Sim

Yes he does Bruce, which is another reason I am so irked!!

I have been complaining about this for years; it has become a cliche that about 80% of modern dance works include at least one bit where someone is running around aimlessly in a circle, almost as if filling in space whilst the choreographer decides what on earth to do next. At least in Corybantic Games, that other cliche of modern choreography, dark lighting, isn't a feature.

I am not quite old enough to have seen Nureyev in his prime, but I feel blessed to have seen him two or three times in the early 80s at the Nureyev & Friends shows at the Coliseum. As others have said, his mere presence was enough to make it worth going along. He could have stood there and read the London phone directory and I would have been thrilled. He was one of the most magnetic, charismatic people I have ever seen grace a stage.

Hello, once again I am writing this both as Chair of the forum committee and as a ballet lover and poster on this site. I, and the other moderators, are sad that there are some who feel they no longer wish to post here because of the recent tone of some of the threads. The 'snowflake' thread was particularly harmful, but sometimes things start one way and turn out another.....this happens in all aspects of life: career, marriage, holidays, friendships, etc. When things hurt us, or don't keep going the way they had been, we have to make decisions and deal with it. So, if your decision is not to post here anymore, so be it, but that would be a great pity. Everyone has the right to state their own opinions on this forum, within the parameters of our AUP. We wrote the AUP with the express purpose of protecting our posters from nastiness or disrespect. As was mentioned in the 'snowflake' thread, the written word can often be misconstrued, and offence taken where none is meant. Yes, we know very well that people can and do write nasty things here, and as soon as we become aware of it we take appropriate action. For example, we have banned one particularly nasty poster from the site. After we had words with a couple of others, they are no longer members of this forum. Sometimes, as with a house that gets full of stuff, a good clearout is needed. Another metaphor is a marriage or relationship; sometimes, after a long time, you need to have a big row to clear the air and move forward afresh. We hope that that is what will happen here. We have a lot of support from our extensive membership, almost all of whom are respectful of the opinions of others. We sincerely hope that you don't let one or two bad apples contaminate the whole bunch. The moderators all believe very strongly that this is a fun and informative place for all of us who share our common passion....if we didn't, we certainly wouldn't have spent the past six years of our lives running it every day of every one of those years. We are all very happy to do so for the next six years, as long as people are happy and that this place continues to be the thriving exchange of views that it has been. Let me reassure everyone once again that the moderators do their best to draw a fine line between giving people the freedom to say what they want, whilst at the same time ensuring that they stay within the rules set out by us to protect all of you. Yes, people may disagree, sometimes vehemently so, with what you say, but the purpose of a forum is to have debate and discussion. Our job as moderators is to keep such debate and disagreement respectful. It can be done! On the Bernstein thread DaveXM and I completely disagree on this bill; I wrote a negative review and Dave simply said he disagreed totally and loved it. I said I was pleased he loved it. Or recently when BristolBillyBob and I had a disagreement on a thread; he apologised, I accepted, and we ended up having a bit of a love-in instead. There are civilised ways of disagreeing with each other, and I hope that the forum will go in that direction once again, to a greater degree than it has been recently in certain areas. We can't guarantee this; things used to get hot and nasty on the the ballet.co site many years ago, which is one of the main reasons Bruce closed it down. When this does happen, we will always do our best to calm things down and keep it equable. But the fact is, where there are humans, there are disputes, no matter where and in what sector. It's just the way it is, and we all have to deal with it. As they say, "there's nowt as queer as folk." We will of course respect whatever you decide to do, but we think it would be a shame for such good, interesting members to stop posting. Please remember that if something bothers you, or you feel someone has crossed a line, simply use the report button to let us know, and we will take appropriate action. I reiterate once again that the moderators have a no-tolerance approach to nastiness or rudeness, and people who take this attitude to their fellow forum members will be banned from this site, as we have demonstrated. Finally, we wish you all well, whether you remain as members here or not, and hope that you have many ballet performances to enjoy in the future. It would just be a pity if you didn't share your thoughts and opinions on them with us. With best wishes to all, Sim

Yes, for about 10-20 seconds.

Thanks John!

The critics are all (with the exception of Hannah Weibye) very positive about this bill. I have obviously missed something!! 😁

They revived it because it is to Bernstein's music and this triple is to celebrate his centenary. It saved the cost of making a third new piece! Are there any other short ballets to Bernstein's music in the RB's history that could have been revived instead of Age? I can't think of any, but that doesn't mean anything!

Sanj, you might love it like Dave did, and Judith Mackrell! If you don't, then you can just notch it up to experience, like I always do. I always learn something, even from pieces or performances I don't like.

One of many reasons I love The Fed!

And the nod to Song of the Earth in the Wheeldon?

Yes, I've been watching all the press coverage about the costumes. The NYT erroneously keeps referring to the skirts as tutus, which they clearly are not.

Just some quick thoughts from the bus: I'm afraid for me it was a big fat 'meh'. I knew I wouldn't like Age, but I sat through it again for the sake of being fair and giving it another chance. I thought the McGregor was dull and unimaginative (thank goodness for the music!) and the costumes too similar to Obsidian Tear. The Wheeldon was the best of the bunch for me, but if it had been with two very good pieces it would not have seemed as good as it did last night. The costumes were awful and unflattering, reminding me of a bondage scene from a porn movie (but that might just be my warped mind 😛). I didn't much like the music, and whereas I thought there were enjoyable moments, it went on too long and didn't quite gel for me. Tierney Heap was an excellent choice of casting, and conveyed an Amazonian power through graceful dancing. There was a fun and exciting pdd for Marcelino Sambe and Mayara Magri (what a great season she is having) but it was over all too quickly. I will look at the two new pieces again, but I will definitely be in the bar for Age of Anxiety. For me, it does nothing and says nothing, despite the very best efforts of the dancers, whose talents are wasted here. All in all, a dull and disappointing evening.

She is a he, Mummykool! 🙂

Yes, Yasmine Naghdi is definitely dancing in the Wheeldon piece tomorrow night.

As it's all over, here's something to make us laugh instead of cry!!

A truly amazing man, in all respects. I will admit that I didn't get past page 3 of a Brief History of Time, but he is the one who came closest to opening my mind even a tiny crack to the world of physics. RIP Prof. Hawking....may you forever be amongst your beloved stars.

The last of a true breed of professionals. We won't be allowed to have another comedian like him as there is generally a mass sense of humour fail these days. We are lucky to have had him, and to have had the freedom to laugh.

I did sit through it three times during the last run, and it just didn't improve for me on further viewings. I will try it again on Thursday night in case there have been any changes that improve it, but I'm not holding my breath. I fear this will be another Strapless or Frankenstein for me!!

The scenery is lovely and the music is fab....but the choreography is incredibly dull. For me, anyway.

Oh what a shame; I hope Laura gets better very soon. However, whether it's Morera or Lamb, nothing or no-one can save that ballet for me, so if anyone wants to join me in the Floral Hall for that one....there I will be!!

So am I....and even more, Lest We Forget. Back in 2014 when I first saw it, I said to someone "I hope they mark the centenary of the end of the war by showing it again in 2018" so I am very glad they are!

What a pain. Although I only ever bought food and flowers there, it was a very convenient to pop into between work and ballet, to have something to eat before the show. If a behemoth like M&S can't afford the soaring business rates, then I wonder how long before smaller stores start to close as well? Such a shame.

I saw Klimentova/Vogel do it here in London, and they were magnificent. Sets and costumes not as sumptuous as the RB's, but I didn't care because the dancing was so good. Such a shame that it didn't do better. I hope it does this time around.

ENB have just announced their new season. A bit of a shame that they are doing Manon and Swan Lake just after the RB have done both. Delighted to see Rite and Broken Wings coming back. Not jumping up and down about the rest of it....although these are the highlights. We will post more details as and when we get them. 2018-19 season announcement Priority booking opens this Thursday – become a Friend today Ahead of our move to a new home at London City Island next year, we're thrilled to announce our new 2018-19 season. Highlights include: Christopher Wheeldon's in-the-round version of Cinderella at Royal Albert Hall. Following 2016's She Said, we present She Persisted, a second bill featuring female choreographers, including a new work inspired by Ibsen's A Doll's House choreographed by First Artist Stina Quagebeur, and also featuring Pina Bausch's Le Sacre du printemps and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's Broken Wings. Kenneth MacMillan's classic Manon goes on tour for the second time only in 30 years. Derek Deane's Swan Lake goes to Liverpool, Bristol and London. Our Christmas favourite Nutcracker returns to the London Coliseum.