UPDATE 25 October 2018: The auction generated over €48,000 which will go to fund the opera house's activities for children and young people. "With this money, the Opera can offer performances for schools at a discounted prices," said Anna Karinsdotter, artistic director of the Young at the Opera programme. You might be just in time to pick up a prop or costume from The Royal … [Read more...]
Old and new in English National Ballet’s 2016-2017 Season, Spring/Summer
The English National Ballet’s Spring/Summer 2017 season sees a refreshing nod to the company’s past with a revival of Rudolf Nureyev’s Romeo & Juliet during August of 2017 when the company makes a return to The Royal Festival Hall, its old hunting ground that it hasn’t revisited since 2008. Tamara Rojo has shown with her recent programming that she is investing in the … [Read more...]
Violette Verdy… some words from Carla Fracci
Carla Fracci’s big break came in 1955 when she had to substitute Violette Verdy as Cinderella at La Scala. The 19-year-old Fracci had been asked to cover the role of Cinderella, and was dancing the Spring Fairy in December 1955. When a call came for Verdy to return to Paris for New Year’s Eve, the choreographer, Alfred Rodrigues, had second thoughts about entrusting the role … [Read more...]
Mauro Bigonzetti to be the new director of ballet at La Scala
In today’s edition of La Repubblica, it is reported that the new director of the corps de ballet at La Scala will be Mauro Bigonzetti. The announcement is not yet official but apparently the decision has been made and the theatre’s General Manager, Alexander Pereira, has met with union representatives to tell them of his choice. It is a choice that will surprise many as … [Read more...]
La Scala’s new Cinderella opens with Polina Semionova and Roberto Bolle
Mauro Bigonzetti’s new Cinderella, set to Prokofiev’s score, opened at La Scala with fine performances from Polina Semionova and Roberto Bolle as the eponymous heroine and her prince. Bolle is in blazing form and he shows off in a very Prince-like/Bolle-ish way, often entering from the wings with a macho series of grand jeté which he does with a bold … [Read more...]