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Good grief, I feel a headache coming on just reading that!  What exactly is wrong with a narrative ballet that has a good story with an obvious beginning, middle and end, summed up clearly and concisely in two or three paragraphs in the programme?

 

One which allows the audience to appreciate the dancing and acting of the cast without having to dive into pages of incomprehensible twaddle explanation from the choreographer that leaves the reader even more perplexed than when they started? 

 

However, my fingers are firmly crossed that the last part regarding things being done that have never been done before in the 21st century, actually means that Mr McGregor will come up with a ballet that I will like and want to see more than once.  That really will be first.....

 

P.S  Glad to hear that I am not the only one who hates Song of the Earth. 

 

I often really like films that aren't told in the traditional narrative format, and use flash backs, different story streams etc, but I think i'd just find it really confusing in a ballet.

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Are we sure we can talk about the "success" of the Ashton festival yet? I just checked their website and they seem to have sold about 250 tickets for a performance chosen at random, and that almost certainly includes comps for the press contingent!

 

Bless you, Katherine.  Your research is admirable.  I suppose I could have meant 'success' in the sense that such an animal (to wit: undertaking) was happening in such an open/public forum now-a-days at all - and, specific to that point, in the good ol' US of A! 

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What, pray, are the "accepted conventions of narrative ballet"?  Whatever they may be, according to quotations from Mr McGregor in today's Times, I see that they are to be challenged by taking a "non-linear narrative look at a long form piece of dance" to "see how we can interrogate it in a different way" and "see what we can do in a 21st century opera house that we have not done before."  I fear that the Programme Note is already writing itself.

 

 

 

In reference to Mr. McG's "non-linear narrative look at a long form piece of dance"  .... (i) The Woolf references are - if nothing else - fragmentary in and of themselves ..... that being part of their glory and (ii) what I wonder does Mr. McGregor think that Balanchine was doing in 'Jewels'?  .... I realise, of course, that the latter was based on an equally divergent selection of diverse novelties inspired by naught but a Van Cleef and Arpels Fifth Avenue picture window  ... but, all the same, the resulting balletic master-work was, in and of itself, ultimately a "non-linear narrative look at a long form piece of dance" that came together without - at least to my knowledge and on popular record - so much associated verbiage.  But then, of course, that was the 20th Century.  Times were surely different in that period oh, so long ago.  What I wonder would Georges have made of Wayne's noted dictates?  Perhaps - being a man who did after all create 420 ballets - he simply may not have had time to respond.  He might well have been creating.  That seemed to be the way Balanchine, himself, met his own particular needs ... so different from those, say, of Mr. McGregor ... or that is, of course, how I picture it.  I do think Balanchine would have enjoyed Max Richter, however.  There too I may be well wrong, of course.   

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What, pray, are the "accepted conventions of narrative ballet"?  Whatever they may be, according to quotations from Mr McGregor in today's Times, I see that they are to be challenged by taking a "non-linear narrative look at a long form piece of dance" to "see how we can interrogate it in a different way"

 

 

Pulp Fiction was a non-linear narative movie - and that was brilliant!

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Pulp Fiction was a non-linear narative movie - and that was brilliant!

 

 

Oh,  I love Pulp Fiction, it is one of my favourite films.  And I also love Momento, too, which is a very clever interpretation of linear. 

 

But non verbal art forms are more difficult to understand, and must have a series of clear images which explain the previous and subsequent action, otherwise it is baffling. 

 

I'm afraid that when I heard the reasoning behind the new ballet, my first thought was that it sounds like the ballet equivalent of James Joyce's Ulysses.  :(

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I'm afraid that when I heard the reasoning behind the new ballet, my first thought was that it sounds like the ballet equivalent of James Joyce's Ulysses.  :(

 

That's not really fair, Ulysses is as linear as it gets, every chapter is set over an hour. I understand people being a bit wary, but given that The Waves is listed among the works inspiring it, it's not really shocking it would go for non-linear.

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Very excited about the new season. Sounds really great. Especially looking forward to Manon, Fille and Onegin and wondering how the casting will pan out with the new principles and soloists. Disappointed Reid Anderson still hasn't relented about filming Onegin. it is a great ballet and should be recorded at least using Stuttgart dancers if not the excellent casts I'm sure the Royal will produce. Will Ed Watson get to dance Onegin? Will Steven get to dance the role given Onegin tends to be tall? Will Vadim be seen to be too tall to dance Lensky or will he go straight to Onegin? And this is before we get to the female roles!

A big plus for me living away from London is the amount of matinees; 5 I think for Onegin alone! Also Onegin has 3 days when it is danced twice so you can see 2 casts for one overnight stay. Also one Manon weekend had this and also a Sunday matinee so you could see 3 casts for one overnight stay; brilliant! Am hoping for Steven in matinee and Osipova in evening (or vice versa) like they did in Giselle. I hope they scedule some big name principles for matinees or intersting top soloists like Choe and Takada. When you live a long distance away it is very expensive to keep having to attend evening performances which involves a hotel stay because you want to see your favourite dancers.  I'm with Don Q fan about not liking the early matinees (we both have to travel about 200 miles!) but it's worth getting early trains (even if it costs a bit more) rather than have the more extortionate cost of an overnight stay.

Does anyone know when casting at least for the first season will be announced? I'm glad someone said it recently has usually been announced at this stage. I thought I remembered it at the year's announcement last year.

I'm with whoever it was who says the Royal triples are always spoilt by one ballet you don't really want to see, usually the one scheduled in the middle so you can't even have the slight advantage of arriving a bit later or leaving early. I'm looking forward to the Ashton triple but I wish they had something different to the Isadora Duncan (which I bet is scheduled 2nd!) Ashton has done so many great ballets I would loved to have seen Enigma variations which I thought would have gone nicely with A Month in the Country. 

I too also dislike Song of the earth. I remember a while back I had 2 tickets for separate triples it was in and I had to re-sell the 2nd ticket as I couldn't face sitting through it again! Anyway it saves a bit of money in what is looking like an increasingly expensive ballet year.

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That's not really fair, Ulysses is as linear as it gets, every chapter is set over an hour. I understand people being a bit wary, but given that The Waves is listed among the works inspiring it, it's not really shocking it would go for non-linear.

 

 

I wasn't actually thinking of the construction of the novel, more the stream of consciousness bit. 

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Forgot to say in my last posting I am disappointed with the cinema broadcasts. It must be the 3rd broadcast of both Alice and Swan Lake and neither are a favourite though if they want a Christmas broadcast it would have to be Alice. Am looking forward to Manon (Osipova?) as it is a while since it was broadcast and also looking forward to Fille though I don't see how the previous Steven/Roberta broadcast could be bettered. I realise the RB is restricted by what ballets they are dancing and they couldn't do Don Q as it has only just been done and they aren't allowed to film Onegin. It's a pity the Ashton mixed bill couldn't have been filmed as I think the popularity of the cinema broadcasts are definately growing and I think it could be time to be a bit more adventurous and try a mixed bill.

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Really pleased to see Onegin is back . Would someone be so kind as to explain the restrictions placed upon it being filmed. I'm sure I have seen excerpts in the past, although not the Royal Ballet's staging. The triple bills really took my eye, it's disappointing that there is no live screening. I agree about there being a glut of filmed broadcasts of Alice, but I guess there is no alternative in the run up to Xmas. Incidentally, are there more performances which are filmed during the season for Sky Arts? I'm hoping a triple bill might be included.

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  • 1 year later...

I have only seen Le Train Bleu on DVD and it really seemed a very slight occasional piece, far too dependent on people and types who were fashionable and newsworthy in the nineteen twenties to bear revival. Le Tricorne on the same disc was pretty dull too. Both were very carefully danced rather than performed.But when I saw Muntagirov perform his Beau Gosse gala "party piece" he almost convinced me that the ballet might be worth seeing.He danced it with great verve and I suddenly understood how it made Dolin's reputation.

 

With the right personalities in the other three key roles Le Train Bleu could be great fun.I don't suppose that Kevin would be interested in a Nijinska triple bill of Les Biches, Les Noces and Le Train Bleu.

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A very interesting selection of divertissements both old and new.  

 

Not sure whether it has been mentioned elsewhere on the forum, but apparently they decided it wasn't feasible to cart the set for Aeternum to NYC and so pulled it and stuck in this mish mash of extracts and short pieces.  I think it is an improvement to the programme.  Bit of a shame that at an early stage they pulled Connectome and switched in Age of Anxiety.  I didn't love Connectome, but think it is a better piece and it seems a bit odd for a London company to take a New York themed piece to New York (although I assume some see it the other way around).

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Casting now up for Royal Ballet in NYC (Koch Theater).  Source.  

 

Nice to see Cuthbertson, Pennefather and Zucchetti returned.  A very interesting selection of divertissements both old and new.  

 

Nice also to see Matthew Ball in Ed Watson's role in Infra.  I think he will be stunning dancing that.

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Not sure whether it has been mentioned elsewhere on the forum, but apparently they decided it wasn't feasible to cart the set for Aeternum to NYC and so pulled it and stuck in this mish mash of extracts and short pieces.  I think it is an improvement to the programme.  Bit of a shame that at an early stage they pulled Connectome and switched in Age of Anxiety.  I didn't love Connectome, but think it is a better piece and it seems a bit odd for a London company to take a New York themed piece to New York (although I assume some see it the other way around).

Connectome was also dropped due to issues regarding the set.

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Fantastic to see so many young dancers on the cast list for the 2nd mixed bill in New York.

 

I agree but.................

 

Is Muntagirov going all the way to America for a 5 minute solo performed twice?

 

Sorry, I've just seen that he will be dancing Don Q with Takada in Chicago.

 

I don't think that the RB is making the best use of one of its very finest assets on this tour.  I am aware that Muntagirov will be in Japan during the Washington leg but even so..........!!!!!

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  • 1 month later...

It has been reported by people present at last night's performance of Giselle by ABT that the RB principal N. Osipova in the title role took 'an almighty fall' near the very end of the second act.  She was dancing aside RB principal, S. McRae.  Both were guesting with ABT.  Commentators said that she was 'in obvious pain' during the curtain calls and was 'limping'.  I very much pray that the outcome of this fall was not serious and that it will not impact her home company casting during the RB's upcoming USA tour (not to mention her ABT performances in R&J and La Bayadere in the coming weeks). 

Edited by Bruce Wall
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