Lovebird

My mum's got some pretty amazing things from 60- 70's RB and ENB memorabilia. My favorite is the RB salutes the U.S.A programme poster with Vergie Derman and Mark Silver. One programme she has is from the Shakespeare evening at the RB which included the premiere of Macmillan's Images of Love, Helpmann's Hamlet, and Ashton's The Dream.

Actually, I find Sarah Lamb very similar to Sarah Wildor. Caroline Duprot is very different from Wildor, in fact I would not have even thought of that comparison without seeing it mentioned here. She is POB trained and it shows. Her compatriot Cindy Jourdain is more Ashtonian than she is.

To disprove the notion that British women are not pretty, here are some ballerinas from the RB, BRB, and English National-

Moira Shearer- without a question the most beautiful ballerina then, now, and forever with her red hair, green eyes, creamy skin, the works. In the Red Shoes one can also see that beauty perfectly translates onto the screen as well.

Pearl Argyle- described by Gordon Anthony as the most beautiful face in the theatrical professions after Vivien Leigh, and indeed her pictures show a perfect oval face with aristocratic features, Balanchine was said to have fallen in love with her.

Pamela May- With her blonde, blue- eyed English Rose beauty and her vivacious friendly character she was an in- house favorite with Ninette, the audience, and Michael Somes.

Beryl Grey- Tall, glamourous, with dark hair and eyes, she sometimes resembled a young Queen Victoria.

Antoinette Sibley- blonde with brown eyes, she had a sweet, angelical face, always smiling.

Julia Farronn- an unconventional red-haired beauty.

Anya Linden- perfect features.

Georgina Parkinson- green eyes, black hair and a stunning beauty in the style of Liz Taylor.

Marion Tait- aristocratic beauty

Darcey Bussell- up turned nose, almond eyes, similar to Bambi's, and perfect cheekbones all make the most attractive ballerina of the 90's and now.

Andria Hall- Blonde beauty and perfect smile.

Patricia Ruanne-

Margot Fonteyn- Needs no comment

Some Commonwealth stunners

Vergie Derman- an icy blonde, tall with long limbs, if she had not been a dancer she would certainly have made her living as a model.

Elaine Fifield- she was a Vivien Leigh look alike with green eyes and dark brown hair.

Favorite Princess Florine- Antoinette Sibley on the RB video WOW! Also Deidre Chapman

Favorite Bluebirds- Errol Pickford

Jose Manuel, you have a good point when you say that culture is international, that one should be open minded, but I disagree. As a ballet student I think that the distinct flavors of the French, Russian, Danish and English style of dancing should not be lost. These styles are not cliche's, they are the DNA, if you like, of their respective companies. If being international is throwing everything into a blender and making it into one big boring mass, then I am against it. Yes, I have seen Neumeier, Bejart, not Mats Ek because I would not waste money seeing something that I know I'll dislike and I agree that one should give all choreographers repeated viewings. I have seen a couple of pas de deux's and Nijinsky, Clown of God by Bejart and also one with an all male corps of dancers and I have also read an interview of his. His ideals would be much better suited to modern dance than ballet, not to mention his disregard for the women dancer.

I am not an expert, so I shall just give my opinion. I have seen (on videos) works by Maurice Bejart, and for the most part I dislike his work. It is too acrobatic, too reliant on high extensions, too over the top, glitzy and with too little real emotion or content. I also agree that some of his works are not ballet but theatre with a bit of modern dance. In England he is highly disliked because the british temperament, and consequently, the british way of dancing is based on moderation and serenity. If you see an Ashton ballet it gives you comfort, happiness, peacefulness, whereas in a Bejart ballet everything feels edgy, exaggerated, full of turmoil. I know that in France, Spain, Italy he is admired but it is probably because of different national characters. In France's theatrical tradition it is okay to throw tantrums or scream or beat the stage with one's fists, but in England that behaviour is looked down upon and seen as uncivilized. That is also why Neumeier, Ek, Duato et. al are also disliked in the U.K. These type of choreographers will never jell with the style of the Royal, or what was the style of the Royal.

Which other ballets would, or could be revived? I am very excited about the revival of A Wedding Bouquet at the Royal this season. Jazz Calendar would be very fun to see live. I would also like to see Facade, the Royal hasn't performed it in quite a long time.

I think Persephone would be much better suited to Zenaida Yanowsky, she bears a resemblance to Beriosova, she speaks french as well and it would give her a much needed leading role, as she is so seldom used in the company. Another little seen Ashton solo was revived for her last year, La Chatte Metamorphosee en Femme originally made on Merle Park.

Finished reading Lucky Jim by Amis on the plane.

The Complete works of Shakespeare

The Razor's Edge by Somerset Maugham

The Complete Poems of T.S Eliot

Brighton Rock by Grahame Greene

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Middlemarch by George Eliot

The Poems of John Donne

Up at the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

A Room with a View by E.M Forster

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

All of the novels by Dickens

Mayerling. For me it is Macmillan's best ballet, but I have not, until now, seen a performance that is completely perfect. I have seen good Rudolfs, good Marys, good Empresses but never a performance where all the characters are well delineated and all the dramatic gestures are exploited. Maybe this is because there are so many characters and they all are essential to the whole, not to mention the many dramatic opportunities in it.

Seeing that you are from South Africa perhaps you would be interested in reading Vergie Dermans biography. It is very interesting and it describes her career as well as her life outside of ballet. It is called Vergie Derman Dances with the Royal Ballet, it has a close-up of her face on the cover. For an autobiography, I would recomend Elaine Fifields, I don't remember the name, her life was quite unconventional.

Also, Tales of Beatrix Potter. This was in the repertory once.

Lauren Cuthbertson and Edward Watson are developing a very good partnership. Cope and Bussell were an incredible partnership.

I would like to see Varii Capricci, if only for its kitsch value. Also in that category I would like to see Jazz Calender, this one especially for the Friday's child pas de deux made on Antoinette Sibley and Nureyev.

I loved the Enid Blyton stories! I think I read all of them, quite entertaining and very apropriate for children. I also loved C.S Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, a seven part series about a group of children who have all sorts of magical adventures, the stories of E. Nesbitt especially The Red Amulet, At the Back of the North Wind and The Light Princess by George Macdonald, and The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. Also the Sherlock Holmes stories, which I adored like a mad person, and are detective stories, but quite suitable for children. Any of the Harry Potter stories are also good.

If such factors as lost scenery and costumes, forgotten steps, etc. could be put aside, which Ashton ballet would you like to revive? I would vote for Rinaldo and Arminda, for its beautiful costumes, and Madame Chrythanseme for its interesting story. Looking at the Ashton bio ( the David Vaughn one) given to me by my mother, I realized how many Ashton ballets have been lost, or at least not performed in quite some time. Which would you choose?

I certainly wouldn't put Pietragalla on a list of great ballerinas. Even when she was really dancing at POB her repertoire was limited, she really isn't a classical ballerina in the true sense of the word, Aurora, Odette, are roles that were never suited to her. Actually, that list is very questionable.

Legs: Darcey Bussell

Feet: Lynn Seymour

Arms: Margot Fonteyn

Hands: Margot Fonteyn

Face: Antoinette Sibley

I have seen Zakharova in performance and Asylmuratova on tape. Personally I find them very, totally different dancers. Asylmuratova has dark hair and eyes, and her face has a slight Oriental air about it- high cheekbones, slanted eyes- while Zakharova is blonde and blue-eyed with a very Slav look. Asylmuratova is shorter in stature than Zakharova and her legs have more muscle tone. Zakharova places greater emphasis on her technique, while Asylmuratova is a much more dramatic dancer, she focuses more on telling a story.

Is anyone going to see Gillian Revie in the title role? She is excellent in this role, and its a very nice welcome back as she has been off for a very long time hasn't she? Having a baby, I think.

Did someone see it? How was it?

At the risk of going off topic, I would not include Marguerite Porter in the list of burn-outs. I wish Alina had been nurtured the way Marguerite was. Porter was in the corps for at least six years before she started doing demi-solos like Hermia in the Dream and Ysobel in Enigma Variations. Alina was in the corps for less than a year! And she skipped ranks when promoted. She went from artist to first soloist. That is a big change, and not really a good one. She hasn't had time to find out what she does best and has been given roles which are not suited to her. Olga in Onegin was a serious miscast, and so was Manon. A role which might be good for her is Julia in a Wedding Bouquet, which I think she will be dancing next year.

I'd say Robert Tewsley is seriously under- utilized, given that he is a new principal male dancer, something which the company practically always needs. How many times has he danced since he joined? I think you can count them with your fingers. Besides isn't his type "needed" at this time at NYCB? A classical prince in every sense. I think he would have been better off if he had never left Stuttgart, or the Royal. As little he claims he would have danced at the Royal, it would still have been more than he's doing now.

Finally! Congatulations to Gillot. It was overdue, and she is such an exceptional artist and a huge personality.