Ballet Icons Gala March 2024

[bridiem]

6 hours ago, TSR101 said:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-13209177/Strictlys-Nadiya-Bychkova-showcases-endless-legs-dazzling-white-mini-cosies-star-boyfriend-Kai-Widdrington-star-studded-ballet-gala.html

I feel for many of my temporary cohabitators in the stalls this was really what the night was about! 

 

Really regret not going now - I deprived them of the opportunity to photograph me in my dazzling jeans and endlessly comfy jumper. Ah well. Maybe next year.

[lady emily]

11 hours ago, alison said:

I must say, the sort of audience behaviour referred to here is certainly very reminiscent of what I remember from the balcony last time I attended one of these Icons galas.

I had the same experience, and it’s one of the reasons I don’t go anymore. The first one after the pandemic audience members were fully recording it on their phones. After the interval the ushers started to stop them, by flashing lights and shushing them. I appreciated the intervention but the manner of it just completely distracted from the performances! 

[Tango Dancer]

46 minutes ago, bridiem said:

 

Really regret not going now - I deprived them of the opportunity to photograph me in my dazzling jeans and endlessly comfy jumper. Ah well. Maybe next year.

 

They didn't photograph me in my stunning blue trousers and glittering M&S top.  I feel they missed a trick here.  

 

I've no idea who these "famous" people are and haven't heard of any of them.  I did see some people posing and being photographed at the start and acting like they were important but I didn't think anything of it. 

 

I'm no good at recognising people.  I used to work in a stately home in Yorkshire as a student and we had many Emmerdale actors and football people etc come in and I failed to recognise them all.  Except Paul Daniels because someone told me he was there.    

[Graham_Watts_2]

19 hours ago, FionaM said:

 

 

I am wondering about awarding one to Graham Watts, who advises and writes for the gala.  And Ricardo Cue (flamenco?) seemed an even more odd choice as he’d not choreographed anything at this gala.  Maybe he supports the gala in other ways.  

 

 

 

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Fiona - but I think you answered your own query! I have been advising on the gala for 15 years. 
 

As for Ricardo, he is one of the unsung heroes of ballet - a close friend of Plisetskaya - and he has also helped Olga for many years. 
 

These were not general “national or international dance awards” but specific recognition from the Ballet Icons team and whilst I can’t give you any criteria for why which dancers were chosen I can definitely attest to the fact that Ricardo, Aud and myself have done more than enough over many years for Ballet Icons and Ensemble events to have been included! 

[Fonty]

Well, I didn't recognise any of the names of those famous people either.  I gave up watching Strictly years ago, when they stopped making the contestants do the same dance.  Now, someone doing a zippy jive is likely to be more popular with the voting audience than someone doing the Viennese waltz.  

 

It seems that every time Swan Lake is mentioned we have a conversation about fouettes.    That clip above is amazing, and I would be absolutely delighted to see a current dancer perform those turns at that speed.  It looks thrilling. 

 

I believe Jenny Agutter went to Elmshurst.  The only thing I know about Susan Hampshire's education is that she suffered from severe dyslexia.   

[FionaM]

@Graham_Watts_2 thank you for the information on Ricardo Cue.  I had tried to look him up online but the information popping up wasn’t that helpful. 

 

I’ve seen some of the hard work you personally do for the gala.  And I’m sure what’s visible is only the tip of the iceberg.  I had assumed you were remunerated for that.  But it’s always good to be recognised like this too!  As the lead organiser and presenter of the National Dance Awards you know how much pleasure it gives to recipients.  

The lead organiser of the Icons Gala, Olga Blakleets is rather endearing in her presentation skills which are quite different to ‘UK corporate norms’.  
 

Congratulations to you and all the awardees.  
 

By the way … Sunday 17 March was Nureyev’s birthday.  I did wonder why this year’s gala on that date wasn’t dedicated to him as ‘Icons’ galas were in the past?  That being the origin of the gala’s name.  

[Bruce Wall]

13 hours ago, Fonty said:

That clip above is amazing, and I would be absolutely delighted to see a current dancer perform those turns at that speed.  It looks thrilling. 

NYCB's Tiler Peck DEFINITELY fits that bill ...
 

13 hours ago, Fonty said:

The only thing I know about Susan Hampshire's education is that she suffered from severe dyslexia.   

Bless her mother, Margaret.  She rescued me from a world of prosecution.  I had always failed at math much to the disappointment of my father.  Then came Algebra.  Memory suddenly kicked in for a child who now - at long last - had a name to associate with his sufferings thanks to dear Mrs. Hampshire.  Suddenly 'the dunce' came first in a class test.  The Master in question refused to believe my result had been achieved without cheating.  I was dragged into a separate room with a team of teachers as inquisitors.  The questions had angrily been chalked on a board.  'Do it now, Wall' they insisted.  I did.  Once more I completed the entire test to the strains of their anguished silence - only ever interrupted by discomforted shuffling.   There was a substantial pause after I had finished:  'Well, Wall' the response hesitantly came, 'I suppose .... but it is unconventional'. 

 

The memory burns in my brain even now ... as does the furious joy of Tiler's pique turns.  

 

 

[Don Q Fan]

I have some photos from the curtain call which you may like to see, I got most dancers except any decent shots of Gareth haw and Sangeun Lee!

So I'll start with my favourites of the night - Antonio Casalinho and Margarita Fernandes - Margarita danced in the Don Q finale hence the white tutu, rather than her green Esmerelda tutu.  This couple are a joy to watch.

 

Here we can see Francesca Hayward, Olga Smirnova, Vadim Muntagirov and Fumi Kaneko (L to R)

 

Group shot of dancers applauding Lucia Lacarra as he received her award.

Matthew Golding, Melissa Hamilton, Roberto Bolle, Sklyar Brandt, Herman Cornejo, Yasmine Naghdi, Reece Clarke, Evelina Godunova and Motomi Kiyota

Lucia Lacarra with her award

 

Giorgi Potskhishvili and Natalia Osipova

 

Sergio Bernal, Eleonora Abbagnato, Julian MacKay, Bleuenn Battistoni, Constantine Allen and Rhio Sakamoto

 

Camila Bocca and Osiel Gouneo 

 

Travis Clausen-Knight and James Pett

 

The best pic I got of Gareth Haw and Sangeun Lee (at the back with Camila Bocca and Osiel Gouneo in front of them and Graham Watts to their right)

Edited March 20 by Don Q Fan

[Emeralds]

Great photos, @Don Q Fan!

[Tango Dancer]

Lovely pictures.  Vadim's costume is a lot more golden than it looks at a distance.  Also Reese Clarke is really tall and I wish he and Yasmin had better costumes. Thanks for sharing.  

[Don Q Fan]

14 hours ago, Tango Dancer said:

Lovely pictures.  Vadim's costume is a lot more golden than it looks at a distance.  Also Reese Clarke is really tall and I wish he and Yasmin had better costumes. Thanks for sharing.  

It's the lighting made it look more yellow in the photo it was definitely paler more of an oyster/beige I would say. 

[FionaM]

My thoughts:

 

▪️graceful performances displaying technical excellence and pure beauty of classical ballet:

 

Gold stars:

Muntagirov (twice, though Diamonds is almost entirely partnering), Casalinho, Fernandes (also twice), Battistoni.  
 

I did notice rather careful grand pirouettes from Vadim.  I’d have liked more attack.  Fernandes’ balances in Esmeralda didn’t come off as planned, they are similar to Aurora’s in Rose Adagio.  As we know from Lesley Collier, there are “fiendishly difficult”.  Frankly it’s a trick I could do without in ballet.  It makes me too nervous. What’s the point (double entendre intended). 

 

Kaneko wasn’t at her technical best, she can be a LOT better.  Smirnova and Godunova were lacking in presentation and emotion.  Smirnova’s bling tutu and tiara (tons of sparkling jewels) were too distracting. Godunova was much better later in the evening as one of the DQ bridesmaids.  Mackay looked under-rehearsed, though his partnering was smooth.

 

The organisers should have had Yasmine Naghdi & Reece Clarke in this category.  They were wasted in Qualia, which is so dull and has the worst costumes ever. (white underwear, no thanks.)

 

▪️ performances full of emotion and dramatic intensity as well as technical proficiency:  

Gold stars:

Sakamoto & Allen, masterful in the range of emotions including some tongue in cheek moments in choreo by Hans Van Manen.  She has exemplary technique effortless triple pirouettes without any preparation and subservient to the emotions of the piece.

Pett & Clausen-Knight who gripped me with their emotional interplay of relationships.  
Both the above couples had smooth partnering, a sign of well rehearsed pieces. 

Potskhishvili - fabulous extra flourishes and technical difficulty.  Huge stage presence, physical and charisma. Tendency to go beyond is exciting.  I hope he can contain it so that it doesn’t become wild and uncontrollable.

 

Commended:

Hayward & Cornejo - a good partnership in this special duet despite en8ng of different companies.

Gouneo & Bocca - the only pure comic moments of the night.  Cranko genius.

Motomi Kiyota - sparkling in Corsaire solo with the biggest smile and enjoyment.

Brandt & Cornejo - super interplay of the story of Black Swan duet.  Extra points to Brandt for having a good alternative when the fouettés went off.  Every ballerina should have a plan.  Very few are going to pull these off night after night

Lee & Haw - super energy.  Maybe a little wild.  The piece is too short for me! 

▪️weaker parts of the gala:

 

Sadly Osipova was a vulgar parody of herself and a disrespect to ballet as an art form.  Giorgi Potskhishvili deserved better.  As did the audience.  She should stick to contemporary or dramatic narrative ballets. 

 

Bolle and Hamilton were super together, seamless partnering.  His dancing alongside her was not at the level expected, which is not surprising as he is 48.  He’d be better to choose pieces where he partners only, as Matthew Golding did with Lucia Lacarra.  Their piece wasn’t as good as previous years. 

 

I would have liked to see Abbagnato & Bernal in something better.  The piece was saved by the music and onstage musicians.

Edited March 21 by FionaM
Clarify

[Roberta]

On 18/03/2024 at 10:02, Nina99 said:

I found myself next to actress Susan Hampshire was very enthusiastic and cheered loudly after her favourite pieces

 

Susan Hampshire comes from a 'ballet background'. The school her dancer mother started also gave Anthony Dowell the beginnings of his career.

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1214159/Susan-Hampshire-remembers-school-mum-started-slow.html

 

 

[art_enthusiast]

3 hours ago, FionaM said:

Sadly Osipova was a vulgar parody of herself and a disrespect to ballet as an art form.  Giorgi Potskhishvili deserved better.  As did the audience.  She should stick to contemporary or dramatic narrative ballets. 

I do find this quite harsh. And clearly the RB doesn’t agree otherwise they wouldn’t still be casting her in the classics.

 

Can’t speak for this performance as I wasn’t there, but I very much enjoyed her Kitri performance at ROH in November 2023.

[Tattin]

Delighted to read that Casalinho and Fernandes were your favourites, Don Q fan, and that you gave them gold stars, FionaM, as I have been following Antonio Casalinho's career since he was a student, some time before the Prix de Lausanne in 2021, and Fernandes' too.

 

I saw him on a small outdoor stage in Seteais, near Sintra, Portugal, last summer, where he danced Diana & Acteon, plus a few entrechats six to warm up before the performance as a bonus! To my mind he has something very special, in common with Muntagirov, in that he can do all the technical fireworks but at the same time retain a classical elegance and thus not allow them to look excessively flashy.

 

I have booked tickets for all five performances of the Bavarian State Ballet's La Bayadère (Patrice Bart's production, which I  have not so far seen) in Madrid in late spring in the hope of seeing him dance The Golden Idol at least once! Although it's now off-topic perhaps someone could comment on this production. 

 

[Sabine0308]

2 hours ago, Tattin said:

I have booked tickets for all five performances of the Bavarian State Ballet's La Bayadère (Patrice Bart's production, which I  have not so far seen) in Madrid in late spring in the hope of seeing him dance The Golden Idol at least once! Although it's now off-topic perhaps someone could comment on this production. 

 

I've seen this production in Munich last year and wrote a review here (not my best since a day before, my best friend passed away, but the performance was a blessing):

https://www.lanottemag.com/post/la-bayadère-in-munich

I guess in Madrid, the Golden Idol will be danced by Shale Wagman and Antonio Casalinho. Antonio often studies the same roles as Shale in other productions, they are both great talents, with superbe technique. However, I prefer Shale's performances for his unique artistry.

No matter who will dance the Idol, you will be in for a treat. Hope the 3 main characters (Solor, Nikija, Gamzatti) can hold the same quality.

Edited March 21 by Sabine0308

[Tattin]

I forgot to say that I am not surprised at your appraisal of Osipova's dancing FionaM. In recent years I have only seen her on film but I could see the way her dancing was sadly going.

[MAX]

I heard Antonio Casalinho is extremely small ?

[Tattin]

25 minutes ago, Sabine0308 said:

I've seen this production in Munich last year and wrote a review here (not my best since a day before, my best friend passed away, but the performance was a blessing):

https://www.lanottemag.com/post/la-bayadère-in-munich

I guess in Madrid, the Golden Idol will be danced by Shale Wagman and Antonio Casalinho. Antonio often studies the same roles as Shale in other productions, they are both great talents, with superbe technique. However, I prefer Shale's performances for his unique artistry.

No matter who will dance the Idol, you will be in for a treat. Hope the 3 main characters (Solor, Nikija, Gamzatti) can hold the same quality.

Many thanks Sabine0308 for your reply and the link to your excellent review. 

 

Yes, I love Shale Wagman too, as well as Casalinho!!

[San Perregrino]

1 hour ago, MAX said:

I heard Antonio Casalinho is extremely small ?

In what sense? 

[capybara]

19 minutes ago, San Perregrino said:

In what sense? 

 

Antonio is quite short of stature.

[San Perregrino]

8 hours ago, capybara said:

 

Antonio is quite short of stature.

his stage presence more than compensates. 

[capybara]

1 hour ago, San Perregrino said:

his stage presence more than compensates. 

Agree. I was simply answering your question!

[FionaM]

17 hours ago, art_enthusiast said:

I do find this quite harsh. And clearly the RB doesn’t agree otherwise they wouldn’t still be casting her in the classics.

 

Can’t speak for this performance as I wasn’t there, but I very much enjoyed her Kitri performance at ROH in November 2023.

I was at her last Kitri performance.  It was that which confirmed my growing concern … flat footed, turned in, bent knees, raised shoulders, over the top characterisation.  
 

I note 2 reviewers of the Icons gala (bachtrack and culture whisper) have said similar and another ‘seeing dance’ has omitted to mention her.  The latter is the usual formula of critics to poor performance.  It must be bad if critics are prepared to actually say it.  
 

With regards to her continuing to perform at ROH in classical ballets … she does still sell tickets.  It’s the same as going to watch Nureyev when he was 50.  Glimpses of past glory is enough for those audiences.  
 

It makes me sad and ashamed to see her destroying her reputation and that of the RB like this.  
 

Time to move on to other types of ballet and dance.   Her Manon earlier this season was also not at her previous level. 🥺

[AYSHEL]

On 18/03/2024 at 21:51, FionaM said:

There were plenty of fouettés over the evening.  
- Fumi’s in Grand Pas Classique were ok, but not her usual proficiency and control

- Skylar as Odile came out of hers into a few pique turns and a nice grand jete en tournant to end with a flourish 

- Margarita Fernandes (Esmeralda) were the best in terms of less travelling than others. She did start with a complicated sequence which turned into singles.

- I don’t remember Evelina Godunova’s fouettés … I think they were simple but complete.  Maybe someone else remembers?

- Osipova’s in DQ were the ugliest things I’ve seen.  She started to full off balance early on requiring a double plie (which doesn’t sound bad when you write it) and then decided to crash on through them in any old fashion.  I admire her will power.  It was a gymnastic act.  No finesse, no ballet technique. 
 

in previous years there have been strong and memorable performances of fouettés from Nicolette Manni, Maia Makhateli, Iana Salenko., Marianela Nunez. 

 

As Galas go it was not a bad evening. Unfortunately it was slightly too long and several of the numbers could have easily been excised, which may have brought it to a reasonable time frame. The classical pieces were as one would expect, and some of the modern choreography was very interesting and well danced, but there were a few that really do not fit into such programmes. We will all think differently about which ones. Personally I did enjoy the ‘Two Pieces for HET’ wonderfully danced by Constantine Allen, but too long in my opinion and there were several cadential moments where the piece could have been brought to a close, but it rambled a little. The ‘Caravaggio’ with Bolle and Melissa Hamilton was quite a treat and very well performed. I was disappointed to read that his stage door manners leave something to be desired. He will miss the applause when it is no longer there. I don’t really think ‘Like Water for Chocolate’ worked as a gala piece, and flexed feet walking in lifts is all a bit passé. Francesca Hayward could have been very well used in something more reflective of her soft talents. I quite enjoyed the ‘Qualia’ which was well danced by Nagdhi and Clarke. The well-danced extract from ‘In the Middle, Somewhat elevated’ all looks rather retro nowadays, although we were thrilled by it when it first appeared years ago with the royal Ballet.

 

To the classical pieces the Esmeralda pas de deux with the tambourine solo was very well executed by Antonio Casalinho and Margarita Fernandes, which along with the ‘Renaissance’ with Julian Mackay showed that the Munich ballet is a force to be reckoned with and has developed very well in recent years.

 

I thought the ‘Corsaire’ was a rather routine performance as was the ‘Black Swan’. To refresh Fiona's memory, Evelina Godunova's fouettes were a set of tidily executed singles. Skylar Brandt’s fall from her fouettes, compelling her to take emergency alternative steps, was unfortunate but overall it was not a performance to grace the memory.

 

I really must take issue with Fiona M and her persistent cabal against Natalia Osipova.

She quotes

‘Osipova’s (fouettes) in DQ were the ugliest things I’ve seen.  She started to full off balance early on requiring a double plie (which doesn’t sound bad when you write it) and then decided to crash on through them in any old fashion.  I admire her will power.  It was a gymnastic act.  No finesse, no ballet technique.’

 

This is quite offensive writing. ‘ugliest things I have ever seen’, ‘Crash on’, ‘no ballet technique’. This is primitive writing of the worst sort - a real disservice to a major international star who guests all over the world in an exceptionally large and varied repertoire.  She did offer some variance to previous fouettes, which made them interesting in what was a fouetté filled evening. I had not seen her do this combination before in any of her well documented performances of the pas de deux in divertissement or complete performance. In old style Russian Divertissement programmes ballerinas were compelled to perform different variants in classical codas to offer variety. In London this dates back to the Bolshoi in 1965 at the Royal Festival Hall, and many of the Moscow classical Ballet performances from the 1980s.

Osipova dispatched her task well in the fouettes and these comments relating to her lack of ballet technique are franly disgraceful. The internet enables us all to be forthright, hiding behind our profiles, but there should be some common decency in the analysis we read and not such crude writing. 

 

The Don Quixote pas de deux was well danced, although I think the partnering needed more work but then Potskhishvili is very young and it should develop with time. He is an exciting talent to watch, although I think we were rather led to believe that something really exceptional verging on the legendary was about to happen and I didn’t feel it did. Some of tricks were exciting, but it lacked the inner fire which most recently we had seen with Ivan Vasiliev, never mind the earlier Vladimir Vasiliev, still fresh in the memories of us ‘oldies’!

 

What exactly do these awards, presented at the end of Gala, represent? They seem to be the personal gift of Olga Balakleets, but do they really mean anything? but it did give her the chance to show off a truly fabulous dress!

[FionaM]

@Geoff regarding my primitive writing, what words would you prefer me to use to express my displeasure and disappointment?  
 

and my comments did not only apply to her fouettés.  

Edited March 22 by FionaM

[Sim]

54 minutes ago, Geoff W said:

 

As Galas go it was not a bad evening. Unfortunately it was slightly too long and several of the numbers could have easily been excised, which may have brought it to a reasonable time frame. The classical pieces were as one would expect, and some of the modern choreography was very interesting and well danced, but there were a few that really do not fit into such programmes. We will all think differently about which ones. Personally I did enjoy the ‘Two Pieces for HET’ wonderfully danced by Constantine Allen, but too long in my opinion and there were several cadential moments where the piece could have been brought to a close, but it rambled a little. The ‘Caravaggio’ with Bolle and Melissa Hamilton was quite a treat and very well performed. I was disappointed to read that his stage door manners leave something to be desired. He will miss the applause when it is no longer there. I don’t really think ‘Like Water for Chocolate’ worked as a gala piece, and flexed feet walking in lifts is all a bit passé. Francesca Hayward could have been very well used in something more reflective of her soft talents. I quite enjoyed the ‘Qualia’ which was well danced by Nagdhi and Clarke. The well-danced extract from ‘In the Middle, Somewhat elevated’ all looks rather retro nowadays, although we were thrilled by it when it first appeared years ago with the royal Ballet.

 

To the classical pieces the Esmeralda pas de deux with the tambourine solo was very well executed by Antonio Casalinho and Margarita Fernandes, which along with the ‘Renaissance’ with Julian Mackay showed that the Munich ballet is a force to be reckoned with and has developed very well in recent years.

 

I thought the ‘Corsaire’ was a rather routine performance as was the ‘Black Swan’. To refresh Fiona's memory, Evelina Godunova's fouettes were a set of tidily executed singles. Skylar Brandt’s fall from her fouettes, compelling her to take emergency alternative steps, was unfortunate but overall it was not a performance to grace the memory.

 

I really must take issue with Fiona M and her persistent cabal against Natalia Osipova.

She quotes

‘Osipova’s (fouettes) in DQ were the ugliest things I’ve seen.  She started to full off balance early on requiring a double plie (which doesn’t sound bad when you write it) and then decided to crash on through them in any old fashion.  I admire her will power.  It was a gymnastic act.  No finesse, no ballet technique.’

 

This is quite offensive writing. ‘ugliest things I have ever seen’, ‘Crash on’, ‘no ballet technique’. This is primitive writing of the worst sort - a real disservice to a major international star who guests all over the world in an exceptionally large and varied repertoire.  She did offer some variance to previous fouettes, which made them interesting in what was a fouetté filled evening. I had not seen her do this combination before in any of her well documented performances of the pas de deux in divertissement or complete performance. In old style Russian Divertissement programmes ballerinas were compelled to perform different variants in classical codas to offer variety. In London this dates back to the Bolshoi in 1965 at the Royal Festival Hall, and many of the Moscow classical Ballet performances from the 1980s.

Osipova dispatched her task well in the fouettes and these comments relating to her lack of ballet technique are franly disgraceful. The internet enables us all to be forthright, hiding behind our profiles, but there should be some common decency in the analysis we read and not such crude writing. 

 

The Don Quixote pas de deux was well danced, although I think the partnering needed more work but then Potskhishvili is very young and it should develop with time. He is an exciting talent to watch, although I think we were rather led to believe that something really exceptional verging on the legendary was about to happen and I didn’t feel it did. Some of tricks were exciting, but it lacked the inner fire which most recently we had seen with Ivan Vasiliev, never mind the earlier Vladimir Vasiliev, still fresh in the memories of us ‘oldies’!

 

What exactly do these awards, presented at the end of Gala, represent? They seem to be the personal gift of Olga Balakleets, but do they really mean anything? but it did give her the chance to show off a truly fabulous dress!

How can you say that @FionaM's words are 'quite offensive' when the words you use are equally, if not more, offensive?  You accuse her of being 'primitive, crude, disgraceful and offensive', all in one paragraph.  She did not insult Miss Osipova personally, she was merely commenting on her opinion and perception of her performance.  Fiona has written in praise of Miss O many times in the past, so this is not a personal attack.  She is allowed her opinion without expecting to be torn apart for it.  You wrote a good analysis of why you enjoyed Miss O's performance, and it should have been left at that, without insulting Fiona.  You disagreed, you stated why in a very erudite manner;  that would have been enough.

[Missfrankiecat]

22 minutes ago, Sim said:

How can you say that @FionaM's words are 'quite offensive' when the words you use are equally, if not more, offensive?  You accuse her of being 'primitive, crude, disgraceful and offensive', all in one paragraph.  She did not insult Miss Osipova personally, she was merely commenting on her opinion and perception of her performance.  Fiona has written in praise of Miss O many times in the past, so this is not a personal attack.  She is allowed her opinion without expecting to be torn apart for it.  You wrote a good analysis of why you enjoyed Miss O's performance, and it should have been left at that, without insulting Fiona.  You disagreed, you stated why in a very erudite manner;  that would have been enough.

  @Geoff W wrote that Fiona's writing was primitive, crude etc.  @FionaM wrote that Osipova's dancing is 'destroying her reputation and that of the RB'.  I think both are fairly forceful attacks and it's pretty hard to argue either isn't personal, the only difference being Fiona is here and it's unlikely  Ms Osipova frequents this forum.  Even if she did, I suspect it is unlikely she would be troubled by the opinions of any of us who couldn't turn a fouetté to save our lives.  To be clear, I think both Geoff and Fiona are entitled to express their opinions and I enjoy reading them.  I happened to be seated next to Fiona at Sunday's gala - she was charming and erudite company, a fund of interesting knowledge and opinion which I valued hearing; I happen to disagree with her view of Osipova, who I regard as an ornament to RB and whose Manon this run I thought was first among equals of those I saw.  But as the late Queen would say 'recollections vary' and so do opinions.

Edited March 22 by Missfrankiecat

[Sim]

1 minute ago, Missfrankiecat said:

  @Geoff W wrote that Fiona's writing was primitive, crude etc.  @FionaM wrote that Osipova's dancing is 'destroying her reputation and that of the RB'.  I think both are fairly forceful attacks and it's pretty hard to argue either isn't personal, the only difference being Fiona is here and it's unlikely  Ms Osipova frequents this forum.  Even if she did, I suspect it is unlikely she would be troubled by the opinions of any of us who couldn't turn a fouetté to save our lives.  To be clear, I think both Geoff and Fiona are entitled to their opinions and I enjoy reading them.  I happened to be seated next to Fiona at Sunday's gala - she was charming and erudite company, a fund of interesting knowledge and opinion; I happen to disagree with her view of Osipova, who I regard as an ornament to RB and whose Manon this run I thought was first among equals of those I saw.  But as the late Queen would say 'recollections vary' and so do opinions.

Exactly my point.  Everyone should be able to express their opinion without fear of ridicule or nastiness. Everyone has different opinions, and that's how it should be.  Whether you agree with someone or not, they are entitled to their own opinions and perceptions.  Debating them in a respectful way is the best way to go.  

[Geoff]

41 minutes ago, FionaM said:

@Geoff regarding my primitive writing, what words would you prefer me to use to express my displeasure and disappointment?  
 

and my comments did not only apply to her fouettés.  

@FionaM, although you linked to me @Geoff, I am not @Geoff W nor he, me. Just to be clear. 

[Roberta]

12 minutes ago, Missfrankiecat said:

the opinions of any of us who couldn't turn a fouetté to save our lives.

 

To be fair I once could! Long long ago. 

[LinMM]

It can be disappointing to see the technique of a once much admired dancer start to become less….I experienced this with Nureyev and felt sorry that some people were seeing some of his very late performances for the first time. I loved him too much for all his past performances to ever say anything denigrating about him but certainly wished he had stopped performing a little earlier than he did. 
I’ve never seen Osipova under perform

as yet…. but wasn’t at the gala…though she can sometimes be a little untidy in her technique she always seems to make up for it in other ways as in her recent Manon. 
Fonteyn stopped performing the really big classics like Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty near the end of her career but then I  wouldn’t have wanted to miss her in Marguerite and Armand!! 

It must be a difficult decision for any dancer who has had a fairly long and illustrious career to know exactly when and how to stop. 
Osipova in my opinion still has much to offer so wouldn’t want to see her go just yet and was generously giving time to this gala so perhaps a little harsh on her but as there is so little time for rehearsal and warm up for many of these galas perhaps what you decide to dance has to be carefully chosen. 


 

[Roberta]

2 minutes ago, LinMM said:

Fonteyn stopped performing the really big classics like Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty near the end of her career but then I  wouldn’t have wanted to miss her in Marguerite and Armand!! 

It must be a difficult decision for any dancer who has had a fairly long and illustrious career to know exactly when and how to stop.

 

I saw Fonteyn very late in her career when she toured a 'mixed' bill including other performers (I think she danced two pieces) and oh dear.  She by then relied on her name, her eyes, her charm, that smile, her stage presence. She wasn't what she was. 

 

The simple fact was she needed the money, her husband needed care. So she carried on far longer than she wanted. And I had that info from people who knew her well. 

 

For all her illustrious career earlier she was not a wealthy woman.  Hence the 'benefits' for her at Covent Garden.