Ian Macmillan

No doubt it will be in vain for those who are curiously emotionally involved in moves between companies that must, in truth, be remote from them, but might I commend the documentary just finished on BBC Four - its title is as above - in the hope of regaining a little perspective on life. As much as I have heard and read over the years about the Holocaust, I had not till tonight been aware of a number of performances of Verdi's "Requiem" given by prisoners in Theresienstadt (Terezin) in 1943/44. This documentary told the story of how conductor Rafael Schachter put together a choir to perform the work, all of it having to be committed to memory, something that happened some 15 times in all before he and the others were transported to Auschwitz. This was done within the framework of preparation for a commemorative performance involving, if I had it correctly, two sons of one of the original singers who, himself, had survived. A most moving film, and I assume that it will be available on iPlayer over the next week or so: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03slv8r/Remembering_the_Holocaust_Defiant_Requiem/

Seems he will not be in R&J. ENB words here, short and to the point: http://blog.ballet.org.uk/vadim-muntagirov-join-royal-ballet/ A clean break, then Edited to add a RB release on DanceTabs: http://dancetabs.com/2014/01/vadim-muntagirov-to-join-the-royal-ballet-as-a-principal-dancer/

I've known this production from DVD for some time but, at long last, I caught my first live performance last night. Most impressive - cleverly staged, strongly danced and, whilst I cannot speak for what happened upstairs, with a Stalls-wide standing ovation at the end. I'd wondered beforehand whether the cast might be showing signs of weariness after a long run, but not a bit of it, and I can happily endorse Nicola's remarks, above, as applying equally to the evening cast - Chris Trenfield (Swan/Stranger), Liam Mower (Prince), Saranne Curtin (Queen), Kerry Biggin (Girlfriend), Jack Jones (Private Secretary). As a footnote, I found that the orchestra, with a much-reduced weight of strings than used in larger houses, allowed woodwind and brass to be more prominent. It made the big Swan themes interestingly different.

Congratulations are certainly in order here - "Good on yer, Bruce" or something of the kind. Craig Revell Horwood next year, perhaps? Congrats too to Boris on his Honorary award - I trust we will not have to wait too long to see a cork hat atop that noble brow?

I got Lonnie Donegan's autograph at the Glasgow Empire circa 1957 and that's it! Now for the serious contributions ......

The suggestion of a global ban is, of course, wholly fanciful and would close down companies. The public at large will NOT go to see new work in the numbers needed, no matter how artistically driven Directors are, and that is repeatedly the case away from London and, I suspect, most major metropolitan centres. Nor is it a new phenomenon - I've quoted several times in the past that the RB Touring company was finding huge resistance to "triple bills of novelties," according to the ROH's Annual Report for 1959/60, with the "repertory modified in consequence." And anyone paying attention to our daily Links each December will find that companies in North America appear highly dependent on their annual Nutcrackers to keep afloat, and I suspect that the major UK companies need that cashflow too. I have no fear at all for the future of the major Tchaikovsky pieces..... even if I'm less and less likely to attend them myself.

Thanks for those responses. They suggest there's a more generalised issue at work, and I note that nobody has joined in to say that it has all gone swimmingly.

I suspect I'm not alone in having been aware of this RAD-sponsored item since it started, but we would not normally promote alternative discussion sites here. The ROH runs all manner of Twitter-based "What do you think of this?" items near continuously now too. And the idea behind the question - the big classics v new commissions - has been debated here (and, before, on ballet.co) time and time again, albeit not perhaps in the quasi-binary form used this in this case. I have no doubt at all that it will be again with, as ever, no unanimous conclusion reached - and, at its heart, there's an issue that must face every Artistic Director of a major company every time that he/she sits down to plan a future year's programming ..... with the Financial or Commercial Manager sitting right alongside, intoning about reality and asking how wages are to be paid if too many chances are taken.

Has anyone else out there experienced difficulties in getting any of the recent RAD videos with the new Grade syllabi, purchased via the RAD's iPad app, to download properly? The domestic experience here with this has not been good, despite our having a good in-house Broadband link that seems to cope with anything else - including the iTunes purchase transactions - perfectly adequately. After a series of 'slow downloads' that finally kept failing, a suggested uninstall/reinstall has lost all previous purchases on one tablet, and it is now mired in a repeating and futile cycle of pressing "Restore Purchases" and "Sign in to iTunes Store."

Mea culpa - I too should have mentioned the ever-impressive Ms Novikova who, I think, contributes immensely to these transmissions and who must have had an exceedingly busy 2013, what with one thing and another. Referring back to a debate I seem to recall some months ago as to whether she was using Autocue, I'd say there were a number of little instances on Sunday suggesting very strongly that she did not.

Bruce: And there was that Independent article from Saturday's Links - the one with a decidedly expensive male fashion twist. I think that the kit in picture No 3 would suit us both a treat! http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/a-great-leap-for-mens-style-ballets-leading-men-put-the-coming-seasons-sportswearinspired-collections-through-their-steps-9062731.html

I saw it in Cambridge, with what looked very much like a full house for the main screen. I knew in advance that Emeralds was unlikely to affect me greatly, for it never has in the past, and so it turned out. More worryingly, I was also disappointed by Rubies and Diamonds. Both struck me as efficient, with little heart. Perhaps it's just me. I don't think it's Balanchine, as I see Serenade and Agon as tremendous bits of work. The customary Bolshoi claque, in evidence as ever with voices that are now recognisable, would disagree.

Links – Sunday, January 19, 2014 Book Review – Balanchine & the Lost Muse/Elizabeth Kendall: Juliet Bellow, New Republic Preview/Feature – Royal New Zealand Ballet, Giselle (Stiefel/Kobborg), LA: Susan Reiter, LA Times Gallery – Royal Ballet, Giselle (Osipova/Acosta), London: Dave Morgan, DanceTabs Reviews – Resolution! 2014, The Place, London: Anecdotal Evidence, My Nose Grows Now; Rebecca Evans/Pell Ensemble, decoy; Daisy Farris Dance Collective, Silence the song in them…:Donald Hutera & Liza Weber, The Place Review – Jakop Ahlbom & Alamo Race Track, Lebensraum, London: Luke Jennings, Observer Review – Whim W’Him, Instantly Bound Bill, Seattle: Michael Upchurch, Seattle Times Interview/Preview – Douglas Dunn, Aubade, NJ: Gia Kourlas, NY Times Reviews – Marrugeku, Gudirr Gudirr, Sydney: Van Badham, Observer Deborah Jones, The Australian Review – KAGE, Forklift, Sydney: Deborah Jones, The Australian New York This Week: Sarah Michelson, 4: Siobhan Burke, NY Times Feature/Gallery – Lion Dancing & How it’s done, SF: Nanette Asimov, SF Chronicle Investigating dancers’ bone health: Vicky Manley, Science Network, WA

It says here that Tamara is dancing with a "French Adolphe Adam" - new Soloist at ENB? http://www.plenglish.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2276841&Itemid=1 (It is, of course, a very poor partial translation of a much longer original.)

Links – Saturday, January 18, 2014 Preview – Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Indigo Rose, Ten Duets, Necessity, Again, Princeton, NJ: Robert Johnson, NJ Star-Ledger Tour Feature – Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal: Lew Whittington, Huffington Post Preview (with Fashion twist) – Men In Motion, London: Alexander Fury, Independent Reviews – Resolution! 2014, The Place, London: PINCH, What are you trying to say; Katarse Ensemble, Fuel; SpiroDance, Just Breathe: Donald Hutera & Lara Hayward, The Place Lea Tirabasso, Simones: Anything Goes Collective, Fill in the Blanks; James Finnemore, Oh/Glory: Bruce Marriott, DanceTabs Review – Heather Kravas, A Quartet, NY: Leigh Witchel, Danceviewtimes Mime Review – Compagnie Non Nova, L’Apres-Midi D’Un Foehn, Vortex, London: Neil Norman, Express Review – KAGE, Forklift, Sydney: Jane Howard, Guardian Preview – Grupo Corpo, O Corpo, Sem Mim, Seattle: Michael Upchurch, Seattle Times Feature/Preview – Jacques Poulin-Denis, La valeur des choses, Montreal: Victor Swoboda, Montreal Gazette Feature – Dawn McDonald, Alberta Ballet Chairwoman: Jacqueline Louie, Calgary Herald London – Next week’s new dance: Judith Mackrell, Guardian Bay Area – Winter Dance Guide: Lauren Gallagher, SF Examiner

Links – Friday, January 17, 2014 Review – Ballet Next, Different Homes, Picnic, Surmisable Units, NY: Brian Seibert, NY Times Vaganova Latest: School now “has a real man in charge” says teacher: Life-News via Ismene Brown Blog “£1m irregularities found”: Izvestia via Ismene Brown Blog News – New Year changes at Australian Ballet: Valerie Lawson, Dancelines Tour Review – Scottish Ballet, Hansel and Gretel, Aberdeen: Laura Merchant, STV Reviews - Resolution! 2014, The Place, London: Eliot Smith Company, After The Rite; Mafê Toledo, For the time being; Ishimwa Dance Co, Let’s Walk: Donald Hutera & Hannah Tookey, The Place Reviews – Sasha Waltz & guests, Dido and Aeneas, Sydney: Deborah Jones, The Australian Jill Sykes, Sydney Morning Herald Jane Howard, Guardian Review – Synetic Theater, Twelfth Night, DC: Peter Marks, Washington Post Review – Angelina Ballerina – The Mousical, Melbourne: Chloe Smethurst, Sydney Morning Herald Review – Dohee Lee, ARA Gut, SF: Rachel Howard, SF Chronicle Feature – KAGE, Forklift, Sydney: Elissa Blake, Sydney Morning Herald

Links – Thursday, January 16, 2014 News – Mikhail Baryshnikov plans Fund-raising to give artists space: Alastair Macaulay, NY Times Review – Miami City Ballet, Concerto Barocco, Chutes & Ladders, Jardi Tancat, Symphonic Dances, Miami: Jordan Levin, Miami Herald Review – Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal, Closer, Night Box, Harry, Beverley Hills: Jean Lenihan, Arts Journal/Fresh Pencil Resolution! 2014, The Place, London: Reviews – James Finnemore, Oh/Glory; Lea Tirabasso, Simones: Anything Goes Collective, Fill in the Blanks: Sarah Crompton, Telegraph Judith Mackrell, Guardian Graham Watts & Alice Robotham, The Place Preview – Helen Cox & others, Lapse: Stephen Hunt, Calgary Herald Feature – Daniel Gaudiello, Australian Ballet: Natalie Bochenski, Brisbane Times Review – Wilderness/Sophie Bortolussi, The Day Shall Declare It, London: Lyn Gardner, Guardian Exhibition – Designer & Artist John Craxton, Cambridge: Paul Arrowsmith, DanceTabs Tour Review – West Side Story, Glasgow: Joyce McMillan, Scotsman Preview – KAGE, Forklift, Sydney: Andrew Taylor, The Age Review – Compagnie Philippe Saire, Black Out, NY: Deborah Jowitt, Arts Journal/DanceBeat ‘Did you know?’ Corner: The 5 Richest Ballet Dancers: Alex Matsuo, TheRichest (use the 5 – 1 buttons)

SMballet: Well, you certainly came down off the fence there as regards Mr Crisp. If you've cooled down a little, might we now dissect your remarks? I ask as one who often admires his orotund style - I'm probably a good deal closer to his age than to yours - something to which I might aspire but of which I fear I am not capable. He undoubtedly writes very much de haut en bas on occasions, but I've found I can smile at that and, moderately secure in myself, not let it get under my skin. But that is not to say that I agree with all that he writes - by no means, for his views and mine on one of my favourites are very much at odds. So, is it too late for you to look upon him as one voice amongst others? You say you find him "neither erudite nor interesting," albeit "informed." I'd say there was an inconsistency there on the matter of "erudition," but we may choose to disagree on the semantics. Nonetheless, I'm concerned that you appear to denigrate his undoubted background in this art form, something he shares with Alastair Macaulay of the New York Times, for example, and I hope you are not seriously suggesting that my Links colleagues and I should end our daily trawl of the world's English-speaking press to bring you his work and that of others like Deborah Jowitt, Valerie Lawson, Roslyn Sulcas, Apollinaire Scherr, Laura Capelle, Allan Ulrich, and Molly Glentzer, to name just a handful of "professional"critics with an immense depth of background in ballet and dance generally. I rejoice in the contributions that you and others make here on this Forum, but please do not blind yourself to the contribution that writers of that ilk can and do make in a wider context. And, en passant, had you read any of Mr C's reviews of some of the street dance groups seen at Sadler's Wells in recent years? They have been enthusiastic in the extreme, just possibly because he knows whereof he speaks after some 65 years of watching dance performances.

The Times is forever promoting this and that via its Times+ programme. The latest today is a supplement entitled "Learn something new this year" that, inter alia, includes some 2 for 1 Dance classes via the RAD ..... and on the cover is this: What have they done to that left leg? Am I alone in thinking that it's a very odd-looking stump? Photo-shopped to fit the page margin?

I've been using predominantly Google Chrome for over a year and I don't recall any 'issues' in seeing the Forum.

Swan66: Sound engineers play a very significant part in how a recording and the balance of orchestral sections (and singers and chorus, where applicable) emerge from a studio. It's not simply a matter of differing conductors. Should you ever listen to BBC Radio 3's 'Building a Library' feature each Saturday morning, you'll hear many such differences being pointed out by knowledgeable commentators as they compare recordings of the same work.

Last night I caught up with a recent BBC4 hour-long tribute to Sir John that I'd recorded. It still appears to be on iPlayer here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b03mv978/ It was compiled from BBC footage down the years and told me a good deal about his early career that I had not known. And, not surprisingly, it includes the complete Song for Athene footage from the end of Princess Diana's funeral service. However, had I been choosing the music that day, I'd have opted instead for his Funeral Ikos that uses an English translation of a text that I believe is used at the burial service of Greek Orthodox monks . I first heard it in the car a few weeks after my younger sister died, just weeks before Diana, and I had to find somewhere to pull over and regain my composure. I've just played it again, sung by the choir of Westminster Cathedral, with almost the same effect after all those years.

Chris: I'm guessing that I'm a good bit older than yourself. Nonetheless, I'm a relative latecomer to this Ballet business, but I believe I was actively aware of the name Margot Fonteyn in my early teens - ie the early 1950s. (By contrast, I have no recollection of, say, Beryl Grey, her contemporary in Sadler's Wells Ballet, whereas Moira Shearer had acquired a name via The Red Shoes.) So she was making an impression - and this was up in the west of Scotland, just outside post-war Glasgow, possibly not the best milieu for such things. In her second prime, with Nureyev towards the mid-60s, you can be assured that they had all the paparazzi treatment they could deal with - as a pair, I recall them as very much part of the Beatles generation. There are, of course, so many competitors for 'celebrity' these days that I fear very few of those whom we might consider 'stars' would be known in any meaningful way by other than today's ballet crowd. It was not thus - ie celebrity acquired thro' a few TV appearances - back then.

Links – Friday, January 3, 2014 London 2014 Feature – Step towards remarkable times: Neil Norman, Express News – Dancers of the Royal Ballet, Gala for Ghana, London: DanceTabs Paris Reminder – Bolshoi Ballet visits next week: TASS, Voice of Russia Preview – Culture Shock Dance, A Culture Shock Nutcracker, San Diego: Pam Kragen, U-T San Diego Feature/Review – Ballet West, Nutty Nutcracker, Salt Lake City: Hillary Bowler, Deseret News Review – Travelling Light/Bristol Old Vic, Boing!, London: Jeffrey Gordon Baker, Londondance I’ve deliberately avoided anything to do with this young lady over the last few days. But with many forecasting that she may be the ‘next big thing’ and as it’s my last day on this stint, I present: Isabelle

Well, at something of a tangent to everyone else thus far, it's Witch Hunt (Hexenhatz), brought to the Linbury from Bern in May that I still recall most often. Cathy Marston's final work out there before leaving as Director was, for me, immensely satisfying - so well constructed in its melding of text and action, and put across by a team that clearly believed in what it was doing. I have to single out the female leads, Clemmie Sveaas, Paula Alonso, Martina Langmann and actress Mona Kloos - who, by the end, was drawn from her position on the sidelines into the centre of the action. Every so often I return to Dave Morgan's start-to-finish gallery in the Photo Archive and it all floods back. As I said, immensely satisfying.