sylvia

I'll stop labouring this point now since it's probably not hugely important but just to clear the muddle I'm at a Manon Insight Day now and Monica Mason again used Scenes de ballet as an example about casting to/against type and said the ballerina role is suited for smaller, compact dancers and the choreography would be unsuited to a taller dancer like Darcey Bussell. In retrospect I should have asked her about Fonteyn, Shearer and Gray. Ah well, missed opportunity, but I'm having the most lovely time today. There's another masterclass this afternoon!

I'm also relieved that Monica was assistant AD while Stretton was director. She also mentioned that Winter Dreams was not originally in the triple bill, that he had planned something else and she and other members of the company had to convince him to change it. It did make me wonder what this season would have looked like had he been left to his own devices!

Alymer, now I'm confused as to what I heard Monica say! Definitely she said compact, and that the ballet or choreography was not suited to Darcey because she is tall - maybe I'm imagining the "very small" bit. Alina's as tiny as you get but Miyako is taller than she looks on stage. I don't know if I could imagine Sylive Guillem in the lead ballerina role.

I was at the performance tonight as well. Scenes was wonderful of course. I saw four empty seats in front of me - I felt very sorry for the latecomers for missing it. It also helped me figure out Ricardo Cervera's charm. He really pays attention to his ballerina - the way he turns his head, he really looks at them. His gaze would follow Alina slightly as she moved from him to someone else while the other guys would just look like they were concentrating on turning her or whatever. It's just these little touches that make him stand out, make the ballet more special, that make it look like it is he who is dancing the lead role.

Winter Dreams - I was a little disappointed in the cast at first. I agree I thought Isabel McMeekan would be too young for Irina but she was okay. Jane Burn was really lovely as Irina, better than Tamara Rojo. Tamara I felt didn't quite belong in this ballet - too different, too exotic maybe. I think I preferred Darcey as Masha, but Sylvie Guillem and Nicholas Le Riche had this frission that was missing with Darcey and Inaki. Nicholas has this command, this power in his dancing that we don't see too often at the Royal Ballet that is beautiful to watch. I agree with everything Alymer said about Sylvie's Masha, though I think it was more muted than Darcey's. There were so many moments I liked that I missed - like when Kulygin her husband (Dowell) tried to touch Darcey she would visibly cringe, not just once but throughout that pdd. I missed this in Sylvie, as lovely as she was. Still the pdd was gorgeous, so passionate. I did notice that Le Riche had a bit of an awkward landing towards the end I spent the rest of it wondering if he was ok. At the stage door we were told he had injured himself, though he seemed ok when he finally came out.

I saw the triple bill for a second time last night. I am in love with Scenes de Ballet. I've been working my way down in performances, from the balcony, to the stalls circle and then the front of the orchestra stalls and definitely the best view is from above where you can see the shapes the corps form. But the view up close isn't any less complete and it's nice to appreciate the details of the production - the set looks like something out of those surreal paintings that populate math classes. I've had a change of heart about the costumes - the pearl hats and gloves on the girls are charming! I thought Miyako Yoshida was fantastic in the lead role - better than Alina IMHO. I don't know, she just brings a maturity (in the best sense of the word!) to the role, like she knows exactly how it should be danced. Though this being the first time I've seen this ballet, I have no idea if it's actually being danced the 'right' way! Anyway, her smile was simply irrepressible and I hope she has years of dancing left with the RB (she has years of dancing wherever she is). Ivan was just wonderful, but I have to admit I prefer Johan Kobborg in just about everything! I'm a bit mystified by the reviews - some say he was excellent, others say he was kinda off! Bethany Keating in the corps really caught my attention - she has this quality that really draws your eye to her. I preferred the first cast of male dancers to this one - Bennet Gartside, Martin Harvey, Valeri Hristov and Thomas Whitehead. I have to say, it's a tribute to the choreography for me to admit I'd rather be in the amphi where I could barely recognise anyone rather than be up close and be distracted by this or that dancer!

Just some recollections from the pre-performance talk, Monica Mason that there were some minor variations in the notation, exactly where the arms were placed and how they moved from one position to another as Ashton had adapted the choreography slightly to suit different dancers. But with Chistopher Carr staging it, Leslier Collier who had learned it from Antoinette Sibley and Sibley herself who had worked with Ashton rehearsing the ballet, they were very confident and delighted with the end result. Mason also said that the ballet was completely new to the entire cast - unsually no one dancing had ever danced it before so it had to be taught from scratch. The lead ballerina was required to be very small and compact so it was suited do dancers like Miyako and Alina which is why we won't see tall leggy dancers like Darcey Bussell in it. Lolly's right in that most of the men in the company are about the same height but they managed to cast girls of different heights - tall, medium and small.

Winter Dreams on the other hand is much better close up. Darcey Bussell is so incredibly moving in this, her tumult of emotions ranging from fear of her own emotions, to love, to terrible despair. She used her long, langorous body to wonderful effect and I can't imagine anyone else in the role. (Will be curious to see Sylvie Guillem and Nicholas Le Riche's debut this evening). I have some misgivings about Inaki Urlezaga - he has only one expression on his face and that is a rather pained one. I think the only other dancer to really grab my attention was Edward Watson as the sisters' brother - he was so fleet-footed and fun to watch while remaining true to his character - a doting father, an argumentative husband! And Anthony Dowell - I cannot imagine anyone else in this role other than him. His hurt, his realisation that he had lost Masha, that his touch meant nothing to her, his humiliation was so beautifully portrayed. It's nice to see him getting involved in dancing again - secondary casts have been announced for the RB's Manon and he will be dancing Monsieur GM (to Sylvie's Manon) and I can't remember where I read this but also debut as Armand's father when Sylvie does Marguerite and Armand (on tour I think).

Monica Mason spoke a little about Winter Dreams, about how she was present at the first rehearsal and saw how MacMillan about to create this new pdd, Irek Mukhamedov who spoke no english and having to work this first time with this great choreographer, and a very young Darcey Bussell all quaking in their shoes! But she said Irek was very respectful and eager to please MacMillan. When MacMillan asked him to repeat him throwing his jacket and cap, you could see Irek experimenting with how he would throw it, something different everytime, how he would take Darcey's hand, "this way, or maybe this way, no this way" and it was a joy for her to watch this artist at work.

Sinfonietta - well I went into this with utter dread after the rehearsal and first night, and if I hadn't paid so much I probably would have skipped it and gone home. But it was ok. I said before I love the first movement and the finale. It's fun and joyous, lots of jumping and the ending is quite exhilirating. It's everything else in between that I don't like much. I guess I find lots of moments very childish and silly like the head-upper shoulder stands all the guys do at the end of the first movement. I think it had the opposite effect that Scenes had on me. It was better for me to see it up close so if I couldn't enjoy the choreography I could at least enjoy the dancers and their dancing (if that distinction makes any sense!) I hope there's another cast of Sinfonietta (unlikely given the cast size I guess). I guess I found the fast, frenetic bits great fun and the slow parts, the pdd etc very boring. Zenaida Yanowsky stood out in this the most - I don't know why but she makes almost everything a joy to watch. The Janacek music is fantastic though and the brasses were still singing in my head long after I left for home.

Monica Mason's talk on Sinfonietta was very interesting. She said that the company were very happy to add Sinfonietta to the repetoire as Anthony Dowell had tried for a long time to get Jiri Kylian to work with the RB. When Ross Stretton, a close friend of his came in, he snapped his fingers and Jiri said yes. So when Stretton left, one of Mason's first calls was to Kyilan asking if they could still stage the work "because it was me" she said with a smile. And he said yes of course. She said it was a popular piece, with the audience and especially with the dancers because it makes you feel like a child again, the way you feel when you're wearing wellies and splashing in puddles.

Someone asked a question about the balance of heritage and new rep in the company in the RB compared with other companies and Mason gave a very long and detailed answer. She said while it's not an excuse, what the RB can perform is dictated by the Royal Opera. They set out their schedules 5 years in advance and this puts constraints on the "slots" left for the RB to fill. They obviously need more rehearsal time for a new work than an old one and while the Opera can be a little bit flexible 5 years down the line, everything for the next 2 years is pretty much set in stone. So Monica has very sketchily planned out the seasons for the next 5 years.

What also had to be considered was what works hadn't been seen in some time, by the audiences, and what hadn't been danced by the dancers. This is a point that I don't think has been brought up very often in discussions. She said that the dancers may turnover every 5-6 years. They joined the Royal Ballet primarily because of the heritage repertoire and expected to dance these works. There was also the fact that the longer a work has not been performed, the longer it would take to restage it. She gave the example of Ondine which had not been staged for many years and Dowell decided a few years ago that it should be seen again, so for many in the audience this was a new full-length ballet for them. She's mindful of not repeating ballets like Swan Lake year after year and and also said that she does not want the RB to be a museum and that new work was the life-blood of a company, that it is essential for dancers to allow them to develop. While the company would love to have 3 or 4 new works a year all these factors and constraints have to be taken into consideration and make planning extremely difficult.

All this is from memory - I wish I'd taken notes! If I've made any mistakes please say. It was such an interesting talk - Monica seems to do all of them now and she's a lovely, articulate speaker, I wanted to post as much I as I could remember.

I met her after a performance of Cinderella in Southampton. I was too shy to say anything more than thanks and how wonderful I thought she was. There was only me and a little girl waiting and she was so sweet and offered to go inside to look for her husband Thomas Edur.

I don't think she features on any ballet videos apart from one - "Explosive Dance". She dances part of the Sleeping Beauty pdd with Edur. The video also has Tamara Rojo dancing Don Q pdd with Dmitri Grudzyev, Darcey Bussell and Yury Yanowsky in Le Corsaire pdd and Deborah Bull and Ashley Page in a moden piece I've forgotten the name of. There's also lots of non-ballet dance.

There's also another one - most recently from the Critic's Circle National Dance Awards last week on the ballet.co webite. Here you go!

http://www.ballet.co.uk/magazines/yr_02/de...ceawards_02.htm

Here are links to a couple

http://www.ballet.co.uk/links/ dancers_enb.htm

http://www.ballet.co.uk/magazines/yr_02/no...ev_enb_1002.htm

http://old.smh.com.au/news/0104/10/feature...features11.html

I met her once and completely free of stage make-up, she is just about the most beautiful person I have ever met.

Very lucky - there's so much to look forward to this season. It's a nice to see so much of the company featured in the same night - the male soloists are especially prominent.

I'm excited about Sylvie Guillem and Nicholas Le Riche's RB debut in Winter Dreams - wondering who's cast as her sisters. Anthony Dowell was great to watch btw - it's the first time I've ever seen him dance on stage!

Winter Dreams was lovely - a little long but lovely. I found it so much better on the bare stage than on video (which I kept fast-forwarding through). I really feel like MacMillan's choreography brought out the best in the dancers. Sinfonietta - ummmm...I'll wait til I see it for real before posting anything.

Lolly, it was a stage rehearsal so the coaches were probably watching off stage. But names, here you go!

Conductor - Charles Barker

Scenes de ballet

Music - Igor Stravinsky

Choreography - Frederick Ashton

Designs - Andre Beaurepaire

Lighting - John B. Read

Staging - Christopher Carr

Ballet Mistress - Gail Taphouse

Principal Coaching - Lesley Collier, Antoinette Sibley

Alina Cojocaru, Johan Kobborg

Ricardo Cervera, Yohei Sasaki, Joshua Tuifa, Edward Watson

Dierdre Chapman, Emily Low, Isabel McMeekan, Vanessa Palmer, Jane Burn, Mara Galeazzi, Laura Morera, Samathan Raine, Victoria Hewitt, Bethany Keating, Sian Murphy, Natasha Oughtred

Winter Dreams

Music - Tchaikovsky, arranged by Philip Gammon, Thomas Hartman

Choreography - MacMillan

Designs - Peter Farmer

Lighting - John B. Read

Staging - Grant Coyle, Monica Mason

Piano - Philip Gammon

Olga - Nicola Tranah

Masha - Darcey Bussell

Irina - Tamara Rojo

Andrey Prozorov their brother - Edward Watson

Natasha his wife - Genesia Rosato

Kulygin Masha's husband - Anthony Dowell

Lt. Colonel Vershinin - Inaki Urlezaga

Lt. the Baron Tusenbach - Alistair Marriot

Captain Solyony - Martin Harvey

Dr Chebutykin - Chistopher Saunders

Anisa the family nanny - Sandra Conley

Maid - Vanessa Palmer

Soldiers - Kenta Kura, Ernst Meisner, Richard Ramsey, Johannes Stepanek

Sinfonietta

Music - Leos Janacek

Choreography - Jiri Kylian

Designs - Walter Nobbe

Lighting - Kees Tjebbes

Staging - Jiri Kylian, Roslyn Anderson

Ivan Putrov, Jonathan Howells, Ricardo Cervera, Jose Martin, Thomas Whitehead, Bennet Gartside, Martin Harvey

Marianela Nunez, Tamara Rojo, Emma Maguire, Jane Burn, Dierdre Chapman, Vanessa Palmer, Zenaida Yanowsky

I've just come from the triple bill rehearsal and I'm kicking my heels round Convent Garden til the Cathy Marston double bill tonight. Not a review - just some thoughts as I'm dying to say...how much I loved Scenes de ballet!! Everyone I spoke to kept saying the same thing - how beautiful the choreography and Stravinsky music is (I want to buy a CD now!), how good the dancers were, especially Alina (partnered by Kobborg). I think the only quibble I have is the costumes - Alina looks wonderful and fresh in daffidol yellow but I wasn't keen on the funny head pieces for the girls - they make them look like little birds, and the guys look like they're wearing t-shirts for a punk concert! I'm sure it will all grow on me

Jonathan Cope is injured - I quite gutted but I hope he can still make the last performance of Winter Dreams.

Originally posted by balletmom1

I hope that someone will evaluate seriously the schedule these young men and women are under so that good skaters can stay healthy and skating.  Have there ever been this many sidelying injuries all at once?

I actually fault the skaters more for this! Everyone seemed to rush on tour after the Olympics, and to perform day after day, week after week and then come home to come up with new programs and demanding jumps for the new season sounds terrible to me. The actual skating season feels too short - I can't believe the grand prix's over already.

I agree about the state of figure-skating, especially in pairs and dance but isn't this what we see after every Olympic year?

I'm excited about seeing Scenes de ballet for the first time after everything I've heard about it. I'm desperate to see something new (to me) after weeks and weeks of Swan Lakes and Nuts. I'm going for three performances, probably will book for more as I always end up doing after first night! Plus all my essays will have been handed in by then so I'll try to post as much as I can.

Beckster, good luck with the move! I adore this city and have been so happy since I moved here a few months ago.

Thanks Alexandra! Your post was so useful in helping me identify the qualities the role of Oberon should possess. It makes me regretful that I can only ever see Dowell on video. I'll have to be content with Kobborg - I couldn't help but visualize his Oberon from your description. My big wish is that "The Dream" returns to the RB next season.

Alexandra, The Dream is absolutely one of my favourite ballets and I'm fascinated by the idea of Nureyev in it! What was it you heard about it?

What did surprise me was reading on Darcey Bussell's website that she had rehearsed Carmen, the Mats Ek one. Because of lack of rehearsal time it didn't come to pass and after watching the performances a few months later I couldn't possible imagine her in it! Though if she had been cast sheer curiosity would have driven me to see her.

I wasn't comfortable with Jonathan Cope in Giselle or Swan Lake. He's been dancing these roles for nearly 20 years, but from my perspective Cope seemed so out of place - all that passion in Mayerling seemed to have dissipated in Swan Lake. Well anyway it's just a personal opinion as many would say otherwise.

And this is a miscast partnership rather than miscast roles but the only performance I found really regrettable to watch because of the cast was Tamara Rojo and Johan Kobborg in Don Q - raves for their Giselle, fantastic individual performances but together they seemed to come from different planets!

I've just come home from my 2nd and probably final Nutcracker. So relieved there were no injuries as the main roles were filled with all my favourite dancers - Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg as the Sugarplum Fairy and Prince, with Natasha Oughtred and Ricardo Cervera as Clara and Hans Peter. I thought Natasha was so lovely - she has such big and expressive eyes and seeing that she's replacing Leanne Benjamin in Gloria in the coming mixed bill I think she's really on her way up. Ricardo Cervera was wonderful, really romantic in the pdd and full of joy in everything else. He has such an easy smile and there's something so relaxed about his dancing it's easy to see why he's a fan favourite. Natasha said in a recent newspaper profile that Juilet was her dream role and I could easily imagine them both in this ballet. I was hoping to see Zenaida Yanowsky or Belinda Hatley as the Rose Fairy but it wasn't to be. Still I guess you can't get any better than Marianela Nunez whom I saw last time. She is absolutely gorgeous in this role and dances with such an easy confidence I can't imagine anyone bettering her. Alina and Johan were wonderful as expected. I was surprised to agree with Lolly that Alina and her brilliant smile outshone Johan (a little unsmiley today) - I usually find it's the other way around! Anyway they were beautiful - very grand and assured. It was like there wasn't a single movement wasted - every step or gesture seemed so perfectly danced, like little gems sprinkled between moments of complete stillness. When Alina lept into Johan's arms and he dips her into a fishdive, it felt like it came out of nowhere, it was such a surprise even though I'm so familiar with this pdd. Alina got cheers for a string of double fouettes across the stage before the pdd had even ended. I'd say they were equally as good as Miyako Yoshida and Ivan Putrov who I saw last time. I was a little unsure about Alistair Marriot as Drosselmeyer - he came across as a little crotchy and unsympathetic. I loved the little boy from the party in Act I who tries to steal the Nutcracker from Clara and flies with a bit of magic from Drosselmeyer - his petulance was quite funny! The dancers from the Chinese dance were very cheeky in the curtain calls, mimicking the Arabian dancers curtain calls exactly with the arms and one straddling another's shoulders. :-) Great fun, great evening.

Tough to choose from the Royal Ballet but I'll have to go for Johan Kobborg. He's proved himself time and time again his committment to every performance is no less 100%. It's so plain to see how thouroughly he has thought about his characters and the way he manages to completely subsume himself into these roles is extraordinary! But I think with the lack of male principals and the number of injuries at the top, he (and by extension his partnership with Alina Cojocaru) has also been a consistent presence, a guarantor of excellence even in the most gloomy ballets. I can't possibly imagine future RB seasons without Kobborg. He couldn't let anyone down if he tried!

And I have to sneak in first soloist Mara Galeazzi here as well, for swooping in at the last minute to dance Tatiana and Mary Vetsera and proving she is as capable of being wonderful in principal roles as the Tamaras and Alinas of the world.

I read just now on the the ballet.co forum that David Makhateli from Houston Ballet would be replacing Robert Tewsley in his scheduled performances of Manon at the Royal Ballet. I was wondering if anyone could tell me about him. Has anyone seen him in Manon?

Ooh, I'm about to run out the door but I couldn't resist, easily my picks would include Ashton and MacMillan. I would love, love, love to see what they could create on the dancers we have today, on Rojo, Kobborg, Cojocaru and Acosta... I'd love to see what Ashton would make of Sylvie Guillem! And what of her Marguerite (and Armand)? And hear what their views would be on all the issues in ballet at the moment - the internationlization of companies like the RB, how they would bring in new and younger audiences, see how their choreography would adapt to all these changes, that dancers are more athletic than they've ever been, the tendency towards over-extensions, etc, etc... and to see new work by them would make up just a little bit for all the ballets that are being 'lost' that I will never see.

Can we choose composers as well?

rkoretzky, it was a pleasure to read your post. I'm glad you enjoyed the Nutcracker so much! I don't care for the party scene much either but I love this production so much and Alina Cojocaru really makes the first act for me. I adore the pdd between Clara and Hans Peter. I'm quite sad though that Cojocaru probably won't dance this role anymore - when she became a principal last year she danced only first night and now I don't think she's cast at all. Well anyway I'm looking forward to her Sugarplum Fairy next week. Will you see her when she guests with ABT in Bayadere? I think she'll be dancing in an ABT gala as well with her regular partner Johan Kobborg.

Yep, it's Miyako Yoshida and Jonathan Cope in the grande pdd. Miyako's so wonderful in this I wasn't disappointed when she replaced Darcey Bussell for first night last week. As for Darcey I think she's only 33 or 34 and dancing better now than she ever has if you go by the critics so I'm sure she has several years left in her. But I guess you never know. I was so freaked out about losing some of my favourite dancers in the last few seasons I'm booking as many casts as I can for everything so I don't miss anyone.

Hope you make it across the pond. Happy Boxing day everyone!

I think it was filmed in 2000 so not very long ago at all. It also has Ivan Putrov as Hans Peter who's one of the RB's newly promoted principals. I hope you enjoy it. And Merry Christmas!

I thought Wind in the Willows was the most enchanting, warm and witty production. The pure quality of the dancers and singers really made this, the extraordinary way they all manage to contort their faces into their characters. I loved the flirting fondness between Will Kemp’s dashingly natty Ratty and Pippa Gordon’s shy Mole. I adored the singing ducks and hopping rabbits, Iohna Loots especially. She was a lovely Clara in Nutcracker last night but her wide-eyed rabbit terrified by Toad and his menace of a motor car was hilarious. And her letter-stuffed “hare mail” satchel got a giggle out of me. The stoat puppets (Lion King-style) I wanted to pet but the weasels were as nasty as they're supposed to be. And Ratty's gun-twirling after coming to Mole's rescue was too cute. Adam Cooper was a gruff, pipe-smoking badger but most memorable was Matthew Hart’s nutty Toad, his tongue permanently flapping out of his mouth. He was completely insane! During the interval there was a huge commotion and Toad came racing out of a door into the audience-filled lobby, in his stolen motor car chased by police with truncheons! The opera-sung trial and verdict by the judge was hysterical – the droop on Toad’s face as his friends Badger, Mole and co. lined up to console him in the dock, the horror on his face as he counted on his fingers 1, 2, 5, 6…19, no let’s round it up to 20 years in jail! And the misery on his face was palpable as he crouched in his tiny cramped cell. It looks like such a tough, physical role though – as he leapt and spun from on place to another I could see huge droplets of sweat flying off him! And Luke Heydon's washing-up woman who breaks Toad out of jail - her flirtatious dance with Toad was a very "oh my god he looks so awful I can barely look" moment! It’s so obvious how clearly the dancers and singers love their characters, how they put their all into them. Anthony Dowell had a grandfatherly air to him and his narration was warm and vivid, as well as his reaction and interaction with the characters. It’s probably true that the text is beyond the littlest children but it’s such wonderful writing I can’t imagine WITW without it and it’s something for us nostalgic adults. The carols and snow were such a magical moment I actually became a little emotional! I loved the way the bits of opera singing were integrated into the story – it’s lovely to see collaboration between dance and opera for once. The use of the sets was imaginative – a giant chair over-turned became Toad’s prison cell, a closet was used for multiple doors and a horse-driven carriage. The musical score, while no masterpiece was an English dream. There’s been a tiny bit of criticism at the choreography but I thought it was quite imaginative and really it’s the characters that make the performance. I saw the choreographer William Tuckett upstairs during the interval but I was too shy to approach him so I’ll say it here instead, “Congratulations on a beautiful and loving production. I can’t remember being so happy and laughing so much throughout the whole two hours tonight or leaving as energised as I did.” I loved it. I loved how stuffed it was with details, little things that were going on around the main action so sometimes you didn’t know where to look for fear of missing something. I heartily recommend WITW but the performances are completely sold out. I’m seriously thinking about queuing for returns though I think I have zero chance. I hope as well that it’s staged regularly at the ROH, and it so deserves to tour. I doubt it would be as suitable for the main stage as the Linbury - much of the joy comes from the expressive faces of the characters. But I do think that because it is so intimate it would be perfect for filming and I would dearly love to see this huggable cast of characters and production preserved for everyone to see. It's charming, it's fresh and funny and a little wistful. The stop-motion animated film of this story is a treasured memory from my youth but I don’t know how I can ever go back to it after this! A cracking evening!

And finally, I want one of those cool knitted duck / rabbit-eared hat things!

One of my highlights finished just 2 hours ago! Wind of the Willows, choreographed by William Tuckett and enchantingly danced in the Linbury Studio at the Royal Opera House was just a dream! It was so witty and charming! It boasts talents like Anthony Dowell as the Narrator, Adam Cooper, Matthew Hart and Will Kemp and you cannot believe the expressions their faces manage to contort into!

Mayerling by the Royal Ballet. MacMillan's choreography, the pdd were unforgettable. The three casts were fantastic but I think Jonathan Cope was brilliant in it as I never thought he could be and the role of Prince Rudolf just belongs to Johan Kobborg. Alina Cojocaru was the biggest and best surprise as Mary.

Dances Concertantes by the New York City Ballet dancers where Yvonne Borree and Peter Boal in Duo Concertante just took my breath away.

I went to see the Royal Ballet's first night of Nutcracker last night. It's actually the first time I've seen it at the Royal Ballet, having had to go home for Christmas year after year. I thought the whole party in Act I seemed slow and devoid of any action, plus there were a few mishaps on stage. I think I find it a little disappointing because the music is so gorgeous but it's not used well. Still the mouse battle was good fun and I love seeing the children dance. My favourite part though has to be the pdd between Clara and Hans Peter - a blue silky curtain drops down as a backdrop and the effect is dreamy. Iohna Loots was a lovely Clara though I didn't think she soars in this. Jonathan Howells I thought was quite romantic! The snowflakes, their diagonal patterns are dazzling, as are the costumes and set of Act II. Manianela Nunez almost stole the show with her warm but crisply danced Rose Fairy. Monica Mason came out before the show to explain that Darcey Bussell had the flu and Jonathan Cope had injured his back - a disappointment to many I'm sure but I don't think they could possibly have danced the Sugarplum Fairy and Prince any better than Miyako Yoshida and Ivan Putrov. They seem perfectly proportioned to each other and have the same pure style of dancing. Putrov really seems to have grown as a partner this last year - he was very attentive to Yoshida. And his short solo was beautiful - he makes it look so easy! Yoshida was fantastic. A fun afternoon!

I think it's great news! I think the RB's in good hands and given just the changes to the 2002-3 season I'm really positive about it's future.

I think the Royal Ballet had more than it's fill of guest stars last season - I think I counted 9 men: Corella, Stiefel, Cooper, Tewsley, Bolle, Le Riche, Murru, Acosta, Lambiotti...have I missed anyone? ... and one lonely ballerina Yseult Lendvai. It's been exciting to see so many dancers that I would never otherwise have seen (I count my chances of ABT ever touring Europe as extremely low) and it can't do anything but help bolster the standards in the company. But I've felt a little bad for the dancers here. I think I was most disappointed when Murru stepped in to replace an injured Romeo which he hadn't otherwise been cast for. I knew that a couple of the male soloists were understudying the part of Romeo (one was "home-grown") which I would have loved to have seen. I know it's partly down to the fact that the RB are stronger on the female side than male side at the moment but I was thinking why even bother rehearse them if management was going to draft in another guest artist. Another example I can think of is Apollo next spring, for which Acosta is cast but Tewsley (having joined the RB) was not despite having danced the role in Stuttgart. It makes me a little sad to think of the performances that we may never get to see. It went overboard last year but I guess it had a lot to do with injuries and finding appropriate partners for Bussell and Guillem. I don't think we have quite so many planned for this season. I am disappointed though that Corella isn't coming back!

I think these dancers are definitely appreciated by the ballet fans - they're constantly singled out and praised alongside the principals. Now management on the other hand...

I was so surprised when I saw Belinda Hatley dance the cygnets night after night. I guess I assumed she was ranked a bit high for the role - which rank of dancers tend to be cast in this? I agree she is absolutely one of my favourites for the reasons you gave above. There's something very soft and tender about the way she uses her arms and upper body and really makes her stand out from all the others. I think her debut in Giselle was one of my first performances at the ROH and I remember her Act I to be spirited and beautifully acted. I really hope that she will be given a chance to dance Sleeping Beauty given that Leanne Benjamin is on maternity leave.

I haven't seen Revie dance enough to make a fair comment. But speaking of pregnancies Lovebird I wasn't sure of you were aware but Gillian Revie is pregnant as well, a Christmas baby I think is what she said on the BBC. It's wonderful news but I wish I could have seen her in all those MacMillan ballets - there's an open slot in Judas Tree and Manon next year!

I like Vanessa Palmer a lot too, but I think that she's a soloist is right for her. She excels in soloist roles - Myrtha, one of the big Swans, Katya the maid in A Month in the Country are most memorable to me, but I don't think she's suited to the more principal roles. And I think it's already a little crowded at the top on the female side at the RB.