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JMcN

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Posts posted by JMcN

  1. When I saw William Bracewell make his debut as Romeo at BRB, much to my friends surprise given that at the time I had a very favourite dancer, I said he was the best Romeo I had ever seen in any production.  I think he has some very special qualities but may not be the flashy virtuoso dancer that people seem to expect to be international standards.  On the whole I prefer his style.

  2. 7 hours ago, miliosr said:

    I found this news somewhat surprising at first as Bonelli is/will be 44 this year and is still performing at a high level. But his leaving now, even though he could have continued on as a principal at the Royal Ballet for several years to come, shows that he's an adherent of the old saying: "You want to leave things just a little before they leave you."

     

    Perhaps it was just the timing of the job coming up.  If he wants to stay UK-based then there are limited opportunities.

    I know some London-based chums thought he may have gone for the ENB job when Tamara Rojo's departure was announced but this one was already up for grabs.

    Northern Ballet is very much a touring company in the UK so I hope he is prepared for the constant travelling during the seasons, which will be a very different experience from having one base in London.

     

  3. The announcement this morning came out of the blue!!

    I've loved Federico Bonelli as a dancer and I know that he has been doing a lot of work to prepare for management over the last couple of years.  I sincerely hope he is a good fit with NB as David Nixon's boots are huge to fill.

    Federico Bonelli is taking over a company that is in wonderful form.  Obviously the Spring Tour is already set and the company has recently announced the Autumn/Winter tour so the first we will see of his programming will be in 2023,

     

     

     

  4. On 1/18/2022 at 1:28 AM, Drew said:

    I was mildly surprised by this announcement, but fact is, she could have been the fairy godmother of ENB rather than its Director and still wanted to see what she could do someplace else. (And that's without the impact of the pandemic--which has caused a lot of people to rethink what they want/need from life.)

    It doesn't odd to me that almost any artistic director would want the San Francisco job. Vis-a-vis ENB, it is a slightly larger company which, for starters, may appeal to her. (These are delicate matters, but I'd have thought it's slightly more prestigious internationally as well though presumably not in the UK).  And as you mentioned,  ENB has to tour throughout the UK--that's their raison-d'être--and the touring may also mean there is a limit to the kind of development of new repertory that interests Rojo. I suppose it may be she has been promised resources in San Francisco she doesn't have at ENB, though I agree with what was said above about her needing to learn a new donor community.  And yes, one suspects San Francisco's audiences' apparent openness to new repertory appealed to her as well...

    Drew - I believe most UK ballet-watchers would think that SFB is a more prestigious company than ENB.

  5. On 1/17/2022 at 8:09 AM, pherank said:

    You know, I'm still wondering: Why is Rojo leaving ENB? If things have turned out so well for her there (as the p.r. makes it sound), why not continue to build up ENB?

    And why go halfway around the world - leaving behind the usual ballet centers to lead a US West Coast company? What's the benefit to Rojo? I would think it would be more difficult, not less, to get notice for her 'artistic vision' when located in California. Perhaps she intends on making SFB tour more (good luck with that). Or maybe the point is to get away from all the touring that ENB has had to do?

    All what touring???  ENB did away with the spring tour some years ago so they do a few weeks out of London in the autumn (aren't we the lucky ones!!).  Pre-pandemic they had been doing some abroad gigs but seemed to be doing much more in London than out.

  6. Galina Samsova, ballerina and director has passed away. 

    Although I never had the privilege of seeing her dance, friends always remembered her with fondness as a dancer.  I greatly admired the work she did when she was AD of Scottish Ballet.  Amongst other things she produced beautiful traditional versions of Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake.

     

    https://www.alastairmacaulay.com/all-essays/khc9b19dz05a5zpiec7h7mw7yznn83

     

  7. 1 hour ago, Mashinka said:

    I personally, at the risk of being labelled a prude, strongly disapprove of sexual activity raking place either during working hours or on work premises.  What people choose to do outside the office and in their own time is no one else's business, above all not the employer's.

     

    I absolutely agree with you.  It can be very uncomfortable for people's colleagues if there is public canoodling going on in work.

  8. 18 hours ago, nanushka said:

    Right, same in the U.S. But my question was whether employers in the UK have the right to (if they choose) require disclosure of relationships, or to prohibit relationships between supervisors and subordinates, as they do here. In other words, is it true that, as was stated above, relationships between employees are, legally, "absolutely...none of their [i.e. employers'] business" in the UK? That's what would surprise me.

    That would be included in your contract of employment conditions.

  9. On 11/12/2021 at 8:46 PM, nanushka said:

    In the UK, do employers not have the right to prohibit (or require disclosure of) romantic/sexual relationships between employees (even supervisors and subordinates)?

    I would be very surprised to learn that that is in fact true.

    I worked for a government department for 36 years 1 month and 2 weeks.  During my time there lots of people met their partners there and they continued to work in the building although possibly on different teams.  

    One of my friends met her husband when she was his secretary.

    Unless specifically stated in your contract of employment work relationships are not prohibited.

     

     

  10. 15 hours ago, dirac said:

    At the risk of going off thread, and with all due respect, the English clergy were up to the slavery traffic to their eyeballs. Others did preach and campaign against it. The abolitionists in the US were regarded as dangerous cranks, and talked of secession.

     

    I hate to be a pedant but British clergy is a more accurate phrase.

    19 hours ago, pherank said:

     

    My apologies if this sound like I'm trying to educate anyone. I don't have the answers, and I'm trying to gain some understanding of the world around me, just like everyone else.

    I thought your words were very reasoned.

    I do not know how Liam Scarlett did or didn't behave but it was stated at the time the news first came out that no students under the age of 18 were involved so there was no criminality.

    I've seen a number of loving and heartfelt tributes to Liam Scarlett on social media.  If the people who made those tributes had positive experiences and memories with Liam Scarlett then surely they are entitled to grieve for their friend?

    The vast majority of articles I have read (and believe me I have read loads as I am doing the Links on the British forum this week) are basically identical as the media sources have just used the same AP release.  They all mention his dismissal from the Royal Ballet so it is not as though this aspect of his life has been ignored/swept under the carpet.

  11. 10 hours ago, Drew said:

     

    In thinking about Scarlett's death, I keep thinking about finding a middle way through these issues. In my eyes, Scarlett was young enough that it should have been possible for him to have a second act--he might have been given (or taken) the chance to grow up and act differently. Certainly, his death is extremely shocking and saddening to me.

     

    Thank you Drew for your reasoned words.

  12. 1 hour ago, canbelto said:

    Just because there weren't criminal charges doesn't mean there wasn't behavior that merited dismissal.

    I think the trouble is that for most people if these types of allegations were made they would have been dealt with in house and perhaps go as far as an Industrial Tribunal.  Most people wouldn't face being hung out to dry by the press and social media.

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