Christmas TV and New Year dance programmes - discussion 2016

[alison]

Yes, I really enjoyed that one, having just caught up with it.  I thought I'd pretty much watched everything the BBC had done on ballet since I got my first recorder back in around 1998, but clearly I'd missed out on quite a few things, because I don't remember much of that at all.

[Vanartus]

What a wonderful afternoon - two and a half hours of vintage ballet c/o London Live TV. Suddenly it was 1959/60...Fonteyn and Somes making the whimsy (...and a little mimsy) wonderful in Swan Lake. But the triumph was Firebird. Heavens do I want to see this again. She was wonderful, but the revelation for me was Michael Somes. I have never seen someone act so well in this role. The swagger and laddishness combined with balletic strength and elegance - amazing. I know nobody lives or dances forever but what a wonderful Rudolf he would have been. Ondine was more problematic (I saw the revival with Almeida).... Parts were amazing, other bits (commedia dell' arte etc) were fillers...the pas de deux fantastic, what a strange role Bertha is (very Celia Imre!), how wonderful and imaginative the movements on the ship. Wow - and now lunch before the Nutcracker doc on the Beeb! A Merry Christmas to you all!

[capybara]

Well, the BBC documentary was a nice feel-good feature for Christmas Day and Francesca Hayward's dancing was a joy to behold - just as it was yesterday afternoon.

 

Unfortunately, however, the cast list at the end gave Anne-Marie O'Sullivan as Clara. However did they get that wrong? Telling us that the Prince danced his solo after the SPF when it was really the coda was a small, insignificant slip; but Anna-Rose's lovely Clara deserved unblemished credit.

[Tony Newcombe]

Really enjoyed program. Worth it for the few seconds of Francesca the child dancing at her local school.

[Sim]

We also noticed that mistake, Capybara.  So careless of the BBC.  Not only did they get her name wrong, but not once in the whole 90 minutes was the role of Clara even mentioned, nor that of Hans-Peter.  They are much more important to the ballet than the SPF and her prince from a narrative point of view.  As my daughter said, all of a sudden there they are, dancing with the snowflakes, and if you don't know the ballet you would be thinking 'who on earth are they, and what are they doing there?'  I think a synopsis of the plot would have been a good thing to do for those viewers who aren't familiar with it.  

 

Aside from Clara and HP, the other very important person not even to get a mention was Drosselmeyer.  Furthermore, two newly-promoted First Soloists are also debuting in the role this run, and they didn't even get a look in.  It would have been very interesting to interview them, even briefly, to see how they feel about learning this piece, especially when they have only just become First Soloists.  I refer of course to Yasmine Naghdi and Beatriz Stix-Brunell.  This was more a documentary about Frankie Hayward, which is absolutely fine....but it wasn't a broad view of the piece or behind the scenes (although it was lovely to see the excitement of the students).   

[Balletfanp]

It was a shame that Alex Campbell was rather glossed over as well - they didn't even show his solo. But overall, Francesca was lovely, and I enjoyed it.

[FLOSS]

I don't think that the people who make this sort of programme are able to focus on more than a couple of ideas. They believe, probably quite rightly, that the audience will be more interested in the human interest angle, of the children and older students of the RBS preparing for the Nutcracker and the young dancer making her debut in a key role than they will be in the details of the other, non debutant dancers appearing in key roles.As for the ballet's structure and the parts that the other performers who we saw dance play in this production only a ballet nerd will be interested and this programme is not aimed at them/us.

 

The Hams Peter and Clara in the Hayward, Campbell Nutcracker are Hay and O'Sullivan and that's who we saw on stage during the performance which was filmed.Of the key roles only Hayward was ,making her debut. Campbell was the second of Morera's  replacement  Cavaliers last season and the one who actually made it onto the stage and danced with her. O'Sullivan, Hay and Whitehead have already made their debuts in the roles in which they appeared in this programme and did so at least a season ago.

 

I think that we should be grateful that we saw so much actual dancing during the course of the ninety minutes allocated to the programme. This documentary fits in very nicely with the forthcoming one about Sir Peter, it gives the company, the school  and that elitist art form called classical ballet some very positive exposure. It raises Francesca's profile without doing so too obviously and suggests that the Royal Ballet is a somewhat more people friendly organisation than some other high profile companies abroad appear to be.

 

I think that the only way that some of us would have been really satisfied is if the BBC had filmed the entire performance and shown it this afternoon with the material about the preparation for it as a lengthy introduction . But then that was never going to happen was it? I hope that a lot of people actually contact the two organisations and ask why the BBC can't manage or, is not allowed, to broadcast a ballet at Christmas 

Edited December 25, 2016 by FLOSS

[JohnS]

A Christmas highlight and wonderful to see (again) Francesca, Alex, Anna Rose et al. A recording to keep and treasure. I agree with Floss that a documentary will focus on two or three aspects and I think the BBC made an excellent choice, including the pivotal role of the Royal Ballet's coaches. Fascinating to see footage from behind the scenes and Francesca's colleagues so clearly supporting her from the wings. And what an assured contribution from Nadia. Yes the BBC should have got Anna Rose's name correct.

[Sim]

Floss, I don't think it's at all relevant whether or not they were making debuts.  That is not what the programme was ostensibly about.  It was billed as 'behind the scenes at the Nutcracker', and the Nutcracker includes other characters besides SPF and her consort.  Learning the role of SPF is fascinating for us to see, but it would have also been nice to see how the others were getting along.   I enjoyed the programme, don't get me wrong, but it was not what I was expecting.  Of course it is always a joy to watch Francesca dance, and Campbell, but the way he and all the other characters were glossed over disappointed me, that's all.  If it had been called 'Francesca Hayward Makes Her Debut as SPF' or similar, I would have loved it instead of liking it.  

 

And I don't think you have to be a 'ballet nerd' to want to know the synopsis of the ballet you are watching being put together.  On the contrary....as this programme seems to have been aimed at those who are perhaps new to ballet, a brief synopsis would have helped them make sense of all the hard work they were watching.  Ballet nerds already know the story!

 

And yes, it is always wonderful to be reminded of the dedication of the staff and the dancers.  

[hfbrew]

It was a nostalgic trip for me as we saw so many dancers who were students with ds. It certainly brought back memories and the icing on the cake for me was seeing ds and friends in the school photo!

 

But to get Anna Rose's name wrong was sloppy. I was also annoyed that the camera kept cutting to watching dancers instead of concentrating on the actual dancing. However I did enjoy it and felt that it was something that I hoped my young students and their parents were watching.

[cavycapers]

I think we have to remember that although programme makers are on the whole intelligent and cultured people,they cannot be specialists in all areas. When I worked for the Beeb, you had a few months to try to get up to speed with your subject, and although you do your best, you will always make mistakes or not satisfy the congnoscenti, and will be on to making a programme about a completely different subject, e.g. David Bowie, next!

[Bruce Wall]

Enjoyed this documentary on the whole.  

 

I had wondered why at the performance on 29th November the sleigh had not made an appearance at the end of the first act.  Now, I suspect, we know.  It looks like it was to accommodate the BBC cameras in the wings.  They always take preference in my experience.  (I've literally turned a few prisons upside down so that we could meet the BBC documentary team's demands on occasions - for little or no thanks afterwards I can tell you.)  

 

Hayward, as ever, was radiant ... (for the record I thought she was EVEN MORE so yesterday afternoon in the House) ... and came over completely naturally in her interviews - as did Campbell which was most refreshing.  Especially enjoyed watching the staging of the new Chinese dance with Sir Peter Wright.  A real treat ... and Sambe - as ever - shines.  Another principal - alongside Clarke, Ball et al in the wings.  

 

Did feel sorry for O'Sullivan (whose name error would have had to be signed off by at least one RB rep - It is the BBC after all) and Hay.  Felt sometimes it was as if they hadn't even been there AT ALL.  Believe me they were ... Brilliantly so.  

 

It will be interesting to see just what the audience size for this broadcast was.  

Edited December 25, 2016 by Bruce Wall

[Ellie]

I dipped in and out of this programme after a family Christmas Dinner  ! Personally I loved seeing the WL Students and their excitement for auditioning for Mr Christopher Carr, also the 'big girls' from RBS who had been recruited to bulk up the corps. Miss Hayward, in my opinion, is divine (ditto Alex Campbell) and I loved  how he felt so responsible for her, I believe he said something along the lines of - it's her first time dancing this role and I need to look after her - Lesley Collier came across as such a caring coach and I particularly enjoyed the scene where Sir Peter Wright was rehearsing Marcelino Sambe and Luca Accri for the Chinese dance. The bit (for those of you who saw) where Marcelino 'messes up' falls into side splits and does a backward roll (I'm guessing due to exhaustion) which Sir Peter seemed to approve of and has introduced to the ballet.....I bet all the other dancers due to dance this role are thinking...Cheers Marcelino...

[Quintus]

If the objective was to engage a wider audience then it succeeded in a narrow sense, as my sons of 21 and 22 progressively disengaged from their iphones to gawp unashamedly at the pulchritudinous Frankie!

 

It was clearly not comprehensive, as others have said, but I found it very enjoyable in its coverage of the school members and of Francesca, and well pitched for a Christmas day slot and a broad audience.  After the traditional marathon Xmas lunch, I'm not sure many of us could have coped with anything too taxing.  There was plenty of dancing, the kids' journey was interesting for those of us who are not involved in that side of things, and the individuals they singled out to follow were all engaging.

 

We were all also fascinated by the remarkable hair confection of the chap who was casting the students and choreographing (his name eludes me), whose engineer we felt deserved an end credit for conquering both time and gravity.

[Shirley]

 

I had wondered why at the performance on 29th November the sleigh had not made an appearance at the end of the first act. Now, I suspect, we know. It looks like it was to accommodate the BBC cameras in the wings. They always take preference in my experience.

 

Didn't the sleigh break down? I know it wasn't there for the couple of shows I saw towards at end of November and beginning of Dec but was back just before the live screening.

[Nina G.]

It was a typical post-Christmas lunch BBC documentary, showing Francesca Hayward, her grand-parents and their cat, children and students taking part in the Nutcracker, corps members chatting in the dressing room, some dancing, etc.

 

To me it was not really a "behind the scenes" documentary and I agree with Sim, the title of the documentary should read "Francesca Hayward Makes Her Debut as the SPF", but so do three First Soloists and two of them, Yasmine Naghdi and Claire Calvert also trained at the Royal Ballet School. One would think it appropriate and respectful to dancers of such high rank to be included  "if" it was indeed meant to be a "behind the scenes" documentary.

 

Those responsible for the script of this doc. could have given the viewers at least a few glimpses of Naghdi and Calvert - be it in a rehearsal or them talking about their upcoming SPF debut. I would have found it far more fascinating to watch this programme if a variety of dancers had been included. The documentary needs another title

[JohnS]

Perhaps the sleigh got stuck in the same lift as the angels/snowflakes?

[Saodan]

I think that the only way that some of us would have been really satisfied is if the BBC had filmed the entire performance and shown it this afternoon with the material about the preparation for it as a lengthy introduction .

 

 

This seems like a missed opportunity to me. I can imagine a lot of people, who ordinarily have little interest in ballet, enjoying the documentary and wanting to watch the full performance. If they enjoy the performance they may look at the cinema relays or tickets. What better way to get people hooked on our art form? By not screening a performance, sadly I feel like some of the momentum will be lost

 

I thoroughly enjoyed the documentary by the way. It would have been nice to see more of Naghdi, O'Sullivan, and Hay, and they could have given a better impression of the ballet as a whole. But, it was wonderful to get a glimpse behind the scenes at the trials and tribulations of Royal Ballet dancers and students. Having seen Darcey Bussell: My Life on the BBC, I wonder if they have Frankie lined up to be a replacement...

Edited December 25, 2016 by Saodan

[capybara]

 

We were all also fascinated by the remarkable hair confection of the chap who was casting the students and choreographing (his name eludes me), whose engineer we felt deserved an end credit for conquering both time and gravity.

 

Christopher Carr is responsible for staging The Nutcracker.

[thewinelake]

Agree with most of the comments, but really enjoyed this - it didn't seem too cut-down or dumbed-down as usually seems to be the way. One thing that was a little surprising was that they didn't mention that Frankie also had to perform (and learn??)  the part of Clara. Would have loved to see more (some!) of Naghdi.

Edited December 25, 2016 by thewinelake

[aileen]

I haven't seen this programme yet (but plan to do so at some point) but I agree with Floss that programme makers seem to like to have two or three themes and in this (based on what previous posters have said) they seem to have been (a) FH's debut as the SPF with a bit of her back story and ( the students auditioning for and taking part in The Nutcracker. That just seems to be how these behind-the-scenes documentaries are done. In the three Agony and Ecstasy documentaries featuring ENB there were clear themes. For example, in the first programme they were the barely-out-of-school Vadim Muntagirov's debut in Swan Lake at the RAH, the gruelling training schedule for the Swans and the problem with obtaining a visa for Polina Semionova necessitating the late substitution of Daria Klimentova (who, in a neat contrast to Muntagirov, was described as being in the autumn of her career). The human interest side of things (difficult start in life, tough training regime, disappointments on the way to success etc) invariably takes precedence over more facts, analysis and additional footage of the people featured doing the thing that they excel at. I have to say, also, that, whilst I think that FH is an exceptional dancer and is on her way to becoming an international star if she manages her career astutely, I believe that both the BBC and the RB may have been keen to push the new star British ballerina angle and it's for that reason that she featured so prominently at the expense of some other dancers and material.

[Legseleven]

Francesca Hayward didn't learn Clara as well as the Sugar Plum Fairy; she certainly performed Clara last season and possibly before that, as she was the Clara on the live cinema relay last December -with Lauren Cuthbertson as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Yasmine Naghdi as the Rose Fairy. We thoroughly enjoyed all of the performances but I admit to a soft spot for Miss Naghdi in particular, who simply radiates star quality.

[alison]

It was a shame that Alex Campbell was rather glossed over as well - they didn't even show his solo.

 

I was also annoyed that the camera kept cutting to watching dancers instead of concentrating on the actual dancing.

 

There may have been good reasons for one or both of the above

 

They believe, probably quite rightly, that the audience will be more interested in the human interest angle, of the children and older students of the RBS preparing for the Nutcracker and the young dancer making her debut in a key role than they will be in the details of the other, non debutant dancers appearing in key roles.

 

Yes, the programme did seem to be being directed at the child audience as well.

 

Didn't the sleigh break down? I know it wasn't there for the couple of shows I saw towards at end of November and beginning of Dec but was back just before the live screening.

 

I'd assumed that was the situation, although Bruce Wall may also be right.  I was half expecting the commentary to mention that the sleigh had broken down and the dancers had to wing it - that would have been a useful acknowledgement that it's live theatre and things can go wrong at times.

 

 Those responsible for the script of this doc. could have given the viewers at least a few glimpses of Naghdi and Calvert

 

One thing that was a little surprising was that they didn't mention that Frankie also had to perform (and learn??)  the part of Clara.

 

I too felt the other debutante SPFs could at least have been interviewed/shown in rehearsal (I was dipping in and out of this one, but don't think we saw them), although I suppose that it would have been difficult to give them much coverage since their debuts would have been too late for this documentary.  Yes, I was surprised: I know it's unusual, but Hayward and Campbell both dance the "other couple", and that might have been worth a mention too.

[alison]

Getting back to the 1960 transmission for a minute, I was interested to see the corps dancers in Swan Lake were dancing in something approaching Romantic tutus, while Fonteyn was in a tutu.  Considering the number of people who have complained about the Dowell/Sonnabend production contrasting tutu and long skirts, I found this quite surprising. 

[Blossom]

Really enjoyed the Nutcracker today. Lovely to see things from the students' perspectives in terms of the magic of performing at the ROH and having read a few of your comments prior to watching, was pretty happy to watch 'the Frankie Hayward show'. She is such a charming dancer and personality and really enjoyed watching the dynamics off stage with partner Campbell. I actually think it was lovely to have focus on a single SPF, especially one new to the role, which from the Beeb's perspective made a great story. 

[Sim]

but I admit to a soft spot for Miss Naghdi in particular, who simply radiates star quality.

 

 

I totally agree, but I hope she doesn't get pushed into Hayward's shadow. Naghdi is also an up and coming British star and, more importantly, a truly talented artist. As far as I am concerned, she deserves as much coverage and as many plaudits as Hayward does.

 

NinaG, thank you for mentioning Claire Calvert. I had forgotten she is also debuting as SPF. My best wishes go to her too!

[Odyssey]

I managed to catch most of this in-between entertaining my mother-in-law. It is always lovely to get behind-the-scenes footage at the Royal Ballet and glimpses of the interaction between members of the company. As grateful as we must be for the crumbs from the table of BBC Christmas schedules, I was left thinking that the commissioning of a one-off documentary was a lost opportunity for a mini-series in the period leading up to Christmas surrounding different aspects of staging the Nutcracker with the final episode preluding a screening of the ballet. Following this chain of thought, I started to ponder when was the last time the BBC made an in-depth series, in the mould of The Magic of Dance, Dancer, Ballerina, which largely featured classical dance?

[Jan McNulty]

I really enjoyed the Behind the Scenes at the Nutcracker documentary.

 

I think the producers look for something that will hook people in ... and Francesca Hayward admirably fills that role.  We serious ballet fans would like something more in-depth but that is never going to happen these days and I think this was the most we could hope for.

 

For me, it helped that a certain dancer was her partner!

[capybara]

but I admit to a soft spot for Miss Naghdi in particular, who simply radiates star quality.

 

I totally agree, but I hope she doesn't get pushed into Hayward's shadow. Naghdi is also an up and coming British star and, more importantly, a truly talented artist. As far as I am concerned, she deserves as much coverage and as many plaudits as Hayward does.

 

 

 

I agree also. So I have been pleased to see press coverage of Yasmine (Country Liife portrait; Sunday Times Homes section) which raises her profile, albeit not really related directly to her artistry. Unfortunately, the critics aren't seeing enough of her yet.

[Nina G.]

but I admit to a soft spot for Miss Naghdi in particular, who simply radiates star quality.

 

 

I totally agree, but I hope she doesn't get pushed into Hayward's shadow. Naghdi is also an up and coming British star and, more importantly, a truly talented artist. As far as I am concerned, she deserves as much coverage and as many plaudits as Hayward does.

 

NinaG, thank you for mentioning Claire Calvert. I had forgotten she is also debuting as SPF. My best wishes go to her too!

 

 

I have a big soft spot too for Miss Naghdi who imo is a true Classical ballerina-in-the-making, possessing stunning lines, great facilities, and for that matter star quality too. Hayward and Naghdi are obviously two different dancers. Hayward is a warm and charming dancer, easy to the eye, I do love watching her but when it comes to the great classical tutu ballets it is Naghdi I'll go for:

she radiates on the stage (her Rose Fairy is one of many that spring to my mind), her dancing is so regal, her technique very precise and clean, and I do hope for her sake she isn't kept forever in Hayward's shadow. Just like Sim I feel she deserves equal coverage as a British ballerina. I'd say Hayward is the new RB Collier, but she and Naghdi also remind me of the Cojocaru-Nunez era.

[JohnS]

I'm just so pleased that the Royal Ballet has such an abundance of talent. Yasmine and Matthew got a great deal of fully deserved coverage for Romeo & Juliet and of course danced as part of the Shakespeare celebrations.

 

Yesterday's documentary for me was about the wonderment of Nutcracker, ballet training and preparation, and performance at the Royal Opera House. Francesca's engaging story provided the key illustration - the two year old dancing her Sugar Plum Fairy inspired by the Lesley Collier video 22 years later becoming the SPF coached so warmly by LesleyCollier; how her chair, brush and ginger cat early partners became Alex (such a considerate partner if still definitely a pussycat); and culminating in a wonderful debut.

 

But there were so many other expressions of wonder - the children at White Lodge (let's hope the boy who didn't get to audition for the rabbit drummer will have a chance next time); the senior students from the Upper School (Nadia's awe in dancing the snowflake was wonderful to see - and the snowflakes on 29 November were brilliant), the creation of the new Chinese dance with Marcelino and Luca; and the obvious joy of Peter Wright and Lesley Collier in nurturing Francesca and Alex.

 

I wish we could see Yasmine and Matthew's public debut tomorrow which I'm sure will be a triumph and I look forward very much indeed to Francesca, Alex, Yasmine and Matthew in Sleeping Beauty in February.

[Tony Newcombe]

I have no worries about Yasmine. Since Kevin O'Hare took over as Director, I feel that her career has blossomed.

Remember that he asked her to learn the Rose Fairy at one weeks notice when the easy option would have been

to use one of the other company members dancing the role at that time. There must have been a least six dancers 

who could have been selected. At the time I saw it as an expression of the Director's faith in her and possibly corrected

what many of us thought was a lack of faith in her by previous management

[bridiem]

I loved the Nutcracker documentary. It was a Christmas Day programme, i.e. programmed for the widest possible audience, and as such I think it did a very good job. I loved seeing all the behind-the-scenes preparation, the personal touches, the hard work and planning etc. I found the interviews with FH's grandparents, and her first dance teacher, very moving - the people who nurture children, allow them to develop, and then see them blossom so beautifully. And seeing Lesley Collier, both on the video and then teaching, was thrilling. It all made me realise afresh what a huge amount of effort goes into putting on the incredible performances I am so privileged to be able to watch.