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The Royal Ballet: Giselle, January-March 2018


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So sad didn’t see Hayward and Campbell so many thanks to all the vivid descriptions of Fridays performance. I feel so lucky to have seen Naghdi,Ball ,Kenaco and Kirsty on Saturday. Sorry don’t have programme on me at the moment so names and spelling may be unreliable. Yasmine’s beautiful arms and expressive face made a real impression on me and Kirsty’s mime was so clear, a convincing performance. I won’t repeat the impressive comments of other forum members. I must Thank forum members for assembling at foot of escalator it was so good to meet some of you and put faces to names. Sorry didn’t stop to say hello to Janet but my companion was worried we might not get my chair into the lift and up to our space before Act 2. Glad I was able to say hello to Sim and tell her how much the forum means to me.

lots to look forward to, especially Swan Lake. Well done our lovely dancers.

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1 hour ago, capybara said:

Some lovely reviews for Hayward/Campbell but it would be nice if one of the critics had seen the Naghdi/Ball performance.

I so agree, Capybara.  Ah well, I guess all of the forum members' and social media words will have to do!  

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Well, exactly the same happened when Naghdi/Ball made their "Romeo&Juliet" debut as well as other debuts.

The critics seem to be given tickets by the RB Press to attend Hayward/Campbell's/Golding (R&J) performances but not to theirs, or perhaps on Saturday's the critics simply vanish into the country side :) 

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6 minutes ago, Nina G. said:

Well, exactly the same happened when Naghdi/Ball made their "Romeo&Juliet" debut as well as other debuts.

The critics seem to be given tickets by the RB Press to attend Hayward/Campbell's/Golding (R&J) performances but not to theirs, or perhaps on Saturday's the critics simply vanish into the country side :) 

 

I believe that it's normally left to the critics to request tickets for specific performances, rather than the RB simply allocating them.  Someone please correct me if I'm wrong!

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48 minutes ago, bangorballetboy said:

 

I'm sure I saw at least two critics there on Saturday afternoon.

 

And I was in a lift with one of them coming out of the tube.  It may just be that their reviews haven't appeared yet, and/or that they're holding back to do a "bundle" review later on.  It shouldn't automatically be assumed that Naghdi is getting a raw deal, as some on here do seem wont to do at times.

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Another trip to London for Giselle (Laura Morera) and Winter’s Tale General Rehearsal and opportunity to reflect on the weekend’s fabulous performances and the debate on the Forum.  

 

Firstly, I’ve enjoyed hugely reading so many comments and opinions and it's good on the train to be able to read them again.

 

I do struggle somewhat with the urge for critical comparisons and often wonder if it’s better simply to enjoy the immediacy of performance and how we are transported by what we see, hear and feel to a much higher plane.  For my part I loved both performances.

 

On the Forum there have been a number of comments which I find a little problematic.  Francesca is ‘more naturalistic’, Yasmine ‘romantic’.  I’m not sure what is meant by these statements and what they imply as regards technique.  But what I do find a little perplexing are the assertions that Yasmine ‘edged it on technique’, and there have been similar comments about other performances where it would help enormously if some exposition were provided or illustration given.  

 

It strikes me that Giselle’s Act 1 solo when invited to dance by Bathilde provides the opportunity for Giselle to demonstrate her intoxication with dance and her fabulous technique.  I thought Francesca’s dancing in the solo was exquisite - every flick of wrist or foot to me seemed absolutely precise, and she presented perfect symmetry when required.  I could believe that every repeated step would be within a few millimetres of each other.  Forgive me for not using the language of dance but in terms of music it was as if every demisemiquaver were crystalline.  And I found that because to me Francesca has such a wonderful technique, I could simply luxuriate in her embodiment of dance and the joy that brings her Giselle and hence us.

 

This is just a small example of Francesca's technique and fabulous ability to communicate and I’m delighted to read the recent reviews with which I wholeheartedly concur.  I do hope that National critics might also have attended Saturday's matinee and will publish their reviews in due course.

 

So if posters wish to make comparative statements, I would ask that if possible time is taken to set out the reasoning for opinions formed and illustrations given.

 

I look forward immensely to Laura’s and Natalia’s Giselles and to future performances from so many dancers (including hopefully debutants) when Giselle returns.  It is a fabulous production and both Francesca and Yasmine (and their partners) have enhanced my appreciation of Giselle and more generally of how ballet and performance enriches us who are fortunate enough to be in the audience.

 
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 The Saturday matinee of Giselle was a splendid occasion for me. Surprisingly, I found that my face broke into a smile the moment Albrecht arrived and when Giselle appeared it got even wider. It was one of those very rare occasions when the whole cast looked so good together and danced so completely. I have followed Yasmine's career closely. She is a fine dancer and she inhabits her roles totally. She thinks herself into the character and lives it throughout the performance, never once having to check who she is. She has proved many times before she was appointed that she was principal material and every appearance reinforces that justice of that position. Her dancing was a delight and was captivating. I particularly like the way in which she challenged Myrtha 'He may have betrayed me' she said, 'but for me he is still the one and I am going to fight for him'. Myrtha was cowed.

 

Matthew Ball, appointed a first soloist this season, has shown already that he is also a very thoughtful dancer and is very much on his way. I am sure he prepares thoroughly too and wants to get the character right. I have see him in modern works and he has given me greater insight and a finer performance in a second cast role than I have received from the first cast lead on a few occasions. He is well recognised in this field and he is honing his skills in classical ballet with good outcomes. Some people on these threads have been ready to make critical comments, particularly in the light of Alex's performance the previous night. There are a few points to make here. Alex had a long history of good work at BRB. He has been a principal at the RB for over a year, he is an older and more mature dancer. The show that he and Frankie did on  Friday evening was their third in front of an audience and, when dancers have had that kind of opportunity, it helps them to really know each other and how the performance will proceed. For Yasmine and Matthew it was their one and only appearance in public. That raises the pressure, but they pulled it off, both of them. In fact I saw interpretations in Matthew's performance that I had not seen from other Albrechts,  and I have seen three other casts in this run, (in addition to Vadim and Marienela, who are very special anyway ) which enhanced the story for me and in which he betrayed his feelings openly and honestly. It was unfortunate that one poster reminded us that he fell over in Beauty. Hardly did he need to know that this had been remembered.

 

Other dancers were excellent as well. Thomas Mock was a splendid Hilarion, enlarging the character with skill. The pas de six was very well balanced, danced strongly by the men and all well matched in height, and with panache by the ladies. Fumi Kaneko was an excellent Myrtha, in control, commanding with a technique of pure quality.

 

One other person to mention and, in the general run of a show, probably hardly noticed, but Jonathan Howells, as Master of the Hunt produces a cameo performance which draws on his years of stagecraft. When the hunting party sit for their wine he is there behind the table flicking his gloves at the locals to keep them at bay. Then, when Bathilde asks the Duke whether she can present Giselle with the necklace, he had his ear close that conversation and expressed disapproval.

 

In all a splendid show. Bravo, brava, bravi- or whatever it should be!

 

 

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1 hour ago, Sim said:

I so agree, Capybara.  Ah well, I guess all of the forum members' and social media words will have to do!  

 

The views of this forum’s members mean more to me than any critic’s views possibly could :).

12 minutes ago, JohnS said:

...I do struggle somewhat with the urge for critical comparisons and often wonder if it’s better simply to enjoy the immediacy of performance and how we are transported by what we see, hear and feel to a much higher plane.  For my part I loved both performances....

 

As a relatively new ballet watcher I do enjoy reading the comparisons and contrasts (if kept civilised, which it always seems to be) and when those views align with mine it does make me feel as if I have learned something and my ballet appreciation ‘eye’ is improving.

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Quote
 
On the Forum there have been a number of comments which I find a little problematic.  Francesca is ‘more naturalistic’, Yasmine ‘romantic’.  I’m not sure what is meant by these statements and what they imply as regards technique.  But what I do find a little perplexing are the assertions that Yasmine ‘edged it on technique’, and there have been similar comments about other performances where it would help enormously if some exposition were provided or illustration given.  

 

What I was trying to express JohnS was what reads to me as a difference in performance style. It is not a comment on technique. Francesca Hayward has a remarkable fleetness and brilliance of movement. I’m not saying that she didn’t soften beautifully that brilliance during Act 2 but, in general, I find her style as “natural” in manner as it is possible to be within a stylised art form. However, Yasmine Naghdi has very rounded arms and a gentler way of movement that seems inherent to her particularly evocative of the prints that one sees of the so called “Romantic” period in ballet (i.e. the mid to late 19th century). Perhaps I am influenced by having watched some of Ursula Haegli’s very interesting YouTube demonstrations of this style. It isn’t a matter of critical commentary for the sake of setting one lovely artist against another. However, I learn a lot from reading the very informed writings of many on this Forum and find that not only is my critical acuity informed by it (as well as reading within the wider dance bibliography) but so is my deeper understanding and enjoyment. 

Edited by Jamesrhblack
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“One other person to mention and, in the general run of a show, probably hardly noticed, but Jonathan Howells, as Master of the Hunt produces a cameo performance which draws on his years of stagecraft. When the hunting party sit for their wine he is there behind the table flicking his gloves at the locals to keep them at bay. Then, when Bathilde asks the Duke whether she can present Giselle with the necklace, he had his ear close that conversation and expressed disapproval.”
 
On Saturday afternoon, he also gave a perceptible snigger when Berthe knelt to him before indicating The Duke and Bathilde...
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Oh, what you miss by not being close to the stage!

 

(That said, in Act I on Friday night from the balcony I was positive I could see virtually every thought that went through Giselle's mind, and almost as much from Albrecht.  I rather lost it in Act II, but that may have been down to the reduced lighting)

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6 minutes ago, HappyTurk said:

Just based on the reviews of Akane and Francesca, I'm thinking they would be perfect for La Sylphide (along with Osipova). I need this to happen in the next couple of years. :)

 

Please NO - not on top of all those Sylphides from ENB this season!

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Thanks for those GIFS Aliceinwoolfland.

 

Timmie, to analyse and observe Yasmine Naghdi's and Francesca Hayward's style of dancing, and their technic is just fascinating. It is in no way, and of no use, to compare them in any sense of the word, both are very talented ballerinas and unique in their own right. They each give their audience great pleasure in varying ways. Some will of course be more moved by Hayward, others will be more moved and connected to Naghdi. Appreciating the Art of Ballet is a very personal matter after all.

 

What is interesting to know is that they trained alongside each other since the age of 10, they were in the same class at The Royal Ballet School, they had the same teachers who trained them until they entered The Royal Ballet. Isn't it highly unusual to get two Principals out of the same RBS class? How did their teachers shape them to become what they are now (and they are just at the start of their career as a Principal)? What is clear however is that they are both very musical dancers with a beautiful use of their upper-body - very typical for the English style of dancing - as well as fine actresses. I think their individual purity/clarity of dancing as well as their style of dancing, is the result of having received a complete training throughout the RBS. 

 

Comparisons have been made before in the press:

http://dancetabs.com/2017/12/royal-ballet-the-nutcracker-london-4/

Jan Parry writes:

"When Hayward dances alongside Yasmine Naghdi, the leading Rose Fairy, the contrast in their styles is captivating. Naghdi is diamond sharp, accentuating each pose, while Hayward is pearly, flowing without pausing".

 

https://britishballetnowandthen.wordpress.com/tag/giselle/

"Yasmine Naghdi, who plays the piano, is perhaps unsurprisingly known for the musicality of her dancing.  Kadeem Hosein evocatively describes how she “gathered up the harp’s music and sent it spilling off the tips of her fingers” when dancing the Sugar Plum Fairy.  With her generous port de bras and luscious lines, "she has an amplitude that seems to fill the stage, and the poses that she strikes etch themselves on the memory". 

 

The fleet-footed Francesca Hayward has also been noted for her musical sensitivity.  Her coach Lesley Collier, herself known for her musicality, declares “you can feel the music travelling through her” (qtd. in Mackrell).  Speed of footwork is combined with a wonderful continuity of movement as she barely reaches a position before moving on to the next, thereby creating a seamless flow.  This quality is enhanced by the pliancy of her upper body and “hands and arms as light and sensitive as butterflies” (Ismene Brown). 

 

Both principals have danced the same roles as Juliet, Aurora, Sugar Plum, Giselle and The Girl in the "Invitation", and captured their audience for varying reasons in a special way. We have only seen Naghdi perform in "Symphonic Variations", "Monotones", "Onegin"(Olga), Mathilde K. in "Anastasia", whereas Hayward only in "Rhaposody", "Manon", "Clara", "Alice", "Fille" thus each also different roles in order to develop their art. 

 

They clearly have a different technic and physical range abilities but when looking at the GIFS above they are capable of executing the same steps and movements in total synchronisation! I saw that performance in the cinema and their Pas de Deux blew me away, as if I was seeing double all of a sudden!  Naghdi seems to be more flexible and capable of higher extensions (as seen in Act 2 Giselle) , she also has longer limbs, whereas Hayward is shorter but has slightly faster footwork and a lighter jump.

 

I am greatly looking forward to following their future career at the RB.

 

PS. and also many other upcoming great dancers lower down the ranks!!

 

 

 

 

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6 hours ago, alison said:

Two great Giselle debuts over the weekend, and yet as different as chalk from cheese.  And some people wonder why those of us who are able bother going to see different casts :)

For me, it was accidental  - I had only been able to get tickets for Saturday until a last minute return became available for Friday, which would have been my first choice. Accurate recollection of two back-to-back performances does cause me a bit of confusion, and I doubt I would do the same again through choice!   Yes, there were some interesting differences  to note (which other posters have described very well) but for me, the positive aspect of the double experience (being new to Giselle) was reinforcement of the similar elements - second time around, the musical themes (which repeat brilliantly throughout) were more familiar, and being able to anticipate some of the action helped me to get more  into the emotion of the story on Saturday.

Thinking back,  common aspects of the two debuts are now giving me recurring goosebumps... Francesca and Yasmine beautifully skipping  out of the cottage, to applause, into their new roles...  Giselle throwing  back her necklace when she learns the truth....time standing still, for the the whole company, with Giselle static, head in her hands...Berthe pushing Albrecht away as she cradles her dying daughter...Myrtha's first  unwordly bourrée  across the full width of the stage.....the Wilis' strange, progressive sequences of hopping arabesques back and forth...  the Wilis huddling together and then parting to suddenly reveal Giselle raised up as a lonely veiled spirit...Albrecht  unalbe to catch Giselle's spirit as she drifts past him...Myrtha and the Wilis cowed by Giselle, in front of Albrecht, in the form of a cross....the Wilis (26,  I believe) all prostrate  in honouring  Myrtha...Giselle floating across the stage in Albrecht's arms...dropping flowers into his hands..... Giselle's final parting and descent into her grave..

 

Oh and just the way ballet dancers can move their arms so expressively,  and emotively,  with such slow control at times....

 

All just so poignant, so beautiful, and so fantastically danced and acted by the whole company.

 

Edited by Richard LH
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On 11/02/2018 at 20:24, LinMM said:

First Im going to start with a gripe but not at the dancers! 

PLEASE could the powers that be NOT do this again....put two debut performances SO close together!! 

Actually I really do feel genuinely annoyed about this.

I know some people can go and see lots of performances one after the other and it's no problem but unfortunately I'm not one of them.

If a performance has really got to me I want to be able to absorb that experience and certainly usually don't want or need to see the ballet again for a while ....certainly not within a week....let alone just 15 hours later!

But because I love equally both these two dancers I somehow had to go to both their debuts but would have appreciated more space.

This is particularly because I loved Friday nights performance with Hayward and Campbell so much it was very difficult even for an old hand like me to get my head and heart around going again to see Naghdi and Ball so soon after.

 

 Actually I feel just the opposite. I know what LinM means about wanting time to digest individual performances and I can sympathize with this but from a financial point of view it was great for me to see 2 performances for my overnight stay and 200 mile train journey. I suppose it doesn't have to be debuts. I seem to remember a Vadim Sleeping Beauty one night and Frankie's debut the next day was also very helpful. Anytime where I can see 2 performances for my trip is a red letter occasion for me!  Already planning (hopefully) for Yasmine's Swan Lake matinee on May 28th with Osipova's performance in the evening though it would have been more helpful if this wasn't a Bank Holiday Monday!

Edited by alison
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2 hours ago, JohnS said:

But what I do find a little perplexing are the assertions that Yasmine ‘edged it on technique’, and there have been similar comments about other performances where it would help enormously if some exposition were provided or illustration given.

 

I think what I was trying to do, rather clumsily, was to balance my saying I was more moved by Hayward!  As others have mentioned, it sometimes feels as if there are people here who are over-ready to see comments about either Hayward or Naghdi as slighting to one or the other party.  I really don't want to get drawn into that as I genuinely value both equally.

 

If you want me to expand a very little on that particular comment (and bear in mind I'm not at all qualified to do so!), there were certain moments, most notably for me in the développés at the start of the Act 2 solo, where Naghdi seemed more assured.  But having said that it's no mean feat to achieve Hayward's softness of landing and all round lightness.  Oh, well!

 

(In my defence I posted at the end of a long and very trying couple of days, starting with nearly missing the Friday night show because by car was clipped by an HGV and ending with the interminable Satyagraha at ENO.  The two Giselles kept me going though :))

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10 minutes ago, alison said:

Joan, with a bit of tweaking I've managed to remove my quote box from around Lin's, since you didn't actually quote my post at all.  It looks neater now :)

 

Thanks Alison. I haven't really mastered the quotes facility yet and usually avoid it because it often seems to go wrong! However, I managed your quote so perhaps I'm getting the knack!:)

 

I meant to thank Don Q fan for her lovely photos earlier in the postings. They are a great memento of a wonderful performance. it was wonderful meeting up with her and Bruce and Bluebird, and seeing Jillikins for the first time. Great to put a face to the posting.

 

My only disappointment was that we could only see the one public performance by Frankie and Yasmine and may have to wait possibly a couple of years to see another. However, I'm sure there will be plenty of great performances by both in the years to come so I shouldn't get too greedy.

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Nevsky, I agree about Matthew Ball (and the rest of us) not needing to be reminded of his slip during Sleeping Beauty.  It feels to me to be mean-spirited and unnecessary, as well as irrelevant.  I was there when it happened, and it was over in a flash but also, not in the least indicative of Ball's technique - it literally was a slip as he ran onstage.  The glorious performance completely overshadowed that one slip for me and I had forgotten about it until it was raised in this thread. 

 

Am I right in remembering a problem the ROH had with its flooring onstage, a few years ago? Dancers of all ranks kept falling and slipping on it.  I don't remember them being judged negatively for it and - a year after it happened - nor should Matthew Ball be. 

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10 hours ago, Jillykins said:

So sad didn’t see Hayward and Campbell so many thanks to all the vivid descriptions of Fridays performance. I feel so lucky to have seen Naghdi,Ball ,Kenaco and Kirsty on Saturday. Sorry don’t have programme on me at the moment so names and spelling may be unreliable. Yasmine’s beautiful arms and expressive face made a real impression on me and Kirsty’s mime was so clear, a convincing performance. I won’t repeat the impressive comments of other forum members. I must Thank forum members for assembling at foot of escalator it was so good to meet some of you and put faces to names. Sorry didn’t stop to say hello to Janet but my companion was worried we might not get my chair into the lift and up to our space before Act 2. Glad I was able to say hello to Sim and tell her how much the forum means to me.

lots to look forward to, especially Swan Lake. Well done our lovely dancers.

I did go to the escalator during the interval, I just didn't have the nerve to approach, what looked like a large group of friends chatting, to introduce myself, I sort of hesitated and then left. Maybe I'll be brave enough next time..😚

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