Has balletcoforum created 'sacred cows'?

[Scheherezade]

I find that my reactions to individual dancers can change as the dancers themselves develop and mature. For a long time, whilst I had nothing but admiration for Nunez' technique and sunny personality, her dramatic interpretation failed to touch me emotionally, then she seemed to move into another gear and I was totally converted. The same, I would say, is true of Takada. I still find Lamb emotionally detached but find her comic timing exceptional. I generally adore Muntagirov but this isn't, and couldn't be, true of every role. He left me cold in Two Pigeons, unlike Campbell, whose chemistry with Choe was so convincing. Campbell does, come to think of it, seem to have the uncanny ability to forge convincing chemistry with pretty much everyone he is partnered with. I won't get drawn into the Hayward/Naghdi debate, Both are utterly superb but whilst for me, at present, Naghdi appeals to the head, Hayward stirs the heart. She really does seem to have it all, which I find quite extraordinary at her tender age. I would add my vote to the 'Ball for principal' campaign as I find that he also has the ability to engage my emotions and I find that Magri draws and holds my eye every time I see her. Hay seldom fails to impress and I look forward to seeing more of Sissens and, from September, of the superb Corrales, who was mooted as a partner for Osipova on a different thread. I can see the logic here since there is something of the Vasiliev firecracker about him, whereas Ball, who is already partnered with Osipova, has that Hallberg danseur noble thing going on. I find the current RB quite exceptional - I haven't felt this kind of buzz since the early 70s - although I wouldn't say no to a Shklyarov or Lantratov.

[HappyTurk]

27 minutes ago, Scheherezade said:

I find that my reactions to individual dancers can change as the dancers themselves develop and mature. For a long time, whilst I had nothing but admiration for Nunez' technique and sunny personality, her dramatic interpretation failed to touch me emotionally, then she seemed to move into another gear and I was totally converted. The same, I would say, is true of Takada. I still find Lamb emotionally detached but find her comic timing exceptional. I generally adore Muntagirov but this isn't, and couldn't be, true of every role. He left me cold in Two Pigeons, unlike Campbell, whose chemistry with Choe was so convincing. Campbell does, come to think of it, seem to have the uncanny ability to forge convincing chemistry with pretty much everyone he is partnered with. I won't get drawn into the Hayward/Naghdi debate, Both are utterly superb but whilst for me, at present, Naghdi appeals to the head, Hayward stirs the heart. She really does seem to have it all, which I find quite extraordinary at her tender age. I would add my vote to the 'Ball for principal' campaign as I find that he also has the ability to engage my emotions and I find that Magri draws and holds my eye every time I see her. Hay seldom fails to impress and I look forward to seeing more of Sissens and, from September, of the superb Corrales, who was mooted as a partner for Osipova on a different thread. I can see the logic here since there is something of the Vasiliev firecracker about him, whereas Ball, who is already partnered with Osipova, has that Hallberg danseur noble thing going on. I find the current RB quite exceptional - I haven't felt this kind of buzz since the early 70s - although I wouldn't say no to a Shklyarov or Lantratov.

 

Interestingly, I would love to see Ball and Osipova together in Don Quixote, too. I really think Ball would make a great Basilio. Their dynamic would be different from the Vasiliev partnership but more like that of Osipova and Leonid Sarafanov, another partnership I love. 

Edited May 4, 2018 by HappyTurk

[penelopesimpson]

12 hours ago, HappyTurk said:

 

Interestingly, I would love to see Ball and Osipova together in Don Quixote, too. I really think Ball would make a great Basilio. Their dynamic would be different from the Vasiliev partnership but more like that of Osipova and Leonid Sarafanov, another partnership I love. 

An enticing thought, but not enough to get me along to Acosta’s DQ.  Dreadful, only exceeded by his Carmen.  I’m surprised these productions haven’t been locked in the dressing-up box.

[capybara]

I don't think that there is any need for a "BALL FOR PRINCIPAL" campaign. It surely has to be.......

Regarding Don Q casting: if you are not familiar with Corrales, just you wait!

 

[Jan McNulty]

27 minutes ago, penelopesimpson said:

An enticing thought, but not enough to get me along to Acosta’s DQ.  Dreadful, only exceeded by his Carmen.  I’m surprised these productions haven’t been locked in the dressing-up box.

 

Just as well we are not all the same!  I enjoyed Acosta’s Don Q, possibly because I saw a favourite dancer as Basilio.

 

I would second Capybara re Corrales!

[Fonty]

I have read this thread with interest.  Speaking personally, I have found that I only start to really appreciate a certain dancer after I have seen them with a particular partner.  Sometimes a pairing really clicks, and they bring something to the performance that I haven't seen before.

 

I won't name names, but there are certain dancers who have never really appealed to me because they have never touched me emotionally, no matter how accomplished their dancing and acting.  Then I have seen them with what looks on paper like a very unlikely partner, and seen a new side to them which has really impressed me.

 

   

 

 

 

 

[FLOSS]

Stella,

 

I think it highly unlikely that the number of times an individual dancer is mentioned on this site is influenced by anything much more complicated than the dancing opportunities which management's choices of repertory and casting give them as performers which can be completely overturned by the effects of injury and illness on rehearsal time which while it obviously reduces the performance opportunities of those who are injured or ill can sometimes give a dancer who has a comparatively low profile as far as the audience is concerned the opportunity to give a break out performance which reveals a real talent for the first time or which shows that a relatively established dancer has an unexpected gift for comedy or for drama. Unscheduled debuts may reveal that a dancer is of real utility as they are quick learners or it may produce an  unlikely pairing which  has a real alchemy and is far greater than the sum of its parts. All of which discoveries may .completely transform a career. You then need to remember that a break through performance may only be seen by between two and a half to five thousand people. As posting on this site is a purely voluntary activity the performance and the dancer may only be mentioned once or twice and only in passing unless of course the dancer has the good fortune to make the break through performance in the context of a performance given by a dancer or dancers with a solid following of people inclined to post about the performances they have seen.

 

Obviously, as in all company's, opportunities to dance depend on a dancer's ranking in the hierarchy and increase with seniority.  At the moment the company has a large number of really talented dancers in its ranks but you are not going to read about all of them, when and if, they get given a featured role. O'Hare seems to be less concerned with company ranking when it comes to making casting decisions than some directors are  but as people are not always inclined to rush out and see debuts by junior dancers you probably will not read about them.   I don't think that a dancers' country of origin influences whether or not people post about their performances here. I doubt that there are many people who have taken time to trawl through the dancer's biographies on the Royal Ballet's website to identify their countries of origin. I suspect that whether or not a dancer has spent any time at the Royal Ballet School is a more significant factor in whether or not a performance is mentioned here. A dancer who has been seen in the RBS's  performances or has caught the eye of those who have attended the Yorkshire Ballet School may have already generated an embryonic following or fan base. 

 

I don't know what time period your researches cover but here is what I think about whether or not performances by Australian dancers are mentioned on this site. Not so long ago the company had an Australian  principal called Leanne Benjamin who had a very wide repertory so that whatever was programmed she was likely to be mentioned on this site sometimes multiple times. Even when she began to wind down her career she kept Giselle in her repertory as well as lead roles in a number of major MacMillan ballets which are performed with great regularity as well as appearing in new works and as a result she continued to be mentioned on this site until the very end of her career. At present the company has two male principal dancers from Australia McRae and Campbell and a number of very promising dancers in its lower ranks who have yet to really establish themselves by making their mark. How far these junior dancers progress will depend on the opportunities they are given by management and by the outside stagers who have the right to select casts for the ballets for which they are responsible and  the opportunities that come a dancer's  way as the result of the injury and illness of others. Here are a few examples of recent unexpected debuts  Luca Acri making his debut as Albrecht in Giselle replacing an injured MacRae; Campbell also making his debut as Albrecht replacing the injured Sambe  and  now Campbell, again replacing McRae, unexpectedly making his debut as De Grieux  after recently making a very successful debut as Lescaut. I think that I should also mention Claudia Dean a dancer of real promise who began to make her mark a few seasons ago but who decided to leave the company  and return to her family in  Australia. I think that, had she stayed, by now she would have been a dancer whose performances would have  been mentioned regularly on this site  as she was on the cusp of being a dancer of real interest. She was good in the Fairy Variations she had danced and had made an exceptional debut as the Chosen One in MacMillan's Rite of Spring. I think that the trajectory of her future career would have been most interesting as by now she would almost certainly have added Myrthe, Lilac Fairy and Mistress to her repertory.

 

Edited May 5, 2018 by FLOSS

[Bluebird]

21 minutes ago, FLOSS said:

Here are a few examples of recent unexpected debuts  Luca Acri making his debut as Albrecht in Giselle replacing an injured MacRae;

 

It was Benjamin Ella who made his debut as Albrecht (replacing the injured McRae).

[capybara]

A subject related to this thread, which has arisen for me recently from reading various posts on BCF and elsewhere, is the manner in which any one of us pursues our 'love' of a particular dancer. No, I'm not thinking about 'stalking', although that can be an issue too!

 

Of course, it's great when posters are really enthusiastic about  a particular artist and explain their reasons because that can make readers consider their own perceptions. However, I do have a sense of unease when an online comment, which is, after all, in the public domain, appears to denigrate one or more dancers in order to overtly promote the cause of another.

 

How do others feel about that?

 

[Jan McNulty]

13 minutes ago, capybara said:

Of course, it's great when posters are really enthusiastic about  a particular artist and explain their reasons because that can make readers consider their own perceptions. However, I do have a sense of unease when an online comment, which is, after all, in the public domain, appears to denigrate one or more dancers in order to overtly promote the cause of another.

 

How do others feel about that?

 

 

I hope I'm not guilty of this Capybara.  I too feel a sense of unease if I notice it in others.

[FLOSS]

Bluebird you are of course quite right and I stand corrected. For anyone reading  my above post please substitute the name Benjamin Ella for Luca Acri but bear in mind that the tenor of the argument is simply that who we actually get to see in performance depends on circumstances over which those who post on this site have only limited control. Who we are able to see governs who we are  able to write about. Those who chose not to book for MacRae's Albrecht' and we are all constrained by our finances. did not see Ella's debut. Only those who booked for the Takada MacRae Giselle saw Ella and of those five thousand or so people who saw his performances only a small number will have  chosen to post their comments about it. Opportunities for advancement in a company the size of the RB where the director is able to select his new  recruits from a wide range of exceptionally talented dancers come to those who have technique, talent,artistry and are "lucky" or perhaps in this context "luck" is essentially being the right person, in the right place at the right time and being equipped temperamentally to take advantage of the opportunities  which are presented to the performer sometimes at exceptionally short notice. I imagine that Ball's promotion chances have been boosted  by taking over the role of Albrecht  mid performance in the way  that Hirano's ability to learn complex choreography quickly and give good performances of it boosted his claims to  being promoted to Principal. Hirano's ability to learn a role quickly has saved the day on a number of occasions with the lead role in the Prince of the Pagodas some years and more recently with the role of the Man in The Song of the Earth and Leontes in The Winter's Tale. 

 

Whether or not those of us who were not present at what proves to be a break through performances get to hear or read about it depends on those who were present feeling moved to write about it . Those who get the chances often create their own "luck" simply because they have the skills and are interested in and watch roles which are not within their obvious immediate range of repertory. if you are  ready for the challenge when the opportunity arises and are able to deliver the chances are you will be asked again and the effect is often cumulative as far as career progression is concerned.

 

I have to say that I am more than a little perplexed by the suggestion that there are posters who go out of their way to denigrate individual dancers in order to build up another dancer. If they have done this I have not noticed it.  If one of us were to write about the current run of Marguerite and Armand to say that they found three of the pairings beautiful but totally lacking in emotional impact giving reasons would that count as denigration? Surely this is a forum for discussion rather than simply  one on which fans have space in which to gush over their favourite dancers? I am interested to know whether if one of us were to say dancer X makes beautiful shapes but is a wooden inexpressive dancer in comparison to Mr Y who seems to be using the self same choreographed movement expressively to create the character he is portraying, reveal his emotional state and show his relationship with the other characters on the stage would that count as an acceptable comment or denigration? This is a genuine enquiry. 

Edited May 5, 2018 by FLOSS

[alison]

51 minutes ago, capybara said:

A subject related to this thread, which has arisen for me recently from reading various posts on BCF and elsewhere, is the manner in which any one of us pursues our 'love' of a particular dancer. No, I'm not thinking about 'stalking', although that can be an issue too!

 

Of course, it's great when posters are really enthusiastic about  a particular artist and explain their reasons because that can make readers consider their own perceptions. However, I do have a sense of unease when an online comment, which is, after all, in the public domain, appears to denigrate one or more dancers in order to overtly promote the cause of another.

 

How do others feel about that?

 

 

Not quite sure what you mean about it, capybara - and sorry, I read "overtly" as "overly", which makes a difference!

[Bravissima35]

In regards to the list I think that is quite fair and it is interesting to see how one poster is moved by a performance/dancer and another poster wasn't. 

 

I'm glad we have a variety of dancers in the RB who are maybe better in some roles than others.  The company as a whole is really strong at the moment and has dancers for all the different repertoire that is required in a 21st Century dance company.  

 

It always makes me happy to discover new dancers and be surprised by others.   I had never really warmed to Sarah Lamb but when she replaced Lauren Cuthbertson in Manon with Vadim  she was really good in it.   I do wonder how much this was down to him though! He just brings the best out in all his partners!     

 

Do posters who have done ballet or other types of dance  to a high level find it hard to switch off in a performance with analyzing it about technique etc? I know having played the cello for a long time and having done a music degree,  it took me ages to just 'enjoy' and listen to it as a 'whole', some of the music as I was always thinking about the cello part, chord progressions, dynamics.   Does this effect how they see dancers and their opinion of them? 

 

Anyway enough of my rambling!! An interesting and  thought provoking thread. 

[Saodan]

Chance certainly plays a big role. Especially when financial constraints mean only one cast. Who do you choose? Someone you know or someone new? I have made a conscious effort to see different dancers, and I have been very lucky with the frequency of my visits recently, but its difficult.

 

I consider Takada to be one of my favourite dancers, but this happened purely by accident. During the 2015 run of Giselle the company performed a short piece in the Clore before a few Main Stage performances. On the date I booked, Takada happened to be the main event. She was a late replacement when I booked to see Hayward in Sleeping Beauty and the McRae/Lamb Mayerling. This season my mother wanted to see McRae dance Albrecht, Takada just so happened to be his Giselle (and I got to see Ella). I don’t think I have ever booked specifically to see her, but I have been impressed every time.

 

Similarly, my view of Hirano has completely changed this season. I never used to think much of him, but having seen him dance Elite Syncopations (booked for Naghdi), Leontes (replacing Watson), and Lescaut (booked for Lamb/Muntagirov), I consider him to be a highly accomplished, versatile dancer and an engaging actor. Again, purely through chance and quirks of casting. I now hope to see his Rudolph next season.

 

2 hours ago, capybara said:

I do have a sense of unease when an online comment, which is, after all, in the public domain, appears to denigrate one or more dancers in order to overtly promote the cause of another.

 

This is why I don’t post reviews anymore. I find it difficult to praise a dancer without slipping into saying “I saw the best performance ever and no other dancer could even come close." I loved Hirano’s Lescaut, and I can’t imagine anyone doing it better, but I haven’t seen Campbell, or Hay or… How do you praise the former without tacitly denigrating the others? I think I am going through a phase of being acutely aware of how talented the company is and how many great performances I’m missing. Picking favourites seems almost churlish when the company has this much talent.

 

Edited May 5, 2018 by Saodan

[aliceinwoolfland]

I don’t think saying you have a favourite dancer is making another dancer out to be of lower quality - would you avoid having a favourite writer for that reason? Sometimes a particular dancer resonates with you even if they are technically matched by other dancers. 

[Balletfanp]

You can certainly praise the dancers you like, Saodan - I do myself! Just because you enjoyed a performance particularly doesn’t put other dancers down.

 

Referring to Capybara’s post above, I took that to be a general observation. I have seen an example of it recently on the ROH website under the comments section about the cinema relay the other night. I can’t remember exact wording, but one poster raised the point that the younger principal casts never seem to appear in the cinema relays and that perhaps they should. A perfectly valid point. However, he then went on to further push the point by making negative comments about the performance shown and suggest that as he and others had enjoyed the performances of other casts more, they should have been the ones shown. Personally, I felt that was a step too far. Quite apart from the fact that others would disagree (and all other comments were glowing), it felt a bit mean-spirited, plus a preference for a particular cast or performance is a personal thing. When we compare performances we are usually comparing a dancer’s interpretation of a role, and those are always going to vary widely, which means our opinions as to whether or not we “prefer” one dancer’s interpretation over another are also going to vary.

 

Myself, I like to see different performances and casts when I can (usually through the cinema), but just because I prefer one cast over another doesn’t mean that others aren’t going to enjoy someone else more. And I certainly wouldn’t suggest that my favourites should be the ones in the live stream (however much I might wish it!).

[Xandra Newman]

27 minutes ago, Saodan said:

This is why I don’t post reviews anymore. I find it difficult to praise a dancer without slipping into saying “I saw the best performance ever and no other dancer could even come close." I loved Hirano’s Lescaut, and I can’t imagine anyone doing it better, but I haven’t seen Campbell, or Hay or… How do you praise the former without tacitly denigrating the others? I think I am going through a phase of being acutely aware of how talented the company is and how many great performances I’m missing. Picking favourites seems almost churlish when the company has this much talent.

 

I understand and appreciate your position on posting a review but personally I have no intention to refrain from posting my praise for (a) dancer(s) whose performance I was totally moved by. Praising him/her/them doesn't imply I degenerate the others.

I love to express my personal view and share the pleasure of having attended a performance. 

[Saodan]

27 minutes ago, aliceinwoolfland said:

Would you avoid having a favourite writer for that reason?

 

Personally, yes. Favourite books or performances, not authors or dancers. I do take your point though.

 

The difference, to my mind, is that dancers perform the same ballets whereas authors write different stories. When comparing different performances of the same role I feel an element of competition can sometimes creep in, which I don’t think is conductive to art.

 

21 minutes ago, Xandra Newman said:

 

I understand and appreciate your position on posting a review but personally I have no intention to refrain from posting my praise for (a) dancer(s) whose performance I was totally moved by.

 

Nor should you. I do full accept that this is my own existential crisis. I used to post reviews a year or so ago, but as I have been to more performances I have lost my appetite for it. I enjoy reading others comments, though.

Edited May 5, 2018 by Saodan

[Richard LH]

1 hour ago, Saodan said:

This is why I don’t post reviews anymore. I find it difficult to praise a dancer without slipping into saying “I saw the best performance ever and no other dancer could even come close."

To say what's in the quotes would be pure hyperbole, of little merit, because no-one can possibly have seen every dancer's past interpretation of a particular role (as well as having foresight as to future performances), and because it excludes others' opinions about essentially subjective responses to different dancers. But it must be perfectly valid to say "I saw A/B in X and I thought they surpassed everyone I have seen in that role" especially if reasons are given.

Edited May 5, 2018 by Richard LH

[alison]

1 hour ago, Saodan said:

 

Personally, yes. Favourite books or performances, not authors or dancers. I do take your point though.

 

The difference, to my mind, is that dancers perform the same ballets whereas authors write different stories. When comparing different performances of the same role I feel an element of competition can sometimes creep in, which I don’t think is conductive to art.

 

But, would you not, for example, compare different actors' performances in Hamlet?  So-and-so emphasised such-and-such an aspect, whereas whatshisname brought out the ...  I don't see anything wrong in either.  I don't think there's anything wrong with saying - as I think I did some years ago on probably the previous site - that dancer A danced a role more beautifully than anyone I'd ever seen, yet failed to move me, whereas dancer B by definition danced it less well, but got to the heart of the character in a way that A had totally missed.  I may not actually have said it as forthrightly as that, but it was certainly what I felt  

[Richard LH]

2 hours ago, Balletfanp said:

I have seen an example of it recently on the ROH website under the comments section about the cinema relay the other night. I can’t remember exact wording, but one poster raised the point that the younger principal casts never seem to appear in the cinema relays and that perhaps they should. A perfectly valid point. However, he then went on to further push the point by making negative comments about the performance shown and suggest that as he and others had enjoyed the performances of other casts more, they should have been the ones shown. Personally, I felt that was a step too far. Quite apart from the fact that others would disagree (and all other comments were glowing), it felt a bit mean-spirited, plus a preference for a particular cast or performance is a personal thing.

I think I am  the poster you are referring to. I would argue for other younger RB Principals to be chosen more in filmings and DVDs not just because I personally enjoy their work but because it seems to me the choice of filmed Principals is limited to a select, longer established, few. We have discussed this on balletcoforum. What I posted on the ROH site was  "can I put in a plea for other younger RB Principals to be shown in filmings/DVDs? In this run of Manon, for example, Hayward/ Bonelli, and Takada/Campbell, have been widely and hugely praised and I don't think I am alone in having enjoyed their performances much more than Lamb/ Muntagirov who seemed to take until Act 3 to really catch fire".The RB specifically asked for our views on this live cinema performance of Manon and I don't think  I have been unduly negative or mean spirited,  in my response. Nor do I think mine is a wholly unique view, based on other comments on balletcoforum, but even if it was, what does that matter ? - it's just my opinion. Of course you and others can disagree, or agree. That is what discussion forums are for.

Edited May 5, 2018 by Richard LH

[penelopesimpson]

6 hours ago, capybara said:

A subject related to this thread, which has arisen for me recently from reading various posts on BCF and elsewhere, is the manner in which any one of us pursues our 'love' of a particular dancer. No, I'm not thinking about 'stalking', although that can be an issue too!

 

Of course, it's great when posters are really enthusiastic about  a particular artist and explain their reasons because that can make readers consider their own perceptions. However, I do have a sense of unease when an online comment, which is, after all, in the public domain, appears to denigrate one or more dancers in order to overtly promote the cause of another.

 

How do others feel about that?

 

I haven’t seen any denigration so it is difficult to provide an answer.  I don’t think that saying a particular dancer doesn’t especially move you emotionally is in any sense a criticism.  I have never achieved an emotional connection with Sarah Lamb but there is nobody I would rather see as Princess Perdita  where her exuberance is a joy.  Similarly, Marianela Nunez doesn’t catch my heart but clearly the ‘problem’ is at my end.

I wonder if connections are formed early on that remain with you?  I first came to ballet through Altynai Azimuratova and then fell in love with Alina.  When I saw Francesca in Rhapsody I thought that here was the successor to Alina - without knowing that one would be needed.  I find these dancers convey intense emotion by assuming their character, transporting their audience.They all have a fragile vulnerability overlaying the strength of their dancing.

[Mary]

Richard LH -I don't agree with you but think your points are perfectly reasonable and reasonably put. I am baffled by the idea that is somehow wrong for you to say that you preferred the other casts.

 

I am interested to read different views as always:  constant praise  can be very uninformative.

'Denigration' is a very strong, emotive term, and surely not the right one. 'Criticism' yes- constructive, one hopes, as it usually is on the forum.

 

 

 

 

 

[Richard LH]

Thanks Mary!

[Melody]

I don't think there's any problem with people having favourites, as long as they don't try and make a federal case of anyone else saying the slightest negative thing about those favourites. At the level of the RB dancers - especially the principals and soloists - there's going to be enough technical and artistic ability for any of them to be someone's favourite, and obviously some of the dancers are generally beloved in this forum. As long as this is a forum for thoughtful conversation and not just a fan site, anyone should be able to post constructive criticism or even just "this is why I don't particularly like so-and-so in this role" comments. Just as it isn't helpful to allow that sort of comment to become mean spirited (which doesn't tend to happen here), I also don't think it's helpful for fans to create a hostile atmosphere over any perceived criticism of their pet dancers (which has sometimes tended to happen). While I tend to bridle at comments (usually from much younger people) along the lines of "I don't know what you folk see in Margot Fonteyn, I think she's boring," that's just a personal thing and I don't think people should feel they can't say it, as long as they're prepared to defend it in a sensible way.

[Lizbie1]

I must say, I'm a lot more welcoming of (informed!) negative comments about Bolshoi/Mariinsky dancers than I am of those who we see more regularly here. I think it's because when it comes to deciding who to see when they visit ROH for their summer seasons, I'd rather have unvarnished opinions to go on. RB dancers, on the other hand, I can afford to draw my own conclusions about, in terms of both time and money.

 

(I'm thinking in particular of one Mariinsky dancer being described as a "very good-looking dull stick" - accurately as it turned out!)

[Balletfanp]

On 05/05/2018 at 21:19, Richard LH said:

I think I am  the poster you are referring to. I would argue for other younger RB Principals to be chosen more in filmings and DVDs not just because I personally enjoy their work but because it seems to me the choice of filmed Principals is limited to a select, longer established, few. We have discussed this on balletcoforum. What I posted on the ROH site was  "can I put in a plea for other younger RB Principals to be shown in filmings/DVDs? In this run of Manon, for example, Hayward/ Bonelli, and Takada/Campbell, have been widely and hugely praised and I don't think I am alone in having enjoyed their performances much more than Lamb/ Muntagirov who seemed to take until Act 3 to really catch fire".The RB specifically asked for our views on this live cinema performance of Manon and I don't think  I have been unduly negative or mean spirited,  in my response. Nor do I think mine is a wholly unique view, based on other comments on balletcoforum, but even if it was, what does that matter ? - it's just my opinion. Of course you and others can disagree, or agree. That is what discussion forums are for.

 

Thanks for "'fessing up," Richard ☺. I would never say that one cannot express an opinion or a negative view - however, in the context of what you were saying, it came across to me as suggesting that the cast that was broadcast should not have been the one shown - something I suspect we all feel at some point, but at the end of the day it's a very personal view. If that wasn't what was intended, my apologies ☺.

 

The Principals who seem to have had the lion's share in live streams in recent years are McRae, Nunez, Cuthbertson, Osipova and Bonelli (this isn't the result of a scientific count, though!). Lamb has actually had relatively few (Winter's Tale recently, plus in the Bernstein Triple bill, and now Manon). I think it is nice to see her getting a little more exposure. Interestingly, Muntagirov can still be counted as a "younger" principal at only 28 still (younger than Campbell, in fact, and not much older than Hayward, Nagdhi et al), but he does tend to be cast with the older ballerinas, and, successful as those partnerships have been, I would love to see him cast with Nagdhi in something classical (imagine their Swan Lake! No disrespect to Nunez....), or even Hayward in something like Romeo and Juliet - they were lovely together in The Invitation.

 

I suspect, as well, we may well get someone like Nagdhi and Ball in the eventual R&J broadcast, or Hayward and someone....place your bets!

[Bluebird]

2 minutes ago, Balletfanp said:

 

 

The Principals who seem to have had the lion's share in live streams in recent years are McRae, Nunez, Cuthbertson, Osipova and Bonelli (this isn't the result of a scientific count, though!). Lamb has actually had relatively few (Winter's Tale recently, plus in the Bernstein Triple bill, and now Manon..........

 

........and last December's Nutcracker + next October's Mayerling.

[Balletfanp]

Forgot Nutcracker, and hadn’t clocked the Mayerling!

[greypuss]

Sarah lamb has also danced Aurora and Juliet in cinema screenings in recent years.

 

[greypuss]

I forgot Sarah has danced Alice twice too.

[Balletfanp]

I did say it wasn’t a scientific count, more of a gut feeling! 🙂 I stand corrected.

[Richard LH]

Lamb was also in Mayerling 2009 and has  been featured on compilation DVDs  in Les Patineurs, Elite Syncopations, Chroma, Limen, and Afternoon of a Faun.

As for younger principals, as far as I am aware, Takada, Hayward and Naghdi have only been featured on 1  DVD between them (Hayward as Clara in the Nutcracker - Hayward also featured, of course,  on the BBC Nutcracker documentary about her SPF debut).

Balletfanp given the above, and also what I felt as to the relative strengths of performances of Manon I have seen, yes  I do think, personally, that another cast would have been preferable for the filming, and I would like some greater variety in the future. I am just a bit surprised you felt that expressing an opinion like that  is a step too far, and mean spirited, when posting in response to the ROH's invitation to comment on their filmed production. Anyhoo...

Edited May 7, 2018 by Richard LH