Minder

Fully agree how special it was. Took someone new to ballet and they were very moved.

Lindsay's funeral will be at Golders Green Crematorium East Chapel on Thursday 8 June at 1330. No flower throw please but hope to have some ballet music.

Totally agree with Bruce Wall about Khaniukova and Cirio tonight - a class act!

I saw the Friday evening performance with Katja Khaniukova and Jeffrey Cirio in the main roles and Erik Woolhouse as a splendid Ali. I agree with Irmgard that there were many wow moments and Khaniukova's technique looked so effortless - I noticed too the balances with the leg coming in front at the end. She deserves to be nominated for best female dancer, not forgetting her acting as Frieda Kahlo earlier this year and she also merits principal status.

Has the Bolshoi press release got their am and pm mixed up? - previously it was about 7am UK time (which is 9am Moscow time?)

It is only about 5 minutes from Canning Town station - you have to get the right exit signed London City island and then a lift. And its just over the red coloured bridge. There is a place called The Grocer just a bit further along the development which is somewhere for a meal, drink or coffee rather than being a deli - but I think ENB might open their little bar area in the reception to encourage people to go inside.

Thanks, Sim Will try and get there - ROH won't quite seem the same.

The only use of Sadlers should be references to Walsall's football team.

Full information gets released on 20 August but it looks like the following ballet connected venues will take part: Clifton Lodge and Violet Needham Chapel, St Margarets nr Twickenham Home of Rambert School 21 and 22nd pre book tours 1300-1600 and performances 21st at 1430 and 1600 English National Ballet, London City Island pre book tours 21 and 22nd to be confirmed Here East, Olympic Park 21st tours 1000-1700 to include Studio Wayne McGregor and other studios? LAMDA, 155 Talgarth Road (Royal Ballet School 1947-2003) 21st pre book tours 1000-1600 Rambert, South Bank 21st tours 1100-1500 The White House, Park View Road, Ealing 21 and 22nd 1000-1600 Ballet performance TBC at 1400 both days in reimagined Polish palace Victoria Palace Theatre, Victoria Pavlova connections 21 and 22nd pre book tours pre booked events get heavily contested as soon as website opens www.openhouselondon.org.uk

The 19 isn't changing and all that is happening to the 341 is that it will go via Farringdon rather than Chancery Lane so probably useful for Sadlers Wells.

There are a great many bus changes in central London the weekend after next. I have some sympathy for the Mayor (not that I live in London) in that the large central Government grant was withdrawn - maybe it might not have happened with a Tory Mayor - the Mayor committed to a fares freeze, so he has little options but to juggle services. He was also banking on lots of extra money from Crossrail and that isnt happening for a while. I think in the case of the RV1 it was set up through partnerships redeveloping the south bank and eventually the money runs out. Because TfL stopped proper maps, you could buy one of the independent little maps produced by a brilliant guy called Mike Harris costing £2 from a few outlets such as the LT museum shop or his Greater London Bus Map website - I gather a new edition about 15 June. - but get some good glasses to read it. PS - route 4 wont go near Covent Garden/Aldwych either.

Hi You can sit with me in back row Stalls , lots of leg room. Can meet you there?

Nora is Stina Quagebeur's first piece on the main stage and having seen some of rehearsal process I was nervous about how the Wells stage would be filled with only 3 characters and 5 "voices" floating in and out expressing Nora's inner thoughts and conflicts. It must be difficult to work in a small studio at close quarters and yet create something that can engage in a large space where most of the audience see it from above in varying degrees. My doubts were of course entirely unfounded and I thought the compressed drama and story telling worked extremely well from all angles. Part of this is down to a triangular floor covering and the minimal but effective use of 3 frames to suggest the house but also create some perspective and diagonal. Also the choice of the Glass Tirol concerto was inspired. Stina has said that she is trying to steer a course between classical and contemporary - pointe shoes but not perfect arabesques etc - to make it more approachable. I think she has been influenced enormously by Akram Khan from helping create his Giselle. Credit also ought to go to Crystal Costa who seems to understand what Stina is looking for and works incredibly hard to achieve it. One advantages of choreography by a company member and they have worked together before. I can see why some of the audience might have thought it was a love triangle but I agree with other comments that sometimes less is more. When I first saw Romeo and Juliet I couldn't work out why Juliet woke up after taking her drug but didn't hang around to see if Romeo would do the same! Why did the prince fall in love with a white swan and then turn up with a black swan in tow? More research needed... For me Stina is a huge talent as choreographer, character artist and dancer and deserves more chances. She embodies the Belgian qualities of the thought of Hercule Poirot, the adventure of Tintin and the musicality of Jacques Brel.

The ones furthest away from the stage are good but are priced more than the others where you will probably have to lean forward.

Viviana Durante Company will be performing McMillan's The Seven Deadly Sins at Wilton's Music Hall 8-18 May with Weimar specialist Meow Meow and RB Principal Laura Morera. Cast will also include other dancers and guest RB principals. https://www.wiltons.org.uk/whatson/522-?dm_i=1EXC,63M8B,7B2O6O,NYJY9,1

Thank you Bruce - hope to see you there

After some looking, we managed to get a programme at the end of the performance. The full credits are: 1. Gyorgy Ligeti : Musica Ricercata no1 2. Flair : Choreography - Demis Volpi ; Music - Gyorgy Ligeti : Musica Ricercata no2 3. Philip Glass : Etude no2 4. Momentum : Choreography - Herman Cornejo ; Music - Philip Glass : Etude no16 5. Domenico Scarlatti : Sonata in A minor K54 6. Witness : Choreography - Wayne McGregor ; Music - Nils Frahm : Immerse! 7. Erik Satie : Gnossienne no4 8. JS Bach : Arrangement for piano by Alexander Siloti : Prelude in B minor 9. Senza Tempo : Choreography - Fang-Yi Sheu ; Music - JS Bach Gottes Zeit ist die Allerbeste Zeit 10. Philip Glass : Etudes nos 5+6 11. Entwine : Choreography - Russell Maliphant ; Music - Philip Glass : Metamorphosis Two 12. Frederic Chopin : Nocturne in B flat minor no1 op9 13 from Le Parc : Choreography - Angelin Preljocaj ; Music - WA Mozart : Adagio from Concerto no 23 in A major K488 In the Q&A afterwards they said they might change the incidental music if the mood took them!

I'm also sad to hear the news. I remember the Christmas parties sitting on his table with happy memories. I hope his legacy is preserved

Following Irmgard's comments on publicity there was one -and possibly only one - bus in Milton Keynes with a poster on the nearside (not the best place to get wide coverage).

This afternoon I think quite a lot of people like me just turned up and bought tickets so the audience number was not bad at all. There is nobody who can touch Alina for the subtle nuances of acting that make the performance so enjoyable. In Des Grieux's first solo she doesnt just sit there with her handbag like most other Manons but waits to sit and then gets up again to make better eye contact. Joseph Caley was also excellent in both dancing and partnering. We all went out into the cold and rain happy.

The MK matinee cast did the friends rehearsal the day before and it looked very good even without full costumes, not that I'm taken much with the ice cream colours for the courtesans. It was interesting that Dima Gruzdyev has come back to coach and perform Monsieur GM - wish I'd seen the performance. The orchestra is really good and in my view better than the Royal's most of the time but the pit at Milton Keynes is so deep and large nobody sees poor Gavin. On Wednesday evening there was a respectable audience number although not many in the top level. I thought Jurgita Dronina was a very classy Manon and worthy of first night billing. Also Ken Saruhashi was an energetic Lescaut. I think part of the problem filling theatres is the extra transaction charges that are added to online bookings which for the modest ENB ticket charges on tour seem prohibitive. They dont charge them if you go to the theatre and book in person with a card so why upset the audience from further away you should be encouraging? We might not like ROH prices but at least there is one price for everyone like a shop.

I went for the first time last night. New areas are like any average international hotel. My ticket was what I know as Balcony left but level 3 on the new system. Sat down and looked round at the signs with upstairs as levels 4,5 and 6 only. But surely level 3 must be up there as well? Of course it was but very confusing - as with some road signs its best just to ignore them. Rather strange also to be able to walk in from the piazza with no bag checks or actually anyone being there and carry on to the amphi to have a look round. Looks like all the staff have been deployed on ticket checks at each and every door - and there are a lot of doors!

Hi Carol greypointe says have you still stalls circle a14 still for sale please

Can Lindsay buy your spare ticket for Sunday please Keith the Minder

The cart has to come down the steps towards the audience and orchestra with deliberately wobbly wheels. If I'd been Gavin Sutherland I'd be a bit worried but he seems to have a good sense of fun - at the orchestral rehearsal at Henry Wood Hall he said in the interval that at one of the venues (Bristol I think) there is no orchestra pit so if the lighting is wrong he casts a shadow over the stage. I went on Saturday evening and agree with Irmgard, particularly the last act. The Erina/Hernandez/Corrales combination on Thursday evening was equally effective but with very different characterisations.