jmhopton

I've never understood this time restriction on the orchestra especially as I wouldn't have thought it could apply to opera given how long some of them are. So why should it apply to ballet? I didn't realise it was still ongoing. Rightly or wrongly I seem to remember blaming it on why some of my favourite choreography was omitted from Bayadere back in the 1980's as the extra act made it difficult to finish by 10.30. (sorry this is a bit off topic for Frankenstein!)

I was in the balcony for both rehearsals with slightly mixed results. For the first one I was in seat 38 on a back corner. The seat itself was brilliant for seeing everything but I could scarcely hear a word anyone said and that included Viviana Durante (sorry I said Leanne Benjamin previously) who was miked up for the coaching. It was doubly disappointing as there was far more talk than dance and I ended up feeling rather frustrated, especially as it had taken me about 4 hours to get there including running the last part of the way as the bus I got from Euston got gridlocked. The second rehearsal was far better. I was still in the balcony but facing the performers. There was more dancing and it was more like the streamed insights we're used to seeing. Also I could hear just about everything Ricardo said. I don't know if that was because I was better positioned, seat 44, or because he spoke clearer, possibly a bit of both. I liked the balcony because you had more space because of the tables and a great view. I think if I was going again I might try the stalls as it were, but only if I could get the front row . But I do think any coaches teaching in the Floral Hall should have a bit of a dummy run through first as the poor acoustics make it very different to the Linbury.

I too really enjoyed the Romeo insight and like others really enjoy Christopher Saunder's rehearsals. I could listen to him all day (even when he's got a bad throat!) He seems to me the epitome of a good coach in that he explains everything clearly and with some humour and proves that you don't have to shout or be aggressive to dancers to get great results (as according to tradition might have been the case many years ago). He and Christopher Carr are my 2 favourite coaches but it's interesting to see others doing it and especially someone like Leanne Benjamin who's so much experience of performing the role. It was great to hear her tell Beatrix to be less 'classical' and to tell the story by her feelings as well as the steps. Ralph Fiennes as Pushkin in White Crow said something similar about acting the steps not just executing them and I wondered if that was something he actually said or something David Hare wrote for the film. It's just that I've felt for a while now that Russian dancers seem to place more emphasis on technique rather than acting and that might be one of the reasons I increasingly would rather see British Companies rather than the Russian ones as all British companies place a very high emphasis on acting as well as technique. Obviously technique is still important but it is there as a basis to better let dancers portray their characters rather than being the most important element.

I see this performance is the only one sold out on their website. The tv URL where their streaming is often available is here https://mariinsky.tv/ve5 though there may be other places they would stream from.

I went tonight at our local Odeon in Preston and really enjoyed both the film and the Q and A session with Ralph Fiennes (who plays Nureyev's instructor, Pushkin in the film). I noticed the BBC were one of the collaborators and it was not too dissimilar to the Dance to Freedom film the BBC made a couple of Christmas' ago. I thought characters could possibly have been better introduced (I didn't realise the handsome young Frenchman was supposed to be Pierre Lacotte until about halfway through the film) and thought more could have been made of Polunin as Soloviev and his relationship with Nureyev which I think was developed more in Dance to Freedom. I didn't recognise him at first as he was blond! However, a great film which really tries to explore Nureyev's complex character and his rather lonely life. he always comes over as an outsider and a rebel. It's not a complete biopic as it only covers his childhood and young adulthood (mainly by flashbacks) and ends with his opening performance with the Marquis de Cuevas ballet after his defection. The time flew by when watching it and there was so much to absorb you really need at least 2 viewings to take it all in. I will probably go again when it's on general release and hopefully it will crop up on BBC at some point as they were involved in it's creation or production. the young man who played Nureyev is certainly a talented dancer and a good actor too. it was interesting that Ralph Fiennes said they always wanted a dancer who could act rather than the other way round as they wanted it to be always obvious that he was a dancer even when he wasn't dancing. it's true if you see ballet dancers in the street they do have a very distinct way of walking and sometimes I find myself automatically thinking 'I bet you're a dancer' as I walk past some completely anonymous young person. Is this search for authenticity the difference between British and US attitudes to ballet films if you compare it to Black Swan? Fiennes and his Company managed to soldier on and somehow produce the film even after a major financial backer pulled out very late on. A great film and well worth seeing.

Yes I too thought the whole creation scene far too rushed. it should be the pivotal moment of the ballet; the time when creator and creature come face to face. Their reaction to each other should be the most important part of the ballet and sets the scene for the tragedy that follows. The revulsion of Frankenstein should be matched by the wonder of the creature experiencing life for the first time, his gratitude to Frankenstein for giving him life and gradual devastation when he realises the effect he has on his creator; the person he is looking towards for love and affection. My take on the creature is he is not intrinsically bad; it is just the effect his appearance has on everyone he meets. he wants nothing more than love and affection and it's only after he is repulsed and rejected by everyone, and Frankenstein refuses to create a mate for him that he turns to anger and violence. There should at least be a pas de deux after creation that attempts to convey at least some of this. It could be the most moving part of the ballet. As a ballet I don't dislike it; I even quite like it but feel frustrated every time I see it for this lack of clarity. The ballet should be about love but the love the creature is trying to find in those around him not the love between Frankenstein and Elizabeth which I don't even remember from when I read the book (admittedly nearly 40 years ago). I've never seen it live and didn't plan to do so this time but I booked the Floral hall rehearsals this Friday and thought I might stop over and see an evening performance so I'll see what I think then.

Fabulous! Would have loved to see it and I hope it makes it's way over here soon.

I saw this exhibition in Worcester art gallery and museum this Monday and can only echo Lizbie1 that if you're in the Cotswolds area it's well worth seeing. The Matisse Drawing with Sissors part didn't do anything for me at all but the Ballet Russes collection was fascinating with some great memorabilia and interesting comments and quotes. I love the quote Lizbie mentioned above and there is another one about Diahghilev not paying his dancers much and the 'boys' sharing 5 to a room downstairs and doing a dawn flit early morning (apparently Diaghilev sometimes used to do this too!) The programmes and costumes are interesting and a lovely photo of Nijinsky in Don Q. the film is the commercially available Ballet Russes doc that was released on dvd about 2006 and presumably is still available from second hand dvd suppliers such as Amazon marketplace. it is quite long (about 2 hours) and is definitely worth seeing. Freddie Franklin steals the show. At the art gallery there is a café selling soup, toasties etc and I noticed a poster where we were sitting. The word Bayaders caught my eye but these were the Female Ethiopian Bayaderes and Serenaders who were visiting Worcester as part of a national tour in 1847. Presumably they were just singers and dancers but interesting the term Bayadere was in common enough use then for people reading the posters to understand what they were. If anyone can make it to the gallery next Tuesday the 12th there is a half hour talk late lunchtime about the Ballet Russes for £3.

It is ironic that frankenstein is exactly the kind of non traditional no tutu sort of ballet that could appeal to the millennial audience the ROH management seems to want to attract. In that case what went wrong with the marketing? How have they failed so badly? Have they not realised yet that traditional ballets can sell well because they have a regular if despised audience whereas non traditional ones need more proactive marketing? If frankenstein had been marketed in this way, perhaps sending details to local colleges or dance schools they might have got an audience. Or if they had emailed regulars who haven't booked offering discounts. That would be a nice thank you. I've often wondered why the ROH couldn't have a loyalty card like supermarkets but the sad fact is that they don't seem to value loyal customers these days. They're too busy chasing after the mythical new ones. However to return to Frankenstein part of the problem could be the title, as traditional ballet goers may be put off by the subject matter and people who enjoyed the book can't envisage it as a ballet. Also it may just be scheduled at a bad time for regulars like myself who've just shelled out a lot of money for multiple Don Q's and Romeo and Juliets and can't afford anything else.

But if said young replacement audience don't have an interest in ballet or opera to start with they're not going to see the ROH twitter and Facebook pages anyway. Surely you have to spark an interest first and that could be done by more traditional marketing such as posters in the tubes and leaflets and playing the dvd in the open up area. Also some sort of booking pod needs to be in this new space for information as well as actual booking . What sort of theatre - never mind an international opera house - doesn't have a booking facility on site? The trouble these days is the 'elitist' image that opera and ballet have. Marketing seem so scared of it they seem to want to avoid mentioning it at all whereas if they embraced it in a positive way and were proud of the Royal ballet being world leaders in their field they may attract the new audience they want.

Well Sim put it so well l don't know what else I can add! The whole evening was sparkling and such impressive debuts from Yasmine and Marcellino. They owned the stage from the moment they arrived and the final pas de deux was sensational. I was very close to the stage and could clearly see the interplay in looks and gestures between them. There was a lot of chemistry between them and they seemed to be having a great time which meant the audience had a great time too. Matthew Ball was terrific as Espada and Romany Padjak was also terrific as lead gypsy at short notice. Why isn't she used more? Spoke to Magri at the stage door afterwards and she seemed OK so fingers crossed for her Kitri.

I too was at the stage door last night in the foyer and after Vadim has exited into the street (after being his usual polite, smiling self to everyone) I noticed there seemed to be quite a crowd outside blocking my exit so I thought I'd wait. Then Ryio came out so I saw him and then managed to squeeze outside into this mass of people. I've never seen so many since the Osipova/Vasiliev phenomenon (including the evening mentioned by DonQ fan). I couldn't even see Vadim (and he's tall enough!) but I assumed he was behind a mass of people by the outside stage door wall as that was where people were taking photographs. It definitely look as if crowd control was needed; there was quite a rock star atmosphere.

Had a really charming reply to my email to Iain Webb, AD of Sarasota Ballet. In it I praised the Company for it's Ashton productions and revivals and asked if there was any chance they would visit the UK. He thanked me warmly for my interest and went on to say:- 'I openly admit that I see all of Sir Fred’s ballets through rose tinted glasses, but he meant so much to both Margaret and I, and I feel that whilst I am in a position where I can keep his name and his ballets alive that I have a duty to do all that I can to give him a ‘home’ in the United States. We have just revived Sir Fred’s Varii Capricci, and although we were unfortunately unable to use the original sets and costumes, we were able to have the fifth movement’s reorchestrated score recorded, as the only available recording of Walton’s music doesn’t include the changes he made at Sir Fred’s request. This hopefully means that the ballet can be performed by other companies as well, as it is a remarkable example of his choreographic genius and wit. And of course we are weeks away from our most important production of the Season and the most important revival the Company has undertaken, Apparitions, which is in honor of Dame Margot’s 100th Birthday.' What a wonderful way to celebrate Dame Margaret's centenary and really puts the RB paltry, half-hearted 'gala' to shame. it's great Sir Fred has a home in the States but how much better would it be if he was valued more in his adopted country and Company. Iain went on to say that a theatre would have to 'invite' them if they were to visit the UK and he hoped the interest in Apparitions where UK journalists were seeing it, might pave the way for an invite. I would certainly second that!

I thought the cinema relay could have done with better lighting. Several times the cameras seem to be switching angles because the first shot was too dark and not just the gypsy scene but the street scenes. I thought the idea was to present a sunny Spain (at least in the street scenes) but several shots looked very overcast. However, the quality of the dancing shone very brightly. I'm glad Campbell has had a chance of a leading cinema role; he made a very appealing Basil. I thought Takada was brilliant technically (one of the best I've seen since the early Osipova) though perhaps hasn't quite got Nunez' sunny personality. Was extremely impressed with Christopher Saunders Don Q; he made him a real character, romantic yet dignified. Loved Anna Rose' Amour; which in itself is an achievement as I usually find this character rather twee and irritating. Also Magri's Mercedes (looking forward to seeing her Kitri later) and Zucchetti's matador were both terrific.

Those of you who wait at ROH, how long generally do you wait? My 11yr old daughter is desperate to wait after we see DQ next week, but I have visions of her falling asleep standing up!! I've been several times to the stage door recently and my experience has been it does depend very much on both the dancer and if dancers have backstage visits from family or friends. Also, for example a first night can generate family/friends visits resulting in delays. Just speaking generally Vadim is usually fairly quick (within half an hour of me arriving at stage door) whereas others such as Marianella can take much longer.

I have the ROH News page saved as a Favourite on my pc. It still has the 'old' format of seasons at the bottom of the page and all the 'old' options such as seating plan. I never bother with the new Homepage at all as it is just too confusing and uninformative. The only time I use it is if I want to find out about things like the rehearsals in the Hamlyn Hall. There I use the new homepage. Click on What's On and below the calendar, under 'Functions' (?!) there they are under Ballet Studio Live. Having said that, at the bottom of this page (What's On) the old seasons are there. The thing is, I want to know what's on and am prepared to take the time and trouble to find out. If you weren't committed and just wanted to browse generally you might well give up. How are the ROH going to get these new customers to replace us if they can't easily find out what's on and can't find a box office in the building itself? I know most people may want to book online these days (I do myself but I don't live near London). However, I still think it's very bad there isn't a box office on site and (as far as I could see) no directions in the new Open Up area as to where there is one.

Yes you are right Ruth. I was rather bemoaning the fact generally that insights are streamed but discussions aren't. However, I do take the points made by John Mallinson and bangorballetboy that if you're prepared to pay for a ticket it may be annoying to find it live streamed where anyone can watch for free. Also that the questions and answers may not be suitable for live transmission and people may not be as keen to participate if they knew their answers are being broadcast worldwide. Anyone can make a slip in a live transmission and regret it afterwards. However, I suppose if they were filmed they could be edited later and eventually transmitted subject to the interviewees approval.

I have fond memories of the Bayadere and Onegin Insight days I attended. Sorry to keep going on about it but when you're travelling 200 miles and need an overnight hotel stay for anything in the evening, the idea of coming just for something that may last just over an hour isn't affordable. I would LOVE to attend the Gary Avis talk but can't justify the expense. That is why it's so great the Insight evenings are being filmed and can be enjoyed by everyone. Would be fabulous if the discussions could be filmed too but I suppose I mustn't get greedy! I assume the powers that be think there isn't enough interest for them (or the 'right' young audience wouldn't be interested; only us pesky regulars).

Much as I enjoyed seeing Naghdi and Sambe in rehearsal together the height problem or potential problem came across to me too. It seemed she was possibly taller than him when she was on pointe. Didn't he partner Hayward in La Fille? I always thought she would be a better partner for him especially for the classics for just this reason as she is so small. Obviously she's not available at the moment so this option isn't possible. I'm sure they'll sort it before the performance and am really looking forward to seeing them. Judging by the rehearsal they will be amazing together; can't wait!

Apologies if this has been posted elsewhere but I've just seen that the film with the Ranulph Fiennes Q and A session is being shown at about 25 Odeon cinemas on Tuesday 12 March (or at least it is at my local Odeon, Preston on this date). I thought the docu/drama made by (I think) the BBC a couple of Christmas' ago dealing with Nureyev' defection was excellent as was Artem Ovcharenko as Nureyev. it will be interesting to see how this compares.

Me for example as I previously posted in the Don Q Insight thread. it's great if someone posts it here as the ROH seem incapable of putting such important information on their own website.

It's a good job we have the Ballet Forum or else I would probably have missed this great piece of news. Despite all evidence to the contrary I still have the ROH News website page saved as a favourite and am naïve enough to believe they will post important information such as this on it. Well now I know better. However, as I have closed my Facebook and Twitter account they probably wouldn't be interested in me anyway.

You might have been disappointed Alison. I certainly was. I saw it at the Grand, Blackpool with Terry and we both thought the first act was very poor with virtually no dancing. More of a pantomime than ballet. When the second act opened with hideous costumes and uninspired movements at the ballroom scene (usually a highlight for me) my spirits plummeted even more. Then the prince arrived in a perfect classical costume and did a very passable variation. I could have kissed him! After that things improved somewhat but I wouldn't be tempted to go again (at least to see Cinderella). having said that we were possibly in the minority as most people leaving seem to be saying they'd enjoyed it to the management saying good night. Later, I filled in a questionnaire and asked for the Grand to show La Fille again as we saw it there several years ago and it was nearly a sellout.

I thought they'd done a later version though I don't know why they needed to as I really liked the earlier version. I've still got my Northern Ballet Dracula garlic box and a chocolate coffin! I'll certainly be going to see it though.

Very exciting news. I often wondered why Dracula wasn't filmed and shown on tv for Hallowee'n. Is it the version I remembered from the late 1990s which I thought was really splendid?