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SheilaC

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  1. SheilaC
    Essentially, JNC, the POB production is very similar to that of the RB. Some details differ, some dances are in a slightly different order and the choreography for the corps varies a bit. For example, Wilfred doesn't draw attention to Albrecht (or the audience) that he's still wearing his sword; Giselle doesn't dance for Bathilde, after Berthe's intervention; Albrecht cautions Bathilde not to speak (by putting his fingers to his mouth to shush) when Giselle first becomes aware of the deception. Like traditional productions in the past there is the Peasant pas de deux, not pas de six as at the Royal, and the couple are backed up by 8 female members of the corps. Berthe does the full mime account of the wili legend and there is mime in other parts of the ballet, including at the start of Act 2 when, like some other versions, some villagers are gambling in the forest and react to Hilarion when he arrives. But overall the production by Patrice Bart and Eugene Polyakov has much in common with Peter Wright's, retaining most of the traditional Romantic choreography. Giselle is usually danced in the Garnier theatre, unlike most of the big classics, which are usually performed at the Bastille theatre. The latter has little or no atmosphere which reduces the impact of the ballets. The Garnier has a deep stage which helps Giselle look at its best and, despite the extravagant baroque decor, the auditorium has a sense of intimacy, more than the Royal Opera House, which heightens the impact of a good performance.
  2. SheilaC
    In the Paris Opera Ballet production of Giselle some of the Dukes look searchingly into Berthe's face (they don't all) as though they are recalling a past dalliance, and at Giselle, as if to speculate if she could be his daughter.. Which would be a case of history repeating itself.
  3. SheilaC
    I once told someone who hadn't seen Nureyev that his favourite partner was .... his cloak!
  4. SheilaC
    I saw the performance at Leeds as well. I enjoyed the first act but thought some parts of the action were unclear. At the start a doctor, wearing a face mask, reacted with Giselle and I assumed that she was in a hospital, which reminded me slightly of Mats Ek's version where Giselle ends up in a mental health institution, but after that I didn't notice any reference to any sort of hospital. Another confusing point was when Hilarion finds something incriminating in Albrecht's coat but neither I nor the friend I was with could work out what it was. Giselle's death was very sudden and it wasn't clear to me how she died. The dancers were wear contemporary type clothes. The style was contemporary ballet, no pointe work but pleasant. The second act was something else. No bride-like Wilis but ghouls, wearing strange makeup and even weirder clothes. Some of the ghosts were male. The women danced on pointe (this, and some of the soundscape reminded me slightly of the Akram Khan version). The choreography was original and gripping. When Giselle and Albrecht eventually appeared their tenderness permeated the choreography yet I didn't get the impression of Giselle's overwhelming love for, and protectiveness of, Albrecht which is at the very heart of the classic. This act would work equally effectively on its own in a mixed bill. The dancers were all good, although I was slightly disappointed in Battggia as Albrecht (and with a family of social workers I don't like his theory that Terpischore cites that Albrecht is a social worker!- no evidence in the choreography or interpretation), but Yasset Roldan (Hilarion) is a stunning dancer. Altogether the company is well worth catching if their tour takes them anywhere near you.
  5. SheilaC
    I've booked the second performance (initially there was only going to be one). But it's weird, it's not in a conventional theatre but an Edinburgh University venue, the Pleasance- and if you don't want to book on line you have to ring a London number! When booking you don't get a proper ticket as seating is allocated on arrival on a first come, first served basis. The casting is intriguing, should be an interesting performance.
  6. SheilaC
    All of us who have seen BRB casts have been blown away by the lead dancers. So, if BRB is blessed with so many impressive soloists, why did they have to advertise so controversially for new soloists?
  7. SheilaC
    According to Pathe the Spartacus casting on 7 November is: Igor Tsvirko (Spartacus), Anna Nikulina (Phrygia), Svetlana Zakharova (Aegina), Artemy Belyakov (Crassus)
  8. SheilaC
    Yes, I was amazed, too, Jan. Very strange. He's still around as I saw him at York on Tuesday, talking intently to Cassa Pancho of Ballet Black. The email announces a new Chair and the new mixed bill; I booked a while back for its premiere in York. It combines pieces from different phases of Phoenix's 40 year history, including works by Ben Duke, Darshan Singh Bhuller and Henri Oguike Smith and ends with that tremendous solo by Jane Dudley, Harmonica Breakdown.
  9. SheilaC
    I saw this double bill last night in York. The underlying themes of the two ballets by Tuckett and November are quite profound (how we should relate to each other in a period of turmoil; the existential issues of why we are here and who we are) yet the impact is not heavy but, overall, entertaining. The Waiting Game starts off quizzically but ends up a riot- very like Alvin Ailey, as a friend who saw it in Salford told me. The audience, often sedate in York, loved it, we all showed our appreciation by clapping rhythmically in time to the music. The use of words in the earlier section (spoken on tape by the dancers) as a backdrop works more effectively than usual. The dancers are excellent as always, not least Mthuthuzeli November himself, the star of his own ballet. The printed programme is very good value. Well worth catching at the Linbury. And watching tonight on Channel 4, as Joan Hopton advised us.
  10. SheilaC
    If he is leaving at the end of November he may not even be present at the 40th year anniversary gala on 3 December. I was very surprised at the opening night of West Side Story Symphonic Dances that he didn't appear to take a bow at the end, despite the rapturous applause for his choreography and dancers. Perhaps the reason for his non-appearance is in some way connected to his decision to return to South Africa. I am gutted. As a dancer he had the most wonderful liquid quality and I regretted that he seemed likely to give up dancing when he took over the directorship. But when you met him or read interviews with him his modesty and humanity were inspirational. Very sad for the company who tonight give the second performance of his new Bernstein work. I had hoped that under his directorship there would be a closer partnership with Northern Ballet. The two companies share a building but, up to now, there has been little cooperation.
  11. SheilaC
    Obviously I meant artistic, not academic, direction. My proofreading skills seem to be failing as badly as all my other abilities!
  12. SheilaC
    Dane Hurst has started his academic direction of Phoenix Dance Theatre with a bang. The company shares the stage with Opera North in a double bill celebrating Bernstein's music in the 1950s. The opera, Trouble in Haiti, a satire on the American dream, takes the first half of the bill. The second half starts with a mixed performance of spoken poetry represented by all the Phoenix dancers in Dane's choreography. Then follows his choreography to a suite made up of Bernstein's music for the West Side Story musical, albeit generic, divorced from the specific dramatic structure of the musical. The publicity beforehand promised mambos, waltzes and cha-chas but my overall impression was of visceral contemporary dance, some of it not that different from Robbins's own choreography for the musical and for the ballet that Robbins later composed for NYCB of dances from the musical. There was a mixture of relationships, some angry and conflictual ; Hurst says he was influenced by the tensions in his native South Africa. There are also varied emotional and sexual relationships but, like the musical, the dance culminates in a final climax of murder. There is clever use of scenery which the dancers frequently move round, often climbing up it or hiding behind it, reminding one of some of the scenes in the musical, indeed much of what takes place reminded me of the musical, whilst being entirely original. The dancers are excellent, dynamic and musical, helped by the stunning playing of the Opera North orchestra which brings out all the colours and rhythms of Bernstein's score. Altogether a wonderful start to Dane Hurst's directorship. There are 10 more performances altogether. It can be seen at Leeds (the Grand), Newcastle Theatre Royal, The Lowry, Salford, Nottingham Theatre Royal. In addition Phoenix Dance Theatre have an interesting mixed bill touring and a gala in December celebrating their 40th birthday.
  13. SheilaC
    You seem to have to sign up to the Telegraph in order to read reviews published in that. Pity, there's an impressive list of dancers listed.
  14. SheilaC
    Overall I thought it was the best of the 3 casts I saw. I agree very much with capybara about Suzuki, such a moving performer. I thought Sara Kundi was good as the doctor but equally so were the other two doctors. Henry Dowden surprisingly made more impact (at least on me) as the Captain than Saruhashi or Frola (although I couldn't understand why Frola wasn't the Creature!) and James Streeter was as good as Reimair as the Major but in a slightly different characterisation of that role. He made me think of the men in that equally dystopian drama, The Handmaid's tale. As for Andres, a character one often didn't notice, Rentaro Nakaaki made much more impact than the other two. But of course where the Creature is concerned Arrieta and Hernandez, good though they were, could not compete with the absolutely astounding performance by Cirio, the performance of a lifetime.
  15. SheilaC
    Today's Guardian has a photo of Osipova, Kittelberger and (Isaac) Hernandez rehearsing for a new production of Carmen to be shown in Edinburgh this December. I've not spotted a reference to it on the forum and have checked the main theatres in Edinburgh, but can't find any info. Does anyone know anything about it? Given the participants it could be a Sadler's Wells venture, like The Mother, which Osipova did (in Manchester??) one December, prior to a showing at the Wells the next summer.
  16. SheilaC
    I'm afraid I was probably wrong. I've just heard from the Ashton Foundation that the Ashton evening in late October will be streamed (at a later date). I now think that the funding offer I heard related to the Ashton evening, not the 2022 programme.
  17. SheilaC
    I may well be wrong but I have a feeling that I heard someone, possibly from the Ballet Association, say that they were offering funding for the streaming of the Ashton programme. So maybe the ROH is having to get financial support for streaming the different programmes.
  18. SheilaC
    Has anyone seen dates for the Bolshoi screenings? I've got dates (eg Spartacus, 7 November) but the source may have been for screenings in France; and when I checked that date for the cinema I usually travel to, in York, there was no mention.
  19. SheilaC
    Mark Bruce has just sent out an email aimed at recruiting new dancers, so they intend to continue, but there's no reference to future performances. Ballet Black is performing in York, in October (the same programme as at the Linbury). Phoenix (under their new director, Dane Hurst) is performing an interesting programme in York, in November, as well as premiering a new piece by Hurst, choreographed to Bernstein's Westside Story Suite, in partnership with Opera North, in Leeds, Newcastle, Salford, Nottingham, from October. On 3 December Phoenix have a gala, celebrating 40 years of the company, and including dancers from the National Dance Company of Wales, Scottish Dance Theatre, Ballet Black, Motionhouse, ACE dance and Music, plus their neighbours, Northern Ballet.
  20. SheilaC
    I'm currently reading through ballet magazines from the early '60s and have been impressed at the range of activities LBC organised then- eg hosting a celebratory dinner for Sir Fred, organising a meal for Bolshoi dancers, arranging trips to watch performances outside London.
  21. SheilaC
    It was fascinating reading Alastair Macaulay's blog, so helpfully included in today's Links, that Ashton created the first ballet featuring Jacques d'Amboise, two years before Balanchine created a major role for him. The photos were very interesting but it was difficult to recognise him, with the beard and with the poses being so different from the lively movement shown in photos of him performing In Balanchine's ballets, above all Apollo. Although the text rightly referred to Diana Adams dancing the main female role in Picnic at Tintagel, the captions named her as Diana Gould, who of course was the wonderful English dancer who eventually married Yehudi Menuhin. I've not been able to find whether that was the original name of Diana Adams; but I'm pretty sure that she was known as Diana Adams throughout her remarkable career.
  22. SheilaC
    It's very good news, overall, but I'll miss her when she leaves Essential Classics, just as I miss Sarah Walker, who always comes across as genuinely interested in many genres of music (she does now do the Sunday morning show) and whose partner creates music for a number of dance groups. It would be great if Suzy Klein were able to commission more ballet for TV. I am currently reading through some of my ballet magazines from the '50s and early '60s and it's stunning how each month there were several ballet programmes. For instance, the June 1958 Dance and Dancers reviews (1) A Blue Rose (Peter Wright's first major ballet, cast includes the wonderful Anne Heaton and Donald MacLeary), shown on Granada. (2) Royal Danes (BBC Children's Television; excerpts from La Sylphide plus Nutcracker- starring those Bournonville experts, Henning Kronstam and Kirsten Simone. I remember this programme, my first introduction to Bournonville. (3) Les Sylphides, BBC, Nadia Nerina, Rowena Jackson, Julia Farron, Philip Chatfield.
  23. SheilaC
    SkyArts keep showing a series called The Agony and the Ecstasy (eg midnight this coming Tuesday). Is this the ENB series showing the problems facing Daria and a very young Vadim, inter alia ? I've never checked as I've got it recorded but others might want to watch it, if it is.
  24. SheilaC
    I've now had a response, stating "we have no firm details at this point but it's possible we may offer some streams in the future." They suggest checking the site periodically.
  25. SheilaC
    I've emailed NYCB this afternoon to check if there's any chance of on-line viewings.
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