RhodaKuc

I took my mother to see this at the Cinema as a starter to her birthday celebrations to come the following day! We both thouroughly enjoyed the experience and left with tears in eyes but very happy. Having seen Lauren Cuthbertson in Cinderella at the ROH, then at the cinema in Sleeping Beauty I have seen her performances grow, as has been said above she was a little wobbly in places as Beauty, but as Juliet she shone with all the emotion of the role clear to see. Her dancing was light as she seemed to skim over the stage with beautiful technique and grace. She portrayed a wonderful innocent girl, then clearly showed the transition to a grown woman as she found true love. The balcony scene was full of new love excitement, but I know that for me, the cinema experience was complete as the cameras closed in on shot to allow us to see the real tears shed by Lauren Cutbertson as Juliet made the decision to take the potion! That I am sure would have been missed by many in the theatre. Admittedly there were occasionally strange angles and close-ups were a wider view may have been preferred, but overall the positives outweighed any negatives. Special mention must go as has been said to Mercutio and the Harlots for excellent energy filled performances! The cinema audience seems to be growing as word is spreading - we were in a bigger screen at the multipex this time! Most people seemed moved by the production as the audience fell very silent toward the dramatic conclusion and I only heard positive voices as we left. Sadly I cannot make "Fille" on May 16th, but I hope that there will be many more Cinema showings to come.....

What a wonderful subject! Thank you Anjuli. I too use the visualisation of "real" dancers performing to inspire my own attempts at ballet. If I have difficulty with a particular step or sequence I will try to find an example in something I have recorded. Beautifull batterie or gliding courrus in Giselle, graceful port de bras of a swan or perfect arabesques in the shades. I imagine myself as being one of those beautiful dancers (tutu and everything) and tell myself I it is possible: therefore I should (with practice) be able to do it too! When teaching then, I also try to give the students examples of where the steps we are learning have come from, which ballets they can be seen in or particular dancers who were famous for executing or devising them. A portable DVD player can be helpful, especially in getting across the feeling/ look of the step in a real-life situation and not just the sometimes sterile (syllabus or free class) exercise. Hopefully they can gain inspiration and an understanding and passion for the artform too! Off to the Cinema tonight to see the RB Romeo and Juliet... can't wait to be inspired all over again! RK

Hi Sheila, If standing in 5th R Ft front then Pas de bouree derriere with front foot: Take the R (front) foot out to 2nd (glisse style) with a slight fondu on supporting leg in preparation on "&", before bringing it behind - side - behind. Pas de bouree devant with back foot: Take the L (back) foot out to 2nd (glisse style) with a slight fondu on supporting leg in preparation on "&", before bringing it front - side - front. This is as in the exercise mentioned, but as has been said the working/ initiating foot can come from any position/ prep. The key with pas de bourees is to remember the mantra: Under = behind/side/behind, Over = front/side/front. Remember also when it comes to unseen enchainements that sometimes examiners can be ambiguous in their requests (they may assume they are clear because they are visualising a movement in their head) but not necessarily giving complete direction - we are all human - even examiners. So if something is unclear then you can ask for clarification. Bravely with a big smile of course ! Hope this helps, R

Hi Sheila, Everything that Anjuli has said above is fantastic as ever! However, I have heard of a pas de bouree devant with the back foot and a derriere with the front foot, we use them in the IDTA syllabus (Part of a pas de bouree exercise in Grade 4), so they may come up as part of an unseen enchainement! Definitely recommend Gail Grants descriptions too! Best wishes, Rhoda

Hi there, yes I have put various makes of canvas shoes in the wash (30o) with good results - they are both cleaner and the wash seems to "tighten up" the canvas fabric which I find sometimes feels a bit "baggy". First time I was nervous so dried them very slowly and put my feet in them when damp in case of shrinkage, but now just pop them in the airing cupboard to dry. Hope this helps! RK

Absolutely - 25 at least! Though according to my boss "in my real grown-up, outside ballet life" we are all 21! At heart anyway and definitely when in the dance studio! RK

Many congratulations to all youngsters who have passed their exams. And an extra special well done from me to you Sheilabee (from one mature dancer to another!!). Good luck to all for the journey to the next level too! Best wishes, RK

Hi Sheila, Glad to see you back - have been looking out for you and have fingers crossed for a good result for both you and your daughter! As a teacher, I entered my first class of girls for their Grade 2 Ballet exam just before Christmas, so I am nervously waiting and have everything crossed for them too! I was lucky because the postman beat Father Christmas, delivering my Licentiate exam results (87% Highly Commended)on Christmas Eve morning! Needless to say I had a very Happy Christmas!!! Good Luck to all waiting for results and best wishes for the New Year and the new Grades too! Rhoda x

I went to see this with my mother for company, at the local Showcase Cinema, which was almost to capacity, though on one of the smaller screens of a multiplex. I thought it was amazing! Admittedly there were some less than ideal camera angles - sometimes I wanted to see a different part of the action but mostly it was ok. The bonus of being up close to the action more than made up though. As has been said the detail of the costumes was lovely to see as was the expressions on the dancers' faces - the thrill of dancing was clearly seen, the little looks and smiles of encouragement between partners, as well as the flickers of disappointment (quickly covered up I must say) when a balance or landing was not quite as rehearsed! Close ups of the orchestra were interesting too and the music really filled the cinema. Shots from outside the Opera House and within the auditorium really added to the feeling of being part of the live performance. It was lovely during the interval, to have the behind the scenes interviews and looks at rehearsal, particularly of the fish dives, Lauren Cuthbertson's thoughts that they would quite literally throw themselves into the move made seeing the finished performance more thrilling. An added bonus for the cinema audience. Having "had a go" at an abridged version of the wedding pas de deux for a dancing school performance and knowing what it is like to attempt the moves, it was all the more awe inspiring to see the professionals perform with such grace up so close! I saw Lauren Cuthbertson in Cinderella last Christmas at the Opera House, I was keen to see how she would bring Aurora to life. For me she had a lovely innocence and excitement as the young princess on her birthday and though she did have a few wobbles, I really enjoyed her performance which she seemed to grow into as the acts passed. Although one can not surpass the experience of a visit to the Opera House, the cost and effort required to travel to London make it mostly inaccessible as more than a one off treat. Making the performances available at the cinema is a good compomise to a theatre visit and indeed in some areas an advantage. It also widens the type of audience which can be exposed to ballet as an art, from some comments overheard around us in the cinema there were several to whom ballet was quite a new experience. I am looking forward to seeing the next offering - Romeo and Juliet, in March!