FionaM

17 hours ago, art_enthusiast said:

I do find this quite harsh. And clearly the RB doesn’t agree otherwise they wouldn’t still be casting her in the classics.

 

Can’t speak for this performance as I wasn’t there, but I very much enjoyed her Kitri performance at ROH in November 2023.

I was at her last Kitri performance.  It was that which confirmed my growing concern … flat footed, turned in, bent knees, raised shoulders, over the top characterisation.  
 

I note 2 reviewers of the Icons gala (bachtrack and culture whisper) have said similar and another ‘seeing dance’ has omitted to mention her.  The latter is the usual formula of critics to poor performance.  It must be bad if critics are prepared to actually say it.  
 

With regards to her continuing to perform at ROH in classical ballets … she does still sell tickets.  It’s the same as going to watch Nureyev when he was 50.  Glimpses of past glory is enough for those audiences.  
 

It makes me sad and ashamed to see her destroying her reputation and that of the RB like this.  
 

Time to move on to other types of ballet and dance.   Her Manon earlier this season was also not at her previous level. 🥺

Delighted by the news of Paris Opera Ballet being screened by Pathé Live.  Can’t wait!  

Mixed bills of Made in NL and Other Dances look interesting.  Maybe some of the others? 
 

Will have to wait for further info on new full length … Lady Macbeth by Helen Pickett.  
 

My thoughts:

▪️graceful performances displaying technical excellence and pure beauty of classical ballet:

Gold stars:

Muntagirov (twice, though Diamonds is almost entirely partnering), Casalinho, Fernandes (also twice), Battistoni.  
 

I did notice rather careful grand pirouettes from Vadim.  I’d have liked more attack.  Fernandes’ balances in Esmeralda didn’t come off as planned, they are similar to Aurora’s in Rose Adagio.  As we know from Lesley Collier, there are “fiendishly difficult”.  Frankly it’s a trick I could do without in ballet.  It makes me too nervous. What’s the point (double entendre intended). 

Kaneko wasn’t at her technical best, she can be a LOT better.  Smirnova and Godunova were lacking in presentation and emotion.  Smirnova’s bling tutu and tiara (tons of sparkling jewels) were too distracting. Godunova was much better later in the evening as one of the DQ bridesmaids.  Mackay looked under-rehearsed, though his partnering was smooth.

The organisers should have had Yasmine Naghdi & Reece Clarke in this category.  They were wasted in Qualia, which is so dull and has the worst costumes ever. (white underwear, no thanks.)

▪️ performances full of emotion and dramatic intensity as well as technical proficiency:  

Gold stars:

Sakamoto & Allen, masterful in the range of emotions including some tongue in cheek moments in choreo by Hans Van Manen.  She has exemplary technique effortless triple pirouettes without any preparation and subservient to the emotions of the piece.

Pett & Clausen-Knight who gripped me with their emotional interplay of relationships.  
Both the above couples had smooth partnering, a sign of well rehearsed pieces. 

Potskhishvili - fabulous extra flourishes and technical difficulty.  Huge stage presence, physical and charisma. Tendency to go beyond is exciting.  I hope he can contain it so that it doesn’t become wild and uncontrollable.

Commended:

Hayward & Cornejo - a good partnership in this special duet despite en8ng of different companies.

Gouneo & Bocca - the only pure comic moments of the night.  Cranko genius.

Motomi Kiyota - sparkling in Corsaire solo with the biggest smile and enjoyment.

Brandt & Cornejo - super interplay of the story of Black Swan duet.  Extra points to Brandt for having a good alternative when the fouettés went off.  Every ballerina should have a plan.  Very few are going to pull these off night after night

Lee & Haw - super energy.  Maybe a little wild.  The piece is too short for me! 

▪️weaker parts of the gala:

Sadly Osipova was a vulgar parody of herself and a disrespect to ballet as an art form.  Giorgi Potskhishvili deserved better.  As did the audience.  She should stick to contemporary or dramatic narrative ballets. 

Bolle and Hamilton were super together, seamless partnering.  His dancing alongside her was not at the level expected, which is not surprising as he is 48.  He’d be better to choose pieces where he partners only, as Matthew Golding did with Lucia Lacarra.  Their piece wasn’t as good as previous years. 

I would have liked to see Abbagnato & Bernal in something better.  The piece was saved by the music and onstage musicians.

The video is two run through edited together.  If you check, in some parts his trousers are rolled up and the other they are loose.  Which actually means he performed the whole piece twice (at least) for the filming crew!!

Oh wow, sounds AMAZING!  Thank you so much for reporting back.  

@Jan McNulty thank you for the fabulous video of Alex in ‘Still Life at the Penguin Cafe’.  Love the ballet, so inventive!  and the music too.

Alex joined the RB in 2011, so this video from BRB must be over 13 years ago

I was amused to see the other dancer performing the role close to full out in a corner at the back!  It is the long haired Joe Caley.  Now principal at Australian Ballet.  What a nice connection.  One being Aussie and now in the UK, the other being British and now in Australia.  I think they are about the same age … late 30s.  Having joined BRB from the RB School in the same year.  

@Graham_Watts_2 thank you for the information on Ricardo Cue.  I had tried to look him up online but the information popping up wasn’t that helpful. 

I’ve seen some of the hard work you personally do for the gala.  And I’m sure what’s visible is only the tip of the iceberg.  I had assumed you were remunerated for that.  But it’s always good to be recognised like this too!  As the lead organiser and presenter of the National Dance Awards you know how much pleasure it gives to recipients.  

The lead organiser of the Icons Gala, Olga Blakleets is rather endearing in her presentation skills which are quite different to ‘UK corporate norms’.  
 

Congratulations to you and all the awardees.  
 

By the way … Sunday 17 March was Nureyev’s birthday.  I did wonder why this year’s gala on that date wasn’t dedicated to him as ‘Icons’ galas were in the past?  That being the origin of the gala’s name.  

@Amelia thank you for this hugely impressive performance.  That double manège is very speedy and in awesome control.   His double tours are impressive too.  As is the final lift from a run!   No holding an arabesque auto assist a careful supported plié to lift.  
 

yet it’s her alluring devotion and their connection that is the lasting impression.  

There were plenty of fouettés over the evening.  
- Fumi’s in Grand Pas Classique were ok, but not her usual proficiency and control

- Skylar as Odile came out of hers into a few pique turns and a nice grand jete en tournant to end with a flourish 

- Margarita Fernandes (Esmeralda) were the best in terms of less travelling than others. She did start with a complicated sequence which turned into singles.

- I don’t remember Evelina Godunova’s fouettés … I think they were simple but complete.  Maybe someone else remembers?

- Osipova’s in DQ were the ugliest things I’ve seen.  She started to full off balance early on requiring a double plie (which doesn’t sound bad when you write it) and then decided to crash on through them in any old fashion.  I admire her will power.  It was a gymnastic act.  No finesse, no ballet technique. 
 

in previous years there have been strong and memorable performances of fouettés from Nicolette Manni, Maia Makhateli, Iana Salenko., Marianela Nunez. 

All the seats around me were filled.  In the Upper Circle.  I could see about 10-15 in the VIP section of the stalls that were empty, and others in 2s and 3s dotted about that were also empty.  

A friend reminded me that we bought our tickets last summer … that is a long time ago, a lot can change in one’s life.  Forgetting you’ve bought them is one reason!   (I’ve friends who have done that.)  And of course last minute sickness, transport, other home emergencies, etc.    The Coliseum need to get more flexible., upgrade their system to allow online returns.  Refunds can be on resale basis only.  

4 hours ago, capybara said:

How pretentious of the organiser to offer her Awards. Ballet Icons is no more than another commercial venture. A BCF ceremony would have had more meaning!!! 😉

 

 

I agree they were pretentious.  As though they had to offer them in order to secure those dancers attending ???  (Bolle, Lacarra, Bernal, Abbagnato, Osipova, I can’t remember who else).

I am wondering about awarding one to Graham Watts, who advises and writes for the gala.  And Ricardo Cue (flamenco?) seemed an even more odd choice as he’d not choreographed anything at this gala.  Maybe he supports the gala in other ways.  

I did like to see Aud Jebsen recognised for all she does to support ballet.  Frankly without her money (sponsorship or donation  might be more elegant words but let’s be real here), a lot of ballet organisations in the UK would be floundering much worse than they are.  This effort rather lost meaning with the awards all being given in a rushed and perfunctory way.  She should be recognised in a specialist one-off way IMO

18 hours ago, Sabine0308 said:

*Kammertänzerin

But I love your version @FionaM 😉 

I am currently scratching my head if there is a title Kammertanzpaar", since her husband Marian Walter also holds the title "Kammertänzer". ❤️

thank for the correction.  I was struggling with my lack of knowledge of the spelling, and autocorrect, and, lack of time to check my post! 

oh to be in two places at once!

Alina is the surprise star at the Daniele Cipriani marathon of Les ÉTOILES galas (4 shows) in Rome this weekend.  

She is performing the white pdd from Marguerite & Armand … and Liam

Scarlett’s No man’s Land at today’s gala 17.3.2024.  Both with Isaac Hernandez

And noting that Iana Salenko is not participating as she is performing Giselle tonight in Berlin …

AND being awarded the prestigious title  “kammerdanzerin”

👏👏👏

Surprised to see the Dutch principals Constantine Alien and Riho Sakamoto (she is phenomenal) are also participating 

Just now, TSR101 said:

Afraid this is a private group (which is a bit odd). 

20 minutes ago, Amelia said:

From Natasha Osipova's Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/460304281019738/

 

yes it’s a fan group on Facebook which is private.  

Herman Cornejo and Skylar Brandt - Black Swan pdd

https://bachtrack.com/review-abt-la-bayadere-nyc-may-2014
 

Fascinating discussion of Smirnova and Muntagirov in Bayadere with ABT … 10 years ago!  

20 minutes ago, TSR101 said:

Natalia Osipova is dancing with Giorgi Potskhishvili tomorrow... interesting

dancersdiary reveals its Don Q.  
 

I’m sure it’ll be highly entertaining and have huge wow factor from both of them.  
 

As long as you don’t expect pure, clean or neat classical ballet technique from either.  I can already see Osipova’s raised shoulders and bent knees in the video (!)  Giorgi's training was initially Georgian folk dancing (family business), so he came late to ballet training.  

Motomi Kiyota from Hungarian National Ballet has also arrived for the gala.   
 

It seems to me there are a large number of virtuoso male dancers! 
 

He appears to be with Evelina Godunova (previously Berlin State, now freelance?) 

Sangeun Lee says in her Instagram story that she performs… In the middle, Somewhat Elevated with Gareth Haw

and there is also a clip of them performing it.  Extraordinary 

It’s unusual to have anyone performing twice at the Icons gala.  I assume it’s Vadim to the rescue here … Diamonds with Smirnova, and, Grand Pas Classique with Kaneko.  Bravo, and lucky us in the audience. 

My concerns about galas in general is that there is often very limited rehearsal time of these last minute pairings, and it often shows.  Though I suspect Vadim and Olga are such proficient dancers that this may not be the case. 

As a related tangent, there was a gala in Japan in December last year where Alina Cojocaru volunteered to replace an injured colleague to perform this same Diamonds pdd.  She had one night to remind herself of the choreo … last performed 12 years prior … and one rehearsal with a new partner, Jakob Feyferlik.  Sometimes the organisers and dancers have to take risks! 

@PeterS that would be a surprise.  
 

I think his insta story about that ballet is related to Angel Corella, not himself.  (Angel’s company Philadelphia Ballet is performing it). 
 

Perhaps Sangeun Lee and Gareth Haw will perform that pdd … as they did at Ballet Nights.