mom2, any news on who, if anyone, will replace Persson and Tapper at NBoC?

Sorry about Persson, mom2. I know I've seen his name with respect to the Royal before, but perhaps it was as a Guest artist. Can you tell us a bit more about the aspects that you enjoy so much about his dancing? <P>Jamie Tapper made a big impact as soon as she arrived at the time of the re-opening of the ROH. I saw her in January in Forsythe's 'Vertigenous thrill of exactitude' and she looked elegant and neat despite the express train pace of the work. Was she not appreciated to the full in Canada?<P>A Canadian who is no longer with us is Patricia Hines, who was one of my favourites in Rambert Dance Company. I think she was with Winnipeg for a while before she came to England. She was dancing as well as ever at 35, but we are told she has retired from dancing. She was from Oakville, Ontario and I arranged a meeting with my Aunt who also lived there for a while. Pattie was as nice as nice can be.<p>[This message has been edited by Stuart Sweeney (edited August 06, 2000).]

please understand that I am quite a novice when it comes to commenting on professional dance. With that disclaimer, I will say that Persson is young and quite attractive - one can't help but notice this! He has a magnificent stage presence and one seems to feel that he truly loves his work. We have seen him in a variety of works and he is adept at both classical and contemporary...boy can he jump! I haven't seen any other male dancer with NBOC compare (with the exception of Rex Harrington, but he's almost a different category altogether). Alexandar Antonejivic (sp?) is cast fairly often these days, but his "presence" does not hold a candle to that of Persson, and his jumps are not as high or powerful, at least not that I've seen... Let's see...I suppose Persson may still have some room to "grow" in terms of the dramatic interpretation of more serious subjects, but he has done Romeo to critical acclaim. He and Jaime Tapper won the Erik Bruhn prize in 95 for R&J. They re-created this performance at the 99 Erik Bruhn competition and it was wonderful. Of course, their real-life relationship helps with the interpretation!<P>I would say that Persson (in the performances I have seen) is much more consistently outstanding than Rex Harrington. (Rex may have more expertise with the emotional side of the performance, but at times the technique is not outstanding. He is always a pleasure to watch however).<P>In terms of Jamie Tapper, there were some very carefully worded interviews before her departure...You certainly got the impression that she was frustrated with her lack of movement within NBOC, but she chose her words carefully as Persson was still here. When it was announced that he was leaving the company's word was that he was following her. I imagine that it will probably be a great move for both of them in the long run...but again, it's a sad day for Canadian audiences.

Many thanks mom2 for taking the trouble to tell us about the treats we have in store with Johan Persson. I can understand your sense of loss from your eloquent description.<BR>Rest assured we all find it difficult to describe dance and dancers in words - a doctorate lecturer in post-grad dance studies said the same thing to me a week ago when I was on a course.<P>One of the joys of the Internet is that it let's you try things. After your good description of why you enjoyed Persson's dancing the next possible step might be a short review. The hungry dance fans here at CD will always be keen to hear the views of posters.<BR>