MRR

I'll write a detailed review when I get a chance, but Osipova, in the best sense, almost seemed to improvise the entire third act, creating the story right in front of our eyes. Especially her death scene was unforgettable.

"Infinite Ocean" was one of those frustrating pieces which is neither great nor terrible, it's just.....there. The work begins with six couples before they disperse into duets and solos. The longer the piece went on the more you realized how little choreography was there: all the motifs kept repeating ad nauseam. There was a cool lift at the end of the Sofiane Sylvie/Tiit Helimets pas de deux where, from the floor, she ends up flipping into a backward cambre arching toward him, but as "Ocean" wore on the acrobatic partnering became redundant. I was also shocked how a solo for the technically peerless Sylve could make her look so contained. There were lots of repeating phrases of fouettes into an a la seconde turns and other short pirouettes which didn't resolve into anything. In the second PDD Yuan Yuan Tan was her usual imperious self with an arabesque for days, partnered by Vitor Luiz. The ensemble finishes the ballet climbing a ramp and jumping off the cliff (much like Gloria), before Yuan Yuan runs up, turns downstage to jump off last as the lights go dark. I wouldn't write off Liang for this piece: his "Age of Innocence" and "Murmuration" (choreographed on Joffrey and Houston Ballets, respectively) are far more inventive and choreographically developed. "Snowblind" left me at arm's length, though this is my fault for not consulting a synopsis beyond the program notes. The story involves the love triangle of Ethan Frome, an impoverished farmer; Zeena, his hypochondriac wife; and Mattie, his wife's cousin who is living with them with no place else to go. But this is where I would recommend reading the full synopsis beforehand to fill in the gaps. For instance, in the book Mattie suggests a suicide pact when she goes sledding with Ethan, but an image of Zeena inside Ethan's head causes him to steer off-course as they crash into a tree. Neither dies, but Mattie is paralyzed and Ethan left with a permanent limp, forcing Zeena, now cured of her "illness," to care for both of them. The way the reigns shift in the last scene with Zeena establishing her control over Mattie and Ethan is masterfully done. Marston's partnering is inventive and constantly establishing and developing the relationships of Ethan and his two women. As I said in the last rep Mathilde Froustey has tremendously expressive eyes; her Mattie was effervescent and naive which was powerful against the austere, anxiety-ridden Zeena of Jennifer Stahl. Ulrik Birkkjaer was subtle and powerful as Ethan, showing a clear shift of physicality and dramatic depth when his character becomes a cripple. Overall I'm not convinced this story can be adequately conveyed through dance, but the principal trio gave it their best. "Bjork Ballet" will not appeal to everyone but for me was somewhat of a guilty pleasure. Having recently seen "O" in Las Vegas, I found the work very reminiscent of Cirque du Soleil, with a dizzying array of costumes and movement and a heightened sense of erotica. No dancer is spared in creating the hyper athletic physicality inherent in Pita's choreography. The ballet has a sketch of a narrative with the fisherman (Joe Walsh) alternating a sad mask in the first half of the ballet and a happy mask in the second. Walsh is an excellent and freakishly agile dancer, but choreographically his interludes stalled the piece's momentum, and my interest waned in the second half. Dores Andre in her multi-colored (primarily pink) costume was also underutilized given her obvious dramatic capabilities, but an exotic Carmela Mayo and sensual Elizabeth Powell were given free reign to utilize their glamorous stage presence. The lighting, as well as the props--among them 40 pieces of silver grass which drop from the ceiling--were used to striking effect.

Stix-Brunell is not cast as Aurora. Presumably she will dance Lilac as she has done so before. Onegin only has 12 shows and Tatiana is typically cast on experienced principal ballerinas, so I would expect her to dance Olga. Swan Lake has 25 performances including the welcome performance and students' matinee, but I recall the 2018 run having nearly that many shows and the 6 Odette/Odiles were all principals. However, it is possible with a revival, there could be some debuts this time around particularly with so many performances. Certainly there are many soloist/first soloist ballerinas (not just Stix) who are worthy.

In spite of her recent Juliet, Stix-Brunell is one of the company's most underused dancers (IMO), but I'm actually more disappointed she's not debuting Swanhilda. The company isn't losing any Manons to retirement from the last run, so realistically there wasn't going to be a debut. Whereas Coppelia is a long-awaited revival featuring a lot of debuts especially for dancers below the principal rank (Magri, O'Sullivan, Choe, Corrales, Sambe, Acri) so it's difficult not to see her cast. Her personality would be a great fit for the role. O'Sullivan is a great talent but I personally wouldn't have given her *both* Aurora and Swanhilda back-to-back. She probably up to the task though. I am thrilled Kaneko is getting to do Aurora, but for both ladies to each have only one performance of such a daunting role is a lot of pressure. ETA: I see O'Sullivan has two Auroras, Kaneko one.

A terrific evening of dance. Being from the U.S. I have always wanted to see the San Francisco Ballet, and finally had the opportunity here in London. What immediately caught my eye was the depth of the company, both the men and women. Much is expected of the corps in all three ballets, with challenging choreography and complex patterns weaving in and out of the principals, that a company must have tremendous top-down strength just to dance Ratmansky. Every corps dancer looked as though he or she could have stepped into a principal role at a moment's notice and given a creditable performance, if not much more. As a choreographer Ratmansky is demanding in every conceivable way: technique, musicality, partnering, formations, phrasing. You're aware from the first five seconds of "Symphony #9" that it's going to be an intensely physical night, with new principal Esteban Hernandez opening the work center stage before the corps begin to dart in and out. The pacing is so fast the audience can barely breathe (imagine the dancers!), but there are moments of melancholy and humor such as the pas de deux of Mathilde Froustey and Luke Ingham. Froustey has a softness to her work with expressive eyes which contrast the more straightforward, technically ironclad approach of Sasha De Sola. Hernandez and Hansuke Yamamoto took full advantage of Ratmansky's buoyant phrases for the men while also being cognizant of the idiosyncratic score. Yamamoto does not have the nicest turn-out nor the greatest feet, but he is one of those dependable, rock solid technicians who is seemingly never out of control. Hernandez was all of that with an even nicer aesthetic. In contrast Ingham was lagging technically and even forgot a step at one point; fortunately his partnering was much better. "Chamber Symphony" was my favorite work of the three. While remaining an abstract work it is clearly the most narrative-based. Shostakovich (Aaron Robison) appears as a character in the ballet, which delineates the relationships of his three wives and his oppression during Soviet Russia. While the corps women, quartet of men, and principal women are onstage throughout the ballet, the work is unique in that it becomes somewhat of a one-man show. Robison was more than up to task with a riveting, dramatically moving performance. His dancing was seamless and his descent into madness modulated to avoid histrionics. The quartet of men were used to great effect, such as how they would throw a ballerina for Robison to catch in a full presage, and hide another woman while she slipped out of his grasp. There were superb visual details not to mention a thorough sense of narrative, especially the ending where the entire cast created a tableau onstage while Robison trudged upstage left, alone. Of the three ballerinas, Dores Andre was my favorite and probably had the most to work with in her central pas de deux. Jennifer Stahl had a beautiful extension but was comparatively nondescript, and Jahna Frantziskonis didn't have the same quality of line. "Piano Concerto #1" was like fireworks. Yuan Yuan Tan was magisterial in the first ballerina role and at 42 still has the energy (and arabesque) of someone half her age. Technically there are occasional creaks but what a masterful presence and artist. Tiit Helimets, if not the most explosive dancer, was still her regal and authoritative partner. The second principals were the dynamo couple of Isabella DeVivo and Vitor Luiz. DeVivo has an affinity for allegro but was missing some of the off-balance angular quality that Yuan Yuan captured. A couple of Luiz's pirouettes went awry but he had such an ingratiating presence with tremendous strength of footwork that I don't think anyone cared. Both principals had quirky, challenging lifts including a full 360 turn to a shoulder sit and a full presage with the ballerina looking down on the guy in a stag position. The six corps couples seemed especially sharp in the evening's finale. The changing of colors with the six women (their costumes grey in the front and red in the back) was a particular highlight.

Back in London and saw the Nunez/Tissi R&J tonight. I'm completely in agreement with those who posted previously. Perhaps Marianela Nunez's Juliet was more effective earlier in her career -- especially with a partner she worked with regularly such as Soares -- but the whole evening it was clear this wasn't her role. For all her great work in the classics, Ashton, and Balanchine (among other choreographers), Nunez is not a MacMillan dancer. Her character development isn't especially nuanced, and her liquid, andante movement quality doesn't lend itself well to the abandonment necessary in this ballet. JohnS described her Juliet as "coquettish" and that's exactly how I saw it. She seemed too wise, personable, and knowing for her years and one never bought into her and Tissi's chemistry especially in Act I. With everything in this ballet so intrinsically linked, if the chemistry isn't there in Act I, the demise in Act III doesn't mean much no matter how well the latter is danced. Perhaps Nunez's best scene in the entire ballet was not with Romeo, but with Paris: her defiance in Act III was imposing and riveting. This Juliet you had no difficulty believing she could stand up to her father and reject Paris in front of him; alas I wish I had believed in her love for Romeo just the same. Jacopo Tissi as Romeo is a handsome presence with endless limbs, but his characterization was lightly shaded the entire night. There were very few dynamics in his character so no tension was created in the story: being with Juliet never seemed like a life or death proposition for him. His technique was strong on the whole, and the tricky synchronized turns in the men's trio went mostly without a hitch. He also acquitted himself admirably with partnering: there was only one press lift in the ball scene which was awkward, but this was minor. For his height he has fairly strong pirouettes and jumps with beautiful lines, but he is stiff in his plie with a lack of articulation through his feet particularly during entrechats. Overall a good dancer whom the Bolshoi is investing in heavily, but his acting needs to develop tenfold. I'm not convinced RB needs to invite him again but in an emergency he is a viable candidate, as I suppose was the case here. The supporting cast was strong. I was slightly less blown away with Sambe's Mercutio than some on this forum---maybe I was expecting a more devilish characterization--but his dancing is excellent. Faultless pirouettes which rotate for hours before stopping on a dime right on the music, and his ballon is notable. I really see him as a Romeo. Ryoichi Hirano as Tybalt took all of Act I to warm up but was his domineering, menacing self by the fight in Act II. There were a fair amount of missed "hits" of the swords between him and Tissi so perhaps a lack of rehearsal there. Benvolio doesn't have a great deal to work with but Calvin Richardson impressed with gorgeous technique and a natural stage presence. Christina Arestis was suitably imperious as Lady Capulet and didn't make a mockery of Tybalt's death. Joseph Sissens was the lead in mandolin dance and despite being a touch stiff in his back during attitude and arabesque has a remarkable facility for ballet. Yuhui Choe, Romany Padjak, and Lara Turk were the harlots and all good. Choe did admirably considering she was cast against type, featuring prominently in lyrical roles. Overall probably the best performance that could have been achieved given the circumstances, but this is a ballet which needs the time for a partnership to develop. That wasn't the case here and it showed.

Yes it was, with Stepanova as Lilac.

Finally had to chance to watch the Nunez/Osipova/Muntagirov Bayadere in cinema this week. It was a thrilling show and I'm so envious of everyone who got to see it live. The Nunez-Osipova face off lived up to its billing. Nunez has a stately, cerebral dignity as Nikiya with her usual strong, steely technique. There was a certain defiance in the Shades scene which contrasted with her lyricism in the first act. The Act I solo was masterful: her control rolling on and off pointe, the extended arabesques, and the phrasing showed all of her experience performing the ballet. Dramatically her Nikiya didn't develop to the extent of an Asylmuratova or Vishneva--my gold standards in the role--but an absolutely fine performance. She makes steps you've seen hundreds of times appear fresh and alive; how she extended back into attitude after the supported pirouettes in Shades was a particular highlight. Osipova has less purity technically than Nunez: there were instances of slack knees, insufficient turn out, and sloppy port de bras in the exposed betrothal scene. But as Gamzatti she is convincing and captivating in every moment. Small details in the choreography somehow stick in your memory when Osipova performs them. As an example, before Nikiya's entrance in the fight scene when Gamzatti is distraught and glances at her bracelet, Osipova's reading was so clear you could hear her say, "I've got this under control." Gamzatti is perhaps the most fully realized character in the ballet....much like Amneris in Aida, she is a spoiled princess who has everything one could ever want except love. Osipova brought the character to life as much as I've seen in recent years with the possible exception of Alexandrova. Muntagirov's Solor was subtle in characterization and was as its best in Shades. The partnering of both ballerinas was fauthless and the Act I solo was quality in every respect: superior cabrioles, a la seconde turns, and a double tour-double finish for good measure. He captured Solor's dilemma well in Act I but seemed slightly muted against the two ballerinas. Fortunately the hypnotic Kingdom of Shades was just what he needed, where in his dream the torment of losing Nikiya was palpable. Technically I've rarely seen a danseur who can pull out all the stops with bravura but has such elegance of line and quiet, soft landings. In the coda he included eight double assembles instead of the usual six. Makarova's production has its longueurs and is less demanding technically than Nureyev's (about the only Nureyev production I find watchable), and I have very mixed feelings about the third Act. On one hand it provides closure to the story but Shades is impossible to top. Nonetheless, with such a strong trio of principals, the third Act made sense and was welcome in this performance. And what can be said about Kingdom of Shades? Simply one of the most beautiful scenes ever choreographed, and the RB women did it justice. The treacherous opening arabesques and developpe a la seconde hold were negotiated with few serious wobbles. The 24 women had this serenity, breathing as one. The three soloists-Yuhui Choe, Yasmine Naghdi, and Akane Takada--were all very fine with Naghdi standing out for her adagio control and textbook fifth positions. I know she danced Gamzatti elsewhere in the run but I would love to see her Nikiya.

Yanowsky, Nunez, Galeazzi, and Lamb all danced Rose Fairy as principals. The Rose equivalent in Balanchine's production (Dewdrop) is also frequently danced by principals at NYCB.

Loving these reviews: I can't wait to see the Nunez-Osipova face off in cinema. Sad for Cesar's injury (did he only dance one show?) but a unique opportunity for audiences to see the two ballerinas switching roles opposite Vadim's Solor.

It's also possible Matthew was covering the role, so he would've been shadowing rehearsals and actively learning the choreography if management didn't feel Watson's return was likely. In major American companies it is almost compulsory to have covers for major roles even when there are multiple casts. Not sure if that is the case at RB but I would be shocked if it weren't. Still nothing to diminish his accomplishment: it's clear he had two weeks in earnest to prepare Rudolf which is a very short window. But I imagine he came in with some understanding of how he wanted to portray the role as well as its physical and technical demands, before he was officially cast to perform it.

Was Matthew Ball originally slated to perform Rudolf, or is he just adding shows because of Watson's injury?

Can't comment as I haven't seen Two Pigeons, but good to see she is debuting that. Maybe bravura technique isn't her strong suit, which wouldn't make her an ideal Odile, Kitri, or Gamzatti? But even then, she has proven quite adept at MacMillan and I would've hoped for a Vetsera debut at the very least.

Hmmm, disappointed Francesca Hayward and Beatriz Stix-Brunell were not cast as Kitri. Especially Hayward who as a principal is not debuting any major role in full-lengths next season. Has Cuthbertson danced Don Q before? Beautiful dancer but I can't picture her as Kitri at all. I had a similar thought about Lamb when I saw her in the 2015 D.C. tour: great dancer, wrong role. But I see Lamb is not dancing Don Q in this run.

The MET stage is massive and can easily fit 32 shades, but perhaps the smaller touring venues ABT frequents couldn't? But Mariinsky was able to use 32 shades when they toured to the Kennedy Center, which is a very cramped stage. So I think Makarova, in trying to get the notoriously ragged ABT corps together, decided 24 shades was the best way of accomplishing that. Obviously not a wish for 2018/2019 since the season is set, but in the future I would love for RB to stage a full-length Raymonda.

No, even at the MET they only perform it with 24.

From the credits, the two ballerinas are Sandra Conley and Rosalyn Whitten. Wasn't impressed with Coleman but enjoyed the two ladies. Sandra's entrechat six (the beated jumps in the sequence beginning at 2:35) are on par with the men. The only ballerina I saw attempt a six in the current run was Mayara Magri, and I think Sandra's are better. ETA: Bridiem, this performance was in 1982.

It's at this point in the pas:

Nunez danced SPF (replacing Bussell) and Swanhila under Dowell, but not Myrtha or Lilac. She debuted Myrtha under Stretton, May or June 2002, and Lilac under Mason when the Makarova production premiered in March 2003. She also debuted Aurora during that run, which I saw. I recall quite liking the Makarova Sleeping Beauty and wishing it hadn't been shelved so quickly. Also, yes, the Nureyev Bayadere is a better (and far more difficult) version than Makarova's, but it's the only full-length of his I find watchable.

That's what I suspected Richard; thanks for checking. I posted that shortly after watching Houston Ballet's Swan Lake which does include it, and this music was also used for the Ashton pas de quatre.

Yes. The Royal Opera House mentioned on its Facebook page that Osipova substituted the fouettes because of injury.

Sae Maeda was Takada's double, and she caught my eye instantly in the corps. Gorgeous expressive dancer and from her Prix de Lausanne variations looks strong technically. I see her going very far.

I agree, Alison. Based on my visit in May, I thought the RB had its strongest roster of men in recent years. I saw Bracewell's Siegfried and Clarke's Des Grieux and thought both were ready for promotion, even if they have different strengths. Haven't seen much of Ball, but he looks to be shoo-in for principal given the season he has had. Also count me in on wanting a promotion for Fumi Kaneko, especially because I thought she was already first soloist!

This is a compilation I put together of the score used in Scarlett's production. Whenever possible, I denote where music has been cut or altered. Act I 1.) Prologue/Opening of Act I: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XjB5qIA3nE 2.) Waltz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI4V07OXQvY 3.) Queen's entrance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNA0IBJ4JD8 4.) Pas de Trois (2:14-4:40 is cut): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxqdzLfZngM 5.) Dance of the Goblets: https://youtu.be/Dyjikf4lVgg?t=1m58s Act II 1.) Transition between Acts I and II: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuxWSDVwTlY 2.) Odette's entrance (4:08-5:04 is cut): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0AC7eTZdCc 3.) Swans' entrance: https://youtu.be/LOyQP12mo8A?t=4m59s 4.) Valse des Cygnes (0:00-2:24): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9ubcP5B-38 5.) White Swan Pas de Deux: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUbAjx41eHA 6.) Cygnets: https://youtu.be/r9ubcP5B-38?t=5m54s 7.) Two Swans (7:17-8:45): https://youtu.be/Y0CGQma_780?t=7m17s 8.) Odette's variation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv8sKB5reNI 9.) Coda: https://youtu.be/Y0CGQma_780?t=8m47s 10.) Scene, Odette's transformation into a swan (1:07-2:18 is cut): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAxmkPBtBPU Act III 1.) Intro (0:00-2:26): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vr6gS3DXb9A 2.) "Dance of the Guests and Dwarfs," section with 4 couples which transitions into the Pas de Trois (2:28-3:49): https://youtu.be/Vr6gS3DXb9A?t=2m28s 3.) Pas de Trois* (1:38-4:16): https://youtu.be/t23RffXoAxI?t=1m38s 4.) Pas de Trois variation (two sisters, 4:20-5:56): https://youtu.be/t23RffXoAxI?t=4m20s 5.) Pas de Trois variation (Benno, 10:26-11:23): https://youtu.be/t23RffXoAxI?t=10m28s 6.) Pas de Trois coda: https://youtu.be/t23RffXoAxI?t=12m49s 7.) Waltz with the princesses (5:45-6:40 is cut, in addition to some of the repeats): https://youtu.be/m7Wy4vRaONU?t=2m49s 8.) Odile's entrance (0:00-1:36): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t23RffXoAxI 9.) Spanish Dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVLjccYJ4Ls 10.) Hungarian Dance (Czardas): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsL6CiQLvHw 11.) Neapolitan Dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63ATLTPVNxY 12.) Polish Dance (Mazurka): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWYD5O933W0 13.) Black Swan Pas de Deux: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5AopfCTxTE 14.) Siegfried's variation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsOLCLquprs 15.) Odile's variation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWXXwY1LIdo 16.) Coda: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJrIBvqGfy4 17.) Finale (repeat of the Waltz at 1:12 isn't included): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgtUm9HcN3Y Act IV 1.) Entr'acte: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVCkINHkY-s 2.) Danses des petits cygnes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1JuLOmrcbw 3.) Scene (Odette returns to the lake): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e98GPf4BJHE 4.) Prince's entrance (0:00-1:17): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLO8fKRZ6tY 5.) Odette/Siegfried Pas de Deux (4:16-8:05): https://youtu.be/_oHXsxzRbEM?t=4m19s 6.) Finale/Apotheosis: https://youtu.be/HLO8fKRZ6tY?t=1m17s *Not sure if this music was used or not.

Since Osipova turns to the right, her fouettes would be on her left foot whereas she would pique turn onto her right foot. So the pique turns were clearly to avoid aggravating her left foot. Pique turns are not difficult for a technically capable ballerina; however, doing them effectively is. Osipova's pique manege in Giselle was spectacular, begging for a bigger stage (and a faster baton). Whereas her fouettes for whatever reason look awkward, even if she can pump out multiple revolutions. So I doubt I would have felt shortchanged by this substitution in her performance. I certainly don't think anyone would suggest taking her out of the ballet for not doing the fouettes, especially as she has done them in numerous performances.