bridiem

I'm getting a bit tired of the idea that 'independence of thought' is somehow discouraged on this forum - I think that is both incorrect and offensive to those of us who post regularly. I feel no pressure whatsoever to either withhold a negative view or state a falsely positive view. But if anyone expresses an opinion, especially if they do so in uncompromising language, they must be prepared for others to challenge them, to engage with what they've said. This isn't just a site where people can say whatever they want and expect everyone to agree with them; it's a site for discussion, sometimes disagreement, engagement. Posters of every opinion must have the courage of their conviction, otherwise don't post on a public forum.

Oh dear!! But this was a different problem, in fact - it was Princess Louise (I think) and part of her dress/bustle was too long/loopy and the dancer's leg got caught in it every time she tried to dance. (Completely off topic, but this reminds me of when I saw Wall and Seymour in Mayerling in 1978 and Seymour's dress got badly torn in the frenetic last pas de deux, so she had to keep pushing swathes of material over her shoulder and arm in order to try and prevent herself from falling over it all. She did an amazing job!).

Ticket now spoken for.

None of my comments have been 'aimed at' you, penelopesimpson. This is a discussion!

At least it's not an electronic alarm clock going off. Wouldn't have quite the same impact.

I think the first phrase of Lizbie1's comment is crucial - if the dancer had/has no control over something, they shouldn't be criticised for it. That doesn't mean that IT shouldn't be criticised if wanted. As someone else said, context is everything. (I'm not sure myself about never mentioning slips; sometimes a slip could mar a crucial moment and so mar a performance. But I don't think it's necessarily necessary to mention them either.)

Well I didn't. Good to hear!

Sounds - er - interesting; but it's a shame it's not a real ballerina in the role (if I'm reading the cast list correctly).

Hear hear! I loved your review, BBB - it was interesting, amusing, perceptive and a pleasure to read. And it helped me to decide to book for WT when I wasn't sure if I would (I can't use the ticket I did buy, and was tempted to give it a miss). So thank you.

I have one ticket for sale in the amphi (G71) at £24 for The Winter's Tale on Wednesay 21st March at 7.30pm. Please let me know if interested.

That was one comment in one post, with which a number of others have politely disagreed. If a poster wishes only to post positive comments, that's their prerogative; it clearly doesn't apply to everyone else. So I'm not sure why it's being read as some sort of policy. I think that just as we should have some balance in how we post, we should also have some balance in how we read.

I can't honestly say that I've detected a change in the general tone of comments recently, but I very much agree with Jan's post above. It's much easier to misinterpret electronic posts (or emails) than if it was an oral conversation, and it's also easier to put in writing things you might not say in person. (There's a phenomenon known as 'cyber disinhibition'!). Either way, I always try to re-read my posts before posting them to make sure that nothing could be misinterpreted or is expressed in too unbalanced a way (though I'm sure that still happens sometimes). But I also wouldn't want members to feel that can only post positive comments - I want the rich tapestry of opinion and often learn from it even if I don't agree.

I think it's quite strong and forthright to say that someone is 'woefully miscast' but you are perfectly entitled to say it and someone else is perfectly entitled to find it harsh. And yes, I read your review and 'liked' it, if you notice. (I have no view about the opinion itself, since I haven't seen Winter's Tale and am not sure if I'm going to. But I enjoyed your comments.)

Of course it's not what's wanted - but if you express strong, forthright views, it's reasonable to expect others to strongly disagree with them at times.

I completely agree with your second sentence, Shya100l; but I see no ''schism in attitude' in respect of Hayward and Naghdi. Some have a slight preference for one or the other (which is natural); many appreciate both equally.

I'm so sorry Sharon but I do understand - I nearly chickened out myself as I came down the escalator! But it was good to meet, even if only briefly, some people who until now have only been names on the screen.

Well I think you've answered your own question, really.

All I can say is: poor flippin' dancers!! How amazing that they do what they do in spite of these problems.

I think your comments were both respectful and interesting, aileen, whether or not I agreed with them. It's excellent that different views are expressed, sometimes robustly.

Actually I have no idea of the nationality of most of the dancers at the RB, unless I happen to have read or heard an interview with them or they have risen so high that it may get mentioned publicly.

I think that money is only one aspect of perceived 'poshness'. As has been pointed out, tickets for gigs and musicals etc are very expensive now, and football season tickets (even for smaller clubs, for which I used to have one). The 'posh' thing is more about whether you'd feel comfortable going even if you could afford it. And unfortunately it seems that many people still don't feel that about ballet.

Absolutely, and that's a great review in the Telegraph. The Dance Tabs reviewer seems to have a very fixed opinion of what an aristocrat/Albrecht should look like and since Alexander Campbell doesn't fit that mould perhaps it prevented her from 'seeing' any further. But I thought it was a grossly unfair review myself.

I did hope that was the case, Fonty! But I think the wink was slightly too subtle a way of qualifying the previous sentence and left it open to misinterpretation. But I'm glad it was NOT intended as it sounded!

The survey doesn't list classical music for some reason - presumably that would have been perceived as posh too. It's frustrating but in a way understandable, because ballet and opera are undeniably rarefied languages (or weird, to put it another way) and so for many people there will be an initial barrier to be overcome in perceiving them. Added to that the image of opera houses and the expense of (many) tickets at opera houses and it's no wonder people think it's only for a privileged few. (People never cease to be surprised at the low cost of the tickets I buy for ballet at the ROH - but many of the tickets at the ROH are way outside my reach.) I would have hoped that the work of BRB, ENB, NB, Matthew Bourne et al, and the small amount of TV, and the live screenings, would have done something to break down this perception. But I think that culture at the moment is very crude and immediate, and anything that takes a shift of mindset to appreciate is unlikely to fare well.

I'm so sorry, penelopesimpson!