Lolly

Before each Prom at the Royal Albert Hall last summer, they played a very loud cacophony of ringing phones before the announcement to remember to turn them off. It was a big shock!

Golly, there are dancers popping up out of nowhere! - I just checked the list and Cindy Jourdain is down as an Artist, Christina Salerno is a First Artist and now Anton Pankevitch! He danced in Nut but I had assumed he was here just for that. I don't know when the others joined but I presume it is very recently.

Yes, Becks is David and Posh is Victoria Beckham. Tabloid newspapers and things like "Hello" are big here so that is why the fact that they were at the ballet was more important than the ballet itself. It is a strange world! (Or maybe it is just strange here - I am not sure!) I don't think ROH is elitist. It is only expensive if you sit in the expensive seats! People don't really dress up anymore (I mean obviously dress up - they could all be in outrageously expensive jeans or something) and that has changed from a couple of years ago when it was a lot dressier I think. But the writer painted a funny picture of the audience! I suppose quite accurate though. Sadler's Wells has a much younger and trendier audience. I am glad that the writer seemed to appreciate that ballet is really hard work and that he thought the end product was perfect. But I think people are more likely to go and watch Becks in a football match as a consequence of him going to the ballet, than going to the ballet themselves.

I am getting behind on my reviews! I saw the second performance too (Thursday) - and was at the PPT. Monica Mason was a fascinating speaker and I hope she felt supported by the huge amount of applause she received. I remember her talking about the need for a small and compact dancer for Scenes, but I thought she meant the principal man as well as the girl. She said it was because of the type of movement required by the choreography - quick and precise - so I assume longer legs means it takes longer to complete the movement. That is what I understood from what she said. I was interested when she talked about the choice of works to be danced too. The person who asked the question seemed a bit critical that we only had one new work last season (Tryst) but Monica calmly explained the situation with the opera and the need for balance with revivals and new works. She said the dancers want to be here because of the Ashton and Macmillan works in our heritage so the company has a duty to dance them. I felt that she was really considerate of the dancers wishes as well as the audience - she wanted the dancers to have good things to dance. She said she went to a planning meeting not long after she became director, and the opera had a big stack of paper as their planning and she has a single sheet of paper! So she felt pressured to come up with plans further in advance, I think she said she has sketchy plans until 2005. She talked about the need for adequate rehearsal time for each type of ballet, for example a new work would need an extra orchestra rehearsal, she said how many rehearsals each type needed, so many piano, so many orchestra and a general but I can't remember numbers I am afraid. I too wish I had taken notes - it was a very informative talk. I have to say too that Monica is absolutely beautiful. The performance was great. I still am fascinated by Scenes de Ballet and wished that I had seen it from higher in the theatre this time. I am pleased it is back in one of the other triple bills later in the season - the one with the new Bintley, so I must make sure I have a seat with a different view for that. There were so many little things in the choreography that made me think, "I must remember that" but I didn't write them down and so have forgotten them now. It is so intricate, there is so much to look at. Winter Dreams is lovely but seeing it twice in a few days is probably a bad plan - this time I thought it was too long, I got very fidgety. Sinfonietta is so exciting and joyful, I love it. Has there been another cast yet? As wonderful as the cast I have seen is, I would love to see some of the other dancers get a go. It looks such fun, but completely exhausting. Bennet Gartside really stood out, he had such a clarity in his movements. And Ricardo Cervera was again the one to watch - he is so involved in whatever he is doing. The finale is great, it looks like there are a lot of (intended) near misses as the dancers dart around the stage! I don't have another ticket for this bill. I am sad to say this but if Winter Dreams was the last ballet I would probably go again and leave before it began. I really want to see Scenes and Sinfonietta again and am slightly mollified with the knowledge that I will see Scenes in another bill, but not Sinfonietta, and I am quite sorry about that. This term I am having a hard time reconciling the classes I need to go to, with the performances I want to see. I have to miss one to do the other. Because I went to the opening night of this bill, I missed learning a dance myself. On the other hand I do feel terribly lucky to be able to see such great ballets danced by such great dancers, practically whenever I like. It's a happy time.

Alymer, that is interesting about the two short men and two tall men in Scenes de Ballet. I am not sure there are very many tall men in the company at the moment though - they all seem to be about 5'10" except for Darcey and Sylvie's partners. I read the programme notes last night and it said the four men represent the seasons and the twelve women represent the months - fascinating juxtaposition having the natural world shown in this way next to the mathematical inspiration of Euclid. And the months are arbitrary anyway, I think? They don't have four seasons everywhere either. (Out of my depth here! )

I am not saying that as I haven't seen it! And I am not American either. I just read the review and thought it was relevant. The ballet was not well received here though. I think the critics thought it too American to appeal to British tastes.:confused:

I thought this excerpt from a review of PNB's Silver Lining, from the Autumn 2002 Dance Now, mght be interesting/relevant here. "The temptation for ballet - especially American ballet - to borrow from Broadway is considerable. At first sight that whole bitter-sweet Manhattan thing looks so easy. The orchestra strikes up, the skyscraper backdrop illuminates, and there are the cast, all sass and knife-sharp pleats. And, for the doubters, those who wonder if the lemon-peel in that particular cocktail might just have been sucked dry, there is the validating example of Balanchine. The fact is, however, that this material lends itself best to classical ballet when it is stripped to the raw. Balanchine, for all that he refused to draw a line between ballet and more demotic styles, was well aware of this. Who Cares?, his 1970 setting of a Gershwin song-cycle, was first performed (to rapturous reviews) on a bare stage to a single piano. The trap into which productions like Silver Lining fall is that they succumb to a kind of cross-disciplinary envy. Avid for the glamorous refulgence of Broadway, but locked at the same time into ballet's instinctive puritanism, they shake down into a mutant form which plays to the strengths of neither."

Oh my goodness, what a GREAT evening! I was enthralled from start to finish. Casting was the same as the rehearsal Sylvia posted. Scenes de Ballet is beautiful. When it started it made me hold my breath, it was a lovely moment. The dancing is so quick and neat, I loved the regimented feel and the definite positions. The boys' costumes were nice, lilac tights and black velvet tunic with geometric shapes. But I bet they got very hot! The girls were in pale blue tutus and bizarre little black hats - and all the pearls were a bit odd! Alina Cojocaru wore a yellow tutu and was as aparkling and happy as ever, and Johan Kobborg looked deservedly pleased with his tours en l'air. I really need to see this again - maybe there is a video of it? Winter Dreams was wonderful. It was so emotional - the characters were so vividly portrayed you couldn't help but feel their sorrow and pain. And of course I was incredibly excited to see Anthony Dowell.... I really liked Sinfonietta. I had been afraid it would be dull, but it was really lively! Now I can see why my ballet teacher insists I take a contemporary class too - the whole thing was just like what I do in that class - there were loads of movements and stuff I recognised - it was great! The speed and the jumps - I loved it. I will have renewed interest in my class now. Everyone was right when they said it was a piece for the boys, but it was great to see Marianela Nunez and Zenaida Yanowsky in it. The boys were superb, they had such energy. I liked Martin Harvey and Bennet Gartside dancing together, and of course Ricardo Cervera shone all the way through - he is such a performer, you always feel that he really wants to be there and everything he does is the best he can do - nothing is done by halves! I liked the costumes too - pale greys and blues and browns - although the skin-toned one was slightly unnerving! After all those Nutcrackers it was good to see the dancers in this, being kind of natural and looking like themselves. I can't wait to go again. This triple bill is unmissable I think - if you don't have a ticket, get one quick! I am off to read the programme notes...

Ricardo is definitely charming. A candidate for Fancy Free perhaps?;) Thanks Sylvia. Castings look great - aren't we lucky!

How exciting Sylvia! Do name some names - who was coaching, and who danced? I am very excited about Monday now, it sounds like an interesting conbination of ballets. And it feels like I haven't been to ROH for ages!

Thank you everyone for your tidbits about the ballets - it sounds like it is a good bill. I am going twice, but sadly I am sitting in the same seat! So I won't get to experience the "all angles" thing of Scenes de Ballet. Mr Johnson, by "workmanlike" do you mean that it is dull? I don't live in London either, I sometimes think it is a good job I don't or I would go to ROH every day. Not that it would be a bad thing - actually I can't think of anything I would like more!

I'm feeling left out because of all the discussions about POB - I am sure there must be some others who see RB! Then everyone won't have to just read about me talking about my favourite dancers all the time.;) So... anyone going to the Triple Bill which opens next week? It is Winter Dreams, Sinfonietta and Scenes de Ballet. I am very excited about seeing Anthony Dowell in Winter Dreams... and dying to know who is in Sinfonietta (and wondering why it is a big secret!). Is there anyone who has seen it and can tell us what to expect? I haven't seen any Kylian at all. Scenes de Ballet looks interesting from the snippet of rehearsal I saw on the screen in the ROH foyer.

I have to say that as a teenager I turned down an offer of seeing Fille because on the flyer it was described as "pantomime". Pantomime just wasn't cool enough for me, so I said no... what a mistake, both on my part and that of the people who marketed the ballet.

I found this on the BBC site too, it explains the significance of the Honours in general - helpful if you are not British! http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2616057.stm

Isn't it great news! This is from the BBC website http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/a...rts/2616063.stm "French dancer Sylvie Guillem, described as the world's most feted ballerina, is made an honorary CBE, 13 years after she joined the Royal Ballet as its principal guest artist. The 37-year-old once said: "I just know that when I go on stage, I give everything I have, not only my legs, not only my feet, not only my body. I try to tell a story. Sometimes I'm able to cry because I feel like it. Sometimes I'm able to love because I feel like it." Her award partners the CBE given to Jonathan Cope, principal dancer at the Royal Ballet for 16 years. His repertory includes Siegfried, Romeo, Florimund and many others. He also created the Illusionist in Sawdust and Tinsel." The Queen must have enjoyed the Jubilee gala after all!;)

I really enjoyed reading this! And how lovely that you can watch the films, and they aren't just locked in a cupboard somewhere.

Two more RB Nutcrackers yesterday... not as tight as previous ones I didn't think, but still very enjoyable. Ivan Putrov showed off his beautiful dancing very well, the white costume suited him and it was especially nice to see his feet for once - in black boots you can never fully appreciate them! Miyako Yoshida was his partner, and was the sweetest Sugar Plum you could wish for. Alina Cojocaru didn't let Johan Kobborg get much of a look in, it was definitely her show. After being disappointed that they aren't dancing Sleeping Beauty together later this season, I think I am quite glad as it will give him a chance to shine in his own right - he is being overshadowed! He does a marvellous job of showing her off but I think there is room for him to show himself off a bit too. Brian Maloney was the handsomest Hans Peter I have seen.;) His acting is lovely, he was full of wonder and his timing in the mime was great! He has such a recognisable technique that even with his Nutcracker head on in the Battle, I could tell it was him - very stylish and neat. He was Clara's dancing partner in the other performance, and he was so attentive to her, and so hopeful, it was sad when the party was over and he had to leave her! Ricardo Cervera was a good Hans Peter too, although he looked quite odd with golden hair - at least Brian is blond anyway! Ricardo is very bouncy, and his first pdd (in front of the shimmering curtain) was really quite moving. Of the two Claras I much preferred Natasha Oughtred to Gemma Bond. Natasha was very involved in the story and is a lovely dancer and actress. We have been very lucky with Rose Fairies, Marianela Nunez and Zenaida Yanowsky were both as smiling and as beautiful as each other, I can't decide who I liked best! Christina Arestis was amazing in Arabian - she uses her eyes so well, she somehow manages to make eye contact with the entire auditorium at once! She was very mysterious. Zenaida danced Arabian too, she has such an astonishing body - she bent over backwards and I thought her head was going to touch the floor! She is tall, but has endless legs as well as endless back, she is just beautiful. That's it for my Nutcrackers this year. I'm very tempted to go again though, it is a gorgeous production.

I think all of the dancers in London must be employed in one of the Nutcrackers we have at the moment! I haven't seen the Bourne one, but I have been to English National Ballet and Royal Ballet. ENB was a mixed bag... the production looks like a cartoon, the costumes are bright - primary colours and fluorescent, with strange wigs like the Jetsons or the Simpsons... Drosselmeyer wears a white cape whcih looks cheap - where are the sparkles?! The party scene was dreadful - it wasn't much of a party at all, nothing really happened and there wasn't any dancing that I can remember. The children were played by the company dancers, but acted like toddlers, they were quite irritating! I can't remember the battle at all (oh dear) but the Land of Snow was good (at last! Some dancing!) and I liked the idea of having Jack Frosts as well as Snowflakes. The choreography was simple but effective, darting and drifting around. The national dances were, hmm... Spanish was three men who had awful costumes, fluorescent pink capes is enough information I think! Arabian was a woman dressed like a mermaid in a bikini top and long skirt. She didn't do any dancing at all. There were about 8 bare chested men walking around her, holding large feathered fans, and covering her with them and she reappeared intermittently... not particularly exciting. Chinese I can't remember really, I think they had a cart or something... Thank goodness for Russian! Or should I say Cornell Callender who saved the show for me - he was superb. Drosselmeyer led him on dressed as a turquoise feathery bear, then removed his head to reveal the dancer wearing fluffy trousers (he must have been boiling!) Cornell was fantastic - the variation was not very Russian, more virtuoso. Cornell has a great jump with really spectacular clarity, and his pirouettes were amazing, his tours en l'air increased in speed as he went around, I couldn't believe it! He brought the house down - he looks like he belongs in Corsaire or Bayadere. I'll be watching out for his name! So Cornell Callender was the highlight of the ballet, definitely. Also I have to put in a word for Angelina Ballerina, who introduced the performance - she said, "Ballet is the best thing EVER!" and I can't help but agree.;) The RB production is much nicer! Both performances I have seen so far were exactly how I wanted them to be, they were sparkly, luxurious and had beautiful dancing. Jonathan Howells and Bethany Keating were Hans Peter and Clara in one, they looked good together and Jonathan looks like a good partner, attentive and smiling. Ivan Putrov and Iohna Loots were in the other - I was pleased to see Ivan after being almost disappointed that this year he got the role of the Prince - I had enjoyed his Hans Peter so many times before! Jaimie Tapper and Yohei Sasaki were Sugar Plum and the Prince for the first, and I enjoyed Jaimie's dancing a lot, much better than her Swan Lake. Yohei looked positively golden and has an easy jump and clean technique. Tamara Rojo and Inaki Urlezaga took the roles in the second one I saw. Tamara suited Sugar Plum well - she looked suitably fairytale and fantastical, cool and regal. William Tuckett was hilarious as Dr Stahlbaum in the party scene - he puts in so many little touches, it is well worth sitting close enough to see his face! I enjoyed all the national dances. The Rose Fairy and her escorts were delightful, Zenaida Yanowsky was joyful and energetic and as sparkling as ever. I think a lot of people will have seen this production on video/TV now - I noticed a post that it was on in the US this holiday. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! I am going a few times more yet... there are some exciting castings not to be missed - I can't work out why we don't get advance casting information about Clara and Hans Peter instead of Sugar Plum and the Prince - in this production, Clara and HP get MUCH more dancing!

I loved it too! I do so want to see it again. Anthony Dowell was the perfect narrator, he engaged the audience from the start, as he walked around the attic with his book. The ballet was delightful, really old fashioned and charming. Sylvia, I know what you mean about it making you happy. It made me feel like a child, especially when it snowed, it was such a beautiful moment! The production was so completely realised, there were so many details - the set, costumes and the way the auditorium was used, with the orchestra in the "boxes" on both sides, the carol singers walking down the stairs, and of course the fabulous car chase in the interval! I won't ever forget the performance. William Tuckett is a genius.

Well, old books actually - I got four lovely ballet books for Christmas so thought I would tell you all about them! The first is called "Studies of the Sadler's Wells Ballet Company" by Gordon Anthony (1947). It contains 65 large photographs of dancers from the company from lots of ballets, all the usual ones but also some I have never heard of, such as the Gorbals, Adam Zero, Les Sirenes, and the Masque of the Fairy Queen. I'll list the dancers; Frederick Ashton, Jean Bedells, Pauline Clayden, Margaret Dale, David Davenport, Leslie Edwards, Richard Ellis, Julia Farron, Margot Fonteyn, Beryl Grey, John Hart, Robert Helpmann, Gerd Larsen, Gillian Lynne, Pamela May, Lorna Mossford, Avril Navarre, Anne Negus, Palma Nye, David Paltenghi, Violetta Prokohorova, Alexis Rassine, Moira Shearer, Joan Sheldon, Michael Somes, Norman Thompson, Harold Turner, Peter Franklin White, and Alexander Grant. My favourite picture is of Robert Helpmann as Adelino Canberra in Les Sirenes. He is wearing a striped knee length unitard (maybe a bathing costume?) and is doing a head stand underneath a giant dolphin which is leaping out of the sea! I also liked part of the foreword, written by the author. He said, "It is mainly by the use of books... that such artists are able to take their deserved and honoured places in the permanant records of contemporary ballet...". The second book is called "Ulanova - her Childhood and Schooldays" by M. Sizova and translated by Marie Rambert (1959). It is written like a story and has pretty illustrations. The book ends when Ulanova joined the Bolshoi. I was very excited to find, tucked into the back of the book, two newspaper cuttings and an advertisement. The first was from 1978, and is an interview with Marie Rambert on the day before her 90th birthday. It tells her life story briefly, she sounds like a fascinating lady! I liked this part, "It was not a triangle between me, Diaghilev and Nijinsky. I wish it had been; but it wasn't because I got no response from Nijinsky at all. I was in love with him but he wasn't a bit in love with me and I didn't make any efforts because I assumed he was homosexual (which he was) and lived with Diaghilev, so that my love was hopeless." Isn't that sad? The second cutting is from 1983 and is a review of Ballet Rambert at Sadler's Wells in a tribute to Marie Rambert. The programme included Ashton's oldest surviving ballet (I wonder if this is still the case?) Capriol Suite (1930), Ashton's Brahms Waltzes, Nijinsky's L'Apres-midi d'un faune, Robert North's Pribaouki and Richard Alston's Rite of Spring. An amusing snippet is a criticism of Christopher Bruce as the Faun - the reviewer says "It seems all his muscles have moved from his legs to his brain, and his performance has little of the animal quality that once made it special." Finally, tucked away was a little flyer advertising Ballet Rambert at the Brighton Festival in 1982, where they danced North's Lonely Town, Lonely Street, Taylor's Airs and Alston's Rite of Spring in one programme, Alston's Night Music, North's "new ballet" (set to Stravinsky with designs inspired by Picasso) and Bruce's Ghost Dances. There was also an introduction to Ballet Rambert for young people showing the company's styles and works. I was very glad the person who owned the book before me had saved the cuttings - it's interesting stuff! The third book is "Dancer - Men in Dance" by Mary Clarke and Clement Crisp (1984). It gives a history of ballet and dance, and has many beautiful photographs of dancers in ballet and contemporary works. Insightful was a comment from Ninette de Valois... "Don't you realise that the history of ballet is the history of the male dancer and the male choreographer? It has nothing to do with the women except in a secondary role... once ballet's got to a certain level again it's got to be handed back to the men." The fourth book is "Balletomania Then and Now" by Arnold Haskell (1977). No photographs, so not immediately engaging, but it looks very comprehensive - I have dipped into it and found lots of fascinating anecdotes! That's it... I'm getting quite a library now! Although my family expressed doubt that I would want "tatty books" as gifts, they found some lovely ones for me!

I know what you mean about Zenaida, Jane. Watching her you get the feeling the stage is too small, she is incredibly powerful and floods her dancing with emotion. I remember Donald Macleary talking on TV some time ago about the difficulty of finding suitable partners for Darcey, because they needed to be tall AND "up to her level". I think that is a problem with Zenaida and Inaki - she is just bursting with everything and is so in control that he didn't get a look in, which is why he came across as wet and a bit nothing - he just couldn't compare.

I was at the last night too - it was wonderful, my favourite performance of the four (well, 3 1/2!) I saw. Zenaida was amazing. Her Odette was mesmerising, truly beautiful and her Odile was seductive and powerful. I had really enjoyed Darcey's performances, but after seeing both dancers, I much preferred Zenaida. She was so moving as Odette! Darcey was lovely, as she always is, but her Odile was stronger than her Odette. I can't remember much of Darcey's Odette, but there were breathtaking moments in Zenaida's. At one point (could have been the end of Act II) just before she bourreed offstage sideways, she stopped, absolutely still, with her arms in 2nd, it made me gasp! Isn't it strange how being so still can make such an impact? For those interested in fouettes, Zenaida remained glued to the spot throughout. And the end was sooooo lovely, as Odette and Siegfried lay in the golden carriage together... And a thank you to Zenaida too, I finally understood what my teacher means when she wants me to stretch into arabesques! (Yay!) Zenaida has such a luscious line, you can't help but learn from her. Inaki Urlezaga was okay but not the Price Siegfried for me I'm afraid. He was a bit wet! He worked well with Zenaida though - it didn't look like a last minute partnership, considering he had been dancing with Miyako Yoshida who is probably half Zenaida's height! I really enjoyed all the national dances, I think they are one of my favourite parts! Ricardo Cervera was so lively in the Neapolitan, my goodness he could cheer up the whole world with his big smile! And for anyone other Brian Maloney watchers out there, he was in the Act I waltz and polonaise!;) The swan corps were beautiful, so fluid in the spiralling circling parts. I love the part where they all move downstage adding lines at the back so they form a triangular pattern led by one dancer at the front - they look so fierce and formidable! And so ends this run of Swan Lakes! I wish I had seen more of them, but I must say I think Zenaida was perfect, I couldn't wish for a better swan! Ivan was my favourite Siegfried - shame they couldn't dance together but I can't imagine that, somehow. I wish I had seen Tom Whitehead again as Benno, he really brought something to the small role. Now I just need to find out what casts they will be using in Russia...;)

http://www.roh.org.uk/ballet/index.cfm?ccs=173&cs=754 Exciting cast change just up - Miyako and Ivan get first night! (After much swapping around of people and briefly suggesting Andrew Murphy from BRB!) Wish I was going... Hope Darcey Bussell and Jonathan Cope are well though.

HOORAY!!

This is fascinating! I tried to find some more information on Jantelov on the internet, and there is loads. Also many "alternative Janteloven". From what I can tell (and my Danish isn't brilliant, so I could be wrong!), Jantelov is a concept invented by an author of a book written in 1933. Something to do with the attitudes of the residents of the fictitious town of Jante? If that is true, then it is a really recent thing, not something which has been passed down through the generations. It seems strange that it is something which is deeply ingrained in the culture. I can understand why the ballerina Alexandra wrote about was embarrassed. It is about what your peers think - the dancer was thinking, "Why me?" but also she knew that all the other dancers would be thinking, "Why her?". People support each other when they are all in the same boat, but if someone is picked out, it makes waves... I think people want stars. In England at the moment, there are loads of TV programmes on a "search for a star" theme - you see the potential singers all rehearsing and being coached, then they perform every week in front of judges and some of them are eliminated. The winner becomes famous for their five minutes. School children just want to be famous now - they don't care how, they just want to be on television! (No Jantelov here!) Incidentally, aren't Danish, Swedish and Norwegian similar?!