sylvia

And some sites with really great dancer photos... http://www.robertobolle.com http://www.massimomurru.com http://www.darceybussell.com http://www.tamara-rojo.com

The ABT pictures are still there in the library. There are also quite a few on http://www.performingartslibrary.co.uk. You have to log in as a guest and do a search for "ballet". There are loads of the Royal Ballet and some are so beautiful but they come with a giant grey cross through all of them (which can be taken off somewhat if you have the right software).

I haven't ever felt the need to boo (yet) and on occasion I'll withhold applause. I do feel catty about the ROH orchestra though, which can be exceptional on opera nights, and truely awful, not even trying on ballet ones as was evident in the last couple R&Js I've just seen. The rest of the audience just loves them though. Didn't they hear those duff notes?!!

I haven't ever felt the need to boo (yet) and on occasion I'll withhold applause. I do feel catty about the ROH orchestra though, which can be exceptional on opera nights, and truely awful, not even trying on ballet ones as was evident in the last couple R&Js I've just seen. The rest of the audience just loves them though. Didn't they hear those duff notes?!!

Did anyone else go last night? I wasn't wholly convinced by Guillem or Cope at first. Sylvie seemed too sophisticated for the role of Juliet - her dancing doesn't inhabit the traits of a young girl at all. And Jonathan I think went the other way and was overly gregarious. It took some adjustment - like his Albrecht, he dances Romeo his own way. They just weren't Romeo and Juliet for me and I found the balcony pdd empty, beautiful but unmoving. Then I don't know if it was my brain doing flip-flops or it was them but they seemed to come to life in Act II. Jonathan was so naturally exhuberant in the market scenes I had to believe. And Sylvie looked so young and vulnerable and sweet in the wedding, and I was very touched. The bedroom pdd I thought was extremely passionate, the best of their partnership on show, and it is so apparent how much chemistry is there is and how right for each other they are (as partners and in the ballet). It's the first time I've actually seen Sylvie's Juliet and I was surprised at the liberties she took, like all but omitting the run to Friar Laurence. The death scenes were fine, just your normal run-of-the mill death scenes for me. I think the definite highlight was Ricardo Cervera's Mercutio and his jaw-dropping lightening fast footwork in the ballroom solo. Wow...I have NEVER seen anyone move with that speed! His death scene was jarring, a shock that a man with so much life could be gone. Cervera has so much wit and charisma throughout, I think he alone is worth the price of the ticket. The fact that he is dancing most of the Mercutios in this run is well deserved. He said in a very interesting Ballet Association talk (see here) that he didn't have any aspirations to do the principal roles because the secondary ones were much more interesting! I guess I really am clueless as I thought because of the lack of many really good male roles, most male dancer aspired to be the Albrechts and Romeos. I'm still hoping to someday see Cervera's Romeo! The company as a whole were very lively. I watched all the market scenes with a big silly grin on my face, I was enjoying myself so much. Ivan Putrov truely impressed again as Benvolio - you can't help but notice. Plus points for Zenaida Yanowsky as Romeo's harlot - she's a standout, whatever role, hidden behind caked makeup, garish dress and all! I adore this production. It's Sylvie with Nicholas LeRiche for me next!

Hiya Poppiedancer I found both your threads a little confusing! Do you mean the Coppelia that was filmed a couple years ago? Leanne Benjamin isn't my ideal Swanhilda but I adore this production, the costumes, sets and colours, the mime. I think it's only available on DVD though. The most recent Nutcracker released 2001 is excellent as well and Alina Cojocaru makes an enchanting Clara. Both these DVDs show the Royal Ballet as they are now. Don Quixote with Tamara Rojo and Johan Kobborg I hope will be released soon. And there are plans to film Onegin and Manon apparently so I can't wait for that! A must-have video is the Opening Gala of the Royal Opera House. It features a 15 or so excerpts covering ballets of the last 100 years. Most memorable are Darcey Bussell's Rose Adagio, Miyako Yoshida & Bruce Samson in Symphonic Variations, Samson & Sarah Wildor in A Month in the Country, Carlos Acosta in La Corsaire pdd, Viviana Durante & Angel Corella in R&J balcony pdd, and much more. The other videos aren't really representative of the Royal Ballet anymore as so many dancers have since left. Winter Dreams is one of the more recent with Darcey Bussell, Vivana Durante and Irek Mukhamedov, and it's being revived next season. It also includes a docu on Irek. Judas Tree, another MacMillan ballet with Leanne Benjamin and Irek is pretty disturbing and I didn't much like the BRB's Nutcracker Sweeties that came alng with it. Sleeping Beauty from 1992(?) with Viviana and Zoltan Solymosi - Viviana is a fantastic, glowing, very technically assured Aurora and Benazir (sp?) Hussein who you probably know is now based in Australia is a wonderful Lilac Fairy. Viviana replaced Darcey who was injured, so unfortunately she's this tiny, tiny figure in a very tall cast. I dislike the bizarre costumes and sets intensely but since the RB's commissioning a new Sleeping Beauty it's probably your only chance to ever see this production. Mayerling is pretty good, a bit dark though, but it's the best you'll ever see of the Durante-Mukhamedov partnership. There's also a video of La bayadere but it's not available in the UK - Asylmuratova, Mukhamedov and Bussell feature and a hilariously a young Durante blatantly shows off her sky-high extensions as one of the three shades. The Prince of the Pagodas is another ballet that will be revived next season. It's...interesting. Jonathan Cope does great work as the Prince/Salamander and this is Bussell's breakthrough role. It includes a docu on MacMillan - if you're a fan then it's worth seeing. Still Life at the Penguin cafe is about endangered animals and conservation and is a popular choice. I can't actually think of anything else from the 90s. Of all the others, Romeo and Juliet is my favourite as Alessandra Ferri is just perfect as Juliet but I think Wayne Eagling is a bit of a mismatch. Stephen Jeffries Mercutio is pretty much definitive in my book and as a whole it's filmed very well. (I really wouldn't mind if the RB wanted to make a new recording though with the talent they have along with the new spiffy sets!) I'm not a big fan of Anthony Dowell and Jennifer Penney's Manon - I don't like the ballet to begin with, and once you've seen Sylvie Guillem and Jonathan Cope in the leads it's hard to measure up. I do recommend Dowell and Makarova's Swan Lake - beautiful sets, beautiful dancing. La Fille mal gardee is terrific. Lesley Collier is just the sweetest Lise in the world! The only others I can think offhand are Sibley & Dowell in Cinderella, An Evening with the RB and R&J again which feature Fonteyn & Nureyev, an older Nutcracker with Collier & Dowell - haven't seen these in full, maybe someone else can comment? There's also Beatrix Potter! Try http://www.dancebooks.co.uk for a fairly comprehensive catalogue of RB videos and they do ship overseas. Hope that helps a little! If you have any specific questions I'm happy to help!

I'll be there for Darcey and Roberto Bolle as well as tonight's Sylvie and Jonathan. Is it really your first R&J Jude? I can't imagine not loving this production and MacMillan's choreography.

Gosh I don't think just a thank-you meant anything other than "thank-you"! Everyone shouts their thanks after the dancers here!

Alexandra, yep I totally agree. It's the very least I'll say because even if I didn't enjoy a performance I'll always appreciate at the most basic level the talent and hardwork the dancers display. Actually reading the other posts reminds me of a lot more dancers. Natalia Makarova came over to coach Bayadere in Feb and was absolutely mobbed by fans at the stage door, and it was nice how gracious she was because some would show up with whole packs of old photos to sign. And a few weeks ago after a Giselle matinee, to my complete surprise Anthony Dowell, Antoinette Sibley and Lesley Collier came out all at once and everyone was like wow - what a treat! So I guess after that I'm done! Except for Julio Bocca whom I missed after a particularly fiery display of tango with his company. Ahhhh...missed him!

I'm lucky to have met all the dancers I've ever wanted to meet, at the Royal Ballet along with my ABT favourites Stiefel and Corella while they guested here. I'm much too shy though but I'm getting much better and after 8 months have progressed from "Can I have your autograph/get a photo?" to "I thought you were fantastic!" to asking whether they were happy with their performance and actually getting a response beyond thank-you! The friendliest ones I definitely remember the most, but it makes it an awful lot harder to be objective in posting reviews.

I like them when they're appropriate, like in story ballets when they seem to convey extreme emotions.

I like them when they're appropriate, like in story ballets when they seem to convey extreme emotions.

The RB looks in such great shape in this production but I have to confess I wasn't paying much attention to the goings-on on the sidelines (next time, I promise!) Johan Kobborg - well I keep repeating myself with this guy! He's not only the finest dancer I've ever seen (such beautiful, expressive and exhuberent solos), he is a truely brilliant actor as well. Any other dancer I could happily watch from the back of the amphi, but with Johan I WANT to sit up close so I see all those subtle changes of expression. He looked so surprisingly young, so boyish and impetuous. I think what was most memorable for me were the moments after their first encounter in the ballroom with Alina on one side of the stage snatching little glances at Romeo while Johan was gazing into the auditorium, looking so starry-eyed and stunned at what he had just seen - I loved that! I actually do think it was the performance of his life. Yes, I'm probably one of the few who was even more dazzled by Johan than Alina! I'll leave up to someone else (there will be many) to gush over her. But it's good to see Alina dance this role at such the perfect time in her life. They're two such extraordinary dancers on their own and I'm sure it's their partnership that will be one of the "greats". And it was awfully cute to overhear some in the audience speculating if they really were a couple because they looked so in love! Martin Harvey also impressed as Mercutio, though I thought a little too nice, not mischievious enough. Ivan Putrov, so light on his feet was terrific as the lead Mandolin dancer. The sword-fighting was REALLY enthusiastic judging from the cuts to the face poor Martin sustained. Great audience, lots of extra curtain calls I guess I'm not so attached to the old set because I think the new one looks so beautiful, with a much grander feeling and it works so well. Not deserving of some of the criticisms it has taken out of sentimentality. I love the image of Juliet on the balcony wandering between the columns where the ballerina's whole body is so much more exposed than the on old set. Very special evening, so much that the tiny little mishaps (an over-enthusiastic push by Mercutio sent Romeo careening into the wings, and poor Alina dying as Juliet had the darndest time trying to reach Johan's arm, finally managing to grab a handful of sleeve) didn't detract. Such a pity Alina and Johan got only one! They confirmed they danced the schools matinee - can I say again, those lucky kids! This is one of those casts you want to see again for the little things you might have missed or to see if they would do it any differently. I can't believe it's going to be another couple years, maybe more, before we get another chance.

There was a similar thread about him a few months ago. He's based in Italy and guesting with Vienna, the Bolshoi and Japan from what I remember.

Anoushka the box-office never knows anything about castings! Anyway I guess it could be a mix-up but it would mean an awful lot of nights that Cervera would be dancing Mercutio if you replaced his name with Harvey's. Not that I mind - he's a favourite of mine!

Thanks for posting! I'm checking out all the casts but I'm most looking forward to Tuesday with Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg. I'm looking forward to seeing Cervera's Mercutio too (Wasn't Martin Harvey meant to do Mercutio on first night? I hope he isn't injured.) There are some really beauitful photos of Tamara Rojo and Massiomo Murru in R&J btw on http://www.performingartslibrary.co.uk/fwlogon.htm. Scroll down and click 'log in as guest'.

Thomas Whitehead is posting a diary of his rehearsals on Carmen on Barre Talk, which also includes an RB Q&A on the ROH website. The first entry is now up here. In case I forgot to mention, his Jose is wonderful! A must-see!

Carmen on 23/4 was brilliant! Tamara Rojo as the seductress herself, Thomas Whitehead as Jose and Bennett Gartside as Escamillo, all so very different from 1st cast but absolutely no doubt they were just as good. Again they seem to really throw themselves into the choreography and dance with so much enthusiasm and conviction. Tamara's wonderful! Really sexy and exotic with her dark hair against the bright red dress. I had wondered how anyone could possibly top Sylvie Guillem's performance but Tamara was arresting from the moment she ran on and started screaming on stage. Thomas Whitehead impressed me to no end. I thought he made an even better and more vulnerable Jose than Murru, equalling Tamara in spite of Jose's wimpier status. He's still a first artist at the RB so I'll definitely be looking out for him in future performances. Bennet Gartside - wow! Brian Maloney impressed too. It's good to know that the RB doesn't have to rely on guest dancers to bring off extremely good performances. I loved it. And I enjoyed the wierd choreography even more this 2nd time, especially since the plot made much more sense and I could start picking on the logic and dramatic reasoning behind the steps. Bizet's music is fantastic of course, and I think Ek has used it so well. And I love the sets - one gigantic bullet-ridden fan, 2 baby ones and an enormous silver ball to boot. My only quibble? The size of the audience! I think it was only half-full, the emptiest I've ever seen the auditorium and so depressing. The top-price seats were selling for £25 (just before curtain-up didn't check for student standbys but I assume they're going too) so there's no excuse for not going now! It's a shame triple bills don't seem to sell well without Sylvie Guillem's name attached. I think Rojo's name would have been enough to attract a bigger audience had the bill included some new ballets but some terrible miscalculation was made in repeating 2 of the 3. They really work together as a whole but it's just too soon. Still, even if you've tired of In the Middle and Por Vos Muero, it's worth seeing for Carmen alone. Carmen is so incredibly funny, dramatic and moving, extremely engaging and I left in a very happy frame of mind.

Finally got round to Jamie Tapper's Giselle on 20/4, and she was really special. Tapper looked so young and fresh and she has such lovely port-de-bras. Ivan I thought was much improved. Funnily enough he looked older, more confident from the stalls than he did from the amphi. Technically he is really awesome - among other things he has the biggest jetes I've seen in a while. It's the first time I've heard the audience cheer as loudly for Albrecht as they did for Giselle, they loved him that much. His partnering still isn't super-smooth but still very acceptable. So I'll back down and say he was a pretty great Albrecht. They were both so moving and I think the general consensus was that this was a really special performance. And Mara Galeazzi was her wonderful self as Myrtha. The evening and last night went to Darcey Bussell and Jonathan Cope - a first time for me. Gosh they make such a beautiful pair, with Darcey's youthful prettiness and Jonathan's more exotic looks. She danced with so much joy in Act I and is so well matched with Jonathan. I quite enjoyed this one though I didn't find it the most convincing of all the performances I've seen. Still their experience and confidence in themselves and each other are really evident from the start. And they both put such an individual stamp on Giselle and Albrecht. Darcey's Giselle seems so much stronger than the others I've seen, and this isn't just because she's so much taller. Her gestures, her responses to Albrecht were much more forward, not so docile. I didn't think she seemed so fragile that she could lose her mind but still, really interesting, really different. As for Albrecht, while all the other dancers I've seen sort of seem to follow a basic formula which they add to, Jonathan I think danced Albrecht his own way. Act II - Zenaida Yanowsky as Myrtha. WOW! For me she stole the show, so menacing she was. Then Darcey's first solo. Wow again! She was so powerful I thought her Giselle could have given Myrtha a good fight! Jonathan's first lifts were pretty wobbly, but those ones in a long arc that make Giselle look like she's floating across the stage were so beautiful and completely effortless. Another great performance and I feel very lucky to have seen them. The corps were just wonderful. No Giselle next year so I hope it isn't the last we see of Bussell and Cope in these roles. Nice to see Jane Burn back (as Moyna I think) as well.

Thanks for your insights Estelle! Jonathan Cope said some similar things about Nacho Duarto - that it took a number of years for the style of movement to really get into his body. Remanso came into the rep 3 years ago and only now he says he feels he's starting to get it. But as long as it must take for dancers to get used to Ek's style, I think audiences here might need a little longer! I think Carmen worked for them here because it had so much humour and Sylvie can work wonders on this audience. I wonder if they'll respond similarly to Tamara Rojo. Odette, I'm not a dancer or student of ballet, just a uni student and an ardent fan of the RB! As for Macmillan, I meant stuff like the gaolers scene in Manon I find kinda tasteless. It's just a bit too in-your-face for me the way he spells everything out, but I like most of everything else. I'm really looking forward to next season since so many of the ballets are new to me. Btw, I doubt I'll get a response to this but does anyone remember the 1998 Winter Olympics figure skating Free Dance? The Russian silver medalists Krylova & Ovsiannikov skated to Carmen which I thought was the most over-the-top, hideous FD I'd ever seen and if they weren't such brilliant skaters I'd have put them dead last. It just occured to me how similar their Carmen was to Mats Ek's - the creepy-crawly spidery feeling, the same kind of awful bent over positions and hanging arms, the wierd shapes and movements that must have meant something to them but had the whole audience wondering what on earth was going on. And Anjelika more than anyone reminds me of Sylvie, with her height and her lean super-flexible body, not that there's any connection there. But I wonder if they were inspired by Ek as I'm completely clueless as to how else they came up with such a bizarre skate.

I went into Carmen on Friday half-expecting it to be a wasted evening since the first 2 ballets were seen recently and I'm not a huge fan of Mats Ek, but I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed Carmen enormously. It shrugged off my jetlag and had me captivated the whole way through. Sylvie is beyond fantastic. Her Carmen doesn't seem so much a woman or even human, but more an animal or spider the way she uses her long limbs and predates on men. She comes across as very sexy and very powerful. Massimo Murru I had a hard time picking out near the beginning but his despair was hilarious and very touching. Jonathan Cope’s Escamillo made me laugh aloud. His grand entrance in bronze lame, the way he shakes his bonbon for a good 60 seconds at the audience and struts around the stage has to be seen to be believed. I was sitting at the front of the amphitheatre so I couldn’t really see, but was he doing this with a straight face? The choreography IS ugly. The positions the Carmen gets into are horrible but so humorous it doesn’t make me cringe the way say some of MacMillan’s stuff does. It's original and fascinating and the emotions and drama get across, though admittedly I didn’t have a clue what was going on for most of the ballet. Guess I should have read the programme notes. The business with Carmen dragging scarves out of Jose and Escamillo from leaves a lot to the imagination! Still the beautiful music pulls it through (will we ever get to see Roland Petit’s version?) and everything clicks into place at the end. The portable Swiss cheese sets and the stunning super-garish costumes only add to the humour. I really have to give full marks to the dancers because they looked so confident in themselves in a style that must be so new to them. Hearing them shouting was so strange, and must have been even stranger for them. Definitely not Royal Ballet and to be truthful I can only take Ek in small doses, but a fun ride for me. Lord help us if Stretton really does invite Ek back to create something for our dancers. I can’t wait to see what Tamara Rojo makes of the role. In the middle was excellent – Zenaida Yanowsky especially and I haven’t tired of it yet. I can’t really say the same for Por Vos Muero. I can sort of see why critics find it so shallow. It’s still very beautiful and I love the first big group number, but it’s less enjoyable with subsequent viewings. The ballet doesn’t really hold attention and I found myself drifting halfway. The poor lighting in both had me squinting for most of the way trying to pick out dancers. Still I thought this triple bill as a whole was the most interesting mix of ballets so far in the season.

Hiya Tori The changes to the Trilogy triple bill reminded me of another favourite - Alina and Johan in the 2nd pdd in The Leaves are Fading. I'm so happy that Leaves has replaced Beyond Bach because a lot of people I know skipped out on Memories due to the reviews and Leaves didn't get it's due credit, being placed after Beyond Bach and all. I thought Alina and Johan were worth the price of the ticket alone, so fast and light, spontaneous and absolutely breathtaking! Alina dances like she's absolutely throwing herself into the steps, the energy she put into her solo, and in the pdd after I loved the very soft and beautiful shapes she and Johan made with their liquid limbs. I saw Tamara and Inaki dance this pdd a few days later and while it was quite lovely it wasn't the same. And I know a lot of people find this ballet too long and a little tedious but I just adore it, all of it! Sylvia

Twinkle_RBS_gal, yes that final mixed bill is the one I meant. That is so cool, being on stage at such an important evening with all those dancers. Ditto for the opening gala - have you ever tried to see if you are on the video? Were you allowed to watch any of the dancing on stage? The closest experience I've had was being allowed on stage a few hours before Giselle was to be performed, so the Act I sets were all in place and a barre was in the centre. I actually sat on Giselle's bench and looked out into the empty auditorium with all the lights up and given that I never thought I'd ever be let anywhere near the ROH stage much less touch the sets, that was probably one of the highlights of my life. Have to say it was soooo surreal to watch Miyako and Ivan from the amphitheatre later that evening! I missed the Concert last year - ah I'm kicking myself over that now. As for other favourites I'd count my first Coppelia as one, with Jamie Tapper and Johan Kobborg. It's so sweet and funny, and the RB is just wonderful in terms of the quality of it's acting. I adored the mime and I adored the music, and Act II is just magical. I don't care much for the casts for this summer but I'm looking forward to it anyway. And speaking of quality of acting, have you seen the televised Don Q yet? It's not my favourite in the world but I love watching the expressions and reactions of the dancers in the background which are so natural and absolutely hilarious. Alina and Angel were in my mind absolutely the best! They transcended the funny costumes and just glowed and sparkled with youth and energy. This performance is definitely somewhere among my favouites. I honestly wonder if Alina will be able to pull off the same magic with Johan. I'm trying desperately to think of performances I saw more than a year ago! Surprise, the more recent ones are more memorable. What about you? Love to hear more!

Ari, how strange! Why just 3 and what's happening in March? Anyway I know we just saw them at the RB but I'm still envious of the NY audiences who are getting The Dream and La Fille. I would LOVE to see Ferri's Tatiana. And Stiefel and Corella as Colas.

Have to say I'm grateful for the cold but at least quiet London audiences especially in the recent Giselle performances. I've always had the impression that the pause between the end of a variation and the clapping was more due to uncertainty that it really is the end rather than an audience stunned into silence! Iohna Loots of the Royal Ballet corps pointed out in an insight evening, was how distracting untimely applause could be. Like in the long lines of Wilis hopping in arabesque, the audience here is silent throughout and if the audience were to erupt the dancers would panic in straining to hear the music. And then she brought up, I think POB, who are used to hearing applause half-way in the same hops but when they were abroad and confronted by an audience who didn't clap half-way they were wondering what they were doing wrong! She said it was really rewarding to hear applause if they'd done something really difficult, but only at the end. So that's ok by me! I'm all for waiting!