Lolly

I did a search on Amazon to see what else the author has done - quite a wide variety of stuff! Children's stories, historical figures, relationship advice and a book celebrating Barbie's 40th birthday! Could it be that there is more than one person called Yona Zeldis McDonough?:confused: ;)

The more I see this ballet the more I love it! I feel like I know it really well now too - I have seen it 3 more times in the past two days! I am getting a bit confused as to who did what, when, I'll have to refer to the cast sheets! It seemed to be the same people in it all the time, just slightly switching roles - very amusing to watch several performances in quick succession and see how they work these things out. We had "injury slips" included every time, so there must have been a lot of reshuffling after class every day. Hopefully not due to injuries though. On Friday I saw Marianela Nunez and Carlos Acosta - they were just fantastic! They really went for it and took so many risks, it was SO exciting to watch. The one handed lifts lasted forever - the orchestra ground to a halt, I wondered if Carlos would let poor Marianela come down at all! Marianela pulled off multiple fouettes as if it was the easiest thing in the world. She is so lively and has such a good time on stage, it is infectious - you can't help but enjoy it along with her! Carlos was in top show-off mode, embellishing everything where he could with little flourishes. His fake death scene was spot on. I still think he isn't the most attentive partner, but then Marianela doesn't need him to be - she can pull it off on her own. But they make a great partnership in this as it is not serious stuff - they bounce off each other very well - neither will let the other get the upper hand and it makes for a stunning show. Justin Meissner was the Gypsy Boy and was extremely good - whip cracking perfection! He gave it his all, he was fierce and proud - brilliant. David Pickering was the lead Fandango, he really came into his own - after seeing him in this earlier in the season I kept hoping he would do it again this time around. He is so rhythmic. I love the Fandango part, especially when they all move back and form into lines then move downstage changing directions - it looks so simple but as they all have to adjust which line they are in each time they change direction it must take so much concentration to all stay in line. The Saturday matinee was Ivan Putrov and Laura Morera. It was nice to see them a second time. Ivan's fake death scene is the funniest, I think! The way he runs on with his cape covering his face, runs to Kitri and pouts a kiss, my goodness I was in stitches! He shines in the jumps and turns too - he isn't as flashy as Carlos, he is quietly precise and moves easily and fluently. Laura is good - not as confident as Marianela but very enthusistic - I wonder if she will get to do anything interesting in the coming season? Saturday evening was Miyako Yoshida and Johan Kobborg. Miyako was lovely as usual but she is very safe -after watching Marianela, Miyako isn't half as thrilling. Johan was good too, he is always good. I can't believe how high he jumps - I admire Ivan for this usually but Johan was full of ballon! I preferred Carlos and Ivan's characterisations though. The rest of the cast really went for it, as it was the last one. It was great to see the rest of the them creating characters for themselves - as they all were in it all the way through mostly (Bennet's model of being a peasant, a matador, a gypsy and a fandango dancer prevailed - there seemed to be a lot of twin brothers and sisters in that village!) so it was good to see them making them different. If your character doesn't have a name, it is hard to become someone else just by changing your costume. Martin Harvey was Espada and he was wonderful - he gave the role sex appeal - with the street dancer he was fantastic! Standouts for me were Johannes Stepanek and Ricardo Cervera in every performance - they work so well together in being the boyfriends of Kitri's friends. Disappointments were not seeing Zenaida Yanowsky at all this time around - she was on the cast sheet but then also on the injury slip - I hope she isn't injured. She is still the best Queen of the Dryads for me - the others haven't been half so expansive or serene. And also not seeing Darcey - I wonder if she will ever get to be Kitri? It was also a shame the whole thing was so dark - I am always surprised when the curtain goes up on Dulcinea's garden that is it barely lit at all! I love all the group dances too - the village boys in act I is great, the matadors, gypsies and fandango - I would like to be in them all! From what I have seen I would cast Ivan and Marianela as the best Basilio and Kitri, Justin as the perfect Gypsy Boy, Martin as Espada, David as lead fandango and Zenaida as Queen of the Dryads. I don't much like the Street Dancer so I am having a hard time picking anyone - I wouldn't want to dance it - but Mara Galeazzi was the best I think. I saw Jenny Tattersall as Amour each time this week, she was exactly right. (Interesting to note that last time around Alina was dancing this!) All in all a great week of performances - the company should be proud.

Originally posted by kb: kb, you might have noticed that I am passionate too. However, I think we present our opinions in different ways - I just hope to give people a taste of what I have seen. I do not call other people's opinions "utterly untrue" as you have called mine.Perhaps I am also more trusting than you (and perhaps naively so) that when something is in aid of a cause, then that cause is where the money will end up. I believe the money raised by the gala will fund dancers from the company in their choreographic pursuits - why would I have any reason not to believe this? Originally posted by kb: I find that statement quite rude.

This afternoon's matinee was so much FUN! And not a principal in sight - but then who need them when you have soloists this good? The cast sheet was amusing - 6 cast changes listed. I presume the 4 changes on the slip have something to do with changes in the evening performance. But they did themselves proud - prize for the most costume changes has to go to Bennet Gartside who appeared as a peasant, a matador, a gypsy and a fandango dancer! Phew! Martin Harvey coming a close second with lead fandango, lead gypsy, and a peasant! Versatile! Basilio and Kitri were Ivan Putrov and Laura Morera. They were both superb. They looked good together too - no partnering worries here. The famous pdd was really good - Ivan did a jump which was just amazing, I wanted him to do another to make sure I didn't dream it! Appreciative murmers during, and rapturous applause afterwards. They did work well together I thought. The fake death was hilarious. Leire Ortueta was the street dancer, she was quite exotic and did well despite the dreadful wig. Jenny Tattersall was Amour, she was lovely, bright and clean. Mara Galeazzi was the Queen of the dryads and she was good - it's a lovely role. Thomas Whitehead was Espada - fantastic cape twirling! He captured the right sort of proud, confident and flourishing air exactly. I loved the little brise section with two peasant boys and Kitri's friends, then Basilio and Kitri - seeing Johannes do it just before Ivan was amazing! The performance was over too soon - before I knew it they were all on stage for the final celebration dance. I do like this ballet - it is bright (I don't mean the VERY DIM lighting, sadly!) and jolly, lots of group dances, a bit of a pantomime with Gamache and the horse, something for everyone. If the dancers enjoy it, the audience does too and what could be better? Laura got masses of flowers in the curtain calls - they just kept coming! Ivan had to grab her to get her to stay for her applause as she turned to go back! The audience was very appreciative - lots of bravos! I am so pleased about that cast change - the lady next to me had also got tickets especially. She expressed concern as to whether it was "the right time" to promote Ivan but agreed he deserves it. I wanted to stay for the evening performance too but decided not to as I am going tomorrow and twice on Saturday. But how much is too much?;)

I like the Royal family - now I do feel controversial! And the Queen was cheered after the gala, everyone waved their flags outside etc. The same goes for the two concerts she gave for thousands of people last month in her garden. Does being passionately FOR something count for less than being passionately AGAINST something? It is a strange world.

Some people like to spend their money in this way though - some people are just so rich that £5000 is nothing. And if they want to support RB then it is great! Paying £9000 for a box, taking your family for a nice evening out and at the same time, donating to "the arts" - where is the harm in that? People wouldn't go if they didn't want to pay so much, and it looked full to me. If I could afford it I would pay too - if your ticket cost more than £1000 you got to have supper with the dancers! How cool would that be? I find it very interesting you think, kb, that M&A should not have been revived - I want to think about that before commenting. It hadn't occurred to me that some works shouldn't be revived at all. Do you think that about any more ballets or is it just this one?

Oh yes definitely - can we include William Tuckett please! I rather meant getting in outside stuff which modern companies do too. I am in full support of developing choreography from the inside. Hopefully the gala will have widened scope for this - wasn't it in support of the idea? The ADI has been great so far - the things I have seen in the Linbury and Clore have been fresh and perhaps should have been included as part of the many triple bills this past season.

Oh dear! My debating skills are being tested! As I said in my first post, I want to wait to find out what shifts in the rankings happen before committing myself, but I do want to defend the cheap seats! Yes of course it would be marvellous if we could all have great seats all the time - but wouldn't it be a bit silly if the top half of the House was just decorations or something and there were no seats? I can't afford to get good seats all the time - I will pay a bit more if I particularly want to see a certain cast or ballet, but for the most part I sit in the cheapest seats. My absolute favourite seats are £6 at the moment - I prefer those above any of the £73 top price ones. You are preparing yourself for disappointment if you say they are rubbish seats - so what if you are missing a corner of the stage? - the view from the boxes isn't that great either! How can it not be egalitarian - I am seeing 5 performances there this WEEK! Brendan, I agree with much of what you wrote. I would rather see the "heritage works" than the new stuff. Maybe they should hand out a questionnaire to find out what people want. The problem with that might be that if we don't see new things, we mayn't know what we are missing. It's a quandary.

It was FABULOUS!! I managed to get in after all, hurrah! I half agree with Jane that it would have been nice to see something new/different as I has already seen everything several times over the course of the season. I don't have a problem with the rich people going once a year to see and be seen - I can go all year round for bargain prices. I expect most of them hadn't seen it all before, and it was for the Queen after all, and she certainly hadn't seen it! But it was nice to see the whole company at once (though I thought it looked very small in the grand défilé!). It was a "best of" night for me, I got to see all my favourites dance my favourites! (Well except Carmen but I'll get to that!) Birthday Offering was lovely. I have only seen a bit of it on a video so it was nice to see it properly. (Ivan was dancing too Sylvia! Sorry I was watching Darcey mostly so can't remember anyone else. I must pay more attention!) The costumes are so pretty too, and the music is perfect, you find yourself almost humming along! Vertiginous Thrill was very exciting - I had hoped they would do Middle instead but I wasn't disappointed. The girls were lovely, especially Zenaida - she makes me feel so much better about being tall, that she can dance with to such small girls as Jenny and Miyako - and still look perfect. The boys were great too - I expected Edward to be good as this type of thing suits him, but Brian was astonishing (Sylvia, did you notice in class he is very good at petit allegro - it showed last night! Is a promotion in the offing after two good roles in a gala?). Yes the costumes are ridiculous but they go with the ballet so well! It is clean and neat and unexpected - the only thing which doesn't follow that is the pretty lyrical music, and it still is a perfect match - how does that work?! High praises anyway for this. M&A was good - Sylvie was lovely, she really is growing on me now. I have never seen a dead person with such pointed feet as her Juliet and Marguerite though.;) The moustaches on the admiring attendants were so amusing I laughed when I saw them - what with this and Onegin, the ROH false moustache department must be very busy! I suppose it is childish but they look like they are all in disguise! (can't fool me, sorry!) Even though it was only part of the ballet it was moving nonetheless. Nicholas was good too, dramatic and sweeping with the cloak bit. Remanso is strange. I do like it but it just doesn't seem motivated like the Forsythe - it is silly and funny and the dancers always look like they enjoy it - and it is a great idea to use a wall to move around. But much of it is just running around. The dancers were good and well matched I think - all tall and strong - the part where they climb on each other against the wall at the end was lovely, very physical. Don Q was brilliant - I can't think of two better dancers to do this show-off piece - Carlos seems a handful at times but Marianela can more than cope and doesn't let him hog the stage! He was wonderful - I think you need the kind of almost arrogance that he has to pull this off. I even wondered if he started making jumps up this time - some of them were outrageous and there were lots of gasps. The same with Marianela's fouettes - the audience were delighted! The only thing I didn't like about this were the costumes -they wore the horrid white and orange ones from the current production, not the nice gala red and black ones. After the interval was Onegin - I thought it was a funny extract to pick as Onegin doesn't do much but walk around the edge and look bewildered and Nathan didn't have much impact I'm afraid. He is handsome though. Christopher Saunders was great - he paid so much attention to Mara it was lovely to watch. I still love this ballet but it is hard to get involved with just a taste. I love the ball part with the lifts which cross from either side - so pretty. The Tryst pdd was a good choice for the gala as there is little set anyway. I kept thinking, "Gosh, Darcey is just so lovely!" all the way through - it is sublime just watching her move. I still don't understand the end of the pdd where they watch something go overhead then roll along the floor though.:confused: I wished they had carried on and done the end with all the corps on stage, that was my favourite part, very structured. There is a picture of this in the programme with an orange background and the dancers are just black silhouettes - and I STILL recognised Johannes! I wish I had his posture - I'm going to work hard this summer on my balance and centre as it is something I ALWAYS notice in him. Leaves was beautiful and Alina and Johan K were perfect. I really hope they never fall out, when they dance together they are amazing! I can't think of any more ways to say they were brilliant! Ivan was next with the Bronze Idol - I had hoped he would do this! He was fabulous as you would expect, beautiful elevation, and painted gold into the bargain! (I wonder if dancers like doing this role?) He looked quite serious and pouty but that might be the gold paint showing his cheekbones, not sure. The Balcony pdd was wonderful, Darcey and Roberto were so in love! They do look perfect together in this, the line when they are together is so natural they are a dream. Carmen, well, I don't like it! Last night I was almost gleefully hating it as I was with a friend who hadn't seen it before and I had told her all about it. After a couple of minutes she turned to me and mouthed, "It's HIDEOUS!", I was almost enjoying it being vulgar and awful if I wasn't hating it for the same reasons! I just can't like it, even Johannes bellowing across the stage couldn't redeem it for me, although it is always nice to see your favourite dancers even if you can't stand what they are dancing. I don't see why Ek would want to make such a grand collection of beautiful people look so ugly! The dancers seem to enjoy it a lot though, and that counts for something in my book, so I forgave it. I am not sure what the Queen would have thought of screaming cigar smoking swaggering foot stamping women but my Mother told me she will have seen much worse so I shouldn't worry! Then the défilé started with a polonaise - quite odd seeing half of them in costume and half in evening dress! I wasn't paying attention hard enough again but my friend spotted Donald MacLeary on stage. I had a great evening anyway - I went outside afterwards too and for some reason it was almost more exciting to see the dancers outside than on stage! It is a shame they didn't wait for a couple of weeks to give it on the last night of the season, it would have made a grand exit for the company as they begin their holidays. Deborah Bull made a good compere too, introducing the dancers outside! She still looks lovely.

Since no one else has been brave enough yet... I don't want to write a huge long post about this as there are still two weeks of the season left (my opinion could all change if/when promotions are announced!), but I want to start by saying that on the last night of the season I sat there after the curtain had gone down and cried my eyes out, I thought life would never be the same. Well, it isn't the same, but life goes on! What cheered me up quickly and still has an impression on me is the fact that Ross Stretton is in the audience all the time - he is visible (and possibly approachable, although I haven't tried!) - you get the feeling he cares and really knows the company well. He seems very hands-on. As far as repertoire goes, it has had its ups and downs! There have been lots of new works (new to me) which have provoked a strong reaction in me, both good and bad. The good - In the Middle Somewhat Elevated and Onegin. The bad - Carmen. The not-sure-why-we-have-this-one - Por Vos Muero. And my all time favourite, Romeo and Juliet. Regarding dancers, I think I have seen my favourites a lot! The younger dancers have been favoured and it is FANTASTIC to see what they can do - no more lounging in the corps for ages I hope. Having all the new corps members from the school is exciting, but I still think there should have been a showcase to introduce them as I can't tell them all apart yet! I don't agree with criticisms of high ticket prices - I think there are plenty of seats at the lower end of the price scale, and have not found any difficulty in getting those seats. I may be being naive here but how can £3 or £4 be out of anyone's price range? At considerably less than the price of a cinema ticket or a packet of cigarettes, I think ROH is there for everyone - if they want it.

Sylvia, I was in the circle by the stage (my favourite place!), and no, I am neither male nor Japanese! I agree about the Ivan picture - lovely! You have worried me by saying Martin has had a hair cut though - if the RB hairdresser has been in, I hope Martin was the only one with an appointment!;) I failed too with the Gala application, but no such luck in getting a Clore or Linbury ticket. Although I can't imagine anyone returning their ticket, it is worth phoning and queuing for I'm sure! I'll be going to watch in the Piazza anyway. And I just realised why I saw Roberto on Friday - he is here for the Gala! I wish I had seen Martin's Onegin - it seems so unfair to give him just one. I agree about Marianela and Johannes being the best pairing for Olga and Lensky, but it is harder to think about my favourite Tatiana and Onegin - hard choice. I was listening to the Onegin CD I bought at the ROH shop last week - the one with Yseult on the cover - it has a booklet with quite a lot of information in it, and pictures, and there is one of Robert Tewsley as Lensky - what do you think he would be like? There have been quite a few dual castings, with Alina as Olga AND Tatiana, and Adam as Onegin AND Gremin. I wonder how it limits or expands your interpretations of the characters to have to dance "the other side" as well. I thought it was very mature of Ivan in the Independent article to say he wouldn't take the Onegin role yet. He certainly seems to know what he wants. And I agree with Louise Levene about his promotion prospects! ;) Anyway, I'm looking forward to the next two weeks - I'm going to 4 Don Qs and 3 Coppelias now. I think the box office were delighted to have someone buying extra tickets because of the cast changes, instead of complaining about them!

Phew! Thank you Sylvia, I don't feel so out of place now! I was starting to wonder whether I was seeing the same ballet as everyone else! Though I didn't see any wobbles in Johannes' solo and I was close enough to hear him breathe! (Do you think we were sitting next to each other?!) We like the same dancers yet still disagree!!;) I wonder why the performance earlier in the week sold so badly to merit selling half price tickets? Both I saw were packed. Originally posted by kb: KB, I don't know how to respond to your opinion - I just really love Onegin and can't see why you hate it so violently! Whilst respecting that and not wishing to "convert" you, I have to say that I love the mirror pdd - it may be adolescent fantasy but I wish each time I see it that it was me! Imagine someone you are completely in love with but is out of reach steps through your mirror and dances with you like that in your bedroom! How exciting would that be?! Maybe it is a sign of my youth and/or few years of ballet watching experience, but I like the choreography - it is risky (those lifts - let go too soon and you will be in the orchestra!) and beautiful. I'm not sure what you mean by saying it isn't subtle. I think that pdd is joyful and longing at once - Tatiana is imagining it after all, and she is letting her imagination run wild - fantastical things happen in your dreams. (And if you are lucky, it happens in real life too!) If it truly was awful, I'm sure it wouldn't have left such an impression on me - it shocked me to the core.I have that issue of Dance Now (is it the Spring one?) and will have to re-read it before I comment. I can remember the writer saying there should have been a dance for Onegin and Lensky to cement their friendship - well yes, that would have been nice but we can't have everything! Maybe someone will add one, one day. The way it was danced on Friday, I think the dancers could have improvised one - it felt so spontaneous and real.

KB, which performance did you see? It must be one of those "you either love it or you hate it" ballets.

It was so great last night I was still shaken this morning - I couldn't sleep for thinking about it. So that is two sleepless nights - one in anticipation, one in the aftermath! I feel like something has happened - as if the tragedy affected me personally. I will remember that performance forever I think, I have never seen anything like that. (I should start another thread for top "moments" but in my past couple of years intensive RB watching, In the Middle Somewhat Elevated moved me a lot, and Darcey Bussell and Igor Zelensky's Manon had such an impact on me I walked out with bruised hands from applauding so much - seriously! But last night is TOP of the top nights at ROH.) This time the cast was Robert Tewsley, Yseult Lendvai, Belinda Hatley, Johannes Stepanek and William Tuckett. To begin with I thought I wasn't going to like Yseult's Tatiana - she seemed very quiet, a bit of a wet blanket rather than just being the shy sister. But when she danced with Robert - wow! They were wonderful together. The mirror pdd was beautiful. Yseult was fantastic in the pdd but I could see qite well how Robert's Onegin got so irritated by her as she did get a bit mopey at times. She has the most extraordinary feet, she rolls in dreadfully so she is almost resting on her ankle bone - weird. The contrast between her as a romantic wistful young woman and as a self assured adult was very plain - her dance with Gremin (William!) was very confident. Robert Tewsley was a revelation. He was so mean and thoughtless when he danced with Olga, but so carefree. When he did the final pdd with Tatiana I think he went mad, he crumbled completely. This was quite different to Adam's interpretation on Monday - he had been desparate and ended up a broken man, but resigned to his fate. Robert couldn't cope with the final rejection at all. When he took his first curtain call he looked really ruffled. I can't wait to see him dance more roles - I'm glad he has joined RB! Belinda Hatley was good - better than Jane on Monday, but not as good as Marianela last time around! Belinda was cheekier and sparkier when she danced with Onegin, as if she was playing more. I didn't get that from Jane. I wonder what happens to Olga? We only see what happens to Tatiana - it seems unfair as it is really just as much Olga's fault as Onegin. (I will have to read it I suppose, but I didn't get very far because of the appalling and amusing translation - can anyone recommend a good one?!) Johannes, well what can I say, RUN to see him dance! I truly hope he is promoted soon, I'd pay a million pounds to see him do something like Romeo! His dancing is in his whole being. His technique is so effortless and beautiful. He could hold an arabesque on demi point forever, his balance and centre is phenomenal. And his acting is fab. When Olga first danced with Onegin, he raised his eyebrows as if to say, "Hmm, what are they up to?" Then as they carried on, he watched them more, and got more and more disturbed. He tried to get Olga back and when she refused it was as if he couldn't believe what was happening - his best friend with his lover! For a moment it seems like everything will be all right, Lensky and Olga come back on stage dancing together. But then Onegin is so fed up with Tatiana's attention and her weeping when he rejects her, he seemed to need to do something impulsive to take his mind off it almost - he was nearly spiteful. So then Johannes didn't know what to do at all, he was standing at the side of the stage clenching his hands and looking lost, his heart broken. He paced abound thinking about what to do and seemed to think of the duel, then it was agonising watching him thinking, "I can't... I have to... I have nothing left - there is no option." I thought it was interesting that it was at this point I was almost in tears, whereas when I saw him dance last November it was during his solo before the duel that I nearly cried. Not that his solo was easy to watch this time either - he had all his emotion on show so vividly, it was painful. His solo was draining to watch, you could see him tearing his heart out. When he kneels down and leans so far back he falls, you could imagine him screaming, it was horrific. In the duel, I willed him to get his shot in first... To be fair, Robert did look very sorry as he walked away, but it is a bit hard to sympathise with someone who has just killed their best friend! The whole performance was really something special - it GLOWED. Ross Stretton, Monica Mason and Donald MacLeary were there, and I am sure Roberto Bolle was too! I thought he was dancing in Milan...:confused:

I just got in from a FANTASTIC performance! I am too tired to do it justice now, but Johannes was just amazing - I cannot believe the power and depth of his dancing. Wow. Will write properly tomorrow! I have to whisper this, but I think I liked Johannes better than Ivan... you can all faint with shock now.;) Also, I happened to pass by the box office on my way in and got tickets for 3 more performances of Don Q and Coppelia... it was an accident, honestly! I just wish I could see Onegin again though - I would trade in everything I'm seeing in the next couple of weeks to see it just once more. I can get there in time for Act II tomorrow after classes - is it worth doing?:confused:

Oh go on, humour me Sylvia, we have been having this battle over Ivan all year!;) I think it is his time... I am having a nightmare working out how to get the day off work for his Siegfried - should I own up or call in sick? If I own up and they say no, I will have to call in sick anyway, and they will know why and I'll get sacked! Aarghh why couldn't he dance on a more sensible day, or in the evening or something? Grr. Marianela has done Swanhilda too - yes she is young but... Hmm. I think if you can book for a ballet just to see a certain dancer, they deserve promotion. And I have bought tickets to see ballets specifically for those three dancers, foolish though it may sound to trail to London to see a corps dancer... Ricardo I agree with, he has been lovely this season - his Mercutio was a highlight! Thomas Whitehead, hmm (did you see his long hair too?!) he pops up in everything doesn't he! There are so many of them who I love watching, it is very hard to choose! I wonder how they finally decide - tough decisions when so many dancers have had a good season! Natasha Oughtred definitely, she is so light and pretty. I think she is a bit Alina-ish. (Although it isn't fair to make comparisons, I think they have a lot of the same qualities in their dancing)

Haha, that's two votes for Ivan's hair then!!;) I'm jealous you are seeing the Gala in the Clore - how did you get tickets? At least you will be inside if it rains! I can't wait to go tomorrow - I'm so excited I can't sleep! I don't think I could ever see this ballet too many times - it's like R&J, I could watch that forever too. The music is gorgeous for both, it must really inspire the dancers to greatness!

Who does everyone think will be promoted - and who do you want to be promoted?;) I am worried there won't be any, as there are a lot of new dancers starting next season anyway, from other companies, so I jolly well hope they haven't been brought in at the expense of promoting who we already have! Okay my top three... Marianela Nunez Ivan Putrov Johannes Stepanek I can't think of any reasons other than they all are great! Ivan and Marianela will surely be promoted to be principals, it has been on the cards for so long now. I feel a bit radical saying this but we have loads of guests clogging up the ladder, I don't think we need them all - why not just have a few at once? So there is plenty of room for promotions, I think. Johannes has had loads to do this season and has been so lovely to watch - he is dancing soloist parts so why not give him the rank? He deserves it. When you see him dance you can barely believe he is corps. Any more ideas? This is sort of carrying on from the thread we had about "ones to watch" in the past season - now it's almost over, what is the verdict? Do you still have the same favourites? I think I do! I know that doesn't make for very interesting debate though!

Thank you for the good wishes for my exam, everyone! I had class this morning with the girl I am dancing with for the bits you do in pairs, and I feel quite confident now! (Amazing!) I am going to Don Q and Coppelia, I'm excited about those too! What a shame you are away Jude! I really enjoyed Marianela in Coppelia this time last year and was convinced she would be promoted straight after! (And then again after her Don Q!) So if she isn't this time I will be upset! Well it is just us then Sylvia! Do you think we can cover it all between us?;) I am only going to two of each though. (So far!) Are you going to the Gala? I am, but sadly only in the Piazza... I forgot to say, in my excitement last night, that I saw Monica Mason and Donald MacLeary in the audience. And I also forgot to say that the orchestra were wearing black t-shirts! They looked so strange! I wonder what that was about.:confused: I'm sure I have forgotten loads of things but hopefully I'll remember at some point!

It's been very quiet round here lately! I just got back from Onegin at RB, it was the opening night of this very short season before the summer holidays... It was GREAT! I loved this ballet earlier in the season and am so pleased it came back. I saw Mara Galeazzi, Adam Cooper, Ivan Putrov, Jane Burn and Christopher Saunders. And it was fantastic to see everyone else in the crowd bits too - after them being away so long it was lovely to spot them all again. As glad as I am that Australia got to see how fab our company are at the moment, I am sooo pleased they are back! The first thing I noticed was how long all the boys' hair is - they mustn't have had it cut while they were away! Mara was good, she and Adam danced so well together, some of the lifts were so fast and precarious but it all looked passionate and exciting. Adam was extremely good. I saw the character Onegin in a completely different way than I had last time. (I saw Nathan Coppen twice) Adam was so different. He acted much more like he didn't want the duel, and also seemed much sorrier and more desparate that he killed Lensky. And I felt bad for him in the final pdd with Mara, he was so heartbroken when she tore up his letter like he had done to her before, I could hardly bear it - it was more than sorrow, he just didn't know what to do, he was so desparate. Nathan had been much snootier and more aloof - more like Mr Darcy! He didn't get so involved, and I really disliked his Onegin, but I found it easier to see how Adam's Onegin was feeling. Adam and Mara must have been pleased with how they danced as they hugged each other in their first curtain call, they were really happy! I didn't like Jane Burn as much as I had enjoyed Marianela Nunez as Olga last time around. She wasn't cheeky or mischievous enough when she was dancing with Onegin to provoke Lensky - she is a nice dancer but I wasn't convinced by her Olga. Ivan was fabulous but anyone who has read any of my reviews before will know that I am unlikely to be disappointed by him!;) He was stunning tonight though, I'm sure anyone would agree. He is so light when he moves, I can't understand how he does it! And when he danced before the duel, it was beautiful, so sad... That whole scene was amazing, I think I held my breath throughout. Wow. The rest of the dancers were good too, lots of well known faces! (Hurrah!) The moustaches always amuse me, as if they are all in some sort of disguise! I love all the colours of this ballet, it seems so old fashioned, everything seems faded and dusty. It's all old lace and ribbons, so pretty. I'm so sorry I can only see Onegin once more this week, as I have a ballet exam next week I just can't miss classes to go to ROH! (Though for RAD Grade 6 it is a good ballet for tips on character - polonaise, mazurka, holubetz and breaks, all there!!) I can't wait to see it again though, I'm especially looking forward to Johannes Stepanek as Lensky, as he was so wonderful last time. Isn't it funny how you can like one dancer's interpretation of a role better than another? My favourites aren't always the first I saw in the role either. Hmm. I can't choose my favourite Lensky though, Ivan and Johannes are both fab. Did anyone else go, or is anyone going later in the week?

Mr Johnson, I thought Makarova's Bayadere is ONLY available in the US and not in the UK! It looks like you can get it on amazon.com but not from .co.uk - it's sad the US and UK videos are not compatible or I would order it from there. I haven't seen it in the shops here. Incidentally, I have ordered things from amazon.fr before as it is cheaper for some things than the UK one, even with shipping etc. so it might be worth checking the other "branches" for prices before you order!

Thank you Calliope. Hmm, so he might do a cameo... cool! And it will be set in Cuba and subtitled Havana Nights... bizarre! I suppose we will have to wait and see! I might just go and watch Dirty Dancing now... make it a dance film day all round!

I can't remember Center Stage being in the cinemas here at all! Maybe I missed it. It just came out on video here though - I got my copy from Amazon today! I watched it as soon as it arrived and loved it! I don't know what they would put in a sequel though, the finale seemed pretty "final" to me, everything nicely tied up! Calliope, will Patrick Swayze be in DD2?

Oh yes, the selections are lovely - bits from Nutcracker, Paquita, Giselle etc, it makes pleasant listening even if you aren't practising! I recently learned the entrance of Giselle in a class, and that bit of music is on the CD. Now I can't do anything but the Giselle steps to the music! Which might be inconvenient if my teacher uses it in class again! (I have another story like that actually, I was in a bookshop and some familiar music came on, I was trying to remember what it was, then my feet involuntarily did a coupe on the 4th count to start the Cygnets dance! It was funny - isn't some music just so inextricably linked to the choreography? Or maybe I was just so well drilled in counting 1, 2, 3, COUPE!;) ) Regarding the dancing in several groups thing, in RAD Grade 6 at least, a few of the exercises have "continuous" versions so a second group can start straight after the first, so I expect they will have thought of it for the Studio Series CD.

Ms Leigh, this one is just one CD. One pirouette is over 3 mins, and one of the grand allegros is 2 1/2mins and another 3 mins - they seem pretty long to me but I don't know how long that is in terms of how many groups etc, I am not musical enough to count bars I'm sorry! The rest is mostly half to one and a half minute things. There are 28 tracks for barre (I was mistaken before - there are actually 3 plies and 5 tendus), 5 pirouettes, 4 petit allegro, 7 allegro, 4 grand allegro etc... The second volume (which I don't have) has music for pointe exercises on which this one doesn't, but I'm sure there is stuff suitable for pointe on this one anyway. And the list on the back tells you the time signature and whether it is slow, medium or fast. I think it is a good CD - I know my teacher has it too (she used it once when one of our pianists was away)- and the speeds are generally good, that is the disadvantage to CDs as with a pianist the teacher can say "a bit slower please!" etc if she sees you struggling!