinoff in the audience so possibly she was also involved. I was curious to see how the company with their smallish stage would look in this most stunning and iconic of Petipa’s white acts but my reservations were quickly swept aside as the 24 shades showed admirable synchronicity and control and the 3 individual shades - Irene Yang, Abigail Willson-Heisel and Daiana Ruiz demonstrated a fine mastery of the tricky variations . As Onegin last summer principal dancer Marti Paixa, impressed me enormously but as the warrior Solor, whilst he was generally a good partner, his variations were distinctly earth bound - so much so we wondered whether in fact he might be nursing an injury. Mackenzie Brown, already promoted to principal in October 2023 just 3 years after joining the company and still only 21 showed exactly why she’s had such a meteoric rise. Her rendition of Nikya was a truly accomplished performance. It was such a joy to have the opportunity to see this increasingly rarely performed choreographic tour de force again. Since I first saw Blake Works 1 in its premier run at Paris Opera Ballet in 2016 I’ve seen a further 3 companies dance it. Nothing has changed my view that it stands out as a masterpiece of 21st century ballet creations. It’s a work for today, using today’s music in brilliant combination with classical ballet technique. The choreography seems to allow each company and their individual dancers to bring something of themselves and their strengths to it. The Stuttgart dancers looked as though they were having a ball and it’s not surprising that the audience responded with warmth and enthusiasm. I would have quite happily ended the evening there and in fact I did the following night. The final piece was Seventh Symphony set to the music of Beethoven. The ballet was made in 1991 for Stuttgart by Uwe Scholz, a choreographer unfamiliar to me. I found the choreography exhausting, acrobatic and repetitive. In places it really looked dated, the way the women were dragged across the stage split legged was for me particularly unattractive. The dancers gave it their all, Jason Reilly defying his 40+ years with his energy and attack. The audience adored it and there was a standing ovation at the end.

I’m not surprised this hasn’t sold well and IMO it’s not just a question of being over priced. Yes the staging is spectacular and the story is well told but ultimately there’s something emotionally uninvolving about the clunky pdd and way too much tiresome peasant frolicking in Act 2 - it just doesn’t make for multiple viewings. So far I only bought a single ticket this run in the hope that Cesar Corrales can transform the ballet with his marvellous charisma just as he did in Like Water for Chocolate.

I wouldn't book any full length ballet without knowing the casting.

Me and other ballet friends feel the same. I doubt I’ll buy more than 10 tickets for the entire 24/25 season but since they’re SCS I don’t suppose the coffers of the RoH will miss me much. It will be interesting to see how it all sells.

Could we have got it wrong ? They've managed to keep it top secret and they are actually reviving Fille next season ........ it would seem completely bizarre to have that set otherwise ?

11/5 spoken for

4/5 spoken for, 11/5 still available.

4/5 7pm D44 11/5 7pm D39 £14 each, message me if interested.

This afternoon's performance was conducted by Charlotte Politi at an equally exuberant tempo (tempi ?). My music knowledge is pretty paltry so I'm probably wrong to say this but the extent to which this slightly faster tempo energises the ballet seems out of proportion to what appears a relatively minor adjustment. I mean the ballet isn't really any shorter 😂 Anyway, a super time was had at Sadlers Wells this pm in spite of : the people filming in front of me, and all the crisp munchers, crunchers and rustlers elsewhere in the 1st circle. Excellent performances all round, I very much enjoyed the dancing from the principal couple Momoko Hirata and Tze-Chao Chou. Edit - I also wanted to say that it was very pleasing to see Sadlers Wells packed out for a classical ballet.

You took the words right out of my mouth 😂

Sabine, echoing the thanks above. It’s really great to read about performances outside the UK.

After reading all the great reviews I’m so disappointed to have missed this.

I was among the "retired" audience at this afternoon's encore showing. I actually liked Darcey Bussell's outfit ! Her presentation was pretty much fine I thought - I expected some howlers given the comments earlier in this thread. I enjoyed all the interviews. Prior to this I only saw the general rehearsal. Danses Concertantes I thought I might like more on a second viewing but I didn't, so chalk that one down to a "not for me". I wish I'd read the synopsis for Different Drummer but even though I had an incomplete idea of what was going on I thought Sambe in particular gave an outstanding performance, likewise Francesca Hayward. Requiem is a masterpiece. Sarah Lamb was ethereal, William Bracewell magnificent, Lukas Brændsrød marvellous, everyone was. I hope the RB programme it more often in future.

I find it sad and offensive that someone on this forum feels it's ok to call Alexei Ratmansky, acknowledged as one of the greatest living choreographers, lazy and disrespectful ........ really ?

Interesting to read (thanks to the Links today) that the critics reviews from Sydney for Australian Ballet's performance of Inger's Carmen are noticeably more positive than the press reviews here for ENB.