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On Monday, the performance began with Monica Mason coming on stage in front of the curtain and making the announcement of the very sad news of the death of Nadia Nerina. She then said that the performance would be dedicated to her. It was a very sincere speech and the Company certainly rose to the occasion also. I can't imagine anyone more appropriate to dance on the performance dedicated to Nerina than Nunez. Acosta was every inch the prince and a beautiful pd3 was danced by Laura Morera, Yuhui Choe and Jose Martin. It was a lovely contrast with the attack of Laura and Jose to the softness of Yuhui Choe's footwork and lines. The corps looked very good throughout on Monday, and all the national dances were well done, especially Bethany Keating and Paul Kay in the Neapolitan. Particularly at the end, on both nights, when the swans turned on Rothbart, you could really believe in their fury and that they were capable of hounding him to death.

At yesterday 's performance, there were a mass of replacements "due to illness", aside from the replacements of Marquez and Kobborg and the ensemble dancing suffered a bit as a result, I think. There were a few wobbly moments with the Swans, most particularly where one Swan was slightly out of line and Nunez bumped right into her!

On both nights, Marianela Nunez's dancing was gorgeous. She has improved her extensions a lot, even since a year ago, and it really helped in her portrayal of Odette. Every movement is so graceful and gorgeous and luxuriously slow-paced. However, her partnering and interpretation with Acosta and Soares was very different - I think she even danced some different steps, although I am not sure. To my eyes the partnership with Soares looked more secure and "natural" and he partners her superbly - with every movement he looks like he really IS in love with the swan and she is obviously so comfortable with his lifts etc that she has a lot of freedom. With Acosta, the whole effect was more exciting, more technical. But personally, I prefered the Nunez/Soares partnership, and I was quite surprised to hear so many negative comments about him from Saturday. He really understands deportment - he looks like a prince with every move, and he can bring out some humour in the role too. His prince is really a person who the audience can understand and relate to. His solo in Act II also was excellent, as good as Acosta's I think. If his footwork let him down a few times on landings, it was certainly not anything majorly disturbing.

Both nights Marianela did an amazing 32, a few less multiple pirouettes thrown in last night than the night before, but still technically incredible. With Acosta, they were really pushing it with the technical fireworks on Monday, but again I felt last night it had more depth - Nunez's interactions with Rothbart are very interesting and it was more with Soares that she really "had him on his knees": you could see the meaning of the triumph better, as well as the technical triumph. Altogether, Marianela danced great both nights, but I think last night - amazingly - was even better!

Both nights the cygnets were very neat and together, and both sets of big swans were very well danced (last night was Filpi and Kobayashi, Monday was Filpi and someone else, I can't remember). And Genesia Rosato was very elegant and regal as the Queen last night. It seems that there must be quite a number of injuries in the 1st soloist/soloist ranks: no sign of Steve McRae, and I would assume that Isabel McMeekan and Dierdre Chapman may be out of action, because they don't seem to have appeared so far in any of their normal roles.

But despite all the injuries, the whole production looks good, the corps are in very good form, and the leads all danced very well (even if one of the lead roles has only been danced by one ballerina so far!!!!)