The Pavlova Gala at The London Coliseum on Sunday was superb. To see so many top ballet dancers in one place was a great in itself. It had a bit of everything from classical to modern and a world premiere thrown in for good measure!!
All the dancers were amazing but to name a few, Giuseppe Picone performing "Compassione", a intricate dance celebrating the beauty of the male form. Alina Somova and David Makhatelli performed Giselle , Somova was as light as a feather and hardly touched the ground. Marian Walter and Iana Salenko where sublime in Romeo and Juliet.
As always Ulyana Lopatkina showed why her reputation proceeded her in the very pretty Russaya and Pavlova and Cecchetti.
Tamara Rojo performed the world premiere , Life is a Dream, by choreographer Fei Bo.
The fact her partner was a goldfish in a glass bowl must be a ballet first!!!!!
Both her dance and another modern piece called Cor Perdut , danced by Svetlana Zakharova and Andrei Merkuriev were superb . I am always dubious when faced with "modern dance" but quite clearly need to be a lot more open minded as I loved both. Both showed the full lenght of how much the body has it's own silent language in which the above dancers were in full command.
Mesmerising.
Alina Cojocaru and Alexandre Riabko just carried the audience away with wild abandon in La Dame aux Camelias and Daria Klimentova and Vadim Muntagirov showed why their partnership has been so acclaimed.
Of course a lot of people were waiting for Raymonda with Tamara Rojo and Sergei Polunin , the young star who has just left the Royal Ballet under a wave of publicity. We were not disappointed , as the air crackled and Rojo 's eyes flashed both gave a bravura performance which left the crowd breathless.
As I said I can't mention all , I've already written an essay!! All were thrilling and included lucia Lancarra, Marlon Dino and Evgenia Obraztsova. Definately a night to remember!!!
The Mariinsky Ballet ,formerly known as the Kirov came to the Royal Opera House to celebrate their 50th Anniversary marking their first performance in Covent Garden. We went to see Don Quixote with the sublime Denis and Anastasia Matvienko. Very excited we were all in the mood for this wonderful treat after a lovely meal on the terrace and a glass of champagne in the champagne bar. Taking our seats we were treated to breathtaking dancing in a wonderfully entertaining and amusing ballet. I can truthfully say I have never seen spins the like of Matvienko's. A sublime evening was had by all and it was a fitting end to be able to congratulate Denis Matvienko and his wife on their electryfing perfromance. BRAVO!!!
New painting of Mara Galeazzi, principal of The Royal Ballet in her dress rehearsal for Pierrot Lunaire. I like the dramatic simplicity and strength that came through the pose, but at the same time a vulnerability.
This week I also went down to Swansea Grand Theatre to capture Alice in Wonderland with the The Harry Secombe Trust. The children were very cute and very talented. Great costumes, a lot of work has gone into it and I'm sure everyone who goes will have a great night out.
Sylvie Guillem was one of the first ballerina 's I became a fan of. She was handpicked by Nureyev whilst in the Paris Opera House as he recognised her supreme talent. They had a very fiery relationship and still today she is known as Mademoiselle Non for her reputation!! However she has wowed audiences all over the world including in the Royal Opera House where she is still a guest artist. This Youtube clip is not very good quality but always give me enormous pleasure. I love her fire and passion! Enjoy
Mara Galeazzi in costume rehearsal for Pierrot Lunaire. I loved her strong stance and the combination of the red
dress with the white hat. She is an amazingly strong and versatile dancer and I thought this captured her well. She was dancing with Edward Watson and Ivan Putrov who were equally wonderful to watch. This was a piece made famous by Nureyev. It is a great showcase for the dancers, as the choreography is wonderful and the costumes inspiring. The music however, is a little challenging for those who haven't seen it yet, but well worth it!!!!!
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