annamk

£12 each. Message me if interested. Anna

I'm so jealous, I wish I could have stayed for the other 2 performances ! Will you see the other casts ? Please post on here if you do.

I didn't like Flight Pattern when it was originally premiered and so I suppose it was to be expected that a longer version using essentially the same music and the same choreography was not going to be my cup of tea and so it proved. The music is beautiful but I didn't think it was a good choice for a dance piece, it's a bit one note ? The choreography for the new parts was just like Flight Pattern: boring and repetitive with endless running on stage, sliding, standing legs split, arms aloft, hands turned out etc etc I felt like Crystal Pite had run out of ideas. I couldn't wait for it to end.

I should have said that the tickets are Stalls Circle Standing.

£9 each, message me if interested. Anna

Thank you for the kind words Angela and for the clarification on the Cranko filming. How absolutely incredible to see them dance the final pdd twice - once was unforgettable, twice I cannot imagine !

A friend and I are big fans of Danil Simkin (Berlin) and Friedemann Vogel (Stuttgart) so when we spotted an opportunity to see them on consecutive evenings in Giselle and Onegin we couldn’t resist making the trip. In Berlin the Giselle production uses Peter Farmer’s costumes and sets with choreography of Patrice Bart, after Coralli and Perot. Many of the steps were familiar, some looked very much like the choreography in Ratmansky’s recent production, although there seemed to be much more dancing for the corps (male and female) in Act. Evelina Gudanova was making her debut as Giselle but you would hardly have known- it was a very pleasing performance with no amateur dramatics, but entirely convincing and danced very well. Daniil Simkin was absolutely wonderful, he’s a fine partner, he dances brilliantly, his was a really rich performance. The corps seemed under-rehearsed in act 1 but were much improved in act 2. The Myrtha of Aurora Dickie was very strong and we liked both Zulma Luciana Voltolini and Moyna Alizee Sicre. Among the unfamiliar pieces of choreography were some beautiful bourees for Giselle where she leaves Albrecht by boureeing swiftly backwards to exit the stage side left. The orchestra were fantastic playing with an excellent brisk tempo. On the day of the Giselle performance there was a cast change announcement in Stuttgart: Jason Reilly would be replacing Friedemann Vogel. It was too late to alter our plans even if we’d wanted to but since we’d seen Jason Reilly’s Onegin when he guested with the Royal Ballet opposite Alina Cojocaru, replacing an injured Johan Kobborg, we thought he would be very good. What we didn’t expect was to witness a phenomenal performance that was a masterclass in every respect. Like Friedemann Vogel Jason Reilly is now in his early 40’s, but he danced like a man at least 10 years younger with flawless tours en l’air, astonishingly youthful jetes entrelace, incredible fury turns, and so I could go on. His partnering was flawless. In some hands the exhausting mirror pdd can seem like a series of increasingly fumbled lifts as Tatiana is hoisted high into the air but Reilly moved entirely seamlessly from one lift to another so that the pdd became the perfect flowing expression of all Tatiana’s youthful longings and she melted in his arms like a whisper of gossamer. Reilly’s characterisation was so complete, so multi faceted, with every little detail correct, he revealed nuances that can only come from a lifetime of performing experience. Tatiana was Elisa Badenas who trained at the Royal Ballet school and whom I’ve seen dance on several occasions in Stuttgart. In the great Stuttgart tradition she is a remarkable actress and a beautiful dancer. She has no mannerism, nothing is exagerated for unnecessary effect. The partnership with Jason Reilly was the truest, most genuine, most passionate, intense performance I’ve seen since the days of Johan Kobborg and Alina Cojocaru. In the supporting roles were two younger dancers: Mackenzie Brown as Olga and Henrik Erikson as Lenksy. Mackenzie Brown won the gold medal at the prix in 2019 and has risen rapidly in the Stuttgart ranks to Soloist. She’s a lovely dancer and very much captured the personality of the flighty Olga. Her young Lensky was the tall and slender demi-soloist who partnered remarkably well for someone with relatively little experience and danced gracefully with a beautiful line and soft landings. The well known Lensky solo in the pre duel moonlight was executed with great aplomb - unlike many dancers I’ve seen tackling the exposing solo, Erikson didn’t hold every step and shape and force them into (im)perfection rather he moved seamlessly creating a beautiful flow of movement. Absolutely one to watch. The Stuttgart opera house is unsurprisingly somewhat smaller than London and I’d say that Onegin is a ballet that benefits being viewed from the intimacy conferred by a smaller stage. At the end of the performance the audience were invited to stay and be filmed applauding the cast and watching Erikson perform the Lensky solo again. It was for a documentary that’s being made to celebrate John Cranko, next year being the 50th anniversary of his death.

Ticket now spoken for.

£9 message me if interested.

C65 now spoken for.

Bumping this up, C65 still available.

Hello, I will send you a message. Anna

I'm selling E30 and 31 for the insight starting at 7.30. £20 each. Message me if interested.

C36 is spoken for. C65 still available.

No, they are seats in row C stalls circle. Standing places are Row D.

Selling stalls circle C36 and C65 £15 each. Message me if interested.

A long time since I've seen a performance of Giselle that moved me as much as this evening did. The leads Cojocaru, Trusch and Kovalenko were exceptional. The production is sublime. It left me questioning whether most of the current productions and the way they're danced have become overly mannered and too athletic/gymnastic.

I thought Shevchenko was utterly delightful, I would urge you to see her, I am sure you will not be disappointed. I will go again. Have a look at Alastair Macaulay's Instagram comments about her, I agree with every word but can't put it anywhere near as eloquently as he does. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cidwi_1o0Kt/?hl=en This charming and more historical production has much more detailed mime than I am used to seeing, a notably quicker tempi and Ratmansky's trademark fast footwork. It reminded me yet again how much more athletic ballet has become - neither a bad nor good thing really just different. The order of much of the dancing in Act 1 is quite different from what we are used to seeing here - another reason why I'm looking forward to seeing it again. I was particularly moved by the mad scene, it seemed to me less histrionic in style than it is typically performed today.

What a fantastic evening. A very high standard of dancing and acting all round in particular from the principal dancers. The production was beautiful; familiar but with different touches. The Ukrainian national anthem was played at the end, the audience on its feet, the dancers and Ratmansky wrapped in their national flag singing their hearts out. A very sobering reminder of all they’ve lost. These performances deserve as much support as we can give.

I couldn't agree more Sim. Poor James Hay, what does he have to do to get cast ? He turned in a simply brilliant performance. He and Akane danced as one, the grand pas was stunning - it was unexpectedly one of the most enjoyable, joyous, wonderful Sleeping Beauty performances for years and yet he is passed over. Unfathomable.

Speaking for myself re the standing tickets because one has to book so far in advance plans can change or casting can change.

Just a few words on this which I saw at the matinee yesterday. I completely agree with the praise that's been heaped on it. The staging is fantastic; simple, dark and evocative. The costumes perfectly capture the period. The choreography is brilliant; in particular the pdd and the dramatic dancing for the young girls. The music worked superbly. Huge commitment from the all round excellent cast. Such a pity to see that it was poorly attended. I hope that doesn't mean they'll never bring it back to London although I'd travel to see it again, it's that good.

Ah I missed that thank you. Confusing to have different priority booking dates to the other productions !

Does anyone have a problem booking the New Lost Dog production ? I keep getting told it is not yet on sale even though it is in the new booking period. I've tried different browsers, clearing my history, logging in and out all to no avail.

Friends and I went to Stuttgart for a repeat viewing of the Stuttgart Ballet Mayerling production which premiered in 2019. Nothing has changed my initial view that this is a superb production giving the ballet a more contemporary feel while retaining an appropriate sense of period. Friedemann Vogel was Rudolf; for me he is as close to perfection as is possible to imagine in a male ballet dancer. In this role he is in a class of his own. His partnership with the wonderful Elisa Badenas as Mary Vetsera brings back memories of Kobborg/Cojocaru in their heyday. Vogel must regard himself as fortunate to have found a younger partner of such class since the retirement of Alicia Amatriain. The Spanish Badenas who trained briefly at the Royal Ballet upper school very much reminds me of a younger Laura Morera. We didn’t have a complete cast sheet but in other roles Angelina Zuccarina impressed us as Countess Larisch but Veronika Verterich as Princess Stephanie, possibly making her debut, wasn’t entirely convincing. The Stuttgart Staatstheater is smaller than the auditoriums we are used to and seeing the performance from the 2nd row in the stalls made it incredibly powerful, almost like watching a chamber performance or being an intruder on private happenings. It was interesting to see this soon after Like Water for Chocolate in that friends and I had been thinking how a number of scenes in LWFC were superfluous or ran on too long but the same can be said of Mayerling. Somehow though when one thinks about cutting anything one realises that they perform the essential function of slowing down the pace, giving time for the audience as well as the performers to catch their breath.