balletbob69 Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 Anyone else excited about this?I found this trailer on youtube and am now ecstatic! I'm over the moon that this production is finally being brought home to London!What are your thoughts? Hottest ticket in town? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 I'm seeing the matinee on Thursday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted August 2, 2015 Share Posted August 2, 2015 I must get a ticket...thanks for the reminder Balletbob! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terpsichore Posted August 2, 2015 Share Posted August 2, 2015 Anyone else excited about this? ..................................... You bet. I booked my ticket for their last night as soon as they went on sale last year. La Sylphide is not performed in this country nearly as often as I should like which is a pity as it is set in Scotland. I saw the Danes dance a bit of it at The Peacock earlier in the year. I can remember an enchanting performance by Carla Fracci from half a century ago. I like it so much more than Giselle. Also, I have a personal incentive to see this show. The teacher who led me back to ballet after a decades long break which has been such a comfort in my dotage, trained in Brisbane and began her career with the company. Tomorrow Li-Cunxn, the artistic director of the Queensland Ballet, will be the guest of the London Ballet Circle at The Civil Service Club (next door to the Nigerian embassy) at 19:30. He will be interviewed by Gerald Dowler. The meeting is open to the public (£8 for non-members and £5 for members). As he is senior partner of one of the leading stockbrokers of Australia I admire him as much for his business savvy as his genius as a dancer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted August 3, 2015 Share Posted August 3, 2015 I'm very much looking forward to this, not only because it's 30 years since I last saw the production live, but also because after 2 months without any ballet I'm suffering severe withdrawal symptoms! Edit: Correction: almost no ballet. I forgot the Ardani gala. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Q Fan Posted August 3, 2015 Share Posted August 3, 2015 Yes I am seeing it on Saturday afternoon can't wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavycapers Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 Me too, Friday evening! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 Friday evening for me too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 Tomorrow (wed) evening for me!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickwellings Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 I am seeing it Thursday night and the Sat mat. I am rather excited to be going! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane S Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 I hope by tomorrow they'll have changed their minds about not allowing you a cast sheet unless you buy the £10 programme book - not a welcoming start to the evening. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 I hope by tomorrow they'll have changed their minds about not allowing you a cast sheet unless you buy the £10 programme book - not a welcoming start to the evening. No indeed - thoroughly poor show! I was fortunate enough to take an iPad shot of a friend's cast sheet, as wasn't coughing up a tenner for such a slim volume. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 I hope by tomorrow they'll have changed their minds about not allowing you a cast sheet unless you buy the £10 programme book - not a welcoming start to the evening. Unfortunately, it seems to be something of a fact of life at the Coliseum for dance productions these days. But I suppose that on the first night it's rather obvious that you can't have bought a programme previously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 That's appalling. Does the company have any say in this matter, or is it entirely up to the Coliseum? When I last went there for a company performance fairly recently I got a cast sheet without buying a programme, which makes me wonder who lays down the 'can we or can't we' rule! So, aside from that....any thoughts on the performance please? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 A production that was first seen and loved in London in 1979, where it won an Evening Standard award, and loathed in Copenhagen when it was staged there has to be of interest to anyone interested in ballet. On the basis of the size of last night's audience there are not that many ballet lovers in London at present which is a shame since the Queensland company has clearly worked hard to recreate Peter Schaufuss' version of the work. It is longer than the Kobborg version because Schauffus opened up some of the traditional cuts in the score and created choreography for the restored sections.He said that he believed that the traditional cuts had been made when Bournonville gave up dancing the role of James.During Act 1 he gives James a solo which I do not recall seeing in any other production and during the communal dancing he gives us a short pas de trois in which Effie and James are joined by the Sylph. This does not seem to have been part of the original Paris production and is said to have been added to it in 1839.I think that Schauffus' production is the only version of the Buornonville ballet to incorporate it.The corps has more to do in Act 2 than we are used to seeing. The choreography for the Sylph and her fellow sylphs seems to use less full pointe and more demi pointe than we were accustomed to see in Kobborg's version. I think that the difference in the reception of this production by audiences in London and Copenhagen all those years ago is best explained by the level of knowledge of this work possessed by the two audiences and their resultant expectations.In Denmark there were lengthy debates about the effect that the style and tone of the production had on the narrative.Perhaps this production is in reality a Sylphide for beginners.The production clearly brings out the conflict between dream and reality,something which is useful to an audience knowing little or nothing about the ballet and its history, but perhaps, too much for an audience who were almost as familiar with it and its nuances as the dancers themselves. I would encourage anyone who is in a position to do so to buy a ticket and see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane S Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 I thought the first act was a bit flat - felt more like a preview than a big first night - but the second act was much better and the audience warmed up too so that there was plenty of enthusiastic applause for the curtain calls. I'd guess it will come over more strongly in the rest of the week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 In Denmark there were lengthy debates about the effect that the style and tone of the production had on the narrative.Perhaps this production is in reality a Sylphide for beginners. Interesting: can you fill us in a bit more, Floss? It was, I think, the first performance of La Sylphide I'd ever seen (although I saw London City Ballet do it, I think shortly afterwards - any idea whose production that would have been?), so I *was* indeed a beginner! What did puzzle me last night, though, was: where were all the Aussies? I don't remember hearing any antipodean accents anywhere, yet I'd have thought some of the Aussie community might have turned out. Perhaps they're going tonight, which I believe is the press night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 (edited) What did puzzle me last night, though, was: where were all the Aussies? I don't remember hearing any antipodean accents anywhere, yet I'd have thought some of the Aussie community might have turned out. Perhaps they're going tonight, which I believe is the press night. Well, I saw one certain Leanne Benjamin being very animated in a box. Does that count, Alison? Edited August 5, 2015 by Bruce Wall 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terpsichore Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 "Where were all the Aussies?" asks alison. There were certainly a fair number at the London Ballet Circle meeting on Monday. They swelled our numbers considerably. I don't think I have ever seen so many people at a London Ballet Circle event. I spoke to some of the Australians afterwards. They were members of the Queensland Ballet Friends who had flown over specially to support this season. Usually I am the one who travels furthest for a Ballet Circle event but this time there were lots of folk who had travelled many times further. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnross Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 (edited) Well it was a slightly strange photocall yesterday. We had two casts so it was strange to see Sarah Thomson as Effie one minute and The Sylphide in another. Yanela Prinera was The Sylphide with Qi Huan as James and then we had Luke Schaufuss as James and Sarah Thomson as The Sylphide. Sadly most of the cast were not in costume or makeup due to lack of time. So here are some pictures of the different pairings. Sarah Thomson - Effie and Qi Huan - James Luke Schaufuss - James, Mia Heathcote - Effie and Sarah Thomson - The Sylphide Luke Schaufuss - James and Sarah Thomson - The Sylphide More pictures on www.johnrossballetgallery.co.uk Edited August 5, 2015 by johnross 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheilaC Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 Pity that the way the rehearsal was organised didn't permit a photo of Yanela Pinera. I was at the talk she did on Sunday for the British Friends of the National Ballet of Cuba, her previous company, and she was very interesting. They do a version of Sylphide in Cuba but very different from Schauffus's, for instance there is more direct partnering whereas in his version James does not touch the Sylph. Schaufuss went to Australia the last two weeks to polish and correct the production and dancers. Pinera is a wonderful Giselle, her favourite role so she should be a good Sylph. I was very impressed when I saw her in Havana three years ago and apparently she was the star at last year's festival, which I was unable to attend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 Foteini Christofilopoulou was also at the dress rehearsal, so here are a few more photos:Luke Schaufuss, Sarah Thompson© Foteini Christofilopoulou. Courtesy of DanceTabs / FlickrSarah Thompson, Luke Schaufuss, Mia Heathcote© Foteini Christofilopoulou. Courtesy of DanceTabs / FlickrYanela Pinera© Foteini Christofilopoulou. Courtesy of DanceTabs / FlickrSee more...Set from DanceTabs: Queensland Ballet - La Sylphide Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthE Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 (edited) I went last night and enjoyed it very much, though was grateful for its short length as I was exhausted! The last RB run was as two-thirds of a double bill, and even with the additional numbers in the Queensland Ballet version which have been mentioned in previous posts, I was out of the theatre within 1hr 50m. I'm no technical expert but I very much enjoyed Mia Heathcote's performance as Effie in particular, and thought the little girl (is that Effie's sister, as mentioned on the cast list? in which case it was Constance Bowles) was excellent as well. Thought it was played considerably more for laughs than the RB version, which is the only other Sylphide I've seen - Madge really hamming it up, and that mime Gurn does twice ("BUT I'M TELLING YOU I SAW IT WITH MY OWN EYES!" followed by his impression of the Sylphide) came across with a lot more humour than I recall. The story-telling was very clear. I'll echo Jane S's disappointment about not being able to obtain a cast sheet without buying a (not cheap) programme. They literally only had one cast sheet per programme, which would of course mean if you went to multiple casts you wouldn't be able to obtain extra cast sheets even if you'd forked out for a programme on your first visit. Very poor show - the usher did at least allow me to take a photo of the list so I knew who I was watching. Oh... and the orchestral playing was... not brilliant. Ensemble all over the place and with some fairly spectacular fluffs in the horns. Edited August 6, 2015 by RuthE 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 I've just noticed there are what I think are top-price tickets for £30 at tkts in Leicester Square for tonight's performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluebird Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 They've given in. Cast sheets were freely available for this afternoon's performance. Sadly, attendance was so poor that even the Upper Circle was closed. Only the Stalls and the Dress Circle were open. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 The 'like' above is for the cast sheet, not the poor attendance. I really don't understand why this happens over and over again: lesser known companies book the Coli for too many performances, only to have it half empty, or at best not well sold, night after night. I assume they are aware of the risk of this happening. Do they need the larger stage I wonder? I know that not everyone can book into Sadler's Wells, but I think that would often have been the better option. I will be going tomorrow evening so really look forward to it but....I now have a gggrrr moment because of those who will get much cheaper tickets than I have!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 but....I now have a gggrrr moment because of those who will get much cheaper tickets than I have!! I feel the same. I booked relatively recently because I wanted to support the Company but one does feel cheated when it might have cost only half the amount. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 It is very rare that any dance performance, let alone a run of half a dozen performances, sells out at the Coli (DNB's Cinderella was a recent exception - I'm not sure why). Visiting dance companies are far too ambitious and put on too many performances. I wonder whether companies have to book by the week, which encourages them to put on an extra two or three performances to help recoup hire costs. Midweek matinees invariably sell very poorly unless they are Nutcracker in the school holidays. However, I don't know the economics of hiring the Coli. Perhaps half sold auditoriums still make money. I'd be interested to know. Sadler's Wells may have been a better venue for QB but the company may have wanted to go to the Coli because it is a West End theatre which is better known for ballet than the Wells. I don't know whether the tube strike has had any effect. I know that you can still get around on buses but it may have put people off - and two days are affected by the strike even though it only lasts 24 hours. I'll be interested to hear how well St Petersburg Ballet sells; it must be confident as it has added several performances to what was already a reasonably long run. Which orchestra is accompanying QB? I hope that it's not the ENB Philharmonia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 I took advantage of the Timeout offer and had a really good seat in the stalls this afternoon. I really enjoyed the performance. I did think it was a bit slow to get going but was hooked by the time we got to the pas de huit in Act 1. I loved Act 2 and was very moved by the end. In many ways this was a trip down Memory Lane for me as this was one of the first productions I saw as a ballet-watching newbie in August 1985 (LFB at RFH - Evdomimova/Schaufuss) and I am so glad I got to see this lovely production again. I loved Hao Bin as James; I don't think the Bournonville style came naturally to him but his dancing in Act 2 was sublime and he gave a really intelligent performance. Eleanor Freeman was absolutely wonderful as Effie. I was not quite as convinced by Clare Morehan as the Sylphide in Act 1 but she was glorious in Act 2. Now, as long as I am on time for my train from Euston, I will have had a fabulous day out. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 Aileen, it was the BRB Sinfonia conducted by Andrew Moreglia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Pigeons Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 Gosh! They usually do better than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 Is the BRB Symphonia the orchestra which normally accompanies BRB? It's usually excellent. Perhaps they had to get a few 'temps' in because it is the holidays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Pigeons Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 Indeed Aileen. Who knows what may have happened but 'temps' may well be the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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