bangorballetboy

Well, I spent about 10 minutes trying to get into the telephone queue and made it in at #41. Was all done and dusted within 30 minutes of joining the queue.

I joined the waiting room at #1721 and made it to the booking system after about 90 minutes (and after I'd got through on the telephone). I was able to get better seats for the two Titian performances I booked on priority day and additional tickets day, which is rather annoying. Also means I have some reasonably good Titian tickets to get rid of.

Well, someone told me yesterday whom it is to be (apparently) and I not sure I believe them.

I think that the booster cushions are no longer available, but she should be fine without. I took my 5 year old grand daughter for her first time at Christmas and was told they didn't provide them now.She just sat on our folded up coats

Well they were available at the Alice matinée a couple of weeks ago!

...ranging from daring to erotic (and no-one does erotic like Rojo!)...

I think "erotic" is too nice a word for it. She is downright dirty (it's a great, if small, role for her).

Were the two new ballets truly as dispiriting from an artistic perspective as the Arts Desk review suggests?

No. Sweet Violets is very watchable but has a few wrinkles to iron out. It is easier to understand who the characters are if one reads the programme note beforehand but, in my opinion, there is some intentional ambiguity about what certain characters represent. The piece contains some wonderful choreography and is a good step on for a young choreographer.

Carbon Life is enjoyable but as usual with McGregor, contains more style and less (if any) substance. There is more lyrical choreography than in some of his earlier pieces but there is a complete lack of originality - very easy to cover off every square on the McGregor bingo board. Whilst I enjoyed it the first time I saw it (FGR), I enjoyed it less the second time and I fear that downward trend will continue on repeated viewings.

Away from all that, there are some great performances from all the dancers involved, some of whom, I think, are underused in Caron Life.

Lee McLernon

:-0

 

Wouldn't like to try dancing in that!

If I recall correctly, the dancers will be starting from next to nothing and adding bits of the costume as the performance goes on. :o/

The Telegraph has a picture of a costume from Carbon Life: http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/columns/phong-luu/TMG9183059/First-look-at-Gareth-Pughs-ballet-costumes-for-Carbon-Life.html

I hadn't known of this link between Nijinska and the RB. I had always assumed that there was a stronger link between the Ballets Russes and ENB through their founders who had been dancers with the Ballets Russes.

I find this a very curious thing to say. I thought it was very common knowledge that Ninette de Valois was a member of the Ballets Russes (when Alice Marks was still a young teenager). Also, if I recall correctly, wasn't the role of the Hostess in Les Biches created on de Valios?

...I'm sure when the RB does 'Noces' again there'll be another Insight evening and she [Mason] may be persuaded to roll out her treasured memories again.

There's no Insight Evening for the upcoming triple bill which includes Les Noces but that's not to say it might not be covered in a Royal Ballet in Rehearsal. And there's always the In Conversation with Monica Mason on 11 June...

Well, it frequently doesn't work. On the days when all "What's On" does is take you into the Calendar, you still get shoved into the waiting-room. I've just managed to get into the waiting-room by clicking on the "Casting for this date" link on the triple bill page - there's a first!

Well, yesterday it worked. And it worked on the last day I used it before that when the waiting room was in operation. And the time before that.

...but of course I can't check because the website is in waiting-room mode again...

To check casting when the waiting room is in operation, click on "What's On" from the ROH homepage. Brings up the listings for BP4 but there's a link near the top for BP2 & BP3. http://booking.roh.org.uk/

My reminder email has just arrived - and I see there's to be an 'Announcement" from 7-30 to 7-31...... possibly a final reminder about the 'elements of an adult nature' in both premieres?

The reference to an "announcement" in the email is just a c0ck-up. It's the same announcement that happens for every show...

It's not the full casting for Sweet Violets or Carbon Life; there are some smaller roles/corps style bits where the casting isn't announced.

Anyone know the Daily Mail one this year? They had me utterly fooled a few years ago with the joke that Tony Blair had painted 10 Downing Street's door. :-)

There's a story in The Mail on Sunday about a proposed tax on chilled champagne which is reasonably believable until they mention Babycham!

Oh no, not again (to Takada being injured, I mean). I did wonder the other day whether she was injured - and whether she was replaced as one of Juliet's Friends for the cinema broadcast, because I didn't spot her there.

Yes, unfortunately Akane is off injured for the rest of the season.

If you ever fancy playing a little trick on a colleague (particularly one from the Antipodes), try Crlt, Alt and the down arrow together...

My thought was that it was to give the Polyphonia cast a bit of a breather before the McGregor, but that's very speculative since we don't know the Carbon Life casting apart from Lamb, McRae, Cowley and Watson.

My understanding is that Claire Calvert is also in Carbon Life. However, seeing that's less than a week away, it's a bad show from ROH that we don't have casting yet (but, importantly, we know who the singers are...)!

Just to note that, according to an email I've just received from ROH, Sweet Violets will include "partial nudity". Another reason for moving it from the first piece, I suppose.

Still no official casting for either of the new works on this programme, although I gather there are two casts for Sweet Violets, and I'm assuing that McGregor will be adhering to his usual strategy of having only the one cast, but it would be nice to know whether the cast alternations for SV match with those of Polyphonia or not. I do note, though, that Polyphonia is now at the top of the list on the page on the ROH website, so don't know whether this means the running order has been changed.

The running order has changed; I assume this is because Sweet Violets and Carbon Life contain "adult themes".

Incidentally, I have sent letters of tribute about Wayne to Dancing Times and Dance Europe and both have agreed to publish in full. Dancing Times should be online tomorrow and I was asked by the Editor if I am happy to have my name published which of course I am...

 

The letter to the Dancing Times is available online; here's the link: http://www.dancing-times.co.uk/dance-today-news/item/859

I think it is also important to remember that there are dancers in the corps who enjoy dancing at that level. The work is extremely difficult (much easier to dance a solo than to match 24 others). It should never be considered as a failure if one doesn't move on to other sections of the company - such as soloist.

 

I judge a company more by its corps de ballet than its principals. In a stable environment the corps represents more closely the artistic direction and teaching and the vision of the company's heritage, intent and style.

Hear hear.

...If you look at the current principals in the RB, some of them have physical limitations and yet they have made it to the top. I think that lesser acting ability would generally be something that ADs would be a bit indulgent of, taking the view that this could be developed over a period of time.

I would say that in the current crop of RB principals there are a couple whose development of their own acting ability over time evidences this point quite nicely.

How's the weather in Casablanca, John? ;-)

Of all the ballet forums in all the world...

Interesting to see that those behind the letter had so little belief in their convictions that they refused to put their names to it.

I don't understand why I am at fault here.

I'm struggling to see where I suggested that you were.

All I have done is remind people (albeit in response to your post) that the comment on the Observer piece which has triggered much discussion is one which would probably not have been allowed on this forum.