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jonac

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Posts posted by jonac

  1. Talking with a fellow ballet-goer, we wondered whether in the days of Fonteyn/Nureyev, or previously, leading roles were allocated to all or most of the Principals during a run (of course there may have been fewer Principals than is the case at present)? In other words, in a run of The Sleeping Beauty, would Fonteyn dance Aurora at more  performances than many of the other Principals? Would Beryl Grey dance more performances than a ballerina recently promoted to Principal? I'm sure there are some who can answer the question.

  2. I go to the opera quite a lot but am not really qualified to express authoritative opinions. Just thought I'd say I thoroughly enjoyed the dress rehearsal, terrific Wagner music and so well sung across the whole cast, Venus being very impressive (signing-wise of course). Five stars+.

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  3. I booked, at the theatre, first half of July and was told that for security one's e-ticket would not be issued until 24 hours before the performance. The email confirming my booking includes a link and having used it this afternoon it takes me to my e-ticket but states the barcode will not appear until 24 hours before the performance. Printed of my ticket (which shows seat details), without the barcode, just in case.

  4. I've been on three back-stage tours over past years, two being for a Group I lead, and they have been most interesting. However, I recall reading not long ago that the tours do not currently include costume department, viewing windows of dance studios, in fact areas other than public areas, so as to protect dancers, performers, and all staff from Covid, which I can fully understand. Indeed, a friend of mine was a supervisor in the costume department for 30 years, retiring 20 years ago, and taking her to a rehearsal I phoned to ask whether I could bring her to the costume department, but they apologised that this was not possible so as to avoid exposing staff, etc., to Covid.

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  5. My understanding is that the names of the five fairies in the Prologue of The Sleeping Beauty, i.e. Fairy of  the Crystal Fountain, Fairy of the Enchanted Garden, etc., were used by the Sadler's Wells Ballet in 1939, and of course are used in the Royal Ballet's current production. (I believe the same, or very similar, names were used by the Atlanta Civic Ballet some time or another.) I cannot find any reference to such names being used prior to 1939. Does anyone know how Crystal Fountain, Enchanted Garden, etc., came to be used, and why? I have wondered whether Sergeyev brought these names out of Russia.

  6. I have the DVD of a 1994 performance of Anthony Dowell's version of Beauty with Benazir Hussein as the Lilac Fairy, and have always enjoyed watching her performance. So happens that her brother is Nasser Hussein the former England cricket captain; fancy how proud parents must have been, son captain of England, daughter ballerina with the Royal Ballet.

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  7. I thank each of you for the most helpful responses to my question. I lead a ballet appreciation group in north Hertfordshire (my qualifications for doing so are enthusiasm and a love of ballet, not technical understanding) and am planning a closer look at The Sleeping Beauty for when the group is allowed to resume meetings. Again, thank you.

    On 13/02/2021 at 21:54, alison said:

    I think those last two are: Canari (check spelling) qui chante and Miettes qui tombent, if we're sticking with French, but I wouldn't like to guarantee if they were the ones used in 1890.

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  8. Does anyone know the names given to the five fairies (ie excluding the Lilac Fairy) in the first performances of The Sleeping Beauty in St Petersburg in 1890, or is able to refer me to a webpage or whatever that gives the names. I've tried to find out and have come across the following names for fairies one to five: the Tender fairy, the Playful, the Generous, the Brave, the Carefree (presumably these names relate to the gifts they brought, ie tenderness, playfulness, etc), but I need to know whether these names are correct. Thank you.

  9. A super book is Jennifer Homans' Apollo's Angels. In addition to being a most fascinating history of ballet in many different European countries, Britain, Denmark, Russia, America, it contains much about the cultural and general history of the individual countries. Therefore, I would consider it most appropriate, informative, and interesting reading for a intelligent 12 year old. Glad to hear that she has read Jane Eyre. Watching the films or tv dramatisations of the story do not even approach the greatness of the actual novel.

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  10. Having begun by confessing my lack of understanding of the Bluebird and Princess Florine sequence, I'm most grateful for the responses that have been so helpful and interesting. Sebastian, I've looked at parts of the PhD work and found it helpful; and li tai po, the same goes for your point regarding the tendency of Russian companies to concentrate more of the original story. And Aruna S, you mention Nadezhda Pavlova; I would not have known of her but have the Russian Ballet Collection of Don Quixote, which I enjoy watching, in which she dances Kitri and her husband dances Basilio. Thank you to you all.

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  11. Thank you Sebastian. Might well read further stories. I stated 1697 since it is the year given in Wikipedia, but I have noted that an endnote reads 'with republication in several compilations', which might explain the different dates given.

    And SheilaC and jmhopton, over yesterday and today have watched The Bluebird and Princess Florine. A pleasant ballet, glad I watched it, would pay a reasonable amount to see it live.

  12. The Bluebird in The Sleeping Beauty

    Although my only qualification is enthusiasm, I lead a ballet appreciation group and recently sent the following to members. Thought it might interest Forum members.

    In the last Act of The Sleeping Beauty Puss-in-Boots and Little Red Riding Hood appear, these characters being from Charles Perrault’s fairytales, published in 1697. The Act also includes the Bluebird and Princess Florine. Although I’ve seen the ballet many times I’ve not understood why a Bluebird and a Princess Florine appear. Having watched various parts of the recent streaming by the Royal Opera House ­– I enjoyed Fumi Kaneko’s performance as Aurora – I turned to the internet to find out about these two characters, having only come across bluebirds flying over Judy Garland’s rainbow.

    Evidently, in mythology, the bluebird is a sign of happiness, prosperity, good health, and the arrival of Spring, the blue plumage being associated with the sky and eternal happiness. I found what I consider a possible connection between a bluebird and the ballet in Wikipedia’s ‘The Blue Bird (fairy tale)’. This fairy tale was published by Baroness d’Aulnoy in 1697 (the same year Perrault published his stories), the Baroness being the person who in 1690 first coined the phrase ‘fairytale’. Very briefly the plot is: widower King, who has beautiful daughter Princess Florine, marries not very nice widowed Queen who has ugly, selfish daughter Truitonne. Visiting the kingdom, Prince Charming falls in love with Florine, Queen and daughter do all they can to prevent Prince Charming and Princess Florine marrying so that he marries Truitonne instead, and as a last resort Truitonne’s fairy godmother turns the Prince into a bluebird. But all ends happily ever after for the Prince and Princess Florine. So, perhaps an explanation of why the Bluebird and Princess Florine appear in the ballet. As a child Aurora would have known this story along with those of Puss-In-Boots and Little Red Riding Hood.

    To round off, back to Judy Garland’s song, the second verse:

    Somewhere over the rainbow

    Bluebirds fly. Birds fly over the rainbow,

    Why then, oh why can’t I?

     

    If happy little bluebirds fly

    Beyond the rainbow,

    Why, oh why can’t I?

    In the film The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy is told by her Aunt to find a place where she won’t get into more trouble. Dorothy muses, ‘is there a place where there isn’t any trouble?’. Thinking there must be, but you cannot get there by a boat or a train, she imagines such a place being ‘far, far away ... beyond the rainbow’. At their wedding to their Prince, both Princess Florine and Princess Aurora would of course be ‘over the rainbow’ with happiness.

  13. 18 hours ago, Irmgard said:

    Unfortunately I had no idea, as Khan's version is  far removed from Mary Skeaping's production which I look after.   However, I have asked my good friend Stina Quagebeur, who created the role of Myrtha in the Khan version, and she said  Khan wanted them to have weapons as they seek revenge and he thought that holding them in the mouth made them belong to another world, not the real world.  Of course, the need for them to have weapons is completely contrary to the original legend of the Wilis, who were meant to ensnare their victims with their beauty (which is why in the Skeaping production designed by David Walker the Wilis look beautiful and feminine).  Personally, I am not at all fond of the ladies having to hold bamboo poles in their mouths as it cannot be good for their teeth! 

     

     

    Irmgard

    Thank you so much from me.

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