Mummykool Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 Well headlines sell newspapers and this one seems to have got peoples attention. Having read the text I can't see that either of them have made such a claim. There were some general comments from Sergei about some companies (particularly in Russia) who discourage off stage couples from partnering each other, but this was carefully balanced by a comment that this was not the case at the RB. Of course they wish to dance together, but I think this is far more about publicising the show at Sadler's Wells just before the tickets go on sale. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 You're wrong, Bill. I said on another thread that I would go and see the Osipova show at the Wells if the tickets were not too expensive. I would go and see all these dancers in certain roles but I am not a fan of any of them as you are. I don't know why you take any less than complimentary comments about these dancers so personally. I would actually be very interested to see Polunin again as I have not seen him for a couple of years and would like to see him in something more contemporary for a change. Hope this clarifies things. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 (edited) I really did not want to provide ammunition for another scrap on here. This is the quote from the online DT article which seems to indicate that the reporter contacted the RB for a comment in the wake of NO's/SP's remarks: "A spokesman for the Royal Ballet said it had no policy against couples starring together on stage, and had cast real-life partners in many productions in its history." By the way, I do understand what Osipova and Polunin are saying about it being really special when real life partners dance together and how the audience feels that too [Edited to correct spelling error.] Edited November 6, 2015 by capybara 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billboyd Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 It is in the telegraph report in dance links: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11977599/Ballets-hottest-new-couple-go-contemporary-after-being-banned-from-starring-together.html But I guess you could also ask Kevin Ohare directly, or if you ask other members of the forum then maybe you could ask politely? You have edited your origonal post. Why would I wish to ask anyone? You misunderstand my post. I find your use of the word 'politely' to be very 'rich'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billboyd Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 Thanks, capybara. - A simple answer to a simple question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mallinson Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 ENOUGH. 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 (edited) "She told a press conference she had wanted to take on a contemporary dance challenge while she is at her “peak”, breaking new boundaries by making her performances more like “dramatic theatre”. I am not quite sure what to make of this. Osipova is a Principal with a classical ballet company which has a contemporary resident choreographer. I am sure she would be one of McGregor's first choices for any new work being produced. Does she not find his work challenging enough? Also, Osipova is just recovering from a lengthy break after injury. We have discussed before the physical problems that can be put on the body, as classical ballet dancers are required to perform in so many different styles. Will this put extra strain on her? Regarding Guillem, yes, she made the move to contemporary dance work, but this was at the time when she was cutting back on all her classical ballet work, wasn't it? I would just like to add that I make these comments because I am interested in the opinions of others on this forum. I am not criticising Osipova in any way. Edited November 6, 2015 by Fonty 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangorballetboy Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 "She told a press conference she had wanted to take on a contemporary dance challenge while she is at her “peak”, breaking new boundaries by making her performances more like “dramatic theatre”. I am not quite sure what to make of this. Osipova is a Principal with a classical ballet company which has a contemporary resident choreographer. I am sure she would be one of McGregor's first choices for any new work being produced. Does she not find his work challenging enough? Two Tractors... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 Aileen - Your dislike of Osipova, [...] and Polunin knows no bounds. If that is in response to Aileen's post #131, then I find it completely unwarranted. 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 And even if it does know no bounds, so what? Are we all supposed to like exactly the same dancers? Do we not have the right to like who we want, or who moves us, or makes us admire them? Not everyone likes Osipova, or Salenko, or McRae....and so what? It is not acceptable to condemn anyone who thinks or feels differently from you. It is different, that's all. Not worse, not better, just different. I am getting really fed up of having to repeat this over and over again. We encourage difference of opinion, otherwise this would be a fan site and not a discussion forum. We DO NOT encourage, and what we DO NOT put up with, is people refraining from writing their opinion or feelings because they think they are going to be subjected to nasty or sarcastic posts. We DO NOT put up with intolerance of other people's opinions just because they differ from your own. We like to see lively debate, but not nastiness, sarcasm or abrasive posts. Going forward, we will not be as tolerant as we have been. As John said above....ENOUGH. 26 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 I am getting really fed up of having to repeat this over and over again. We encourage difference of opinion, otherwise this would be a fan site and not a discussion forum. We DO NOT encourage, and what we DO NOT put up with, is people refraining from writing their opinion or feelings because they think they are going to be subjected to nasty or sarcastic posts. We DO NOT put up with intolerance of other people's opinions just because they differ from your own. We like to see lively debate, but not nastiness, sarcasm or abrasive posts. Going forward, we will not be as tolerant as we have been. As John said above....ENOUGH. ^This. 110%. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loveclassics Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 Also, Osipova is just recovering from a lengthy break after injury. We have discussed before the physical problems that can be put on the body, as classical ballet dancers are required to perform in so many different styles. Will this put extra strain on her? That occurred to me too. I remember Guillem refusing to dance Giselle in the same season as Ek's Carmen, saying she thought it bad for her body to rehearse & perform in both classical and more contemporary styles at the same time. It's nice to hear Osipova's enthusiasm to embrace other forms of dance but perhaps she should get some advice about the likely physical effects of this first? Re Polunin - I do think the Press seize every opportunity to emphasise his so-called 'bad boy' image. He's not exactly a boy now and hasn't done anything outrageous for years, as far as we know. Since he is obviously serious about continuing his dancing career, can't we forget about his earlier indiscretions and focus on his work instead? Linda 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 It must be rather difficult to schedule and allocate roles in performances to specific dancers and also take account of their particular partnering wishes & rehearsal availability. Especially when you consider that some are injury-prone or have recurring physical problems. Many principals also 'guest' with other companies too, and sorting out all the timetabling of who/what/when/where must be a logistical nightmare, and a pretty thankless task. I'm glad I don't have to do it! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 It must be rather difficult to schedule and allocate roles in performances to specific dancers and also take account of their particular partnering wishes & rehearsal availability. Especially when you consider that some are injury-prone or have recurring physical problems. Many principals also 'guest' with other companies too, and sorting out all the timetabling of who/what/when/where must be a logistical nightmare, and a pretty thankless task. I'm glad I don't have to do it! I know that this is going off subject but I agree that scheduling and casting must be extremely difficult. No wonder that Kevin O'Hare has tried to publish the casting later than previously - but he has still had to make a number of changes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 Two Tractors... Er - would asking you to explain this make me sound incredibly stupid? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 Tetractys. BBB usually calls it "Two Tractors" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusanR Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 And even if it does know no bounds, so what? Are we all supposed to like exactly the same dancers? Do we not have the right to like who we want, or who moves us, or makes us admire them? Not everyone likes Osipova, or Salenko, or McRae....and so what? It is not acceptable to condemn anyone who thinks or feels differently from you. It is different, that's all. Not worse, not better, just different. I am getting really fed up of having to repeat this over and over again. We encourage difference of opinion, otherwise this would be a fan site and not a discussion forum. We DO NOT encourage, and what we DO NOT put up with, is people refraining from writing their opinion or feelings because they think they are going to be subjected to nasty or sarcastic posts. We DO NOT put up with intolerance of other people's opinions just because they differ from your own. We like to see lively debate, but not nastiness, sarcasm or abrasive posts. Going forward, we will not be as tolerant as we have been. As John said above....ENOUGH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusanR Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 I am an avid reader of this forum but I don't post my thoughts very often. It is because, as Sim said, I do not want to be subjected to ridicule or sarcasm. Well said Sim. Susan 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahw Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 As a relative outsider to this part of the forum I am disappointed to find postings which remind me of teenagers bickering on Facebook. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nina G. Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 and there is one in particular! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 That occurred to me too. I remember Guillem refusing to dance Giselle in the same season as Ek's Carmen, saying she thought it bad for her body to rehearse & perform in both classical and more contemporary styles at the same time. It's nice to hear Osipova's enthusiasm to embrace other forms of dance but perhaps she should get some advice about the likely physical effects of this first? Re Polunin - I do think the Press seize every opportunity to emphasise his so-called 'bad boy' image. He's not exactly a boy now and hasn't done anything outrageous for years, as far as we know. Since he is obviously serious about continuing his dancing career, can't we forget about his earlier indiscretions and focus on his work instead? Linda I was at The Trocks tonight (utterly fabulous) and attended a post-performance Q&A with the AD. Someone asked how easy it was for a dancer to switch between a (female) en-pointe role and a male role. He said (paraphrased) that it was very difficult because of the differing ways in which the muscles are used. Tonight's Basilio did not dance any of the en-pointe roles in this performance for that reason. I would guess it is a similar difference between classical and contemporary. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 I'd never thought of that, but I suppose it makes sense, especially where the pointework is concerned. Glad you enjoyed it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 OK everyone, we are now locking this thread because we think that it has run its course. I believe most of us agree that: We are happy that Natalia is now fit and well and will be dancing with the RB again starting in January, as planned. We are happy that she and Sergei are happy, and have now shared their relationship with the public. We are happy (or interested) that they are going to be dancing a contemporary piece of dance at Sadler's Wells next year. To SusanR and others who may feel the same way: please do not have any fear about posting your thoughts on this forum. We understand the passion that we all feel for our wonderful art form, but as I said above we will be coming down hard on any kind of nastiness here. We want to hear not only from those who are already in love with ballet, but also from those who are falling in love with it, and we don't want them (or anyone else) to feel that they may be ridiculed or attacked for their views. So I say to all of you....post away, disagree with each other by all means, but with the respect with which we all want to be treated. For those of you who don't look at the Doing Dance section, it may be a salutary experience to do so. There, a supportive and friendly family has developed over the years. As moderators we are all touched and impressed with the support, advice and sharing of experiences that make up the main part of that forum area. THAT is the kind of respect that I am talking about. I wish you all a very pleasant weekend, and we look forward to hearing from more of you in the future. 22 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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