Don Q Fan

Oooh I am really quite envious of you all seeing Tzu-Chao bet he was fab! Definitely one to watch.

^^ Thank you Anne.

October Milton Keynes 17 Rojo – Muntagirov 18 Takahashi – Acosta (matinee) 18 Oliveira – Gruzdyev (evening) 19 Rojo – Muntagirov 20 Cao – Konvalina (matinee) 20 Glurdjidze - Vargas (evening) Liverpool 30 Takahashi –Acosta 31 Glurdjidze - Vargas November Liverpool cont.. 1 Ovsyanick – Berlanga (matinee) 1 Oliveira – Gruzdyev (evening) 2 Cao – Konvalina 3 Glurdjidze – Vargas (matinee) 3 Rojo – Muntagirov (evening) Manchester 28 Rojo – Muntagirov 29 Glurdjidze – Vargas (matinee) 29 Takahashi – Acosta (evening) 30 Cao – Berlanga December 1 Rojo – Muntagirov (matinee) 1 Oliveira - Gruzdyev (evening) January Coliseum London 9 Rojo – Muntagirov 10 Takahashi – Acosta 11 Oliveira – Gruzdyev 12 Cao – Konvalina (matinee) 12 Glurdjidze – Vargas (evening) 13 Rojo – Muntagirov (matinee) 15 Ovsyanick – Berlanga (matinee) 15 Takahashi – Acosta (evening) 16 Oliveira – Gruzdyev 17 TBC (matinee) 17 Cao – Konvalina (evening) 18 Glurdjidze – Vargas 19 TBC (matinee) 19 Rojo - Muntagirov (evening) * Cast may be subject to change ** Cast list pertains to evening performances unless otherwise stated

Were there any tickets left for the Quad Bill in February with Rojo/Polunin in Marguerite and Armand?

I saw the Friday evening performance with Chi Cao and Nao Sakuma. I did not like Act 1 much at all compared to other versions and there were several sections where the dancers were not quite as together as usual for BRB, the men fared better than the women. Things got much much better in Act 2. In Act 1 I found Marion Tate was more a very scary Carabosse than loving mother and Queen - extremely austere indeed! Nao is a total professional and it was upon her arrival on stage that the rest upped their game in my opinion. Nao's Odette was perfect the right amount of nervousness of meeting the Prince and as Odile the right amount of evil and double crossing intent. In this version we seemed to have lost some princesses there being only 3 but no matter Act 3 was as good as it usually is in Swan lake. Chi Cao partners Nao Sakuma perfectly and he put in a good performance as well. The best bit was the curtain up on Act 4 with lake full of mist and the swans rising from the dry ice - fabulous! That is the bit I came to see as only BRB seem to do it like that. The ending was great especially with Benno carrying on a dead Prince at the end super. Some of the the costumes were VERY heavy looking and the poor dancers must have been boiled. I liked the pairing of Victoria Marr and William Bracewell and I would have liked to have seen a lot more of Momoko Hirata. A good night out, Birmingham next weekend for the Triple Bill awaits!

I'd write via ROH or if you are around when she is performing wait for her at the stage door, she is lovely and always very happy to sign things for fans.

^^ Oh how very very annoying I had a ticket for 5th Nov which up until now was when Svetlana Zakharova was originally dancing now she's changed the dates to those I wanted originally but my flight is booked now. Bother!! Nevermind the silver lining is I get to see Mikhail Kaniskin twice in both Onegin and La Bayadere so I can live with that

Congratulaitons to Ivan. Does this mean he is leaving the Mikhailovsky or is he attached to both companies - I hope so as I was hoping to see him in March at the Coli with the Mikhailovsky and hopefully Natalia Osipova!

Sounds great thank you for the review - as a regular visitor to Berlin, Dresden is not that far so I may have to look at Dresden too to see what is playing!

Am pleased to see Don Q will be screened - just hope FACT in Liverpool have POB broadcasts - anyone know? Will save me a trip and battle on the website for a ticket if it will be on here!

Thanks for the cast lists - thankfully one of my preferred dancers for my performance even if the role has been reversed LOL!

Oh wow I am thrilled for Dinu I love him. His performances of Les Bourgeois are fabulous and he's just great in everything he does! Very well deserved and my congrats to Dinu!!

Certainly never ever choose row A at the Royal Opera House you only see from mid calf up - a total disgrace for the money!

Ballet news has another behind the scenes account http://balletnews.co.uk/ballet-backstage-first-hand-account-of-the-olympics-closing-ceremony/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+co%2FRudC+%28Ballet+NEWS%29 I see it was Wheeldon who choreographed the "ballet" - not impressed. I agree with Janet that BRB's Faster would have been brilliant in this situation it would have been perfect for the occasion! As for the music where was Spandau Ballet with GOLD or Duran Duran with RIO?!

Beryl H I thought the audience behaviour was irritating at the 3 performances I went to last week, people in front of me spoilt 2 of the 3 by continually sitting forward, moving about, fiddling with mobile phones , dashing to the toilet mid-performance, etc. Also not much applause, dancers had to hurry off (they got better at this as it went on), and the decision to have a pause only between acts 1 and 2 was a disaster too, they could have made an announcement." I completely agree - it is the behaviour of other people that is slowly spoiling my attendance at the ballet. Why do they have to do all the above and have rustling sweet papers - can't they wait til the break? I also hear with dismay Sadlers Wells now alows food in the auditorium - what is the world coming to for goodness sake can't people watch a show without having to munch on something? It is rude and disrespectful to the performers and frankly if people don't intend giving 100% attention then what are they doing there? I also question the need for some women to wear HATS in the theatre - HATS ???!!!! What about the person behind?! Big "Billy Bouffant" hair do's are also another bug bear of mine! I could go on - I believe theatres should have a Virgin Train style Quiet Zone seating area (best seats in the house of course) for the likes of me to sit where I won't be disturbed or have my line of sight interrupted!!

I think the 4 men with DB were Cope, Avis, Watson and the one I couldn't get I see was Kish. As for prima ballerina - sorry not on this occasion any acrobat/dancer could have done that routine which was totally lacking in dance. What a wasted opportunity. Who on earth choreographed the piece it was not the best of British dance by a long way :-(

Wonderful photos (of the cast I saw) thank you John!

From another thread - the Mikhailovsky are due in London at the Coliseum in March 2013 with Don Q, Swan Lake and others. Polina Semionova (ex SB Berlin) and Marcello Gomez (ABT) are dancing the opening night of the Mikhailovsky's 180th season in Giselle. Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev will also dance Giselle.

I see Polina Semionova is dancing Giselle with Marcello Gomez at the Mikhailovsky in September. Interesting.

Oh how wonderful I've been waiting for Mikhailovsky's Don Q to come here for ages and now we have the prospect of Natalia & Ivan as well - I think I've died and gone to heaven. Hurrah!

I didn't get to to go to the gala but am delighted to hear that Ludmila Konovalova was dancing- I saw (and met) her in Berlin a few years ago before her move to Vienna and I thought she was fabulous dancer then. Would have loved to see her here in the Don Q pdd!

Despite my frustration at the original cast being replaced for Sunday's matinee I was not disappointed in the replacements. Anais was a lovely Odette/Odile and congrats to her on her debut - I noted in her bio on the web that she really wanted to dance this role. Her arms were great! She travelled quite a bit on her fouettes I counted 30 full fouettes but it was 32 if you counted the 2 pirouettes that got her going! No mean feat anyway. Junor was good too - very elegant I found and landed very softly on his jumps. They made a nice pair. The swans were very good -nice and tidy and thankfully ENB have proper tutus not floppy ones. It makes such a difference. I would have liked brighter colours for ACT3 costumes especially for the Spanish Dance which was a very dull black, old gold and green?!

Have to say I agree SusanR - I too am getting tired with the 200 mile trek for things that are not quite what you booked for! In Royal Ballet's favour they usually do manage to stick to their very early published castings and BRB leave it so last minute you can't book to see anyone in particular so you go for the ballet itself and in BRB's case are usually delighted with whatever you see anyway. On this occasion I feel a bit "cheated" and that I would rather have had tomorrow resting at home now but the tickets were too dear not to go tomorrow.

Well I am not at all pleased at the cast change I only booked very recently when I "thought" it was Daria and Vadim for Sunday matinee - at great cost both ticket and trains. So I am very very very annoyed . I reckon this was the plan all along to get us punters in then pull the plug last minute . Re the visa issue seems to me admin at ENB is very short sighted you check these things re visas well in advance and plan for it. Someone is not doing their job properly if you ask me - no proactive thinking. Quite unbelievable really. Only thing now that I have to look forward to is seeing Anais in her debut but not one principal among them? Poor show. Am very disappointed.

I saw Anna in Swan Lake earlier this year and was very impressed with her too! Lovely to see her get a mention here.