Mashinka

According to Arizona Native's list it would appear I'm not a balletomane after all.

I voted yes - guilty as charged.

I remember it well, it used to be danced by Festival Ballet (now ENB) too. It is getting a revival by Paris Opera Ballet at the end of the year.

Thanks for posting this, having seen Osmolkina dance two Swan Lakes in London recently (only her second and third attempts at the role), I'd say she's on course to be the greatest interpreter of this role for decades. Herod Atticus is a dream venue and Greece the star summer holiday destination of Europe, I'm already thinking two nights in Athens then down to Piraeus for a ship to one of the islands. Should I book or will the Kirov throw a casting spanner into the works? Bit of a dilemma.

Oddly enough there was a feature about the fish in a TV programme about Paris on UK TV a couple of months ago. Apparently an enterprising member of staff had gone in for a spot of fish farming in the underground lake. His latest enterprise is bee-keeping on the roof of the Opera and the resultant honey is said to be of exceptionally high quality and much in demand.

By the standards of her day Fonteyn was a beauty (and in my ancient eyes, remains so), but I'm praying this ill-conceived project never gets off the ground. I'll be grateful for the recession if it prevents this abomination getting to the screen.

That's exactly how I feel too, the brightest of lights in the ballet world has been extinguished.

Peter Darrell did a Mary Queen of Scots for Scottish Ballet, I think late 70's or early 80's, does anyone remember more details?

I would have put money on Mathilde Froustey and Karl Paquette being the next couple promoted to etoile - just shows how wrong you can be. Heymann is wonderful though, I saw him dance Colas in Ashton's Fille a couple of years ago and I'm not surprised at his promotion: only surprised that it has happened so soon. Looking at the list of etoiles, I do think that few are as deserving of the title as the stars of the past and some aren't really that good in classical roles at all despite being excellent in modern roles. The same thing is happening at the Royal Ballet as well, a couple of principals being poor classicists. I've given up on hoping Thibault gets promoted, but would settle for just seeing him on stage occasionally, his only chance of becoming an etoile would be if a new director appeared with a commitment to the classical repertoire, but that now seems unlikely to happen.

At a guess I would say that Golub will replace Novikova in R & J and Tereshkina in Beauty, but of course casting is an art akin to necromancy at the Kirov these days. There is dismay among the London Kirov fans over Somova opening and closing the season, traditionally the last night is a bit like party night in London but this year all the guests will be absent, I imagine the generous floral tributes from the audience will be absent on those nights too. The critics may spring a surprise over A.S.'s Juliet as most of the critics are too young to have seen any greats in the role and it isn't a ballet they bring that often, her youth and prettiness just might carry the day and if she changes or leaves out passages of choreography (as is her wont) I doubt if many of them will actually notice.

There had been plans to revive it this year, but the present economic climate meant no backer could be found.

As a Londoner I'd like to know why Japan is deemed suitable for performances of Humpbacked Horse whereas the UK is not.

Fernando Alonso? Is that in addition to his 21 wins in Formula One?

I'm just delighted that Vikharev is mounting this old classic for the Bolshoi as the Kirov's Fateyev has made it clear he is no fan of reconsructions. As to who would make the best Esmeralda I can't see how one can possibly judge on the few scraps of choreography still performed. It is after all a full length ballet based on Hugo's Notre Dame de Paris and should provide a number of choice roles for several Bolshoi performers; I seem to remember that Esmeralda has a love rival known as Fleur de Lys who is tall, blonde and beautiful: Shipulina perhaps? Perhaps this is the time to come clean and confess to being a fully paid up member of OA (Osipova-fans Anonymous).

Yes but you can take the track suit off. Tattoos aren't so easily got rid of.

The problem for me is that the set with the elaborate gates already takes up too much stage space so that by the time the maypole comes on it gets very overcrowded. But the idea of setting the ballet in 19th century Russia is ill conceived and every Russian I've taken to this production complains about the inauthentic look of the costumes.

I'd like to second what Leonid wrote about Osmolkina, she was gorgeous from beginning to end and all the more astonishing as she was battling with an injury. Iwould love to see her return to the RB as her very pure style and convincing acting would make her suitable for a great deal of the RB's rep. And this girl isn't even a principal at the Kirov? Time to take the Kirov staff to visit the men in white coats I think.

What an extraordinary thing to say! Angel Corella has just created the first large scale classical ballet company Spain has ever had, a wonderful achievement when so many European companies are going to the wall and all you can do is whinge because he dropped your favourite dancer! Show me a male dancer who hasn't dropped his partner at some time. For the ladies of the ballet it’s an occupational hazard.

Unlike Somova, Valdes has excellent technique, but in my opinion she mis-uses it.

There are clearly problems selling ABT's Swan Lake as today's Metro has a half price offer for it.

This is just circus, I've seen this dancer in Don Q. pas de deux in London: vulgar beyond belief.

Ekaterina Osmolkina and Ivan Putrov without hesitation.

I've never seen a more flexible back than that of Nikolai Tsiskaridze.

The BBC celebrates the 50th birthday of Fellini's masterpiece La Dolce Vita. Surely Anita Ekberg links up with the current threads on glamour and vamps; she has to be the most voluptuous actress of all time. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7925032.stm This film has always had a lot of admirers; some 20 odd years ago I was on holiday on the island of Malta when I discovered the most wonderful restaurant at St Julian's. Calling it La Dolce was actually rather apt for an Italian eatery, but this place was owned by someone with an absolute obsession with the films as this huge restaurant of several floors built right over the waves of the Mediterranean was crammed with posters, stills and memorabilia from the film: it was wonderful and the food was pretty good too.

Please someone tell me that 4th March is the Danish equivalent of April Fools Day.