ROYAL BALLET TRIPLE (McGregor/Wheeldon/MacMillan)

[JohnS]

I’m sure Anna does appear at the start of Act 1 but it is brief and it would help if it were more explicit (and reiterated at the start of Act 2). I think this was discussed in the 2016 Anastasia thread.

[alison]

I had the opportunity to see her in that triple bill, but had only just started my balletgoing journey back then, and hadn't really got past the concept of three-acters.

[Vanartus]

2 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

IIRC, when LFB/ENB performed Anastasia Act 3, Anna was danced by both Lynn Seymour and Trinidad Sevillano.  

 

I was not a ballet watcher during Lynn Seymour's stellar career but I did see her as Tatiana in Onegin (I can still well up thinking about her), in Peter Schauffus production of Nutcracker for LFB/ENB (sadly looking very out of shape in the grand pdd (the Sugar Plum solo was not performed when I saw it) and as Lowry's Mother in A Simple Man.

I moved down to London in 1976 to do my PGCE at Goldsmiths. I was really lucky to catch her last years with the Royal. I saw her in Sleeping Beauty, Manon, Mayerling, Dances at a Gathering, Gloriana, Voluntaries and a John Neumeier work - Third Symphony which didn’t stay in the rep. Oh and The Concert! I was incredibly privileged to see her in so many roles.

Edited June 19, 2023 by Vanartus
Missing word

[Missfrankiecat]

3 hours ago, Emeralds said:

I see it as Franziska/Anna hallucinating and confabulating about Anastasia’s life as part of her mental state. It definitely doesn’t follow the traditional story ballet arc of this happens to X, this happens to X next, then this happens to X last. It’s more like this happens to X, this happens to X and she dies, Y thinks about X.  

 

I did wonder about the facts vs the ballet when I saw it at the run in 2016, as the DNA evidence not only proving she wasn’t related to the Romanovs, but proving she was related to her family, the Schanzkowskis, was now available....but it worked for us when my friend (who actually lived in Germany at the time Anna Anderson/Franziska was in the news!) and I saw it. We discussed the history and the facts, and she was fine with it in the same ballet, and in fact thought it was creative and inspired to keep it in.

 

It does make sense as a storyline that one family’s tragedy could be depicted in the hallucinations of another. Hallucinations and delusions about being related to famous people (married to is a common one) is not uncommon in psychiatry. Thankfully, MacMillan didn’t put anything in the ballet that assumes that she is actually Anastasia, so I think the ballet still works. Some might find it uncomfortable or just strange and not want to watch the ballet. I’m ok with that too. But I personally wouldn’t choose to watch Act 3 on its own. Well, maybe if there was some rare Ashton or Bournonville on the same bill, yes...

 

In a way, I find watching Anastasia as a drama,( so I'm not reflecting on the technical content), now, when we know the central character is not really Anastasia is, if anything, more potent than when her actual identity was an open question.  It has been usual to see Anna Anderson as either a complicit deceiver or as a madwoman but in current times when factually inaccurate beliefs about personal identity are no longer regarded as necessarily dishonest or delusional - indeed are encouraged as the person's own 'truth' which must be adopted by others, who are the really delusional in Anna's story?

[maryrosesatonapin]

23 hours ago, Ondine said:

 

Actually Carmen Herrera's life / work background is very interesting, and I believe she was denied exhibitions simply because she was a woman (and Cuban).

 

I very much like her work, it is now in major collections.

 

I appreciate Wiki isn't the greatest of sources, but it's accessible and gives some indication of her history and the philosophy underpinning her paintings / sculptural works. Other sources are available, several have been posted here.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmen_Herrera

 

Herrera was not broadly recognized or appreciated for decades, though she sold her first piece of art at age 19

 

I was going on the information in the programme, which suggests otherwise.

[Vanartus]

6 hours ago, Vanartus said:

I moved down to London in 1976 to do my PGCE at Goldsmiths. I was really lucky to catch her last years with the Royal. I saw her in Sleeping Beauty, Manon, Mayerling, Dances at a Gathering, Gloriana, Voluntaries and a John Neumeier work - Third Symphony which didn’t stay in the rep. Oh and The Concert! I was incredibly privileged to see her in so many roles.

…oh and Month in a Country! How could I forget?

[LinMM]

Loved her in that…I was lucky enough to see the very first performance of this ballet! 

[Emeralds]

On 19/06/2023 at 23:34, LinMM said:

Loved her in that…I was lucky enough to see the very first performance of this ballet! 

Envious but very pleased for you, LinMM! What a stunning performance that must have been!

[capybara]

STOP IT, please 😊😉😊

I understand that it is other dancers being spoken of here but my envy of Japanese audiences seeing Laura bid her last farewell in Month with Vadim is already at bursting point!

[FionaM]

3 minutes ago, capybara said:

STOP IT, please 😊😉😊

I understand that it is other dancers being spoken of here but my envy of Japanese audiences seeing Laura bid her last farewell in Month with Vadim is already at bursting point!

I feel your pain!   I was so disappointed in the ghastly Anastasia Act 3.  
 

Soooooo envious of ALL the lovely programmes and casts that Japanese audiences are getting.  

[Emeralds]

Sorry ladies.... you know,  I absolutely didn’t make the jump from Lynn to Laura at all! Just thought we’d moved on to 1976 and Seymour & Dowell! Here’s some soothing tea to help ease the pain....☕️☕️

 

Don’t suppose you two want to fly there to watch the show, @capybara and @FionaE? There may be last minute discounts on flights and hotels, nice little city break holiday?  I think courier companies like DHL, etc do big ticket discounts if you sign up to carry a letter or some post for them. It’s legal and safe- a friend did it at college, but a long time ago though. Also, I don’t know if the show has tickets left? 

 

I think they really are going to have to ask Laura to make a comeback and do Marguerite or Woolf Works....preferably both! I must say I’m puzzled she wasn’t cast as Marguerite in the last run.

[FionaM]

@Emeralds fully sold out (no surprise)

 

https://sell.pia.jp/inbound/selectTicket.php?eventCd=2243158&rlsCd=002&langCd=eng

[Emeralds]

16 minutes ago, FionaE said:

@Emeralds fully sold out (no surprise)

 

https://sell.pia.jp/inbound/selectTicket.php?eventCd=2243158&rlsCd=002&langCd=eng

I agree, no surprise there! 

 

Time for everyone to start writing in to ask Kevin if he can invite Morera to do Marguerite or Mrs Dalloway/Virginia Woolf soon. Or both. 😁

 

I think that would be a cheaper and quicker solution than creating a new full length Much Ado About Nothing.....but haven’t ruled it out in the long term! (Plus I’d really like to see Morera and Campbell team up again, as well as Muntagirov and Campbell on stage together as best friends. The extract for the two men in Within the Golden Hour springs to mind!).Finally....I didn’t see these performances but I read about them in Dance Magazine- didn’t Antoinette Sibley keep dancing A Month in the Country till age 48-49? Could make a comeback in that too. 😊

[Jamesrhblack]

18 hours ago, Emeralds said:

I agree, no surprise there! 

 

Time for everyone to start writing in to ask Kevin if he can invite Morera to do Marguerite or Mrs Dalloway/Virginia Woolf soon. Or both. 😁

 

I think that would be a cheaper and quicker solution than creating a new full length Much Ado About Nothing.....but haven’t ruled it out in the long term! (Plus I’d really like to see Morera and Campbell team up again, as well as Muntagirov and Campbell on stage together as best friends. The extract for the two men in Within the Golden Hour springs to mind!).Finally....I didn’t see these performances but I read about them in Dance Magazine- didn’t Antoinette Sibley keep dancing A Month in the Country till age 48-49? Could make a comeback in that too. 😊

 

Yes, Antoniette Sibley danced Natalia until 1988 by which time she was 49. Her last performance was on 22 November with Anthony Dowell, although according to the biography I read she had intended to give a further performance on tour which didn’t materialise so she had stopped without necessarily realising that she had done so.

[Fonty]

May I say that I think it is tragic that the original thread expressing our appreciation for Laura Morera has had to be locked off because of unseemly bickering by some users regarding the way in which the forum is run?  This seems a dreadful way to finish a thread about a wonderful dancer with so many years of loyal service to the Royal Ballet under her belt.  

I am not criticising the Mods for locking it, btw, under the circumstances I appreciate fully their decision to do so.  But it doesn't stop me being sad about it.  

Edited to add I did think about starting a new topic on this subject, but decided against it in case some people objected to my use of the term "unseemly bickering....."

Edited June 24, 2023 by Fonty

[Balletbloke]

On 23/06/2023 at 15:19, Emeralds said:

Sorry ladies.... you know,  I absolutely didn’t make the jump from Lynn to Laura at all! Just thought we’d moved on to 1976 and Seymour & Dowell! Here’s some soothing tea to help ease the pain....☕️☕️

 

Don’t suppose you two want to fly there to watch the show, @capybara and @FionaE? There may be last minute discounts on flights and hotels, nice little city break holiday?  I think courier companies like DHL, etc do big ticket discounts if you sign up to carry a letter or some post for them. It’s legal and safe- a friend did it at college, but a long time ago though. Also, I don’t know if the show has tickets left? 

 

I think they really are going to have to ask Laura to make a comeback and do Marguerite or Woolf Works....preferably both! I must say I’m puzzled she wasn’t cast as Marguerite in the last run.

I used to do courier flights, but that was before the delivery companies had their own fleets of aircraft, so I'm pretty sure that's not an option any more.

[BalletcoForum Moderators]

17 hours ago, Fonty said:

May I say that I think it is tragic that the original thread expressing our appreciation for Laura Morera has had to be locked off because of unseemly bickering by some users regarding the way in which the forum is run?  This seems a dreadful way to finish a thread about a wonderful dancer with so many years of loyal service to the Royal Ballet under her belt.  

I am not criticising the Mods for locking it, btw, under the circumstances I appreciate fully their decision to do so.  But it doesn't stop me being sad about it.  

Edited to add I did think about starting a new topic on this subject, but decided against it in case some people objected to my use of the term "unseemly bickering....."

That thread has now been unlocked, Fonty, so if anyone is fortunate enough to be seeing Ms Morera perform in Japan (or if anyone simply wishes to add memories of, or appreciation for her) they can add to the thread.  
 

We have hidden all of the off-topic posts, and would ask that the thread remains on-topic so it can stay unlocked.

 

Many thanks,

Balletcoforum Moderators

[Fonty]

Thanks very much, Moderators.  

 

I look forward to reading further comments about the wonderful Morera.  

[JohnS]

Very pleased to see the thread unlocked and many thanks to whoever has done the tidying.

 

Thanks also to @Rob S for his explanation about the photo of Laura’s audience bouquets. For Laura’s final London performance I think just one bouquet was presented before the procession of male Principals and partners over the years. So I’d been struggling with Rob’s photo and the number of bouquets … although I had thought one of them looked familiar.

 

I’d been meaning to say how wonderful it was to see Laura at the stage door after her final performance. Quite a crowd including a number of Royal Ballet School students. Laura had a stash of signed photos - that fabulous Giselle curtain call low bow taken from the stage which closes her recently streamed Insight interview. The photos were initially for all the students but there seemed to be sufficient for everyone and I was very pleased to have one. The photos also helped Laura have a few words with everyone leaving those offering their congratulations hugely satisfied and Laura able to rejoin the celebrations inside. Nothing seemed rushed with Laura happily happily posing for photos. Indeed as with her performances, Laura has so much time, commands the stage, and so engages audiences. 

[JohnS]

Apologies - I’d meant to put my post above on the unlocked Laura Morera thread. I’m afraid I hadn’t realised the unlocking comments were on this thread - too eager to get out and make the most of the fresher weather.