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Starting this thread perhaps a little early, but I've just noticed that the first night tomorrow starts at 7 PM, and hope everyone who has tickets has realized this!

I hope it's ok to start a thread for 2020 auditions for The Royal Ballet School. I see there is an Elmhurst thread and it's been lovely to read. We're on the audition circuit this year for year 7 and always find it helpful and supportive to find a thread with people going through the same thing. Good luck to everyone auditioning this year and big hugs to the supportive parents who ride the rollercoaster with them! X

If anyone is in Hampshire and has a spare three hours, Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Swan Lake opened last night at The Mayflower theatre in Southampton. I won’t attempt a review such as the ones I read on here, but suffice to say it was thoroughly enjoyable. It received a well deserved 4 stars in the Guardian today. The ballet had a much darker feel to the productions I have seen previously. The sets and the costumes all adding to quite a sombre, somewhat oppressive atmosphere. I didn’t love Prince Siegfried, Principal Tyrone Singleton, his Prince was a bit dreary, but his lightness and control in the grande allegro enchainments were lovely. Celina Gittens Odette was gorgeous, her arms were delightful and her swan like quality was utterly believable. I thought I spied some Russian style arms and hands and indeed after reading the Guardian review I found out the production was from a 1981 revival by Peter Wright and Galina Samsova. My 11 year old son and I were most impressed by the swans, and the gorgeous cygnets. All their lines and formations were wonderful. The swans being slowly revealed from underneath the mist at the beginning of Act 4 was an audience ‘oohh’ and ‘ah’ moment. Carlos Acosta was in the same row as us watching the ballet, causing quite a commotion at each interval. Good to see him so visible as the new director of the company.

Has anyone heard anything about NYB this year? I’ve had a look at their website and it still doesn’t have anything up about the timing of auditions or even what it will be this year (apart from not residential) but I thought someone here might have some insider knowledge!

I saw a very pleasant performance of Swan Lake this afternoon at the Liverpool Empire. I got tickets for my favourite seats at half price in the sale so for £17 inc fees I had a lovely afternoon! The company now uses a projected back- screen instead of scenery and I thought this worked well, although the flying swans were a bit amateurish and distracting. Anyone who knows the Liverpool Empire will know it has a pretty large stage, but somehow RSBS managed to make the stage look too small for them?! I felt the dancers were a bit tight for space at times when all they needed to do was pull the red curtain type side drapes (see pic below) they had at the sides back into the wings a bit and they would have had another 2 meters to play with. Or maybe they keep it tight so they dance to the same spec at every theatre seeing as they are touring to a large number of venues? Odette/Odile was very competently danced by Anastasiia Belonogova - she had very expressive arms and a rock solid technique when it came to the full set of fouettes and more in Act 3. Her Prince Siegfried was danced by Francisco Gimenez and he was very nice, even if he did land rather heavily from his jumps. Rothbart wasn't quite menacing enough for me but well enough danced by Egor Oskoin. They have a Benno in this production and this was nicely danced by Marcello Pelizzoni. I must single out the Act4 black swans for praise, my goodness they were SO precise in their moves and timing, dancing as one and when the "block" of dancers moved across the stage they kept their lines perfectly, not one put a foot wrong. Dare I say they were as good as the Mariinsky for precision this afternoon, amazing to watch them. In general all the swans kept very straight lines and moved pretty much together and the 4 cygnets did their dance really well. I particularly enjoyed the Spanish Dance in Act 3 and Odile's fouettes were just fabulous she hardly moved off the spot and knocked them out at speed as the orchestra really played fast! The ending to this Swan Lake is a bit sad as Siegfried jumps into the lake with Rothbart, leaving Odette all alone at the lakeside. Ahhh. It was a pity that the house was not full but it is fuller this evening, however they got plenty of applause and, in true Russian style, really milked every last clap out of the audience throughout the show LOL! The costumes were very pleasant and colourful and Odile's sparkling black tutu and red tiara were beautiful. The orchestra was only small but played really nicely, and at times (Act 3) really fast, under the baton of Anatoliy Chepurnoy who also had a sense of humour - he conducted the audience's applause when he came on at the start 🙂 His long frock coat had some black diamante on it which I thought was a nice touch! I like that this production combines Acts 1 and 2 into one half and Acts 3 and 4 into the second half with only one interval so total run time was 2.20. There are loads more performances in the Tour around the UK throughout this winter/spring so catch them if you can I would say. A few curtain call pics. Ensemble Egor Osokin, Anastasiia Belonogova, Anatoliy Chepurnoy and Francisco Gimenez Anastasiia Belonogova Anastasiia Belonogova and Francisco Gimenez

Cast for today's General...Nunez, Takada, Hirano, Edmonds, Braendsrod. Plus McGorian as "A Widow", Murphy as "Nurse". Very pleased to be here!☺

Any sign of Spring casting yet? I think it was due to go up early this week.

The Viviana Durante interview in today’s links launches this programme in February, with dancers including Durante and Begoña Cao performing Duncan’s Dance of the Furies, Ashton’s Five Brahms Waltzes and a new work. More here: https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2020/event/viviana-durante-company-isadora-now

The casting is on BRB's website for the whole of the Spring Tour of Swan Lake!!! https://www.brb.org.uk/whats-on/event/swan-lake?utm_source=brb-facebook&utm_medium=post-video-casting&utm_campaign=swanlake-brb-tour#dates-and-times

The Gala was meticulously planned and brilliantly executed. Stunning, sumptuous, ravishing, scintillating and exhilarating from start to finish. A veritable celebration of dance. It deserved a standing ovation and I among others gave it one. I hope that it was recorded for wider viewing.

Scrolling down the ROH website just now, I noticed that the new Cathy Marston ballet, now entitled 'The Cellist' , is to be shown with a revival of Robbins' Dances at a Gathering rather than the previously-scheduled but otherwise undefined Scarlett ballet. Does anyone have any further information regarding this change in scheduling and, for that matter, when the casting is likely to be released?

wow the list is out...interesting reading australia puts forward 62 candidates and they take 12 ( one from our dance school ! ) USA puts 60 forward and they take 9 Japan had 78 and they have taken 13 only 7 from UK put in an application and none selected ....... is this down to different training system in UK where most high level dancers already tucked away at royal/elmhurst so dont often compete at these big comps do you think ? .... which schools have the 7 UK candidates come from?...... 377 applications and took 76 in total .... love watching this every year whilst sat at work ( with my door closed of course lol)

Details are out now. Includes a new programme from Alina Cojocaru, new work from Crystal Pite, Ballet Boyz, final Richard Alston performances, new Khan for ENB, Northern Ballet, Rambert with DV8's Enter Achilles and lots more.

The Australian Ballet 2020 season - A Month in the Country makes its TAB début, Alice Topp from strength to strength, co-productions with the Joffrey and American Ballet Theatre...David McAllister's final season as AD. Queensland Ballet 2020 season - Dracula was a success in WA, Stevenson's Nutcracker now a company staple, and new work including one from HNB principal Remi Wortmeyer. West Australian Ballet has not yet announced their 2020 season but I will add it here when they do.

Just announced for next June: https://www.ballet.org.uk/production/swan-lake-round/