maryrosesatonapin

Well, that was an experience! My thoughts on the Dante Project (first cast, seen Saturday evening 16/10/21): The music was just about bearable (much better than Khan’s ballets!) except for the middle act, Purgatory, which consisted of yearningly beautiful Jewish synagogue music which precisely captured the ‘nostalgic’ aspect of this section. The scenery was impressive in first act, with an ominously flowing River Styx and a mirror on the ceiling (why don’t more ballets have that! It adds an interesting extra dimension.) I wasn’t keen on the backgrounds for acts 2 and 3 though. The lighting was superb – it really added a huge amount to the visual excitement and drama, especially in the third act, Paradiso. I loved the skin-tight costumes, often highlighted with chalk to emphasise the shape of the dancers’ athletic bodies and the deeds of which they were guilty. (Chalky hands for the thieves, chalky other body parts for different sinners.) To me, the almost-nude effect was far from sleazy, but instead made the figures almost like living, writhing statues. I wasn’t so keen on the dressing-gown type robes worn by Dante and Virgil though. The dancers were all terrific. Stand-outs for me were the duet with Mayara Magri and Melissa Hamilton, the young Marco Masciari dancing with Francesca Hayward (what stage presence he has already!) and Matthew Ball throughout. Sarah Lamb had a beautiful ‘medieval maiden’ look – perfect casting. There was a little girl in ‘Purgatory’ who danced very well indeed as the child Beatrice. Osipova appeared at the front of the stage for a very brief spell towards the end, but was dazzling when she did. The choreography was variable. There were moments of brilliance but overall the story-telling wasn’t clear enough IMO – contrast with MacMillan’s crystal clear detailing in the recent productions of R&J. I felt a lot more fun could have been had with the various sins. (The thieves were entertaining though!) I would also have liked to see a more substantial pas de deux between Dante and Beatrice. McGregor was very innovative – including a strange new-to-me step that was very similar to when something is stuck to the kitchen floor. I throw down a floor wipe and swish it around with my foot before bending down to clean it properly. So I think of this step as the floor-wiper. Overall, I enjoyed the performance but am not as enthusiastic as most seem to be (including professional reviewers). I’m glad I went, but doubt I will ever go to see The Dante Project again, nor will I seek to buy a CD of the score, should one become available. And then there was Ed. Edward Watson. Edward with his lovely red hair, and his angst, and his tortured movements, his poetry, his passion and his total commitment to the role. He WAS Dante. He did the part justice and then some – what a fitting finale for him. And he even smiled a bit at the curtain call! That is a rarity from him, in my experience, and that is how I shall remember him now he is about to retire.

William Bracewell has a very pleasant face. A really likeable chap I should think. It's just that his rival is exceptional....

Ha ha, I felt a bit the same at the ROH on Saturday when Lukas BB as Paris was so much more handsome than Romeo!

I think Osipova is a truly great and memorable dancer, and always book to see her at RB. Like @jmhopton I would love to see her partnered by Muntagirov. She can be so exciting to watch. Great thread, @Geoff!

I agree, but it wasn't just the dancing.... Acra's every glance and movement was more nuanced.

My understanding is that Romeo is of the same class as Juliet, just from a rival family. But I agree Kaneko came over as much 'classier' as you put it. And yes, I'd love to see her with Muntagirov.

Like others I wandered out into Bow Street this afternoon with my head still in Verona, with the result that I walked for a while in quite the opposite direction from where the car was parked! What a beautiful and emotional performance. This Russian, Scottish, Welsh and Japanese smörgåsbord was certainly a feast to be relished. Kaneko danced and acted beautifully, her girlishness veering from sweet to headstrong to passionate. Bracewell’s Romeo was just on the right side of the line between the innocent and the gormless and his acting too was excellent. I did find him rather ‘ordinary’ in appearance and dancing quality (eg heavy landings, a few strained lifts), but in a way that made him more relatable and poignant. I realise I'm in a minority with this opinion! But I thought him vastly outshone by Luca Acri’s Mercutio – I would really like to see what Acri could make of the Romeo rôle. Hirano’s Tybalt was domineering and bad-tempered (although, admittedly, he did have to put up with a lot of taunting from those three naughty boys). He has real stage presence, partly because of his imposing physique, but I did find him somewhat one-dimensional. Another imposing physique was that of Lukas BB as Paris (sorry, I’m being lazy here). He looks the epitome of a prince or nobleman and I consider him to be the most classically handsome dancer the RB has at the moment. I agree with others that Nathalie Harrison’s Lady Capulet was particularly touching – she was the only one who actually brought a tear to my eye. The real stars of this masterpiece, though, are Kenneth MacMillan for creating such a powerfully emotional ballet laden with vibrant, original choreography. It is no mean feat to attempt to translate to dance one of the most famous plays of all time, yet he does the original justice with the greatest possible clarity of story-telling. He even manages to introduce moments of humour to contrast with the overall sadness of the story. And the other star is of course Prokofiev – I am sure that for weeks to come I will do my chores to that powerful Capulet’s Ball theme and have Juliet’s delicate, haunting leitmotif running through my head as I lie in bed at night. I bought this ticket on a whim just a couple of days ago and am so glad I did – thank you to those who recommended Kaneko/Bracewell from seeing the rehearsal. Hardly anyone seemed to be wearing a face mask and some who did, were hanging it down beneath their chins! I kept my super-effective one on from the moment I got out of the car to the moment I got back into it. I enjoyed reading the programme in the interval – did you know that Shakespeare actually made his Juliet younger (13) that his sources, so as to match the then age of his daughter Susanna, presumably as he felt he had insight into the mind of a girl of that age? In case you’re interested, I mentioned on another thread that I saw BRB’s R&J three days ago and was greatly moved by it. I couldn’t help comparing the two productions. BRB’s principals (Hirata/Morales) were considerably superior IMO (but this was a debut and I am sure Kaneko/Bracewell will improve from their already impressive beginning). The scenery was similar but it was clear that RB have a much larger budget, not least in the number of dancers on stage – BRB’s marketplace and ballroom scenes were rather thin on the ground and they had less strength in depth, which is to be expected of the smaller company. If I had to go to one again though I’d still prefer BRB, simply from the emotional impact and exquisite dancing of the lead pair. I am now looking forward to my next RB R&J, which won’t be until January (Osipova/Clarke). Not to mention Polunin’s version in December… I wonder what that will be like.

One of them is me! (And my 'student promotion' days are half a century away, alas). Really looking forward to it.

Last night I went to see BRB’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and I am still in a daze from experiencing such an intense, beautiful and exceptional evening. Momoko Hirata will always be ‘my’ Juliet from now on. She was utterly convincing as a thirteen-year-old girl transitioning from playing mischievously with her nurse to falling in love for the first time, to experiencing mistaken tragedy and committing suicide. Hirata’s acting was superb, equalled by her exquisite and brilliant dancing. She managed to combine her usual ethereal magic with endearing, heart-rending humanity. I felt a tear roll down towards my face mask as soon as she entered the stage – this beautiful young creature must not die! It was too much to bear. Her partner, César Morales, was excellent too. In another thread, I wrote ‘Although Morales is probably too old to be Romeo, my betting is he will equal anyone in technique and poetry!’ A couple of forumites quite rightly pulled me up on the first part of that sentence, and I eat my words. We were sitting just five rows from the front of the stalls and I swear that he didn’t look a day older than twenty. He started as a flirtatious, cheeky young Italian boy and progressed with his usual understated elegance to become the most wonderful partner as he and Juliet fell in love. As soon as they set eyes on each other they couldn’t stop looking at each other, and conveyed that the rest of the world going on around them meant nothing as the comet of their love flamed intensely towards its tragic end. I honestly don’t think I have ever seen such compelling acting in any ballet. It was so convincing and so beautiful to watch. For the rest, we were treated to a sparkling Mercutio from Tzu-Chao Chou, and a menacing Tybalt from Rory MacKay. I wouldn’t want to bump into him in an alley on a dark night! Some of the corps were a little ragged – one of the harlots in particular, we noticed – but frankly, I didn’t care, as my eyes were constantly on the doomed couple. It isn’t often one sees quite such a memorable performance and if any of you haven’t seen Hirata/Morales dance together, I would urge you to get tickets to see them in any performance of anything at any time any where whilst there is still the opportunity. They truly touch one’s heart. It was worth the five-hour drive. I’d have done double the distance and been happy. There are a couple of photos here, but I forgot to take my proper camera – sorry. https://maryrosedouglasuk.wixsite.com/ballet

I once left a Paris Opera Ballet performance not because it was bad - I'm sure it was near perfect in fact - but I simply couldn't see anything. The people in front of me were huge, with huge hair and huge wide high shoulders. I stretched and strained and reluctantly retired,

What a brilliant image Thanks, Bruce Wall! Ha ha.

I'm seeing the BRB version on Wednesday.... Morales/Hirata. Although Morales is probably too old to be Romeo, my betting is he will equal anyone in technique and poetry!

After feeling repulsed by Khan's Giselle (IMO the moments of electrifying choreography did not nullify the truly horrendous 'music') I have no intention of going to see Creature, but I very much appreciate everyone's reviews here. A question re Cirio though - does he have a minority status? Is that how he sees himself? Just curious. I bet his performance was stunning! But, for me. the described soundtrack would eliminate any enjoyment of the dancers' abilities.

It depends on the mask. At first, I wore one to protect other people but now I'm going to the theatre again I have bought a mask that Which says is 94% effective for the wearer too: https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/face-masks/article/best-reusable-face-masks-awLeA3A6XoZD It does make me feel safer, anyhow!

I agree - he is much more Benno-esque than princely, and it shows him at his best.

Come now, his partner is petite! tee hee

For those especially concerned about covid, I see that BRB are still doing a couple of 'socially distanced' events next month (R&J). I've eagerly snapped up tickets for the Hirata/Morales evening.

Agree - has been popular for years.

@Hi @LinMM I agree with most of what you say, although you are kinder about the music than I felt. Folk ensembles - yes - miss them, and the best of all by far is the Georgians whom I will have to visit again at home if they don't come here soon! I hadn't thought of the masks/drinks dichotomy but you are so right, and thanks for bringing it to the attention of Sadler's Wells. I sympathise that they must be chasing any revenue they can get (selling more refreshments) but if the punters die off that's not going to help!

Much as I would love love love to see Kobborg introducing de Bournonville works to RB, I don't think it would be his 're-acceptance' as though he is some kind of outlaw. I doubt he'd want to become involved again, but as you say - fun to imagine!

I have been trying to see this at the cinema without success. I click on the link that Northern Ballet's email provided, and am given a list of cinemas, but when I try to book tickets it says it isn't being shown there after all. Has anyone else had this experience?

I just checked and you can get tickets for 3000 roubles at the Bolshoi - some are even only 1500.

She danced it well at the Ukranian gala last night. I think she will be more comfortable with Bracewell as partner!

The first section was the world premiere of ‘System A/I’ choreographed by Ludovic Ondiviela. Bearing in mind that I am generally, but not always, in a curmudgeonly frame of mind when viewing modern works, this was my impression: Bare stage with a few weird props – check Dull-coloured skimpy costumes – check Repetitive music overlaid with electronic beeps and clicks – check Impenetrable ‘story’ – check Good dancers doing their best and working hard – check None more so than Mayara Magri, Matthew Ball and Leo Dixon (who was standing in for an injured Ivan Putrov). Magri is so athletic and very good at this kind of thing – I hope she doesn’t switch to modern dance/ballet! An interval was followed by a long and varied selection of gala staples, interspersed with some lesser known (to me) pieces. First off was Magri once again, this time in Gskovsky’s comfortingly familiar ‘Grande Pas Classique’ in which she roundly outdanced her partner, Denys Cherevychko. I was impressed by Natalia de Froberville in an excerpt from Suite en Blanc, and also in her duet with ENB’s Frola in ‘Diana and Actaeon’. Frola was very good too. Only a few days ago I heard Marianela Nunez name the composer Astor Piazzolla as her favourite outside of classical music, and lo and behold we had a tango composed by him (choreographed by Has van Manen) and danced rather compellingly by Denys Cherevychko. Another dance that was new to me was ‘Forest Song’ choreographed by Vakhtang Vronsky and nicely danced by Yulia Moskalenko and Volodymyr Kutuzov. There was lots more, and the grand finale was ‘our’ Cesar Corrales partnering Christine Shevchenko in a dazzling display of virtuosity from Don Quixote, which was very warmly and repeatedly applauded. This is the kind of role in which he excels - a natural born show-off! This was my first outing to a theatre since ‘freedom day’ and I did feel slightly nervous being closely surrounded by so many strangers, but those near me were wearing masks and I had bought a special one said by Which to be incredibly protective to the wearer as well as those around. I drove in because Sadler’s Wells have a wonderful car park for the over sixties! So I hope I minimised risk to myself and my dear ones. It was a fun and interesting evening, and I saw quite a few dancers for the first time. The quality varied. There are a few pics here: https://maryrosedouglasuk.wixsite.com/ballet

Alina Cojocaru has only just turned 40 this May (40 going on seventeen!)