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15 minutes ago, Angela said:

Stuttgart Ballet will not renew the contract of house choreographer Demis Volpi after this season.

Wow. Even in Australia we've seen some of his work (ok it was Elisa Badenes and Daniel Camargo in Little Monsters and we all fell in lust with one or other of them the second the lights came up), and I would have thought he'd be an asset they would be very keen to retain. 

 

Incidentally after Schwanensee in Berlin on Friday and Romeo und Julia in Stuttgart on Saturday, I am very impressed with the men's dancing, much stronger overall than we usually have with Australian Ballet. Also enjoyed the Patrice Bart production with the Queen getting to dance a couple of solos. Salenko and Tamazlacaru were wonderful to watch, but I nearly expired of excitement in Stuttgart watching David Moore and Elisa Badenes in the title roles, and Matteo Crockard-Villa's Tybalt and Louis Stiens' Mercutio were also impressive. 

 

I also liked two Stuttgart initiatives: you can pick up a postcard for free in the foyer, fill in the blanks and circle the appropriate options on the pre-printed back, drop it in the box, and it's posted wherever you want for free - a wonderful advertisement. Also, at every interval, two dancers come out and sign autographs and chat at a table in the foyer. Table was mobbed by the usual suspects - elderly and mature-aged ballet geeks like myself, and all the children in the audience. Excellent idea. 

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According to the press release, the reason may have been his full-length "Salome" in 2016, which consisted of an an impressive mise-en-scene and less impressive dance. Volpi started as an interesting and also inventive choreographer at the Noverre evenings and somehow, along the way, turned out to be more of a stage director, telling stories and finding the perfect pictures (not so much the steps) for what he intented to tell. The last three pieces after his veeeery successful "Krabat" in 2013 were more or less disappointing, before "Salome" it was Stravinsky's "Histoire du soldat". The last thing he made two weeks ago, you may have read the review by Duck, was Britten's "Death in Venice" in a great, impressive production, intellectually sophisticated and at the same time with much more dance than usual, fascinating and exciting. Reid Anderson says in the press release that Volpi may be more of an opera director than a choreographer. Volpi will be working freelance from now one and has enough offers for ballets and opera productions.

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On 2017-5-18 at 10:01, Angela said:

Hamburg Ballet will record two performances of Nijinsky in May, with Alexandre Riabko and Ivan Urban - yeah!!! Finally!!!

 

Are these at the very end of the month?  I'm there for work .. and have tickets :) .... Excitement abounds :) 

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the 25th and 27th - you can wave from the audience! ;)

 

At Berlin State Ballet, principal dancer Nadia Saidakova retired from the stage today with a last Tatiana in Cranko's Onegin. She took off her point shoes:

 

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Stuttgart Ballet next season https://www.stuttgart-ballet.de/schedule/17-18season/

 

Lots of works by John Cranko in memory of his 90th birthday - Onegin and Swan Lake, plus a number of shorter works (Jeu de Cartes, Brouillards, Initials R.B.M.E, L'Estro Armonico). Also a full month of events "behind the scenes" with open classes and rehearsals in relation to works by John Cranko.

A festive week in celebration of Reid Anderson at the end of the 17/18 season.

Ashton's La fille mal gardee, Robbins' Dances at a Gathering. A revised version of Spuck's Lulu which he created for the company in the past.

Death in Venice, the co-production with Stuttgart Opera, will be back on stage following the enormous success this season. The triple bill "Night pieces" from the current season is revived, too. Five world premieres by Marco Goecke and four dancers with the company in a mixed bill "The fab five".

 

------------

 

Needless to say, I love it :)

 

 

 

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41 minutes ago, Duck said:

Stuttgart Ballet next season https://www.stuttgart-ballet.de/schedule/17-18season/

 

Lots of works by John Cranko in memory of his 90th birthday - Onegin and Swan Lake, plus a number of shorter works (Jeu de Cartes, Brouillards, Initials R.B.M.E, L'Estro Armonico). Also a full month of events "behind the scenes" with open classes and rehearsals in relation to works by John Cranko.

A festive week in celebration of Reid Anderson at the end of the 17/18 season.

Ashton's La fille mal gardee, Robbins' Dances at a Gathering. A revised version of Spuck's Lulu which he created for the company in the past.

Death in Venice, the co-production with Stuttgart Opera, will be back on stage following the enormous success this season. The triple bill "Night pieces" from the current season is revived, too. Five world premieres by Marco Goecke and four dancers with the company in a mixed bill "The fab five".

 

------------

 

Needless to say, I love it :)

 

 

 

As do I!

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Not me. Company News: Constantine Allen and Pablo von Sternenfels are leaving for private/personal reasons, without having a new company. Robert Robinson is leaving to study Tango in South America and do his own gala projects, Myriam Simon is leaving for Les Grands Ballet Canadiens, British dancer Adam Russell-Jones is leaving for NDT 2 (which is perfect for him, but what a pity!). House choreographer Demis Volpi is leaving, as is choreologist Georgette Tsinguirides, after 72 years of working at the Staatstheater Stuttgart!

Marti Fernandez Paixa is promoted to soloist, joining the company will be Moacir de Oliveira from the Teatro Municipal Rio de Janeiro, Mert Erdin from Het Nationale, Daniele Silingardi from ENB and six former apprentices from the Cranko School (Sinead Brodd, Julliane Franzoi, Mona-Patricia Hartmann, Timoor Afshar, Alessandro Giaquinto and Adrian Oldenburger).

Diana Ionescu will join as an apprentice on a Prix de Lausanne scholarship, four other apprentices will join from the Cranko School.

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1 hour ago, Angela said:

Not me. Company News: Constantine Allen and Pablo von Sternenfels are leaving for private/personal reasons, without having a new company. Robert Robinson is leaving to study Tango in South America and do his own gala projects, Myriam Simon is leaving for Les Grands Ballet Canadiens, British dancer Adam Russell-Jones is leaving for NDT 2 (which is perfect for him, but what a pity!). House choreographer Demis Volpi is leaving, as is choreologist Georgette Tsinguirides, after 72 years of working at the Staatstheater Stuttgart!

Marti Fernandez Paixa is promoted to soloist, joining the company will be Moacir de Oliveira from the Teatro Municipal Rio de Janeiro, Mert Erdin from Het Nationale, Daniele Silingardi from ENB and six former apprentices from the Cranko School (Sinead Brodd, Julliane Franzoi, Mona-Patricia Hartmann, Timoor Afshar, Alessandro Giaquinto and Adrian Oldenburger).

Diana Ionescu will join as an apprentice on a Prix de Lausanne scholarship, four other apprentices will join from the Cranko School.

 

Oh nooo !!! I knew about Demis Volpi and Georgette Tsinguirides but not about the others - the article in the local newspaper earlier in the year about Robert Robinson had described it as "time out" rather than leaving the company, I have really enjoyed the performances by Adam Russell-Jones, and Constantine Allen und Pablo von Sternenfels are still shown as dancers for next season in the online brochure. Yes, this makes next season, as much as I enjoy the programming, somewhat less appealing. :(

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Interesting for many of us in the UK to note that Daniele Silingardi is joining Stuttgart from ENB.

In relation to Constantine Allen, one might suspect that whichever company he is joining is not yet ready to announce him.

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3 hours ago, capybara said:

Interesting for many of us in the UK to note that Daniele Silingardi is joining Stuttgart from ENB.

In relation to Constantine Allen, one might suspect that whichever company he is joining is not yet ready to announce him.

 

Adding intrigue indeed Capybara. Though I would think as he guested successfully and ENB were auditioning for Soloists this season...and ENB have not announced next season yet...

 

Could it be? 

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  • 5 weeks later...

 

Bavarian State Ballet has a new principal: Cuban dancer Alejandro Virelles has joined the company, coming from ENB.

 

Stuttgart Ballet has cancelled the new "Kafka" evening by Marco Goecke on June 30th due to illness of the choreographer. No news yet if the work will be created next season or later.

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The German dancer Jan Stripling, former soloist with Stuttgart Ballet during John Cranko's time, has died in London yesterday, aged 75 years. He created roles in many Cranko ballets, for example one of the shadows/former lovers of Margot Fonteyn in „Poème de l’extase“. He was in the first performances of MacMillans „Song of the Earth“ and Glen Tetley’s „Voluntaries“. He was Cranko’s favorite Prince Gremin in „Onegin“ next to Marcia Haydée for many years. With his wife Anne Woolliams he moved to Australia in 1976, where she directed the Australian Ballet, later they directed the ballet company in Vienna for three years and they founded the Swiss Ballet School at Zurich.

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  • 3 weeks later...

At Stuttgart Ballet, Marco Goecke’s contract as resident choreographer was not renewed. Tamas Detrich, who will direct the company from September 2018, wants to work without resident choreographers. Goecke has commissions for the next three to four years all over Europe, he‘ll work for NDT and Paris Opera Ballet, older pieces will be staged at Berlin State Ballet or the Stanislavsky Ballet. A heavy loss for Stuttgart, where Goecke has been working for ten years, and a very controversial start for Tamas Detrich.

 

Bavarian State Ballet at Munich announces that not only Natalia Osipova will repeat her Katharina in John Cranko’s "Taming of the Shrew" in September, but that she will dance with Sergei Polunin who has not danced the role before – or ever in a Cranko piece. Casting will be announced in September – since Zelensky’s start at Munich, the casting is published on the website only days before the (normally sold-out) performances, many people complain about that.

 

Promotions at Munich: Jonah Cook will be promoted to Principal dancer, Erik Murzagaliyev and Alexander Omelchenko will be promoted to soloist, Dmitry Vyskubenko to demi-soloist. Prisca Zeisel was promoted to soloist already in April.

Many dancers are leaving the company: Matej Urban joins Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, Mai Kono joins Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Nicha Rodboon will dance with Royal Ballet of Flanders. Radka Príhodová and Adam Zvonar will go back home to dance with Czech National Ballet at Prague. Robin Strona joins Dresden Ballet, Gianmarco Romano joins Finish National Ballet. No reports about new dancers yet.... maybe three days before they are on stage in September :rolleyes:

 

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Hi Angela

 

There were some announcements recently from the Royal Ballet School and English National Ballet School about graduate contracts. Some of these are in Germany. These may be some of the new dancers.

 

From RBS

 

Bayerische Staatsoper

Isabella Knights

 

Semperoper Ballett Dresden

Rio Anderson

Ella Vickerman

 

StaatsBallett II Bayerische Staatsoper

 

Rodrigo Pinto

Fraser Roach

 

From ENB School, there are graduates heading to Stuttgart, Dresden, Zurich, Graz, Munich and Czech National Ballet. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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There a r e reports of new dancers in Munich (new booklet ‚Spielzeit 2017/18’).

 

Besides of Kristina Lind (soloist, ex-member National Ballet of Holland) and Alejandro Virelles (first soloist, ex-member of English National Ballet), both of them already announced, there are:

the new demi-solists Arianna Maldini (The Royal Ballet’s Aud Jebsen Young Dancers Programme, first prize at the 2015 Ursula Moreton Choreographic Awards), Sergio Navarro and Emilio Pavan,

and many new members of the corps de ballet, from A like Stanislava Aitova to T like Giovanni Tombacco.

 

Mr. Zelensky gave as a reason for his decisions: “Some [dancers] leave, some I fired. I wanted more quality according to my taste – those are not bad dancers, but I have my vision of what I want to do in the future. […] It’s a huge drama, 18 of 69 are really many. It will take much time to bind all together anew.” “We will try to show more contemporary dance. I don’t know whether the audience likes that, but the dancers love it and I love it.” (dpa-Interview, translation by Ilona Landgraf).

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4 minutes ago, Oberon said:

There a r e reports of new dancers in Munich (new booklet ‚Spielzeit 2017/18’).

 

Besides of Kristina Lind (soloist, ex-member National Ballet of Holland) and Alejandro Virelles (first soloist, ex-member of English National Ballet), both of them already announced, there are:

the new demi-solists Arianna Maldini (The Royal Ballet’s Aud Jebsen Young Dancers Programme, first prize at the 2015 Ursula Moreton Choreographic), Sergio Navarro and Emilio Pavan,

and many new members of the corps de ballet, from A like Stanislava Aitova to T like Giovanni Tombacco.

 

Mr. Zelensky gave as a reason for his decisions: “Some [dancers] leave, some I fired. I wanted more quality according to my taste – those are not bad dancers, but I have my vision of what I want to do in the future. […] It’s a huge drama, 18 of 69 are really many. It will take much time to bind all together anew.” “We will try to show more contemporary dance. I don’t know whether the audience likes that, but the dancers love it and I love it.” (dpa-Interview, translation by Ilona Landgraf).


Thanks for this, Oberon.  Interesting to see that Emilio Pavan is joining Munich - especially as he had been featured in ENB's Emerging Dancer programme.  I hadn't heard that before.  Not for this Forum strand of course, but does ENB publish an annual 'leaver/joiner' listing?  There have been so many rumours ... and the rest of us just sit in the dark wondering what is what thereabouts.  As it is I am aware of announcement of three exciting ENB principal joiners but little else.  A yes or no will suffice .. knowing this issue is of concern elsewhere not specifically here.  

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Thank you, Oberon. I had mentionend Virelles already, and still it's a bit strange to report lots of leavers but no joiners in an end-of-the-season press release. Never mind.

Ilona Landgraf reports on her blog that Shklyarov and Shirinka are leaving, too.

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On 12/07/2017 at 12:08, Oberon said:

There a r e reports of new dancers in Munich (new booklet ‚Spielzeit 2017/18’).

 

Besides of Kristina Lind (soloist, ex-member National Ballet of Holland) and Alejandro Virelles (first soloist, ex-member of English National Ballet), both of them already announced, there are:

the new demi-solists Arianna Maldini (The Royal Ballet’s Aud Jebsen Young Dancers Programme, first prize at the 2015 Ursula Moreton Choreographic Awards), Sergio Navarro and Emilio Pavan,

and many new members of the corps de ballet, from A like Stanislava Aitova to T like Giovanni Tombacco.

 

Mr. Zelensky gave as a reason for his decisions: “Some [dancers] leave, some I fired. I wanted more quality according to my taste – those are not bad dancers, but I have my vision of what I want to do in the future. […] It’s a huge drama, 18 of 69 are really many. It will take much time to bind all together anew.” “We will try to show more contemporary dance. I don’t know whether the audience likes that, but the dancers love it and I love it.” (dpa-Interview, translation by Ilona Landgraf).

 

Good to see Arianna Maldini (RBS and RB Aud Jebsen) has a demi-soloist contract - seems like a good move and good luck to her next season

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The leaving of Maria Shirinkina and Wladimir Shklyarov would be a massive loss for the Staatsballett in Munich. But Ilona Landgraf had to “update” her alarming news: “Maria Shirinkina and Vladimir Shklyarov are currently under negotiation […] the press office […] wrote that, “as of today neither party has terminated cooperation.””

 

In general in this case the “informations from within” in the Landgraf-blog are not very reliable, for example: “If the numbers are correct, the troupe currently consists of only 47 dancers”. Yes, if, but the official 2017/18-preview records 61 dancers and 4 vacancies (“N.N.”).

 

Apparently since last year we have a new tradition in Munich: in July critics try to convince the public that a “Münchner Tanzdesaster” (quotation Manuel Brug, Die Welt, in 2016) is at hand, thus contrasting in an animating and diverting way the excellent performances and promising new dancers to come in September...

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  • 1 month later...

News from Berlin State Ballet

 

Daniil Simkin will be a principal dancer for Berlin State Ballet from 2018 on; he’ll keep on guesting with ABT, but „subject to availability“, as the press release from Berlin states. When everybody else keeps running away from the company which will be directed from 2018 by German dance theater choreographer Sasha Waltz and by Johannes Öhman, former director of Swedish National Ballet, Simkin seems to know what he is doing. He says he is looking forward to the task. Waltz and Öhman say that Simkin is „one of the five best male classical dancers worldwide, technically and artistically brillant“. Simkin was raised in Germany, his father Dmitri was a dancer at Wiesbaden, so he knows the German theatre system.

 

The new season 2017/2018 starts with twelve new dancers at State Ballet, which will be directed for one more year by Nacho Duato. Alexander Bird and Lewis Turner come from Birmingham Royal Ballet, Tabatha Rumeur and Lauren Kennedy come from the Ballet du Capitole at Toulouse. Murilo Gabriel de Oliveira comes from Rio de Janeiro (his twin brother Moacir Emanoel de Oliveira will go to Stuttgart). Other new dancers at Berlin are Nathan Chaney from the US, Amy Bale from Australia, Marco Arena from Bavarian State Ballet and Jenni Schäferhoff from Dresden Semperoper Ballett. Olympia Alfa N’Gobi comes from the Mikhailovsky, Jin Chen from Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and Gregor Glocke from the Staatliche Ballettschule Berlin.

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Bavarian State Ballet has updated its roster page. Shklyarov and Shirinkina are now listed as guests, no longer as principals.

The casting for the first performances of Cranko's Taming of the Shrew has been published, Sergei Polunin will indeed dance Petruchio with Osipova for one performance.

 

Though she is still listed in that roster, Bettina Wagner-Bergelt has left the company after 27 years - she was Ivan Liska's deputy director for a very long time (together with Wolfgang Oberender) and not only responsible for many artistic decisions, for example the Pina Bausch piece in Liska's last season, but for education department and for the excellent programme brochures of the company. Igor Zelensky did not want to work with her, it seems.

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On 17/07/2017 at 16:08, Geoff said:

Just to say, there is a gala in Vienna on Sunday 29 October (scroll down for the artists):-

 

https://www.weltstargala.at/en/

 

Nb this is at the Volkstheater, not the Vienna Opera (Staatsoper) where the ballet usually is. 

 

What is the difference between the two ballet companies?  I notice they have two different corps?

 

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