Mary

You were doing so well there John......!     until the end..

😄

A very interesting, thoughtful response.

I always enjoy your marvellous photos Rob, but that second picture is particularly lovely: it really captures Akane's beauty and gracefulness (perfectly positioned between the motifs on the curtain) in a tiny moment of stillness as she sweeps off stage - and the hard work and pain are visible in that shoe....

I see the ROH Website still has McRae's name for Tuesday which does seem rather misleading when he announced days ago he would not be dancing. 

8 hours ago, jmhopton said:

They had a great time but you wonder today with the emphasise on timetables, and worries about health and safety, if there is the same will to take classes of children out and about. Such a shame as this is the best way to ensure the arts aren't perceived as elitist.

Absolutely agree- it's so vital to catch them young!

The will is defnitely there in schools,  but the money definitely isn't.

I think it might be best not to start down this road, or at least to be very careful before saying  'ROH receives proceeds from our tax, therefore it must offer cheap seats'. 

Yes- ideally- but  it needs a big enough subsidy from us all, to make that possible.

I would like very much to encourage everyone to visit ROH (and have done my little bit over a lifetime) and for corporations to pay their fair share of taxes, but, some sections of the press like to say it is an argument for reducing subsidies, that not everyone  can/does attend : whereas I would argue it is an argument for increasing subsidies. Otherwise, seat prices will continue to rise in current circumstances.

But besides, we all pay tax for all sorts of services we never use, and often we benefit indirectly in ways we might not ever realise.

Recently I have been in them again after a long break...and they are working fine- much better now since they increased the number of them and made sure they are all working. I would say it was quicker now to use the lift than to walk to Leicester Square.

It sounds complex, and after all it is better to see a production before pronouncing on it but - having watched the video clip above, I can certainly see why concerns have been raised, even though I am sure the piece was made with good intentions.

That's a shame for Steve McRae but it sounds as if he's being very sensible.

4 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

even though Avis must be nearly twice as old & isn't as clasically good looking, I thought his Bay Middleton was, frankly, sexier.

absolutely, they don't get much sexier than Gary Avis!

It is all about character and nuance though isn't it.

I agree with you Dawnstar about Magri too- I found her really riveting last night:  she will be a great character dancer  for many years I feel sure.

Agreed. I think it depends to some extent on the person:  you have to think about what might appeal.   But over the  past 30 years I have taken many people to ballet for the first time and possibly only one was underwhelmed, the others were all amazed at how good it was- they had all sorts of ideas about it, from the misrepresentation ballet gets in general in the media (don't start me) ....they thought it was mimsy, silly, elitist, boring, posh, fancy, only for  weedy girlies,  etc etc etc etc .

All rubbish as we know!

Brass section last night so crucial in building the tension- (and the horn in the Tchaikovsky in Diamonds I thought was excellent in both performances  I saw, unlike the last outing when the wavering and cracking did rather spoil the moment.)

So hats off as well to the band.

Prices for the gala Cinderella on 27th are higher than the rest of the run I think.

Given the - huge - loss sustained during the pandemic, given the cut in Arts Council funding, at a time when all other costs are rising, more money has to be found- the question is, where from?

Perhaps the most worrying thing about the Arts council cuts this year was the sense of unreliability. How can organisations plan ahead when they can't rely on a funding stream? ROH have seen others take really swingeing cuts and must be discussing- what to do if it's us next?

Ticket price rises seem inevitable - I don't feel I can blame them .

Ball, Naghdi and O'Sullivan were tremendous, and to think it was a rejigged cast at quite short notice..very professional indeed to cope with that and produce stellar performances. I take my hat off to them, and to the whole cast who were just superb.

I've been noticing how good the orchestra seem lately too- especially the brass so much improved, so it seems to me, not an expert.

It's good news  that the King and Queen are continuing to come 'privately' to performances, supporting the Royal Ballet.

I hope noone was hurt......

Shaky..yes same here! A sensational performance.

Matthew Ball was fantastic. 

There is a lot of engineering work on many lines as well from mid December, which is worth checking for in advance.....

Very sorry indeed about this- was so looking forward to seeing her. I hope she is OK- considering her absence from the gala as well.

I'm not sure- or indeed sure there was any intention to deliberately pair them up, and I would need to see it several more times-but I enjoyed catching fleeting glimpses of pairings, -Vadim Muntagirov is always going to be first violin for me!

Something I liked about For Four was the use of 4 dancers with a string quartet and it became more interesting if you tried to follow the mirroring that was going on.

Is this the second time Marcelino Sambe has been a cello? !

i loved today's matinee especially Diamonds which was thrilling. I really noticed Claire Calvert this time.

Watching Marianela Nunez made me think of very thick double cream being poured slowly from a silver jug.

Weird I know but it's meant as a huge compliment.

I really liked Concerto- more this time, simply because of two dancers (Osipova and McRae) dancing really  together- someone said 'as one' higher up the thread- yes exactly, I love to watch that. Maybe their maturity and experience, and knowing each other well helped. I didn't think the Manon really caught fire and the File was very nice but somehow again, lacked that spark for me. The dancers were coming on cold into pas de deux that were meant to be climactic moments- difficult- and were understandably focused on steps, not on really performing together.

Prima would be good in simple undistracting costumes but- I felt the dancers were dancing next to, rather than with one another.

For Four was better in that respect but the choregraphy did not give  them enough dancing together.

Having latched onto this theme I shall now apply it to everything...it certainly applied to Diamonds and Qualia- and some!..which is certainly technically amazing but it's not a piece I can like.

See Us!- my young companion said was like an 'old fashioned pop video'.

I bought a programme to read Joan Alcock's interesting essay on the history of the Friends (recommended) and see in it that See Us! is meant to 'challenge racial stereotyping'-  really??

A very interesting afternoon with Diamonds as the best medicine for every ill of body and mind.

You can also sit in the area outside the Linbury theatre on the basement level- usually very quiet.

I can't think of any theatre in this country where there are more places to sit - or wander about -in the intervals.

I don't think the downstairs cafe is any more expensive than anywhere else in London these days. However, if you really need a drink, get there quickly. Or- you can order interval drinks at any of the bars in advance on the website, which is quite handy.

If it's a first visit it is nice to get there early and wander about having  a look around and you can mentally note somewhere near your standing places to go in the interval- , enjoy the view from the amphitheatre terrace, and from the amphitheatre bar down into the Floral Hall, look in the lovely Crush Room, go to the shop.

I hope you have a lovely time ;  it's a beautiful place with a real buzz and I am sure your 10-year old will be too excited to sit quietly in the interval!

It does all seem like another world, and I would like it if it were never necessary. But to be fair these events are only occasional- ordinary tickets are available, and of course the ROH will need the money these days. Can't blame them for looking for revenue - look at what is happening to arts funding at the moment.

I agree, the Qualia undies look more like something my great-grandad might have worn....under many layers!

31 minutes ago, RobR said:

Apropos the costumes, I didn’t have any problem with the costumes worn in ‘Concerto' by Macrae & Osipova, which looked fine to me (I’ve already said I enjoyed their performance) particularly when compared to the costumes worn in 'Dispatch' and 'Prima'. 
 

And I positively refuse to make any comment on the drab dungarees, fatigues and T-shirts currently the costume of choice in 'See us!!' and pretty much anything choreographed by Crystal Pite.

I agree... I enjoyed Concerto too, cheesy music, flimsy costumes and all ....not very original or profound and making no particular comment on anything..  short ...and  fun (but I acknowledge that if it was danced by less brilliant dancers it might well be tedious.)

I never want to sit through another session of large groups stomping around in grey T shirts in the gloaming,  looking extremely fed up,   but no doubt I will.

I find it striking and moving that everyone loved Diamonds so much.

Maybe we love it because such very pure classical ballet answers a deep-seated human need for order, beauty and harmony, in the unique experience of watching beautifully poised people dancing together in blissful, joyful cohesion to sublime music - creating for a short time a heaven on earth.  Possibly we need it more than ever these days.

Perhaps they could re-use the Prima costumes for Cinderella's step-sisters....