Don Q Fan

I think this is the version Staatsballett Berlin do - it has been very successful there the last few years with other ballets being replaced by repeat performances! Just seeing the costumes alone has put me off seeing it. Agree SWs is awful!

I think the current Bolshoi version is a very tough act to follow - it is certainly my favourite.

Hurrah I'm not the only fan then!! Don Q is great isn't it - such a happy ballet it has it all imho.

This is an exciting development - I do hope it is good! I shall watch with great interest and just hope I can get a ticket - unlike when Alice first came out!! I'll be gutted if I can't get one. Thanks for letting us know!

I agree!

Have to agree 100% with Sim's comments. It was a joy from start to finish and probably the best performance I have ever seen of Fille by any company. They were on sparkling form on Friday worth every penny. I went to the stage door as well - one little boy who was rather tired had everyone in bulk of laughter when Marianela finally arrived after about 45 minutes by asking her in a loud voice "why did you take so long?" Marianela took it all in her stride, she was lovely with the children there and said she'd be quicker next time LOL! Marianela was suffering with a cold but all credit to her she carried on and anyway she said Fille is such a happy ballet - I agree!

An interesting development. I too like Tamara as a dancer and am looking forward to her in La Sylphide - really looking forward to seeing her dance with ENB = way cheaper than Royal Ballet!!!!!!!!

The Staats Ballett Berlin 2012/13 Schedule has been announced - finally!! http://www.staatsballett-berlin.de/de_DE/calendar Sadly no La Esmerelda which I really wanted to see again, but Onegin and La Bayadere feature on back to back evenings so that is good!

Thanks for the tip off al though I have my tickets already, but to expand:- This applies to the Wednesday evening performances only of BRB's Far From The Madding Crowd and The Summer Celebration Quote promo code HIPPODROME2012. As you say there are lots of other performances available by other companies as well. See the website.

Getting my avatar pic on was a faff too! Like JMcN I ended up using Gravatar not that I wanted to. Now it seems the photo has transferred to some of my other blog posts! Any I love the shoes in your Avatar!

Oh thank goodness for that I really thought Daria had injured herself after she did not take her individual curtain call and had disappeared on the final curtain raise on the whole company. It was a fantastic afternoon's ballet and well worth £10!!! Suite en Blanc is now a must see again for me loved it to bits! I would dearly have loved to see more of Train Blue it was SO short! Based on that performance, I think that Nathan Young would make a brilliant job of Le Bourgeois as well. I saw Vadim for the first time yesterday and really liked him in everything he did - he was great and seems so at ease with it all - I like his height as well, it was perfect for Apollo and SenB can't wait to see more of him. ENB have a gem of dancer there for sure.

Greta photos Dave - and following the reviews above I can't wait for tomorrow now!!

I decided that I would only go to see the ENB Prog 2 if I could get a cheap ticket - so I hung on and on and on then bingo this week got the £10 deal after googling for cheap ENB tickets! Well chuffed to get my first ever bargain ticket. That is offset however by the horrendous train fare from up north! However if I had paid full price earlier I['d have got a cheaper train ticket so it is probably quits for me but it is nice to feel I got a bargain of a sort! Looking forward to seeing it now as everyone seems to like this programme. I think that ROH fills up better because tourists tend to go there as it has more kudos to see the "Royal" Ballet at the "Royal" Opera House. At Alice the other night I think I heard as many foreign language speakers as I did English.

Vadim is definitely in the 2 Saturday performances of Prog 2

Thank you for the info am hoping for the Sat mat will have a look.

I'm hoping there may be some ticket offers as there do seem rather a lot of unsold stalls seats - can anyone in London/area keep an eye out in the usual papers just in case please? I never seem to be able to take advantage of offers!

Yes got it today! But as above it is on the website now.

Exactly my thoughts!

Not only ENB but BRB are on in September with Swan Lake at The Lowry and later in their season. I beggars belief how the 3 big companies in the UK always seem to clash - so this season it's Swan Lake, last season it was a surfeit of Cinderellas. They ought to speak to each other. As for the RB season I can only say thank goodness Mayerling and Onegin are on, too much Wheeldon and McGregor for me so that'll save me loads of money.

Am I the only one who finds POBs website atrociously bad - slow to load, and we still can't pick our own seats let alone find a proper numbered seat map of the theatres! I think the 12/13 rep is very uninteresting to me and not even their Don Q is enticing me to even try to book something - not as good as the Bolshoi version sadly and at the Bastille you need a telescope to see

I'm quite happy with whatever is decided it is fine as it is and the suggested format is fine by me too.

Sounds good - I've never seen them and makes up for the lack of Russians this summer.

Thanks for the info - I will try emailing ENB and given them a nudge - Itoo woudl like to see Vadim as I have never seen him.

Would anyone know if ENB show the casts on their website - the website seems to have changed recently and I can't find any casting info anywhere. Thanks.

Exactly.