British Vision Issue 27 英国皇家芭蕾舞团75周年寿辰

Now past and present members of the Royal Ballet have gathered to celebrate the company's 75th anniversary. The party at the Royal Opera House in London brought together hundreds of dancers including Alina Cojocaru and Antoinette Sibley, the 1960s' soloist¹. Our art correspondent Nicholas Glass went along.

The Royal Ballet has been thinking about this for a while now, 75 years old this year, so why not have a party, and invite everyone who has ever been with the company. At Covent Garden this afternoon more Princess Auroras , exiled Ordets and Sugar Plum Fairies (上面都是皇家芭蕾舞团表演剧目中的角色, 都加s是因为来了很多演员嘛,这么多年了,他们都演过这些角色)than any self-respecting balletomane could count.

It's something about the posture², the way they place the feet, that tells you these are or were dancers.

The company, we always say it's like a family, more so than actors, we have a real closeknit family cause we are together 24 hours a day.

It's something I haven't met before. It's completely wonderful, I mean there're so many people that I haven't seen in, maybe even 30 years. And of course I keep meeting people who're saying they've just met someone / they haven't seen in 40 years.

This was a bit like a school reunion, lots of hugs and kisses, and occasional so looking about trying to see if she could recognize anyone from her year.

This way...

Are there any more oldies like me, anywhere?

Uhm, well, you'll find them if there are...

Downstairs, the bust³ of the formidable Dame⁴ Ninette de Valois, reminds us all who started the whole thing off back in 1931, upstairs books to be signed decade by decade. Remembering exact dates could be difficult.

"Was remembering your dates, was a hard trip?"

"Oh, yeah, I know, I could, really, I'm, I'm caught. I saw somebody there, that I, I 'd love to see, Judy Lerop, Do you know Judy Lerop?

"The photo helps havn't found her yet."

No, no, I havn't found her yet , but a man put on no his looks like, the 50 years, is something it's let.

Inevitably⁵ the one many names in the book for the 1930s, but Madam De Valois was vividly⁶ remembered.

"So you both remember Madam?"

Oh, hoho, who will forget her?

We wouldn't be here without her. I mean, you know, that / she was / our lives.

Can you tell me what she was like. Is that possible?

Yes.

Oh, she will be called, in so many ways you call, she was fantastic, she was impossible, she was, made you laugh, she made you cry, she did everything, she was everything...

She could, she could be very irritating, and she could do us something that you totally unexpect, totally unexpected....

I mean very, very kind and compassionate(Yeah.), complete mix, that's why, that's why, this is all here.

Yeah.

Another departed company member who had to be remembered was Sir Frederick Ashton. He gave the Royal Ballet much of its early repertoire⁷.

I remember, I knew him. It was 1938, he was very young, tough, wanted his own way, lovely, and, a man with, that had great humor, wonderful humor.

Was he?

Oh, very,always a little slight remark would be getting in somewhere.

The Royal Ballet laid on the pretty decent 75th birthday spread. It goes with green tea and later champagne⁸. The cake was created by a former dancer, decorated with characters from Royal Ballets, the Red King from Checkmate , the Zebra from the Still Life at the Penguin⁹ Cafe, who was cut by the youngest member of the company, 18-year/ old dancer with one of those interesting ballet names Demelza Parish. Unlike the Ashton centenary last year when some people were offended not to be invited to the celebration, everybody was included this time, and a good time, it's had by all.

Onto the weather now.

1 soloist   

n.独奏者，独唱者

参考例句：

• The soloist brought the house down with encore for his impressive voice.这位独唱家以他那感人的歌声博得全场喝彩。
• The soloist had never performed in London before.那位独唱者过去从未在伦敦演出过。

2 posture   

n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势

参考例句：

• The government adopted an uncompromising posture on the issue of independence.政府在独立这一问题上采取了毫不妥协的态度。
• He tore off his coat and assumed a fighting posture.他脱掉上衣，摆出一副打架的架势。

3 bust   

vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部

参考例句：

• I dropped my camera on the pavement and bust it. 我把照相机掉在人行道上摔坏了。
• She has worked up a lump of clay into a bust.她把一块黏土精心制作成一个半身像。

4 dame   

n.女士

参考例句：

• The dame tell of her experience as a wife and mother.这位年长妇女讲了她作妻子和母亲的经验。
• If you stick around,you'll have to marry that dame.如果再逗留多一会，你就要跟那个夫人结婚。

5 inevitably   

adv.不可避免地；必然发生地

参考例句：

• In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
• Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。

6 vividly   

adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地

参考例句：

• The speaker pictured the suffering of the poor vividly.演讲者很生动地描述了穷人的生活。
• The characters in the book are vividly presented.这本书里的人物写得栩栩如生。

7 repertoire   

n.(准备好演出的)节目，保留剧目；(计算机的)指令表，指令系统， <美>(某个人的)全部技能；清单，指令表

参考例句：

• There is an extensive repertoire of music written for the flute.有很多供长笛演奏的曲目。
• He has added considerably to his piano repertoire.他的钢琴演奏曲目大大增加了。

8 champagne   

n.香槟酒；微黄色

参考例句：

• There were two glasses of champagne on the tray.托盘里有两杯香槟酒。
• They sat there swilling champagne.他们坐在那里大喝香槟酒。

9 penguin   

n.企鹅

参考例句：

• The penguin is a flightless bird.企鹅是一种不会飞的鸟。
• He walked with an awkward gait like a penguin.他走路的步子难看得就像企鹅。