Sim

This is such sad news.  Even when it is expected, it doesn't diminish the sadness of loss.

I have known Linda for a few years, mainly through this forum, and then meeting at the ROH or wherever ENB might have been.  We have always messaged each other on a regular basis, and she often sent me messages of support when things on the forum were nasty or difficult.  We shared a love of the same dancers, and had the same outlook about many things, both balletic and otherwise.  In the past couple of weeks we were in close contact, and on the 21st she told me she had gone into the hospice for what she hoped would be a 'short term stay.'  Sadly, that wasn't to be the case (although, knowing Linda, she might have known that her time was coming and she wanted it to be a short goodbye).  On the 23rd, I sent her a message asking how she was doing, but sadly that was the day she left us.

In one of her last messages to me she said that the one thing she regretted was not being able to see Onegin next season.  She said she would have loved to see some new casts, and especially Vadim in the title role.  I told her a few months ago that on May 4th, thanks to someone's generosity, I will be sitting in the front row of the stalls to watch Vadim and Fumi debut as a pair in Swan Lake.  She said she would also be sitting there if she could.  Sadly, she can't, so I am sure I will feel her presence there in row A, where she sat for so many years as an avid attendee of her beloved artform.  I am also sure that Vadim will be thinking of her, and miss seeing her sitting there in the front row, supporting him as always. 

As with others, I was astounded by how she kept defying the doctors with her illness.  Mind over matter was something that Linda truly embodied.  She got to as many ballets as she could, even when she was feeling lousy, and I was so happy to see her smiling face in the audience at the Insight on April 16th.  A week before she left us, she was still able to get to the ROH and derive so much pleasure from being there.  She often used to open her messages with "I'm still here", and when I used to tell her how inspirational she was, she wouldn't hear of it.  

I for one will miss her messages, her support and her sense of humour.  I will always deeply appreciate the support, insightful contributions and encouragement she always gave to this forum, from the very beginning.  I will always appreciate, and never forget, the support and encouragement she always gave to my daughter with her ballet blog and then her podcast with Brandon Lawrence.  Let's face it, I will always miss her, full stop.  She leaves a huge void in the lives of all who knew and loved her, and in the wider ballet community as a whole.  Her steadfast support of companies and individuals has been widely and deeply appreciated, and has achieved much.

I would love to think that she is with Michael again, and I know that she will always be in the hearts of all those she loved, helped and encouraged.  My condolences go to all her friends and family.  RIP dear Linda, you will be deeply missed.

Just now, li tai po said:

I have just heard that my very dear friend, Linda Gainsbury, passed away last Tuesday morning (a week ago).  Her last post on this Forum was on Monday evening.

 

I am too upset to write more at the moment, but I will post a tribute in due course.

Irmgard has posted a lovely tribute and started a thread elsewhere , so I will lock this and merge your post with that one. 

11 minutes ago, Bruce Wall said:

Such passionate dedication with earnest regard, Barbara's voice leaves a reasoned void but oh, so many vivid memories to cherish.  RIP.  

Barbara?

13 minutes ago, The Sitter In said:

Frankly, this is one of the worst seasons by the Royal Ballet since I started going in 1983. The company’s riches of the repertoire are all but ignored and replaced with Pite, Wheeldon and, God help us, McGregor, Abrahams and Toonga…hardly de Valois, MacMillan and Ashton! Where too are the classical and Diaghilev works?  The idea that Les Noces is “too expensive” is self-justifying cant given the vast amounts of money spent on some real humdingers in recent years.

Thank goodness for the Balanchine bill, Onegin and Cinderella - three evenings by serious choreographers. R&J is a superb work but…not again!

VERY slim pickings indeed next season.

I simply cannot understand KOH’s preference for ‘un-mixed’ bills.

As for the ‘contemporary evening’, given the choreographers, I am sounding the alarm and will steer well clear. Yuk. A whole evening of Wheeldon titbits does not stimulate the balletic appetite while, having read material about Maddaddam in Canada, I am looking forward to that about as much as a bout of norovirus.

So depressed.

Yes, this.  But as I said above somewhere, I am trying to see the positives in that I will be saving a lot of money so will hopefully be able to afford to go to Zurich and Amsterdam, long held dreams of mine.  I have been to both cities, but have never seen their ballet companies.  

Having thought about it long and hard, next season will consist of one or two Cinderellas, and a few viewings each of Onegin, R&J and the Balanchine triple.  Very sad....out of a whole season there are only three and a half (meaning just one or maybe two Cinderellas) productions that I want to see.  Oh well, I hope for the future of the company that if this is the direction they are going in, that they sell tickets.  I just won't be buying many anymore if this is how the seasons are going to look.  But that's just me.  

For those who are going to miss the RB Nut this Christmas, don't forget that ENB are going to present a new version.  I can only hope it's a vast improvement on the current one (just my own opinion, of course).

4 minutes ago, bridiem said:

Actually, I think that Alice is a bizarre choice to open the season. Shouldn't the opening work be some sort of statement? Maybe not. But if so, I don't really know what sort of statement it is!

The statement is:  this will be a bland and boring season, with a few exceptions.

17 minutes ago, Fonty said:

And no Fille.....

Probably next season now.  Hopefully with Giselle in there as well.

Hmmm...says a lot about next season that I am already getting my wish list for the 25/26 season together in my head.

30 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said:

 

It's this or something like this:

https://www.theatrechampselysees.fr/saison-2024-2025/opera-mis-en-scene/semele

 

Thanks Lizbie.  I would love it if that were the cast.  

Wow.  They have managed to squeeze in just about every 'bums on seats' opera in the repertoire.  I hope the casting is good for Semele as I missed it last time around.

6 hours ago, San Perregrino said:

not exiting the stage to return and take a bow during Act 2 as other dancers have done at that point but simply acknowledging the applause without breaking the spell and moving on.

How I wish they would all do that.

3 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said:

Maybe more interesting from my perspective as I have never seen Onegin or Alice!

 

I hope that Anna Rose and Mayara will be debuting Cinderella this time around. 

How I envy you, seeing Onegin for the first time!!  🥰

I wonder if we will ever get Sylvia or Ondine back?  I don't much like Ondine, but would love to see a couple of current principals in the role, namely Frankie Hayward and Yasmine Naghdi.

Ah well.  No RB for me until Cinderella then (unless everyone raves about the McGregor).  Good...I can use  the saved money towards trips to Zurich or Amsterdam to see those companies!

3 minutes ago, hephaistion03 said:

Just  received info re the 2024 2025 RB season

 

Onegin 22nd Jan to the  25th Feb 2025   /  29th May to the 12th June  25 

 

R & J   4th March to the 26th May 25 

No surprises there then!  Wish we didn't have to wait until the New Year for both of these ballets.

2 minutes ago, Mary said:

I agree the prologue can work, but ever since the first night I have always wondered if it was really necessary. Productions worldwide have managed all these years without it..

I also wondered if the idea might have come from the use of a prologue in Winter's Tale:  they are quite similar!

 

I saw a production many years ago by the Stanislavsky Ballet and they did a similar prologue, showing a young princess being captured and turned into a swan. That one worked very well.  

8 hours ago, Peanut68 said:

Has that film cast been one on the ROH stage? I too felt the casting was just perfect 

No.  Will danced it with Fumi (unforgettable) and Frankie with Cesar (didn’t move me half as much as their first go in the previous run).  

Please may I remind you that we actively discourage putting private email addresses on the forum. It is open and visible to anyone.  This is for our members’ protection. Thanks. 

I have just seen on Facebook via Ballet News that Alison McWhinney is leaving ENB to return to Australia as a Senior Soloist with Queensland Ballet at the end of July.  Wishing her the best of luck and every happiness.  

A few of us seem to have had issues accessing the forum today.  Our technical genius Dave advised us to clear/delete the site-specific cookies via your browser.  If you don't know how to do this, google it, naming your specific browser....e.g. "How to remove site-specific cookies on [browser name]"  I did this, and it worked.  Seems that forum is sick of cookies today!!

KVN Dance Company

Coppelia ****

Marylebone Theatre, London, 24 April 2024

Michael Downing as Dr Coppelius, Rosie Southall as Coppelia, Zach Parkin as Franz.  Photo credit:  Hettie Pearson

Whilst many people were watching the Royal Ballet in Swan Lake last night, I headed down to the Marylebone Theatre, just a few doors away from the Sherlock Holmes Museum on Baker Street.  The mystery here is how I had never heard of this lovely little venue, having worked nearby and lived quite nearby for years!

Nor had I previously heard of the KVN Dance Company.  Founded by Kevan Allen, their aim is to attract new audiences to dance by expanding its possibilities and making it fun and accessible.  If their production of Coppelia is anything to go by, they are succeeding beautifully.

The programme states on its cover “Coppelia, Classic Remixed: Classic Reborn”.    I usually roll my eyes when I see the words ‘reimagined for contemporary audiences’ or suchlike; last night I entered the theatre with an open but slightly dubious mind, and left it having had a delightful and eye-opening two hours of theatre and dance.

Zach Parkin as Franz, Rosie Soutall as Coppelia.  Photo credit:  Hettie Pearson

The reason this reimagining of Coppelia works so well is that the original score and ballet/story are all treated with respect.  The music and choreography are deconstructed and rebuilt into a narrative that works.  Delibes’ glorious music is used extensively, but is expanded and added to by Swedish musician Rickard Berg.  Allen didn’t feel the need to revise the ending nor change the basic story, for which I am very grateful.  The piece opens with the villagers galivanting in the square, and Dr Coppelius is introduced as the eccentric we know from the original.  From there, the story moves on apace, and the combination of wit and pathos remains.  The choreography is fun and clever, the costumes (by Wendy Olver) a delight, and the set (by Justin Williams) is light and buoyant in the outside scenes, dark and broody in Dr Coppelius’ lab.  The other toys in the attic are gorgeously dressed and come to life with sparkle and zest.  Praise also goes to Mike Robertson’s atmospheric lighting, especially in Coppelius’ workshop.  I was even more impressed with the costumes and set when I read in the programme that the company is almost entirely sustainable, and everything is made from second-hand materials that have been acquired and donated. 

Ellie Fergusson as Swanilda.  Photo credit:  Hettie Pearson

As for the cast, the company is made up of 12 dancers, all of whom were clearly having a ball onstage.  Most of them are from theatre schools and thus were able to handle various styles of dance and make them all meld into one delightful work.  Rosie Southall as Coppelia was a very convincing doll, transformed from her original raggedy state into a gorgeous girl with just a skirt and toreador ruffled blouse.  She made it easy to believe that foolish Franz could be attracted to her and be duped into thinking she was real. Michael Downing as Coppelius and Zach Parkin as Franz both gave notable performances, striking just the right balance between comedy and drama.    Ellie Ferguson as Swanhilda was innately balletic and gave us a feisty but ultimately kind, empathetic and forgiving young bride.  She was happy and wanted Dr Coppelius to be, too.  Her insistence that the villagers accept him into their society made for a joyous ending, celebrating both a wedding and life itself. 

Ellie Fergusson as Swanilda, Zack Parkin as Franz.  Photo credit:  Hettie Pearson

This reimagining of a classic works on all fronts, and like Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake I can imagine that this one has the potential to inspire many people, especially young ones, to want to see the original, classical version.  I know that Bourne’s Lake was the route to a love of classical ballet for many people back in the 90s; maybe this will be the case for this generation via Coppelia, albeit on a smaller scale.

Sophie Tierney as Mrs Pumpernickel. Photo credit:  Hettie Pearson

Speaking of scale, this company is self-funded and deserves to continue and to be seen as widely as possible.  They are at the Marylebone Theatre until April 27th and are touring around the country (details on their website) until the end of June.  Catch them if you can.  Last night they made my cold, grey day a whole lot brighter and warmer with this innovative, fun and bold production.

7 hours ago, balletyas said:

 I’m beginning to think that’s why her Odette tonight was on the chilly side -  I think what we were seeing was someone who daren't let herself show her feelings too much, in case it might all crumble, as indeed it does.  

 

This is a very good point.  Why would Odette immediately be passionate and warm to this guy who has just come along, when the last guy who just came along turned her into a captive bird?  I would also be very wary and take my time to loosen up and open my heart to him.  

Interesting to read such varied views.  I haven’t seen tonight’s performance yet but from this cast’s first two performances I was totally emotionally engaged and found the lead couple inhabited their characters in a pure and natural way…I didn’t find anything calculated about either of them.  As I have said before, art is subjective so everyone has their own perspective and perception of what they see.  Very interesting!  

18 hours ago, Silke H said:

possibly focusing on his debut as Polixenes in The Winter's Tale (first night's cast)

Not to mention his debut as Oberon in The Dream on 19th June...

1 hour ago, art_enthusiast said:

I assume it helps if the cygnets are all of similar height? As they have to stay linked together the whole time. I don't think the casting is always the same height wise though.

Yes, they do try to get the four cygnets at pretty much the same height.  

1 hour ago, FionaM said:

@Missfrankiecat I guess the prince should stand out as different to the rest of the court, so this physical difference helps 😉

 

And so we return to typecasting !!!  The elegant slim and long legged dancers are the Prince and the virtuoso short ones are his friend or jester.   It was ever thus 🤣

Marcelino Sambe is not long legged and he is playing the prince.  Joon-Hyuk Jun, playing Benno, is tall and long legged. Ditto Teo Dubreuil.