This is my last day with SFB in London 2001. Although there is that matinee tomorrow....<P>Kyra Jablonsky, the Public Relations Manager, is nearly at the end of her first tour with the Company. Despite the strains of the week, she is as sparky and unfazed as ever. 'Helgi and the dancers are delighted that they have been so well received by critics and audiences. It makes up for the not-so-full houses on some nights.' Sadly, London audiences do not like triple bills by and large, so SFB shouldn't feel too bad.<P>Kyra continued, 'The dancers would like to stay here longer. Most went to see Tate Modern last Sunday and we have another free day this Sunday, but it's not enough to see London properly and then of course there's shopping! The Company moves on to Madrid to rehearse for a week for the performances in Santender and finally Barcelona.' <P>My overall impressions - the dancing is even stronger than 2 years ago with a very high general standard and many charismatic performances overlaid on this base. Of the choreographers on show, Morris impressed this dance fan the most, with Balanchine a worthy runner-up. I wonder if that last phrase has ever been written before.<P>For the men, there were so many, but Rykine, Nedviguine, Possokhov and Garcia always looked great and Boada, back from injury on Friday, was good enough to make me wish that we had seen him throughout the week. Turning to the ballerinas, Lacarra, Tan, Berman and Diana made this aged fan very happy.<P>A final word from Kyra, 'We're so grateful for all the coverage you've given us. The time difference between London and SF makes phone contact difficult. The other day, I apologised to a colleague for not being in closer touch and she replied - that's OK, I'm keeping right up to date by reading criticaldance.'<P>Have a great time in Spain SFB and see you in November 2003 at Sadler's Wells.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>A final word from Kyra, 'We're so grateful for all the coverage you've given us. The time difference between London and SF makes phone contact difficult. The other day, I apologised to a colleague for not being in closer touch and she replied - that's OK, I'm keeping right up to date by reading <B>criticaldance</B>.'<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>I love it!

I'm sorry I didn't get to see Boada. And Stuart - you are not aged, you probably just need a cucumber face pack and a good night's sleep - I mean, you were out on the tiles watching SFB practically every night last week. (As was I!)

Oh, yeah, I agree. You're not aged, Stuart! What on earth do you mean? As for your statement about favoring Morris to Balanchine, I say wait another few years and see what comes of Wheeldon, Adam and Possokhov...

Aged? Aged? Did someone call me?<P>(think of yourself, Stuart, as a good wine or cheese - that's what I do)