sylvia

'Favourite dancers' - my favourite topic! ITA with Johannes Stepanek and Ivan Putrov. It would be silly for Johannes to remain on the bottom rung of the corps when he has taken on so many soloist roles this season. As for Ivan. I think he'll promoted to first soloist. I won't go as far as principal yet but I don't think it will be long. I'm looking forward to his scheduled Siegfried! I have doubts about Marianela though - not her her dancing which I think is terrific and I would love to see her to stretch and do roles like Odile/Odette, Giselle and Juliet. But apart from Kitri and Sugar Plum, I don't think she has danced any major principal roles. Plus there are so many great ballerinas in the RB at the moment, it's hard enough accomodating the principals (e.g. there are 7 casts for Swan Lake) and with so many talented female soloists, I don't think it's yet her time. She's still only 20. Not really predistions, more hopeful thinking. Ricardo Cervera and Martin Harvey to first soloist. I think Ricardo's long overdue a promotion but I don't know how realistic this is. Martin's been given an Onegin matinee this Saturday - so he can't be doing too badly! Plus Nastasha Oughtred, Thomas Whitehead, Brian Maloney?

Hiya Lolly Thanks so much for the post. I'm so happy the RB are back again. and it's good to hear that Adam and Mara worked so well. I'm going to see them and some other casts later this week. I'll be curious to see how much their interpreations will have changed since last autumn. I'm really looking forward to Yseult Lendvai (from Stuttgart Ballet) and Robert Tewsley as well as Mara with Martin Harvey. And Belinda Hatley's Olga most of all. More debuts! I wouldn't wish injuries on anybody but it's shaken the casts up a bit and made things more interesting. For Galeazzi and Harvey I'm taking my Mom to her first ballet in 40 years! (a Chinese touring company back then.) It should be fun - I made sure to get front row seats. Anyway, will post when it's all over. And wishing you the best in your exam Lolly! Will you see Don Q and Coppelia too? Sylvia

Oh, there was no way I was going to let this thread end on that post! Billy Elliot is one of the most touching and inspiring movies I've ever seen! Ed, do see the movie - you may be surprised. Trailers can be so misleading. The movie never makes Billy out to be odd because he's a useless boxer and likes ballet. Rather he is very ordinary, but what separates Billy is his big talent and dreams and the movie is about not letting family or circumstance hold you back from your potential. It's the people around him that see him as a bit of an oddball but they have their own quirks (so ultimately all differences are celebrated as being ordinary) and their harsh judgements are realistic ones anyway. On your last point, I know it's not the same but we did have this British tv programme called 'Faking It'. It's a series testing people's ability to completely change their identities. Kasper Cornish a ballet dancer from London had just one month to transform himself into an aggressive wrestler and take on the former NWA World Champion in front of a paying audience and a panel of professional judges. I think he was successful-ish, but wrestling wasn't really for him and he went right back to ballet.

Oh, there was no way I was going to let this thread end on that post! Billy Elliot is one of the most touching and inspiring movies I've ever seen! Ed, do see the movie - you may be surprised. Trailers can be so misleading. The movie never makes Billy out to be odd because he's a useless boxer and likes ballet. Rather he is very ordinary, but what separates Billy is his big talent and dreams and the movie is about not letting family or circumstance hold you back from your potential. It's the people around him that see him as a bit of an oddball but they have their own quirks (so ultimately all differences are celebrated as being ordinary) and their harsh judgements are realistic ones anyway. On your last point, I know it's not the same but we did have this British tv programme called 'Faking It'. It's a series testing people's ability to completely change their identities. Kasper Cornish a ballet dancer from London had just one month to transform himself into an aggressive wrestler and take on the former NWA World Champion in front of a paying audience and a panel of professional judges. I think he was successful-ish, but wrestling wasn't really for him and he went right back to ballet.

Tracey, it's because of the new director Ross Stretton that Miyako hasn't been dancing very much this year. The last director Anthony Dowell tended to distribute roles very evenly among the principal dancers. But that's a whole other discussion. I'm not very optimistic about next season because of all the MacMillan and she's not regarded as being suited to his ballets. But I guess the classics to look forward to like Swan Lake, and hopefully Sleeping Beauty. Maybe if she can last long enough for the Ashton centennary we'll see more of her. Maybe. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the performance. I hope yo get to see Alina and Johan in Don Q as well. Alina is really sparky and charming in this and she has a terrific partnership with Johan Kobborg.

I missed Yoshida with Jonathan Cope last year but they got some really excellent reviews, from my friends and the press. They're a bit of an unusual partnership but I remember them mentioning how much energy and fun the two of them had. Miyako herself is a beautiful dancer with very strong, precise technique. Some critics think she isn't one of the strongest actors but I thought her Giselle was very expressive, one of my favourites. I wouldn't be disappointed. It's just a shame that she hasn't had more to do this season.

Would a cross-Atlantic view be ok? I think many will argue otherwise but it's been a pretty good season for me. In London... Highlights! Easily my highlight was Onegin in November, staged at the RB for the first time. I was crazy about it - the choreography, the lack of padding, sets, costumes, the emotional pdd. Such first class casts - how do you beat the combination of Tamara Rojo, Adam Cooper, Alina Cojocaru and Ethan Stiefel? And seeing Alina pair up with Johan Kobborg in the lead roles a few nights later confirmed to the whole of London that we didn't have just 2 stars but a truely rare and extraordinary partnership. In February they danced the most meltingly beautiful central pdd in The Leaves are Fading. In April it was a mesmerizing Giselle, as perfect interpretations as there could be and suffused with such detail. They are incomparable! Mats Ek's Carmen was very WOW! Shouting and screaming on stage? I adored it! So funny and inventive and absolutely manic choreography, with funky fan-shaped, bullet-ridden sets. Nothing like I expected (I expected to hate it). One that really seemed to polarise the audience but the dancers here seemed to enjoy themselves and there's nothing more fun than seeing that. Sylvie Guillem snagged most of the nights but I liked Tamara's more womanly (less animalian) Carmen better. A shame that much of London failed to cotton on to Tamara and Thomas! Thomas Whitehead was a startling eye-opener and I'm crossing my fingers for more lead roles. But nothing topped Jonathan Cope's grand entrance as Escamillo in gold lame pants, snarling, strutting and shaking his bon-bon on stage ! A forever favourite, MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet - 4 superstar casts and surprisingly I thought the best star-crossed lovers were Bussell and Bolle and their marvellously fresh and incredibly romantic interpretation. My nomination for incorrigible scene-stealer goes to Ricardo Cervera, only the most charming, mischievious, BEST Mercutio I have ever seen. Best death-scene too! His ballroom solos broke land-speed records! They were so astonishingly fast and breathtaking you could FEEL everyone's hearts caught in their throats! Greatest Juliet though - easily Tamara's. I was awed. She's only the most dramatically gifted dancer/actress in the company. You could take a snapshot of her at any moment and it would be beautiful. Other highlights - Cojocaru and Corella in Don Q. Could there be a sweeter, spunkier pairing? Likewise, Rojo and Corella in Giselle. Please come back Angel! And BTW, it was the year of the male guest artist - with Corella, making regular appearances were Acosta, Bolle, Cooper, Le Riche, Murru, Stiefel and Tewsley (who's joining the RB!). I'm sure I've forgotten somebody but who? Zenaida, Zenaida! (Yanowsky I mean). Her chilling Myrthe and powerful dancing came close to outshining the many Giselles she lorded over. (And speaking of Giselle, I have to mention the other stars, the corps who were simply wonderful.) Likewise she was the one dancer everyone picked out in In the Middle. I was thrilled to bits that she got to dance with Roberto Bolle in the live televised 'Prom at the Palace' for the Queen's Golden Jubilee. She so deserves the recognition. Marianela Nunez continues to stretch and convince in so many roles - she stood out in Leaves, was a sweet and suitably superficial Olga, and in spite of her 20 years a radiantly confident and seductive Street dancer in Don Q. I think she really came into her own with Bayadere. She surprised many the way she took utter command of the stage with her Gamzatti. She's a dramatic actress who lets characterisation shine thorugh her beautiful dancing. Christopher Wheeldon's Tryst. I did a poor job of trying to explain it in my posts but what can I say? It's a rare day when an abstract ballet gets a reaction out of me. Chaotic music and edgy dancing sandwiched a Darcey and Jonny pdd of such stillness and beauty. And speaking of beautiful pdds, 2 words. Cathy Marston, a young exciting British choreographer/dancer. She created the loveliest ballet 'Between Shadows' based on The Go-between and was performed in the Clore Studio Upstairs (in the Royal Opera House). It was lovely, intricate, so atmospheric, with intertwining strands of stories, moods and memories it seemed. Central to the ballet was breathtaking and fervent pdd between Martin Harvey and Lauren Cuthbertson, 17 and fresh out of the RBS. I'm trying not to get too excited because they're all still quite young, but she, along with Marston and Harvey are definitely ones to watch. Jonathan Cope - he gets more attention from the fact that he's Sylvie and Darcey's regular partner, but he really comes into his own in A Month in the Country and Marguerite and Armand. He makes such wonderful use of his long limbs and Ashton's steps look clearer, more beautiful than I thought possible. And ok, his ardent partnership with Sylvie in both ballets doesn't hurt either! The younger dancers! Along with Nunez, Harvey and Cervera, were Ivan Putrov who's Albrecht was extraordinary and got as many cheers as Jamie Tapper's Giselle. He has future principal stamped all over him. And Johannes Stepanek who's danced brilliantly in so many roles for someone who's still in the corps! He's a heartbreaker though - at least a dozen of my friends fell in love with him and his near six o'clock extensions after watching just one company class. They didn't believe me when I said he wasn't a principal! Partnerships! AD Stretton seems intent on pairing up all the principals with each other. Along with Guillem-Cope, it's going to be Cojocaru-Kobborg, Bussell-Bolle, Benjamin-Tewsley for the forseeable future. Plus he's wised up and brought Acosta back to dance with Rojo for Don Q. And now Yoshida-Putrov?! I'm still holding my opinion on that one. Masterclasses, Company classes, Insight days. It's a real joy to watch some of the repetitors at work. It floors me how much knowledge they've manage to retain. The most entertaining for me were Donald McLeary (R&J), Kim McCarthy (Remanso) and Christopher Wheeldon (Tryst). Mr McLeary rehearsed Edward Watson and Natasha Oughtred in the R&J balcony pdd, the first time for both of them and partcularly exciting for Natasha who's still in the corps and had "always wanted to dance Juliet". Fascinating, especially the funny names they come up with for certain steps and are passed down the generations - for R&J there's "the wheelbarrow" and "the bicycle". (I'll let you figure out which ones they are. ) Kim coached Jonathan Cope in his "Walk in Central Park" and described movements as "taking a shirt off" and "throwing up"! Wheeldon's Tryst pdd showcased a "Star-Wars lift" - it was the dancers who insisted on the name he said! A real insight into how dancers learn the steps, the meaning behind the movement, how hard it all really is and how much effort they put in into hiding it! They definitely give a new dimension to the steps, the ballets and especially the dancers. The company classes are wonderful, though I've started feeling terribly guilty at watching something that should be private. What's especially nice is being able to discover dancers you would never have seen or paid attention to otherwise - I got my first glimpses of Nunez, Harvey, Stepanek, and Jamie Bond here. And I'm now desperate for an Oughtred-Watson R&J! Irek Mukhamedov's farewell to London gala (well not really, he's back as Drosselmeyer in ENB's new Nutcracker this X-mas). 'The Four Horsemen' that he choreographed to the 'clickity-clack' of horse's hoof beats and a tango. Lots of virtuosic dancing and jumping and spinning for his fellow Zorros - great fun. That was back in September - seems AGES ago now! Julio Bocca's Ballet Argentino - more tangos, steamy ones! Estonian husband and wife, Thomas Edur and Agnes Oaks - only the most luminous Swan Queen and Prince I have ever seen. For the first time I could really see the two fall in love in the Act II pdd. Agnes is in my opinion the most beautiful dancer in the world. I have never seen such a contrast between vulnerability (she danced like she would break into tears) and utter wickedness in her Odette-Odile. This was ENB's Swan Lake 'in the round' where 64 swans dance on a big round stage surrounded by the audience. More isn't always better but I thought the Act I 'pas de douze', and the double row of cygnets were terrific. Plus it's very exciting to have the likes of Odette/Odile, Siegfried, Rothbart swanning (sorry ) 3 feet in front of you (there are some serious cute tooshies in the company) plus the dancers' tutus are close enough to touch (I refrained) as they rush right past you in the aisles. Lowlights Ok, there were lowlights too, but I don't like to dwell on the negatives so I'll be brief(ish). The mixed bills - either a bad mix or just plain bad! Duato's Por Vos Muero I found interesting at first but it soon became extremely bland. Plus the heavy velvety dresses swamped the ballerinas so there really wasn't much dance to see. Most of them - PVM, Remanso, The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude (not such a thrill) and eventually even Leaves didn't stand up to repeat viewing. Beyond Bach was a bit of a mini-disaster when injuries resulted in bits being cut from the ballet, literally last minute rehearsals and dancers sharing roles in the same performance (i.e. one did the pdd bits, the other did the solos!). Echoed in In the Middle. Very confusing. Usually rescued by Sylvie (a la Carmen, Marguerite, Natalia Petrovna - no kidding). Miyako! Where were you! Just 4 roles this season: Kitri, Sugarplum, Vertiginous and an excellent Giselle. There's Coppelia to look forward to in the summer and she's replaced Darcey in Don Q. A word to the director, I am NOT impressed. Likewise, Sarah Wildor's gone. Unforgiveable. ENB's Romeo and Juliet - the Nureyev one. I didn't much like the video and I wasn't impressed with it on stage either. Devoid of any beauty or romance. Too many steps - they looked more like classroom exercises. And it's too psychological for my liking (like what was with Mercutio in Juliet's dreams?) Dmitri Gruzdyev's R was the only pleasing thing about it. La Bayadere - I can't fault the dancing but I really object to the cheese, the slaves, the sets and choreography for the corps. Curious that I was most moved by the pas de trois in Act III when so many felt the ballet was one act too long. Don Q. Funnily enough most of it worked really well on tv. I keep saying it, the RB dancers are terrific and funny actors from the principals right down to the corps, and when the cameras focus on the going-on in the background, it becomes hilarious. But the mind-numbing prologue and the painfully long gypsy/windmill scenes do my head in and I doubt I'll catch the summer performances even if they are the last ones ever. ************** I think that's it - I can't think of anymore negatives. Good that they're outweighed by the positives! We're not quite done yet as we still have the summer season to go (Jubilee Gala, Onegin, Don Q, Coppelia) but my booking form's arrived for next season and I'm so looking forward to more Carmen, more Tryst, not sure about Mark Morris' Gong. Excited about the MacMillan Season (Mayerling, Manon), a new Makarova-staged Sleeping Beauty, Scenes de ballet, Le Parc and lots of Swan Lake debuts. Plus the likes of NYCB's Whelan, Boal, Soto, Somogyi and Borree will make an appearance here in September. Sylvia

I enjoyed Centre Stage for a while, though it's so cheesy and simple I sure got tired quickly. Billy Elliot I could watch over and over. I think it's a wonderful story. It makes me want to be 10 again, when you could have all that potential, that genius to go in any direction you want. And it makes me wonder what on earth I was doing at age 10 - watching tv no doubt!

I enjoyed Centre Stage for a while, though it's so cheesy and simple I sure got tired quickly. Billy Elliot I could watch over and over. I think it's a wonderful story. It makes me want to be 10 again, when you could have all that potential, that genius to go in any direction you want. And it makes me wonder what on earth I was doing at age 10 - watching tv no doubt!

I adore the Ashton version. It's probably one of my favourite ballets so when I saw PNB dance Midsummer when they came to London it was impossible to be objective. I disliked it intensely. I missed the narrative, the humour, the beautiful choreography. I have a video of PNB as well and haven't managed to sit through the whole thing without getting bored. It's been a while though, I should try again.

I adore the Ashton version. It's probably one of my favourite ballets so when I saw PNB dance Midsummer when they came to London it was impossible to be objective. I disliked it intensely. I missed the narrative, the humour, the beautiful choreography. I have a video of PNB as well and haven't managed to sit through the whole thing without getting bored. It's been a while though, I should try again.

Attitude, thanks so much for the lovely review! Great to hear that Darcey impressed you so. This Swan Lake production has a lot of critics but I really love it, the sets, the costumes...the Neapolitan dance too! Can I ask who danced in it? I'm missing the RB a great deal here in the UK so it's so good to hear how they're doing on tour. Great that you're seeing Alina's Giselle - she and Kobborg are truely, truely amazing in it, the best I've ever seen. Exams - tell me about it. It's too awful trying to balance books with ballet! Hazel, I'm with Lolly in that you'll usually find me and a lot of people in jeans and trainers, no one minds. You'll usually find me standing too.

I sure enjoyed Stiefel and Corella while they guested at the RB and I hope they come back (soon, and often!). Julio Bocca with his company Ballet Argentino impressed me to no end. And we miss Acosta's dancing here too. Boy, I sure am envious of you guys having fun with the Met Season. What I wouldn't give to see them all in The Dream and La Fille. I swear if I wasn't such a poor and hungry student who spent all her money on ballet tickets, I'd hop on a plane there right now.

Just wanted to post that there are rehearsal photos of Tryst online on the ROH website. Very nice ones too! Good to see that Johan Persson has been busy throughout his injury! There are also a couple on the reviews page as well.

Just some highlights from the matinee and evening performances yesterday... Tryst It's like a different ballet when you get a little perspective. Are the critics sitting in the stalls for this one, because if they are they don't have the best seats. When I was in the stalls circle last week the 22 dancers did look a bit structureless, but from the amphi I thought Tryst was just exceptional. The set with it's off centre floor is much more striking. It's no longer "just a light show" as I heard one audience member complain - the lighting and moving parts feel seamlessly integrated with the music and choreography. The complex patterns the dancers made, the way these and their movements intertwined with MacMillan's music (which I love) produced such an strong reaction in me. The transition into Darcey and Jonathan's languid pdd is surprisingly smooth. They didn't remind me of birds as Dougill from the Sunday Times suggested but swimming in a deep blue sea. They were wonderful, fluid, appearing almost boneless in the curves they made with their bodies. I was so disappointed to have missed Harvey and Hatley in the matinee - could someone tell me how they compared? The insight day a few weeks I thought at first was useful in explaining some of the motivation behind the ballet. I usually like to understand the whys of what I'm seeing. But I've had a change of heart - there doesn't have to be any meaning to it. It's just wonderful to sit back and watch and time absolutely flies. The Leaves are Fading Another ballet that looks better from above. Leaves has felt so one-note I thought I couldn't be surprised anymore, but I was wrong. In the matinee I was completely wowed by Nunez and Gartside in the 3rd "married love" pdd. I think Marianela gave new meaning to the word "melting", she was so captivating in Gartside's arms. Kobborg and Cojocaru were lovely and joyous in the evening performance in the central pdd. Also want to mention Ricardo Cervera who's lively dancing seems to stand out in everything. A Month in the Country I think Jonathan Cope is the new superman of the RB in replacing an injured Ivan Putrov in the matinee, after Tryst/Month the night before, and Tryst/Month in the evening to come. Very disappointed not to see Ivan because Muriel Valtat was so good. But I do love Jonathan's Beliaev and especially the open way he uses his arms in his first solo. And there's nothing like Guillem and Cope together on stage. Oughtred had a bit more spark to her Vera than Keating who danced the matinee but it really is good to see the younger dancers having a go. Another great day, but sad because most of the RB jet off to Australia tonight. No more ballet for me until the summer season. Whatever will I do for the next 6 weeks?!

Sightlines are really bad at the Royal Opera House in London and because I'm so tiny I'm pretty much restricted to the front row of anything if I don't want to spend 3 hours craning. I love the front row of the stalls for really dramatic ballets like Onegin or R&J so I can watch every single expression on the dancer's faces. It's a bit low though, so you can't see the dancers feet, especially when they got to the back of the stage. For ballets like Giselle I can stand be further back and enjoy the Wilis. More abstract ballets with a huge corps are better of course with a little perspective so it's front of the amphi for me. And standing seats always work for me - cheap and the view is perfect!

Helena, I like her a great deal too, especially from Tic(k) in Cohabitants in the Clore. I should have rephrased though - she danced in the rehearsal so I assumed she's 2nd cast but you never know...Cervera was listed in the Leaves rehearsal cast sheet and he was sitting in the audience!

Tryst The RB commissioned a new ballet from Christopher Wheeldon and I had an opportunity to go to an Insight evening a few weeks ago where he talked extensively about the creative process and watch him take a rehearsal. I thought Tryst was quite interesting in the full rehearsal yesterday, and uprgraded my opinion to really good in the performance that night. Its starts with the stage sealed off from the audience by a black drop, revealing only a tiny white triangle on the floor. A dimly lit dancer steps into this triangle as the drop is lifted to reveal the dancers. It's divided into 3 parts, the first and third are for the corps and 4 soloist couples, the music for which Wheeldon said brought to mind images of urban chaos. The middle is at a slower pace, an elegiac pdd, the music reminscent of Scottish Highlands (again his words). The set is very spare, off kilter from what I remember of the models and it's occasional moving parts, a screen at the back and black rectangles on the sides, are interwoven with the imaginative lighting effects. I'm expecting lots of complaints about the screechy music but I thought it was great, especially the way the music from the pdd interweaved with the third part of the ballet and how the trumpets built towards the climax at the end. Very nice touch that the RB managed to get the composer James MacMillan to conduct first night. As for the choreography I wasn't overly impressed when all the dancers were on stage and were moved about - not as inspired as I expected from Wheeldon. If I had let it all wash over me I probably could have got very bored. But I thought the little details were fascinating. I liked what each dancer was doing, individually or with their partner. In spite of the jagged shapes the dancers made, the flexed feet and hands, they were part of long flowing movements. The 4 couples in the first and third parts were so impressive and seemed really well rehearsed. And there was a very dream-like atmosphere in Bussell and Cope's central pdd. They start by walking on opposite sides of the stage, before Darcey starts dancing - I don't think anyone can dance these kind of abstract ballets quite the way she can. I think it helped a great deal to have been to the Insight evening and have seen the dancers rehearse this - it makes you appreciate the dancing so much more. The pdd is beautiful, fluid with some acrobatic lifts but they are so smooth you're barely aware of this. At one point Jonathan is on his back, balancing Darcey on his feet with only her arm on the ground for support. The lifts, the balances, the holds Jonathan has on darcey barely seem possible. The 25 minutes passed by very fast (very unusual when you're standing!) and I left pretty happy. I think it's a ballet I wouldn't specifically book for but I'd be happy to watch again. The Leaves are Fading I couldn't say the same about The Leaves are Fading, a surprise since it's a ballet I really enjoyed back in February. I guess that's the problem - too many times (for me 6 in total) and much too soon! It was all very beautifully danced but it's too long, especially when you have no seat! And of course there's nothing new - it's exactly the same as it was danced last time. Cojocaru and Kobborg were great of course - Alina dances with a freedom that I rarely see in others and I just love the way she uses her arms in this. It's so nice how Stretton is letting their partnership flourish - I've only just noticed that she's dancing pretty much everything with him this summer - Swan Lake, Giselle, Onegin and Don Q... A Month in the Country A Month in the Country was a welcome antidote. I will never, ever tire of this ballet, it's beautiful intricate choreography, the lush set and costumes, the little touches like the use of the bridge and Koliya with his kite, and above all the music, the music, the music! I liked Mariel Valtat from the rehearsal better as Natalia Petrovna - she's a much more natural actress and her face conveys a wider variety of emotions. But Guillem and Cope were more than fine. I thought Jonathan danced his solos with so much sincerity. His complete lack of guile makes him seem far younger than his 39ish years of age. I got over the initial disappointment of not seeing Cojocaru cast as Vera - Natasha Oughtred was very lively, hopeful and touching in her pdd with Jonathan and her own solo at the start was delicious and is one of my absolute favourites! (Bethany Keating is 2nd cast.) David Drew was wonderful, wonderful as Natalia's husband (I'm sorry, I don't remember his name) - so much character and I couldn't help but pay attention to a role that I wouldn't think twice about otherwise. Nice to see newest RB members Adam Linder and Jamie Bond cast as the footman too! So a nice evening, good contrasts between ballets. If I wasn't so fed up with Leaves I'd probably say it was the most interesting mixed bill this season.

I'm nearly out of words to say, I've written so much on R&J! Just wanted to mention what a tremendously gifted dancer-actress we have in Tamara Rojo. Her Juliet was by the far the best IMO. In her first scenes she was so bright, with so much personality she made every dancer before her seem bland and conventional in comparison. There were so many individual touches - little gestures especially in Act I. Her indicating how "tired" she was to Paris was so charmingly done! Tamara creates such beautiful shapes her body, it's like you could take a snapshot at any moment and it would be a work of art. The way she raised her arms and silently screamed in her grief in finding Romeo dead was the most heartbreaking I've seen. It's so interesting to see how differently each dancer does this - and they all do it VERY differently! A bit disappointing that Massimo Murru wasn't quite her match. He's a lovely dancer, but not the best I've seen. I've seen him guest in a few things with the RB like Guillem's Giselle, Marguerite & Armand, Month in the Country, and he has never really wowed me as an actor either. Murru is a bit of a blank page I think - his acting didn't really register from my seat the way Tamara's did. Or maybe she was so expressive (I've mentioned before she emotes right to the back of the amphi) she completely outshone him. In their pdd I watched only her (and it's usually easy for me to watch both). Disappointing also because he was brought in at the last minute to replace injured Inaki Urlezaga, and no one within the company was given a chance to dance Romeo. Is there any point to understudies if the RB keep dragging in guest artists? Bennet Gartside was the evening's Mercutio. Again he's not really a favourite of mine and I think he lacks the personality for the role. No hint of cockiness, cheek, mischieviousness, etc, etc and the swordfighting and death were kinda lacklustre (Ricardo Cervera and to a lesser extent Martin Harvey's Mercutios made an indelible impression). But I thought he with Murru and Edward Watson as Benvolio made a fine and even-matched trio whereas in every other performances, in spite of more interesting dancers, it felt like a grown-up and two kids dancing, the difference would be so huge. So a great evening, soley due to Tamara's performance. Have to say, in terms of enjoyment I still rate Darcey and Roberto's last week as the best! Incidentally there were cameras abound in the auditorium, rehearsing I suppose for the live relay of Guillem & Cope's R&J next week (into the Piazza and Victoria Park). Spotted Guillem watching R&J next to one of the cameras. Undoubtedly she wanted a little input into camera angles for next week's recording! And speaking of snap shot moments, (I hope it's ok to put this here) - do see this ballet.co link for more beautiful photos of Tamara. The review is an old one - the same one I posted when I started this thread. That's my R&J coverage over and done with (unless I give into temptation and catch that live relay!) A mouth-watering "Trilogy" triple bill starts tomorrow and includes The Leaves are Fading, a new Wheeldon ballet Tryst and A Month in the Country. Can't wait!

It's coming into the Royal Ballet rep next season and I know very little about this ballet apart from there's no intermission(!) and from what I've found on the web. I noticed it was performed by POB in New York, Paris and quite recently in San Francisco so I'd love to hear any opinions on it.

A wonderful evening! I'm really surprised as I expected Darcey Bussell and Roberto Bolle to be the least strongest Romeo and Juliet. They earned some really good reviews, but a lot of them came with a 'but' to do with limited acting abilities. Well maybe that's how it was for the first night (I didn't go) but tonight was just exceptional. Both Darcey and Roberto are both beautiful, beautiful dancers. Every step, every light jump in Act I was immaculate and done with so much joy and freedom. Darcey, I thought, had what I hadn't seen in others - her Juliet is as youthful as Alina Cojocaru's, but carries the additional weight of burgeoning sensuality as well as an innocence that barely realises it. Roberto was sweetly boyish and matched her joie de vivre step for step. They are so well matched, and have such chemistry! Of course it doesn't hurt that they are so gorgeous, the best looking pairing of them all! What's so immediately apparent is the romance of it all. Their eagerness to be together, the giddiness of first love completely swept me away in their first ballroom pdd. Darcey's use of arms and her lines in this were so incredibly lovely. I actually found it even more touching than the balcony one where the timing seemed a little strange at the start - I've yet to see a balcony scene this season that completely sweeps me away. Act III's bedroom pdd was breathtaking, such terrible anguish and here their acting really came alive. Perhaps they weren't subtle about it, hearts most definitely were on sleeves, but it was still so very effective and realistic. And as passionate as they were, they never stopped being the young boy and girl and I really felt for the first time the effect of robbed youth and love. In the tomb scene Roberto dragged Darcey's limp body around the stage like he would truely break into tears. And the cold fear on Darcey's face when she turns to discover Romeo's dead body is unforgettable. I couldn't help but notice that after a good cry, when she laid Roberto down again she made sure his arm was conveniently placed next to the mausoleum - that's experience for ya! No desperate scrabbling a la Alina and Sylvie! Martin Harvey was such a charming Mercutio, though he wasn't exceptionally memorable. Ivan Putrov and his fellow mandolin dancers earned huge applause. It's so hard to compare the cast with the others when I've been watching R&J from all over the House, but tonight was definitely the most enjoyable R&J for me, and probably one of my favourite performances ever. I can't say enough how very, very romantic they were. Last one for me is Tamara Rojo and Massiomo Murru next week, and a good thing too because I really need the rest from all the travelling!

A pretty good performance. Nicholas Le Riche is an excellent Romeo, one of the most ardent and romantic yet and so well-matched to Guillem. And unlike Jonathan Cope he fit right in with Cervera's Mercutio and Putrov's Benvolio. I'm still unsure about Sylvie. I find her unconvincing as a young girl in Act I. She seems too brash, too abrasive (in the midst of being courted by Romeo, she sends her Nurse off with a little kick). It does give her Juliet more colour and personality but I think at the expense of any innocence. She already seems like a woman who secretly already knows how the world works and is unafraid of love. I can't dispute the quality of her dancing though. But I can certainly see why some people loathe her over-extensions which look so out of place here. I mean, practically her first step on stage is a six o'clock penche arabesque. But like her performance with Cope last week she warmed up in Act II, the bedroom pdd was so beautifully danced and filled with so much sorrow and pain. The family scenes didn't work for me. David Drew's Capulet seemed curiously absent of any rage. The tomb scene and Juliet's discovery of Romeo was the most moving I've seen so far. Cervera oozes so much charisma through his extraordinary nimble dancing it's quite a blow when he finally dies. I didn't have the greatest seat - a stalls circle standing one which colours my observations. I really do think R&J should watched either up close so you can see the quality of the acting, or from above where the dancing looks so lively. When I sat in the amphi last time I was practically bouncing around on my seat I was so involved and enjoying the market scenes. But from the stalls circle the same scenes feel kinda empty and flat and not so enjoyable. Oh well, live a little, learn a little.

Jude, don't be sorry! Ok, I haven't seen Guillem and Le Riche (I will tomorrow) but a friend of mine did on Saturday and she was pretty stunned and rated it as one of her top 3 performances ever! And Cervera and Putrov really are fantastic so I can't wait!

Watching RB dancers in class or masterclasses tends to skew things for me a little. I first saw Marianela Nunez in a Coppelia masterclass and I thought she was just fantastic. When it came down to the actual performance I was less than impressed. But she's been extraordinary in her soloist roles and has become a favourite. I'd really like to see her cast in more principal roles next season. I think Muriel Valtat is another. She doesn't seem to dance an awful lot these days - the only major role I've seen her in is Natalia Petrovna in A Month in the Country and I was a little unsure, especially after seeing Guillem the night before. But in an Insight Evening last week we saw Valtat rehearse the first and final solos from 'Month' and wow! I thought she was terrific, such a beautiful expressive Natalia. Plus Ashton's steps were even more dizzyingly fast up close than I had ever realised! Such a shame that she's getting more character roles these days than dancing ones.

Jane, I thought that about Cojocaru too. But I thought it was just me in my bad seats! She was so convincing and danced beautifully but her Juliet was too innocent. I didn't feel I saw any true depth to her character, not just in Act I but throughout the ballet. Which surprised me because both her Tatiana and Giselle were such beautifully realised performances. Oh well, she's just 20 and if this is just a starting point then it's an extremely good one. It's going to be fun watching Cojocaru grow into the role. I like what you said about Kobborg not making a big production of his dancing because that was the exact opposite of what I felt in Cope's performance. The way he was enthusiastically using his arms, this big jump he did trying to reach Juliet on the balcony as the scene came to a close, it was like lots of little signposts saying "I really am a 18 year old kid foolishly in love". I wished he had played it straighter, and he did tone it down some in Act II where I thought he was just wonderful.