Here's a link to the announcement of the 2006-07 Royal Ballet season:

http://info.royaloperahouse.org/News/Index.cfm?ccs=971

From a traveler's perspective, you can see more than one program in Mid-Oct (13-16 weekend, for one Strav Violin Mixed Bill and Coppelia).

Thanksgiving Weekend gets you Schlepping Beauty and the Wheeldon & MacGregor.

Mid March offers possibilities to see Onegin and the Apollo Mixed Bill (3/24-5 among others).

Early April (4/9-10 among others) can get you Onegin and Mayerling.

Late April-early May gives opportunities to see Mayerling with Fin du Jour.

There are plenty of other single programs worth seeing as well.

From the reviews that have come back from St. Petersburg, it doesn't sound like there'd be much "schlepping" in a Cojacaru performance

Now that would tempt me to a second Thanksgiving in a row in London...

My quick thoughts are, there's a lot of Balanchine (catering to the burgeoning Ansanelli craze?) and not that much Ashton.

I already am Schlepping to see it - actually sprinting.

I land at Heathrow at 17:10 on 31 May from St. Petersburg and I have standing room seats for the 19:30 curtain. I'll never make the prologue, but I'm seeing two more Beauties on the 1st and 3rd of June, so if I make it there by Act I, I'll see all of Cojocaru's performance, and that's the point.

Yes, not much Ashton. Will Ansanelli do Theme? I'm pretty certain she has learned the role, but not performed it.

No, not much Ashton. Actually, barely any Ashton. Back in the Heritage bin already?

God I hope not. I'm giving Mason the benefit of the doubt - even with the absence it is an interesting season. But you certainly have a point.

What do you all think about Kobborg's setting of Bournonville's Tarantella Divertissements as part of an evening including La Sylphide, which has already been a success. Is this the sign of a trend towads even more Bournonville at the Royal? What kind of effect might such a trend have on the dancers' style at the Royal (British, not Danish)?

I'd be interested in seeing the company do these, certainly. Erik Bruhn staged a "Napoli" diivertissement for them back in the early 1960s (I believe it was one of Dowell's first ballets -- one of the solos) and Ashton had wanted to get "La Sylphide" when he was director, I know from Danish sources. From what I've read, I'm not sure I'd *love* this version of "La Sylphide," but then, I'm picky about Mr. B the First

For Balanchine works, regardless of what we think the state of the rep at NYCB is, the Balanchine Foundation is controlling the work and actively recruiting the next generation of stagers. Villella, Farrell, Andersen, Tomasson, and McBride are among those running companies and training programs to keep the rep alive and well, and von Aroldingen and Russell are among those staging his works around the world.

If Royal Ballet doesn't perform Ashton on a regular basis, who will keep the style and rep alive?

I was going to mention BRB - but so far, their calendar for '06-'07 shows no Ashton in it - http://www.brb.org.uk/masque/index.htm?act...k=diary&urn=145

Again, it isn't as if it's a bad season - it isn't.

At the risk of oversimplifying, it seems to me that a company that excels at Ashton should be able to do nicely by Bournonville. But I guess that doesn't answer your question, bart.

Actually, this may be a temporary retraction after All That Ashton of the centennial year. Like Paul Taylor's company hauling out his Greatest Hits for the 2004-2005 (50th Anniversary) season, leaving slim pickin's for this year.

No one, of course, would think it odd if NYCB did only one Balanchine after the Centennial. Not a word would be uttered

It's not just Ashton though, MacMillan's been cut back from next season too , just 3 ballets (though I guess Mayerling is such a mega-MacMillan ballet it could count as more than one!) - in comparison this current season has 5 of each. I take the point about keeping the Ashton style alive though, given how much change there is in the company ranks. The corps look very different year on year, and we have a lot of first soloists who haven't grown up with the RB. Given the limited number of dancers in Rhapsody (especially with only 4 performances) and Symphonic Variations (2 casts last year) half the company won't be dancing any Ashton next season at all. But I do trust Monica Mason - she's said often enough at insight evenings how important Ashton is to the RB.

Why all the Balanchine though? I also vaguely remember Mason saying she wanted Kylian to choreograph for the company, maybe that'll be the result of bringing back Sinfonietta (sorry, not a fan).

The mixed bills look interesting and I pray they sell well given how new work seems to depress audience numbers I'm especially excited about the new McGregor - I was crazy for Qualia which he created for the company a couple years back, though there were a few grumbles about the electronic music and "body-popping" choreography from certain sections of the audience!

La Fin du Jour is the only one that's a complete mystery to me - has anyone here seen it?

And finally I feel for the poor souls who'll have to dance Mayerling and Onegin back to back!