Sim

Tickets now sold.

This will be so disappointing to everyone who bought tickets especially to see her. I almost did, but then couldn't go.

Ha ha I can't even remember what I was wearing yesterday, so I'm afraid I can't remember your necklace!! But whatever it was I'm sure it was lovely!

Hello. Sadly I am unable to attend this performance now so am selling these two tickets. £9 each. If interested please DM me. Thanks!

This is already pretty bumper!!!

Thanks. Well that's a bit inconsistent to me: 14+ for Manon and 16+ for DD?? I also think that Manon is much more graphic and disturbing than DD. Women get slapped around and raped, someone gets shot with blood spurting all over the place, old men get beaten up and robbed....much worse than DD, IMHO.

Was the same guidance given for Manon? I didn't notice either way!

Indeed. For that reason, we have decided to lock this thread. May I please remind everyone that we take a very dim view of people being 'outed' in any way whatsoever on this forum. Not only performers, but fellow forum members. People should be allowed to express their opinions without fear of any aspect of their lives being discussed or revealed without their permission. Everyone is entitled to privacy, and it's not for anyone else to divulge their profession, charity involvements or anything else. May we also remind everyone that this is not a fan site, and that negative comments about performers/performances/choreography/orchestral playing, etc. etc. are perfectly fine. In the case referred to above, the moderators did not find that there were any personal insults to the dancer in question, just strong comments about their technique. Had there been comments about the dancer's physical appearance then these would have been hidden immediately.

There is nothing in the MacMillan that would have shocked me when I was under 16. A friend of mine was there with her 14 year-old daughter last night. She wasn’t the slightest bit disturbed by anything she saw. However, in an age where we have trigger warnings for fairytales and Jane Austen, the ROH is probably just trying to cover itself.

I agree with @Linnzi5 above. A very varied programme. I hadn’t seen any of these ballets for a few years and it was interesting to re-visit them after so long. DC was joyful and fun and very well danced. DD was also very well done, but for me it didn’t have the impact that it did the first time I saw it, and it just felt a bit flat. Requiem: what can I say? It’s almost unbearably beautiful and poignant, and tonight it took me to heaven with it. Sarah Lamb was perfect as the angel figure, and wonderful performances from Melissa, Will and LukasBB (who must surely be in line for promotion). I only wish that John Cranko could know that such a glorious piece was made in his memory. Maybe he does…who knows?

Tonight’s cast: https://static.roh.org.uk/digital/cast-sheets/MacMillan-Celebrated/MacMillan-Celebrated-Cast-Sheet-04-04-24.pdf

Links – Thursday, 4th April 2024 Reviews – Northern Ballet, Romeo and Juliet, Lyceum Sheffield Clare Jenkins, On Yorkshire Magazine Sheila Stratford, The Reviews Hub Review – ENB, Carmen, Sadler’sWells, Rupert Christiansen, The Spectator Reviews – Mark Bruce Dance Company, Frankenstein, The Place, London Maggie Foyer, Critical Dance Rupert Christiansen, The Spectator Review – Graziano di Prima, Believe, Peacock Theatre, London, Scott Matthewman, The Reviews Hub Review – Beacon Dance, Moving Bodies//Hearts/Minds, Atlanta, Gillian Anne Renault, Arts Atlanta Article – New York City Ballet Announces 75th Anniversary Season, A.A. Cristi, Broadway World. Article - Cleveland Ballet Announces 24/25 Season, Paris Wolfe, Cleveland.Com (7-day free pass) Article – How Orlando Ballet’s Nutcracker Was Lit, Louise Stickland, Live Design, Article – ‘Subject Three’ Dance Belongs To The World, Staff, China Daily Interview – Oregon Ballet’s AD Dani Rowe, Geneva Chin, OPB Interview – Composer Kevin Lau on His New Composition for Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Anya Wassenberg, Ludwig Van Toronto Preview – Scottish Ballet’s Streetcar Named Desire Returns to Sadler’s Wells in May 2024, Theresa Guereiro, Culture Whisper Preview – Sting’s Message in a Bottle Dance Show to Debut in NYC, Karu F. Daniels, Yahoo Finance Preview – FKAtwigs To Perform at Martha Graham Gala, NYC, Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork Preview – White Wave Dance Presents 2024 Dumbo Dance Festival, NYC, Staff, I Love NY.com Preview – Marcat Dance Company, Averno, Lanzarote, Staff, Cact Lanzarote News – Boston Ballet Announces 24/25 Season, Staff, En Face Magazine News – BRB Appoints Claire Dersley Head of Orchestra Operations, Staff, Theatre Weekly Obituary – Mariano Parra, Flamenco & Spanish Dance Maestro, Staff, ExpoFlamenco And to finish: gorgeous photos of Los Angeles Ballet’s Upcoming ‘Next Steps’: Cheryl Mann, Flaunt

Of Nut or Sleeping Beauty? Fumi definitely took over with just a few hours' notice and was sensational.

I think you might have more luck returning it to the box office...

I would like to take this opportunity to extend a huge thank you to Blossom and Sophoife for having very kindly offered to help us with the Links. I think you will all agree that they have both settled in beautifully and are doing an awesome job. Thanks as ever to Jan for co-ordinating it all, and to Ian who continues to step unto the breach when needed. Again, huge thanks to all of them. Links – Wednesday, 3rd April 2024 Reviews – English National Ballet, Carmen (Inger) Sadler’s Wells Louise Levene, FT Jenny Gilbert, Arts Desk Review – Millepied and Muhly, Partners in Space and Sound, Philarmonie, Paris, NY Times (paywalled) Review – J-Hope, Hope On The Street, Rhian Daly, NME Review – The White Feather: A Persian Ballet (Kennedy Center), Michela Dwyer, Broadway World Review – Ballet Co. Laboratory, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Sheila Regan, Star Tribune Preview – San Francisco Ballet, Dos Mujeres, James Ambroff-Tahan, San Francisco Examiner Preview – Ballet Rambert’s Death Trap at The Lowry, Salford, Wolf McFarlane, Manchester Wire Preview – ABT Studio Company to Perform at Joyce Theater, NYC, Chloe Rabinowitz, Broadway World Preview – KVN Ballet, Coppelia, Basildon, Staff, Yellow Advertiser Preview - Pett/Clausen-Knight, IMAGO at Ballet Nights, A.A. Cristi, Broadway World Preview – The Swans of Harlem: Reclaiming the History of Black Ballet, Staff, Choose Chicago Interview – Amy McEntee, Scottish Ballet, Barry Didcock, The Herald (paywalled) Interview – Boy Blue (Hip Hop), Lyndsey Winship, Guardian Interview – J-Hope Honours His Street Dancing Inspirations in New Documentary Hope On The Street, Joan MacDonald, Forbes Feature – 120th Anniversary of Serge Lifar, Staff, Ukrainian World Congress. Feature – Cleveland Ballet Ends Season With A Fresh Start, Staff, News5 Cleveland Feature – First Modern Ballet Troupe Opens in Kyrgystan, Staff, Aki Press News – Bolshoi Ballet Show to Proceed Under New Title in Seoul, Staff, Korea Times

Anna-Rose has confirmed to me that she is definitely aiming to perform in Rhapsody, so fingers crossed.

I will just say that at yesterday's matinee there were quite a few children around, and they all behaved impeccably. A little girl sitting in front of me kept turning to her parents and cracking a huge smile and a little gasp each time the swans appeared. That little gesture made me so happy. That's what it's all about.

Believe me Lin, had there been any reviews our amazing Links ladies would have found them! My turn tomorrow so I will keep a special eye out for anything about this programme.

So, Vadim does what James does in the clip above, then immediately does another. A sight to behold!

Well that’s good news at least! I feel so bad for Anna-Rose.

Mine said Madison so they obviously changed it nearer to show time, hence no announcement.

I have just arrived home on a beautiful high. Thanks to someone's generosity I was able to be at this very special performance. Thursday night was wonderful, and this soared even higher. Fumi's Odette is a beautiful, vulnerable creature, and we can see her physically and emotionally change from being frightened and wary of Siegfried to trusting him totally, and daring to love him. This makes the later deception even harder for her to bear, and we can completely understand in Act IV why she doesn't accept his abject apology from the beginning: we watch her learning to trust him once more, with every look, every gesture. Her arms are things of beauty, her eyes astonishing. As Odile, was there ever such a temptress? She is beautiful and she knows it. She doesn't have to work hard to beguile this Siegfried; he has no chance against such allure and is like a lamb to the slaughter. She mocks him with a smile, with her eyes she bats him around like a cat playing with a mouse in the garden. She lusciously, languidly, lasciviously luxuriates in her seductiveness. It wasn't only Siegfried who was under her spell; I think the whole audience was. Her fouettes were marvellous as always, and I agree with @Linnzi5 that Will's dancing has improved leaps and bounds (pardon pun!). But with these two, the technical side doesn't really matter to me. Theirs is a partnership that is so intimate, so empathetic, so pure that sometimes I think they don't even need an audience; they delight in each other so much. Every little look, every little extra touch....all of it adds up to a whole that is very special and very rare. I must also give a shout-out to the absolutely glorious corps de ballet. They are in great form and for me are currently up there with the best of the Russians. When they descend on Von Rothbart at the end of the ballet it's all I can do to stop myself from shouting 'go get him....girl power!' because that's what they convey. They are together, they are a protective veil for Odette, and when she makes the ultimate sacrifice for them they are going to make damn sure that VR pays for it. Like real swans, they are graceful but fierce when they need to be, whilst remaining beautiful. Excellent dancing from the entire cast....Valentino Zucchetti's tambourine seemed to have a life of its own in the Neapolitan Dance (he dropped it, and then so did the usher he threw it to!). Also, Isabella Gasparini danced it with him, when it was listed as Madison Bailey. No announcement, so it must have been a last-minute change. Ditto Ashley Dean replaced her as a cygnet; no announcement. I do hope Madison is okay. A wonderful way to end the long weekend, and I extend a huge thanks to everybody on that stage (and in the orchestra pit) for making me so very happy.

Except that she would chew him up and spit him out whenever she got bored of him!

Another sublime performance today that almost reduced me to tears from the sheer beauty of it. Deep sigh.

Hi Janet. I have sent you a DM. x