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The Royal Ballet: Don Quixote, 2014


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Yes, no-one can match Laura Morera as Mercedes. She has that edge of danger and 'bad girl' that you need for the role; after all, she's supposed to be a street dancer which probably means that she has to duck and dive a bit to get by. I can really see her as Kitri and can't understand why she hasn't been cast in the role (unless she doesn't want it, of course). Returning to the Italian fouettes, I wonder whether some more junior dancers would be better at them but the RB feels that they have to cast senior dancers in the role of QotD. As with the Lilac Fairy, the RB likes to cast taller dancers but that strategy has not paid off. Yesterday's offering was not terrible but the dancing was rather heavy and laboured.

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Well maybe because initially I wasn't expecting to go and then getting a last minute ticket etc I was in a very receptive mood ....I don't know .....but I really enjoyed the performance yesterday.

 

Apart from what looked like a slip almost on her entrance (and one did think 'oh no....' ) I thought Akane Takada gave a faultless performance as Kitri. Her technique is just so solid in all areas and her jumps are to die for just so light and airy. Admittedly not such an outgoing and feisty interpretation as some (my personal favourite is Nunez in this role) but her delightful dancing made up for this I thought.

 

I do agree with a previous comment that she looked slightly more at home in the classical sections.......in fact by the final pas de deux she looked positively radiant....perhaps having relaxed a bit by then?

 

She just gelled with Muntagirov enough to make their "relationship" work but underneath it all you weren't quite sure this girl would have truly had the courage to run off with her beloved!

 

What can I say about Muntagirov? Just fabulous dancing and great partnering and I loved his interpretation full of boyish zeal (not as cheeky as Acosta or fiery as Vasiliev .....both whose interpretation I love too) and an emerging gift for comedy......loved the last act scene where he pretends to stab himself etc.

 

I believe this was his debut in the role .....though not sure if just for the RB .....or whether has done before in another company.

Also am not sure how much he and Takada have danced together but if this is a new partnership then I think it could be a very good one in the making ......although I know he seems to partner others well too. If I were a young talented dancer I'd certainly want to dance with him anyway!!

 

All the big pas de deux came off beautifully .....the one handed lifts spectacularly held .......I just think some are beginning to get used to these feats and so less impressed with it all but anyway I WAS impressed.

 

It is a huge role for Kitri though she has so much dancing to do and Takada was beautiful in the vision scene.......outclassing the other two dancers there I thought.

 

I won't comment much on Mercedes role here danced yesterday by Itziar Mendizabal as I believe she is only very recently back from injury. I normally love her and she can be the most dramatic of dancers but lacked a little fire yesterday. And there are some roles which seem to be made for certain personalities so must admit do love Morera in this role and her and Nunez together really make the Spanish feel to it all work so well....for me.

 

I thought Valeri Hristov was wonderful in his role as the matador so stylish and SO Spanish ......great dancing!

 

All the main "comedy" roles were perfect yesterday for me

 

I think the dancing in the vision scene was fine .....not particularly magical but no mishaps. There are some difficult technical steps to pull off in the Amour role which Meaghan Grace Hinkis(it says in the programme ...I thought her name was Grace!) did well but maybe as she is supposed to represent the "spirit" of perfected womanhood(which D Q is always chasing after......never to find of course) a less taller dancer is suited to this role........this is not the equivalent of Myrthe in Giselle for me......But I don't really know perhaps it just depends on individual dancers and what they can project on the day.

 

All in all though especially as I was standing (balcony standing .....never done this before but from D.32 excellent view(in fact D.31 32 and 33 are all very very good value at £8) I felt fully immersed in the performance ....didn't notice the time at all ....a very happy and satisfying afternoons ballet watching for me....in fact my only real gripe was the 12.30 start!!

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I attended both the Monday evening performance and yesterday's matinee of Don Q. First of all as I was one of those people who'd expended a good deal of time and money in transport and accommodation specifically to see Osipova on the Monday I would have appreciated more notice from the ROH re her injury. I was also in the audience when she fell and in common with most people there thought she would probably have sustained an injury serious enough to ensure she wouldn't dance in the remaining Don Qs at least. However, when I checked with the ROH after Christmas they said she was still down to dance. But now she has been pulled from her final performance surely it would have been obvious soon after her injury she would not be able to dance the remaining Don Qs? I know you can't guarantee any performer when you book but you can inform your audience as soon as you know and I'm not sure the ROH did. Anyway, rant over! Marianella did a great performance and all credit to her and Thiago as she said at the stage door they only got back from Argentina the day before!

Vadim's performance was brilliant! I've never seen such an assured performance since Vasiliev, though they have very different personalities. the fact it was his debut made it even more sensastional. I'd love to see him dance it with Marianella or Osipova; that would be brillliant though Takada was excellent too. I saw him afterwards at the stage door and he seemed very shy and charming; a great young star in the making.

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Okay then thanks Aileen!!

 

So it was Claire Calvert as Queen of the Dryads then yesterday ......now the Fouettes comments make sense.....I was trying to imagine the girl in the blue costume doing Fouettes and couldn't remember it .......which made me think I had muddled the roles up!! So the more technically difficult dance was hers then.

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Returning to the Italian fouettes, I wonder whether some more junior dancers would be better at them but the RB feels that they have to cast senior dancers in the role of QotD. As with the Lilac Fairy, the RB likes to cast taller dancers but that strategy has not paid off. Yesterday's offering was not terrible but the dancing was rather heavy and laboured.

 

I question why any company feels that a dancer's height should be a reason for picking them for the role?   I know that Mrytha, for example, is normally performed by a taller dancer, and there might be occasions when the extra inches might make a visual impact.  But the only reason I can think of where height really is important is in the role of Clara in the Nutcracker, who should a shorter dancer for obvious reasons.

 

Otherwise, the ability to i) deal with the technical aspects and ii) convey the character of the role should be the main criteria for casting any part, surely?  And this requires good acting and glorious dancing, not height. 

Edited by Fonty
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I find the Mercedes role in this DonQ a bit under-powered and not as feisty as the Bolshoi version.  I have felt a bit underwhelmed by both Morera and Medizabal.

 

I agree that Queen of the Dryads needs a strong dancer - the Mariinsky for example employ dancers like Kondaurova for this role!  

 

Can't wait to see Vadim Muntagirov on Saturday.

 

Oh how I would love to see ENB do a DonQ (preferably the Bolshoi version!).

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I have been thinking about Queen of Dryads role.

 

It really is fiendishly difficult to do so I think that is why it would require a fairly experienced dancer to perform it.

 

Also the music it is performed to is a rather slowish waltz which may make it appear a bit heavy at times.

 

I think Claire Calvert did a solid (in the best sense) performance yesterday and when you hunt around on YouTube for others they all do some bits of this variation better than others .......even Sylvie Guilluime in the final step ......that sort of grand battement into a fouetté into attitude bit.....there's no doubt a proper name for this step which currently alludes me.....does a very high kick but her drop into a lowish attitude doesn't look that beautiful!

 

So a dance that many would find difficult to make it look good.

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I had always understood that while a dancer might prefer to dance certain steps, with application and determination they could master virtually any step, if they had a mind to do so, So it is strange that the company appears unable to find a single dancer who can consistently make a decent job of the Queen of the Dryads. For the main part the dancing in this ballet seems to be very small scale with nearly every member of the cast,still more concerned with the correct reproduction of the choreography than dancing the ballet.When attending a ballet performance the audience is entitled to expect that the choreography has been so well taught that the performer has assimilated it and is no longer concerned with its mere reproduction but with performing their allotted role and dancing the ballet.

 

A vision scene that wasn't magical but had no mishaps; a Kitri with a solid technique but who appears to be temperamentally unsuited to the role even with an outstanding Basilio does not add up to the sort of performance that you expect from the Royal Ballet. It might be acceptable if it were a student performance but,if it was a student performance, you would ask yourself who had chosen the ballet and why they had done so? It is extraordinary that the management is proposing taking this production on tour to the US. 

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A vision scene that wasn't magical but had no mishaps; a Kitri with a solid technique but who appears to be temperamentally unsuited to the role even with an outstanding Basilio does not add up to the sort of performance that you expect from the Royal Ballet. It might be acceptable if it were a student performance but,if it was a student performance, you would ask yourself who had chosen the ballet and why they had done so? It is extraordinary that the management is proposing taking this production on tour to the US. 

 

 

I really enjoyed Akane Takada's performance when I saw her on 20th December.  OK, hers was a gentler interpretation but IMHO no less valid for that.

 

My first Kitri was Altynai Assylmuratova in 1986 ( a truly unforgettable performance! ) and I have also had the pleasure of seeing the glorious Anette Delgado in the role as well as the very feisty Kitri of Charlotte Broom in her NB days.  Vive la difference!!!

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Dancers who were allowed to learn  'difficult' steps as students pre adolescence usually have no difficulty with performing them as professional dancers - as is obvious looking at most professional Japanese dancers who were initially trained in Japan.

 

The approach of  the type 'don't allow two pirouettes until one is done perfectly' breeds careful dancers who usually are scared of these steps or enchainments and then have to spend inordinate amounts of time rehearsing and practicing them before performing them on stage, most often still being scared of managing to get through them.

 

Fouettees a l'Italienne are not difficult if learned early and done in class from early years, even on demi pointe if not yet always on pointe.

 

The 'grand battement' a la second is an aberration - this should be only the preparatory step for the meat of the enchainment - the fouettee to attitude.  Making the a la second so high (not to speak of a kick) unbalances the whole step's reason for being

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First of all as I was one of those people who'd expended a good deal of time and money in transport and accommodation specifically to see Osipova on the Monday I would have appreciated more notice from the ROH re her injury. I was also in the audience when she fell and in common with most people there thought she would probably have sustained an injury serious enough to ensure she wouldn't dance in the remaining Don Qs at least. However, when I checked with the ROH after Christmas they said she was still down to dance. But now she has been pulled from her final performance surely it would have been obvious soon after her injury she would not be able to dance the remaining Don Qs? I know you can't guarantee any performer when you book but you can inform your audience as soon as you know and I'm not sure the ROH did. Anyway, rant over! Marianella did a great performance and all credit to her and Thiago as she said at the stage door they only got back from Argentina the day before!

I think you've unwittingly hit the nail on the head there, Joan. If Marianela and Thiago were in South America (on holiday?), it would presumably have been difficult for management to contact them and see if they were happy to do a short-notice replacement until they got back. I'd guess that, along with Christmas getting in the way, is the reason for the short notice. 

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Look some of those comments in your post FLOSS were from things I'd said in my post and are just my opinion. Others may have found the vision scene "magical" I don't know!! But in no way would I think it was like a student production!! That to me is an insult to the Royal Ballet and I certainly did not think this was the case. The trouble with making any statements on a public forum is that things can be taken out from the post as a whole and then give entirely the wrong impression.

 

 

 

I would just like to make it clear that I think this production is absolutely fine to take to America(I personally had no idea this was planned anyway)

The Royal Ballet is strong as a whole at the moment and I'm sure they can find dancers in the Company ......barring serious injury to Principals......who can fulfil the roles in this ballet extremely well.

 

Vive the Royal Ballet!!

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 I think the whole point of the Arts is that we all have an opinion.......

 

Well said, sarahw.

 

I have found the entries on this thread since Tuesday's performance more interesting than usual because people have not been afraid to be critical

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I would just like to make it clear that I think this production is absolutely fine to take to America(I personally had no idea this was planned anyway)

The Royal Ballet is strong as a whole at the moment and I'm sure they can find dancers in the Company ......barring serious injury to Principals......who can fulfil the roles in this ballet extremely well.

 

 

 

I too support LinMM's sentiment insofar that I'm SURE the RB management thought VERY long and hard as to what best to feature as the Royal Ballet's current strengths for their upcoming American tour, inclusive of New York.  Of course they will have wanted to present the Company in its very best light.  They have chosen Acosta's DQ and McGregor's Art of the Fugue for - surely short of anything else - their contrasting variety.  [scarlett's Age of Anxiety also was featured on that original list - I'm not certain if that is still current - it did not have a title at the time of choosing - although I could certainly see the attraction as towards the American market of that piece - and, of course, Scarlett is now a known entity in NYC having created three ballets there in the last year alone.]  I'm sure the RB must - as the Nation's representatives - have EVERY confidence that these works will show all the fine creative assets of the Royal Ballet as they exist/stand at this particular point in time.  Certainly they will give a lot of opportunities to feature different artists from the Company.  The works themselves, of course, will - as they must - stand or fall on their own merits - much as is being discussed above.  K. O'Hare DID say at a BA meeting - even before its premiere - that he would have LIKED to have taken The Winter's Tale (which I can, for one, WELL understand) but, of course, the North American rights to that work are appropriately owned by the productions 'co-producers' the National Ballet of Canada - as had been the case with 'Alice'.  That is, of equal course - only right and fair.  I'm sure the NBoC would have loved to present The Winter's Tale in Paris - given the fact that is a long established centre for world dance and Canada's own close French connection - but, of course, the European and (I assume) other World rights to the Wheeldon will be the rightful property of the Royal Ballet, the originating presenters. 

 

For those who are missing the most recent Osipova take in Don Quixote ... Here is a film of a live performance (via an Italian TV transmission) of Nureyev's version with Osipova and Sarafanov filmed at La Scala but only a few short months ago.  (It's now shown up on YouTube I see ... and it was in this same recent run that the glorious Tamara Rojo - late, of course, of the RB; now spearhead of the wonderfully refreshed ENB - made such a STUNNING impact.)  In any event, here she (i.e., Osipova) blows: 

 

Edited by Bruce Wall
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This is Alina Somova's version ....quite nice I think!!!

 

Obviously this is just the main variation for the role and doesn't include the Fouettes etc.

 

Beautifully danced in time with the music, but personally I didn't like that flicked side leg action.  I can just see up and coming dancers trying to copy it, and ending up looking as though they are trying to kick themselves in the head!  Also, comparing it with clips of the RB on Youtube, this music seems a little bit faster than the RB version, although I was looking at ones that are about 10 years old.

Edited by Fonty
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Aargh......the Italian fouetté has got to me!!

 

I even looked on YouTube to see if the RAD had a video of the "correct" performance of this step.

 

It's just that all the people Ive looked at including Darcey Bussell and Zenaida Yanowsky all do with a grand battement a la seconde so this must be part of the whole step??

 

The beauty of what I.....at present....believe to be this step is all in the timing I would imagine and at least a split second hold to show off that attitude position and the beauty of the leg coming in from second into it whilst turning.

 

In the Dryads variation I think the difficulty is doing the NUMBER required( presumably many advanced students can pull off 2-3) but keeping them ALL looking beautiful with the arms etc.

 

FLOSS I absolutely agree with the first half of your post. We are paying customers after all and being at the ROH deserve the best.

It's just that I didn't want some comments I made to appear to denigrate the RB as a whole and I just don't think they're THAT bad!

 

Just out of interest who do you like yourself in this role......from any ballet company.

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I don't have a current dancer who does justice to The Queen of the Dryads but to me, nobody is better than Susan Jaffe in the 80's ABT Don Q video. She dances with such grace, elegance and poise and makes the Italian Fouttes seem effortless but I wish the RB would have put Amour in a tunic of some kind. She looks too similar to the Dryads.

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The ultra high leg extension is not required to make this step look good .......it's the overall dance quality of the whole variation which is more important.

I think the more "open" attitude of the Russian style best suits this Italian fouetté though.

 

In terms of the step alone(as to the Dryad variation) I like a very very young looking Darcey doing this but it's from Bayadere in fact(on YouTube)

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Lucia Lacarra can be seen doing lovely Italian fouettés on YouTube but she's not doing any other steps. It's the other steps in the QotD variation which can look laboured, not just the actual fouettes.

 

I'm wondering whether the RB is going to bring in another female principal. These classical and virtuoso roles can expose a lack of strength in depth in long runs, particularly when there are injuries. Nunez, Lamb and, more recently, Osipova are the backbone of the repertoire and are able to dance the full range of roles. I don't want to be too personal, but there are several senior dancers who never dance lead roles and rarely dance even secondary roles (and then not always well). There are others (eg Choe, Takada) who dance the main roles in the classics and a further group (eg Hamilton) who dance the Macmillan and modern rep.

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The thing is I really haven't the first idea of how ballet companies are organised or run.

 

Perhaps it is usual to give employment to dancers in companies for different reasons eg the powers that be suspect that certain dancers may never make it to Principal (or are just not hundred per cent sure) but could be very good in more minor roles which many ballets need. And some dancers may be very happy about this.

 

I have no idea how long contracts are for......you can't just sack a dancer like that if not coming up to scratch but presumably contracts have to be renewed every so often??

 

There are dancers also coming towards the end of their careers who have given very good service to the company and presumably these dancers are dancing less roles than previously as they bow out gracefully as it were but are on the payroll.

 

Do they get paid purely by number of performances?

 

Anyway the Royal by comparison is a large company I cannot believe there are no dancers suitable to this Dryads role(am beginning to hate it already!)

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Why can't RB use Morera or Mendizabal as a Kitri I am sure they would both be fine interpreters of the role!

 

When is RB due to tour to the USA (so I can avoid (duplication))

 

Oh and a final question when IS the Bolshoi going to release DonQ with Osipova/Vasiliev on DVD - if ever?  Marco Spada is out so why not DonQ or even one with other dancers?  Seems odd there is no DVD available.

Edited by Don Q Fan
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Lin, I take your point about recruiting graduates for the corps. I understand that in Russia this is made explicit and that dancers are identified as potential principals or corps dancers when they join the company and receive different training accordingly. I would not expect soloists to dance only minor roles though; if you are a soloist then, by definition, you are thought to be capable of dancing featured roles which are generally going to be more demanding than corps roles (although dancing in the corps can also be very demanding, not least because you may be dancing in every performance if you are a swan, Wili etc). I imagine that dancers (in the UK at least) are on permanent contracts, terminable on notice, just like any other employee. ENB certainly brings in dancers on short term contracts for their big in-the-round productions. According to the Agony and Ecstasy programme they were paid a set rate a week (I think that it was £300) which covered the rehearsal period as well as the performances. I don't think that dancers get paid according to the number of performances that they appear in unless they are guest artists. Interestingly, in the world of opera the 'leads' are freelancers who are paid by performance; the singers in the chorus are, however, paid employees. I believe that the orchestra at the ROH is a full time paid orchestra but that the ENB Philharmonic is made up of freelancers. I don't know about the other ballet orchestras.

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I think that most dance companies in this country have annual contracts and regular assessments now. I also believe that the orchestra members are self employed. As in every working environment there are people who will be promoted and people who will be the bedrock of the workers.

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Why can't RB use Morera or Mendizabal as a Kitri I am sure they would both be fine interpreters of the role!

 

 

Is Morera the only Principal who seems to be cast more often in a secondary role than a leading one?  And has she been injured? She doesn't seem to have been doing very much of even the lesser roles recently.

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