jmhopton

A friend of mine who volunteers there said the programme is just provisional dependent on the Government giving the go ahead for theatres to open. If this happens they don't want to have nothing in place. If it doesn't then presumably they will have to cancel. Having said that you seem to be able to book seats already (I clicked on a Father Brown play for the middle of September where people have already booked seats and with no social distancing in place). I'd love to think it would happen but I have doubts.

Balletfanp. 'confess to getting a bit tearful at the shots of the ROH and the view from the terrace, and wondering when it will be possible to be back there and watching a performance!' hear, hear, me too!!!

Apologies if this has been mentioned elsewhere but ENB have extended their list of livestreaming. 'We will be back with two classics from Sir Kenneth MacMillan in June: Song of the Earth on Wednesday 17 June, and Manon on Wednesday 24 June.'

Many thanks for the Merry Widow link Jane S. It's been a busy ballet weekend. Thought I'd post this link. https://www.pointemagazine.com/online-ballet-performances-2645584131.html?rebelltitem=15#rebelltitem15 Apologies if this has already been mentioned. The magazine is 31st March so quite a few of the ballets mentioned have already gone. However it has been updated on 27th May with some coming items notably Miami City Ballet Miami City Ballet Tune in on Friday nights for Miami City Ballet's new digital performance series. Called Friday Night Spotlights, the series begins May 29 at 8 pm EDT and continues every two weeks through July, with all performances aired on MCB's Facebook page. Check out the calendar below for details: May 29: Firebird by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins, with all-new sets and costumes by Anya Klepikov June 12: Justin Peck's Heatscape, a tribute to Miami's Wynwood Arts District with designs by artist Shepard Fairey June 26: Nine Sinatra Songs by Twyla Tharp July 10: Alexei Ratmansky's Symphonic Dances, to music by Rachmaninoff Also the final link seemed to have several general goodies.

I seem to remember recording this off tv many years ago. I think it was on the old Performance channel which predates Artsworld, let alone SkyArts by quite a while so it won't be this recording. I seem to remember Performance was only on in the evening. In the daytime it was the Landscape Channel which was a splendid match of filmed wildlife/countryside to an accompaniment of classical/ambient music. Perfect for those who enjoy 'slow' TV. Even today I always associate Packabell's Cannon with penguins and Symphony in C with a steam train! Anyway back to A Folk Tale. I found it interesting but 'of its time'. A bit too much mime and not enough dance for me but that was how ballets used to be. it's certainly a great opportunity to see a little known ballet. I might even watch it myself and see if time, a new recording and a large screen TV has made me appreciate it more

I quite enjoyed the programme, hearing the dancers laughing and joking and seeing their dressing rooms etc. I realise it was only meant as a general introduction to male dancing and I thought the clips featuring Sambe and Joseph Sissens well done as it made the point not all male dancers come from either a dancing background or a well heeled middle class one. However, like others I felt it slightly lost focus and didn't make its points clearly enough. Though it showed traditional ballet clips with some more modern ballets it didn't really emphasise the huge range of dances modern ballet dancers have to master and the very different ways they need to use their bodies; often on the same day. To talk about a typical ballet day with class, rehearsals and evening performance would highlight the tremendous amount of training and stamina needed everyday, not just occasionally like many athletes. Also unlike athletes they are not allowed to show the effort and exhaustion they may feel and often need to smile a lot as well! The gym training which might have been a revelation to the uninitiated was touched upon but there again not really focused. Partnering is all important. There was the Mayerling clip but not really used in a focused way; a clip of the last minute or so of the final pas de deux from Manon and possibly a Romeo and Juliet clip would highlight more modern ballet partnerships and also acting ability which I don't think was mentioned at all or just in passing. Also men showing emotion on stage. Solos. Perhaps too much focus on Bluebird. I would have liked a clip of Vadim doing the act 2 solo from 2 Pigeons or act 3 solo from Coppelia. Both only last about 90 seconds but are obviously a real work out. Also something more modern by another dancer/s. Ballet technique. As has already been pointed out no effort was made to analyse or explain why Vadim is perceived by some to be somehow 'better'. Needs to be explained more that each dancer, especially principles or would-be principles, all have their own very individual qualities that make all of them special but in different ways. They are not all cloned men in tights. Despite these criticisms which I didn't think would take a lot of time to address and would have lead to a more focused revelatory programme, I did enjoy it. As others have said it was a bit odd to hide such a generalised programme on BBC4; a more general channel would have been better. Perhaps they'll do a follow up and incorporate some of my points and the points others have made. Some actual performances would be good as well! You would have thought it would have been good to follow it with Mayerling rather than showing Mayerling earlier as it is the best RB ballet with a male focus.

Well I've finished watching Rosalinde and I really enjoyed it. OK it's not going to set the world on fire character or possibly choreograph wise but it was a very pleasant 90 minutes watch. It had great Art Deco sets and costumes; very colourful. the opening of the act 2 ballroom set got a deserved round of applause. The filming was fine apart from the wide angled shots making light costumes completely white; close ups were fine. I can see why it's not done as often as the Merry Widow but if you just want a light, coronavirus free 90 minutes it's your ballet!

I might be wrong but I thought I read somewhere recently (can't remember where) that Yuli is not being broadcast until July. Saw this in the Times article about the BBC dance season Yuli: The Carlos Acosta Story, the celebrated film about the Cuban’s remarkable life, will get its TV premiere on BBC Two later in the summer.

I've never seen this ballet so it will be an unexpected treat. I love Ronald Hynd's Merry Widow so will really look forward to seeing this. Thanks for highlighting it, Irmgard.

Yes Month in the Country would be number one for me with Symphony in C a good second. However, these weren't shown at the cinema so it depends whether or not the ROH want to stick to cinema relays or be a bit more adventurous. I personally would pay to see Month in the Country or Symphony in C so if they could have some sort of PAYG scheme perhaps in tandem with a free offering to encourage newbies to ballet that would bring in some much needed cash as well. However, I don't know if it would be logistically possible.

I only said this because other companies seemed to be able to show unofficial archive material at this time and I thought I'd seen mention that some companies had waived their usual artistic fees. Perhaps I was mistaken. It's not something I would normally be in favour of as everyone should normally be recompensed for any artistic work but there seems to be a feeling at the moment that to keep engaging with your regular audience and possibly even attract a new audience you need to go the extra mile and possibly stream material that was never intended to be streamed. Given that companies are somehow having to manage to pay staff and dancers with no income coming in I wouldn't expect any of them could afford to pay the usual royalties for broadcasted material. I may be wrong, but I don't see where the money would come from. However I'm just very grateful they are streaming ballet in whatever conditions.

I know I'm not the only person who feels the RB online offerings have been a touch uninspiring (unless you're an Ed Watson fan of course!) Given their ten years of cinema broadcasts it would have been great if some of the early broadcasts had been shown or, if they want to attract an online audience who are familiar with some of the current stars, perhaps do what other companies have done and show some recent ballets that haven't been filmed for broadcast. First on my list would be the Firebird triple bill with Vadim starring in Month in the Country. I thought it an inspired triple bill with Symphony in C providing a sparking finish and I was so sorry it wasn't broadcast. Like the Concerto triple it really highlights all aspects of the RB skills in dancing and acting and all the music scores are terrific too. Surely there must have been recordings done that weren't meant for public consumption but given the circumstances could be made available without the usual artistic negotiations? This is only one example. I'm sure everyone would have their favourites, and think of the historic treasure trove of dancers like Fonteyn and Nureyev also.

Hi Bruce all I'm getting is an invitation to download the app. Is there a way of getting the Information without doing this?

I wish the RB would announce their new season. Even if they can't perform all of it it would be wonderful to have something to look forward to. If they're waiting for a steer from the government about opening theatres I fear we're in for a long wait.

Yes that seems a good idea. Why didn't I think of that?

This time it actually says at the bottom of the page that all other monies for that order will be refunded. I did consider filling in another form and asking for a credit note for the second ticket but thought that might confuse things. I suppose you could fill in two forms and specify dates and seats on each form if there is room. Ironically the previous refund situation did seem to allow you more flexibility per ticket even within the same order no. Though it could be more time consuming and no option for a partial donation. Perhaps they will get it right third time if the July operas and RB school show have to be cancelled

I've had my email about the cancellations but having just followed the link the options still didn't allow me to carry out what I wanted. I wanted to donate one of my Swan lake tickets and have the other credited to future performances. But if you want to do a partial donation there is no option for a credit note with the rest (or not if it's on the same order No.). You just get the rest refunded back to your account. OK for me but I would rather have had the remainder at least stay in the ROH and earned a bit of interest for them and not so much capital outlay for me when we can book again. I was able to donate my Thurrock tour cost (disappointing to miss this as I'm not often in London on Friday mornings and this was arranged for the day after stopping over for the RB triple bill and BRB at Sadlers Wells) and got the reply thanking me for donating. Now I just need to cancel the hotel. One disappointment after the other. Just hope now all this is sorted we can soon hear plans for next season. I know it will have needed a lot of tweaking to accommodate performances we've lost this season but we all need something to look forward to and a bit of light at the end of the tunnel.

Must try and see this to see Anastasia and try not to think it should have been the day when I saw the debut of Sambe/Magri in Swan Lake. How long ago it all seemed.

I'm sorry to have missed this as I'd have loved to have seen her. I remember her being born in this country when the Kirov (as they were then) were on tour here in the early 1990s. I remember Zaklinsky appearing at the stage door at the Coliseum looking very bleary and saying he hadn't been getting much sleep! On their next visit a couple of years later I took a photo of him carrying her through the stage door. She had her mother's lovely dark hair (though hers was wavy) and very dark eyes. She's obviously been steeped in ballet from an early age so it's not surprising she became a dancer. Hopefully they may repeat Giselle at some point. I'd love to see her as I'm sure she will be a great dancer if she's anything like her mother.

Hi Balletfanp and JohnS I was just going to do it. hadn't realised people had already seen it. Well done the BBC! Last Sunday night (15th March) it was wonderful to settle down and watch the incredible ballet Mayerling danced and acted impeccably by the fabulous Royal Ballet. In these uncertain times it was such a treat to switch off from the everyday depressing reality and be transported to another world and another time. It was a wonderful tonic for the soul and the senses; you could really engage with the struggles and problems of the characters and forget your own problems. The two ballet documentaries that followed were really good as well; a remarkable evening of tv heaven. I hear too more is to come when the BBC launch their Dance Season a little later this year. It's just what's needed in these uncertain times when visits to the theatre to see the 'real thing' will become just a memory. Returning my Swan Lake tickets won't seem such a hardship if I can rely on evenings like this on the television. Long may they continue! I've only ever written 3 letters to the Radio Times; all were about ballet and all were published. the first one got Letter of the Week as well. Perhaps someone who works there is a ballet fan. Just realised this was a copy of the actual letter I wrote. Not sure if it's exactly what the Radio Times reproduced. Sometimes they alter things a little. Yes they cut out the bit about engaging with the struggles and problems of the characters and also the last sentence which i thought was rather important!

According to the box office no tickets for the Linbury heritage programme have been put aside for public booking.

ROH Twitter says it's to be followed by a repeat of the Kenneth Macmillan documentary Dark Knight and both will be available on iplayer afterward.

Was listening to the requests programme on Classic FM this afternoon and there was an advert for the ROH which I didn't recall hearing before. it went something like 'if you want a night at the opera but can't make the theatre go and see the Royal Opera production of Fidelio at the cinema on March 17th' . It then followed it by saying You can also see the ballet Swan Lake at the cinema on April 1st. Why start off saying a night a the opera if you were also including ballet in your advert? Surely they could have said something like 'If you want to see world class opera and ballet but can't get to London you can see Fidelio and Swan Lake in cinemas worldwide'. Classic FM is broadcast all over the world but I don't think there was a mention of the international reach of the cinema broadcasts. A little later on there was a request for Swan Lake music by a lady who sounded super excited as she was having her first visit to the ROH tonight to see Nunez/Muntagirov in Swan Lake. Lucky lady to see such exceptional dancers in such a great production as her introduction to the ROH! I only hope she has good enough tickets to see everything and would be interested to know what she made of her experience if she reads this column.

Beatrix was also really excellent as The Girl in Two Pigeons. I too hope she will have more high profile roles in the future.

Sorry Toursenlair, I expressed myself badly there; a bit over dramatic! What I meant to say was that for me the overall season is rather disappointing and as I am not personally a great Balanchine fan the fact that the only ballet that might tempt me to see anything was one of his is indicative as to how disappointing the rest of the offerings were though I am hoping to see Brandon Lawrence in Don Q though I'm not a great fan of Carlos' production. I do hope to see this triple bill at Sadlers Wells as when public booking opens I'm hoping to book for a couple of ROH triple bills on the 10/11 June specifically so I can see the BRB matinee at Sadlers Wells on the 11th. So hopefully I will be won over and enjoy the other 2 items on offer. I've also booked a tour round the costumes at Thurrock on the Friday morning so a great cultural few days!! Apologies also for forgetting that Pineapple Poll is by Cranko. It's just it's so fun and light hearted it always makes me think of Ashton. I'm always getting it wrong.