Lynette H

Includes Monica Mason on Les Biches and Lynn Garafola - recorded last Saturday.

This runs from 10th to 18th June. The BBC web site already has lots of details up including bios of all the competitors and details of all the performances. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007qn4b They are usually very good at posting clips of performances here. There is a dedicated TouTube channel here https://www.youtube.com/@bbccardiffsinger/featured

The lecture is funded by the Ashton Foundation, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's about Ashton directly. Marina Warner has written extensively on myth and folklore and she will no doubt have much to say about the realm of the fairies.

There's an obituary in the Guardian (free to access) https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2023/mar/12/lynn-seymour-obituary

This season was programmed by the new AD, Watkin. There's a press release on their website where he introduces the season.. https://www.ballet.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/English-National-Ballets-2023-2024-Season.pdf

This Cranko biography came out late last year, I think, and I've just finished it. Killar danced in the Stuttgart company under Cranko's directorship and his affection and admiration for John Cranko is evident. It's not a hagiography though: he's quite clear sighted about how some works didn't really succeed or didn't last. It's very readable and engaging. It also has quite extensive appendices including a detailed list of all his premieres and restagings including details of casts, designers, music etc. I think these may be available on an associated web site https://crankobiography.com/ which should be a useful resource for researchers. Recommended.

Marcelo Gomes is now AD of Semperopera Ballett Dresden. This is for 23/24 season. The current AD (Aaron S. Watkin) leaves to take over at English National Ballet. Gomes has been principal dancer (and Ballet master) for a few years. https://www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/tanz-dresden-marcelo-gomes-wird-chef-des-semperoper-balletts-dpa.urn-newsml-dpa-com-20090101-221118-99-572130

More details available on this 20 min segment about the production, lots of background info. Just a few details: Giselle is not ill, and doesn't have heart problems, she's just happy. At the very end, Giselle tells Albrecht to return to his fiancee. Costumes and sets are loaned by Birmingham Royal Ballet.

The Royal Ballet stream some of their insight evenings for free. Here's the latest -Zenaida Yanowsky rehearses Fumi Kaneko and Federico Bonelli in Swan Lake pas de deux.

Abdur Variation Act 2 Hentriette Act 2

Ashton Rediscovered insight evening free from the Royal Opera House Some rare pieces in here including a recreation of Hamlet and Ophelia with Bracewell and Hayward. This should be available for about a month. The film that forms the second part of the evening is already available on the Ashton Foundation's website. That should be available for longer.

Now available - an excellent watch. Some remarkable vintage snippets.

A collection of Clement Crisp reviews has been published. "Clement Crisp Reviews: Six Decades of Dance". It's a fairly substantial hardback, 320 pages with plenty of photos, mainly drawn from his work in the Financial Times, and occasional other pieces. Very heavy ! His range of interests was wide - I remember some memorable pieces he wrote on tango, for example. And he enthused about hip hop dance. These don't feature here, the book mostly concentrates on ballet, though it does include some of his pieces on traditional Japanese theatre and dance.

The Royal have announced the following cinema dates for ballet - casting as given at present The Nutcracker Thurs 9 Dec 7:15 live (Takada, Corrales, Saunders, Gasparini, Acri) Romeo and Juliet Mon 14 Feb 7:15 - not live, recorded earlier, but it's Valentines day.. (O'Sullivan, Sambe) Swan Lake Thurs 19 May 7:15 live (Cuthbertson, Bracewell) The following programmes will also be streamed The Dante Project (McGregor) - recorded but not yet available to purchase on the ROH site yet (they may be adding in details of Watson's final curtain call). Streams are usually available for 30 days after initial transmission Giselle available from 3 Dec for a month. Cast being filmed is Naghdi, Ball, Nunez. For programs later in the year, there are indications that the triple Abraham/ Pite / Wheeldon in late March / April is being filmed, and also the Ashton triple in late April /May (Scenes de Ballet, Month in the Country, Rhapsody) whether for cinema or streaming is not stated. There's no indication yet if Wheeldon's new full length Like Water for Chocolate in June is being filmed

Cardiff Singer of the World returns this year (without an audience). The main BBC site for this is here https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007qn4b There are usually a fair number of clips of the performances and details about the competitors.

The Royal Ballet returns with three programmes. These are socially distanced perfomances, with about 800 or so seats available out of 2000 or so. One performance of each bill is also livestreamed, and can be purchasers should be able to view this from outside the UK. 21st Century Choreographers Within the Golden Hour (Wheeldon) / New Kyle Abraham/ The Statement, Solo Echo (Pite) 18th - 30th May, livestream 28 May Balanchine and Robbins Apollo, Tchaikovsky pdd, Dances at a Gathering 4 June - 13 June, livestream 11 June Beauty Mixed Programme Anemoi (New Zucchetti) / Divertissements / Sleeping Beauty Act 3 26 June - 11 Jul, livestream 11 July Casting is here. Some interesting debuts - Muntagirov as Apollo for one. https://static.roh.org.uk/for/pdfs/Spring-Summer-casting-2021.pdf?_ga=2.36946528.1309649930.1620204850-2095513102.1526483954

The ROH announces its revised programme for spring and summer 2021 including a series of socially distanced performances. There are 3 mixed bills "The first celebrates some of today’s finest international choreographers and includes Christopher Wheeldon’s shimmering ballet Within the Golden Hour, a world premiere from American choreographer Kyle Abraham, as well as two works new to The Royal Ballet from Olivier-Award winning choreographer Crystal Pite comprising The Statement, exploring the shadowy depths of human nature and boardroom politics, and Solo Echo, an atmospheric evocation of winter-inspired by a poem by Mark Strand, accompanied by Brahms’s beautiful sonatas for cello and piano. The work of 20th century American choreographers George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins will be celebrated in a mixed programme of work comprising Balanchine’s Apollo, with accompanying score by Igor Stravinsky; his effervescent and virtuoso Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux; and Jerome Robbins’ 1969 ballet Dances at a Gathering, an ode to pure dance set to music by Chopin. The Royal Ballet will also present a mixed programme of work including the world premiere of Anemoi by Royal Ballet First Soloist Valentino Zucchetti who develops his ballet Scherzo which was streamed to critical success last autumn. This will be accompanied by divertissements from choreographers who have shaped The Royal Ballet’s history and pushed the boundaries of ballet today. The third act of Petipa’s classic The Sleeping Beauty completes the programme, celebrating both the Company’s 90th anniversary and the production’s 75th anniversary." https://www.roh.org.uk/news/royal-opera-house-announces-packed-schedule-for-spring-and-summer-2021

Not free, but thought some of you might like to know. The Royal Opera House is streaming Ashton's Symphonic Variations. This is the 75th anniversary of its creation. Version as recorded in 2017. Nunez, Muntagirov, Hay, Choe, Naghdi, Dyer. It costs £3. Available now until 2 May. Details here https://www.roh.org.uk/tickets-and-events/symphonic-variations-2017-details

A performance from the following companies live on stage at the RAH Ballet Black Birmingham Royal Ballet English National Ballet New Adventures Northern Ballet Rambert Scottish Ballet The Royal Ballet There are some (expensive - £240) socially distanced tickets available. The event will be filmed and streamed on 18 June. Fee for live stream is £20. Funds raised go to the companies and other dance charities. More details here https://britishballetcharitygala.com/

Exact link https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2021/mar/04/julie-felix-the-brilliant-black-ballerina-who-was-forced-to-leave-britain

An update on how the impact on the arts, including dance, is playing out. "Devastating, unviable, admin overload: UK stage companies count cost of Brexit" https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2021/feb/24/uk-stage-companies-brexit-europe It's all very depressing.

Free Streaming from Sadler's Wells - three hours in total. From 12 noon on 28 January "A day-long festival of world-class dance featuring new works and audience favourites from big-name artists and breakthrough talent in ballet, contemporary and hip-hop dance styles. Programme includes: Akram Khan, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Boy Blue, Breakin’ Convention, Candoco Dance Company, English National Ballet, Far From The Norm, HUMANHOOD, Matsena Productions, Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, Natalia Osipova, Northern Ballet, Oona Doherty, Rambert and Shobana Jeyasingh Dance. " In the UK it's available via BBC i Player but from anywhere else via the Sadler's web site https://www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/2021/dancing-nation/ The Royal Ballet release another paid for stream (£3) on the 29th Jan. Fille Mal Gardee with Osipova, McRae and Peregrine the pony. https://www.roh.org.uk/tickets-and-events/la-fille-mal-gardee-stream-details

Not free, but thought it might be of interest. English National Ballet in La Sylphide with Dronina and Hernadez, £6.99 for 3 days rental. (2018) https://ondemand.ballet.org.uk/production/la-sylphide/ The Royal Ballet are streaming a paid-for Marguerite and Armand - Yanowsky's farewell performance for £3. Available until 14 Feb. https://www.roh.org.uk/tickets-and-events/marguerite-and-armand-by-frederick-ashton-details

"The first black female dancer at Berlin’s principal ballet company has accused the institution of racial harassment, claiming she was repeatedly told she did not fit in because of her skin colour. Chloé Lopes Gomes, a French citizen, who joined the Staatsballett as a corps de ballet member in 2018, said she had faced recurrent racial abuse from her ballet mistress. " https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/09/berlin-staatsballetts-first-black-female-dancer-accuses-it-of-racism

The ROH has announced some free and some paid for streams over Christmas. Details here https://www.roh.org.uk/news/royal-opera-house-unveils-biggest-programme-of-streamed-ballet-and-opera-in-its-history-just-in-time-for-christmas?utm_source=wordfly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2020_Dec_ENews_Friends_04Dec&utm_content=version_A&emailsource=52286 There's a lot in there, so its worth a look. Paid for stream of Enigma Variations from today. Free stream of RB in Don Q and RO in the Magic Flute at some point on You Tube. But no date for that yet.