Lynette H

Ticket sales for the Mariinsky engagement at the ROH seem surprisingly slow. The Firebird mixed bill is close to sold out as are a couple of the Swan Lakes, but there is still good availability for a number of performances (more than 100 seats available showing on the web site for many dates at present). This is quite a surprise, unlike previous visits.

In the UK, the Arts Council recently announced its funding plans for the next three years (2015-18) and produced a detailed report on opera and ballet funding. One thing that caught my eye, buried in the report was that companies would be required to include screenings of opera and ballet as part of the "success measures" within their business plans for the period. The Royal already have an established plan for ballet screenings, but some of the other companies supported do not. Perhaps this might make more productions more widely available. The report is at http:/www.artscouncil.org.uk/media/uploads/Report-on-analysis-of-Opera-and-Ballet.pdf (It's an interesting read. Heartening to see that the audience for ballet in the period examined - 2008/9 to 2011/12 - seemed to grow substantially).

Maybe the absence of Winter's Tale from both the Royal and NBOC's schedule for next season is related to Wheeldon's other activities. He will be very busy creating an American in Paris this autumn (in Paris). It then goes to New York sometime in the new year, I think. Perhaps working on or setting Winter's Tale in the same season was too much to contemplate.

The official announcement from the ROH is here http:/www.roh.org.uk/news/promotions-joiners-and-leavers-at-the-royal-ballet

I've just been looking at the casting on the ROH web site. I had been convinced that Vishneva was down to appear in Marguerite and Armand on 11 Aug in the original announcement, but it seems that casting for this work is currently listed as TBA. (Vishneva is still listed for R&J).

Shiori Kase is currently a soloist at ENB, which she joined from the Royal Ballet School in 2009. She gets the opening night of Coppelia in ENB's performances in London next month. If ENB's production of Corsaire makes it to DVD as planned, you might be able to see her. I think she was Gulnare (Cojocaru was Medora) in the performance that was supposed to be filmed.

Wheeldon's Winter's Tale is a co production between the Royal Ballet and NBC. The premiere is this week. I thought it might have featured in the NBC 2014/5 season. But it doesn't appear to be there. Maybe the next season ?

I am sorry - yes, it is at the ROH. My head knew that and then my fingers went and typed Coliseum. Oops. Can a moderator please correct the thread title to avoid confusing anyone else......

Full details of the programmes for this are available from the Hochhauser web site http://www.victorhochhauser.co.uk/ In summary: Romeo & Juliet Swan Lake Cinderella (Ratmansky) Firebird / Marguerite & Armand / Concerto DCSH Apollo / Midsummer Nights Dream Casting is available on the ROH Web site. Start from here http://www.roh.org.uk/about/mariinsky - casting for each programme is then available if you click through. I was surprised Lopatkina does not get the opening night of Swan Lake.

Starting March 2014, a series of documentaties and a Fonteyn Sleeping Beauty from 1959 - details here http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01sgymj

There is a large exhibition of Paul Klee's work running at Tate Modern in London. In among the many abstracts are some cartoon-like works. I was particularly struct by one from 1922/23 called "Main scene from the Ballet 'The False Oath'"". I found an image of this Klee work here http://www.bridgemanart.com/en-GB/asset/220672/klee-paul-1879-1940/scene-from-the-ballet-the-false-oath-1922-w-c-and-ink Does anyone know more about this ballet and who made or performed in it ? What would Klee have been seeing in the 1920s in Germany ?

The recent run of Jewels at Covent Garden has made me ponder what the conventions are for crediting performers and staff for Balanchine ballets. When Symphony in C is staged at Covent Garden, it seems that all the corps names are listed in full on the cast sheet. But not so for Jewels. We get the names of the principals only. A pity really, as one would like to see the names for the four men in Rubies. Does this vary according to who is setting the work ? In other companies it is usual to get more detailed credits ? In previous runs of Jewels the stager has appeared on the first night for the curtain calls, but that didn’t happen this time, I think. (I’m sure we saw Patricia Neary before). Is it usual for the stager to appear ? The Jewels credits given are as follows. Emeralds, Staging Elyse Bourne, principal coaching Elyse Bourne, Ballet Mistress Samantha Raine. Rubies: Staging Patricia Neary, Principal coaching Patricia Neary & Christopher Saunders, Ballet Master Christopher Saunders. Diamonds: Staging Elyse Borne, Principal coaching Elyse Bourne and Christopher Saunders, Dance Notator Anna Trevien. These don’t seem to have changed much since the last run in 2011, except Sam Raine replaced Ursula Hageli as Ballet Mistress. I understand that all works are notated at Covent Garden, including new-to-the-company Balanchine acquisitions. I have a feeling we were told once that when the stager for one of these pieces changed, they had to notate the differences in the setting. I think that might have been Diamonds. (The Royal first took on Jewels in 2007 or so). Forgive me if this sounds a bit nerdy, but I am curious why some roles are thought to mention an acknowledgement and others aren’t.

Yuan Yuan Tan appears in London at Sadlers Wells in November. "a new British-Chinese cultural collaboration exploring where classical meets contemporary dance, showcasing the extraordinary talents of Chinese prima ballerina Yuan Yuan Tan, principal dancer with San Francisco Ballet and Taiwanese virtuoso Fang-Yi Sheu. The evening includes three UK premieres choreographed by Taiwanese-born American Edwaard Liang, and Sadler’s Wells’ Associate Artists Russell Maliphant and Christopher Wheeldon". http://www.sadlerswells.com/show/Liang-Maliphant-Wheeldon

The list of graduate contracts has been published in the RBS Linbury performances programme. I see from this that Esteban Hernandez is joining SFB.

Cojocaru gave an interview just a month ago where she sounded happier with the RB than she had been for some time, which makes this more surprising. http://www.theartsdesk.com/dance/10-questions-ballerina-alina-cojocaru?page=0,1

Cinema broadcasts for opera, theatre and ballet have all taken off. Maybe exhibitions are next. The British Museum has a hugely popular exhibition on at present, Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum. It's quite difficult to get a ticket, given the demand. There will be a cinema broadcast of the exhibition on 18 June. Details at http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/pompeii_and_herculaneum/pompeii_live.aspx The cinemas in question seem to be only UK / Ireland, but I suppose it might spread further or be repeated. This might not be the first live cinema event for an exhibition - I have a vague recollection that the Royal Academy's recent Manet exhibition was broadcast.

It's not new - the group held their first performances last summer at the Peacock. The group aims to give performance opportunities to young dancers and choreographers at the begining of their careers. Darcey Bussell is a Patron, I think. They are fundraising at present. They will be back at the Peacock this autumn. http://www.nebt.co.uk/performances.shtml

I think the Royal Ballet last danced Illuminations in 1994 or 1996. I think the cast at that time included Jonathan Cope and Darcey Bussell.

The Royal Opera House is holding a live streaming event on 7 January. This one is opera, not ballet focussed - you can read about it here: http://www.roh.org.uk/news/royal-opera-live-streaming-day-announced Sounds similar in concept to the ballet-based live stream that they did last spring. They say it should be available worldwide.

Maybe you are thinking of something like this, a pas de deux for man and mechanical digger: staged in London by a French company a few years ago. http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/video/2008/oct/20/dance-umbrella-digger-priasso

You might be intersted in this on the BBC website for its sheer difficulty - its the gold medal performance on the high bar. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18903127

No, I don't think so - it was created earlier, for Dutch National Ballet. I think Dawson did quite a lot of work there - not much in the UK.

English National Ballet did A Million Kisses To My Skin a few years back - very strongly cast including Agnes Oaks and Thomas Edur. It was very popular with the audience. It's been a long time since I saw PNB but I think it should suit them.

I just looked at the ticket availability - its not totally sold out that date now. There are 45 tickets left in the srtalls but only a handful of singles left in stalls circle and grand tier. There are seats available in the amphi. You will need to be online very promptly when public booking opens. The availability is much better on Sat 28th.

I think I recognise the name Hye Jung Lee: if I'm right she was one of the finalists in the Cardiff Singer of the World this year (shown on the BBC). I recall a really specular aria as Madame Mao, brandishing the little red book. Yes it was her - details here http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/cardiffsinger/sites/2011/pages/korea.shtml