The Royal Ballet: The Sleeping Beauty performances, 2016-2017

[Legseleven]

I so wish I could be there this afternoon to watch the Yasmine Naghdi/Matthew Ball debut - along with, I think, Gina Storm-Jensen as the Lilac Fairy and Anna Rose O'Sullivan/Marci Sambe as the Bluebirds? What a treat! Naghdi's Rose Fairy in Nutcracker quite stole the show for me, so I imagine her Aurora will be breathtaking.

[Bruce Wall]

I so wish I could be there this afternoon to watch the Yasmine Naghdi/Matthew Ball debut - along with, I think, Gina Storm-Jensen as the Lilac Fairy and Anna Rose O'Sullivan/Marci Sambe as the Bluebirds? What a treat! Naghdi's Rose Fairy in Nutcracker quite stole the show for me, so I imagine her Aurora will be breathtaking.

 

What a thrilling cast ... and we know from that incredibly articulate interview last evening at the BA with B. Stix-Brunell that she too will be in the mix somewhere this afternoon.  Can't wait!!!

[Nina G.]

Well what a STAR cast is lined up for the Matinee! 

[alison]

(Have just returned a stalls circle standing to the box office for this afternoon if anyone is tempted)

[ArucariaBallerina]

I saw it on Thursday evening with Akane Takada as Aurora! Beautiful throughout! The bluebirds and cats were amazing! As were the fairies (especially the Songbird fairy!) the Rose Adagio made me cry a little (as usual)! Prince Florimund was also very noble! But somehow, I felt there was just something missing... I don't know what! Nothing has matched the glory of Margot Fonteyn's Beauty, even though I wasn't born when she died! I feel that there were too many 180 degree arabesques and quintuple pirouettes and perhaps not enough sparkle and musicality? Is that normal?

Heap was a graceful Lilac Fairy, but her variation choreography was different? I love the Lilac Fairy's old choreography (developpe, step to arabesque series, then attitude, arabesque, double pirouette, then sissonne, sissonne, double series', attitude devant, assemble, double pirouette into kneel?)

I'm pretty sure one of the Florestan pas de trois girls fell over... Was this just my eyes?

It was magical throughout though! I love ballet

Edited February 18, 2017 by ArucariaBallerina

[Lindsay]

Yes, I saw the NYCB production last week Bruce and agree about the tempi. But I thought Florestan on Thursday was quicker even than the NY version, and certainly quicker than recent RB performances - which may have taken the dancers by surprise...

Edited February 18, 2017 by Lindsay

[zxDaveM]

I can't really do it justice, but just to say I've had another of those "my socks are missing, they were blown off so hard" moments at this afternoon's matinee, with Yasmine Nagdhi's scintlilating Aurora. Never have I heard of so many likeminded folk saying how moved they were (a proper tear in the eye moment) at the end of the Rose Adage. The Rose Adage!! It was so beautifully, and engagingly danced, I'm sure even Sleeping Beauty doubters would have been won over. It was simply, a privilege to be there - and even better, I'm going for a repeat dose next Saturday! I'll even miss Wales' rugby match to catch it. Which says it all (for anyone who knows me in e real world).

[Sim]

Wow....stunning debuts from Naghdi and Ball this afternoon. Beautifully classical, emotional depths rarely attained in this ballet, joyful and once again illustrating what a truly special partnership this is. More later, but I had to get that out before I burst! Now I can't wait for their next performance.

[Lindsay]

Having seen a few performances this week and some lovely debuts all around, I came away thinking that Kevin O'Hare got his recent principal promotions absolutely right, that the company is now reaping the full rewards of Gailene Stock's work in turning around the RBS and that Sambe and O'Sullivan are surely the two up-and-coming dancers to watch. I would love to see them do Rhapsody!

[munchkin16]

I was standing for the matinee and it was very very worth the trip into London. Yasmine Nagdhi and the entire company were beautiful. Very happy I was lucky enough to see such an incredible performance.

[SPD444]

Following on from Frankie's wonderful performance last Thursday when I was sitting in the Amphitheatre; I was standing in the SC this afternoon round about number 54 so, although I lost the right hand side of the stage ( couldn't see the baby in the prologue ) I did see faces clearly. I purposely glanced at the girls faces watching Yasmine during the Rose Adagio and they looked absolutely thrilled for her, absolute genuine joy and how deserved it was. I have now seen two joyous performances from two ladies who, I hope, will be our jewels in the crown for many years to come. I think a word to for Gina Storm-Jensen who did a lovely job of the Lilac Fairy, no real barnstorming solos but told the story really well. How about Leticia Stock, Fairy of the Crystal Fountain in the Prologue, I am sure she was also one of the knitters who nearly got put to death, good job she wasn't as she was then one of Florestan's sisters and Anna Rose; a Golden Vine in the prologue, a friend of Aurora's in Act 1 the bluebird with Marcelino in Act 3. There is star quality there to. And finally a shout for Alastair Marriott as Cattalabutte, he really hammed up the character in the prologue and the sequence when Carabosse demands to know why she had not been invited to the christening, the Queen quickly blames the King, who immediately blames Cattalabutte was perfectly done, followed by his agony of his wig being removed, Brilliant comedy.

 

Only one left for me now, Frankie again on Monday. My standing companion reminded me that this will also be Osipova's debut as Aurora with the RB as, when rehearsing for the last run, she injured herself and was unable to dance - sorry I haven't got a ticket for that now.

[MAB]

I rather expected Naghdi to do well as Aurora, I just never imagined her doing THAT well.  Stunning debut, self assurance and dewy freshness with impeccable technique  Wow!

[Shya100]

I am glad the debuts are going well. Seeing it Monday night and looking forward to it.

[Anna C]

I feel absolutely blessed to have seen that debut from Yasmine Naghdi this afternoon. She's long been one of my favourite dancers and I'm over the moon that she's being given principal roles. She has SUCH star quality. Her footwork is sublime; assured but never hurried. Technically she is superb but she radiates such joy which seems to reach to every corner of the ROH. I love Tchaikovsky's music for SB but the very length of the ballet and all the divertissements usually make it a bit of a slog for me. Not today though - I've never ever cried at the Rose Adage before but I was weeping buckets today. Same with the Grand PDD. I am loving the partnership of Naghdi and Ball - long may it continue.

 

Kudos to Gina Storm-Jensen who I thought did a fine job with Lilac today - also to Anna-Rose O'Sullivan, multi-tasking beautifully; Marcelino Sambé for his incredible leaps, the "knitting ladies" for very convincing acting, and Elizabeth McGorian who was a fabulous Carabosse.

 

Absolutely bowled over by Naghdi and Ball though. Not sure how Yasmine is going to get all those well-deserved bouquets home!

[capybara]

Having seen a few performances this week and some lovely debuts all around, I came away thinking that Kevin O'Hare got his recent principal promotions absolutely right, 

 

Not disagreeing with you (I have 'liked' your post) but, were I in Kevin's shoes, I would have promoted Yasmine Naghdi to Principal after her Aurora this afternoon. She was AMAZING!!!! More when I've had time for it all to sink in.

[Jamesrhblack]

A truly beautiful debut from Yasmine Naghdi today, very different in style from Francesca Hayward in style as was to be expected and, possibly, even more elegantly classical. That little bit of extra length of leg and arm can be used so languorously and elegantly and she seemed to have all the time in the world to luxuriate. She seems such a natural adagio dancer that it's almost a surprise to see her turn on such a show of speed and yet without any sense of rush. I thought her Vision solo particularly beautiful and also wondered if the success of her Rose Adagio balances (no hesitating, no wobbling) is ascribale to her wonderful musicality: every raising of the arms was prompted by the musical cue. It wasn't a question of can I, am I ready, but this is when it had to be. Lovely.

 

I have no wish to seem churlish but for me the afternoon was not quite as much of a revelation as Thursday afternoon and that had a little something to do with Matthew Ball, also en debut, Florimund. He has a handsome presence and beautiful soulful eyes but, I am guessing, through sheer comparative lack of experience, he didn't seem able to flesh out the character in the same way as Alexander Campbell had done, even though, as with Naghdi in comparison with Hayward his longer lines and more elegant physique might seem better suited to the intrinsic nature of the choreography. That he can project vividly when presented with a stronger narrative situation was attested to by his performance as Woolf Works (I know it\s abstract in theory but the Spetimus character is very well defined) and, I understand, from his Romeo. He and Naghdi obviously enjoy working together and it was a pity that a stumble as he came on stage for the Act 3 coda seemed, understandably, to introduce a sense of caution at the last.

 

I was delighted finally to catch Elizabeth McGorian's glamorous, forcefully projected Carabosse (long stage experience spoke loudly here), was absolutely delighted by Anna Rose O'Sullivan as both Golden Vine and Princess Florine and agree with Lindsay that her partnership with Marcello Sambé, an exciting if not entirely neat Bluebird, showed great achievement and even more exciting promise. A special hurrah for Kristen McNally who brought the Countess vividly alive with beautiful detailed mime and interaction and for Christina Arestis, who seems to have inherited Genesia Rosato's status as most beautiful and elegant woman on the ROH stage, as the Queen.

 

Gina Storm-Jensen sadly joined my worryingly long list of Lilac Fairies who just couldn't cope with what seems a remarkably treacherous solo, although I think nerves rather than ability played a very large part. She got unnervingly close down stage to the right hand wing during the diagonal and the turning section came to grief. Her mime in Act One was beautifully delivered though (and, for the first time, I clocked the Lilac Fairy gesturing to each of the four Princes to carry Aurora to rest - and then wondered what their take on things was when Florimund turned up and snuffled their bride) and I am sure that confidence and experience will see an improvement here.

 

So, for me, as an artistic whole it didn't quite match the emotional journey and magic of Thursday afternoon but for Yasmine Naghdi I have nothing but the highest praise.

 

How lucky the company is to have her and Francesca Hayward to take it forward, with Beatrix Stix-Brunell (who also struggled a bit with the Lilac Fairy's solo on Thursday), Claire Calvert, Anna Rose O'Sullivan and Tierney Heap on the distaff side, and Matthew Ball (who notwithstanding some criticism above is a wonderfully talented and promising dancer), Reece Clarke, Tristan Dyer, Nicol Edmonds, James Hay (who I must see in a principal role soon) and Calvin Richardson (who was first class in Woolf Works) leading a remarkably varied and impressive group of young me.

 

I appreciate others may have seen more than I and have others who have caught the eye and, although her role as Aurora's Friend seems scarcely a good match for her talents, long to see Olivia Cowley more widely used (and am delighted, going odd piste for this thread, to be seeing her as Larisch).

[Nina G.]

I have yet to come back down to earth after seeing the glorious Yasmine Naghdi as "Aurora" this afternoon. I am honestly lost for words and I cannot begin to describe the heights she reached this afternoon. Was this really her debut? She danced with such ease as if she'd done it all before. Having seeing her stunning debut as the Sugar Plum Fairy I expected a beautiful Aurora but I did not expect Miss Naghdi would surpass herself again.

 

I'd say a true Royal classical ballerina was born this afternoon: her great self-confidence, those assured Rose Adagio balances, her oh so clean footwork, her strength when executing every balance, never a wobble in sight, pure perfection, all helped by her beautiful classical line (love those sway-back legs!), her arms expressing every note in the music, her ease when performing the most demanding of steps, her three perfect portrayals of Aurora in the various acts, she was stunning and brought tears to my eyes on various occasions. She has the capacity to dance for the whole audience, not only those in the front row but also for those high up in the Amphitheatre.

 

Matthew Ball, was a true Prince, still very young but he danced beautifully. He did not have a stumble at the beginning of Act 3 but he had a very unfortunate slip as he ran on but he picked himself up with real grace. Naghdi and Ball look wonderful together and I have no doubt once Ball will have got himself up to the level of Naghdi's technic and experience they will be a true star couple at the RB. 

 

Anna Rose O'Sullivan was a wonderful Princess Florine and together with Sambe they were a joy to watch too. I thought the Corps danced beautifully as well.

 

The afternoon belonged to Naghdi & Ball who made Sleeping Beauty oh so exciting to watch.

 

I agree with others, the RB now has two young female star dancers in Hayward and Naghdi, each one very different in look and in style of dancing, and like Capybara said I kind of expected Mr O'Hare to jump onto the stage and promote Naghdi to Principal right there (as they do in Paris and other companies).

[LinMM]

I had really so wanted to see Naghdi do this but couldn't make any of the Saturdays she was dancing unfortunately but it doesn't surprise me at all that she is being so well acknowledged now ....and it is very satisfying to see a dancer you have particularly followed from the corps making such a success of things.

Will just have to wait to see her do Beauty.

Will be seeing Osipova in a couple of weeks and I'm sure she won't disappoint but where as I see Naghdi as a natural Aurora I'm still not sure about this role for Osipova even though I know she will be brilliant technically. Fingers crossed!!

[Jan McNulty]

I can only echo the comments above at Yasmine Nagdhi as Aurora - she was born to dance the role!  I was sobbing at the end of the rose adagio, during the vision scene and the gpdd.  I love how ethereal she was in the vision scene.  Matthew Ball was her perfect Prince.

 

I have to say though that I much prefer SPW's BRB production.

[jmhopton]

I can only echo the praise of everyone else who was at today's matinee; Yasmine and Matthew created a terrific partnership and both danced with such style and elegance and musicality; impossible to believe it was a debut performance. if they both didn't look so young you would think they had been dancing the roles for years.

 

I count myself as being incredibly blessed this week having seen Vadim and Marianella, Frankie and Alex and now Yasmine and Matthew; 3 incredible performances and most of them debuts. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better along came another one and I started to run out of superlatives all over again!

 

I do think part of the reason for the current successes (many of them 'homegrown' and have come through the Royal ballet School) is partly to do with the dramatic as well as technical training they received there, and the Royal ballet emphasis on dramatic ballets in their rep. The result is that everyone on stage contributes to the whole performance; there are no 'mere onlookers' and the emphasis is on the dramatic picture as a whole and not just on the principles. I hope this continues to flourish in the Royal as ballet is about much more than technique and high extensions. I remember when the Royal took Manon to Russia a year or 2 ago a critic there said Russian dancers would do well to study the Royal's technique as everyone on stage mattered; it didn't matter if you were a beggar, prostitute or even a bystander, everyone played a part and contributed to the ballet. Similarly when I saw a recent POB recording of Manon I ended up longing for the carefully fleshed out characters created so beautifully by Gary Avis, Christopher Saunders, Laura Morera and others. They absorb and become whatever characters they play and are wholly convincing and add immeasurably to the success of the ballet.

 

Sleeping Beauty hasn't the same opportunities for character development yet there must be some or dancers won't develop their interpretation and grow in the roles.

 

Also I hope the Royal never abandon training in the Ashton style as this creates beautiful upper body movement and fast footwork; a very welcome change from some of the 'slowing down' that is creeping in to other companies. You only have to look at old recordings of the 50s and 60s to know that dances were often taken quite fast then with none of the luxurious 'poses' and extensions that can sometimes happen today.

 

However, on the evidence on this weeks performances the Royal Ballet looks to be in very safe hands  (or feet!) for many years to come. Indeed, it looks as if we are in for another Golden Period of British ballet and I'm only glad I am around to enjoy it.

 

.

[alison]

Well, I only hope that whoever had my returned ticket enjoyed it as much as you all seem to have done.

[capybara]

Reece Clarke' s debut anyone? Please don't keep us in suspense !!!!!

[Lindsay]

I agree with everyone that Naghdi's was an incredibly secure and confident debut as Aurora. But I still think O'Hare made the right choice with his promotions. There is something of real subtlety and delicacy in Hayward's upper body - her port de bras in the side developpe section at the beginning of the vision solo were just beautiful - that isn't quite there yet with Naghdi. This really is splitting hairs between two incredibly talented dancers, but for me Hayward adds an extra something to the musicality and characterisation that is very mature, more like the finished product. And I know that not everyone agrees with me but I think Takada is one of the best interpreters in the classical roles that I have ever seen - as well as a very lively Kitri.

 

But I'm sure Naghdi will be promoted soon and I would hope that O'Sullivan's day will also come in due time.

 

Agree also that with everyone that Campbell js really coming along as an exceptional partner. The one arm fish dives looked effortless and resulted in beautifully aligned positions. Ball does not yet have that finesse. But again it should come with time.

[capybara]

I find that I can appreciate all three of the female dancers you mention, Lindsay, but in different ways.

 

There is one whose overall artistry has the edge for me (of course, we all see things different ways) but I do hope that we are not going to have a re-run of the 'competition' which was on here a while ago. I want to just be able to rejoice in the amazing young talent before us at the RB.

Edited February 19, 2017 by capybara

[annamk]

I find that I can appreciate all three of the female dancers you mention, Lindsay, but in different ways.

 

There is one whose overall artistry has the edge for me (of course, we all see things different ways) but I do hope that we are not going to have a re-run of the 'competition' which was on here a while ago. I want to just be able to rejoice in the amazing young talent before us at the RB.

[annamk]

I'm unable to make the Naghdi/Ball performances so I'm really interested to hear what people felt were the differences between the dancers. Why do we have to think of it as a competition ?

[nycitybird]

I'd only seen the bluebirds on YouTube before with Alexander Campbell and Yuhui Choe, so I was a bit disappointed with the two couples I saw this week. Both danced well separately but neither had the unison in that difficult footwork section that made the video so special. Campbell and Choe are such a great partnership, I do hope they still get to dance together sometimes, much as I like Campbell and Hayward together.

[Jamesrhblack]

I don't think people regard it as a competition annamk, but people will inevitably compare their impressions of different casts. At this exciting time for the Royal Ballet, with a wealth of young talent emerging in a series of major debuts in the core repertoire, it's inevitable that people will cite preferences but I'm not sure that is necessarily competitive...

 

For me, the essential difference between Francesca Hayward and Yasmine Naghdi is to do with their physicality. Both seem exceptionally fluent in their response to the music and despite her small size Hayward never compromises on the expansion of the movement. However, the essential impression for me of her dancing was diamond bright, dazzling even, with some remarkable height on her jump and a coruscating brilliance of footwork. She can soften her style for the Vision Scene and infuse it with a glowing radiance for the Wedding Scene. The Collier comparison seems inevitable but is flattering too, she being one of the most iconic dancers of the Royal Ballet's recent history.

 

Naghdi is longer of line, more languorous of manner, and although nothing is shirked at speed, comes across, to me, very much an adagio dancer. She can hold a moment in time in a way that already makes you catch your breath and her wonderfully open shoulders and back give real length to her line. For me, there was, perhaps, just a little less variety in her performance than in Hayward's but it was most beautifully and expressively danced, rich in achievement and even richer in promise. To continue the precious stone imagery, perhaps hers was more the deeper glow of an opalescent pearl. In time, I can see her developing as a more obviously "classical" dancer than Hayward and wondered, in an idle moment, if her style was reminiscent of Svetlana Beriosova's. Of course, I never saw her dance, but reading descriptions I could sense some similarities.

 

I think everybody is in agreement that the impact of Hayward's already remarkable performance was enhanced by the truly outstanding performance of Alexander Campbell. His greater experience over Matthew Ball paid dividends in terms of character projection, character interaction, security of partnering and technical neatness, even brilliance, and his partnership with Hayward created a warmth and sincerity at the heart of the performance that was a first for me in this ballet.

 

It's evident that Naghi and Ball enjoy working working together and are physically very well matched. At the moment, I think she brings a little more to the partnership than he does (at least on the evidence of yesterday) but he is young and immensely talented and can only develop with more performances. It is always the danger that we regard any debut as a finished product whereas in fact it is the beginning of what can be a long and fulfilling artistic journey, the experience from ballet to ballet and role to role infusing each and every opportunity.

 

I'm quibbling at a high level though: it was wonderful to see two debut performances of such accomplishment.

[Nina G.]

I'm unable to make the Naghdi/Ball performances so I'm really interested to hear what people felt were the differences between the dancers. Why do we have to think of it as a competition ?

 

 

I certainly don't think of Naghdi and Hayward, two uniquely talented British dancers, in terms of competition and it is totally unnecessary to even contemplate hairsplitting differences.                                                                                                                    

 

They are great artists in their own right. They each dance differently and have their trademarks, both are very musical but in different ways. Hayward has her own unique musical style of dancing, with beautiful epaulement; Naghdi on the other hand has purity of classical line and the physical abilities necessary to dance highly classical ballets, she does 6 o'clock penchees, high attitude arabesques etc. etc. Each of these two ballerinas are very special in their own right.  

 

Some may prefer Hayward's style, others may prefer Naghdi's style (that's a matter of personal taste) but these two RB female British star dancers must be appreciated each for their own uniqueness in representing the trademark Royal Ballet style of dancing. 

 

The Royal Ballet is, as someone said, entering Golden Years, with so many talented male and female dancers coming through the ranks, the great majority all British trained.

[Shya100]

I am afraid on these forums I constantly have the feeling that people are pitting them against eachother and it leaves an uneasy taste.

[imogensevans]

How I wish I had a ticket to see the current run of Sleeping Beauty! It sounds as if there have been some exciting debuts.

Did anyone see Reece Clarke's debut as the prince?

[Timmie]

Well at the risk of some repetition I have to say that yesterday's matinee was an out of this world performance.

 

Prologue, the five minor (if that is the right word) fairies were all excellent which is not something that can always be said. Tierney Heap’s Enchanted Garden fairy and Anna Rose O’Sullivan’s Golden Vine fairy were a bit extra special. Gina Storm-Jensen’s mime (I loved her mime), stage presence and strength of character were what is needed from a Lilac Fairy but she struggled in parts of her solo – nervousness I guess.

 

Act 1, I had such high expectations for this performance and as soon as Yasmine Naghdi appeared (with some nice appearance-applause from the audience) you knew it was going to be great. Everything you could hope for. Fantastic technique, sparkling character and eye-misting emotional content. Her balances were astonishing and you knew the four princes knew it too, they were approaching from so far away that you could tell they had no fears for her. Fantastic. The finger-pricking solo – you know what is coming but it is still exciting and worrying and totally involving, such a great dance actress.

 

Act 2, Kristen McNally was an excellent countess with Bennet Gartside a suitably put-upon ‘blind-man’. The vision scene was beautiful, I love the slow dance to the cello solo.

 

In Act 3 Puss-In-Boots and the White Cat are worthy of a mention with extra character details I hadn’t seen before and deservingly got many chuckles from the audience. Keven Emerton and Camille Bracher, two dancers I had not previously heard of. The Bluebird duo I thought were very good. When you see Marcelino Sambe’s name you know you are getting great jumps but his lines in the air were also very nice. The Grand-Pas-de-Deux, wow, another amazing showing. Fantastic fish dives but for me the best bits were Naghdi’s arms, such rippling, such symmetry, such grace, outstanding.

 

During the whole performance I felt the Royal Ballet had stepped up their game and brought everything they had to this wonderful SB. Roll on next Saturday!

[bridiem]

I am afraid on these forums I constantly have the feeling that people are pitting them against eachother and it leaves an uneasy taste.

 

I don't have that feeling at all, Shya100. There's absolutely nothing wrong with compare and contrast, or differences of opinion, or shades of opinion. It's also very interesting and instructive to talk about how dancers differ from each other and/or complement each other. And to reflect on how fortunate we are to have such dancers to talk about. The key is for opinions to be expressed respectfully, in terms of both the dancers and the other Forum posters, and as far as I can see that is generally very well adhered to.