chrischris

Might try and get a ticket for the premiere of this on the day if i'm about. Does anyone know if there is a dress code for this particular premiere? Definitely not going if it's royal gala style garb needed.

Yep I caught the very end of her career, and have seen so many posts about her on the old forum that are strikingly similar to the more recent posts about Choe.

Sadly, many of us have been saying that for the last four years or so and it has just never happened. Hope springs eternal !

In some ways Choe reminds me of Belinda Hatley, a huge fan favourite who many people thought should be a principal but for whatever reason was not cast in some roles and was never promoted above first soloist.

Yeah the physios at the opera house must be knackered at the moment.

Conversely, I sometimes feel that curtain calls go on too long at the ROH and that some dancers expect too much applause at their end of their variations and pdds etc.

I'd agree with that. It gets a bit ridiculous sometimes to be honest. I always find it funny as well how sometimes you can tell certain dancers revel in it and some seem desperate to get off stage.

Winter's Tale rehearsal now closed

http://www.roh.org.uk/news/the-winters-tale-general-rehearsal-on-10-april-2014-to-be-closed

I would be surprised if Yanowsky wasn't cast in Month in the Country as well

Such as?  The partnering in Manon isn't easy, by any means, and I don't see anyone doubling-up at this stage.  Yes, I know Kish had to replace Bonelli last year, but this far in advance I don't think it would make sense to give any Des Grieux two Manons to deal with.  It would probably be a bit of a nightmare administratively, apart from anything else.

That's kind of what I was asking. I'm sure 4 performances with two different Manon's wouldn't be too much of a stretch for principal's.They are used to rehearsing different ballets with different partners.

Hopefully she'll stay on for a bit longer. She's 38, but more and more dancers seem to be dancing in to their 40's now, so............

She's doing Winter's Tale, and did Rubies. I'm happy to see her cast in Manon, though a bit disappointed they have got Bolle in to dance with her. Not a criticism of him, as i'm sure he's excellent, but surely there are some tall younger male dancers in the company who could have been given the opportunity, or, if not, some of the taller principals could have had extra performances.

Happy about Nunez and Bonelli, as think they will do well together, and it will be nice to see Nunez with someone other than Soares. Lamb and Pennefather are the best Manon duo i've seen so far, so happy to see them. Cuthbertson and Vadim should be interesting. Not too interested in Osipova and Acosta to be honest, but I am intrigued by Hamlton and Golding. I like Hamilton in Macmillan works, so will be good to see her Manon, but Goldng doesn't strike me as the strongest actor.

Yanowsky as Manon, with Bolle? Wow, didn't see that one coming!

Surprised Soares isn't doing Des Grieux

Good grief, I feel a headache coming on just reading that!  What exactly is wrong with a narrative ballet that has a good story with an obvious beginning, middle and end, summed up clearly and concisely in two or three paragraphs in the programme?

 

One which allows the audience to appreciate the dancing and acting of the cast without having to dive into pages of incomprehensible twaddle explanation from the choreographer that leaves the reader even more perplexed than when they started? 

 

However, my fingers are firmly crossed that the last part regarding things being done that have never been done before in the 21st century, actually means that Mr McGregor will come up with a ballet that I will like and want to see more than once.  That really will be first.....

 

P.S  Glad to hear that I am not the only one who hates Song of the Earth. 

I often really like films that aren't told in the traditional narrative format, and use flash backs, different story streams etc, but I think i'd just find it really confusing in a ballet.

I think the moral of this story is book for the ballet, not the ballet dancer.

Roberta Marquez is still scheduled to dance Aurora on the 8th (and she'll still be here to dance The Dream on the 5 June) so I assume she could be in the running to replace Osipova if necessary.

 

I don't understand why some think she's being marginalised (she is dancing with McRae in The Dream btw), she's always cast in the classical roles, and there are overall not that many programmes she isn't featured in. And while I haven't loved her in everything I've seen her dance (just like anyone else in the company), I've never thought she wasn't deserving of being a principal. If we're mentioning her Nikiya in particular, her portrayal was probably my favourite last season. I wasn't there for the performance that was initially scheduled with Cojocaru, but I don't remember people expressing disappointment in her performance as opposed to in having missed Cojocaru.

She was booed at the curtain call. I believe that is what people are referring to.

But which principal? Cuthbertson is up to her ears with the Wheeleon and has already been pulled from one Beauty and you don't want to see Nunez. Marquez is surely too small for Golding and her replacing of Cojocaru in Bayadère wasn't well received by all. Indeed, Marquez seems increasingly marginalised after a brief flurry as Steven McRae's principal partner dancing a smaller number of performances than many other dancers and in a more narrow repertoire.

Marquez has danced with Kish and Pennefather before, who are both around Golding's height (or maybe taller?).

It is true that anyone can write a review in the same context that anyone can write about anything even if that includes writing about how much they don't know about the subject.  

 

But not everyone can write a review with knowledge and discernment.  A review is not just a statement of what the critic thought about the performance - but why.  It is also an opinion filtered through an historical, knowledgeable perspective.  It is not just a statement that Mary Jones gave an excellent performance of Giselle.

 

Why was it excellent?  What aspects of the character did she illuminate?  Is the Giselle of today different than 30 yrs ago?  How so? How might Giselle need to change to fit the expectations of an audience today?  Should it?  But, perhaps Mary Jones did not dance well - but she shows promise - why?  Should Giselle still be considered an important touchstone for the ballerina?   Were the production values up to standard?  The orchestra?  

 

I don't think anyone could take on those issues.  They might not be of interest to you and/or the general ballet going public and so its fair for the news publication to elilminate the coverage -but not because anyone can write a review.

 

On the other hand - it might be said that interviewing is a different skill.  A good interviewer doesn't need to have an intimate knowledge of either the interviewee or the subject matter.  Certainly useful - but not necessary.  

 

I don't think one can conflate the two skills.  

I would get that kind of feedback from here, and a couple of blogs if I was really that interested.

I suspect it is more that fewer and fewer people are reading newspapers (even free ones) full stop!  I think the Independent on Sunday has already abandoned arts coverage.

 

I saw on twitter today that the Metro had stopped paying for "arts photographs" some months ago.

I wonder though how with a paper like the metro, which I imagine most people are reading for free on the train (as opposed to via the website), they come to the decision to drop the arts coverage. I guess they carry out surveys and find out which pages people are skipping.

Regarding the original question, I don't pay any attention to reviews really, but I do appreciate the features and interviews national newspapers can provide, particularly the guardian and telegraph. Anyone can write a review, so I wouldn't care if they disappear, but not everyone can conduct an interview with Tamara Rojo, or be given access to the pointe shoe room at the ROH, for example.

The Metro have just announced that they will no longer publish theatre reviews or have an arts section on Thursdays, so I guess fewer and fewer people arepaying attention to critics' views

Is there a link somewhere to the tour casting?

It's here, but they are actually dancing Romeo & Juliet, not Manon. I got confused. I think they are doing Manon in Russia?

Still, I wouldn't be surprised if these were the castings for Manon next season.

http://www.ntch.edu.tw/program/show/2c90814043d7947e0144258ecb4e0466?lang=en

Just remembered that Cuthbertson/Bonelli and Hamilton/ Watson are dancing Manon in Taiwan on the tour, so that will most likely be the casting for the new season.

Never seen Kish in any full length ballets, so hopefully he will be healthy next season and I can actually see what he is like.

No he danced a fine Albrecht to Benjamin's Giselle. I believe she asked for him as her partner. What surprises me is that he as not danced Onegin. Maybe it's the ginger hair

I didn't say he wasn't a fine Albrecht, I said I read that he didn't like the role. I could be wrong though.

Someone of his stature, and as one of only 2 British male principals in a company always criticised for its lack of british dancers, is likely to have a say in casting, so I imagine it's a decision made by mutual consent.

 

I was thinking just that (again) about Sleeping Beauty Act II only a couple of nights ago.

 

 

Why? It's an ideal place for him.

Because he doesn't dance a huge amount and is largely excluded from the main repertoire of the RB

I think you may be confusing Giselle with Nutcracker. I've definitely heard him say it about the latter, but not the former. In fact, last time I remember him saying anything about Giselle he seemed to quite have liked it.

No, I haven't confused them (unless i'm going mad). Can't remember where it was, but it was definitely Giselle.

I don't get how anyone could think that is an appropriate way to behave?