Ian Macmillan

There seems to have been a change of heart at the ROH over curtain call photos. I seem to recall, back in ballet.co time, that curtain pics taken by Dave Morgan had to be deleted? Or have I got that wrong, Dave?

Capybara: I trust you've seen it by now? It's the 'Share Token,' provided by the paper, that lets you through on a case by case basis.

I imagine some may like the second picture here: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/news-in-pictures-62thgbxrq?shareToken=0384f21ce91dc1cbb3c5923be337ee7d .... and the last one?!

Links – Wednesday 17 January, 2018 Feature – Alexei Ratmansky’s Romeo and Juliet at the Bolshoi: Marina Harss, NY Times Interview – Maria Alexandrova and Vladislav Lantratov: Power Couple at The Bolshoi: Catherine Pawlick, Vaganova Today Feature – The dancer wears Prada – couture from the catwalk to ballet and beyond: Judith Mackrell, Guardian Gallery – English National Ballet, Le Jeune Homme et La Mort, London: Foteini Christofilopoulou, DanceTabs Review – American Realness, Various Companies, New York: Brian Seibert, NY Times Opinion/News – The Serebrennikov Case: A Theatre of the Absurd: Yury Saprykin, Moscow Times Oleg Matsnev, NY Times Review – Ballett Zürich, Speak for Yourself, Emergence, Zurich: Sarah Batschelet, Bachtrack Preview – Olivier Wevers & Whim W’Him, Configurate Triple Bill, Seattle: Michael Upchurch, Seattle Times Review – RoseAnneSpradlin, X, New York: Deborah Jowitt, DanceBeat Biography – “Trailblazer – The Story of Ballerina Raven Wilkinson,” Leda Schubert: Olivia B Waxman, TIME

Links – Tuesday 16 January, 2018 Review – English National Ballet, Song of the Earth, La Sylphide, London: Gerald Dowler, Classical Source Review – American Dance Platform, Various Companies, New York: Alastair Macaulay, NY Times Review – Suresnes Cités Dance 2018: Laura Cappelle, Financial Times - David Drouard, (S)acre - François Lamargot, Reflets - Sonia Duchesne, La partie immergée de l’iceberg Diary – New York, This Week: Martha Sherman & Leigh Witchel, dancelog.nyc Interview – Justin Peck at San Francisco Ballet: Allan Ulrich, SF Chronicle Review – Miami City Ballet, Robbins Centennial Quad Bill, Miami: Sean Erwin, Danceviewtimes Review – Chang Ting-ting/TTC Dance, Dance Round Table, Taipei: David Mead, SeeingDance Review – Lil Buck & Jon Boogz, Love Heals All Wounds, Portland: Elizabeth Whelan, Oregon Artswatch Resolution 2018, The Place, London: Friday 12 January: Mathieu Geffré, ACT; Kendall Farrell, Submerged; Lucy Palmer, The Left Hand Path Zoë Anderson, Independent

MB: I'm unclear as to what precisely should be read into your concluding remark. Whether in ballet or opera, if the picture be not painted, what is left? Some virtuosic extracts for Galas perhaps, but hardly a masterpiece?

It must be at least 10 years ago now - we set off to drive to the ROH and got locked into an enormous gridlock encompassing the M11 and M25. Once in, there was no way out. We duly crept towards town and, as it was a 4-part bill that night, decided to see what might be salvaged from the evening. When we finally reached the ROH, the third ballet Monotone had just begun. The front-of-house staff were most understanding and found a box that was empty that we could use till moving to our seats for the final work. We were escorted to the box and crept in - to find a chap there already, clearly unknown to the staff. As the ballet finished, this fellow rounded on us "How dare we etc etc, especially it being Monotone." We explained our situation and, in the ensuing conversation, my wife (most unusually) felt compelled to mention that she had been a member of the Company, whereupon the tone changed completely. The attack on our crass interruption (when he shouldn't have been there) turned to fawning. We went off to find our seats, fortunately they had not been commandeered in our absence and, whilst our exceedingly late arrival must have seemed a little strange to others roundabout, nobody chose to ask about it. (I probably put on a bit of huffing and puffing and muttering "At last etc etc.") And then, as we left, we bumped into the chap again on the stairs to the foyer, when there was further fawning. An interesting evening!

An interesting slant on Grade 7? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5268707/Britains-oldest-ballet-dancer-passes-elite-exam-aged-80.html

Links – Monday 15 January, 2018 Reviews – English National Ballet, Song of the Earth, La Sylphide, London: Jeffery Taylor, Sunday Express Erin Whitcroft, Bachtrack Diary – Los Angeles, This Week: Matt Cooper, LA Times Interview – Rachel Beaujean, Associate AD, Dutch National Ballet: Maggie Foyer, SeeingDance Review – Compagnie Hervé Koubi, Les Nuits Barbares …, Boston: Jeffrey Gantz, Boston Globe Documentary – The Movement, Australian contemporary dance-makers: Deborah Jones, FollowSpot Resolution 2018, The Place, London: Friday 12 January: Mathieu Geffré, ACT; Kendall Farrell, Submerged; Lucy Palmer, The Left Hand Path Graham Watts & Chloe Fordham, The Place John O’Dwyer, Seen and Heard Saturday 13 January: Katy Higgins, Episodic 86; Barnaby Booth, Loyal Prophets to an Indifferent God: ella&co, #nofilter Savannah Saunders & Daisy Moorcroft, The Place

Links – Sunday 14 January, 2018 Reviews – English National Ballet, Song of the Earth, La Sylphide, London: Sara Veale, DanceTabs David Dougill, Sunday Times Interview – NBC’s Guillaume Côté on dancing Neumeier’s Nijinsky: Lynn Saxberg, Ottawa Citizen Reviews – International Mime Festival, Fauna, London: Clare Brennan, Observer Anna Winter, The Stage Interview/Preview – Travis Wall/Shaping Sound, After the Curtain, Edmonton/Calgary: Stephan Bonfield, Montreal Gazette Review – Cirque du Soleil, Ovo, London: Luke Jennings, Observer

Links – Saturday 13 January, 2018 Review – English National Ballet, La Sylphide, Song of the Earth, London: Howard Loxton, BTG Photo Feature – Beatriz Stix-Brunell, Royal Ballet: Staff, What'sOnStage News – Royal New Zealand Ballet: Leavers & Joiners (at last): Valerie Lawson, Dancelines Review – An American Dance Platform, Opening Night, New York: Apollinaire Scherr, Financial Times Diaries: - New York, This Week: Gia Kourlas, NY Times - Around Oregon: Jamuna Chiarini, Oregon Artswatch Reviews – Shanghai Dance Theatre, Soaring Wings, Boston & New York: Jeffrey Gantz, Boston Globe Joel Benjamin, TheaterScene Review – Ryan McNamara & Others, Battleground, New York: Apollinaire Scherr, Financial Times Review – Charles Atlas/Rashaun Mitchell/Silas Reiner, Tesseract, New York: Leigh Witchel, dancelog.nyc Preview – San Francisco Movement Arts Festival: Leslie Katz, SF Examiner Review – Lula Washington Dance Theatre, Mixed Bill, Los Angeles: Laura Bleiberg, LA Times

The tartan extravaganza is not a personal favourite, I must say - but as a Scot, born and raised, with strong West Highland connections, I've never come across anyone called, or known as, 'Gurn.' With apologies for a somewhat tangential question, other than in Sylphide, has anyone?

Scroll one down past the leopard, and see for yourself: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/news-in-pictures-cjqxjb2wg?shareToken=4bc855ba99480e4a8013b4db628c0ae1

JMB: No problem whatsoever about your mentioning Tree of Codes here, and I've extended the thread title to add some context. I had included a preview article from The Australian in Links late last week, but I see that it has since vanished behind the paper's subscription paywall. I imagine that reviews should start to appear in the Australian papers before too long. https://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2018/tree-of-codes

Links – Sunday 7 January, 2018 Not Dance, but to avoid another blank day: Preview – Mikhail Baryshnikov, Brodsky/Baryshnikov, Boston: Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald

Links – Saturday 6 January, 2018 Feature – Arthur Mitchell, Ballet‘s “Grandfather of Diversity”: Gia Kourlas, NY Times Diaries: - New York, This Week: Brian Schaefer, NY Times - New York in January: Elizabeth Zimmer, Village Voice News – San Francisco Soloist James Safranko to be AD at Grand Rapids: Leba Hertz, SF Chronicle

Links – Friday 5 January, 2018 For, I think, the first time in 6 years, there were no appropriate links found after trawls last night and again this morning. The post-Christmas/New Year days have generally offered thin pickings but, this morning, I fear we have reached a nadir. Let’s see what tomorrow brings!

Some Letters to the Editor of the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/04/opinion/martins-new-york-city-ballet-harassment.html

Max, I'm very much with you re Cathy Marston, as other regulars here may know. Nothing happened as regards the main stage in her years in-residence at ROH2, and that's so long ago now that I fear Hell may have frozen over before she gets a RB commission. Her reputation has, however, spread to the West Coast of the USA and she's one of a number commissioned by San Francisco Ballet for this Spring. Janet has mentioned NB's planned revival of Jane Eyre, the reviews for which first time around were very warm, and she is doing a piece for Ballet Black in the next few months. Perhaps one day, but ........

Links – Thursday 4 January, 2018 Review – Birmingham Royal Ballet, The Nutcracker (Wright), London: Bruce Marriott, DanceTabs Preview – Australian Ballet, Tree of Codes (McGregor), Sydney: Matthew Westwood, The Australian Interview – Alexander Campbell, Royal Ballet Principal: Jeremy Taylor, Country Life Feature – Opera Australia/Graeme Murphy, The Merry Widow, Sydney: Nick Galvin, Sydney Morning Herald

Just back from what will have been one of the final performances of the London run, with the Cope/Day leading cast. Thoroughly enjoyable and I found the recasting of the story very satisfying. The decision to finish next Saturday may be justified - there were gaps in the stalls tonight. Anyone heard what Leanne Cope is doing next?

Everyone: As LinMM says, this thread has run its course and I am closing it. What some of you say you know, what Company members know - none of that has been disclosed in any public way of which I am aware and, as it has been our policy not to permit posting of information about dancers that is not properly in "the public domain," we cannot allow this situation to continue. Let's wish Mr Corrales well when he moves on and leave it at that.

Links – Friday December 29, 2017 Obituary – Annette Page: The Times Features – Best Dance of 2017: - London, 2017: Sara Veale, Fjord Review - Portland & Oregon: Staff, Oregon Artswatch Feature – Best London Dance in 2018: Jessie Thompson, Evening Standard News – V&A Museum acquires Nijinsky costume: Maev Kennedy, Guardian Reviews – Robert Fairchild/Ensemble for the Romantic Century, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, New York: Laura Collins-Hughes, NY Times Michael Dale, BWW Gallery/Feature – Redefining the Ballet Dancer, 50 Years Later: Remy Turin, NY Times Diary – New York, This Week: Gia Kourlas, NY Times

John: I'm guessing that you mean Bruce M and not Bethlehem? Neither forgotten chez moi and, of course, the Forum has just passed its 6th Birthday.

Just bumping this as Ms Rojo is Guest Editor for 'Today' tomorrow, 26 December, from 6am to 9am on BBC Radio 4. If I recall rightly from past years, she will be interviewed by one of the regular presenters at the end of the programme. (Prince Harry is doing 27 December.)