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Highlights of RB 2021/2022 Season?


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Now that the Royal Ballet season has finished, I thought it would be interesting to hear everyone's highlights or memorable moments.  A few from me just to start things off (although I am sure more will occur to me!):

 

The company making sure they were in great form after two years of lockdown and on-off performing. Their joy to be back was a huge contributor to the gorgeous season we have just had.

 

Yasmine Naghdi/Matthew Ball together in Giselle.

 

Mayara Magri's interesting and effective interpretation of Myrthe.

 

Kevin O'Hare giving the more junior dancers (Roscoe/Buvoli/Storm-Jensen) a chance to dance Myrthe, and they all acquitted themselves very well. 

 

The bit in Dante Project where all the men dance up a whirlwind.

 

The unplanned partnership between Yasmine Naghdi and Cesar Corrales in Nutcracker, and their burgeoning partnership since then.

 

Marianela  Nuñez as Juliet. I had never seen her like that before. 

 

The knockout performances of Fumi Kaneko and William Bracewell in Romeo and Juliet.  Unforgettable. 

 

Fumi's debut as Odette/Odile.  Simply awesome...and what a way to say goodbye to her Siegfried, Federico Bonelli.  Bittersweet.

 

Claire Calvert’s lovely debut as Odette/Odile.  Ditto Mayara Magri's.  

 

The Ashton triple bill.  More please.

 

Laura Morera as Natalia Petrovna. Heartbreaking.  

 

Reece Clarke in just about everything he did. Together with Bracewell, proving without a shadow of a doubt why they deserved their recent promotions to Principal.

 

The Naghdi/Corrales/Kaneko/Calvert cast in Like Water For Chocolate.  They took it to a different level.  

 

The RB's wonderful corps de ballet, showing once again that they are one of the most hard-working, beautiful corps in the world.

 

I hope all of the company enjoys their well-deserved break over the next three months.  A huge thank you to all of them.

 

 

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For me certainly being lucky enough to see Kaneko’s debut combined with Bonelli’s very moving retirement. Certainly my top highlight of the year! Everything just came together perfectly that night which is incredibly rare! 

 

The Ashton triple and all the performances and casts were fantastic. But Hayward and Sambe’s firecracker performances in Rhapsody, Nunez and Ball in Month and Kaneko and Clarke in Scenes were the standouts for me - but feels so picky as all casts really were brilliant; particularly the up and coming members of the corps in Scenes and Rhapsody.

 

Seeing Giselle in the rep was also a big highlight - again it’s really difficult to pick as all the casts seemed brilliant but for me I’d have to go for 

Osipova/Clarke 

Nunez/Muntagirov 

Morera/Bonelli 

As those that moved me most, and Magri and Nunez were spooky, bouncy Myrthas. 
And of the course the corps, the perfect set of haunting Willi. 
 

And as Sim has already noted, being in ROH with a full house atmosphere, everything feeling “normal” and experiencing live performance the way it should be. The company is growing in strength and nurturing talent in all the right ways. 

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There are quite a few for me but I will pick two: seeing William Bracewell and Fumi Kaneko in their first performance together in Romeo and Juliet in October (which was the first time in a full House since before Covid), and the Ashton triple (which I saw twice) and which was superb. 

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Finally seeing Giselle

Osipova as Juliet

O'Sullivan/Sambe, Kaneko/Bracewell Magri/Richardson in R&J

Steven McRae's return in R&J

Claire Calvert as Odette

Kaneko/Bonelli in Swan Lake

The Ashton triple bill

 

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Difficult, since almost everything has been a highlight... but here goes:

 

Kaneko and Bracewell in R&J - unexpectedly thrilling

Magri's Myrthe powering through the air and across the stage

Osipova - the overwhelming intensity of both her Giselle and her Juliet

Magri and Richardson in R&J - wonderful, fresh and heartbreaking

Kaneko and Bonelli in Swan Lake - the most incredible début I've ever seen from Kaneko, teamed with the passionate sincerity of Bonelli

The Ashton triple bill - sublime in every respect

The Ukraine fundraiser Swan Lake - brilliant and very moving

Claire Calvert's Odette/Odile - the grave beauty and clarity of her dancing matched by her dramatic intelligence

The corps de ballet - magnificent and crucial throughout the season

 

But really, the company as a whole have been incredible in the past year. Superb performances at every level, and such commitment, such technical prowess, such confidence in themselves and what they're doing - just brilliant.

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Yasmine Naghdi and Matthew Ball’s performance in ‘Giselle’ was an outstanding highlight for me - and what an added bonus to have Marianela Nunez as Myrthe! It was a very special evening all round. Marianna Tsembenhoi caught my eye at this performance too and I look forward to seeing more of her. My second choice would be the beautiful Ashton mixed bill. Looking forward to the new season and my first Mayerling and wishing the dancers a restful break.

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Limiting myself to a top 15 here with a top 5 highlighted - but it's almost impossible to choose among so much excellence!

 

Fumi Kaneko - extraordinary as Satan; Juliet and Odette/Odile; in The Weathering; and as Mama Elena (an astonishing first year of debuts as a Principal) - Dancer of the Year for me

William Bracewell - being Romeo in particular but so much more besides (Including his promotion to Principal)

Mayara Magri - an amazing Myrthe but also strong as Odette/Odile and Juliet

Natalia Osipova - still finding new layers in Giselle

Ashley Dean - bringing real naturalness to Clara

Anna Rose O'Sullivan - born to live Juliet

Calvin Richardson - very much his own Romeo and 'uniquely him'  as well in the male sequence in Dante

Joonhyuk Jun - wowing us all as Benno

Vadim Muntagirov - as Belaiev in Month in the Country

Laura  Morera - as Natalia Petrovna in Month in the Country

Laura Morera/Vadim Muntagirov together in Month in the Country

The Swan Lake for Ukraine (5th May); Matthew Ball's Soliloquy and Vadim Muntagirov's Act 3 in that performance

Yasmine Naghdi/Cesar Corrales - who together turned LWFC into something special (and a further mention for Cesar as Juan Alejandrez)

The Ashton Triple Bill - (this could have been brought back to end the season)

The Royal Ballet Corps (female and male) - huge admiration for the collective excellence and the individual talent within (witness the Myrthes from Julia Roscoe and Annette Buvoli; plus Leticia Dias, Leo Dixon, Mariko Sasaki  and others in everything they do)

 

Thank you RB !

 

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1 hour ago, capybara said:

 

Fumi Kaneko - extraordinary as Satan; Juliet and Odette/Odile; in The Weathering; and as Mama Elena (an astonishing first year of debuts as a Principal) - Dancer of the Year for me

Yes I was thinking along similar lines in terms of an imaginary "RB Dancer of the Year" award; her debut in Swan Lake was unbelievable......

 

1 hour ago, capybara said:

William Bracewell - being Romeo in particular but so much more besides (Including his promotion to Principal)

.....closely followed by Bracewell in everything he danced.

Therefore "RB Dancers of the Year in Partnership" goes to Fumi and William in R&J.

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much agreement with you capybara

I hadn't been that keen on Cesar Corrales until he and Yasmine Nagdhi were surprisingly thrown together in Nutcracker. Yasmine must have 'knocked him into shape' lol 

Yasmine Naghdi always manages to add a little something to every role she does (to my eyes anyway), so most of my highlights are when she was dancing. So her characterisations as Juliet, Giselle, Odette/Odile; and her dazzling, elegant technique as Sugar Plum, and in especially in Scenes de Ballet. Always the first I book, and probably the reason I still want to go to ROH.

Fumi Kaneko 'came of age' and delivered on all the promise she had shown before her injuries, as everyone else has said (that Swan Lake with Federico really was astonishing).

Laura Morera reminding us of how under-used she has been previously

The corps in Giselle and Swan Lake - wowser (hats off to Sam Raine)

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Fumi Kaneko’s debut as Odette/Odile opposite Federico Bonelli’s farewell as Siegfried 

Laura Morera as Giselle (so beautiful I went back for the second performance), again with Bonelli

Morera as Natalia Petrovna and Vadim Muntagirov as Beliaev

Alexander Campbell as Romeo

William Bracewell as Siegfried 

Claire Calvert’s debut as Odette/Odile opposite Nicol Edmonds, also en debut 

The gentlemen in Thieves / The Dante Project 

The ladies of the corps in Giselle and Swan Lake

Leticia Dias and Joseph Sissens were consistently and joyously eye-catching 

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Fumi Kaneko in The Dante Project

Anna O'Sullivan/Marcelino Sambe in Romeo and Juliet 

Marcelino Sambe/Francesca Hayward in Rhapsody

The corps de ballet teams in Scènes de ballet and Rhapsody

Leticia Dias doing all 3 ballets in the Ashton triple bill

The National Dance soloists in the Swan Lake cinema stream


My personal highlight was getting to see the company live for the first time, and am looking forward to returning in the Autumn. 

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Chronologically:

Kaneko & Bracewell in Romeo & Juliet, which I only picked up a ticket for a few days beforehand after the photos & comments from the dress rehearsal.

Magri as Myrtha: those entrance bourees.

Morera & Bonelli in Giselle, another late booking due to the cast change, the last of the 4 casts I saw & by far the most moving.

Eventually being able to see Pajdak's Clara debut & Magri's Sugar Plum Fairy debut when I thought I wouldn't after their originally-scheduled debut performances were cancelled.

Campbell's Romeo debut, alongside Naghdi who I found far more moving opposite him than I had earlier in the season.

A mixture of pleasure & regret in seeing Bonelli's Romeo for the first time the day after it was announced he was retiring; also Nunez being far better as Juliet than I thought she was in 2019.

Magri & Richardson's double debut in R&J.

My first ever live Swan Lake being Kaneko's debut & Bonelli's farewell. I don't think I could have found a more memorable first performance to see if I'd tried for years!

Magri & Corrales' double debut in SL, which wrapped up seeing Magri do 3 debuts in 3 months.

Jun & Richardson as Benno in SL, both excellent in different ways: Jun technically & Richardson acting-wise.

Seeing Boswell, who I've been keeping a look out for since seeing him in The Cunning Little Vixen when he was still a student, get his first big solo role in Month in the Country.

Morera & Muntagirov in Month in the Country.

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For me:

Nuñez and Muntagirov in the classical roles - they seem to further exceed their own very high standards every season. Highlights for me this time were Giselle and Swan Lake. Nuñez's musicality in the latter was breathtaking! 

Really enjoyed seeing Sarah Lamb in a wide range of roles - thought she was particularly good in Dante Project, Giselle and Romeo and Juliet. 

So many wonderful performances in Romeo and Juliet - my other highlights in the leads were the return of McRae, the heartbreaking Sambé and O'Sullivan, and absolutely breathtaking performances from Nuñez and Hamilton, both benefitting from Ferri's teaching. 

I enjoyed the continued progress of the wonderful Isabella Gasparini in a wide range of roles, great to see her get cinema casting as Clara in Nutcracker and one of the sisters in Swan Lake. Also a fantastic Zulme and most recently enjoyed her Chencha. 

Great to see world premieres of Dante Project and Like water for chocolate - opinions seen a little mixed but I loved them both! 

And also loved the chance to see both casts in Solo Echo - one of my favourite modern pieces. 

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27 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

My first ever live Swan Lake being Kaneko's debut & Bonelli's farewell. I don't think I could have found a more memorable first performance to see if I'd tried for years!

Wow what a first live  Swan Lake for you, Dawnstar!

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Romeo and Juliet - Bracewell and Kaneko - just divine! - I loved every second and felt quite emotional at the end. As I was with my husband for the performances, I managed to stifle my tears! I adore Bracewell's dancing, but Fumi has really developed as an artist. She has always been, in my opinion, a technically brilliant dancer but her lyricism and her ability to emote has really meant that, for me, she is a beautiful dancer who has it all!

 

Nutcracker - Nunez and Muntagirov - I just love these two and they never disappoint me. Nunez is an icon and her grace and musicality always touch my heart. She is just beautiful in every way. 

 

Swan Lake - two pairings, twice for the latter- Bracewell and Hayward, Bracewell and Cuthbertson. William Bracewell has just captivated me this year (and previously, to be fair). He is such a lyrical and musical performer - those arms and the fluidity of his dancing are just a joy to watch. I was thrilled that he finally has been promoted to principal! Cuthbertson was just the best I have seen her! I had never seen her in Swan Lake and I was so impressed. She dazzled and in her 20th year. What an achievement.

 

The Ashton triple bill. Never seen these at a live performance before. My favourite of the three was Rhapsody - Rob Clark, wow, he was amazing on the piano, I loved every second of his performance. I loved Stephen McRrae - he had so much fire and was technically superb after returning from injury - bravo!  I loved Yasmine Naghidi in Scenes de ballet. Though I didn't love the ballet itself (it was interesting and I'd see it again, but wasn't a favourite) I loved Yasmine - she is an elegant dancer. I will endeavour to watch more of her performances next season. 

 

Laura Morera. What a beautiful dancer. Her characterisations are brilliant!

 

Overall, I have enjoyed this season more than any other. The Corps has been outstanding too. There is a wealth of talent which bodes well for the future.

 

I can't wait for the next season to begin! :) 

 

 

Edited by Linnzi5
typo!
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What a fun thread .Thanks
 My standout dancers of the season were Fumi K and William B So their R and J was my favourite performance ,moving, joyful and elegant perfection . Both were great in Swan Lake, Fumi and Federico! How could you better that for so many reasons. Then William and Lauren became the tragic ,beautiful and doomed pair.

I so loved Laura Morera in Month, and the triple bill was a gorgeous evening.

Hoping for more beauty next season.

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Reading all the comments makes me regret how much I missed the Kaneko/Bracewell Romeo and Juliet! I hope they are cast together in it next time round (and in future productions across the 22/23 season!)

Edited by JNC
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My highlights:

 

First trip of the season,  seeing  Fumi Kaneko and William Bracewell in Romeo and Juliet - a tremendous partnership!

Akane Takada as Giselle (having missed seeing her in 2018). 

Fumi Kaneko's Debut and Federico Bonelli's Farewell  in Swan Lake -  THE night of the season.

The Ashton Triple - once again, more Ashton please!

Claire Calvert's Debut in Swan Lake  - finally!

Finishing the season on a great high: Akane Takada as Tita in Like Water for Chocolate (enchanting and  back to her best after injuries interrupted most of her season), along with Alex Campbell as Pedro.

 

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@Richard LH

 

SNAP - you’ve saved me the trouble 💯 agree with your highlights, ALL of them.  
 

I’d only add …

- my delight to see Mayara & Calvin’s double debut in R&J

- also Annette Buvoli’s commanding Myrtha

- I’ll never forget the stunned silence from the audience after a mesmerising R&J from Yasmine Naghdi & Alex Campbell. 

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For me an overwhelming feeling is joy for JUST being there ... I realised during the lockdowns and loss of live performances how much I had taken for granted that whenever I wanted I could go. And then I couldn't. So the minute I could - concerts, ballet, theatre ... and chief amongst it, ballet all. To be back in a packed amphi hearing that huge sound and the anticipation as the lights go down helped me to put a lot of the stresses and disappointments of the last two years behind me. 

 

In terms of performances, I have truly enjoyed William Bracewell so much, in all his performances, but yes - those R and Js and Swan Lakes. Well, touched my heart and my soul.

 

Nutcracker always gets me - the transformation and the snow scenes make me cry every single time. And Giselle - a beautiful pairing of Nunez and Muntagirov. Bracewell in the pas de six that night was an unexpected bonus - i love the way he interacts with everyone on stage. I have really noticed that from everyone in the company, actually, no one is ever sitting there waiting to go and do their bit, they are all acting their parts even if just bystanders. 

 

As has been said, the company is in such a good place - it felt so full of the same joy, just to be there, and the corps deserves great praise - the swans did seem to be one body.

 

It has also been a huge pleasure to join this forum and see everyone's passion and read their opinions. 

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Fumi Kaneko as Odile - I had always assumed Fumi would be perfect as Odette, but was not so sure about her Odile when I bought my ticket. I was so wrong. I could not believe it was her debut performance.

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  • Osipova's Giselle - still continuing to evolve with the role, even after all these years of sublime performances
  • Ed Watson's farewell
  • Osipova/Bracewell in Month - Bracewell made Beliaev so fresh and real
  • Kaneko/Bonelli in Swan Lake - truly emotional
  • Cuthbertson/Bracewell in Swan Lake - the best I've ever seen Lauren dance, I was blown away!
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On 19/06/2022 at 12:28, zxDaveM said:

Yasmine Naghdi always manages to add a little something to every role she does (to my eyes anyway), so most of my highlights are when she was dancing. So her characterisations as Juliet, Giselle, Odette/Odile; and her dazzling, elegant technique as Sugar Plum, and in especially in Scenes de Ballet. Always the first I book, and probably the reason I still want to go to ROH

I completely agree with all of the above re Yasmine, when it comes to booking she is always my first choice as well.  Her Giselle with Matthew Ball was outstanding and an  absolute highlight of the season for me.

 

I wouldn't have missed Fumi Kaneko's debut in Swan Lake either, one of the best performances of Odette/Odile that I can remember and an astonishing debut.  I am kicking myself that I didn't book to see her R&J with William Bracewell!

 

I loved the inspired Ashton Triple Bill, especially for a rare chance to see Scenes de Ballet performed and also the touching pairing of Laura Morera and Vadim Muntagirov in Month in the Country.  It is a shame it didn't run for longer as I would have liked to see all the casts and it wasn't possible within the 10 or so days it was on.

 

The corps de ballet has been a joy to watch at every performance, particularly in Giselle, though their Swan Lake ran it close!  Leticia Dias and Leo Dixon stood out for me in many performances but I was also impressed by many of the other younger dancers and the character artists.  Congratulations to all the company on such a successful full return to the stage.

 

Thanks to all for the contributions to this forum and to those who run it.  For those of us who can't make it to as many performances, the reviews and discussions are very informative and much appreciated.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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First of all, I've really enjoyed reading everyone else's posts. It's brought back so many happy memories.  For me, I think this has been the best season ever for two reasons. First, because COVID lockdowns have made me realise how precious it is to be able to go to the ROH and see these amazing dancers.  Second, because the dancers - and that's all the dancers - have been fantastic. The standard of performance is now mind blowing and very inspirational.   

 

Top, top, top for me are: 

Fumi Kaneko and William Bracewell in Romeo and Juliet, which I had the privilege to see 3 times (inc. rehearsal).   Mind blowingly marvellous in every way.

Laura Morera and Federico Bonelli in Giselle.  The strength and depth of their performance and the emotion they brought was breathtaking.   

The Swan Lake for Ukraine - what an evening, what a performance!

 

Then, in no particular order because I'm unable to choose: 

I loved seeing all the different interpretations of R&J, Giselle, Swan Lake.  All the different partnerships, the brilliance of their dancing and the bringing in of more junior members to play the important secondary roles. What depth of talent there is now. 

Fumi Kaneko and Will Bracewell in anything really. I see I am not alone in my adulation of these 2 dancers. 

The Ashton Triple Bill - more, more more please! 

Gary Avis in all his various character parts. His VR was chilling, his Tybalt was so finely crafted and his Duke of Courland in Giselle, a delight. ......and then there's Drosselmeyer, where he is unparalleled.   

Special mention for Claire Calvert in Swan Lake. What an evening. You could feel the love!

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Great thread :) 

 

My highlights were

Natalia Osipova in Giselle, my favourite Giselle I was so happy to see her in the role again

Mayara Magri as Myrtha...amazing

Francesca Hayward's Sugar Plum Fairy...very special

The Ashton triple esp Corrales and Hayward in Rhapsody

Like Water for chocolate- Nagdhi/Corrales loved their chemistry and the passionate ending- wow.  And Meaghan Grace Hinkis' Gertrudis, she danced the part with so much joy I loved it.

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So prior to this season I hadn’t seen a ballet at ROH in 30 years so every experience at our wonderful ROH has been amazing, but a few moments stand out:

 

Akane Tadaka as Giselle - first ballet I’ve seen at ROH in 30 years. I almost wept when Akane’s Giselle found out Albrecht was engaged - she conveyed so much heartbreak in that moment.

 

Nutcracker matinee on 4th December - can’t remember who the cast were but I saw the Nutcracker four times this season and it was this cast that amazed me.
 

Nunez as Juliet and Odette/Odile - next level amazing.

 

Vadim in Swan lake.

 

Nagdhi/Corrales in LWFC and Hinkis as Gertrudis 

 

Caesar Corrales in Rhapsody on 23rd April - jaw dropping. 
 

I also saw Joonhyuk Jun and Reece Clark and they were breathtaking - can’t for the life of me remember in what though??? Note to self: must keep a diary next season.
 

A wonderful season. It’s safe to say I’m hooked 😁

Edited by Angela Essex
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