Mary

Thanks for a fascinating thread. My mother took me to The Two Pigeons at ROH.(It must have been with something else??) Quite an unusual introduction. Then Nureyev in Sleeping Beauty- I was 7 or 8 and awestruck. Still have the programme somewhere. Fell in love with ballet at that- the floral decorations, the leaps. There was a long gap then I went to Royal Ballet Big Top as a student and the flame was reignited-I sat in the front row, I think with my mouth wide open the whole way through which must have been a delightful sight for the dancers who were about 2 feet away .It was wonderful. How important it is to tour. I knew I had to go again asap and as soon as I got a job started buying ROH tickets and never looked back.

I certainly agree with him about McRae. Some people find McRae almost-too over powering? too much? I don't quite know. I am just stunned by his brilliance. I like to think I first 'spotted' him as Squirrel Nutkin! He was brilliant even in a huge squirrel costume. Good spotting on my part I like to think...!

I was at the Saturday evening performance. Rhapsody is a favourite of mine and I agree with posters above that this was a moving perfomance with,once again, high standards of dancing from everyone in it. It was good to see Zucchetti again, and Choe was a perfectly Ashtonian dancer with elegance and grace suited to the role. I love the backdrops. Gloria is a fairly sombre piece and the audience did not seem too taken with it I thought; it has occurred to me before that it is a less successful Requiem. The costumes do rather get in the way. But I still find it powerful. Acosta was very good. I posted of his Giselle that I do not always find him dramatically convincing. But in Gloria he danced expressively rather than with his usual flamboyance. We are going to really miss this great dancer when he goes. The McGregor situation was certainly a shock. I was not entirely looking forward to seeing more of his work, but certainly interested- and it is a shame to have missed the one chance to see this which might have changed my mind about his work-.but many people were very seriously disappointed. I agree with all those who find it unacceptable that the RB should put itself in the position of having to cancel at no notice one third of the evening.Many think that a triple bill in which there is almost more interval than dance is already periously close to bad value ( though I don't agree as I like long periods to reflect on what I've seen and have some wine) But to only have 2 short pieces- realy is rather absurd when you consider how many people have travelled to get there and all the work that goes into running each evening's show in the house. It is also absurd when they have so many fine dancers all of whom would be glad of a billing, not to use them in alternative casts. As company choreographer is it not his job to choreograph for them? Perahps I don't understand how these things work. I am tempted to take up the offer of compensation especially as this was a birthday treat pair of posh tickets-..- £64 eac-h for about an hour's perfomance? Hmm. Money back would give me a nice amphi seat ... I feel a bit mean doing so, as I do want to support the RB, which I love, and I am sure we all agree we wish the dancers nothing but well. But perhaps they should re think the Mc Gregor policy.

I agree re Sweet Violets, that I do not feel drawn to a ballet based on ideas about men who enjoy the gruesome murder of women - but that might be just me.

What an interesting detailed review thank you Terpsichore. I would so much like to have seen it. In particular I am intrigued by the Zucchetti-Sambe piece having just enjoyed so much seeing them dance together in the pas de six in Giselle. Is Zucchetti choreographing anything for RB I wonder? It looks as if I shall be seeing him again in the RB triple bill on Saturday- looking forward!

Surprised noone has mentioned Raven Girl!

I agree. But I liked the costumes, which were lavish. Lantratov was beautiful. So wand- slim and elegant. The whole presentation was excellent- none of the dumbing down of some other live broadcasts. Ms Novikova asked the questions a reasonably informed audience would want to ask, and how amazing to conduct interviews and explain dance, music and the background to the ballet, in three languages with all the activity going on around her. The interview with David Hallberg made me contemplate going to see Marco Spada- though it was ironic that this seemed to be the sort of rather loony ballet being satirised in Lost Illusions!

Thank you I forgot to say I too rated Zuchetti very highly, he has great liveliness and presence-he also looks as if he is really enjoying himself. -and I also agree that I preferred this Nunez/Soares performance to the Osipova /Acosta excellent as that was ( so it takes all sorts!) Acosta is a delight to watch as a dancer but I have never believed in him in any dramatic role. That may well be something lacking in me not him, as I know many do.

I agree: a lovely, elegant performance from Nunez and Soares-whose long arms and panther like jumps are always a pleasure, -and I thought the corps at today's matinee were absolutely superb. They seem to me better than I have seen them for years. Tight, precise, and especially dramatically very effective, as others have said, in Act 2. What did others think?

Fairly normal events in any such organisation,- really desperate journalism raking over old coals trying to start up a negative story.....

This reminds me that I miss Kobborg /Cojocaru very much- but how lucky I was to see them in all their best roles (Midsummer Night's Dream-most beautiful perhaps of them all).He was the finest actor of all the male dancers I have seen and I am sure he still is. She was the most exquisite Giselle ( and Juliet and..and..) I do agree. Their partnership=pure poetry, Joyful memories!

What a shame and it makes me determined to go. Perhaps we should all take someone along (having said that PoP is perhaps not ideal for a beginner) People don't realise what they are missing.

For "mad" perhaps read-"driven to distraction" -she has what we now call a nervous breakdown- the excess of her emotion temporarily deprives her of normal reason... Not an uncommon situation -? Ballet-like opera- is really all about life and that's why we cry? Albrecht just has to react which is always difficult to make interesting. I agree with Don Q fan that McRae was far the most moving.

I thought the matinee today was danced with conviction by the whole company and that Mc Rae was excellent. Such a graceful dancer and although he is known for technical fireworks, with good reason, he can also act sensiitvely.The ending was especially moving. Looking forward to seeing what everyone thinks.

Yes I agree. The Matthew Bourne was fun, ( and often visually pleasurable and imaginative) but somehow unsatisfying,- too many predictable and obvious /modish features like the naughty nightclub,vampires, 'anyone for tennis' scene-and not enough good, sharp dancing- so for me the juxtaposition with RB Don Quixote really emphasised the joy of watching good ballet.The quality of dancing just sang through - and so made me forget the - all right, admittedly rather weird lilac dresses!

Enjoyed watching Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty followed by Don Quixote- what a nice Christmas treat. S.B was fun though I could have done without some of the tackier parts ( oh please, not vampires). I liked the park bench rose adagio pas de deux- and many other very imaginative and expressive moments. But then the real thing... Marienela Nunez beyond praise in Don Q in my humble opinion. The whole piece seemed to work-well paced, full of life, happy- some superb and a lot of excellent dancing; I found myself wondering why there had been moans about the windmill/lilac dresses etc. ? A good choice for TV, surely bound to appeal widely and perhaps find some new audiences for ballet.

Indeed Bruce, and I am glad there is room for all, but your comment made me think, and recall the American literary critic Margaret Fuller's dictum that a good critic "should teach us to love wisely what we before loved well" Probably most of us would like to have seen many more performances/dancers/interpretations than we have been able to see, and it is always good to hear the views of someone who has been able to see a very large number of the best of everything (lucky soul!)

Starts by complaining that things ain't what they used to be............(didn't Mr Acosta say that too) and by the end he has acidentally ended up reminding us all how interesting and varied the company is and why we keep going to see them!

I am sure many of us were moved to tears by Diamonds today. Nunez was indeed very fine, Soares was at his most panther-like, landing from big leaps with incredible softness. Rubies was amazing-Mc Rae's now signature extreme spinning at its best. Lamb/McRae is an excellent partnership: they are well matched physically and seem to strike sparks from one another. It's Emeralds I always find hardest to like but not today-it was danced with more convincing expressiveness than I have seen before. I agree with David-ballet heaven.

I had no problems at all, managed to get tickets in between various tasks at work! But I wasn't buying that many. I wonder what causes the difficulties? I always wait until about 11 and never have any robems. Maybe there is a log jam first thing? Hard to decide what casts to go for for Sleeping Beauty, for which trying to see multiple casts is a bit expensive. In the end McRae won as usual but I also wanted to see how the home-grown talent is doing, so Pennefather/Cuthbertson. Winter's Tale is perhaps a gamble but must be worth a try. I confess the choice of music does rather make my heart sink .

Here is one RB regular who was at Mark Morris today and loved it. I have seen his opera work before. This I found hugely more satisfying. I agree with all of the above and I think what stands out for me is the musicality- the live music and the way musicians and dancers work together is clearly key to his work- and the joyousness of much of the dance. Socrates was not joyous exactly, but it was celebratory in its tone. (What a shame applause could not have allowed just a moment's pause at the end of this profound piece, also alas that Socrates' solemn death drinking the cup of hemlock had to be accompanied by a woman slurping double supersize latte in front of me). All three works were distinguished by movement that was inventive and energetic yet graceful, fluent, natural to the human body (McGregor are you listening.) I agree that there are Ashtonian echoes in the joyful folkdance moments with humorous undertones. I didn't much care for some of the more obviously humorous repeated gestures. But that is a minor point. I did find the subtitles in Socrates distracting. So I need to see it again perhaps. Come back Mark Morris.

Meunier I HAVE seen The Judas Tree-twice! and I was sneakily not mentioning it. I didn't like it overmuch... But- that is one work among so many by Macmillan I have found endlessly enjoyable . Whereas McGregor hasn't done even one work I want to see again. I don't object to nudity or "rudeness"_I think we are all objecting to a kind of dehumanising/objectification/lack of depth, superficial sensationalism.....that lacks the human angle.

this piece. I have just read the review by Alastair Macaulay of some recent Wheeldon work-attached above--thanks so much John Mallinson for attaching it- how very well put and it says what I was trying to say much better-I do commend it to anyone who hasn't got round to it yet. What Macaulay says about how an audience identifes with both the ballerina and her partner is spot on. I do think some of these choreographers are young men without perhaps very much knowledge or understanding of grown-up women, and they are working in a culture that has gone backwards fast in some of its attitudes, notably in defining women as sex objects. I agree with everything said about Macmillan, whose work rises above all this, shows characters not objects, involves us on every level..(but I wish he didn't have to have to have the same old "harlots" in every piece...and the costume dept I swear give them the same red curly wigs...)

I didn't receive any acknowledgement, no- and I was disappointed- I have been going to RB for 40 years ( on and off!) am a Friend and a huge supporter and have to say that normally I am enthusiastic abut new work (well except Alice), but 7 Deadly Sins I really found offensive. McGregor I just find slightly boring now- because as has been said it is so repetitive, and there is no emotional narrative-I don't mean a story, but -it is all on the same level, there is no tonal variation. Also there seems very little if any development in his style and concerns- you could mix up chunks from all his works , give them different coloured vests,and call it 'Contortions 3' and plenty of people would not realise it was old work-including me. I don't like the way his work presents women dancers- or the men- because it seems to me dehumanising.

Hello everyone I rarely post but am moved to do so-pleased that I am not alone in feeling just the same as you all do. I actually wrote to RB about Tuckett's Seven Deadly Sins, as I felt it was actually quite offensively misogynistic and made me feel very uncomfortable, in fact angry-and I recall saying something like- "Can you really not find a better use for the superb talent of the sublimely elegant Ms Yanowsky?" Perhaps I was a bit pompous, but. .... I have also written to them to suggest they find some women choreographers. (No reply) Macmillan may have been guilty too at times but- a) that was a while ago now and things should have improved; there is also a great deal of very interesting choreography for women in his work of course and there is often great depth and insight, in my opinion. Things should have moved on, shouldn't they?