Cojocaru injured

[Alexandra]

Alina Cojocaru was injured in "Manon;" Jaimie Tapper took over. An article in the Times discusses the event, and has an interview with Johan Kobborg (her partner at the time) as well as an appendix on foot injuries.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-...-700285,00.html

WHEN the Royal Opera House curtain rose for a second time, the only sign that something was amiss were the flecks of white paint on the ballet dancer’s hands.  

Less than an hour earlier, Jaimie Tapper had been enjoying a quiet night painting her bathroom when the phone rang. The Royal Ballet needed her to save their Saturday night and turn in a star performance before 2,270 people gathered at Covent Garden for Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon.

[This is also posted on Links, but I moved it here for diiscussion. Was anyone there?]

[sissonne]

I didn't see it, of course, being in Houston but what a shame! I really enjoy watching Cojocaru dance. She's brilliant.

Kudos to Tapper and Kobborg for adjusting so quickly. Very nerve-wracking for all, I'm sure! Nice to hear they pulled it off. Jaimie Tapper is lovely to watch as well. We saw her do Giselle last season at Royal Opera. We really enjoyed it. My fiance was very moved by her performance. As he's not exactly well-versed in ballet, that speaks volumes. She really did do a beautiful job.

[Clare]

I was at the performance on Saturday and was incredibly impressed at how well Jamie Tapper and the rest of the cast performed. The height change was very noticeable, I thought, which made it all the more impressive how well they both danced together. Needless to say they got a rapturous response from the audience.

I was sitting in the amphitheatre so much too far away to notice any white paint, but we did speculate about how a dancer might feel if she had just consumed a delicious pasta bake and a few glasses of wine before receiving the call. Obviously dedicated dancers need to stick to DIY instead!

It certainly made it a memorable evening albeit disappointing not to see Alina Cojocaru dance beyond scene 1. My daughter (who dictates what cast we select to see) was devasted not to see her in the scene 2 pas de deux.

Clare