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Sim

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Everything posted by Sim

  1. Sim
    Errr.....no! I was actually commenting to someone last night that it is very slow. She said if it were any slower they would have to extend the finishing time!!
  2. Sim
    Yep....but we want happiness all round!!
  3. Sim
    So did I; this (and the ending), is completely in keeping with Scarlett's seeming fascination with the Gothic and works very well.
  4. Sim
    I think that after only one viewing I too prefer Dowell's Act 4; at least, the last 10 minutes (I love Liam's pdd and the reinstated music, and what he has done with the corps). For the ending, to me, the music indicates some kind of apotheosis, or some kind of uplifting spiritual resolution. That second when the music stops then goes really slowly, building up to the final crescendo, and all the swan maidens, on pointe, arms outstretched to the side, turn to face Odette and Siegfried as they go off to swan heaven.....that is an image in ballet that always makes me choke up and get goosebumps. I don't think this new Act 4's ending will have the same effect....but it's a good one anyway, and I love that the ghost of Odette still remains. Poor old Siegfried....I much prefer it when he dies too, then at least he and Odette are together for eternity.....!
  5. Sim
    I loved this production....it got better and better as it went along. Gorgeous designs, lovely choreography, sensitive use of the reinstated music, narrative sense, lighting that for a change meant we could see everything, beautiful dancing all round....wow! My daughter and I also thought that Vadim rather stole the show....he was simply superb. More tomorrow....but I will say that I was one of the doubters when this mammoth task was given to Liam. So young, and then there was Frankenstein (for which I totally forgive him now!). I am thrilled to stand corrected, and congratulate him and John MacFarlane for doing such a wonderful job. This production is well worthy of, and stands up to, the burden of history that this ballet carries.
  6. Sim
    Yes, some of us did notice. We assumed that she had simply forgotten to take it off at the table! She divested herself of it very elegantly, as if it were part of the seduction. I loved the way the girls made it part of the scene: fighting over it, taking turns trying it on, and eventually ensuring that it was back at the table for Des Grieux to find before his Act 2 solo. Brilliantly done! Lauren had also got stuck to Ryo earlier, but he undid the problem so quickly that it was hardly noticeable.
  7. Sim
    I agree, Coated. I loved the whole performance. What beautiful dancing from Reece, and only his second go at the role. A star in the making. Lauren played Manon as knowing, feisty, yet somehow resigned to her fate. A very different interpretation, and it made me think, and therefore it worked for me. Great way to end what has been a fascinating and very successful run of this very complex ballet. Huge congratulations to the whole company.
  8. Sim
    Sorted! Thank you.
  9. Sim
    Indeed there are!
  10. Sim
    Probably in the pd3, as Principals are dancing it this time; even better, it's repeated so we get to see them twice!
  11. Sim
    I would love to meet some more 'forumers' tomorrow evening, so methinks a gathering at the bottom of the escalator is in order for those who would like to come and introduce themselves.
  12. Sim
    So glad sense has prevailed! A pox on your bank balance too.....mine would be a lot enhanced if it weren't for my (and my daughter's!) ballet passion, but my life would be much diminished, and that is what I always have to remember when I am depressed towards the end of every month (as someone once said, why is there always so much month left at the end of the money?!).
  13. Sim
    Throw caution to the wind and GO! It should be a very special night with a great atmosphere. I am so pleased that I have a ticket. A pox on work!!
  14. Sim
    Thanks Margaret, I have replied.
  15. Sim
    Have you thought about this before by any chance, MRR?! What a great list!
  16. Sim
    Read Jann Parry's 'Different Drummer', Shade. It is fascinating and brilliantly written and researched.
  17. Sim
    Hello. If anyone has a spare (cheap) ticket going for this performance can they please let me know as I will be delighted to relieve you of it! Many thanks, Sim
  18. Sim
    Very, very desireable. I always envy the fact that the ballerina can do spins in it and how beautiful it looks in full flow!
  19. Sim
    Yes it is to his credit.....by giving the dancers that very freedom and trust to come up with something appropriate. He was actually very focused on giving the corps things to do. When I interviewed Belinda Hatley a few years ago she said she was astonished when she was young and in the corps of R&J and during a rehearsal he came up to her and asked what her back story was, and who she was. She said she had no back story, she was just in the corps. KM said "well, every human has a back story, so what's yours on this stage? Let's come up with something." That was a real eye-opener to me.
  20. Sim
    Yes, I also think it's pretty spectacular....and so do the ladies of the night: I had so much fun watching them through my bins, observing all of their jealousies of Manon and how they conveyed this to the audience. I do hope the audiences have been noticing all the background scenarios and vignettes! In one of the performances last week there was a bit in Act 2 where the ladies and gentlemen re-appear in the salon, having done what they are there to do. Olivia Cowley had this whole bit at the table where she crossed her hands in front of her, as if to show that she had been handcuffed, and started to cry, and was then comforted by her friends. It looked as if she had been through a pretty hard time in that bedroom. I haven't seen anyone else do this. This is one of the things I love about MacMillan's narrative ballets; the freedom to create your own story, no matter how 'insignificant' a character you might be portraying. KM ensured that none of his characters were insignificant, and it makes for very interesting ballet-watching....not to mention one of the many reasons why I like to see his ballets multiple times each run. I've been watching them for years, and every single time I discover something new. This is a credit to him, and to the Royal Ballet.
  21. Sim
    Francesca Hayward was amazing. My only view of this cast in this run, but it was well worth the wait! Federico Bonelli looked tired to me, and lacked the ardour, passion and desperation of Vladimir Shklyarov and Alexander Campbell, but his dancing was nice and there was a connection with Hayward. I would love to see her dance it with Campbell next time around. Speaking of Campbell, he was a wonderful and even believable Lescaut, and together with Claire Calvert's earthy, tactile Mistress they were the perfect match. I think that Francesca Hayward will be one of THE Manons of this generation. Come to think of it, of ANY generation. A truly emotional and unforgettable portrayal of this most complex of characters. A joy to behold.
  22. Sim
    I love how the Bolshoi's version has the princesses as the leads in the national dances. It makes so much sense!
  23. Sim
    Is that one being live-streamed as well?
  24. Sim
    I don't think I could bear it, Ninamargaret, so will content myself with how well he did on the Insight with his dancing and partnering last night!!
  25. Sim
    Tickets now spoken for.
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