Sim

Angela, thank you so much for keeping us informed of what is going on in your part of the world. For those of us who can't get there very often, if at all, it is so interesting to know what is happening. The Neumeier celebrations sound amazing. If you see any of the performances please let us know what you think. Again, thank you so much, it is really appreciated.

No, they want everyone to spend their money for as long as possible

Thanks Alison. Hmmmm.....another modern take on an old classic. I so hope he does well with this one! Interesting that he is choreographing Guys & Dolls, too. I love that show, so will go along to see it when it opens here in London next year.

Thanks so much Dave....very sorry I missed it, but I was at that amazing Arsenal-Reading match so don't feel too bad, as a Gooner! I wonder if it was filmed?

If you look at my post #96, I referred to him by his Christian name. If I'm in a rush, I always use the shortest way possible, thus 'Zen' instead of 'Zenaida', 'Kish' instead of 'Nehemiah', etc. I almost always refer to male dancers by their surnames, and female ones by their Christian names. A bit old fashioned, but there we go. If I'm writing a more proper review or a long piece, I always use both names on first mention, then afterwards just the surnames...sometimes I do that for the women too. To be honest, I don't really think about it as I'm writing, it just comes out!

Ahh thanks Greypuss. I just watched it and it is lovely. Zen has always been one of my fave O/Os, and I'm warming to Kish a bit too.

Could someone kindly point me to where I can find Zen and Nehemiah's interval interviews from last week's broadcast? I have found the one about the Corps, but am stumped for the other one! Many thanks in anticipation!

I saw it last night....the first piece, Grand Tour, although nice to look at, was even more anodyne than Take Five (although that was also nice to look at and had some very good moments). With the 30s costumes and lovely set (the promenade deck of an ocean liner) it was visually pleasant, and Noel Coward's music played very well by the RB Sinfonia, but so much more could have been made choreographically with all the famous characters populating the ballet. There was an attempt at a story, which was sweet, but this moving tableau didn't float my boat. It is interesting to note that Grand Tour was made in 1971, the same year as Hans van Manen's wonderful and ritualistic Grosse Fuge, so well danced by the company on Tuesday night. One of the joys of dance is this very thing: the huge difference in style, in depth, in plot and in subject matter that can all be interpreted wordlessly by talented young dancers. The second of the three ballets, Faster, was David Bintley's homage to the skills and dedication of Olympic athletes, made in this Olympic year. My heart sank a bit when it started, but it got better as it went on, really capturing the energy, and humour, of sport. The highlights were a wonderfully gymnastic pas de trois danced by Jenna Roberts, Feargus Campbell and William Bracewell, and an incredibly athletic pas de deux forcefully danced by Tyrone Singleton and Celine Gittens. This is such a good partnership; as this pdd showed, they are well matched in strength and technique...although here, she won! The ensemble pieces were incredibly fast-paced and energetic, as track and field should be, and the company was in great form and having a good time of it....as did the audience. And so to The Dream. I always really look forward to BRB's Ashton performances, and they never disappoint. Think Two Pigeons, for example. They are incredibly lucky to have Peter Wright with them, who was closely involved with Ashton for years and really understands the choreography and physical requirements needed to make his steps look right. Last night, we were truly blessed to have ex-RB ballerina Natasha Oughtred as Titania and the fabulous William Bracewell as Oberon. The very difficult role of Puck was assuredly danced by Tzu-Chao Chou, whose technique and stamina are very impressive. He was a delicously naughty sprite. Bracewell was an imperious fairy king on the one hand, but on the other a cheeky little boy having loads of fun observing the shenanigans caused by his revenge and Puck's mistakes. He's got a beautiful long line and an excellent sense of centre for his rapid spins. I look forward to seeing lots more of him. Oughtred again reminded us how London's loss is Birmingham's gain. She has matured so much as a dancer since her RB days (which is one of the reasons she left; she knew she would have more opportunity to grow as an artist up north), and indeed since I last saw her dance a couple of years ago. Being petite, she was visually very believable as a fairy, managing to exude 'queenliness' at the same time. Her fluttering arms, her light jump, her lovely back all told a story, and in the final pdd I could totally understand why each would forgive the other. It is so gratifying to see someone not only dance Ashton, but interpret his choreography as it was meant to be. The corps de ballet fairies were gorgeous; in time with each other throughout and really taking care of their wayward queen. This was a joy to behold, and my frustration at yet another over-long interval dissipated as soon as the curtain rose on that misty woodland glade. Disappointingly, on the two nights I went to Sadlers Wells there were lots of empty seats. This company deserves full houses, and I'm not sure why they didn't get them. It is probably the fact that they presented two triple bills; of the six pieces offered to London this time, most audiences would probably have only heard of The Dream, if that, and perhaps in these economically straitened times people will only spend money on what they know they will like. Having said this, a big round of applause for BRB for being daring and bringing us something so varied and different. We have any number of Beauties, Lakes and Nuts to choose from here in London, so being able to see six different pieces by a visiting company is very much appreciated. I have so enjoyed seeing BRB's two programmes. As I mentioned in my other posting, they are a very talented young company, with many to watch. Young Brandon Lawrence caught my eye in everything he danced; he really uses the space onstage, he's got great long limbs, a high jump, beautifully centred spins and even a good touch of comic ability as his Lysander showed last night. He has a very good career ahead of him. I was also very impressed by Joseph Caley and William Bracewell. I do feel a bit guilty singling out these dancers as the whole company is at a high standard, but one can't help noticing certain dancers at certain times. My advance New Year's resolution is to try to get up to Brum to see the company at home; I would rather not wait until they come to London again, and as anyone who knows me is aware, it takes a pretty special prospect to get me to leave London of my own volition!!

I also agree with Aileen....and so did my daughter and a critic I was sitting with. We found ourselves laughing much of the time at the audacity of it. Before Act 4 started we were imagining her death scene: would she run up to a 5 metre diving board and do a swan dive into the lake, with Esther Williams type of fountains appearing as she bobbed up and down? I've never found myself imagining this kind of end before. My friend said at one point 'oh my, it's a drag act'! I just don't think she gets it at all. My disappointment was compounded because I thought her Giselle was one of the best I've ever seen. Ah well...sometimes there is just no rhyme nor reason. Ann, I was indeed lucky to see Zen in her first show. She has always been one of my favourite O/Os, and that night I was reminded why. Nela's not too bad either...and now I just have the Marquez/McRae, Cuthbertson/Bonelli (I hope) and Cojocaru/Kobborg casts to go!

Aileen, I was told that during the rehearsals yesterday both intervals were longer than expected because A) it took longer to lay the floor than expected in the the first interval and there had been problems with the lighting rigs in the second. Whether it was these same problems last night I don't know. Whereas, as you say, the intervals often last longer when there are receptions going on, last night everyone was seated and we still had to wait an extra ten minutes. If that's the case, I'd rather be outside where I can talk to people instead of sitting there like a chump!!

It's late so no time to write much, but I enjoyed this programme tonight. The first piece, David Bintley's 'Take Five', was a lightweight interpretation of Dave Brubeck's famous jazz number of the same name; the dancers did their best but I found the choreography quite simplistic and uninteresting. There was a good interlude that showed Joseph Caley's considerable talent. The music is also repetitive, pleasant though it is, and for me neither it nor what was happening onstage kept me interested for the whole 25 minutes. The second ballet, 'Lyric Pieces', to Grieg's music, was choreographed by the American Jessica Lang, her first go at choreographing for a European company. I found it quite interesting, very well danced and with enough going on to hold the attention. The dancers were involved in changing the scenery...which consisted of black concertinas shaped into various objects, pathways, walls and were also used as props. I thought it was quite clever and liked how they were also integral to the dancing. There was also a very nice pas de deux for Iain Mackay and Jenna Roberts, which was beautfully danced. The final piece was Hans van Manen's 'Grosse Fuge', to Beethoven's music, very well played by the RB Sinfonia under the baton of Koen Kessels. I hadn't seen this ballet for many, many years, and I did enjoy it again, mostly because of how well all 8 dancers performed it. You could really feel the war of the sexes going on here, and at the end there are no clear winners. One thing that really put me off were the awful, unflattering costumes for the girls...but then I suppose the point of this is to show them as a sort of Amazonian type of woman, not tutued princesses or the graceful girls of the previous piece. Throughout all three ballets, the dancers were lively, in almost perfect time with each other and really look like they meant it. BRB is blessed with a crop of really good young male dancers, and I'm really looking forward to Programme 2 on Friday night.

Ditto again...not for the grass roots fans I guess, as they were trying to raise lots of money!

And may I add mine too...they are beautiful as always! So lovely and clear and expressive.

We spent ages on this at work the other day, but had to stop when my boss got back from her meeting, although she did some too. We found quite a few, but haven't had time to finish!

I went to see this bill solely because it was a rare opportunity to see Lilac Garden. I really enjoyed it and again wondered why our companies don't include any Tudor repertoire, or rarely at best. Anything else I've seen has been on film and it's not the same thing. I too think that BRB would do a brilliant job interpreting Tudor's choreography. I can't rationalise this statement, it's just a gut feeling I have!

One of my favourites was the gynaecologist's sign outside his practice in Rome: "Dottore ..... : specialist in women and other diseases"

Thanks Nana....typically, I've just seen your posting so will have a look on iPlayer. Goodness, how did we ever live without it?!

Cyclists The House of the Rising Sun People who walk down the street texting and just assume that everyone else will walk around them Ditto people wearing music headphones who cross the street without looking or hearing....we drivers are supposed to see them, react and avoid hitting them when they don't even bother to look before crossing Litterbugs

A lovely performance from Zenaida last night; so good to see her do this role again. She does things differently from all the other swan queens in the RB; the way she slightly flicks the lower half of her leg back when she is lifted in the Act II pdd when most dancers keep them straight, the way she ends the Act III pdd and the way she still does most of the 32 fouettees as singles, for example I have been watching this ballet since childhood so I always appreciate it when there is something new to look at in the interpretation of the choreography. Nice performance from Nehemiah Kish, too....he feels the role and interprets it well despite a slight bit of nerves perhaps during his Act III solo, but nothing that was really noticeable. He is always a very good partner and does all he can for his ballerina. The usual wonderful performance from Gary Avis....his menacing, murky presence always felt even when he wasn't onstage. Regarding comments above about the lighting, I have been moaning about this for years, especially Siegfried's dark tights; from any higher than the Grand Tier you just can't see his legs. I was in the amphi on Monday night and couldn't make them out without my strong binoculars, but last night I was standing in the stalls circle and saw them perfectly well. Ah well, I don't suppose they'll do anything about it at this stage. I too would like to see a new production now; we've had this one for 25 years and no matter what you think of it these classics do need to be revitalised to keep them fresh.

I can't type much as my left wrist is in a sling, but my reaction when I got home from Swan Lake last night was as below....and I agree with bangorballetboy's comments above. At some points the conducting was so slow that I thought it was going to grind to a halt. I also love SL....I've been watching it for almost 50 years from when I was a little girl, and if it's done properly it still moves me. My main gripe with the RB's production is that I like to see a lake in my Swan Lakes.... "A divine start to the Royal Ballet season with the divine Marianela Nunez giving a beautiful, meaningful performance as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake. We are so lucky to be able to see her dance on a regular basis. The rest of the cast did very well too; a special plaudit for the corps de ballet, on lovely, fresh-legged form! Bring on the next 7 performances.....and best wishes to the whole Company for a wonderful season."

As always! Looks very interesting, too.

Gosh, sounds like a truly wonderful night, Jane. How I wish I could have been there. Very much looking forward to reading your review.

I attended the ENB press conference this morning on behalf of this forum. As Bluebird has already put up the press release it saves me a lot of reporting, so I won’t go into the season’s repertory. Tamara began by saying that she wants to make ENB ‘the most exciting dance company in the world for a dancer to be in.’ She wants to transform it into the country’s ‘most loved and exciting company’. She is passionate about taking dance to everyone, to making ballet more fun, accessible and ‘a good evening out’. She wants to make ENB the ‘go-to’ company for all kinds of collaborators: dancers, choreographers, designers, composers, etc. She promised some ‘surprising’ collaborations in future, and said that it is during hard times that you need to be daring and raise the bar; she added that “I know I am not the world’s best dancer, but I am the most bloody-minded!” She told us how lucky she felt, that little 5 year-old girl who peeked into a dance class one day and was immediately smitten, who is now the Artistic Director of a world-class company, one which she has always loved and for which she has always had a lot of respect. With regard to repertoire, she said that the classics have always had, and always will have, an important place at ENB, but they are not enough. A company has to move forward and commission new works as well as performing less known popular ones. There will be changes to the repertoire, and she said that in times of cuts it is challenging because you have to be ‘more imaginative.’ She wants the company to inspire people, both artists and audiences. She intends to take pieces performed in London to other parts of the country; she is very aware of the difficulties in getting people outside London into theatres to see triple bills or lesser-known full length ballets, such as Manon, but added that she has no intention of ‘patronizing’ people in other cities and towns in the UK by just giving them the usual classical pieces. She has ideas about involving local people more than just by publicity for a show…getting them to come to open classes and rehearsals, for example; if they are engaged and involved, she hopes they will want to see the shows too. With regards to commissioning new ballets, she said that this is already being done, but it was too late to do anything for her first season. She would only add that it would be a surprise….her ideal triple bill would be one that contained something surprising but also pieces using classical ballet technique for the ballet fans: “after all, they are paying their money to see what they like and I don’t want to make anyone’s evening hell!” She isn’t sure yet how much she will be dancing in future; she will just see how it goes. She isn’t guesting abroad at all in the coming year as she has too much to do in her new role. She said that touring is very important to the company, both within the UK and abroad, the latter because ENB are such good artistic ambassadors for the country. She will also try and use electronic media more and in different ways to try to engage with a wider range of young people. Tamara introduced her new artistic staff (details in the PR above), and informed everyone that it is hoped the announcement of the new ENB Chief Executive will happen soon so that things can settle down. She is very determined to do her best for the dancers: “I have a duty of care to them. They are very young and if we are lucky we will have them with us for 20 years, after which I want them go and have a good life. We need to take care of them not only physically, but mentally too, so that they can do this.” She emphasised how lucky she is to have such talented, world-class dancers to work with. To illustrate this, we were treated to part one of the Bluebird pas de deux danced by Yonah Acosta and Shiori Kase, both of whom looked great and did very well on a small stage. To conclude, Tamara Rojo is a very determined woman, one who has far-reaching vision and ideas but is realistic about the restrictions within which she will have to function. She said the most daunting part of her job will be future changes in policy towards the arts, such as funding cuts and visa restrictions. However, I am of the impression that she will do her utmost to make the most of what resources she has at any given time, and wish her very well in her endeavours.

Daria has never liked the role of Aurora...indeed, she hates it so won't dance it! But all is not lost; she will be dancing Lilac Fairy in the Vadim/Tamara cast. She is fine, and not leaving ENB. She and Vadim are still very much a partnership but are guesting abroad a lot as this gives them more opportunity to dance in a wider repertoire. They recently had great success in Moscow with Swan Lake (no mean feat!!). And they will be dancing Nutcracker with ENB during the Christmas season.

Hello all. I am posting on behalf of the committee to clarify why we felt it necessary to intervene in this thread and remind everyone of the forum's acceptable use policy. Whilst it is not our intention to stifle fair debate (on the contrary, we try to actively encourage it) or people expressing their opinions, we do have to ensure that such debate is carried out without leading to insults (even when they are not meant as such by the writer). In the case above, we were contacted privately and therefore decided to take some remedial action. Of course we understand that everyone on the forum is passionate about dance (as we are) and therefore things can get a bit heated, which is where we step in just to calm things down. Inevitably, this will lead to some people thinking that we are trying to put a clamp on freedom of expression. However, we are here to try to take a dispassionate approach and ensure that no-one feels aggrieved, or, if they do, take some steps (if we deem it appropriate) to bring things back to where they should be. We look forward to the future of this thriving forum, a forum which is working so well thanks to all of our contributors. Best wishes Simonetta (Sim) Dixon Chair BalletcoForum Committe