Mashinka

First time I've heard criminality described as 'winning'.

Accommodation in Paris is a bargain right now as bookings have dropped after the 13th November atrocities. When I went to the Theatre des Champs Elysees last month they had beefed up the security and after searching my bag I was asked to unbutton my coat, presumably to check if I was wearing a suicide vest. Life goes on a normal there, for it to be otherwise would mean the bad guys had won.

Voted other as I am an admirer of Kobborg's RB production.. Probably seen about six or seven including Lacotte's version.

Although trashed by critics and most ballet goers, the audience at the matinee I went to at Covent Garden was wildly enthusiastic. After a lifetime of seeing new ballet's I can say this was a very long way from being one of the worst. Strapless, anyone?

Tanztheater Wuppertal is performing in London this week, I have a ticket for Thursday. Hugely popular, they always attract sizable audiences and are regular visitors at Sadlers Wells. No falling off of enthusiasm here.

Some very mean spirited comments about Osipova there, they leave a very bad taste. For the record she is hugely popular in London with just a few blinkered RB fanatics feeling resentment that she packs in the audiences whereas their personal favourites don't.

In the old days the critics were so good I'd read their every word and did so for decades I think therefore I can make an educated guess.

As a Londoner who saw both casts in the original run (not streaming or DVD) I share the deep reservations about this ballet. It is one I don't plan on seeing a third time. The story line of A Winters Tale is deeply flawed and is basically an uninspired re-run of Othello without the profundity, difficult enough to sit through as a play, I never thought it would ever turn up as a ballet. The middle act is the most enjoyable and with a few tweaks and a new title could stand alone without the dreary 1st and 2nd acts. It will be interesting to see how the revival in London sells as there was little enthusiasm among the long term ballet goers I spoke to, though I'll admit the RB has a fan following that turns up for anything. Perhaps the positive reviews say more about the present crop of critics than anything else. Clive Barnes would have crucified it and Richard Buckle would have killed it stone dead with comedic acid-edged home truths. Great company NBoC, they deserve better.

Askerov seemed hugely improved since I last saw him in London, he was first rate in the Auber Grand pas Classique with Tereshkina, in fact as a pair they stood comparison with any of the previous couples I've seen. I don't think he's short, my guess is about six foot, but the other two are definitely taller.

I would love to see Kolegova's Raymonda, I think she may prove the perfect fit for the role. She's a dancer who I've noticed seems to fall between two stools with a lot of people, not the favourite interpreter of roles, but not falling into the disliked category either. A few weeks ago I saw her dance Medora in Baden Baden and although she had to compete with Tereshkina's near definitive performance the night before, Kolegova was quite beautiful, though giving a more lyrical rendition of the part, a more vulnerable Medora than the feisty pirate girl I usually prefer. After that performance I felt she had risen substantially in my appreciation of her. For me the definitive Raymonda will always be Fonteyn, full of glamour and drama in the third act she also had that turn of speed that I agree with with other posters is being ignored at the Kirov as they concentrate on adage at the expense of allegro. Again at Baden Baden, I was troubled by the slowness in of all things the Don Q. pas de deux in the gala programme, the friend I was with thought so too and asked one of the coaches for an opinion: all the fault of the maestro apparently. So now you know.

Although it seems his ballets don't travel. the home supporters can't get enough of him so wouldn't have thought he needed advocates. On the other hand we could do with some of those in London where Ashton's work consistently takes second place to MacMillan's.

His cohort?

As Grigorovich is now eighty nine and has been increasingly frail for some years, why should he be mentioned in a documentary about the current state of affairs in the company?

Thanks, it was still Lopatkina on the website yesterday. Very pleased I'll be seeing Tereshkina. .

Hi mnacenani, enjoyed reading your thoughts on Legend of Love, but there is an aspect of the story that has always puzzled me and I am hoping that as you've read the Turkish original you may be able to explain it. Why does 'the stranger' demand that Banu must lose her beauty in exchange for her sister's recovery? She pretty well promises him anything he desires but all he wants is to take her looks away. None of the programme notes I've read explains exactly why, is there a clue in the original poem?

Do you mean Mona Inglesby? Her company was only active in the 1940's and I believe she choreographed new works for it. They certainly danced classics, I can find mention of SL & SB, not sure about Nutcracker though. Nikolai Sergeyev worked with her so presumably classic productions were his. I agree with the need for a history of British Ballet, though not sure if the interest exists in the UK. In the main I find it is American ballet lovers that are interested in the history of the art in general. Perhaps an approach to an American publisher would be easier. By the way, I always thought Nureyev's production was one for the adults whereas others aim for the younger audience.

That DVD actually credits Peter Wright with the choreography (after Petipa), surely not in 1958? It was Festival Ballet (now ENB) that had the long uninterrupted tradition of dancing Nutcracker in Britain, not the Royal Ballet.

Perhaps it's time to make mention of that brilliant book The Witnesses by MW Waring. The author's identity is unknown, just a hint of a childhood spent in Russia on the blurb, and published in 1967 it is possible the author wasn't Russian as pre-revolutionary Russia was far more cosmopolitan than it is now. At almost 600 pages in small print, it covers a lot of ground, but is essentially an account of the revolution through the eyes of those that experienced it. Curiously the personalities we all know, i.e. Lenin, Trotsky are referred to by other names, the non famous characters are all drawn from people known to the author. A modern review regards the novel as 'dense', a contemporary review more accurately refers to the book as "worthy to be placed in the Tolstoyan genre. Has anyone else read this book? It deserves to be regarded as a classic.

In January we saw a small touring group in London that included Diana Cuni (now retired) and Gudren Bojeson, on the point of retirement. An end of an era, both were so good. I would go so far as to say that in fifty plus years of ballet going Ms Cuni was one of the finest dancers I've ever seen. The first Danish dancer I saw was Toni Lander too, dancing Etudes with ABT.

I'm not arriving until the 24th so it is just the Corsairs and gala evening I'm curious about. I can't remember seeing Lopatkina in Corsair, it'll be interesting to see her in the role, I don't dislike her by the way, just prefer dancers with more warmth. It will be my third trip to see them there, great venue in a town that typifies ' Old Europe', I usually head for places like Madeira or Morocco at that time of the year but Baden Baden with a sprinkling of snow on it looks like the prettiest Christmas card you've ever seen.

Sorry to go a bit off topic, but do any of you Kirov fans have any insight into the casting for Baden Baden later this month? I am hoping for Kim in Corsair, if no one knows actual casting, even some informed guesses would be of value. Thanks.

In a company like the Royal Ballet with multiple triple bills, no regular pairings and frequent cast changes due to injuries, it becomes impossible to avoid any dancer in the company and therefore when you see someone on a fairly regular basis I don't see any reason not to comment on what you are seeing. I appreciate the casual ballet goer may not be aware of that. I recently saw Cuthbertson in Afternoon of a Faune in a quadruple bill and earlier this week when I went to the Two Pigeons revival to see Muntagirov. Neither performance was one to cherish.

Most would agree, Cuthbertson was a political appointment, promoted beyond her ability by a management embarrassed by the dearth of British principals, I never felt Polunin was totally at his ease with her. Sarah Lamb is a beautiful Aurora however so I imagine that will be the performance most likely to be repeated.

Yes, originally her partner should have been Hallberg, so I can understand her reluctance at dancing with an unfamiliar partner. She is recovering from an injury at the moment, did she not want to risk further problems in a ballet notorious for its intricate pas de deuxs that have caused injuries in the past?

The French are very resilient, I visited Paris a few weeks after the earlier atrocities they suffered this year and all was as normal, They did the same as us Londoners after the 7/7 bombings, they squared their shoulders and carried on.. While I mourn with the French I also mourn for the fact that our cities are no longer completely safe and that we seem to have moved into an era where our very existence has suddenly become more fragile.