Guest Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 10 minutes ago, Sim said: So Alex Campbell was standing in for Ryo Hirano, who was standing in for Steven McRae. He would not have had much rehearsal time with Akane Takada. Halfway through, he then has to dance with Yasmine Naghdi with whom he has never danced in nor rehearsed the ballet. What a pro he is. Huge kudos to him and to Miss Naghdi who dashed in from home and helped save the night in a big way. 👏👏👏 Not to take anything away from anyone, but did he not dance it with Naghdi during the last run when Hayward was unwell for her second show? I can't quite remember now. Campbell is certainly an assured partner whoever he dances with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard LH Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 59 minutes ago, capybara said: Did anyone see anything happen to poor Akane? Not at all. It all seemed to be going so well for her...a beautiful Act 1. Of course she had to be carried off at the end but only because she was "asleep" in the story. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 21 minutes ago, Darlex said: Not to take anything away from anyone, but did he not dance it with Naghdi during the last run when Hayward was unwell for her second show? I can't quite remember now. Campbell is certainly an assured partner whoever he dances with. No, Akane replaced Francesca and danced with Alex. A couple of days later Yasmine replaced Lauren Cuthbertson and famously danced Aurora three times in a week. Some debut run! 😱💪 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 Well I'm glad somebody gave Takada a standing ovation for her Rose Adagio but don't think it was my friend prs59 as she usually likes to keep a low profile! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 It was a terrible shame. I hope neither Takada nor Hirano are seriously injured, and that they recover quickly - heaven knows, the RB doesn't need to lose any more principals I was disappointed to have to lose my favourite bit of the production, but I can see the logic in doing so, as it gave Naghdi more time to warm up/rehearse (and also kept the delay to something more manageable rather than going past 11 pm, which I suspect would have caused all sorts of problems). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 2 hours ago, Lindsay said: Not obvious, no but Takada looked less secure than she usually does (which is to say she was still very good but not as flawless as I have seen her on previous occasions). My reaction too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindy Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 Could someone who was at SB last night kindly put the cast list on here? Thanks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 (edited) 10 hours ago, MargaretN7 said: I read somewhere, forgotten where, that this electrical variation is celebrating the theatre where it was performed being newly lit by electricity. Thank you MargaretN7. As I indicated in my original post, one does indeed read this all over the place, asserted as if it is established fact. I have tried to find proper sources - it is such a nice idea one wants it to be true - but without success. One problem is that the dates don’t really fit. The Mariinsky Theatre was indeed electrified by 1890 but, contrary to some claims, electricity was not that season’s sensation. Electrification was completed some years before Sleeping Beauty and indeed Petipa and Vsevolozhsky had done a fair number of other ballets in the interim. So if the variation celebrates electricity - and as yet no document has emerged from Petipa’s papers to support this - it does not do so because the theatre had just fitted new lights. Incidentally, there are interesting differences as to where or how high this fairy points, depending on whose performance tradition is being followed. Perhaps Ratmansky has found a good source for this (the notation does not include arm movements). Sadly although Karsavina - when speaking to the Royal Ballet School in 1967 - did at one point refer to electricity in relation to Manzotti’s 1881 ballet Excelsior, she said nothing about Violente’s fingers or arms. One final tidbit. The original costume for this fairy - as designed by Vsevolozhsky - features a turquoise salamander over the dancer’s heart as well as a crown of flames, which might lead one into further speculation. Edited November 12, 2019 by Sebastian 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 If Akane Takada was nursing an injury from the outset, it would have been normal for there to be another Aurora on 'standby'. Sometimes, this arrangement applies until 'curtain up' only but, so far this season, there have been occasions when other dancers have been there and ready to take over throughout a ballet. Very best wishes to Akane and Ryo for good recoveries. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 15 minutes ago, Lindy said: Could someone who was at SB last night kindly put the cast list on here? Thanks. Yes it would be much appreciated if this could be done by some kind persons throughout the run. As has been noted before, there is very little information from the ROH. I find I get most of my information from dancers’ social media accounts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard LH Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 (edited) 30 minutes ago, Lindy said: Could someone who was at SB last night kindly put the cast list on here? Thanks. It is such a long list, but here are the main ones: a good cast but obviously the whole thing felt flat after Akane's injury, despite the best efforts of Yasmine and Alexander. King - Avis Queen - Arestis Aurora - Takada & Naghdi Floirmund - Campbell Catalabutte - Montes Carabosse - McNally Lilac - Mendizabal (character reversal)! with Clarke Crystal Fountain - Pajdak with Dubreuil Enchanted Garden - Hinkis with Ella Woodland Glade - Kaneko with Donnelly Song bird - Gasparini with Lee Golden Vine - Hamilton with Emerton Florestan and sisters Edmonds Pajdak Hamilton Puss and Cat Dixon and Dean RR Hood and Wolf Allnatt and Emerton Florine and Bluebird Hinkis and Hay (the latter surprisingly under-powered for some reason last night IMHO) Edited November 12, 2019 by Richard LH 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 Thanks Richard. Looks like Carabosse has been forgotten again...😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard LH Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 Just now, Sim said: Thanks Richard. Looks like Carabosse has been forgotten again...😀 I did but then added in an edit if you look again ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xandra Newman Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 18 minutes ago, capybara said: If Akane Takada was nursing an injury from the outset, it would have been normal for there to be another Aurora on 'standby'. Sometimes, this arrangement applies until 'curtain up' only but, so far this season, there have been occasions when other dancers have been there and ready to take over throughout a ballet. Very best wishes to Akane and Ryo for good recoveries. "Standby", as far as I know, applies to thirty minutes before curtain up so if Takada at 7pm confirmed she was fit to dance Aurora, available Auroras go home I assume. Who else would have been available? They couldn't ask first soloists O'Sullivan or Magri who are yet to dance their own debut and may not have sufficient experience to take over last minute with a partner they never rehearsed with (or in the case of Kaneko who is too tall to dance with Campbell). Clearly Mr O'Hare judged that Naghdi was the only possible last-minute replacement, even as she never rehearsed Aurora with Campbell (why didn't Hayward take over? She had all of Sunday to recover from her Saturday evening performance ). Since Naghdi has danced other roles with Campbell, and they are now seasoned and experienced Principals (it's not the first time in her career Naghdi takes over a role at the very last minute), it seemingly was the only workable option. My very best wishes to Takada and Hirano for a speedy recovery! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 42 minutes ago, Xandra Newman said: "Standby", as far as I know, applies to thirty minutes before curtain up so if Takada at 7pm confirmed she was fit to dance Aurora, available Auroras go home I assume. Who else would have been available? They couldn't ask first soloists O'Sullivan or Magri who are yet to dance their own debut and may not have sufficient experience to take over last minute with a partner they never rehearsed with (or in the case of Kaneko who is too tall to dance with Campbell). Clearly Mr O'Hare judged that Naghdi was the only possible last-minute replacement, even as she never rehearsed Aurora with Campbell (why didn't Hayward take over? She had all of Sunday to recover from her Saturday evening performance ). Since Naghdi has danced other roles with Campbell, and they are now seasoned and experienced Principals (it's not the first time in her career Naghdi takes over a role at the very last minute), it seemingly was the only workable option. My very best wishes to Takada and Hirano for a speedy recovery! Hayward may not have been contactable; presumably dancers aren't actually on a bleep-type system where they have to be always available even on nights off? (And if Kaneko had been contactable, would she have been too tall for Campbell? He's danced with Magri who looks tall to me.) At any rate, it sounds as if a difficult situation was dealt with with great professionalism all round. I hope Takada (and Hirano of course) will soon be back. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JNC Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 @Xandra Newman - Magri isn't down to debut as Aurora in this run, though I presume she will almost certainly be doing it next time, considering her sparkling Lilac Fairy! Also to note following Richard's cast list update, Hamilton posted on instagram that last night was her debut as Fairy of the Golden Vine. Not to repeat myself (and others) but really do wish ROH revert to marking this on the cast sheet! No idea if any of the other roles were debuts or not. @Richard LH - I have to agree that I found Hay a little underwhelming last night, glad it wasn't just me! After seeing Sissens's extraordinary performance on Saturday Hay's didn't quite reach the heights (literally) of that. Hay was very good, and I imagine if I hadn't seen Sissens I would have been very impressed. This is a problem of seeing a lot of ballet I suppose, inevitably you do end up comparing different casts... I must mention Fumi Kaneko as the Fairy of the Woodland Glade - what a lovely variation. Incredibly precise, charming and musically attuned. And Reece Clark again, standing out in the short variation with the fairy attendants. It helps he is tall so perhaps draws the eye, but he fully delivers on that with excellent technique and lovely jumps (dare I say, reminds me a bit of Muntagirov!). He really must get a promotion next year. Finally, I think Allnatt is a very promising talent. Her Red Riding Hood was very well portrayed and danced, definitely one to watch for future performances. Takada was an enchanting Aurora who really understood the character for me - she came across as a lovely, kind but slightly naive 16 year old. The classical ballerina technique with excellent emoting to match, which felt very natural and not at all over the top. I would love to see her as Aurora in the future, and have booked to see her in Swan Lake next year which I imagine she'll be excellent in. Hopefully she is able to dance Coppelia/Onegin later this year, what bad luck for her as she missed a lot of the end of last season due to injury too. Must be devastating to come back and be out again so soon (like McRae also). Very best wishes to Takada, Hirano and McRae for smooth recoveries, they will be missed in the meantime! I wonder who will take over Takada (and potentially also Hirano's) performances? Although I'd like to see Takada on stage, and slightly hoping perhaps last night was overcautious withdrawal on part of O'Hare, but part of me perhaps feels it is better for her to take time off and recover fully (Aurora is after all, a very challenging role) so she is fighting fit for Coppelia. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 54 minutes ago, Xandra Newman said: "Standby", as far as I know, applies to thirty minutes before curtain up so if Takada at 7pm confirmed she was fit to dance Aurora, available Auroras go home I assume. Exactly my point. However, as I also said, there have been occasions, when a dancer has indicated some doubt, when a standby has been 'in the wings', as it were. In emergencies, I understand that the Director or his proxy (and not just at the RB) rings round to see who is contactable, with speed of return to the theatre being a key factor in his decision-making. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizbie1 Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 9 minutes ago, JNC said: Magri isn't down to debut as Aurora in this run, though I presume she will almost certainly be doing it next time, considering her sparkling Lilac Fairy! That raises an interesting question: I like Magri a lot - and have just booked an extra Coppelia on the back of her excellent recent performances - but I don’t see her as Aurora. As always, though, I’d be happy to be proved wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 Sebastian, The information about the original costume design for Violente is most interesting as the crowned salamander was the personal emblem of Francis Ist the French king responsible for boosting the French tourist industry by building a number of chateaux in the Loire Valley including Fontainebleau which is probably the chateau most strongly associated with him and seen as epitomising the French architectural and cultural style of the early sixteenth century. The crowned salamander appears all over the place in his chateaux sometimes accompanied by his personal motto "nutrisco et extinguo" which translates as " I nourish and I extinguish." It seems to me that if we are to unravel the symbolism and meaning to be attached to the gifts which the fairies confer on Aurora at her christening we have to know exactly what the original costumes looked like and in particular what symbols, if any, appear on them.I expect that those who first staged the ballet anticipated that the St Petersburg audience was sufficiently culturally knowledgeable and sophisticated to pick up all the allusions and symbolism contained in the designs and in the choice of fairy tale characters who appear as guests at the wedding in the last act. Whatever the precise message Violente's costume design was supposed to convey to its first audiences it is pretty clear that it ties in very neatly with the original set designs for the Prologue which were not painterly but very place and time specific. The new easel painter designs for the second production of the ballet seem, perhaps unwittingly, to have begun the process of concealing the work's original intent. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JNC Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 2 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said: That raises an interesting question: I like Magri a lot - and have just booked an extra Coppelia on the back of her excellent recent performances - but I don’t see her as Aurora. As always, though, I’d be happy to be proved wrong. If I'm honest I think I may agree with you, but her Lilac Fairy was so soft and lovely I think she would be able to pull it off. Another example is Hayward - who is one of my favourite dancers, I have to admit I'm not sure if she will suit Swan Lake. I can see her as a very good Odette, but wonder if she can pull off Odile (I simply can't see her as evil!). But I'm very happy she's been given the chance to dance such a big role in ballet, and I think when I see her my concern will be entirely unfounded. I guess the old saying is, you don't know until you've tried, and I'm glad O'Hare seems willing to live by that and give his dancers a chance! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 15 minutes ago, JNC said: Another example is Hayward - who is one of my favourite dancers, I have to admit I'm not sure if she will suit Swan Lake. I can see her as a very good Odette, but wonder if she can pull off Odile (I simply can't see her as evil!). I don't know, JNC - I think I've seen quite a glint in her eye sometimes!! Could be interesting... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JNC Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 2 minutes ago, bridiem said: I don't know, JNC - I think I've seen quite a glint in her eye sometimes!! Could be interesting... Especially with Corrales's dramatic flair! I'm expecting fireworks! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindy Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 Thanks for cast list, Richard LH! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane S Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 (edited) 2 hours ago, JNC said: @Xandra Newman Also to note following Richard's cast list update, Hamilton posted on instagram that last night was her debut as Fairy of the Golden Vine. Not to repeat myself (and others) but really do wish ROH revert to marking this on the cast sheet! No idea if any of the other roles were debuts or not. @Richard LH - I'm struggling to remember a time when they did flag debuts in minor roles (or major ones, come to that) - was it quite recently? (Also I don't know how to delete tags when quoting a previous message!) Edited November 12, 2019 by Jane S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JNC Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 13 minutes ago, Jane S said: I'm struggling to remember a time when they did flag debuts in minor roles (or major ones, come to that) - was it quite recently? (Also I don't know how to delete tags when quoting a previous message!) I know what you mean re major vs minor - but if they are a named person on the cast list (and the cast list presumably gets printed at least some time in advance so debuts/roles/casting are generally confirmed in advance) it's no harder/easier to ascertain if someone is debuting - all it takes is a quick note from RB management? As they are important enough roles to get reflected by name on the cast list I think it would be nice if they could be recognised! I'm not sure when they did acknowledge this on cast lists, I'm just going off what others have said on the forum here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 Sorry off topic a bit but reference to above comments ...I think ‘Odile’ may find it difficult not to fall for real with Corrales as the Prince ......now that would complicate things for Von Rothbart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 51 minutes ago, Jane S said: I'm struggling to remember a time when they did flag debuts in minor roles (or major ones, come to that) - was it quite recently? I think it's a long time since débuts have been marked on cast sheets (and I think it would only ever have been for leading roles). But since they're marked in the booking/casting details, I'm not sure why they couldn't also be marked on the cast sheets. (Perhaps some powers that be think it might be open to misinterpretation, or misinterpret it themselves - i.e. that a début is somehow of less worth than a performance from an experienced interpreter of the role. If so it would simply show their lack of understanding.) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluebird Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 (edited) 16 hours ago, prs59 said: Another evening of high drama at the ROH! Wishing both Ryo and Akane swift and full recovery from their injuries. As of now it’s anybody’s guess who will take the stage on Friday evening ......🤔 Just posted this in the Autumn casting thread. Fumi Kaneko will replace Akane Takada on Friday. Ryoichi Hirano still scheduled to dance. https://www.roh.org.uk/events/78gj6 Edited November 12, 2019 by Bluebird Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 (edited) If one clicks the link, Friday is showing as Fumi Kaneko and Reece Clarke. So, on the one hand, one feels so sorry for Akane and Ryoichi but, on the other, absolutely delighted for Fumi and Reece that they have an extra show.........or two. Edited November 12, 2019 by capybara 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluebird Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 Just now, capybara said: If one clicks the link, Friday is showing as Fumi Kaneko and Reece Clarke. So, on the one hand, one feels so sorry for Akane and Ryoichi but, on the other, absolutely delighted for Fumi and Reece that they have an extra show.........or two. It must have just been changed. Ryoichi was still on the list when I checked it around five minutes ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coated Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 I just received the change of cast email confirming Kaneko/Clarke for Friday. Bit sad since that was my only Takada / Hirano SB, but very happy with the replacement (*tries to repress manic smile*) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jules_skichick Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 On 10/11/2019 at 18:43, Tebasile said: me Oh wish I could go...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Perregrino Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 2 hours ago, Bluebird said: It must have just been changed. Ryoichi was still on the list when I checked it around five minutes ago. It’s reverted to Ryo & Akane earlier it was Reece & Fumi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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