DavidW

The first ballet I booked to go see was a triple bill by New York City Ballet just over three years ago, which featured Balanchine's Serenade, Martins' Magic Flute and Balanchine's Stars & Stripes. As soon as the curtain rose on Serenade I fell in love with ballet. The simplicity of the pose somehow transformed itself into the most powerful emotions and I spent much of Serenade trying to hold back tears. It remains one of my favourite pieces. The Magic Flute was a short story ballet which was nice but not as special as Serenade. Stars & Stripes showcased the virtuosity of ballet and I can remember being in awe of the "Thunder and Gladiator" movement which features an all-male corps doing some pretty awesome jumps. Needless to say, after tha Triple Bill I was hooked!

I can see what you mean. Personally, I feel like McGregor has his roots in classical technique but molds and bends it into his own unique style which is, to me, what being a (dance) choreographer is about. I don't pretend to universally like his work, but there are always moments where I feel I can see the classical technique break through (for example there was a truly fantastic moment in Carbon Life where he had the dancers lined up on either side of the stage doing a fast-paced tendu sequence which I really loved). I enjoyed Raven Girl but it wasn't my favourite McGregor and I certainly don't think narrative work suits his style, but I still think he deserves to be considered a 'dance' choreographer. There's something about Infra that I find very moving. For me, Chroma has the 'wow' factor (and I think it is a very important piece in terms of modern ballet 'history') but doesn't have as much substance underneath as Infra or parts of his other work. I've always found the story of R&J very moving, in whatever guise I've seen it. But something about Infra really resonated with me though, and moved me more than perhaps any other ballet has. Personally, I felt that McGregor had perfectly captured the feeling of being alone whilst surrounded by people in a busy city - the anonymity a mass of people produce. I had experienced this when living just outside NYC and used to find it quite a cathartic release of emotions. I guess Infra brought back that catharsis for me (along with some pleasant and unpleasant memories from that time). I guess each to their own! That's just my thoughts - the thread seems to have diverged a bit... sorry! Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to catch the Art of Fugue (which, as a mathematician, was one piece I was really excited to see!).

I believe Infra has been (or will be?) performed by the Mariinsky. (Personally I prefer Infra to Chroma and think it is one of McGregor's finest pieces) Some of my own random thoughts... I really enjoyed Sweet Violets (and the rest of it's triple bill last time around - particularly Carbon Life) and am looking forward to it's new version. Whilst the subject matter is indeed quite dark I thought this added great depth to the piece (there are plenty of other dark ballets I particularly enjoy - Mayerling springs to mind!) and there was some very good choreography in there. I'm very excited for the coming Triple Bill - Serenade was the first ballet I ever saw and remains one of my favourites. I don't think it's possible to describe the feeling I get when the curtain rises on the corps with their hands raised to the moon - 'chills' or 'goosebumps' doesn't do it justice. I've not seen DGV, but love the music and have heard great things. Hence, this Triple Bill was the most exciting bit of the season announcement for me! Whilst I understand that McGregor can be a bit like marmite for some ballet goers, I personally always find his work interesting and very watchable. Plus, some of his pieces surprise me with their depth - Infra is as deeply moving for me as something like Romeo and Juliet. I agree with some of the posters that the fact his pieces are being performed worldwide, and that he is getting commissioned for new pieces at places like SF Ballet and Bolshoi (although I think that was cancelled?) is of great prestige to the Royal. The fact the Royal Ballet has three internationally renowned choreographers at its helm (all of whom have works performed/commissioned worldwide) is, I would guess, pretty much unparalleled across the world. I think it is fantastic that the three choreographers have three distinct styles that play to very different strengths, and are distinct from the Ashton and MacMillan heritage of the company. Just my two cents!

Good luck Fiz - enjoy! Whilst not a new class, I had my first proper class last night since being off for a month or so with achilles tendinitis - I was surprisingly nervous! Was a great class though and came out feeling properly worked (and covered in sweat...!). And I don't really mean to get involved in the debate regarding the barre, but it made me think of a rather lovely comment that one of my teachers back in the States said to an adult class: that one of the uses of the barre is to prepare the ladies for working with a partner (albeit a wooden one in this case!) and that guys should think about how they use the barre to help realise what their partner needs during Pas de Deux. Of course, in MacMillan's utterly gorgeous second movement of Concerto, the man starts out acting as a literal barre, with the piece inspired by MacMillan watching Lynn Seymour warming up before class.

I saw on twitter that it seems they will be replaced by Elena Glurdjidze dancing the Dying Swan - don't know if has been officially confirmed but it was tweeted by what seems to be one of the organisers. I wish I could support this event - I did a month of aid work in Ghana a few years ago and saw first hand how difficult it is for villages to gain access to clean water, sanitation and basic healthcare. It looks like there's only a handful of tickets remaining for the event so hopefully they'll raise a lot of money for this fantastic charity!

What about Prince of the Pagodas? When I went to see the recent Royal Ballet revival I certainly thought the idea of a princess going to the land of the flying frogs to release a prince disguised as a salamander was more than a little bonkers. And then everyone turned into monkeys... I'm hoping to catch the BRB version to see if it is any less bonkers!

Some very interesting (and exciting!) casts... Personally, I'm very excited to see both Serenade casts: Nunez/Cuthbertson/Hamilton and Lamb/Osipova/Cowley. Both should be stunning but very different! Also a test for the newcomers to see what they're like in an Ashton piece - Osipova and Golding to dance Titania/Oberon in The Dream (although I'm personally more excited about the Morera/Bonelli cast).

Lovely interview with him discussing the charity work he and Marianela do, in particular with Street Kids International. Very inspiring and a very humble man.

Hello Ally158! I am the aforementioned 'Dave' from DaveTriesBallet! (Thanks to Stirrups36 and aileen for the kind mentions ) Congrats on deciding to get back into ballet! I guess my main advice is to try and get back into class as soon as possible - after that all your worries shouldn't seem so bad any more I agree that it's definitely a bit intimidating doing ballet as a guy in his (near-)twenties when the only class is filled with teenage girls. I had the same issue when I moved back to the UK a couple of years ago. I was used to adult classes in the States (where I was usually the youngest by quite a few years) and the only appropriate local classes were RAD Intermediate level with a load of girls in their teens (and a teenage boy or two). The first thing to do is talk to the teacher and show that you are interested in training properly and you won't be messing about in class or the like - it sounds like you've already done this! After that, it is simply a case of taking class and concentrating on your own dancing! There will probably be a little giggling to start but as other posters have pointed out, that's just what teenage girls do about anything and everything. If you show that you're serious and act respectful in classes the kids should come to respect you after a few classes - you may also prove to be a role model to some of them (especially if there are any boys in the class). I've since left that school but now dance with a local Youth Ballet Company. The situation is pretty similar - and again, I just try to act serious and respectful and the kids are pretty friendly. It's slightly different in that most of the kids in the YBC are aiming to get into or are at a vocational school so already have the commitment and drive for ballet so, in general, there is less giggling and more hard work! Hope that reassures you that you're not alone! In terms of what to wear, I second the comment of wearing whatever is comfortable. This took me a little while to get used to though, and when I started I wore the standard black tights/white t-shirt. In fact, my teacher also asked me to wear white socks/shoes if possible to get used to the RAD uniform (unfortunately I had to leave before I could take any exams). Nowadays I tend to wear a black unitard with a plain coloured tee over the top, and usually wear sweatpants/jumper whilst stretching and for the first few exercises at barre. It sounds really stupid, but I found wearing tan-coloured shoes really makes me feel at ease - don't know why! I can second the Ballet Cymru summer school - I did one a couple of years ago and it was great. There was one other adult at my level (I think I did the Intermediate/Advanced one) but I shared a Uni-flat with a few of the pre-professional dancers on the highest level intensive so I didn't feel out of place. Great teaching and a chance to perform at the end of it! This year, I did the summer intensive run by the Youth Ballet Company I'm in. Sorry if that's all a bit too much info to throw at you at once! Please let me know if you have any questions or if I can help in any way Dave P.S. If you want to read about my first class I've got a post up here about it: http://www.davetriesballet.com/2010/09/15/first-day-of-class/ and I've got a post about my second class too: http://www.davetriesballet.com/2010/09/21/second-lesson/ - I had a load of comments about other peoples' first class on the posts but unfortunately my website comment database got corrupted a couple of months ago

Thought it might be useful to post the iPlayer links in the forum for those that missed the festive dance treats on BBC: Royal Ballet Don Quixote (Available until 1/1/14) -> http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03mp7b4/The_Royal_Ballet_Don_Quixote/ Matthew Bourne Sleeping Beauty (Available until 1/1/14) -> http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03n2r4q/Matthew_Bournes_Sleeping_Beauty/ Also, The Red Shoes is up until 1/1/14 too -> http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0074t6v/The_Red_Shoes/ Nice to see a full casting given on the DonQ iPlayer page (under "More Programme Information"): pretty sure that's a more detailed casting than on the cast sheets in the cinema!

A Merry Christmas to all on the forum!

Just to add that I have just seen on Twitter that it was Hinkis' debut in Emeralds Pd3 today. It certainly speaks of her performance that I had no inkling that it might have been a debut... Fantastic stuff! So I believe it was debuts from Stix-Brunell, Hinkis and Edmonds in Emeralds - all three were superb.

Absolutely loved Jewels today! Emeralds was like a calming breath of fresh air, and an outstanding performance from Beatriz Stix-Brunell. She was so serene and her dancing was beautiful - a commanding performance that speaks of some promising performances in the future if given some serious roles. Also worth mentioning that Nicol Edmonds had a very nice debut in the walking PdD with Itziar Mendizabal (who gave a lovely performance) - seems like he's been getting some good roles recently, and worthily so. The Pd3 was very well danced by Hinkis, Pajdak and Trzensimiech. Rubies is never my favourite section of Jewels but Lamb, Yanowsky and McRae put so much jazziness and energy into it that I ended up enjoying myself. I just find it hard to take parts of the choreography seriously, am not a huge fan of the music, and don't "get it" like the other two sections. I did also realise this time around that there were segments that are almost a premonition of McGregor - moments in the PdD where the man pushes the woman over into a hyperextended attitude and the like. Didn't notice that last time the Royal performed it (hadn't seen any McGregor at that point!). And as for Diamonds? If there is a ballet heaven, then surely Nunez/Soares in Diamonds is on eternal repeat. So in tune with each other, and brilliantly musical, their dancing was just sublime. It seemed like Nunez was channeling aspects of all of the great Petipa/Tchaikovsky roles - the crystalline dancing of the Sugar Plum Fairy, the beauty and balance of Aurora, the passion of Odile, and the classical and emotional purity of Odette. But this didn't result in a disjointed performance - quite the opposite. The sum was greater than the parts and Nunez was just perfection. Soares was an attentive partner and made the most of when he had time to shine (earning applause for his grand pirouettes). Needless to say, I had tears in my eyes during their PdD and also during the finale with some fantastic corps work. So I guess you could say I rather enjoyed Jewels...

It seems like most of the 'exchange' dancers have done relatively small roles - McRae danced Lakendem in ABTs Corsaire, Boylston danced Sugar Plum Fairy with Royal Danish Ballet. The one exception is Alban Lendorf dancing the Prince in Sleeping Beauty at ABT (although I guess he doesn't have anything to do in Act I!). I think it is inevitable for dancers to want to raise their international profile with guesting - I certainly feel adding a formal structure to this idea has worked. Hopefully the scheme can be expanded next year - perhaps to include National Ballet of Canada to align with the Erik Bruhn prize participant companies?

Correct! I'm very excited to be dancing a little section of it. As for you question - I've no idea!

That's not the one I was thinking of, but sounds a fascinating ballet! In the ballet I'm thinking of, the trip to the underwater kingdom is one of three trials the hero needs to do... the others include climbing a mountain at the edge of the world, and bathing in a cauldron of boiling water.

Anyone else have a guess? Another clue, I don't think it has ever been performed by a British company, but is currently in the Mariinsky repertoire...

Afraid I was thinking of neither of those LinMM - and don't know them well enough to say if they fit the bill! The ballet I'm thinking of doesn't have anything to do with water in its title...

Okay, seeing as I've just found out I'll be dancing a section of this ballet in a performance next year... Which ballet sees the hero venture into a magical underwater kingdom to recover an engagement ring?

Are you, perhaps, thinking of the Diana and Acteon Pas de Deux in Esmerelda?

I was a bit surprised that she didn't call people by name. I was pleased to see a full cast list in the closing credits though - the printed cast sheet was sparse to say the least! Seemed odd that the Mouse King got credited on the printed sheet yet the Rose Fairy didn't...! I thought it was a lovely performance and certainly got me in the Christmas spirit. Thought Hayward and Campbell were fantastic, and Avis, as always, a brilliant Drosselmeyer. I absolutely loved the Sugarplum PdD - Morera and Bonelli had such amazing synchronicity and musicality. Some great performances in the character dances (although I've never been a huge fan of the Chinese or Arabian choreography - in any production) with the highlight for me the Trepak with Campbell, Kay and Dyer. It definitely got a large round of applause from the (sold out) cinema where I was watching. I noticed in the Bloomberg interview with Kevin O'Hare yesterday he said that he had reports that Nutcracker was the number one film for Thursday - I presume he means just in the UK but that's fantastic news if true. Also, he let slip that there will be another Royal Ballet Live in 2014!

Perhaps the second answer to my blindfold question might be an answer to your question Anjuli - there's a fight with food between the Duchess and the Cook in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland... (Plus, with respect to my question, a segment where Alice is blindfolded by Jack & the White Rabbit between Acts. Never quite understood why!)

Fantastic news! Will definitely set the Sky+ to record it... Also a collection of past recordings (including the seasonal Les Patineurs and Nutcracker) on Sky Arts over the holidays. Full article: http://www.roh.org.uk/news/christmas-broadcasts-from-the-roh-announced-for-2013

I'd have to include my guilty pleasure ballet movie - Center Stage! Not least for the glimpses of Ethen Stiefel and Julie Kent in Stars and Stripes and the R&J Balcony Pas de Deux... Agree that I'd include Mao's Last Dancer too. Definitely need to watch White Nights, Red Shoes and Turning point! (I always forget that Center Stage was directed by Nicholas Hytner...)

According to the new Twitter account the Royal Ballet's Valentino Zuchetti will be joining Men In Motion at the Coli. The website seems to be updated with the new casting: http://www.putrov.com/mim.aspx Also, is anyone else finding it hard to remember who is performing with Men In Motion and who is with Kings of Dance?! The nice problem of having so many world class dancers performing in both