Irmgard

Mary Skeaping also studied with Margaret Craske and taught at her studio in West Street, taking it over with Peggy van Praagh when Craske departed for an ashram in India at the start of World War 2 before settling in the USA.

😂 to your Hammer Horror images! Yes, the Wilis are supposed to dance their victims to death but, so that we do not have poor Hilarion's corpse onstage for the rest of Act 2, he is chased out of the glade and falls into the pond and drowns because of his exhaustion (slight artistic licence here as we cannot magic up the water splashing as he hits it!). I, too, feel sorry for Hilarion, especially as in this production he is a nice guy, understandably concerned for Giselle although obviously jealous of Albrecht. However, that is the way of the Wilis- they are out to avenge themselves on any man, guilty or not!

She danced in it in 2017 but was not interested in embracing many of the elements unique to Skeaping's production, unlike last-minute guest artist Jurgita Dronina who was keen to embrace all of them.

Skeaping went back to Gautier's original conception of Albrecht not as a cad but as a young man caught between two loves (a very Romantic notion). Indeed Gautier in his musings has Albrecht wonder why he cannot marry them both! Skeaping therefore reinstated the complete pas de deux for Giselle and Albrecht in Act 1 (Pas des Vendanges) and, as far as I am aware, is the only choreographer/producer to have done so, as it is really an expression of their love for each other. Of course, it is up to the individual as to whether they portray Albrecht as totally smitten with Giselle or as a pleasure-seeking cad, but I know which one Skeaping preferred!

Sadly, Cojocaru did not embrace the Skeaping production.

In the section you refer to in Act 2, Myrtha commands Giselle to get Albrecht up after he has fallen to the ground. The mime Giselle says is "You remember how we loved and how we danced" in the hope that this will get him to his feet again, as she knows she must keep him dancing until dawn or the Wilis will kill him. The beautiful supported series of temps levées following his next solo are again to keep him moving. The sharp-eyed in today's audience may have noticed a slight limping by Oliveira towards the end of the mad scene and this is unfortunately why she had to withdraw from the rest of the ballet, as she had a problem with her calf which sadly prevented us from seeing her beautifully ethereal Act 2. Heartfelt thanks to Erina Takahashi for taking over! In Giselle's first Act 1 solo (she has two in the Skeaping production), there is an alternative to the diagonal of hops which Oliveira did today and Khaniukova did on Thursday and Friday which I actually prefer as it makes this interpolated solo (from around 1880) slightly more Romantic in feel and less of a show-off number. And yes, dancers who choose to do the whole sequence of hops can use either diagonal, for whichever supporting leg is stronger. Myrtha does not have to appear baleful or menacing in her first solo. Wilis, when mortal, had an overwhelming love of dance, and, in death, this passion is indulged. Therefore, this solo (longer in the Skeaping version than in any other because it uses Adam's music for this almost in its entirety) is meant to portray this passion, building to an almost ecstatic climax, and is what Gautier intended. Myrtha becomes menacing only when confronting potential male victims. In the 'travelling arabesques' (a much nicer description than Alistair Macaulay's reference to them as cow-hops!), the Wilis look to the audience to indicate that they hypnotise/seduce their potential victims with their beautiful eyes. Therefore, the arms are in third arabesque, rather than first, to allow the head to turn to the audience.

The second appearance of the gamekeepers is in Adam's original score (and there are wonderful stage direction notes in the 1842 piano reduction of that) and was reinstated by Mary Skeaping (long after it had been jettisoned in Russian productions) to reinforce Heine's point that the Wilis are out for revenge on any man who crosses their path, not just those who have wronged women! Never fear, the gamekeepers are not killed but are just used for sport by the Wilis! In fact, in the original scenario (and Skeaping's original 1953 production), they were actually a different group of men (villagers returning from a party), accompanied by an older man who, realising they are becoming enthralled by these beautiful creatures whom he recognises as Wilis, tells them all to flee. Skeaping probably changed it to the same group of men in her 1971 production for budgetary reasons (i.e. not so many costumes to make!), as well as a tighter storyline.

The original lighting in 1971 was by Charles Bristowe and was recreated a few years later by David Mohr. It is now under the supervision of ENB's chief lighting technician, David Richardson. The lighting has always been quite dark at the beginning of Act 2 and then there is meant to be a special effect when the gamekeepers return, with the Wilis being lit from the waist up to give the illusion of flying around the gamekeepers. However, the computer-led technology of the 21st century does not seem to be able to be as accurate as the traditional lighting board of the 20th century!

The angel lift was introduced to the west by the Bolshoi Ballet in 1956, three years after Mary Skeaping's initial production of "Giselle" for the Royal Swedish Ballet and Ballet Alicia Alonso. It is a 20th century invention and therefore had no place in her recreation of the Romantic era. Instead, she uses a more delicate lift. This can also be seen in the archive film of Markova and Dolin dancing in his production for the newly formed London Festival Ballet.

It is up to each Giselle to decide which version she does. Shiori Kase will be doing the diagonal.

Just to answer a few questions, Fernanda Oliveira unfortunately is indisposed but is planning to do her performance this Sunday. Francesco Gabriele Frola is fine! Due to the company's punishing "Nutcracker" schedule with so many double-show days, by this evening, there had been four stage calls of "Giselle" in three days (including the dress rehearsal) to cover this week's casts. With both the Lee/Haw casts and the Takahashi/McCormick casts having their first performances tomorrow, the decision was made this morning, when it was clear Oliveira was unable to perform, to ask Khaniukova and Arrieta to step into the breach which, in my opinion, they did brilliantly, especially as it meant they had danced the complete ballet three nights in a row! With regard to Berthe's mime of the story of the Wilis, there is a full explanation in the programme of the gestures. In the Royal Ballet's current production, it is longer than Skeaping's as she edited it slightly. Tamara Karsavina was the source for both versions. Albrecht's solos in Act 2 are not set in stone by Mary Skeaping, as each dancer is allowed some freedom, as long as they remain in the Romantic style and do not perform the 32 entrechats six, which Skeaping abhored. The series of 32 were first introduced into the UK by Nureyev and are certainly not part of the Sergueyev staging for the Camargo Society or Sadler's Wells Ballet.

Yes, Mr. Frola is on course for his performances, and did an exceptionally fine stage rehearsal with Miss Oliveira this afternoon.

These are David Walker's designs and suggest the early Tudor period for the ladies, as well as the gentlemen, before ruffs and farthingales. Yes, it is lovely to have Alison back dancing again. If you were still in the auditorium when a loud cheer went up behind the curtain, it was all her colleagues, led by Aaron Watkin, cheering her for he fabulous return to the stage.

Do you mean the programme? If so, it is quite different from the 2017 programme and I hope you enjoy its contents, including some very lovely photographs of past productions.

As Adviser to the Skeaping Estate and Artistic Adviser for "Giselle", I have contributed most of the programme notes and have proofread the others so hopefully there will not be any errors this time 🤞

Francesco Gabriele Frola is still on track to dance Albrecht in January.

Shiori Kase has never danced Giselle before. This will be her debut in the role. Katja Khaniukova has danced the Skeaping Giselle before, but only one performance in Belfast. This will be her London debut. Myrtha's extended passage of dancing is actually her first solo which is much longer than in most productions and uses almost all the music Adam composed for her. The Fugue is mainly danced by the Wilis when Myrtha commands them to get Albrecht away from the cross. When they fail, she uses the final few bars of the Fugue and commands Giselle herself to move away from the cross and dance. The Skeaping version also includes the Pas de Vendanges in Act I in its entirety. This is the big central pas de deux for Giselle and Albrecht composed by Adam which not even Ratmansky in his "historically informed" version attempted to include. It includes solos for Giselle and for Albrecht, both choreographed by Skeaping, and comes at the height of the festival, just after Giselle is crowned. Both Acts in Skeaping's version are approximately one hour long, certainly making it longer than Peter Wright's production for the Royal Ballet. As we are currently rehearsing the Skeaping production, I am pleased to report that our lovely Wilis do not resemble cows in any way as they perform the 'shunts' across the stage, and all our Giselles fly beautifully in their temps levés supported by their Albrechts ☺️.

I attended the matinée on 30 September to see the final cast change (for me) in the first and last ballets. The named cast for “Les Noces” has remained the same throughout, but I have noticed a couple of changes in the supporting cast. All have given their hearts and souls to this work but I would like to give a special mention to Erik Woolhouse, who was certainly in every performance I saw, for his dynamic, powerful dancing. I still feel this work would have been better presented using the original Russian text, as the chorus at times sounded like an English choral society (no disrespect to either) instead of animated Slavs. Choreographically, I found much to admire, although I felt the silences and additions to Stravinsky’s music could have been jettisoned to tighten it up a bit. This was my first chance to see all the new dancers from Dresden in “Theme and Variations”, as Anna Nevzorova and Vsevolod Maievskyi appeared as Demi Soloists. The principal couple were Sangeun Lee and Gareth Haw, who gave a polished, elegant performance, although Haw’s dancing was not quite as clean as Lee’s. With such long legs, Lee negotiated the allegro solo extremely well but I prefer the quicksilver brilliance a compact dancer like Khaniukova brings to the choreography. It was lovely to see Angela Wood as one of the Demi Soloists, always catching my eye with her radiant smile, and Breanna Foad sparkling in the corps de ballet before yet another tour-de-force performance as the Chosen One in “Les Noces”. For me, this performance of “Four Last Songs” was sublime. Fernanda Oliveira, who joined the cast on Thursday night, was partnered by Aitor Arrieta in the pas de deux of the third song (“Beim Schlafengehen”) and looked as if it could have been created on her, so meltingly beautiful and expressive was her dancing, with Arrieta partnering her exceptionally tenderly. Again, Khaniukova impressed with her musicality, radiance and achingly beautiful backbends, and Takahashi shone throughout, especially in the final song. The moment when she was carried offstage by the men, with her body arched and her arms spread behind her like wings was pure magic. The rest of the cast (Minju Kang, Georgia Bould, Julia Conway, Daniel McCormick, Skyler Martin, Jose Maria Lorca Menchon, Noam Durand and Archie Sullivan) rose to the occasion of dancing with these stellar artists in a truly memorable performance which deservedly received a standing ovation from a surprisingly full house, given the transport issues and a dress rehearsal down the road. What I particularly liked about this cast, and similarly when Ivana Bueno and Lorenzo Trossello danced the third pas de deux on Wednesday, was the way they reacted to each other throughout the whole piece so that there was a tangible, almost spiritual link between each song. I am pleased to report that Emma Hawes had recovered from her injury to appear in the evening’s performance of “Theme and Variations”. “Our Voices” has been a bold and very positive start to Aaron Watkin’s artistic directorship. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching the company tackle three extremely different works with gusto and it has been wonderful to experience the audience’s loud ovations for each piece at every performance I attended. There was definitely something for everyone, and the look of joy on the dancers’ faces as they took multiple bows said it all.

Top photo from Theme and Variations: Eireen Evrard, Anna Nevzorova, Angela Wood, with Minju Kang at the front. Photo from Four Last Songs: Maestro Sutherland, Julia Conway, Skylar Martin, Eric Snyder, Daniel McCormick, MInju Kang, Erina Takahasi, Lorenzo Trossello, Ivana Bueno, Madeleine Pierard, Archie Sullivan, with Noam Durand, Katja Khaniukova and Georgia Bould at the front. Bottom left; Gareth Haw and Sangeun Lee Bottom right: Claire Barrett, Matthew Astley and Rebecca Blenkinsopp

Making the most of a day in London, I went from the matinee of Kyiv City Ballet at the Peacock Theatre to the evening performance by English National Ballet at Sadler’s Wells, mainly to see the new casts in “Theme and Variations” and “Four Last Songs”. “Theme and Variations” should have seen the débuts of a new set of Demi Soloists but, due to Adriana Lizardi and Jem Choi being off through injury, it was only Chloe Keneally and Francesca Velicu who made their debuts amongst the females, with Haruhi Otani and Emily Suzuki from opening night covering for their colleagues. Keneally, in particular, brought her beautiful legato quality to the adagio choreography and Velicu sparkled in the allegro sections. The gentlemen seem to have fared better with regard to injury and illness, so this marked the débuts of Noam Durand, Shunhei Fuchiyama, Miguel Angel Maidana and Rhys Antoni Yeomans as Demi Soloists, all taking up the challenge of Balanchine with great enthusiasm. There was another scintillating performance from the exquisite Katja Khaniukova as the ballerina. I thought the adagio section of balances en pointe was even more sublime than at her début and she made the fiendishly fast and furious choreography of her solo look effortless. Once again, Francesco Gabriele Frola tossed off all the complexities of the choreography with consummate ease, gaining great height in his jumps, and giving us another set of immaculate double tours en l’air. This ballet does get more thrilling with each viewing! I spoke with Maestro Sutherland before the performance, and he assured me that the only amplification that there should be is a very modest one for the chorus in “Les Noces” so that they can be heard over the 65-piece orchestra and, sitting in the stalls, I only noticed their amplification at one point during the piece so hopefully those sitting higher up also benefitted from only minimal amplification in “Les Noces”. I was assured that the amplification of the other two pieces had been removed after opening night, and I was certainly aware of hearing the music in its ‘natural state’ at this performance and last Friday. In “Les Noces”, I concentrated on the music and the choreography and ignored the words as much as possible. Once again, I appreciated the tour-de-force performances of Breanna Foad and Rentaro Nakaaki in particular, and marvelled at the gut-wrenching performance of Alice Bellini. Francesca Velicu looked so tiny and vulnerable as the next victim and showed the fabulous capacity for these dancers to move from the height of classicism in the Balanchine to the raw movement language of Andrea Miller. This was the second performance for the second cast of “Four Last Songs”, having made their débuts the night before. Due to the indisposition of Shiori Kase, Minju Kang was given the opportunity to shine in this piece, as was Georgia Bould, a stalwart of the corps de ballet for some time. Khaniukova took the lead in the first song, partnered for the most part by Durand, and I was struck by the way she completely inhabited the music, which seemed to flow throughout her body making the movement look utterly seamless. The radiant serenity she expressed was the transfiguration I had been longing for! In fact, all the ladies in this cast looked radiant, with a delicious femininity which brought a different colour to the choreography which was very uplifting. The central pas de deux in the third song was meltingly beautiful and danced with great spirituality by Ivana Bueno and Lorenzo Trossello (both taking on their second roles in this ballet). Bueno is most definitely a ballerina in the making and has been rewarded with the opening night of “Nutcracker” at the Coliseum – a performance not to be missed! In the final song, Khaniukova was partnered at times by Daniel McCormick who brought a beautiful, soft quality to all his dancing, including the little spins on demi-pointe around the stage towards the end of the ballet – different from the powerhouse dancing of Frola but equally moving. Central to this final song was the exquisite Erina Takahashi (also taking on her second role in the piece), bringing a tenderness to the choreography which was intensely poignant. As well as McCormick, Trossello and Durand, Skyler Martin, Eric Snyder and Archie Sullivan made up the sextet of men who remain largely anonymous in this ballet but provide the very skillful partnering required to make the choreography flow so beautifully. Again, I noticed that there is something new to discover in it on each viewing.

I attended the matinée on 27 September and it was a very enjoyable way to spend a Wednesday afternoon. This gallant little company of twenty dancers has been homeless since they flew from Kyiv to Paris on 23 February 2022 to start a European tour, unlike the United Ukrainian Ballet in which dancers fleeing from Ukraine were given a home and rehearsal premises in the Hague. It is to the credit of directors Ivan and Ekaterina Kozlov that they have managed to find enough work and support to keep their company going and is a testament to the indomitable Ukrainian spirit. Looking at the ladies of the corps de ballet, I noticed how very young they are to be separated from their families during what is such a traumatic time for all Ukrainians. With any small touring company such as this, there is a varying degree of technical ability but what is noticeable about this group of dancers is their evident love of dance and how happy they are to be able to perform. They gave a very good mixture of excerpts and stand-alone pieces which were well received by a very enthusiastic audience. The company has six principals, and I recognised Kristina Kadashevych, from Kharkiv, from my visit to Kyiv in October 2021 for the Ballet Festival and Competition where she and her partner were awarded the pas de deux prize for their very steamy performance of the pas de deux for Crassus and Aegena from “Spartacus”. At the matinée, she struggled a little with the balances in the Act II pas de deux from “Giselle” but sparkled mischievously in the little bit of fluff which was the pas de deux “Sirtaki” choreographed by A. Rubina to what we know as the theme from “Zorba the Greek”, partnered by an equally cheeky Yevheniy Sheremet, the plot of which seemed to be what two Greek statues get up to when they come to life. She and Vladyslav Bosenko opened the second half of the programme with a dazzling performance of the pas de deux from “The Talisman”, accompanied by the graceful ladies of the corps de ballet. The company has several very tall male dancers, including Bosenko who covered the whole stage in just two jetés on the diagonal, and I would love to see what they can do on a much larger stage. Bosenko also impressed in the pas de deux (done here in the pas de trois version) from “Le Corsaire”. Unlike recent productions, Andrii Havryliuk as Conrad was not given a solo but acted solely as a ‘porteur’ for Oksana Bondarenko as Medora. She suffered from a rather unflattering costume, which demonstrated how much better the Petipa choreography for her (here attributed to Perrot) looks when done in a traditional tutu rather than harem pants. Bondarenko and Havryliuk also gave us the pas d’action for Gamzatti and Solor from “La Bayadère”, one of three segments from that ballet given in the programme. There were three pieces of new choreography, firstly “Servant of the Muse” danced by Kateryna Floria and Artem Shoshin to the Intermezzo from Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana” and choreographed by V. Kastsel which seemed to have a plot slightly similar to “Le jeune homme et la mort”, with the young artist at the mercy of a dominating female. Secondly, “Next to you” choreographed by the dancer Shoshin and performed by him with Floria to music by Beethoven which had a lot of contemporary movements and lifts in it which was very warmly received by the audience. Lastly, there was an excerpt from “Tribute to Peace” by company director Kozlov to the Nimrod variation from Elgar’s “Enigma Variations” which was a very charming piece danced by Kadashevych and Bosenko. The Ukrainian Cossack heritage was very much on display in the Ostap dance from “Taras Bulba”, thrillingly danced by Nykyta Chudovksy, and in “Men of Kyiv”, choreographed by P. Virsky to Ukrainian folk music. Danced by all the male dancers, it began rather tamely but soon livened up as they had a dance-off, with each dancer competing to show us their most spectacular steps. I only wish it had been longer, but it was an exhilarating end to a packed and very entertaining afternoon which also gave us a variation from “Laurencia”, “The Dying Swan” and a fragment from Alberto Alonso’s “Carmen Suite”, danced with panache by Kateryna Floria and Mykhailo Shcherbakov. Rail strikes and public transport issues notwithstanding, I would recommend this as a great entertainment this weekend for anyone wishing to get a taste of various classics with a dash of the modern and folk dance.

Very sad to hear of the death of this esteemed scholar. She assessed my Master's thesis many moons ago.

To answer your question about the corps de ballet in Theme and Variations, there are several casts but some dancers appear in more than one cast, others rotate, especially as a few dancers are unfortunately injured and therefore need to be replaced. Nakaaki, who has such a huge role in Les Noces, alternates as a Demi Soloist and corps de ballet in Theme and Variations. Thanks for the lovely curtain call photos.

I don't remember it being particularly gruesome but it is very cleverly done.

Oliveira has been rehearsing Four Last Songs but danced in a gala in Brazil last weekend and was unavailable for performances before today. Therefore she did not appear on the casting schedule but now, with Hawes still off, Oliveira will be performing with Arrieta.