fashionista

16 hours ago, FLOSS said:

CherwellMaker

The answer  to the question of  why I want the Nureyev staging is quite simple. It is the staging in which Fonteyn herself actually danced. It is a self contained staging  which ends in a sunburst with Solor and Nikiya at its centre. I recall it being exceptionally beautiful and far grander with its thirty two shades than the twenty four shades version of the Markarova staging. Needless to say it is far more of a test of the corps de ballet ability to dance as  one without wobbling because of the eight additional shades who have to descend the ramp. In 1975 it was the version which the corps performed when it was awarded the Evening Standard Award for achievement in classical dance, who at that time were described as dancing "as a single entity with shared style and ideal unity". They danced it with a wonderful combination of Russian style and Ashtonian epaulement and arabesques. It is impossible to describe how extraordinary it was and went on being for years.

 

fashionista

I really think that one of the problems which the Ashton repertory faces and the MacMillan repertory does not is that MacMillan is rarely, if ever, consigned to the heritage box. His works are part of the company's living repertory whereas most of Ashton's ballets are "heritage" repertory only to be staged under duress. So although the company has a number of works like Les Rendezvous which helped create the company and its style in the early days of its existence and would certainly sharpen up the corps de ballet today they are not pressed into service. A failure which the late David Vaughan used to comment on quite often.

 

As to the lack of a good Lilac Fairy or Myrthe.

 I am unsure whether the problem is essentially one of casting, coaching or a combination of the two. Perhaps everyone has managed to persuade themselves that roles like Myrthe, Lilac Fairy and the Fairy Variations were originally danced by senior dancers in the company because they were the only ones with sufficient technique to be capable of performing them and that everyone's improved technique means that such roles should no longer be seen as anything other than secondary roles to be danced by the up and coming and dancers otherwise difficult to cast because of their height. Everyone seems to have lost sight of the fact that they were created for leading dancers. In 1890 the Fairy Variations allowed Petipa to display the skills of the company's own leading dancers to the audience before they saw the guest star. They are ballerina roles not roles for the hopeful aspirant. They were created to display the dancer's exemplary style and command of the choreography. As far as the Lilac Fairy is concerned ideally she combines the commanding technical skill to dance her solo effortlessly and the stage presence of a great character dancer which Bergsma certainly did.

 

I am not sure how these roles have gradually come to be treated or seen by the company as a whole as essentially secondary roles which should only be allocated to dancers at a certain level in the company but that is what has happened which I guess means that they don't get the rigorous polishing which they need. You get the occasional good performance of one or two of the Variations but never a complete set. Beryl Grey's unscheduled intervention at an Insight Evening was a real eye opener. Perhaps it is as much a question of not being coached by the right people as not being cast with sufficient care and not getting enough performances to consolidate and never having seen an exemplary performance of the role.

 

The company's continuity in experience of good and great performance of works like Manon seems to work wonders as far as establishing and maintaining standards in the performance of the major Macmillan narrative works is concerned . They are revived regularly and there are so many performances of them that the occasional casting mistake has no impact on the reputation of the ballet or its maker. Programming six performances of an Ashton mixed bill with sometimes three different casts does not help maintain standards or style. If you go to a performance of an unknown work which has been allocated to well known popular dancers who  will you blame if you find the performance less than adequate? Will you blame the management who miscast the work? This is unlikely as you have never seen the ballet before . Will you blame the dancer or dancers in question? Of course not they are your favourite dancers. They are the reason why you booked in the first place and being wonderful they can do no wrong. That only leaves the choreographer. It has to be his fault and here is the evidence . The ballet has not been revived for years. There must be a reason for its neglect. I saw a bad performance of course it's the ballet which is the problem. That is what happened with the revival of Pigeons the best cast was the last one who only got a single performance.

 

 

Dear Floss,  This is my concern, if the Ashton works are not revived, than the Ashton style will be lost - it is part of the signature style of the RB, together with their classical and dramatic heritage.  Leave it too long, and those dancers who were coached personally by Ashton, will no longer be around to pass on the essence of Ashton to today's generation of dancers.  It is essential that this style is not lost and would also stretch the dancers technically.  It is a very exacting technique with fast and fleet footwork. Sadly, this is being eroded.  For example, the beautiful Ashton solo in the peasant pas de deux from Giselle has now been dropped.  It is very demanding and I am sure given the right coaching there are dancers in the company who could rise to the challenge.  Unfortunately, I heard from a reliable source that it has been dropped because it is too difficult - this is not "on" !!!  If the dancers can stretch themselves for contemporary work, then they should be equally stretched to take on the Ashton technique.  

Amanda

23 minutes ago, FLOSS said:

We now know what the 2018-19 season holds in store for us and I am far from sure that it is really the sort of repertory which the company should be dancing if it is to become a truly great classical ballet company once more. Putting the quality of the corps de ballet to one side for one moment and apologising in advance if this is an unpalatable statement but neither Royal Ballet company has a really good Lilac Fairy let alone one with the technical command and stage presence of a Bergsma or a Grey nor an outstanding Myrthe either. Part of the problem is the choice of repertory which is far too wide in terms of style and choreographic content to enable the company to concentrate on the technical and choreographic basics which are fundamental to becoming and remaining a world class classical ballet company. But of course it does not aspire to be only that it also aspires to be a company at the forefront of creativity and innovation. As the artistic world in which many choreographers seem to work today is one of asymmetry, extreme physicality and extreme non classical movement it places every member of the company who participates in the creation of new works in the two competing aesthetic worlds of classicism with its emphasis on balance, symmetry, musicality, nuance  and effortlessness on one hand and modernism on the other and inevitably the modernism seeps into and is absorbed into the company's performance style across the board.

 

One of the reasons why the company achieved so much artistically in the first fifty years of its existence was not simply that the chosen core repertory which it was dancing regularly was a very demanding one which presented and continues to present technical challenges to every subsequent generation of dancers because it exposes their skills to close scrutiny, it was the fact that its first three directors were choreographer's who believed  whole heartedly in classical dance and went out of their way to cast those ballets with care and ensured at each revival  there was at least one exemplar cast performing it. This approach ensured that the entire company and its audience knew what the ballet in question should look like in performance. The aim was to achieve the best performance of a work that the company could manage rather than performances which were good enough.Now of course I know that casting people according to the relatively lax rules of employ which the company used to apply is deeply unfashionable but it is far less damaging to the quality of a performance which the audience experiences than proceeding on the basis that when it comes to casting anyone can do anything. If you operate on that basis for any length of time than you reduce the audience's ability to distinguish between an indifferent performance of a ballet and an outstanding one. If you think that I am being unfair search out and watch the recording of Ashton's La Valse made more than fifty years ago with a cast which included Park and MacLeary and the company's more recent recording of the same work. 

 

Here is my suggestion for the 2019-20 season.

 

As Kevin seems to need an excuse to stage any Ashton ballet except Marguerite and Armand perhaps he could use the Fonteyn centenary as his excuse for reviving a wider range of the founder choreographer's works than he can usually summon up the courage to stage. The company could  programme most of the works which were danced at her final performance namely Birthday Offering, Symphonic Variations and Façade. I don't think that Salut d' Amour which was created for the occasion should be included as it was far too dependant on Fonteyn's presence to be effective with any other dancer. It might  be a short evening but it would be one which would reveal quite a lot about the company and its state of technical health. A second mixed bill of Daphnis and Chloe, Scenes de Ballet and Les Patineurs ; another including Nureyev's staging of La Bayadere with a full compliment of thirty two shades, A Wedding Bouquet and a ballet in which Fonteyn would have appeared in her early years Les Rendezvous plus the following full length works Cinderella, Sylvia and Sleeping Beauty.

 

Dear Floss,  

So totally agree with all that you say here.  I do believe that the RB is essentially a classical company with an unequalled wealth of wonderful ballets in their repertoire, most of which were created by the founding choreogrpahers, namely De Valois, MacMillan and Ashton.  I am concerned, as you are, that the rep is leaning too heavily on new works, many of which appear for one season and are never performed again as they are not worthy of being revived.  I fully appreciate that one cannot live in the past and must move forward, and I do sincerely hope that the new improved Linbury could be used for more experimental contemporary works, and that the RB on the main stage could serve up some of the seminal works that made the RB so unique.  

It is a shame that the Fonteyn centenary seems to be bypassed - as you say, Floss, this would be an ideal opportunity to revive some wonderful Ashton works.  My concern is that if the Ashton works are not danced, the Ashton style will be lost.  This was my concern with the RBS matinee this year (and in the last few years) - too much reliance on new modern works and not enough heritage works.  These works need to be taught to the students as part of their training.  Leave it too long, and there will not be the "old" Ashtonian dancers left to pass on the style.

I do appreciate that it is a difficult balance - heritage/contemporary, but the balance currently seems to weigh too heavily on the contemporary.  I do so hope that this may be addressed going forward - there are some lovely "jewels" in the rep which do need to be passed on to today's generation of dancers. 

I believe there is the Frederick Ashton Foundation here in London.  In New York, there is the Balanchine Trust.  

As always, a joy to see the RBS students, but once again, disappointed by the programming.  Great start with Aurora's Wedding and fantastic finish with the Grand Defile, but poor programming in between.  5 nondescript "modern" mode pieces - all very much of a muchness, so to speak, and to be honest rather "boring".  This does not give us a chance to see the RBS at their classical best - it is a "classical ballet" school and the programme gave no acknowledgement to their heritage.  One "modern" piece would be great and impressive but 5 in a row does not work.  Yet again, we see no drama - dramatic works are an integral part of the RB repertoire - it is essential that the students are trained and groomed in this vein.  

There is boundless talent and this really shone through in the opening and closing pieces (both classical!), although a shame that the Three Ivans was chosen rather than Aurora and her Prince perform the final coda to their pas de deux - am sure they were capable of dancing this.  

My dream programme would be Lower School in their traditional Irish, Scottish and English dances, a short Macmillan, Ashton or de Valois work, followed by Two Pigeons, Giselle or Fille.  This has been done in the past.  I know one must move forward but it is to the detriment of what the School should be achieving.  

In no way does this reflect any negativity on the students themselves who obviously gave their all and may I wish them every success for their future careers.  

Please advise if you have spare tickets (ideally 2) for next Monday's Swan Lake at 7.30 pm.

Many thanks

Amanda

1 hour ago, fashionista said:

Hi Lynette,  I think this is part of Summer in the Square events which are organised by Grosvenor (only know as I worked there for a number of years).  I think you are best to contact Grosvenor direct - perhaps their Marketing Department - to see if they have further details, which I believe they must as they own the Square and would be responsible for any activities held there.  Their switchboard number is 020 7629 8171.  Hope they are able to throw more light on this.

Best

Amanda

Lynette, apologies, I have misquoted phone number for Grosvenor - it is 020 7408 0988 - Best, Amanda

On 01/06/2018 at 10:56, Lynette H said:

I've had some mail notifications selling tickets for this event in Grosvenor Square, but nothing from ENB. Anybody know more ? 

Hi Lynette,  I think this is part of Summer in the Square events which are organised by Grosvenor (only know as I worked there for a number of years).  I think you are best to contact Grosvenor direct - perhaps their Marketing Department - to see if they have further details, which I believe they must as they own the Square and would be responsible for any activities held there.  Their switchboard number is 020 7629 8171.  Hope they are able to throw more light on this.

Best

Amanda

20 hours ago, bridiem said:

 

Interesting comments, Saodan. I would say that the role of the man in classical ballet changed a long time ago and that being only an understated support to the ballerina is no longer enough. I don't think that being neat, tidy and assured is enough to carry a principal role in a major company (just about any of the men in the RB could do the role if that was all that was required). I personally don't like dancers who are what I would call showy; but I need to see why they are there.

Without any shadow of a doubt, Prince Siegfried should be able to partner his ballerina strongly and impeccably.  However, his function is not based on that alone.  In order to give the ballet dramatic integrity and balance, it is essential that he should convince us all through strong and convincing acting and dancing.  I regret to say that at Monday's matinee, the balance between Naghdi and Kish was one-sided - it should not have been!!!!  Naghdi's performance was a dazzling and moving interpretation, but sadly, Kish was no more than a cypher figure.  I do not want to criticise unduly, but judging by Monday's show, he was miscast as he showed us no emotion at all.  Yes, he was very supportive of Naghdi, but his own acting and dancing was not of a standard one would expect from a Royal Ballet principal.  As has been said countless times o the Forum, what a pity the lovely Naghdi was not partnered by Ball.  It is so surprising and perplexing as they have debuted together in R&J, Beauty and Giselle  - why, oh why, not for Swan Lake?!!!  Mr KOH, please think again !!!

12 hours ago, Myddle said:

I booked to see Swan Lake this afternoon because I wanted to see Yasmine Naghdi dance Odette/Odile and I thought her dancing thrilling - unlike the production, which left me feeling rather underwhelmed. I thought about why I was unmoved by this Swan Lake (which usually elicits the exact opposite emotion from me) on my cycle ride home and I put it down to two things - the relative absence of the Prince as a character and the utter lack of catharsis at the end. I don't quite understand the need for the Prologue - it explains the "how" but not the "why" Rothbart turns her into a swan (unless I've missed something and if so I am ready to be enlightened!). I don't understand the enlarged role for Benno - although I thought Benjamin Ella was superb. Why didn't the Prince dance with his sisters in Act I and III and through his dancing convey his loneliness/sense of being trapped in his courtly role/unwillingness to wed etc. By deflecting the attention from him to Benno the Prince became less well drawn/less known to the audience and thus less able to elicit sympathy - he became a cypher rather than a character. I don't understand Rothbart's role (again I may well have missed something and if so please enlighten me!). Why does deceiving the Prince vis a vis Odette/Odile mean he can usurp the crown? Why expose his deceit to the Prince when he could have simply married Odile to the Prince and wielded power through her? Rothbart may have condemned Odette, but when the dust had settled why wouldn't the Queen have demanded her crown back? Why wouldn't the Prince have said "oy, give the crown back?" On reflection the story now seems somehow confused, which is surprising as the actual production initially appeared to be rather clear and seemed to move along at a crisp pace. The other reason for my sense of disappointment is the lack of catharsis at the end. The music is literally screaming "resolution - it can be happy or sad - but there is a resolution going on here" as it moves from the minor to the major. The music suits a "they kill Rothbart and live happily ever after" resolution or, and I think more satisfying, a "they both die and are joined together eternally in death" resolution. Instead we were left with onstage action that failed to match the heights denoted by the music which was wonderfully played. I left the ROH feeling rather cheated - I did not identify, there was no cleansing or purging of my emotions - in short there was no catharsis. So, all in all an enjoyable enough afternoon, but one that could have been so much more expansive if the inherent tragedy of Swan Lake had been fully realised. 

Dear Myddle, I could not agree more.  My first viewing of the new production yesterday afternoon.  Thrilled by the wonderfully talented Yasmine Naghdi, but totally disappointed by the production, for many of the reasons you cite.  I will be writing a more lengthy insight into my thoughts on this production.  

I would recommend MAC - it is the preferred make-up brand for the Royal Ballet company - therefore, assume it does the right job!

15 hours ago, FredF said:

Does anyone have any first hand experience of Brussels International Ballet School?

Does anyone know of any UK students who have recently been there or are there currently, just looking at options for DC (yr 10) starting this September for the full time course. Any information would be really helpful.

 

Thanks.

 

https://www.brusselsintballet.org

I will message you - I do know someone who may be able to give you information - Best, Amanda

Good morning balletomanes

If anyone is interested, I have 1 ticket for this Thursday's matinee (Hamilton/Kish) - it is Stalls Circle A97 and is priced at £49.00, but will take lower offers.

Many thanks

Best

Amanda

Can you tell me price and if ok, am willing to buy both sets.

Many thanks

Amanda

Looking for 1 ticket for RBS matinee  - any spare, please private message me.

Many thanks

Amanda

I would certainly agree that Sleeping Beauty should be revived.  Ondine also.  As Fonteyn was Ashton's "muse", it would possibly be very much a Fonteyn/Ashton celebration.  The RB's repertoire is so rich and it is time to revive gems such as Facade, A Wedding Bouquet, Symphonic Variations, Scenes de Ballet.  Even more so, whilst they are dancers who were actually coached by Ashton and who were in the company whilst Fonteyn was there.  The legacy needs to be handed down "personally" by dancers who understand the essence of the English style.  I am aware that one must look forward and nurture new works, but the RB has a wonderful legacy of superb works, and these must not get "lost".  And as a "party piece", how about Birthday Offering, aptly named, and whow, they could showcase all the fantastic burgeoning talent they have in the company!!!!

On 3/21/2018 at 13:09, aliceinwoolfland said:

I’m so excited by the new season but have to say I’m totally fed up of Nutcracker every year. 

I think Nutcracker is a guaranteed "crowd pleaser" and it does bring in new young audiences.  Considering it is Petipa's bi-centenary, it may have been good to revive The Sleeping Beauty rather than Nutcracker over the Xmas period (another "crowd pleaser").  On the Petipa/Tchaikovsky theme, after spending a huge budget on the new Swan Lake, am surprised that it gets no performances for the 2018/19 season.  Admittedly, is scheduled for many performances this summer, but a big new piece like this usually has a further run the following season. 

From personal experience, I would recommend Freeds, Emma

Amanda

15 hours ago, Tony Newcombe said:

After the disaster at the RB please keep it in the family.

Continuity is of real importance with the Royal Companies

Totally agree that it should be somebody from the RB cradle - may I suggest Bruce Sansom or Adam Cooper?

13 hours ago, Sim said:

I got a call on Saturday.  I am still in row A, but there will now be a bench in front of me.  They asked if I'd rather sit on the bench so that I were still in the front row.  So I said I get a choice between an uncomfortable seat but a clear view, or a comfortable seat with perhaps someone's head blocking me?  I was assured that my view wouldn't be impeded by the people on the bench, so I opted to keep my row A ticket.  Most absurdly, I now have to post the ticket back to the Barbican box office.   They will then send me a new ticket with the same seat number and row.  I said that this was an absurd waste of time, paper, postage and effort for all concerned, especially the poor box office staff.  He agreed but I could feel the heavy heave of his shoulders over the phone.  They are just doing what they are told.  I said "so I have to return you a ticket that says A18, and you will then send me a new ticket that says A18?  That is ridiculous."  He said it is something to do with an audit.  I then asked him why the producers couldn't have got the seating layout correct before they put the tickets on sale.  He said they were wondering that too, but that sadly there was nothing they could do about it.  He then had to break the bad news that Ed is being replaced by Thiago....but I told him I already knew that so I had had time to recover from my disappointment!

 

The whole thing sounds ludicrous to me, so I can only hope that the actual event will be much better organised and have much better production values and content.  I am sure it will.  

Hi Sim, that is strange, as when the seat issue came up a few weeks ago, I phoned the Box Office and they told me that my seat was the same and just to go to the Box Office on the day.  Particularly bemused as we are sitting next to each other??!!

On 1/16/2016 at 14:19, Beryl H said:

I don't have or want a printer or Smartphone but I'm sure the Box Office will post tickets as well.

I have a mobile, no printer, and call me "old fashioned" much prefer to have the old style tickets!!  I sometimes send e tickets to work email and print off there, but I dont really want an A4 piece of paper as my ticket!!!  There can be problems when showing ticket booking on phone as on a couple of occasions have been at venues, where there is no reception and one is unable to show the booking on phone! Progress is not always for the better !!!!

Fascinating interview dear Amelia - thanks so much for sharing.

Amanda 

On 1/23/2018 at 13:29, FLOSS said:

As so many people from Tamara Rojo,to Luke Jennings and people posting on this site have offered the suggestion that some of the older ballets such as those by Ashton would be improved and be more likely to be performed if they were given modern designs I begin to wonder what people think the function of ballet design is. When you go to a ballet do ever you notice the design? Are designs merely a way of decorating the stage  and clothing the dancers or does design fulfill other important functions?

I believe that both the design for costumes and settings are an integral part of all ballet productions.  I remember from my childhood ballet days reading the following:-

Dance + Art + Music = Ballet

This is a quote from my first ballet book which was included in a brilliant introduction by Dame Beryl Grey.  This "equation" has stayed with me ever since and I do believe it is totally true - one needs all these components to work in synergy to produce a truly satisfying end product.  Mr Diaghilev definitely got the ingredients beautifully balanced when he commissioned works for his company - one only has to think of ballets such as The Firebird, Petrushka, L'Apres Midi d'un Faune, Parade, etc etc, which all used an innovative collaboration between choreographer, designer and composer.  I must disagree with those who think that some older ballets, such as those by Ashton, would be improved by new designs - this would be going against the original concept of the ballet as a whole as seen by the choreographer who would have worked closely with his designer in formulating the total concept of the ballet.  One only has to think of the revised designs (and when I mention designs, I am covering both costumes and sets) for Ashton's Rhapsody and Les Rendezvous, to see how the "new" concepts did not work.  One may think the original designs "old fashioned" but they form an integral part of Ashton's vision when he created the ballet.  Likewise, new design attempts for MacMillan's Danses Concertantes have also proved unsuccessful - the spiky/jazzy style of choreography for this ballet working in tandem with Stravinksy's equally spiky/jazzy score, were reflected in Georgiadis' original designs - further revisions did not work.  

I do not think designs for the ballet are just "decoration", they form an integral part of this totally visual art form.  However, some choreographers, notably Balanchine, decided not to use designs but to present his dancers in practice clothes on a bare stage - here, his concept was to focus entirely on the choreography and music, with obviously lighting playing a large and important factor in enhancing the choreography.  This also emphasises that it is the choreographer's decision when creating works as to the inclusion or otherwise of design, and if included, what is required to complement the choreography.  

3 hours ago, Lizbie1 said:

 

I'm afraid I was underwhelmed by it when I saw it. (I'm aware this is a minority view.)

Lizbie1, am totally on your wavelength.  Saw Winter's Tale first time around, and was very disappointed - particularly the 2nd act which I felt was just "padding".  Given that many of my ballet friends did rather take to it, I have given it a second and even a third chance, and I have now concluded, not again!  As such, I have not booked up for the forthcoming run - you are not alone.

2 hours ago, alison said:

 

My apologies, Amanda - I guess I must have sacrificed one of my two weekly views to read it, and was confusing it with something else which was shared.  Anyway, Ian has now posted a suitable link which I hope will solve the problem.

 

I'll move this back into the "firewall" thread in a while.

Many thanks Alison

1 hour ago, Ian Macmillan said:

I that we'd done this to death last week but, if the link shown no longer works, here you are:

 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/marianela-nunez-the-best-ballerina-in-britain-and-thats-official-klxbdtwqk?shareToken=07d1c0256184876073c3e3e32e7e787f

 

 

Thanks Ian, much appreciated.  I am sorry if I raised this today but I dont always have the time or opportunity to log in on a daily basis and sometimes miss postings.