Sim

Djaamila...you should check out this short video on Ballet Black, who are based in London. Some of these dancers have also done hip hop, but always come back to ballet! LIke all professional ballet dancers, they possess strong athleticism but are very graceful at the same time. So difficult to achieve, and believe me they are the last type of artists in the world who should be disdained or mocked. People who laugh at ballet simply don't know anything about it, or understand it. If you want to do classes, you go and do them and, hopefully, enjoy them, even if that's as far as you go. It's about the enjoyment. And believe me....it will help no end with your core strength and posture. A contemporary dancer told me once that classical ballet is the type of dance around which all others revolve, and to a large extent that is true. The main thing is....try it, enjoy it, and if you don't enjoy it, and least you will know that from experience!!

Dances At A Gathering (Robbins) Fancy Free (Robbins) Symphony in C (Balanchine)

I think the final ten minutes of Dowell's version were the best I have ever seen.

Maybe the people selling the bags will be donating the money to the charities many of them are involved with.....ha ha. I read that one person has sold hers for £21k. I wonder which charity will receive this gift? Probably the one that begins at home.

Sorry....what??!! Did someone ask this question?!

I sure hope so....he would find largely positive comments but with just a few suggestions of how the production can be made even more appealing and successful.

Please feel free to tell him that many of us agree with you about the ending, Bridie, as do some of the critics, as well. Do let us know if you get a response!!

Yes, having still only seen this on opening night, I did wonder then what the difference was between Siegfried here and in any other production of SL. I didn't notice that he had much more to do than any other Siegfried, so I too was a bit deflated by this lack after having been told that this production would reflect Siegfried's story much more. Maybe the reason that SL is not being shown again next season is so that Liam can tweak the production, and maybe then show it in final, final form next time out! I would love for him to change the ending.....

Many congratulations on your fabulous exam marks, Arucariaballerina!! A wonderful achievement.....best of luck in your next phase of your dance career.

I must say I lost interest in the preacher after a few minutes. Less is more, with this kind of thing. I could understand why the members of the Royal Family were getting the giggles, and the Queen was fidgeting. His message was lovely, and he had a great way of putting it across, but I think he'd said it all after the seven minutes (he said he had even given himself that time limit, but just kept going on!)...I for one didn't need to hear it over and over again. That said, it was a beautiful wedding all round and I am so pleased for them and for all the people who waited for so long to catch a fleeting glimpse of them that the sun shone warmly. Finally, I think it's a disgrace that quite a few of the people invited to view the wedding from the grounds of Windsor castle are trying to profit from this by selling their gift bags on e-bay. They don't even have the grace to wait a little while. Big shame on them.

Yes, I read her reviews religiously! It's just not quite the same as having a newspaper, turning the pages to find the review, and then being able to sit and read it.

Yes, I remember those heady days when ballet critics really knew their stuff and were given the space to share their knowledge and opinions with us. One of my great pleasures back in the 80s, when I was in my 20s, was to take a blanket, one of those new-fangled Walkmans, and a bottle of water or juice to Regent's Park on a warm Sunday afternoon. I would buy The Observer on the way, and once ensconced on the blanket would turn immediately to Jann Parry's reviews. Beautifully written, informative, and well worth a few perusals. Sadly, we seem to have lost all that now. I agree with Darlex; I learn a lot more from the posters on this forum than I do from any other critical source.

True.....although I would say that Yasmine Naghdi can look after herself too, even though this is a debut. She has in all of her other debuts, and Aurora isn't a walk in the park! She danced it three times in one week during her debut season of that ballet.

Please report back Alison!!

So in my ideal world: bring Shklyarov in to dance with Osipova and leave Ball for Naghdi! In my dreams, I know, but hey.....a girl can dream!!

I so hope Gary Avis.

Yes I am sure that was his reasoning, but neither of them had previous experience dancing SB or Giselle before, and they are all three ballets of the same difficulty in various ways.

I agree Xandra and still don't understand it. KOH seems to have put this rare and wonderful partnership on ice, and I am at a loss to understand why. After all, they debuted beautifully in Sleeping Beauty and Giselle together, so why not this one?? Here's a chance to create another beautiful British partnership at the RB (a rare thing), and it's being let slide. By the time we see them dance together again in a full-length ballet (assuming R&J next year) it will have been a year since Giselle. A gap like that does not a partnership make. As many of you will know, this is a real bug-bear for me: what on earth does current management have against forming some long-lasting and special partnerships if they are there to be formed??

Ivy I hope you had a chat to your students about racism and gender stereotyping! Don't let them get to you. I look forward to reading your blog again whenever you are ready. Thanks for sharing your blog with this forum. It is a great link to what is happening Stateside. Best wishes, Sim

Who knows (I sure hope they are)? And even if they are, this exciting partnership needs to be filmed more than once, like others have been!

My dream DVD would be Naghdi/Ball in the lead roles.

Neither have I! Best wishes to Lauren.

Interesting how this reviewer's perceptions differ so much from Ivy Lin's! THAT is why I like reading people's blogs!!

I agree with the above, Ivy Lin. I much prefer reading the blogs of real ballet lovers instead of national critics who are paid to do so and who very rarely put any emotion or heart into their writings. You do, and that after all is what ballet is all about (for me, anyway). I totally understand that you have private reasons for needing a break, but I hope you recover quickly from whatever happened and that you are back blogging again soon. You are one of our main lifelines to what is happening Stateside in the ballet world. Thank you for all you have written so far, and I look forward to seeing more in the future....if you decide to. Sending you very best wishes, Sim

Thanks for that lovely review, jmb. I love Cloud Gate DT, and now you have piqued my curiosity about SDC!