CriticalDance Forum

Here's a good idea that I have nicked from ileana in 'Danser'. What is your dream programme for the Royal Ballet for the 2002-3 season? It's a MacMillan anniversary year so you might want to include something by him, but it's not obligatory.<P>To kick things off, here's my 2p worth.<P>1. MacMillan Mixed Bill 1:<P>The Invitation<BR>The Rite of Spring<BR>Elite Syncopations<P>2. Macmillan Mixed Bill 2:<P>Winter Dreams<BR>Valley of Shadows<BR>Side Show (very short)<BR>Song of the Earth<P>3. MacMillan's 'Meyerling'<P>4. Ashton's 'La Fille Mal Gardee' (for 9 performances at Christmas)<P>5. The Nutcracker (for 9 performances at Christmas not 16 or more. The RB does not need to use this as a money-spinner as some companies do)<P>6. American Mixed Bill:<P>Balanchine's 'Symphony in C'<BR>Robbins 'Dances at a Gathering'<BR>New Mark Morris<P>7. UK Mixed Bill:<P>Page's 'This house Will Burn' (a work which grew each time I saw it; though not greeted with unanimous approval in all quarters when shown first. The dancers involved loved it, so in some ways this for them).<BR>Ashton's 'Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan' (having seen a demonstration of Duncan specialists last year, I'm interested to see Ashton's take)<BR>New Cathy Marston (deserves a chance on the big stage after all her work for the Royal Ballet in other arenas<P>8. Mixed Bill:<P>William Tuckett's 'The Turn of the Screw' (interesting to see this one again)<BR>A Cranko revival (there should be one a year for a while to make up for his neglect)<BR>A new piece to the Company by Preljocaj, Kylian or Paul Lightfoot<P>9. Sleeping Beauty (don't mind if it's the old one or the planned new one)<P>10. La Sylphide (not seen often enough in the UK)<P><BR>

Hmmm. An interesting 2p's worth, but deduct 1/2p for giving a precious place to "This House Will Burn"...<BR>Seriously, I'd be very happy if Stuart's selection were to come true. Even better, though (can this be possible?) would be <BR>- include MacMillan's the End of the Day (or whatever it's called - can't remember). And Concerto, please.<BR>- cast Cojacaru as the Daffy Wife in The Concert. Bet she does humour as well as she does everything else <BR>- insist Mark Morris spends at least two years exclusively with the RB, creating for them<BR>- Acquire Pierrot Lumiere (Edward Watson?) and Tetley's Sphinx. <BR>- Give Prince of the Pagodas and Marguerite and Armand a decent burial with full military honours. Handkerchiefs to be tearfully waved at dawn<BR>- Import at once anything the RB can get of Prelocaj. Start off with The Garden (I think that's what it's called - anyway, POB do it beautifully)<BR>- And finally, don't ever, ever think of reviving Anastastia, Les Patineurs, a Wedding Bouquet, La Boutique Fantastique or Les Valses. Only one revival of Facade every 50 years is permitted.

Thanks Nino - I'm sure there will be much gnashing of teeth over my choice of 'This House...'. <P>Although I have given 10 programmes people are welcome to give their top 5 or whatever and things they don't want to see.<P>For my own 'not this time please', I would have to say 'The Concert' and 'Marguerite and Armand'. Both works with merit, but over-exposed in the past few years.

Stuart - this is always fun. I like some of your programmes, but number 2 would be too long - Winter Dreams and Song alone would make a good evening. Sorry that I can't agree on the Page - every one bar Symmetries has the same combative scenario<P>Here are my revival additions for next season:<P>Macmillan 1;<BR>Solitaire<BR>Las Hermanas<BR>Gloria<P>Macmillan 2:<BR>Requiem<BR>Song of the Earth<P>Macmillan 3:<BR>Symphony<BR>Baiser de la fee<BR>Anastasia Act III (the original)<P>Balanchine:<BR>Apollo<BR>Serenade<BR>Ballet Imperial<P>Ashton/Macmillan<BR>Scenes de Ballet<BR>Month in the Country<BR>Elite Syncopations<P>Tudor/Ashton<BR>Les Rendezvous<BR>Dark Elegies<BR>Daphnis and Chloe<P>Ashton/Tudor/Macmillan repeat<BR>La Valse<BR>Symphonic Variations<BR>Monotones 2<BR>Lilac Garden<BR>Gloria<BR>

Yes, I think this is fun too!<P>First of all no more Forsythe - EVER!!!!!!<P>Get rid of Marguerite and Armand (revived against Ashton's wishes). Without the hothouse atmosphere generated by Fonteyn & Nureyev it simply doesn't work.<P>Revive Ashton's two Pigeons.<P>Revive Macmillan's Concerto, Images of Love; La fin Du Jour and Seven Deadly Sins. Revive also Balanchine's Ballet Imperial, Symphony in C and acquire Bouree Fantasque.<P>Return to the practice of giving Giselle with a one act ballet in front.<P>Get rid of the maypole dance in the first act of Swan Lake and re-instate Ashton's waltz.<P>Swop the current version of Nutcracker for Nureyev's and revive Cinderella for Alina Cojacaru.<P>Get Prelocaj over. Even if you have to kidnap him and hold a gun at his head.<P>Acquire Petit's Le Loup or Le Jeune Homme et la Mort.<P>Tell the Bolshoi that if they don't won't Daughter of the Pharaoh, we will have it and import Nikolai Tsiskaridze to dance in it.

Some lovely ideas - do keep them coming!<P>Re. Forsythe Cassandra. Can we keep 'In the Middle' and 'Steptext' ('Vertiginous' can go) if I drop the revival of 'This house will Burn'?<P>Thanks MichaelLL for the timing point on one of the MacMillan Mix Bills. One of the reasons for my choice was to see some of the ones I don't know, so the timings were not known to me. Still if we can have 4+ hours of Wagner, why not for ballet?

Great ideas so far. Here are some things I would love to see:<P>McMillan's Manon<BR> Song of the Earth<BR> Winterdreams<BR>a handful of Romeo and Juliet performances with no principals cast in all the lead roles<P>Ashton's Cinderella<BR> The two Pidgeons<P>another work by Cranko<P>Morris's Sandpaper Ballet<BR> A Garden<BR> V<P>Balanchine's Jewels<P>a new production of Swan Lake<P><BR>

A few more then - <P>Cranko/Macmillan:<BR>Card Game (Irek)<BR>Lady and the Fool<BR>Anastasia Act III<P>Birthday Offering<BR>Two Pigeons<BR>(maybe wait for the Ashton centenary?)<P>The Nureyev one act Bayadere with 32 shades<P>I totally agree about more junior casts for Romeo

Some lovely ideas - can I add two others. One I saw some years ago and would like to see again -The Green Table - and another I missed but have read about in David Vaughan's book - Enigma Variations.<P>Other favourites have already been mentioned, Winter Dreams, Monotones, Cinderella, The Two Pigeons and Fille. I would dearly like to see Petroushka again as well. Here's hoping.<BR>

Aha! So, Stuart, you are willing to admit defeat on This House will Make us all deeply Embarrassed and trade it in for what we want anyway - viz In The Middle. Excellent! An outbreak of sense. <BR>Now, who's going to inform Covent Garden management that this is what their public wants?

Welcome Margaret and many thanks for your suggestions. I hope you'll find plenty to interest you here and that you post regularly.<P>'The Green Table' is one of my favourites. in practical terms it might be more likely that BRB restage it as they performed it about 7 years ago. 'Enigma Variations' would be good to see in London. I have happy memories of the BRB production from 2 years ago.<P>Any more cheek from you young Nino and I'll be staging an Ashley Page retrospective season with 3 all Page Mixed Bills. <p>[This message has been edited by Stuart Sweeney (edited March 19, 2002).]