RB SEASON 24/25 Announced

[Linnzi5]

My solution would be that Bracewell dances with both Fumi and Marianela and Fumi also dances with Muntagirov in R&J 😂.  I just can't see a Muntagirov/Nunez R&J pairing happening and nor would I personally desire it - they just wouldn't work for me, I'm afraid. 

[AnticaFiamma]

5 minutes ago, Linnzi5 said:

My solution would be that Bracewell dances with both Fumi and Marianela and Fumi also dances with Muntagirov in R&J 😂.  I just can't see a Muntagirov/Nunez R&J pairing happening and nor would I personally desire it - they just wouldn't work for me, I'm afraid. 

Yeah I think this is the more likely scenario, just like Naghdi danced with both Muntagirov and Ball last time (or Ball danced with both Naghdi and Cuthbertson)

[San Perregrino]

Didn’t someone say that it would be Nuñez/Bolle or did I dream that? 

[AnticaFiamma]

25 minutes ago, San Perregrino said:

Didn’t someone say that it would be Nuñez/Bolle or did I dream that? 

Someone suggested it, but I think Bolle hasn't danced Romeo in at least 7 years and I suspect his Romeo days are over. A Nuñez/Bolle Onegin I could believe tho

[Emeralds]

On 24/06/2024 at 13:23, MildConcern said:

Has Muntagirov's Romeo been recorded? 

Not yet. Just Manon, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadere, Two Pigeons, Nutcracker (Prince), Giselle, Coppelia (and Le Corsaire with ENB).... Long list. 😀 (Not counted mixed/triple bills either). 

[ThoughtsFlow]

12 hours ago, DVDfan said:

 Much as we would like time frozen so that our favourite dancers can go on for ever, in the real world there comes a point when they have to move on. 

The age difference between Nunez and Muntagirov means that inevitably he will need to form new partnerships,  as she drops out of some roles.

Of course no dancer dances forever. And their retirements can be very unpredictable and come at any time. Plenty of dancers have retired before the age of 35, even. All the more reason to preserve performances from the legendary greats like Nela on film so that their performances can continue to be enjoyed long after the dancers have stopped dancing. That’s the crux of my concern. There are still opportunities for Nuñez and Muntagirov to dance together now, and to have their performances recorded now. And these opportunities are incredibly fleeting. And, so I simply question to what extent these opportunities are being fully utilized.

 

12 hours ago, Balletfanp said:

Hardly. They have never been paired together in R&J and it’s unlikely to happen now, although it’s not impossible. And, much as I’m a Marianela/Vadim fan, personally I would like to see him paired with someone else for that. To my mind, they wouldn’t be right together.

 

And I doubt they themselves would want to be paired together for everything. Dancers become stale if they dance with the same partner all the time. To my mind, they have both performed better together in the recent season after having performances with other dancers to mix things up a bit.

 

Of course, if there were more classical ballets in the upcoming season I’ve no doubt we would see them paired together more - but there aren’t. Maybe in the Balanchine.

 

As I always say, different strokes for different folks. It’s fine if others aren’t interested in a Nuñez/Muntagirov R&J. But, I am interested. So, this is the opinion I expressed. With near 30 different performances of R&J scheduled, surely anyone should be able to find (or, at least hope for) whatever cast they want, including myself. To each their own.

 

But, I have to say, I don’t understand why Nela & Vadim having never danced R&J in the past should mean they can never dance R&J together, ever. There’s a first time for everything, is there not? Or, am I supposed to believe that pairing these two dancers, who have a years long, highly acclaimed, wildly successful dance partnership in R&J would somehow be too “risky?” Sorry, but I simply can’t believe that.

[ThoughtsFlow]

8 hours ago, MildConcern said:

We all have our preferences, but I don't like the language you have used here.

 

It's not "disgusting". It may be disappointing to you, but disgusting sounds somewhat disrespectful to all the other dancers they could be paired with. 

 

I have to say, Nunez wouldn't even be in my top 3 choices for Muntagirov's potential Juliet next run. For something like Coppelia maybe, but not as Juliet. So it's not as universal as you make it sound. 

 

I also think you might have a slightly skewed view of RB casting if you mainly watch via stream and DVD. Nunez and Muntagirov have never been exclusively partnered with each other and have both enjoyed varied and fruitful partnerships with other dancers. And as others have pointed out, age may be a factor in Muntagirov cementing his partnerships elsewhere as Nunez, while still at peak powers, is approaching the twilight of her career. 

 

Perhaps “outrageous” would have been a better word to use. But, frankly I am incredibly put off (some might say “disgusted”) to think that out of 30 performances, it seems unreasonable to suggest that Nuñez/Muntagirov finally be cast in the leads roles, as they have been in many other (diverse) ballets to great success, even just once. It’s not as if I’m wanting my two favorite little green Martians who just met yesterday come down and dance the roles or something. But, rather the well established dance duo of Nuñez/Muntagirov, who have a proven track record together. My intent isn’t to insult anyone, least of all dancers who I don’t know and have never met. But, only to express my own profound dismay over what I find to be a truly baffling situation.

 

I just can’t imagine a Nuñez/Muntagirov Romeo & Juliet being anything other than a resounding, truly resplendent success in literally every possible way that a ballet can be called a success. And, I am deeply troubled and confused as to why it seems to not even be an option on the table. This opinion and belief is not about knocking or downing on other potential pairings. Rather, it is only the natural outgrowth of the deep respect and admiration for the pairing I am personally interested in seeing. That’s all.

 

Also, I want to make it clear that I’ve never been under the impression that Nuñez & Muntagirov only dance with each other. As I mentioned earlier, I own a copy of Lamb & Muntagirov’s Manon. Additionally, I also own a copy of Nuñez and Acosta’s Don Quixote.

[Linnzi5]

10 hours ago, ThoughtsFlow said:

 

 

Perhaps “outrageous” would have been a better word to use. But, frankly I am incredibly put off (some might say “disgusted”) to think that out of 30 performances, it seems unreasonable to suggest that Nuñez/Muntagirov finally be cast in the leads roles, as they have been in many other (diverse) ballets to great success, even just once. It’s not as if I’m wanting my two favorite little green Martians who just met yesterday come down and dance the roles or something. But, rather the well established dance duo of Nuñez/Muntagirov, who have a proven track record together. My intent isn’t to insult anyone, least of all dancers who I don’t know and have never met. But, only to express my own profound dismay over what I find to be a truly baffling situation.

 

I just can’t imagine a Nuñez/Muntagirov Romeo & Juliet being anything other than a resounding, truly resplendent success in literally every possible way that a ballet can be called a success. And, I am deeply troubled and confused as to why it seems to not even be an option on the table. This opinion and belief is not about knocking or downing on other potential pairings. Rather, it is only the natural outgrowth of the deep respect and admiration for the pairing I am personally interested in seeing. That’s all.

 

Also, I want to make it clear that I’ve never been under the impression that Nuñez & Muntagirov only dance with each other. As I mentioned earlier, I own a copy of Lamb & Muntagirov’s Manon. Additionally, I also own a copy of Nuñez and Acosta’s Don Quixote.

I think the resounding answer is to this is, that if it was thought favourable by the artistic director, or if either dancer had wanted to dance R&J together, then it surely would have happened by now. I think such things can be extremely disappointing for people who would like to see a favoured or admired pairing dance particular works. For example, I really wanted to see Bracewell/Kaneko dance Swan Lake together or Manon and they weren't originally cast together. Yet I didn't get the latter (and probably never will, however, I did love Bracewell/Naghdi, so I was happy in the end)  and the former happened because a dancer dropped out of Swan Lake. It is frustrating, so I understand how you feel  

[DVDfan]

I think we all agree that we would like more performances to be recorded. However, recording is expensive and needs to recoup its costs, so this is a limiting factor. 

 

 

[MAB]

17 hours ago, Mora said:

from my perspective, Nunez looks more mature than William (don’t get me wrong, I’m not referring to the gap age that exists between them but in the way she embraces the role). So her Juliet –for me- is not so believable.

 

It used to be theatrical lore that you had to be forty  to play Juliet, something you never see in the play anymore, but what I've seen in the ballet bears it out.  Generally the older the ballerina, the better the performance in my opinion.  For me, Nunez has never been better.

 

[Lizbie1]

My view is: as with any sport of art form there are different types of fandom, usually several co-existing in a fan at one time. There's the fan of the art form; the fan of a choreographer or style of choreography or even a specific ballet; the fan of a company or school of dancing (such as the Russian style); and then there are fans of individual dancers or pairings.

 

If you're in the latter camp - or if that's the impulse that's uppermost - it's natural to want see those dancers as much as possible but it's not really the responsibility of a company's artistic director to meet that desire.

[Silke H]

2 hours ago, MAB said:

 

It used to be theatrical lore that you had to be forty  to play Juliet, something you never see in the play anymore, but what I've seen in the ballet bears it out.  Generally the older the ballerina, the better the performance in my opinion.  For me, Nunez has never been better.

 

In the last R&J run Nuñez had been coached by the legendary Alessandra Ferri which for me had made the world of a difference to her Juliet characterisation.  Also, Federico Bonelli was the perfect Romeo.

[Mora]

2 hours ago, MAB said:

 

It used to be theatrical lore that you had to be forty  to play Juliet, something you never see in the play anymore, but what I've seen in the ballet bears it out.  Generally the older the ballerina, the better the performance in my opinion.  For me, Nunez has never been better.

 

MAB, as I tried to say in the comment, her age is not THE factor that shapes my opinion. In fact, I think that Sarah Lamb (who is also in her forties) portrays Juliet and Manon in a very believable way. Alessandra Ferri was a similar case. So, it´s a matter of body language and the way dancers act for me. That's why  I prefer Nunez in the very classics ballets rather than the ones created by MacMillan.

[oncnp]

At this point, it seems they are doing fewer ballet-only Insights for the Autumn.  The announced Alice and Cinderella Insights are combined with other productions.  Cost cutting? 

• INSIGHTS: ALL ABOUT ALICE - Two companies offering two different versions of a much-loved story meet in the Linbury Theatre for the start of the new Insights ballet season, as we dive straight into the upside-down world of Lewis Carroll, with Christoper Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland for the Royal Ballet, alongside Zoonation's The Mad Hatter's Tea Party.

• INSIGHTS: MAGIC AND MYTH IN OPERA AND BALLET - Explore three magical productions that light up the Royal Opera House over the festive period: Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel and Ruination.

The Weathering and Legacy are both getting their own insights

[San Perregrino]

17 minutes ago, oncnp said:

The announced Alice and Cinderella Insights are combined with other productions

Perhaps hoping for some cross fertilisation and cross selling across different audiences. Is there a joint Onegin: Opera & Ballet Insight on the horizon? 

[oncnp]

2 minutes ago, San Perregrino said:

Perhaps hoping for some cross fertilisation and cross selling across different audiences. Is there a joint Onegin: Opera & Ballet Insight on the horizon? 

 

So far not....INSIGHTS: PUSHKIN AND TCHAIKOVSKY’S EUGENE ONEGIN IN 2024- As a new production of Eugene Onegin opens on the Main Stage, our Insight explores Tchaikovsky's music and the enduring appeal of its source writer Pushkin.

[art_enthusiast]

29 minutes ago, San Perregrino said:

Perhaps hoping for some cross fertilisation and cross selling across different audiences. Is there a joint Onegin: Opera & Ballet Insight on the horizon? 

 

That would make sense. I'm hoping to see both for the first time (somehow, prices permitting!)