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Royal Ballet's The Nutcracker, Winter 2022/3


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2 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

Thanks @MJW. I was looking at the ROH's Youtube earlier, having seen on the website that this was happening & hoping it was going to be livestreamed, but I couldn't find it then.

 

They don't make it easy to find !

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Really enjoyable Insight! Gary Avis rehearsing Hans Peter's mime with Leo Dixon, Christopher Powney and 2 White Lodgers talking about participating in The Nutcracker, and Isabel McMeekan rehearsing Leticia Dias and Calvin Richardson in the big pas de deux. All were brilliant, including presentation by Kate Shipway and Rob Clark on the piano.

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Really good watching Gary Avis explain some of the staging challenges and the mime aspects, it's always so informative listening to him.  Also how is he 52?  He looks so good for his age and has such expressive eyes.  I'm convinced ballet dancers have Dorian Grey portraits in their attics.  

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4 minutes ago, Tango Dancer said:

Really good watching Gary Avis explain some of the staging challenges and the mime aspects, it's always so informative listening to him.  Also how is he 52?  He looks so good for his age and has such expressive eyes.  I'm convinced ballet dancers have Dorian Grey portraits in their attics.  

 

Yes, he was terrific as usual. I noticed he got positive whoops of welcome from the audience when he came on. What a rock star!

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Really enjoyed this evening and wonderful to see Leo Dixon, Leticia Dias and Calvin Richardson prep their roles having watched them come up the ranks. Adore the grand pas de deux, I find the score incredibly emotive and love the choreography. It was special to see the rehearsal detail (in the studio!) which enables the dancers to really make the most of every moment of the music.

Gary Avis was brilliant giving the detail behind every single word of the mime - I  thought I knew a lot but definitely learnt something tonight  and he is such a lovely coach. Plus thrilled we got to see Leo Dixon leaping around the studio at the end of his section!
 

Was also lovely to see Kate Shipway presenting - hope we see her infront of the camera again.

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I really enjoyed this! Richardson and Dias make a lovely couple and I enjoyed  their pas de deux (it's one of my favourites). I thought they looked very accomplished for such young dancers The other segments were great too - ballet school segment was wonderful. Gary Avis has such a likeable quality snd I always enjoy watching him teach. Kate Shipway did a great job presenting - her knowledge really showed and she comes across as a genuine and enthusiastic person. I'd love to see even more of these insights.

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Can anyone more knowledgeable comment on the origins of the choreography of the grand pas de deux specifically? I particularly enjoy Sir Peter Wright’s choreography which works so well with the swells of the music. I know that Wayne Eagling’s choreography (after SPW) is quite similar but Russian versions are from memory rather different.

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Okay you got me going now Blossom!!

Apparently 90 percent of choreography for the Royals Nutcracker is Peter Wright but the Grand pas de deux is Lez Ivanov who was a younger colleague of Petipa so maybe they worked on it together or Petipa is more the overall Producer/Director in the Nutcracker but not all the choreography was his in  the original. 
When I’ve see different productions of Nutcracker the actual Grand Pas have seemed to be pretty similar with maybe minor alterations here and there both in the pas de deux and individual sections. Sugar Plum’s dance especially is pretty iconic it seems! 

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I think most choreographers tweak the GPDD.

 

Years ago as a newbie ballet watcher I think part of an LFB/ENB rehearsal was shown in a TV programme (the Peter Schaufuss production) and that was supposed to be the closest to the original choreography.

 

LinMM, Ivanov was a known choreographic partner of Marius Petipa (wasn't he responsible for most of Act 2 of Swan Lake?).

 

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1 hour ago, LinMM said:

Okay you got me going now Blossom!!

Apparently 90 percent of choreography for the Royals Nutcracker is Peter Wright but the Grand pas de deux is Lez Ivanov who was a younger colleague of Petipa so maybe they worked on it together or Petipa is more the overall Producer/Director in the Nutcracker but not all the choreography was his in  the original. 
When I’ve see different productions of Nutcracker the actual Grand Pas have seemed to be pretty similar with maybe minor alterations here and there both in the pas de deux and individual sections. Sugar Plum’s dance especially is pretty iconic it seems! 

Thank you! 

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I have just watched this insight and loved it.  I think that all three dancers featured are principals-in-waiting, and a lovely partnership between Calvin and Leticia could be developed.  I love the way she uses her eyes, and she is very musical.  He is a real romantic 'prince consort'.  Would love to see them do R&J together one day.  I would also love to see her promoted to First Soloist at the end of this season.

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I enjoyed most of the Insight last night but was I the only person who wanted to hit my screen when at the end we were exhorted to come & support Dias & Richardson in their debuts next week. I would really love to do so but it's a Schools Matinee so we definitely can't!

 

I've just picked up a pair of Friday rush tickets for next Wednesday, in order to see Madison Bailey as Clara. Each time I've got rush tickets before they've been the same price as the advanced sale tickets in the same area so I was expecting them to be £64 each but they were only £48. So that was a pleasant surprise but I hope I now don't get an email/phone call from the ROH saying the price was a mistake & I owe them money!

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4 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

I enjoyed most of the Insight last night but was I the only person who wanted to hit my screen when at the end we were exhorted to come & support Dias & Richardson in their debuts next week. I would really love to do so but it's a Schools Matinee so we definitely can't!

 

 

Yes, sometimes they don't seem to know the situation very well - urging us to come to sold out shows, or in this case, a Schools matinee. Could do with some 'world class joined-up thinking'

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42 minutes ago, zxDaveM said:

 

Yes, sometimes they don't seem to know the situation very well - urging us to come to sold out shows, or in this case, a Schools matinee. Could do with some 'world class joined-up thinking'


However, Kate Shipway was (for me) a very good presenter, better informed than most others and with a warm, friendly manner.

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57 minutes ago, capybara said:


However, Kate Shipway was (for me) a very good presenter, better informed than most others and with a warm, friendly manner.

 

Yes, and I think it was actually Isabel McMeekan who encouraged people to go next Wednesday.

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I too was disappointed not to see Joe Sissens at the Insight last night, but then I saw his excited IG post saying it was his first rehearsal on the main stage for the Grand pas.

Really looking forward to seeing him on 29th December with Akane!

Edited by cackles
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28 minutes ago, cackles said:

I too was disappointed not to see Joe Sissens at the Insight last night, but then I saw his excited IG post saying it was his first rehearsal on the main stage for the Grand pas.

Really looking forward to seeing him on 29th December with Akane!


Unfortunately I'm not able to see him - would love to hear how it goes. I can imagine he will be brilliant, with Akane as well of course, sad that she missed it last year.

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Have advertised ticket for Monday's Friend Rehearsal if anyone's interested, a long way up but only £15. Have a lot of work on so really shouldn't be nipping off to the ballet... though I suppose if it doesn't sell I'll have to! 

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