Candleque Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 On 07/01/2024 at 20:14, Emeralds said: Hey RB, why not invite Twyla Tharp back to choreograph new work? This. Am also a mega Mark Morris fan. All the musicality missing from McGregor (imo) and more. And I'd love to see the RB reach out to Arielle Smith. Would be great to see what she'd do on the big ROH stage. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 Just received this news about the Fedtival of New Choreography We are looking forward to welcoming you to The Royal Ballet’s upcoming Festival of New Choreography. We have a wonderful range of events taking place across different parts of the Royal Opera House that champion new and diverse voices in dance. Please be aware that due to programming changes, we have reviewed the pricing for our New Works production. You will be refunded accordingly. Please keep reading for more information. PROGRAMMING CHANGES Part of the Festival includes New Works, a mixed programme of world premieres on the Main Stage. One of the works scheduled for inclusion is by Joseph Toonga who undertakes this Season’s choreographic residency with The Royal Ballet. Due to dancer injuries in his cast, it has not been possible for the work to be completed and the decision has been taken to postpone his creation until next Season. The programme will continue with Main Stage choreographic debuts from Gemma Bond, Jessica Lang, Mthuthuzeli November and First Artist Joshua Junker. Our Festival Insight on 5 February will still involve Joseph reflecting on his creation process working with The Royal Ballet. PRICING CHANGES We have lowered prices for this slightly shortened New Worksprogramme on the Main Stage and are therefore now contacting you as a ticket holder to refund the difference in price. Please allow the Box Office until Friday 19 January to process this refund which will be made as a credit via your original method of payment. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 I've received this too. To be perfectly honest, I'm delighted that I don't have to watch another work by Joseph Toonga (though I find it difficult to believe that any injured dancers couldn't be replaced by any other dancers in the company, given his style of dance). However I'm also somewhat dismayed to hear that it's only a postponement to next season, implying that his involvement with the company will continue for at least another season. So it sounds as if there will only be four works on the programme, and it will presumably be pretty short, hence the refund. It's rather disturbing that it seems to be so difficult to find new works worthy of being on the main stage in what is billed as a 'festival' of new choreography. But there you go. At least I'll get home earlier than usual. Apologies for this churlish post. I found the email rather irritating on a number of counts (as you can no doubt tell!). 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 It does seem strange that they are struggling to find anything else to fill the gap. Why is that? Surely the company is bursting with talent? It is sad to see the state of ticket sales- very poor . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scheherezade Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 1 hour ago, Candleque said: And I'd love to see the RB reach out to Arielle Smith. Would be great to see what she'd do on the big ROH stage. I would also love to see Arielle Smith work with the RB. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Perregrino Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 (edited) 1 hour ago, Rob S said: Due to dancer injuries in his cast i wonder who as one might have presumed that an alternative cast is being rehearsed at the same time. Edited January 9 by PeterS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 On 07/01/2024 at 20:14, Emeralds said: Hey RB, why not invite Twyla Tharp back to choreograph new work? She has created gorgeous pieces for RB and the dancers are thrilled and inspired when working with her. Or why not revive The Illustrated Farewell along with a rarely seen Ashton piece and give Benjamin Ella a commission and Valentino Zucchetti another one. I don't know much about Tharp. The only thing I have seen by her is Mr Wordly Wise. Was it 2 acts or 3? If it had a third act I can remember nothing about it. I enjoyed Act 2, but nearly left the theatre after Act 1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 1 hour ago, Scheherezade said: I would also love to see Arielle Smith work with the RB. And me! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 What has she done- is there anything on youtube? I can't seem to find much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 4 minutes ago, Mary said: What has she done- is there anything on youtube? I can't seem to find much. I’m embarrassed to say that I have never heard of her! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 (edited) 25 minutes ago, Mary said: What has she done- is there anything on youtube? I can't seem to find much. The amazing (Olivier award winning) Jolly Folly for ENB which was a ray of sunshine as we came out of Covid - or it might have been in an 'out of lockdown for a moment' mixed bill by ENB. I remember being at Sadlers Wells, masked up and spaced out. She also had the opportunity to work with Matthew Bourne and is credited on his Romeo and Juliet. Edited January 9 by Blossom added Jolly Folly trailer link 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 2 hours ago, bridiem said: I've received this too. To be perfectly honest, I'm delighted that I don't have to watch another work by Joseph Toonga (though I find it difficult to believe that any injured dancers couldn't be replaced by any other dancers in the company, given his style of dance). However I'm also somewhat dismayed to hear that it's only a postponement to next season, implying that his involvement with the company will continue for at least another season. So it sounds as if there will only be four works on the programme, and it will presumably be pretty short, hence the refund. It's rather disturbing that it seems to be so difficult to find new works worthy of being on the main stage in what is billed as a 'festival' of new choreography. But there you go. At least I'll get home earlier than usual. Apologies for this churlish post. I found the email rather irritating on a number of counts (as you can no doubt tell!). I feel exactly the same @bridiem, including your sentiment about any further extension of Mr Tonga’s tenure with the RB. I was half hoping to be able to discern from his latest work whether this privileged association had enabled him to develop as a choreographer, but I guess I know the answer. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 Arielle Smith has been commissioned to produce a work for London City Ballet: https://londoncityballet.com/company/about/ 5 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynette H Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 Arielle Smith is creating a new Carmen for San Francisco Ballet, to premiere this spring. https://www.sfballet.org/discover/backstage/inside-carmen-with-choreographer-arielle-smith/ Do have a look at Jolly Folly - it's a hoot. 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scheherezade Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 9 minutes ago, Lynette H said: Arielle Smith is creating a new Carmen for San Francisco Ballet, to premiere this spring. https://www.sfballet.org/discover/backstage/inside-carmen-with-choreographer-arielle-smith/ Do have a look at Jolly Folly - it's a hoot. It is indeed. Uplifting, refreshing, totally feel-good. Everything, in fact, that the current RB commissions are not. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JNC Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 I’ll await the full season announcement to come probably not for a few months still (May?) but I sense this sets the tone for the rest. I hope I’m proved wrong (although would love to save some money) but getting fed up of RB preaching about no money then investing in big three act works that aren’t even ballet (or at least certainly not classical)! Surely they could cut costs by doing a year of purely revivals. Of course you have to invest in new work but I would like to think the minimum requirement is that it’s ballet… 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnePigeon Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 I would hazard a guess that the Arts Council would prefer anything that isn’t really ballet, especially not anything traditional or classical and I wonder if this may explain some of the appointments given to people without any actual ballet background. I would imagine the chances of the RB being allowed to do a year of revivals would be nigh on impossible and very much against their Arts Council funding remit. The AC are obsessed with organisations finding young new audiences, forced innovation at all costs, levelling up and eschewing anything that might be perceived as elitist - even when what is being offered isn’t actually innovative, commercially sensible or desirable for the vast swathe of audience members, but these are the times we live in. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 (edited) 6 hours ago, Fonty said: I don't know much about Tharp. The only thing I have seen by her is Mr Wordly Wise. Was it 2 acts or 3? If it had a third act I can remember nothing about it. I enjoyed Act 2, but nearly left the theatre after Act 1. Act 2 is the best and I would revive just that on its own as a plotless work like eg Symphonic Variations (if Tharp doesn't mind her ballet being edited like that). I think Acts 1 and 3 could be promising after adjustments and revisions -Balanchine used to adjust or revise his ballets a lot instead of just discarding the unsuccessful ones. Her second RB ballet, called The Illustrated 'Farewell' (based on Haydn's work with that nickname) was a one-act ballet and very beautiful; Steven McRae and Sarah Lamb clearly enjoyed working on it - it was glorious and classical. Edited January 10 by Emeralds 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 10 hours ago, Emeralds said: Act 2 is the best and I would revive just that on its own as a plotless work like eg Symphonic Variations (if Tharp doesn't mind her ballet being edited like that). I think Acts 1 and 3 could be promising after adjustments and revisions -Balanchine used to adjust or revise his ballets a lot instead of just discarding the unsuccessful ones. I went away and looked at Mr WW again, and I agree that the second act could make a great inclusion in a triple bill of some sort. I think it would work fine as a plotless work, especially as they are very unlikely to put on the whole thing on again. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 Act II was about the only thing I liked about it. It was last on during the closure period, when the RB were at Sadler's Wells, wasn't it? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 2 hours ago, alison said: Act II was about the only thing I liked about it. It was last on during the closure period, when the RB were at Sadler's Wells, wasn't it? I'm afraid I didn't manage to watch it at Sadler's Wells but the ROH Collections Database does indeed confirm a run of the full ballet there in 1998, and an excerpt with just Mukhamedov dancing the title role in the Opening Gala performances in 1999. I agree re: Act 2! It's funny but I thought Act 2 had nicer choreography for the unnamed roles than the choreography for the three named lead characters in the rest of the ballet. Maybe a bit of tweaking would help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 In the article in today's Links on the Festival of New Choreography I see it says "including with Joseph Toonga who undertakes this Season's Royal Ballet Choreographic Residency and will have a new work featured on the Main Stage next Season." My heart sank upon reading it. At this rate next season is going to be entirely made up of either modern works I don't want to see and classics that I can't afford to get tickets to see! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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