nycitybird Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 22 hours ago, lady emily said: I very much think he will be promoted at the end of the season. It feels a bit soon for me, especially considering how long Bracewell and Clarke were doing almost exclusively principal roles before being promoted. 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 6 minutes ago, nycitybird said: It feels a bit soon for me, especially considering how long Bracewell and Clarke were doing almost exclusively principal roles before being promoted. I agree. Calvin and Joe are both future principals, but not quite yet. A few more big roles, another year of experience. 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady emily Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 2 hours ago, nycitybird said: It feels a bit soon for me, especially considering how long Bracewell and Clarke were doing almost exclusively principal roles before being promoted. Oh I agree that it's soon. I just have a strong feeling that it's going to happen. They've been pushing him for awhile (not that I'm complaining!) Clarke seems like an exception to me. I remember I hadn't ever really even noticed him until they announced he was replacing Muntagirov in Onegin and promoted him to First Soloist on basically the same day in Jan. 2020. Then all of a sudden he was Osipova's exclusive partner. And then he was principal in 2022, with the pandemic starting in-between! He was dancing pretty much exclusively principal roles but had not been doing it for that long, or in too many full-length ballets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missfrankiecat Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 2 hours ago, Sim said: I agree. Calvin and Joe are both future principals, but not quite yet. A few more big roles, another year of experience. I really like them both - Joe has the more obvious charisma, hard not to watch but Calvin is a great actor with real range. Both really good technicians. How lucky to have both waiting in the wings for stardom! 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Well won’t make Cesars return tomorrow as not quite there yet with the coughing…can’t rely on not having a coughing fit before an interval break and Id be mortified to get a coughing fit at some really sensitive moment in the ballet which is nearly always when it does happen of course! Am looking forward to hearing some reports back on that performance in particular but of course all the others as well….seems ages until May 9th!! Happy viewing ( or should I say tearful viewing) to those going tonight when the new run opens. Bet the House will be buzzing! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Perregrino Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Tonight’s opening performance is…. SWAN LAKE The 1060th performance by The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 18 minutes ago, LinMM said: Well won’t make Cesars return tomorrow as not quite there yet with the coughing…can’t rely on not having a coughing fit before an interval break and Id be mortified to get a coughing fit at some really sensitive moment in the ballet which is nearly always when it does happen of course! Am looking forward to hearing some reports back on that performance in particular but of course all the others as well….seems ages until May 9th!! Happy viewing ( or should I say tearful viewing) to those going tonight when the new run opens. Bet the House will be buzzing! I'm so sorry to hear this, Lin. I do hope you feel better soon. x 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 1 hour ago, lady emily said: Clarke seems like an exception to me. I remember I hadn't ever really even noticed him until they announced he was replacing Muntagirov in Onegin and promoted him to First Soloist on basically the same day in Jan. 2020. Then all of a sudden he was Osipova's exclusive partner. And then he was principal in 2022, with the pandemic starting in-between! He was dancing pretty much exclusively principal roles but had not been doing it for that long, or in too many full-length ballets. Clarke had actually done the Nutcracker Prince, Prince Florimund, Aminta & Des Grieux, and would have done Romeo if he hadn't been injured, before he did Onegin, which is more lead roles in full length ballets than either Sissens or Richardson have yet done. I saw that the cast sheet for tonight's Swan Lake didn't go up on the ROH website until nearly 6pm. I hope that doesn't mean they have had to make any last minute cast changes due to injury or illness. (I'm not going to tonight but hope to see this cast later in the run.) 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Thanks so much Sim …I’m stoically resigned to it being Spring now before my ballet season opens this year! Am feeling a little chuffed at mo as got a ticket for Sarasota today ( via a friend Friend) so am not too disheartened and will definitely be looking forward to a dark brooding Cesar in The Winters Tale!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 (edited) 1 hour ago, lady emily said: Oh I agree that it's soon. I just have a strong feeling that it's going to happen. They've been pushing him for awhile (not that I'm complaining!) Clarke seems like an exception to me. I remember I hadn't ever really even noticed him until they announced he was replacing Muntagirov in Onegin and promoted him to First Soloist on basically the same day in Jan. 2020. Then all of a sudden he was Osipova's exclusive partner. And then he was principal in 2022, with the pandemic starting in-between! He was dancing pretty much exclusively principal roles but had not been doing it for that long, or in too many full-length ballets. Clarke was quietly partnering Cuthbertson, Yanowsky, Nunez and a number of principal ballerinas and first soloists when he was still a First Artist and Soloist for a numbet of seasons - dancing the lead male role in Sleeping Beauty, Sylvia, After the Rain, The Two Pigeons, Manon, The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet (prepared it but couldn't dance Romeo due to injury). I was quite surprised it took such a long time for him to be promoted to even first soloist, and although I couldn't attend every show, I thought that he can't be that bad if repetiteurs and choreographers keep picking him for the lead! When he was injured, it suddenly became obvious how many lead roles he was cast in while still having to dance corps de ballet roles, as they had look hard-even abroad - to find replacements. When he replaced Muntagirov as Onegin he was actually already cast as Prince Gremin...he never got to dance Gremin but he was an outstanding Onegin for Osipova ....and later on for Nunez at short notice (when Hirano got injured).. Edited March 6 by Emeralds 8 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Oh haha, @Dawnstar and I supplying the information at the same time! Spooky! 👻 😄 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linnzi5 Posted March 6 Author Share Posted March 6 32 minutes ago, LinMM said: Well won’t make Cesars return tomorrow as not quite there yet with the coughing…can’t rely on not having a coughing fit before an interval break and Id be mortified to get a coughing fit at some really sensitive moment in the ballet which is nearly always when it does happen of course! Am looking forward to hearing some reports back on that performance in particular but of course all the others as well….seems ages until May 9th!! Happy viewing ( or should I say tearful viewing) to those going tonight when the new run opens. Bet the House will be buzzing! Oh no! I hope you recover soon and am so sorry you have had to cancel. I feel your pain, having previously not been able to attend an insight recently because of a cough. I too, would be mortified to cough and ruin others' experiences - and it also makes me feel really ill not coughing when I need to. I can't wait to read all the reviews! Most exciting! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 36 minutes ago, LinMM said: Well won’t make Cesars return tomorrow as not quite there yet with the coughing…can’t rely on not having a coughing fit before an interval break and Id be mortified to get a coughing fit at some really sensitive moment in the ballet which is nearly always when it does happen of course! Am looking forward to hearing some reports back on that performance in particular but of course all the others as well….seems ages until May 9th!! Happy viewing ( or should I say tearful viewing) to those going tonight when the new run opens. Bet the House will be buzzing! Oh no 😢- rest up and get well soon LinMM! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady emily Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 17 minutes ago, Emeralds said: Clarke was quietly partnering Cuthbertson, Yanowsky, Nunez and a number of principal ballerinas and first soloists when he was still a First Artist and Soloist for a numbet of seasons - dancing the lead male role in Sleeping Beauty, Sylvia, After the Rain, The Two Pigeons, Manon, The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet (prepared it but couldn't dance Romeo due to injury). Don't know how I somehow missed all this 🤣 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 I’d be really worried that I could be heard from the stage too lol! Imagine both Cesar and Mayara thinking who is that damn woman coughing ….Id fear an aptly directed murderous look out into the auditorium………. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluebird Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 37 minutes ago, Emeralds said: Clarke was quietly partnering Cuthbertson, Yanowsky, Nunez and a number of principal ballerinas and first soloists when he was still a First Artist and Soloist for a numbet of seasons - dancing the lead male role in Sleeping Beauty, Sylvia, After the Rain, The Two Pigeons, Manon, The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet (prepared it but couldn't dance Romeo due to injury). Also, he danced the lead role in Ashton‘s Symphonic variations when he had barely been one year in the Company: https://rohcollections.org.uk/performance.aspx?performance=29425&row=115 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art_enthusiast Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 1 hour ago, Dawnstar said: Clarke had actually done the Nutcracker Prince, Prince Florimund, Aminta & Des Grieux, and would have done Romeo if he hadn't been injured, before he did Onegin, which is more lead roles in full length ballets than either Sissens or Richardson have yet done. So far I think Richardson has done two full length lead roles - Romeo and Des Grieux - and Sissens will be Siegfried and hopefully Romeo when/if it comes back! Slightly off topic but could anyone remind me when the RB new season is usually announced? And is Paris Opera's announced around the same time? Wishing luck to all the company for Swan Lake tonight! Glad to see that Chisato Katsura is performing one of the two swans. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scheherezade Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 2 hours ago, LinMM said: will definitely be looking forward to a dark brooding Cesar in The Winters Tale!! Me too! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 2 hours ago, art_enthusiast said: So far I think Richardson has done two full length lead roles - Romeo and Des Grieux - and Sissens will be Siegfried and hopefully Romeo when/if it comes back! Both of them have also done the Nutcracker Prince, though I suppose it's debabtable if that really counts as a full length lead role when he only appears in Act II! Back to Swan Lake, am I right in thinking this is the fourth first night that Nunez & Muntagirov have done, every one for this production? I know they are two of the best dancers in the classics but I wonder if by now the critics are wishing that they could see someone else?! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 2 hours ago, Bluebird said: Also, he danced the lead role in Ashton‘s Symphonic variations when he had barely been one year in the Company: https://rohcollections.org.uk/performance.aspx?performance=29425&row=115 Yes, he was very good- also one of Joseph Sissens' breakthrough ballets! Leticia Stock was excellent in it as well. Reece did a lot that season. 3 hours ago, lady emily said: Don't know how I somehow missed all this 🤣 I think because he was never in the first cast there was very little fanfare. The big hype was around whoever was first cast and whether there were any guest artists or guests-that-became-company members eg Natalia Osipova and Matthew Golding. Or dramatic last minute replacements, like Fumi Kaneko replacing Lauren Cuthbertson when she got ill. The one performance I wish I had been able to catch (but couldn't because of scheduling conflicts) was Beatriz Stix-Brunell with Reece in The Two Pigeons, and now she's left and the ballet doesn't seem to be coming back soon (wish it were)! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 3 minutes ago, Dawnstar said: Back to Swan Lake, am I right in thinking this is the fourth first night that Nunez & Muntagirov have done, every one for this production? I know they are two of the best dancers in the classics but I wonder if by now the critics are wishing that they could see someone else?! Many years ago Chi Cao (who had been a principal at BRB for at least 3 years having risen through the company) was nominated for a best newcomer award at the Dance Critics' Circle awards. He had never danced a press night prior to that year's Swan Lake, so the critics had never seen him dance in a leading role! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 (edited) 11 minutes ago, Dawnstar said: Both of them have also done the Nutcracker Prince, though I suppose it's debabtable if that really counts as a full length lead role when he only appears in Act II! Back to Swan Lake, am I right in thinking this is the fourth first night that Nunez & Muntagirov have done, every one for this production? I know they are two of the best dancers in the classics but I wonder if by now the critics are wishing that they could see someone else?! Now that you mention first nights, I think Osipova and Clarke would make a good alternative option to Nunez and Muntagirov. But because Nunez & Muntagirov "created"/"premiered" the roles so in terms of seniority they should get first choice or first refusal. It's like Cuthbertson should always get first night of The Winter's Tale and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland unless she doesn't want it. Or that Ferri always got first night of Woolf Works. They can't be second or third cast to someone else who learnt the role by watching them. Edited March 6 by Emeralds 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Then perhaps they should invite all the critics to a performance other than the first night. Otherwise four sets of reviews of the same Principals in the same piece in 6 years doesn't feel like it's that helpful to either contemporary readers or for posterity. 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindsay Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 On tonight’s evidence I think there is simply no option but to give first night to Nunez and Muntagirov. I think seeing them so often it’s easy to forget quite how lucky we are to have them in London. Not that other dancers aren’t very exciting and exceptional (I am planning to see several casts and looking forward to all of them) but there is a different level of quality with these two. In particular, I thought Nunez’ Act 2 Odette variation was quite exquisite tonight - amazing how she is still pushing to improve at this point in her career. The musicality on the turning sequences was beautiful - because her technique is so secure, she can play with the music and Kessels worked with her perfectly. And in a lovely gesture she and Vadim turned around to bow to and acknowledge the corps de ballet during the curtain calls. A great start to the run 29 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missfrankiecat Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Just stupendous work from Nunez and Muntagirov tonight, jaw-dropping technique and musicality - they are in a different class to the rest. I agree with Lindsay about Act 2 but some exquisite partnering from Vadim too. And they both danced Act three with total relish. Their dance chemistry is something special. 24 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 23 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 A lovely evening and great to see Ashley Dean, Katharina Nikelski and Benjamin Ella back dancing 🙂 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmarose Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 47 minutes ago, Lindsay said: On tonight’s evidence I think there is simply no option but to give first night to Nunez and Muntagirov. I think seeing them so often it’s easy to forget quite how lucky we are to have them in London. Not that other dancers aren’t very exciting and exceptional (I am planning to see several casts and looking forward to all of them) but there is a different level of quality with these two. In particular, I thought Nunez’ Act 2 Odette variation was quite exquisite tonight - amazing how she is still pushing to improve at this point in her career. The musicality on the turning sequences was beautiful - because her technique is so secure, she can play with the music and Kessels worked with her perfectly. And in a lovely gesture she and Vadim turned around to bow to and acknowledge the corps de ballet during the curtain calls. A great start to the run Just to add, Nunez didn't actually end up opening Swan Lake in the last production, she was scheduled to with Vadim, but she caught COVID and Yasmin stepped in, so this is her first opening night of SL since 2020 (pre pandemic) Having been there tonight and catching her in the one show she did with Vadim last run and previous runs, I can hand on my heart say I could watch her dance Act II every single day of my life and never grow bored. It was truly exquisite. It was telling that after they finished there was a collective sigh and then the applause started. I know a few times I let out small sighs at just the way she was moving through it all so beautifully. They seemed to find even more divine lines within the movements than they have before. They clearly have put in so much work to make it look like no effort at all. Her and Vadim are not just good, they are true artistes. Truly divine. 24 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 I agree with all of the above. I usually post when I leave but was a bit lost for words last night- still am. Both Nunez and Vadim made it look so completely natural and effortless to be dancing on cloud nine form, they danced as one together and with the music. A performance I will never forget..haven't been in the midst of such a cheering foot stamping audience for a while. The way Nunez and Vadim applauded the corps - turning and clapping, not just gesturing- was so touching. I feel these two are really on our stage so few times a year! We should be seeing them every possible opportunity. 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Oh dear my post sounds rude- I meant to write 'Nunez and Muntagirov'..or 'Marianela and Vadim' - sorry. My brain is in a strange state after 3 great ballets in a row..the last of which was positively , yes: transcendent. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 1 minute ago, Mary said: Oh dear my post sounds rude- I meant to write 'Nunez and Muntagirov'..or 'Marianela and Vadim' - sorry. My brain is in a strange state after 3 great ballets in a row..the last of which was positively , yes: transcendent. I think that all their names have become iconic anyway! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LianneEva Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 8 hours ago, Rob S said: These are beautiful photos - so grateful that you always share them! I'm a bit of a costume nerd, so my eagle eyes can't help but spot a new headdress design for Odette here as well. The swan queen usually has at least something that distinguishes her from the rest of the flock in most productions, so I'm not surprised that they've changed it but personally I favour the designs that minimize the 'crown' aspect and focus on the feathers - more elegant and swan-like to me, but I'll wait for more angles to decide whether I like it! They also debuted a new look for the Sugar Plum Fairy's crown in the last couple of years, which felt like a big improvement on the (bulbous..?) original, so it's great that they're always re-considering these small design elements 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmarose Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 2 hours ago, Mary said: I agree with all of the above. I usually post when I leave but was a bit lost for words last night- still am. Both Nunez and Vadim made it look so completely natural and effortless to be dancing on cloud nine form, they danced as one together and with the music. A performance I will never forget..haven't been in the midst of such a cheering foot stamping audience for a while. The way Nunez and Vadim applauded the corps - turning and clapping, not just gesturing- was so touching. I feel these two are really on our stage so few times a year! We should be seeing them every possible opportunity. I feel the same, I treasure any chance. After what happened last year when Marianela was out, well, I was lucky because I have no idea why but I'd bought tickets for the first night and then on the Friday rush I picked up some for their third night, no idea why. But when she wasn't able to dance the first night I had the third already (it was sold out) This year that was very much in my mind so I got tickets for the first night and the third intending to return whatever one wasn't needed, but now I'm wondering if I should just go and see the magic again... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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