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JMcN

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Everything posted by JMcN

  1. Kevin O'Hare was my first Young Man - Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet at Sadler's Wells - January 1990. BRB have performed Two Pigeons at least 3 times since 2004. It never fails to weave its magic on me. Re casting and Ashton Fan's comment - sometimes more mature dancers dance younger than young dancers. One of the most convincing 14yo Juliet's I have ever seen was Marion Tait in her final season as a principal dancer with BRB before she moved to the ballet staff (November 1994).
  2. It's Cranko's Shrew. The Sonnets is a new creation from Jessica Lang. The (wonderful) Shakespeare Suite is by David Bintley and according to the subscription brochure is being accompanied by the magnificent Colin Towns Mask Orchestra. I am especially excited by the Spring/Summer season and the T&V programme. Subscription booking opened today for Friends. The form has been a total nightmare and I aged 20 years in 4 hours last week trying to fill it in!!! I hope I have a successful (for me) outcome! (I was typing at the same time as Jane)
  3. I saw 2 performances in London last weekend and was transported to a world of delight! I think everyone above has given a good account of the overall programme. What I found interesting between the two performances was the fact that we saw the traditional La Sylphide on Friday evening and the new Sylphide on Saturday afternoon. I rather liked James black kilt and cap and the sylph costumes and would like to see the whole of the new production now. On Friday evening we were very privileged to see the sublime Gudrun Bojesen as the Sylph with Ulrik Birkkjaer as a spritely and passionate James and a magnificently scarey Sorella Englund. I did not know how this piece would come over with no sets and only 3 supporting sylphs but I was absolutely swept away on a sea of emotion! On Saturday afternoon we saw Suzanne Grinder, Gregory Dean and Sebastian Haynes. I have seen a man dance Madge before but never as a man (if you see what I mean). I thought all 3 were terrific and that Sebastian Haynes already has enormous stage presence for such a young man. Act 3 of Napoli is a total joy from start to finish. These were 2 glorious performances that I will treasure for a long time. A lot of the London ballet world was present at both the performances I attended. Although I didn't see him a friend told me that Kevin O'Hare was there on Friday evening. Fantastic news about the Festival being planned for 2018!!!
  4. I'm seeing this group in London on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon. This all-Bournonville programme is really exciting to me. Gudrun Bojesen is magnificent and it is a super group of dancers that is coming. I would urge everyone to go and see them!
  5. And it is because of the racehorse named Nijinsky that I got into ballet-watching. Along with Sir Ivor he was my favourite horse. I saw a biography of Nijinsky (the dancer) in the library, borrowed it and started on the path of ballet-watching. My total conversion was a performance of Onegin by London Festival Ballet.
  6. Alejandro Virelles is now a principal at English National Ballet. He has recently been Siegfried to Alina Cojocaru's O/O.
  7. JMcN

    Manon

    I was fortunate indeed to see Francesca Hayward as Manon last week, her Des Grieux was Edward Watson and Lescaut was Alexander Campbell. From the second she appeared on stage I felt I was watching Manon rather than Francesca Hayward dancing Manon. This performance was a joy to watch with Watson and Campbell as her perfect foils. The interaction between the 3 leads was a joy to behold.
  8. In my near 40 years as a regular theatre goes I have walked out of plays only 3 times because we were not enjoying but always in the interval. We had to leave a performance of Blood Brothers early because the interval over-ran (which was explained over the PA because the queue was too long in the ladies!) but there was a place that we knew we could discretely slip out to catch the last train home. Ken Dodd, a well known British entertainer, notoriously over-runs - quite often finishing around 0100!! He calls after people if they are leaving!
  9. Not about RDB but it is common in the UK that a number of rows are taken out to house the orchestra pit. For instance at the Birmingham Hippodrome rows A-D are removed for BRB. Of course, they are still shown on the seating plan which will be generic, but you cannot buy them. I thought the old stage in Copenhagen started on row A but I could have mis-remembered as I haven't been able to get over there for about 4 years.
  10. When I was young I had a horsey phase and my 2 favourite horses were Sir Ivor and Nijinksy. Some years later I saw a biography of Vaslav Nijinksy in the library and I borrowed it out of curiosity. Then I started going to the odd ballet, usually mixed programmes. I only really became a ballet watcher on 26th May 1984 when I saw Onegin (London Festival Ballet (now ENB)) at the London Coliseum. I was an overnight convert to ballet. It was a good few years later when I found the programme and realised just whom I had seen - Marcia Haydee and Richard Cragun. No wonder I was bowled over!
  11. I realised a few weeks ago that I have been watching ballet for 30 years. I have no technical knowledge whatsoever but I look at performances and I enjoy them or I don't. I make a point of never counting the number of fouettes because I think that is rude. For me, although I like great dancers, it is always the overall performance and impression it leaves with me. I read quite a few books about the history of ballet and I found that enhanced my pleasure too. Of course the online resources that we have now weren't available in the mid-80s! I'm based in Liverpool and don't go to London that much these days as I can see so much ballet outside of the South East but as well as ROH you will love the offerings at Sadler's Wells and also the Coliseum, where ENB usually performs. Good luck with your move to London and enjoy!
  12. And Mr Lendorf most certainly did not disappoint as Franz on Thursday evening! It is incredible that his joyous performance was his debut in role. I do hope we get to see more of him in the UK.
  13. Looking forward to seeing him as Franz on 24th July in London!
  14. Here's the link to Ms Brown's blog. She performs a great service for English-speaking ballet lovers with her translations.
  15. JMcN

    Jewels

    I saw the matinee on 30th December. It was the first time I had seen anything other than Rubies and I loved it all, especially the serenity of Emeralds. Natalia Osipova and Steven McRae were absolutely sensational in Rubies! Is it supposed to be erotic because that was how it came over to me?
  16. And she was absolutely RADIANT on the first night of Corsaire in Milton Keynes.
  17. If it is the shop I think it is, I remember them both as dancers!
  18. The website for the Imperial Russian Ballet seems years(!) out of date but I came across this featurette today. The company seems to be about to tour in Australia: http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/1702808/russian-ballet-company-tiptoes-into-wollongong/?cs=298
  19. "Nureyev infamously stalled a performance by refusing to go onstage in the baggy pants that were still the norm in Russia, though they had long been abandoned in the West. Tradition had dictated that men wear bloomers over their tights despite the fact the garment obscured the visibility of the legs, which can communicate story, intention, even emotion to an attentive audience". http://www.artpractical.com/review/rudolf_nureyev_a_life_in_dance/ Following in the footsteps of Vaslav Nijinsky who left the Imperial (Mariinsky) Ballet in 1910 after refusing to wear the costume for Albrecht that had the expected pantaloons. (As detailed in chapter 8 of Romola Nijinsky's biography). Thanks for the clarification though.
  20. The pantaloon issue was Vaslav Nijinsky at the start of the 20th Century.
  21. Me too Katherine! After a couple of performances in the first run, when we had become familiar with the score, we realised that the sad music had the same motifs as the music in some of the happier and funnier parts as a result of which we started crying earlier every performance!
  22. I so wish it was available on video. One of the most tear-jerking ballets (as well as very funny) that I can think of! How about David Bintley's Hobson's Choice - lots of humour throughout. Or David Nixon's A Midsummer Night's Eve Or Elite Syncopations?
  23. I saw Marcia Haydee and Richard Cragun perform Onegin with London Festival Ballet in London (the Coli) in 1984 and it was the performance that turned me on to ballet watching and I have never forgotten it. I only watched the mirror pdd and thought it looked a bit safe but then I had to remember it was their debuts and I am sure they will grow more into the characters as the run progresses. The quality of the dancing was lovely.
  24. You beat me to it Katherine! I too disagree that Onegin is anything other than a first rate ballet!
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