Jane Simpson

According to a poster on ballet.co, a Frankfurt newspaper states today that funding for the Ballett Frankfurt is to be cut by 80%. The paper also speculates that Forsythe will return to New York to develop video work.

Bruce Sansom, the former Royal Ballet principal who has spent the last 2 years with SFB and as a fellow of the Vilar Institute for Arts Management in Washington, is returning to London to join the Rambert Dance Company as Head of Development. the company's press release begins: "Rambert Dance Company is delighted to announce that Bruce Sansom, former principal dancer with the Royal Ballet, has been appointed as its new Head of Development. His role at Rambert, which is initially for one year, will include the organising of the farewell performance dedicated to departing Artistic Director Christopher Bruce at Sadler's Wells on 14 November and a fundraising gala to be held in the first half of next year."

Alexandra, isn't it just big city v. smaller city rather than Europe v. America?

Well, I wasn't quite so enthusiastic as Lolly. I did like Morera, though - she's a very nice, unfussy dancer and she'd earned a go at a leading role and did very well. It must be a terrifying role for a debut but she hardly showed her nerves. I'd expected her to look at home in the comedy bits, but I was impressed at how good she was in the more serious episode at the beginning of the second act. Putrov looks happiest in his solos, when he doesn't have to do anything but dance - he was obviously finding some of the partnering a strain. He's lightly built and needs a year or two more to build up some strength. I think it's much kinder not to put two young, inexperienced dancers on together, particularly at a debut.

Sylvia, I have to say I think you're being too kind to the company! If they'd given this programme at the start of the season, at low prices, to give a taste of what was to come and persuade people to buy tickets, I'd have thought it an excellent idea - but for people who've paid a LOT of money, not to mention that it was supposed to be in honour of the Queen's Jubilee, it seems to me really poor. It's not as if they were doing it out of the kindness of their hearts, either - the company will benefit to the tune of hundreds of thousands of pounds. It needn't have taken all that much extra work to put on something more interesting: for instance, everyone would have loved to see something of Cojocaru's Swan Lake, which she's just been doing on the Australian tour. And as the gala was to raise funds for young dancers and choreographers, wouldn't it have been a good idea to show some of them? To look at the cast list, you'd have thought it was in aid of Our Enormous Bills for Guest Artists. And so on. (No, I wasn't there - I don't much like galas in any case and this one seemed a complete waste of time.)

Thankyou, Pamela - I bought Balletten danser ud on my first trip to Copenhagen, in 1963 or so, and had never managed to figure out what the title meant!

What? As I write, there is absolutely no comment about Chapman's move on ballet.co. The posting about her is the press release from Rambert, the company she is leaving.

Jude, did you notice that Laura Morera is doing her first Kitri next week?

I was really hoping that they'd start the Shades scene with 'the tulles' which Karsavina described - lots of grey tulle 'clouds' which gradually dispersed to show the Shades already descending the ramp. No-one's mentioned it, so I guess I'm going to be disappointed?

Interestingly, I don't think this question would even occur to people like me (and probably Helena) brought up on the RB repertoire. It's a bit like asking 'do you like pas de deux in ballet?' or something!

One of my favourite things in the Kirov's new/old Beauty is the shock and dismay the King registers when his wife kneels to Carabosse in the Prologue - implying that in his view at least, human royalty definitely outranks a Fairy, however grand.

I saw the full-length version when it was new and thought the first 2 acts were pure padding, adding nothing to the Anastasia we saw in the third act. I still think that act stands well on its own, given someone of sufficient dramatic skill in the central role. I didn't go to the last RB revival, not even to see Sarah Wildor; but one interesting thing is that had MacMillan lived, he was planning to expand Rasputin's role for Mukhamedov - which really might have been worth seeing. (I wouldn't say it was 'roundly' booed at the premiere, Mary - just booed!)

Sergei Filin is in London, substituting for the injured Zelensky, partnering Zacharova in English National Ballet's 'in the round' Swan Lake.

So far as I remember, the RB's revival of The Good Humoured Ladies was absolutely slated by the critics, who thought that most of the dancers hadn't a clue about the style and that the ballet had lost almost all of its charm - so if today we think it looks good, how much better must the original have been?

Thankyou - I'm looking forward to it! They're bringing The Envelope (Parsons), which has been seen before in London, and also Split (Trey McIntyre) Let's Call the Whole Thing off (Harrison McEldowney) counter/part (Jim Vincent) Read My Hips (Ezralow) - all of which will be new to us.

We have this company opening in London next week - could anyone give us an idea what to expect?

Sylvia, I do agree that Kobborg is a fine Romeo. One of the things I like about him is that he doesn't make a big production of his dancing - he just gets on with it! He is turning into a very good actor indeed, too. I thought Cojocaru's third act was very, very good, but in the first act she's too young for me - very sweet, but with no sign at all of the strength of character that would drive the tragedy on. I don't agree, though, about the mandolin dance, which I thought one of the least effective I've ever seen. And I really wish we could have the proper balcony back!

The only time I can remember more than an isolated boo at the Royal Ballet was at the first night of Kenneth MacMillan's full length Anastasia, and it was rather pointless as no-one knew if it was directed against the 2 new acts or the existing 3rd act, or both. I do sometimes boo myself, but only very, very quietly. Sylvia, I do agree about the ROH orchestra - they sounded far better at Trovatore on Wednesday than at R&J on Tuesday.

The only time I can remember more than an isolated boo at the Royal Ballet was at the first night of Kenneth MacMillan's full length Anastasia, and it was rather pointless as no-one knew if it was directed against the 2 new acts or the existing 3rd act, or both. I do sometimes boo myself, but only very, very quietly. Sylvia, I do agree about the ROH orchestra - they sounded far better at Trovatore on Wednesday than at R&J on Tuesday.

Sylvia, I'm glad to hear that Jane Burn is back [for non-RB watchers, she's a senior soloist who's been off injured for the whole of this season] - I wonder how Ross Stretton would have cast her if she'd been available earlier? I have to say that when I think of Jonathan Cope's Albrecht I still see him at his RBS graduation performance, 20 years ago this summer! Mel, Cervera certainly has the charm! He's talking to the Ballet Association in London tonight, I believe - maybe someone would like to ask him about his ancestry?

Spring?? - it's harvest time! But I agree with you anyway. I think Symphonic Variations would be the perfect spring ballet - but what to put with it to make a whole evening?

Lolly, Ross Stretton said at the press conference this morning that there will be 88 dancers in the company at the start of next season, more than ever before.

The following are announced as joining the RB next season: Robert Tewsley, from Stuttgart (an RBS graduate!) - principal Jose Martin, from Boston - soloist Isobel McMeekan, from Birmingham RB - 1st artist Valeri Hristov, from PNB - 1st artist Tim Matiakis, from the Royal Swedish Ballet - 1st artist Andrej Uspenski, from the Royal Danish Ballet - 1st artist

...and no, Alexandra, the triple bills don't appear to have titles!

Disappointing, if you ask me, especially in the very small number of triple bills - 3! I should think at best they'll get 20 performances between them, out of a total of 132 for the season. There's only one creation, too - the new Bintley piece. On the other hand I'll be very interested to see Le Parc, and almost any new production of Sleeping Beauty will be welcome! And if we can really only have one Ashton piece, I'm glad it's Scenes de Ballet.