BALLETCO FORUM MEMBERS' OPPORTUNITY TO TELL US ABOUT THEIR 2022 BALLET-WATCHING YEAR

[AllAboutTheJourney]

What an interesting thread - thank you for sharing those thoughts and experiences!

 

I don't tend to post in this section really as I don't really feel expert enough but I am a fairly regular poster in Doing Dance (as I have children involved at various stages in the ballet world). I saw a couple of performances this year that haven't been mentioned above, however, so thought I would share some thoughts. 

 

In the summer I watched the opening night of Scottish Ballet's Coppelia, which premiered as part of the Edinburgh International Festival. This isn’t going to be for everyone but I absolutely loved it. It’s a very contemporary re-working of the original story and features live on-stage filming which is projected onto various screens at different points in the performance. I was in two minds about how it would work beforehand – whether it would be distracting etc – but it added a lot and was very cleverly done. Dr Coppelius was played by Bruno Micchiardi and his technique and sense of performance (of a fairly cocky Silicon Valley inventor) were both impressive. Constance Deverney-Lawrence was equally excellent as Swanhilda.  As I say, I am fairly sure many will not enjoy it (and will know that based on the trailer) but I would highly recommend catching it at Sadler’s Wells if it sounds like it might be up your street.

 

Onto the winter and I was able to attend another opening night at Scottish Ballet, this time to see their festive production of The Snow Queen in Edinburgh. To be honest I did not think I was a massive fan of this particular ballet, having first seen it a few years ago, though there are scenes within it that are really beautiful. It’s a perfect family festive treat though and a good introduction in many ways to ballet. The travelling circus in the first act is fun but the dancing gets better in the second act, especially in the beautifully staged travellers’ camp at dusk – all flowing skirts and powerful jumps. There is a beautiful snowy scene as Gerda travels to the Snow Queen’s palace – although the first night I saw it the snow did seem to cause a few issues for the dancers especially in their turns.

 

On opening night Gerda was played by Roseanna Leney (promoted on stage to principal later in the run) and Kai by Jerome Anthony Barnes. The Snow Queen was Constance Deverney-Lawrence, again, who really suits this particular role. I then saw it again in Glasgow between Christmas and New Year and I actually preferred the second cast to be honest, with Anna Williams (Artist) incredibly good as Gerda. I just felt that she brought something so youthful and expressive to the role and was moved by her dedication to finding her new fiancé despite the Snow Queen’s spell. Bethany Kingsley-Garner (not too long back from maternity leave) was a beautiful yet edgy Snow Queen and Bruno Micchiardi as Kai was, again, excellent. I would also highlight Thomas Edwards whose flair and technique, especially in the turns, as Ringmaster was spot on.

 

Something just worked better for me on the second viewing - maybe the cast, maybe the whole company had just settled into it the run. The production has grown on me for whatever reason. Full disclosure – I also had a parental interest in this particular ballet (hence seeing it twice!)

 

December turned out to be a very busy month for ballet as I then made my first visit to the ROH in years (the one and only time I had watched a performance there before was around 2007 and I had been given an excellent seat in the stalls to watch Sleeping Beauty when a colleague couldn’t make it at the last minute – sadly lost on me at the time as I was a new, work-obsessed graduate in the city and had not yet re-discovered my childhood love of ballet, preferring to spend my evenings in the office or in bars of East London rather than at Covent Garden… I am annoyed at myself to this day for not appreciating it!)

 

Anyway, a DM from a very kind forum member alerted to me to the fact that some standing tickets had been released for The Nutcracker on a night I was in London and so instead of hanging around in the cafe I was able to watch the first act before parental duties called me to the Stage Door. Wow – it’s just so beautiful and so festive and so wonderfully sparkly! I won’t add to the many lovely descriptions people have already written here other than to say I am hugely looking forward to watching the whole performance (and not just the first act) in the next few days. It was very hard to leave at the interval, though there was no other option this particular evening sadly.

 

I finished the year with a trip to Sadler’s Wells to see Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty. This was the first time I had seen a MB production and I thoroughly enjoyed it, though I think my tastes lie in a more classical vein ideally. It was a wonderful evening though and the woman who played Aurora in particular (apologies I can’t remember her name) was a stand-out to me. The (weird, slightly creepy!) baby was cleverly done and I’d love to see more of this company in the future (starting with their Nutcracker which I have set up on iplayer ready to go!).

 

So - not as many as most but at the moment my time (and money!) are more focussed on doing dance (through my children) than on watching dance. Hopefully in the future this will reverse somewhat... I currently find myself in London more than I used to so I'm hoping to join the ROH stalls circle standing crowd as and when I can in 2023 – what a fabulous view you get there for a remarkable price.