restor

from the past Robert Helpmann :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Helpmann Further back of course Enrico Cecchetti:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enrico_Cecchetti

There are always going to be casting difficulties when the director is also a performer. It is the job of the Artistic Director to make artistic decisions. If you don't like them then don't buy a ticket. Though when people don't buy tickets and companies don't fill theatres and they still get a subsidy is another question. Rojo is a star name some will buy a ticket just to see her Glurdijze is not know to the wider public both are dancers I too like to see. There may a number of reasons why someone is not cast and perhaps one should not speculate too much. Swan Lake is a popular title and I suspect that it is the title, rather than the dancers or even the company. which sells to the general public at that venue.

Young children need simple instruction as one gets older different approaches and styles of teaching come into play.

Like perhaps most people I would prefer to see a top company rather than a 4th rate one with only English dancers - but the questions about taxpayer funding foreign artists raised elsewhere are highlighted by this.

"small stipend" Oh dear why can't people get properly paid for their work.

Interesting idea but sad only 1 choreographer seems to be English with so many funded dance colleges in the UK there is clearly still an absence of home grown talent.

This topic is the rebrand of ENB and if the new image ( one can only speculate as to its cost) is to mean something, and is not just like placing a new carpet over a decaying foundation, then it is fair to ask what the company does to justify taxpayer subsidy. The company does not visit towns that are not visited by or would not be visited by foreign touring companies. Their tour repertoire is not one of new works of art. Their prices are not significantly lower than non UK subsidised companies. They do not provide much employment for the growing number of students whose education and training in ballet is also at UK taxpayer expense. They are a fine company and these are fair points to make and making these points is not negative but realistic if the company is to go forward. Rather than providing a sound reason or reasons for continuing the taxpayer subsidy it is disappointing that some members try to question the right or motive to make these points and, for those of us who care about ENB, it is disappointing that there has been no proposal for how ENB might develop.

Artistically a good programme and well performed but it failed to fill the theatre unlike audiences for some of the visiting companies.

She is a beautiful artist. Perhaps one reason so many foreign dancers are attracted to join British companies is because the pay and conditions are better.

ENBs New Image: What is the point of taxpayer subsidy to ENB? 1. Question: Does it support jobs for British people ? Answer: Not really 2. Q: Does it enable the creation of new works of art that would not otherwise be made? A. Not really. 3. Does it give access to ballet to people who would not otherwise be able to see it? Answer: Not really. So how can the company regain a sense of purpose and a reason (s) to be subsidised?

Seems to be another good quality company touring the Uk at no cost to taxpayers.

What is British about ENB? Not the management, nor many of the dancers still less the choreographers.

We all want ENB to thrive but: Visiting touring companies are no charge to the taxpayer ENB is and it repeatedly fails to sell well. It does not visit cities that a private promoter would not be prepared to take companies to. From the comments above, their website, advertising and marketing depts - all highly staffed at taxpayer expense - are not doing as good a job as any commercial tour promoter who employs fewer people. ENB fail the taxpayer on several grounds as many of their employees are not British so a subsidy for foreign workers and fail to reach a wide or new audience or even fill theatres with the established ballet goers. All of which is unfair to the taxpayer, the artists and audience.

More cut price offers this one for Laurencia : http://www.groupon.co.uk/deals/london-special/Laurencia-The-Mikhailovsky-Ballet/19665752?CID=UK_AFF_1047_10_1_1&CID=UK_AFF_1047_10_1_1&utm_source=aff_1047&utm_medium=aff_10&utm_campaign=aff_1&utm_content=aff_1&nlp

The audience for ballet in the capital is limited : Cut price tix for Mikhailovsky : http://www.topvouchercodes.com/vouchers/offer_detail/groupon.co.uk/events-ballet-at-the-coliseum-97262?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

I find BRB not such an interesting company as a few years ago ...with low audience in london perhaps they woukld be better returning to Sadler's Wells... thought there are lot's of discounts now on Mikhailovsky tickets so perhaps it is just that there is not such a huge audience for ballet at Coliseum.

Yes lot's of discount deals on Mikhailovsky - glad I didn't buy a full price.

It depends on what type of dance you want to do but technique and perhaps exams are a good basis rather than comps though the performance aspect of comps can be important. Many dance teaching societies offer comps....so perhaps your dance teacher may easily find out about them for you. If you value and trust your teacher you should ask them...if not then get another teacher.

with reference to Ian I wonder if anyone will try to freeze the box office receipts in London...The Bank of Moscow journalists Delovoe. TV said the personal bankruptcy Vladimir Kekhman in court will not stop the British recovery of debt from the companies in the group or JFC as part of Russia, or in the framework of international law. http://delovoe.tv/event/Anglijskoe_bankrotstvo_V/

As you will have seen in another thread Nacho Duarto is going to Berlin and may continue to produce his own work at Mikhailovsky - so you can be sure about it .

Making sure one has the physical ability to undergo the training is important. Having a full medical check up when not exhibiting signs of illness should not perhaps be a charge on the NHS so just £20 and the cost of photocopying a Drs letter is a bargain.

It is tough but with about 5 main ballet companies in the UK with perhaps 3-5 vacancies each per year and many more colleges than there are companies with an intake in each college of more students than jobs available one of the factors to take into account is the physical robustness to sustain a career as a ballet dancer. Easier perhaps to be disappointed as a young teenager than later. While everyone perhaps deserves a chance for a dream there are too many colleges offering unrealistic hope to people. If it is recreation why go through emotional stress and risk physical damage.

I suppose that good schools look for what the potential outcome could be not just how much a student has already achieved- but a tendancy to injury and growth sput problems is of course a worry. I suppose it depends if the dancing is really for recreation or a career. Don't worry about her height - let her be a nature intends.Good luck.

Nice photo..thanks for sharing-

Perhaps this discount ticket allocation has all gone maybe there will be some more later. Info about their London visit is on http://www.theartsdesk.com/dance/bankruptcy-wont-stop-ballet-0?nocache=1 Now it seems, from comment in the German press, that their Artistic Director is leaving for Berlin. :http://www.welt.de/kultur/buehne-konzert/article113299539/Vladimir-Malakhov-kuendigt-seinen-Ruecktritt-an.html#disqus_thread