Interview with Yasmine Naghdi as she dances in the world premiere of Alastair Marriott’s The Unknown Soldier - with photos by Dasa Wharton I last interviewed Yasmine Naghdi in September of 2015 when she and Matthew Ball were preparing to dance Romeo and Juliet together. They were dancing the roles for the first time — she was a Soloist and he a First Artist. Time passes … [Read more...]
Photo Album: La Bayadère with The Royal Ballet – first night with Nuñez, Osipova and Muntagirov
Here are the first photos from the dress rehearsal of tonight's opening cast at The Royal Opera House of Natalia Makarova's La Bayadère. Solor is danced by Vadim Muntagirov, Gamzatti by Natalia Osipova, and Marianela Nuñez is Nikiya. This is also the cast that will be dancing when the ballet is transmitted live in cinemas on 13 November 2018. An iconic 19th-century Russian … [Read more...]
Danza in Italia column returns in the latest issue of Dancing Times
The latest issue of Dancing Times magazine, November 2018, is being shipped to newstands as I write. The new Danza in Italia column looks at Rudolf Nureyev's Don Quixote at Teatro alla Scala, with important debut performances from Timofej Andrijashenko, Martina Arduino and Marco Agostino, and with Nicoletta Manni returning as Kitri; Jacopo Tissi comes home to dance again on La … [Read more...]
The impeccable Bolshoi dancers in Maillot’s slick Taming of the Shrew at La Scala
Lots of empty seats were available for the Bolshoi Ballet at La Scala in The Taming of the Shrew. La Bayadère – great; Swan Lake – ooh yes; Giselle – lovely; Taming of the Shrew? – err. Word of mouth did its bit after the opening night, but with just three consecutive performances there wasn’t enough time to have a sold-out notice on the poster, but ‘sold out’ is what it … [Read more...]
Review: Three casts for La Bayadère with the Bolshoi at La Scala
How secretly gratifying it is when wine experts trip up, rating High Street plonk higher than the Premier cru. Ballet music could benefit from unlabelled listening. Minkus is routinely pooh-poohed, yet how many superb, theatrical moments he creates for La Bayadère — sublime, exhilarating, haunting, joyous. If interval chatter isn’t focussed on complaining about the music, it’s … [Read more...]