Royal Ballet - Swan Lake 2024

[Mora]

17 minutes ago, capybara said:

That’s interesting as William is one of the RB Principals who posts quite a lot of his modelling shots. (Not criticising that 😊 - their IGs are a matter for each individual dancer.)

 

I recall many years ago hearing a conversation among fans which implied that their perception of artists and their performances was quite significantly influenced by opinions about them as people off stage.

I agree. That's why I said that Fumi is more reserved than William. But what I meant is that, in general terms (and considering their age which could mean that they are more keen on social media) they are quite moderate in their posts. 

And yes, social media is a tool that can be used in different ways. Sometimes it may help, sometimes not. Marianela talent's is undeniable but her posts have already made me tired. 

Buy it's my very and unpolite personal opinion 🤭

[Mora]

31 minutes ago, Tango Dancer said:

 

I think it certainly can be. People have a lot more visibility of dancers off stage thanks to social media and other things and it can affect how you see them.  

 

I do some of the ballet master classes that Danceworks offer on zoom.  Vadim teaches regularly and one of the reasons I think he's my favourite RB dancer (apart from his dance ability) is how nice and supportive he is as a teacher.  He's just so unassuming and sweet. 

 

He came into the studio this afternoon in a tracksuit, looking like a teenage student and not the least like someone who was centre stage at Covent Garden last night and was so positive with the class, even apologising for getting one of the sequences wrong because he said he was a bit tired today after performing.  I mean he's just so adorable I want to hug him and take him home. 

 

I've done Fumi's online masterclasses as well and she's also lovely and has a smile for everyone.  I don't always get along with her teaching but she's really sweet.  

So nice about Vadim.

I've done a couple of Fumi's online classes too and I agree about her kindness.

 

[capybara]

4 hours ago, FionaM said:

In addition to the many world class swans of the RB mentioned above  … I think Akane Takada will also be a special Odette/Odile in the later block, partnered by Joe Sissens.  I am really hoping she returns from injury fully fit to do it.  
 

There are excerpts to be found online of Akane and Federico Bonelli, from recordings made in early March 2020 (before lockdown thank goodness) for the Japanese audience …. in 8K-HDR !!!

https://media.imz.at/avant-premiere/catalogues/2021/film/8k-swan-lake-by-the-royal-ballet-12769055/

 

 
In the original run of this production one of the pairings was Takada/Bracewell and I loved them together.

 

2 hours ago, Nina99 said:

 

 When I did a backstage tour at the ROH, we went past one of the rehearsal studios where Fumi and Vadim were rehearsing for their PDD in Mayerling.  Our tour Guide made a point of saying that Miss Kaneko, as she called her, was considered to be one of the nicest people in the company.  

 

I have no doubt about this judgement but should a tour guide be making such a personal remark?

[Roberta]

Meredith Daneman, Fonteyn's biographer:-

 

"I remember Dame Ninette de Valois telling me that Margot had a way of controlling her reputation even from the grave"

 

"Margot’s legend has its own momentum, and her artistic standard can apply to any medium, since she did not really deal in steps or technique at all but in the universal language of grace, simplicity and truth."

[Richard LH]

21 hours ago, Buru said:

Is there another O-O worth seeing at ROH?

Of course!...whilst certainly deserving the many plaudits she receives, Nunez is by far from being the only brilliant proven RB principal in this role.

[emmarose]

2 hours ago, capybara said:

That’s interesting as William is one of the RB Principals who posts quite a lot of his modelling shots. (Not criticising that 😊 - their IGs are a matter for each individual dancer.)

 

I recall many years ago hearing a conversation among fans which implied that their perception of artists and their performances was quite significantly influenced by opinions about them as people off stage.

 

I would agree with this too, to pick William as one of the more reserved is an interesting choice as he shares an awful lot, including his partner and also his partner's mother who sadly had cancer and then died. I wouldn't say he was one of the more reserved on social media. Of anyone I would say someone like Ryoichi Hirano would be an example of a dancer who is reserved on there.

 

There's no criticism for me either way. If a dancer wants to not post or share every detail of a life they enjoy, they should do as they wish in whatever way makes them happy. If we don't like a certain way, we're free to not look.

[San Perregrino]

It’s worth flagging up here that people, including dancers, may have more than one social media identity, account or profile, that they may have one or more personal ones and /or one or more business profiles. Not all profiles are public. 
In addition, there is no way of knowing if the posts are by the individual or if they have been ‘sub-contracted’ to a partner, friend, third party or organisation including specialist image and social media consultants. 
As such I wouldn’t claim to know nor be able to judge a person by what is or isn’t posted on their social media.

[Mora]

3 hours ago, emmarose said:

 

I would agree with this too, to pick William as one of the more reserved is an interesting choice as he shares an awful lot, including his partner and also his partner's mother who sadly had cancer and then died. I wouldn't say he was one of the more reserved on social media. Of anyone I would say someone like Ryoichi Hirano would be an example of a dancer who is reserved on there.

 

There's no criticism for me either way. If a dancer wants to not post or share every detail of a life they enjoy, they should do as they wish in whatever way makes them happy. If we don't like a certain way, we're free to not look.

Maybe I didn't express properly. What I wanted to say that, although he shares some material that has nothing to do with ballet, he does not do it in constantly. It's a matter of meassure for me.

[Mora]

12 hours ago, Missfrankiecat said:

 I would, however, maintain that, when interviewed in the company of others, Yasmine is often the more reticent and considered in her responses and she doesn't share much as much personal stuff on her social media as others.  

I partly agree with that since last year she published a lot of stuff about her wedding (which had been published by a famous magazine) and private trips with her husband. I guess she received a reward for that (which is very licit).

[Angela Essex]

On 07/04/2024 at 14:12, Lesley said:

I couldn’t help wondering if this was Marianela at her zenith in this performance of Swan Lake as she certainly was on fire. As capybara has said -it will be some time before Swan Lake is repeated and I feel she must have been aware of this and was making the most of this iconic role and her partnership with Vadim while she can.

Yes @Lesley I felt the same. There was one part of the ballet when, as Odette she really danced with so much abandon (a fast tempo solo section involving quite a few releve passes on the spot - apologies for the description) that I literally felt as though she was dancing as if it was her last time. It was a really odd experience as I felt like I could feel the exact emotions that she was projecting as if they were my own. And in that moment I felt sad for her as it was as if she was saying, in a way, that she knew there may not be very many more times that she would dance this - and all her grief and love came out in a rush at once (though I hope this is not the case at all, and that there are many many more times she will dance this). At the end of act 2 the Australian lady that had the seat next to mine, and I turned and looked at each other - we were both speechless with tears in our eyes. 

[Fonty]

I haven't seen Swan Lake in this current run, I have a ticket for May.  However,  I would disagree with posts that say current dancers have stronger techniques than past dancers.  I hear this time and again, and I am not sure if it is accurate.  Many of today's crop dance differently, it is true, but they are not necessarily better in some areas than great dancers of the past.  Certainly today's women display more athleticism that those of the past, but I am not sure if this is a good thing or not.   I am not talking specifically about Fonteyn, because I think the majority of her stuff was filmed right at the end of her career.  But having seen clips of dancers such as Sibley, Seymour, Nerina, and Fonteyn in her youth, I am always struck by their speed and lightness of footwork.  Often they are just tantalising glimpses of what these dancers were capable of, but it makes me sad that certain qualities seem to have been lost.  

 

I am not sure if there are any clips of past Swan Lakes that would be a suitable comparison, unfortunately. 

Edited April 9 by Fonty

[LinMM]

The dancing quality was just different as I see it which is why it’s almost impossible to compare todays dancers with those of different eras as different qualities were at the fore. 
People are often looking for “the next Fonteyn” but this will never happen because Fonteyn had her own qualities and style of dancing and communicating with an audience plus eventually all the off stage things …her partnership with Nureyev etc which started to make her a very romantic figure and caused her to become more famous than usual for a dancer though she was already an established figure by then. 
 

There was an ex dancer who worked with my mum for a while and often talked about his stage experiences and seeing dancers like Fonteyn etc 

But in his view although he still loved Fonteyn he thought Moira Shearer was his favourite dancer ( so going back quite a bit!) He found her a stronger and more striking dancer than Fonteyn on the stage. 
So not everybody held Fonteyn as supreme…..though I will always have a soft spot for her!! 

[art_enthusiast]

20 minutes ago, LinMM said:

But in his view although he still loved Fonteyn he thought Moira Shearer was his favourite dancer ( so going back quite a bit!)

I loved the Red Shoes with Moira Shearer, especially that amazing dance sequence and the music. I don’t suppose there was ever a Red Shoes ballet?

Kind of wish the one in the film was real and still being performed.

 

[San Perregrino]

14 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said:

I don’t suppose there was ever a Red Shoes ballet?

yes:

 

"The Red Shoes is a ballet choreographed by Matthew Bourne using the music of Bernard Herrmann. It is based broadly on the 1948 film The Red Shoes by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. The set and costume designs are by Lez Brotherston."

 

and though not a ballet, as part of its 2024/2025 season the RSC is presenting:

 

"The Red Shoes Kimberley Rampersad directs a magical new staging of the classic fairy tale The Red Shoes for families, adapted by Nancy Harris with music by Marc Teitler."

Edited April 9 by San Perregrino

[LinMM]

Yes well worth seeing with very dramatic ending! 

[Jan McNulty]

34 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said:

I loved the Red Shoes with Moira Shearer, especially that amazing dance sequence and the music. I don’t suppose there was ever a Red Shoes ballet?

Kind of wish the one in the film was real and still being performed.

 

 

 

Matthew Bourne has done a terrific production of The Red Shoes...

[JNC]

19 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

 

Matthew Bourne has done a terrific production of The Red Shoes...

I think whether or not you like this will depend on how you feel about Bourne’s productions generally!

 

I love the Red Shoes film but I found Bourne’s production a bit disappointing - it’s not classical ballet (to be fair it’s not trying to be..?) and so I didn’t dislike it but it wasn’t what I had envisioned at all. 
 

Similarly I thought his Swan Lake was a really clever concept but the overall story and choreography wasn’t my cup of tea! I think for me the main issue is it’s not really “ballet” - I think I went thinking it would be and it’s more contemporary dance (some parts ballet inspired). I would certainly recommend ballet fans seeing Bourne’s Swan Lake as it’s good fun and that will give you a sense of whether or not you’ll enjoy his other productions. For me I was happy to see this once but I wouldn’t be fussed about seeing it again. 
 

On 07/04/2024 at 19:43, Mora said:

Marianela talent's is undeniable but her posts have already made me tired. 

 To go back to social media, as others have said I’m not fussed how dancers use social media - over or “under” sharing is their choice. I am not a big fan of lots of promoted content and if the balance of that goes too far I tend to unfollow. I do actually really like Marianela’s instagram though, it feels very personal and genuine (but not over sharing) and it has a good balance of some promoted stuff but other genuine behind the scenes looks. (Also I feel she, and lots of other dancers, tend to only promote stuff they actually genuinely like? It’s all rather banal stuff like clothing or beauty or dance related stuff usually as opposed to anything controversial!) 
 

If you don’t like her (or anyone’s!) content it’s very easy to simply not follow, but her account is one I do follow. There are other dancers who I have unfollowed because while I like their dancing their instagram content isn’t for me - nothing wrong with that, dancing is a job at the end of the day and they’re allowed to have lives and other interests! I lean towards enjoying seeing more “behind the scenes” dance content as well as the odd personal touch, less a fan of overly posed fashion shoot style photos and lots of sponsored/ad contents. 

Edited April 9 by JNC

[Tattin]

2 hours ago, Fonty said:

I haven't seen Swan Lake in this current run, I have a ticket for May.  However,  I would disagree with posts that say current dancers have stronger techniques than past dancers.  I hear this time and again, and I am not sure if it is accurate.  Many of today's crop dance differently, it is true, but they are not necessarily better in some areas than great dancers of the past.  Certainly today's women display more athleticism that those of the past, but I am not sure if this is a good thing or not.   I am not talking specifically about Fonteyn, because I think the majority of her stuff was filmed right at the end of her career.  But having seen clips of dancers such as Sibley, Seymour, Nerina, and Fonteyn in her youth, I am always struck by their speed and lightness of footwork.  Often they are just tantalising glimpses of what these dancers were capable of, but it makes me sad that certain qualities seem to have been lost.  

 

I am not sure if there are any clips of past Swan Lakes that would be a suitable comparison, unfortunately. 

   I agree with you, Fonty, that qualities of speed and lightness seem to have been lost, though I am sure that dancers are capable of them as they are part of their training. What has happened IMO is that choreographers largely ignore petit allegro steps these days and more's the pity ... for me, at least, as I adore petit allegro (and adored dancing it at a very humble level).

[Jan McNulty]

7 minutes ago, JNC said:

 

 

I love the Red Shoes film but I found Bourne’s production a bit disappointing - it’s not classical ballet (to be fair it’s not trying to be..?) and so I didn’t dislike it but it wasn’t what I had envisioned at all. 

 

It's interesting how we all differ isn't it.

 

I don't like the film of The Red Shoes.  I've tried to like it but I just don't.  I had to be "persuaded" to go and see Matthew Bourne's production and much to my total surprise I absolutely loved it!  I've seen it several times and loved it each time.

 

I don't believe Matthew Bourne has ever marketed his productions as ballet but he seems to have a huge love of and respect for ballet.  I remember when I first saw Sleeping Beauty and some of the fairy variations had nods to the ballet variations and he said he had tried to bring a flavour of them to his work.

 

I know people who think MB walks on water and others in front of whom you are not allowed to mention his name.  I like, even love, most of his works but there are a couple I really do not want to see again.

[Roberta]

Bourne's Red Shoes was filmed for release for cine streaming but that didn't happen as we had the pandemic.  I think it was a Christmas TV broadcast, possibly BBC4?

 

It can be watched here.

 

https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/matthew-bournes-the-red-shoes

 

 

[Roberta]

On 07/04/2024 at 12:56, Sim said:

A beautiful photo of Yasmine Naghdi in her debut run as Odette/Odile.

 

The YouTube channel of The Royal Ballet Fan has a new half hour plus compilation of clips of Yasmine Naghdi dancing various roles. It's lovely, I'm not sure she gets the recognition she deserves really.

 

Yasmine Naghdi ~ The Royal Balley 

 

Yes it is balley. Not my error! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[zxDaveM]

29 minutes ago, Roberta said:

 

The YouTube channel of The Royal Ballet Fan has a new half hour plus compilation of clips of Yasmine Naghdi dancing various roles. It's lovely, I'm not sure she gets the recognition she deserves really.

 

 

Sure does with me! 😉

[Tattin]

Delighted to read that Naghdi is cast for the live stream in the cinema on the 24th . I'm so looking forward to seeing her!

[Mora]

1 hour ago, JNC said:

If you don’t like her (or anyone’s!) content it’s very easy to simply not follow, but her account is one I do follow. 

Totally! In fact, that is what I do🤭

I think it is a matter of taste  😉

Edited April 9 by Mora

[JNC]

53 minutes ago, Mora said:

Totally! In fact, that is what I do🤭

I think it is a matter of taste  😉

of course! Same as with me and Matthew Bourne - I respect what he does (anyone who is this successful in bringing people to see dance is to be commended) and clearly he’s very popular but just not for me. I don’t dislike his works but with limited time/budget I can’t see everything so would prioritise “ballet” at RB, ENB, BRB and Northern ballet etc over Bourne. 

[Mora]

23 minutes ago, JNC said:

of course! Same as with me and Matthew Bourne - I respect what he does (anyone who is this successful in bringing people to see dance is to be commended) and clearly he’s very popular but just not for me. I don’t dislike his works but with limited time/budget I can’t see everything so would prioritise “ballet” at RB, ENB, BRB and Northern ballet etc over Bourne. 

I have not seen any Bourne's work in full, just excerpts 🤔

I found them quite interesting and creative, but I agree with you; he would not be my first/second choice either 🤭 

[Roberta]

5 minutes ago, Mora said:

I found them quite interesting and creative

 

 

Matthew Bourne's background is Laban and contemporary dance really, I don't think he makes any pretence to be a 'classical ballet choreographer'.

 

It's more 'dance theatre', a remarkable success story in its own right. 

[Sim]

Someone once described Bourne's works as "dancicals"  and for me that is the perfect description for them.

[Balletfanp]

I’m on the fence re Matthew Bourne. I certainly found I enjoyed his shows a lot more once I stopped thinking of them as ballets, rather as shows.

[JNC]

12 minutes ago, Balletfanp said:

I’m on the fence re Matthew Bourne. I certainly found I enjoyed his shows a lot more once I stopped thinking of them as ballets, rather as shows.

I agree with this - I think I found his Red Shoes a disappointment in part because I was expecting a ballet! For his Swan Lake therefore I was prepared for it to be not ballet (or at least not classical) and enjoyed it much more. But also having seen it once don’t feel the need to see it again (but I could see classical Swan Lake many times over!) 

[Mora]

Good point! 

[Missfrankiecat]

2 hours ago, JNC said:

I agree with this - I think I found his Red Shoes a disappointment in part because I was expecting a ballet! For his Swan Lake therefore I was prepared for it to be not ballet (or at least not classical) and enjoyed it much more. But also having seen it once don’t feel the need to see it again (but I could see classical Swan Lake many times over!) 

This is how I feel - though I think I have seen and enjoyed his Swan Lake more than once over the years.  As much as the choreography, his overall concepts for productions and designs are so strong, and so "Matthew Bourne" that I always enjoy a first viewing but wouldn't really want to see each show again.

[Angela Essex]

6 hours ago, JNC said:

of course! Same as with me and Matthew Bourne - I respect what he does (anyone who is this successful in bringing people to see dance is to be commended) and clearly he’s very popular but just not for me. I don’t dislike his works but with limited time/budget I can’t see everything so would prioritise “ballet” at RB, ENB, BRB and Northern ballet etc over Bourne. 

Same here @JNC