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I can't wait to watch this. Many thanks, Sebastian.

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our fellow moderator and fellow founder of this forum, John Mallinson. John passed away on Friday after a short illness. To say he will be missed is an understatement. Not only was John a moderator for the forum, but as the administrator he set up all the systems that allow the forum to function technically on a day to day basis. He was our liaison between the people running the server and us, and often managed to save us some money by proving that their stats were incorrect. He was also one of our terrific triumvirate, with Ian and Janet, who so diligently provide the worldwide links every day. John wore his moderator hat very subtly and behind the scenes. His was always the voice of calm, of gentle reason, when all around us (including us) was going mad. We could ask his advice on anything, and if we disagreed he would do his best to talk us round, in his calm and sensible way. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't, but it was always done with his quiet good humour and intellectual approach. He always gave good reasons for his suggestions of what to do in a given situation. We will greatly miss his wit and wisdom, his technical prowess, his patience and his gentleness. He was an old-fashioned sort of true gentleman, the likes of which we don't much see these days. I have known John personally for 15 years and never once in all that time have I heard him swear, or be nasty about anybody or anything, no matter how angry he was. Somehow with John, you always ended up laughing. We will miss his dedication and commitment to this forum. As most of you know, we all started the forum together back in 2011. No-one has ever left our motley little crew, and we work very well together. When John wrote us a message a month or so ago telling us that he was unwell, his first concern was for the forum. He even apologised for letting us down. A couple of weeks ago, from his hospital bed, he communicated with us, worried about how the admin side of the forum was going. This is the kind of man John was, and we will miss him more than we can say. I am sure that you will all join us in thanking John for all that he did to make the forum the thriving place that it is today. His contribution cannot be underestimated. On behalf of the moderators and all forum members, we send our deepest condolences to John's wife, two daughters, grandchildren and all of his family and friends. I will end with the words of a fellow moderator: a true gentleman who will be sorely missed by all. Rest in peace, John. We are privileged that your life touched ours, and so many others.

What a fascinating interview, TTP. Thanks for sharing it here. It is so interesting to read how totally dedicated and committed Wagman is to his art, and his focus and determination at such a young age. I am also very heartened to see this young artist give such a heartfelt defence of classical ballet and its importance today. With such innate talent and such passion for his artform, I am sure he will go far.

And to be honest, this isn't really about skin colour at all. The beautiful Yasmine Naghdi has skin that is a bit darker than Francesca Hayward's, but this fact is never mentioned, and she gets no press attention because of it. She is clearly the wrong ethnicity. The press attention she gets is because she is a truly wonderful artist, as is Miss Hayward, and THAT is all that should matter. It's other people bringing all this stuff up; as mentioned above Miss Hayward just wants to be recognised for her achievements as an artist....and rightly so. No-one ever mentions the colour of Miss Naghdi's skin, and I don't see why they should for Miss Hayward either.

Thanks for that wonderful review Sabine. I wish I could have been there!

That’s a good point....Lauren has had to fight so hard over and over again during the past decade to come back from serious illness and injury that perhaps she deserves to have some of the opportunities for exposure that she has had to miss over the years.

Thanks for that sumptuous review, Mandy!

Some interesting casting for Onegin, although, with the exception of the Naghdi/Ball/O'Sullivan/Sissens cast, there is always one that slightly makes me hesitate to buy a ticket. However, one out of four ain't bad, so I will start saving my pennies now as I would like to see all the casts except one. I too am disappointed not to see Morera/Bonelli in Onegin as they were just superb in it together. However, if this means Naghdi getting to dance Tatiana, I don't feel as bad as I should! And at least we are getting Morera/Bonelli in Manon. I have been saying for a while that David Donnelly should get a crack at Lensky, so I am very glad Kevin has listened to me! Re SL, very pleased that the Naghdi/Ball partnership is being continued for this (although I would love to see her dance it with Muntagirov too), and will be very interested to see if the Hayward/Corrales magic in R&J also translates to a purely classical ballet. Cuthbertson/Bracewell is also a very exciting and romantic prospect, although I am disappointed that he isn't doing it with Takada.

Thanks Duck....sounds like you had an amazing and varied season in Stuttgart!

How I envy those of you in Germany! I will have to try and get over there to see this young man dance. It sounds well worth the expense!

Yes, they have had it for a little while. I saw them do it in St P in February 2015. It is similar to Kobborg’s production but there were a few differences. I enjoyed it but not hugely. Thanks for the videos; Shale really nailed that difficult footwork, and the height of his jumps is very impressive indeed. I can see why the Maryinsky asked him to guest!

Thanks Mandy. Sounds like a very special night!

It’s pitiful. Poor Francesca. It should be such a happy time for her, and she has to deal with all this idiocy. I hope she can ignore it and just enjoy her days in the sun. I thought Jennifer Hudson sounded dreadful. It’s a very difficult song to pull off, requiring an amazing vocal range that she doesn’t seem to have. I guess there’s time between now and December to record it again.

It had a run of a few days, Lin, but that was a couple of weeks ago. Keep an eye open next year; it’s well worth it!

Is this for an official survey that you are carrying out, DancingtoDance, or for some project or studying you are doing? If so, could you please elucidate what it is. Many thanks.

Thanks for this wonderful review, Duck. I really want to see this piece now! It sounds amazing.

We must also remember that life expectancy was very low in those days; even in the richest families you were probably lucky to pass 40. So girls started having babies very young, to ensure they reproduced in good time. Also, from a purely biological point of view, the teenage years are the best ones in which to be pregnant and deliver a baby.

Incredible match. There has never been a doubles match like it!

From Today's Links: what a fabulous idea this is, and a beautiful way to while away some of the tedium of long-haul flight. I'm glad there was no turbulence during the show! https://www.panorama.am/en/news/2019/07/12/Paris-Opera-in-flight-performance/2139858

Even Serena said: "she played out of her head" and no-one had ever seen Simona play as well as that. She was utterly magnificent and a wothy winner. Serena was very gracious in defeat, and I thought Simona was also gracious and amusing and just thrilled. I also think she has more respect for the British Royal Family than some of its own members do. I am thrilled that she got to meet the Duchess of Cambridge afterwards as that is who she wanted there! Very well done to her on an amazing win.

Many congratulations to all. Very happy with the list, but surprised about some omissions. And I am not really sure about Acri to First Soloist.

I would definitely go for Morera/Bonelli. They are a great partnership, she is one of the best Manons I have ever seen (she is such a great actress, and always excels in MacMillan; I will always be very miffed that she never danced Juliet), and this might be our last chance to see them. I don’t find that Nunez has the edge to carry off MacMillan like Cuthbertson, Morera, Hayward and Lamb do. Hayward is also a wonderful Manon, but as has been pointed out hopefully there will be many more chances to see her excel in the role. So that’s my two cents’ worth!

Such a shame that Rafa and the Fed have to meet in the semis....I want them both to go through! 😥

How right you were about Nadal; I said to my hubby as soon as the match ended that Rafa would ream Sousa!

I suppose it’s because a) something has to happen whilst scenery is being changed; b) it’s a chance to emphasise the pressure that a vulnerable Rudolf is under from the Hungarian separatists. I always think the bit when the emperor looks up at the portraits of his ancestors is very effective, wondering what on Earth is becoming of a once-noble dynasty.