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Trying to love Don Q - What do you like about ballets?


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16 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

I know someone else who doesn't like Fille (in fact doesn't like most Ashton) but he still comes to see it in Birmingham!

 

 

Gives me a chance for a nice little sleep ☺️

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  • 2 weeks later...

I’ve tried to like Don Q but its never been a ballet I would want to go and see - the Acosta version practically sent me to sleep (not to mention his recent ‘Carmen’ 🙈 just awful).  It’s a shame that the RB have included Don Q next season as, in my opinion, I don’t really think the RB excels in this ballet.  I don’t think they excel in ‘La Bayadere’ either and I’d be happy if all three ballets never entered the RB repertoire again.

 

Bring back Massine’s ‘Le Tricorne’ with De Falla’s evocative music and those Picasso designs.....far better than Don Q! Olé!

 

 

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13 hours ago, Springbourne3 said:

I’ve tried to like Don Q but its never been a ballet I would want to go and see - the Acosta version practically sent me to sleep (not to mention his recent ‘Carmen’ 🙈 just awful).  It’s a shame that the RB have included Don Q next season as, in my opinion, I don’t really think the RB excels in this ballet.  I don’t think they excel in ‘La Bayadere’ either and I’d be happy if all three ballets never entered the RB repertoire again.

 

Bring back Massine’s ‘Le Tricorne’ with De Falla’s evocative music and those Picasso designs.....far better than Don Q! Olé!

 

 

Oh my goodness, this is wonderful.  Who is it?

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4 hours ago, penelopesimpson said:

Oh my goodness, this is wonderful.  Who is it?

 

Patrick Dupond - says so at the top of the clip :) 

 

I'm guessing it's too old to be the broadcast they did to cinemas a few years ago, isn't it?

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3 hours ago, jm365 said:

Any idea when it was filmed?  And who taught Dupond?  I bet Massine never would have danced it as well!  But his presence would probably have made you forget.

 

Patrick Dupond was born in Paris on March 14, 1959. He began his’ ballet training at the age of 10 with Max Bozzoni, a private teacher. By 11, he was accepted into the Paris Opera Ballet School. There, he combined his academic studies with his ballet work, and also found time to continue private training with Bozzoni. Advancing rapidly, Dupond entered the Paris Opera Ballet at the age of 15, breaking the company's long‐standing rule never to admit anyone until the age of 16. Dancing in the corps de ballet, he was soon chosen for a few important solo roles, notably in Roland Petit's “Symphonie Fantastique” and “Nana” (in which he partnered the Canadian ballerina Karen Kain).

I think the film is possibly from 1992 but not completely sure on that and I believe he now has a dance Academy in Bordeaux, France.

 

Edited by Ian Macmillan
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BRB performed Le Tricorn under Peter Wright.   The dancers were taught by Lorca Massine, son of the main man himself.  Despite this the ballet was popular with neither the dancers or the audience.  I would love to have seen Dupond in it.

 

I did see London Festival Ballet perform the work  I remember Patricia Ruanne as the Miller's Wife and Alexander Grant as the Magistrate but I cannot remember the Miller.

 

Regarding Don Q, a version of the Kirov (we called it Kirov Lite) came to Birmingham in 2008.  I sat there, beaming, through the first act which always makes me think that Petipa was a genius.  I thought the same when I saw Vishneva and Ruzimatov at the Opera House some years before.  Anyway, I almost nodded off during the intervening acts but was bolt upright for the last act.  In Birmingham the Kitri was absolutely jaw dropping.  Her name meant nothing to me but I was determined to remember her.  It was Viktoria Tereshkina.  A star was born!

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20 hours ago, Two Pigeons said:

BRB performed Le Tricorn under Peter Wright.   The dancers were taught by Lorca Massine, son of the main man himself.  Despite this the ballet was popular with neither the dancers or the audience.  I would love to have seen Dupond in it.

 

 

 

I recall this fondly from 1995, I think. BRB at the ROH. Joseph Cipolla was the Miller. 

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3 minutes ago, Lynette H said:

 

I recall this fondly from 1995, I think. BRB at the ROH. Joseph Cipolla was the Miller. 

 

I remember seeing 2 casts in Birmingham - Zamora/Cipolla and Williams/M O’Hare.  Chenca Williams and Michael O’Hare had such on stage presence and chemistry I thought the stage was going to spontaneously combust!

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8 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

I remember seeing 2 casts in Birmingham - Zamora/Cipolla and Williams/M O’Hare.  Chenca Williams and Michael O’Hare had such on stage presence and chemistry I thought the stage was going to spontaneously combust!

Have lovely memories of seeing the latter pair in Hobson's  Choice, and of course they are in the DVD of it. Now that's a ballet i can watch with pleasure at almost any time.

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17 hours ago, ninamargaret said:

Have lovely memories of seeing the latter pair in Hobson's  Choice, and of course they are in the DVD of it. Now that's a ballet i can watch with pleasure at almost any time.

  Hear, hear ninamargaret. 

 The ballet is an utter joy from start to finish.

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I wish I could have seen Dupond.  I find him rivetting.  It's odd, isn't it, how some dancers have that little something extra special  (above and beyond being fabulous performers) that means you can't take your eyes off them.  I have no idea what it is.  For me, Watson and Hayward both have it as does Cojocaru and the wonderful Asylmuratova

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On 12/08/2018 at 22:56, ninamargaret said:

Have lovely memories of seeing the latter pair in Hobson's  Choice, and of course they are in the DVD of it. Now that's a ballet i can watch with pleasure at almost any time.

 

 

Don't forget, Birmingham Royal Ballet are performing Hobson's Choice 19-22 June 2019 in Birmingham and alongside a mixed programme at Sadler's Wells the following week!!  Not to be missed!!

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10 hours ago, penelopesimpson said:

I wish I could have seen Dupond.  I find him rivetting.  It's odd, isn't it, how some dancers have that little something extra special  (above and beyond being fabulous performers) that means you can't take your eyes off them.  I have no idea what it is.  For me, Watson and Hayward both have it as does Cojocaru and the wonderful Asylmuratova

Dupond was invited by Peter Schaufuss to dance with ENB in the early/mid 80s and he absolutely oozed star quality.  I was lucky enough to see him in Etudes a number of times and once with the POB as Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

 

He had Charisma by the bucket load and, as you say, you couldn't take yours eyes off him.  The Etudes , well bits of it, are available via some amateur footage on YouTube.

 

P.s.  I always felt really sorry for the other male dancer.  Even when it was Patrick Armand he barely got a look in once Dupond was sharing the stage.

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On 30/07/2018 at 10:26, SylviaLiu said:

Oh lord am I the only one that likes DonQ here? and... DonQ was almost one of those ballets that attracted me to classical ballet in the first place. Although no longer my favourite, I still really love the choreography and the bright music although the story line was in my opinion, a little bit dull and absurd. But it's one of those (very few) ballets that leave you energised and not so sad after watching it!!  

 

I've not watched the RB version, but absolutely loved the Bolshoi version with Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev. Such a power couple. Also love the street dances, Mercedes variation and the Metador's dance. But I would have to say, it really takes dancers that know how to impress people with their jumps and turns to make this ballet interesting.

 

Bit late to the thread here but I like DQ although it isn’t in my top 5 at least! Loved the version with Osipova at La Scala on DVD (it was on YouTube for a while) and like the Dutch version which I have on DVD with Matthew Golding- sets, costumes..... I suppose the main issue that I have is the name of the ballet- the story mostly isn’t about him at all and I believe is only a snippet of the book. 

 

What i like - versions with slightly more ‘authentic’ Spanish dancing, the big pdd, the dream sequence (what is a ballet without one) which fulfils every little girl’s desire for pretty dancers. Combining that with the comical moments, it is  actually an ideal one to take my daughters to, even if the Acosta production isn’t the best (not seen it before), however, prices are so prohibitive- significantly more than Autumn, I assume to help recoup costs on the production as it’s still quite new. Hoping for a family package but assume this won’t be available till well after the main packages go on sale so will prob have to choose which daughter to take this time!!

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Don Q is just about my most favourite ballet!  And I love the Acosta version especially the gypsy scene with the  guitars on stage. I love the Minkus score and just about everything else about the ballet.  The best is of course the Bolshoi version prior to the current version.  And yes I was lucky enough to witness the Osipova/Vasiliev nights at the Coli and ROH and those performances were electric.

Fine by me if you don't like it, I don't care for McGregor etc...but that is what makes us individuals.  I just find DonQ is such a happy ballet and it makes me happy, just like Fille.  It is a feel good ballet imho.

I am desperate to attend the Insight evening on 4/2/19 but I dare say when tickets on sale there will be nothing left for a mere non friend of ROH like me and I am quite sad about that.  I just hope I can get a ticket for Osipova and Corrales as well as other casts.  I cant wait for this next run!

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On ‎17‎/‎08‎/‎2018 at 20:31, Don Q Fan said:

I am desperate to attend the Insight evening on 4/2/19 but I dare say when tickets on sale there will be nothing left for a mere non friend of ROH like me and I am quite sad about that.  I just hope I can get a ticket for Osipova and Corrales as well as other casts.  I cant wait for this next run!

 

I know I am repeating myself, as I have given this advice on several threads, but the most reliable way to get tickets for Insights is to keep checking for returns and later releases of initially retained tickets.  If I assumed that not being able to get a ticket when booking opened for a certain Insight meant I wouldn't be going, I'd rarely go to any Insights at all.  As it is, I go to one or two each booking period, almost always through having persistently checked for returns.

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30 minutes ago, RuthE said:

 

I know I am repeating myself, as I have given this advice on several threads, but the most reliable way to get tickets for Insights is to keep checking for returns and later releases of initially retained tickets.  If I assumed that not being able to get a ticket when booking opened for a certain Insight meant I wouldn't be going, I'd rarely go to any Insights at all.  As it is, I go to one or two each booking period, almost always through having persistently checked for returns.

 

And one tends to get better seats that way than those of us premium 2 friends who book during our priority window!

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6 hours ago, RuthE said:

 

I know I am repeating myself, as I have given this advice on several threads, but the most reliable way to get tickets for Insights is to keep checking for returns and later releases of initially retained tickets.  If I assumed that not being able to get a ticket when booking opened for a certain Insight meant I wouldn't be going, I'd rarely go to any Insights at all.  As it is, I go to one or two each booking period, almost always through having persistently checked for returns.

Thanks for the advice. I'm reluctant to book hotel and trains without a ticket though as I'm not London based. Obviously I'll keep an eye out and if I can get train and hotel at a reasonable cost I may be able to manage it. 

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The original production of Fille was charming with subtle humour and real emotions - I think modern revivals make it too over the top slap stick, so that it does look silly!  This happened for me with the revival of Cinderella too.  As far as Don Q is concerned, I dislike the Russian versions as they have so much character dancing in them and agree that the best version is the ABT Baryshnikov version!  So full of life, energy and humour!

Edited by Dance*is*life
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