annamicro

Alina Cojocaru is a still a lead principal of English National Ballet, as far as I know.

With Johan approval, here his post: As comments are coming in from tonight's performance I feel even more so I have to write this. I apologize!! Had I not lived and worked in Romania I would never have done this online, I think, but here seems only way to get a message across. As a final comment to this situation before I resign from whatever silly position I ever had for this company, I stress I only post this for the dancers and Team to know my/why/this decision. Let me explain in a different language. A few minutes into my first meeting with Mr Vlad Conta (Alina was also present) he asked Alina to lie regarding the reason for her not performing in Manon, and by that to blame her dance partner. Alina naturally refused, but Mr Conta said he would still just say that, as it would sound better for the institution. Later ONB posted a press release blaming her dance partner, due to fact he was not available. Mr Conta then goes on to saying I should make performance collaborations with Mr Tiberious Soare, the very man who days ago removed my name as Artistic Director, and placed it under Corps de ballet dancer, as he wanted to be correct. He did however not seem to bother to to be correct and remove (and still hasn't been) the ranks of Principal dancers, first Corp de ballet etc which I guess would equally also be incorrect titles in his/their thinking. Mr Conta by this wanted me to collaborate with a man whom days beforehand had threatened my dancers that he would fire them, a man who to the company openly refused to speak in any other language than Romanian when talking to them. I ask you, in what language are we supposed to collaborate?. I am from the EU and tend to not accept intimidation of that kind. The ONB ballet department I have build in the last two plus years for sure won't, not as long as I am there. Sometimes while listening you learn about people, and within a few minutes of a first meeting I had learned that Mr Conta wants people like me and Alina to lie, and collaborate with people with morals and beliefs such as Mr Soare. Well Mr Conta I guess you thought I was here for personal gain, and would play games and along, but you were wrong. Never ever needed this contract, and would never collaborate with minds such as yours nor Mr Soares. I do fear for Romania even more than the ONB, but do wish you all the best of luck. I would agree to try this ONB Ballet Directing position again anytime, but only with somebody open to our projects, as I can't do anything with people who in two days managed to jeopardize everything built in two/three years. Until then I suggest as it is in fashion, that you build a wall and make ONB great again. My life is better without corrupt people, and luckily have never allowed anyone like that to enter it. I have Only love towards what we did since 2013 together, and with whom we did it with. May strength be with you all. XJK

Johan profile is not public,

Now official. Vlad Alexandrescu is happy...me too https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=519090221595556&id=468508013320444

Johan Kobborg answer is expected today by 11. (10.23 in Bucharest now). I feel optimistic

Search for Vlad Alexandrescu on Facebook, his profile is public. Sorry I'm boarding to Bucharest now

Considering the approach of the new manager, his actions, his words, his protest, a honest question should be: is this person the right one for this INTERIM position. If the minister want to ask himself a honest question.

Let's hope so. In the afternoon, Kooborg and Soare will meet Vlad Alexandrescu, the Culture Minister: he will try to resolve the quarrel. http://adevarul.ro/cultura/arte/ministrul-vlad-alexandrescu-incearca-sa-i-reconcilieze-tiberiu-soare-johan-kobborg-stinga-conflictul-opera-azi-vor-loc-discutii-trei-1_5704d7625ab6550cb8ac772b/index.html It's funny how Soare pretends to have just amended an "arrogant" mistake, this having acted that way in his first day of appointment: Tiberiu made his name (in)famous in just one day, even better than Caligula and Nero.

News from Bucharest, according to ONB press release Johan Kobborg is still the Artistic Director and hi scontract is confirmed, but since the position doesn't exist, he had to be moved to Artists page of the web site... Not sure if I can stopp crossing fingers, but something seems starting to move. http://www.agerpres.ro/comunicate/2016/04/06/comunicat-de-presa-opera-nationala-bucuresti-10-19-48

It's what she actually wrote (she wrote "helping")...this "stop" happened on her way to Stuttgart. Nothing was on Munich website when I checked it. What a treat for Munich: she is fantastic in the role (of course I hope the wonderful Lacarra is well and it's just a short stop).

I hope he will remain in Bucharest and his position there should be the topic of this thread. Anyway, there are many bridges on rivers: ONB danced The Dream with sets and costumes (but not the wigs ) of the Royal Ballet (and Jeanetta Laurence was in the audience)

? As far as I know he didn't even apply for that position... Rojo did.

Cojocaru tweeted early morning and this seems a very sudden announcement. She is in Stuttgart to rehearse with Vogel: they are supposed (and I hope this is confirmed) to dance Manon in Bucharest on Sunday. Manon with Cojocaru and Vogel in Bucharest, every company would die for this...maybe it's too much for the new general director? I hope it's a momentary situation that can resolve to the best. I mean, it can happen in country as mine and as Romania ...fingers crossed

I saw Vishneva in Anna Karenina and I preferred Uliana Lopatina to her. I loved some recorded performances, but she has always been a disappointment the three times I saw her live, in La Bayadere (awful port de bras) and in Neumeier's Illusions like Swan Lake (a bad and mindless performance, as she didn't know the character she was dancing, she was not well received by the audience and, at curtains, the first violin blatantly ignored her as refusing to be received on stage by her ...an very embarassing moment...)

My top favourites: Alina Cojocaru, Tamara Rojo, Silvia Azzoni, Maria Alexandrova Among the ones I've seen live: Lucia Lacarra, Viktoria Tereshkina, Uliana Lopatkina, Alessandra Ferri, Natalia Osipova, Svetlana Lunkina, Yuan Yuan Tan. And among the younger Olga Smirnova and Francesca Hayward. Among the ones I've never seen live: Carla Fracci, Eva Evdokimova, Monique Loudières, Elisabeth Platel, Natalia Makarova, Altynai Asylmuratova, Ana Laguna (I saw her live just once, when she was over 50) For sure not complete lists...

...and Neumeier's Romeo and Juliet in Hamburg on the 6th and 13th of May. Plus a gala on Moscow on the 30th of March and other galas in the next months. But maybe "2. Cojacuru" is another dancer...

It would be along list, so I'm choosing the last one, for sure one of the most horrendous thing (and performance) I've ever seen: Neumeier's Peer Gynt. Maybe it could be better than with another cast, as it was pointed out in Russian review, but not that much, I'm afraid. I love many Nuemeier's works and Giselle is one of my favourite ballets, but his version of Giselle is absolutely awful and deserves to be added to the list.

Sim, jump on a plane: a few friends are already coming from London

Manon casts are now available http://www.operanb.ro/calendar/2016-04 Premiere on the 2nd with Marina Minoiu and dawid Trzensimiech, extremely interesting cast On the 10th Alina Cojocaru and Friedeman Vogel...

She is still recovering from the injury suffered on December 21st.

Loipa Araujo said yesterday that Alina was having a scan to her ankle today, so "minor injury" could be based on that and is good news. That Cojocaru could be performing tomorrow it was unlikely, but ENB words are encouraging for the next future.

Unfortunately it was an injury, as announced. It occurred before the show and her dancing the first act has been defined "a miracle" at stage door ...even if it was impossible to guess she was injured when on stage. Let's hope it's not serious. Rojo and Hernandez danced without previous rehearsals (just a few minutes in the interval) and so also their performance together can be called "a miracle": the pdd was excellent.

A clip with short fragments of the premiere

and guess which visa was still missing... https://twitter.com/DancingAlina/status/673888916626415618

Finally the VISA nightmare is over (the last one arriving TODAY) and the group is leaving to New York. I wish I had won the lottery to join them! The cast is amazing and hats off to the partecipants, ALL of them dancing for free to support Johan Kobborg's Romanian National Ballet. The last joyners are Uliana Loaptkina, Daniil Simkin, Daniel Ulbricht, here below the full list, from Cojocaru's website (also the program is available there) http://www.alinacojocaru.com/page9.htm ALINA COJOCARU TAMARA ROJO ULYANA LOPATKINA DANIIL SIMKIN FRIEDEMANN VOGEL OSIEL GOUNEO ISAAC HERNANDEZ DANIEL ULBRICHT BIANCA FOTA SENA HIDAKA DAWID TRZENSIMIECH MARINA MINOIU ROBERT ENACHE SHUHEI YOSHIDA ALEXANDRA GAVRILESCU BOGDAN CANILA JOHAN KOBBORG. Cojocaru's commitment to the cause is so high that a few weeks ago she asked her fans willing to give her flowers at performances, to trasform them in a donation to ONB (as in a message on her website at the same link aboe).