Rina

Is ballet escapist? Perhaps it depends on your attitude to the imagination. If you are literal-minded, any art form will seem a diversion from the problems of life. If you can see beyond the literal to “the poetic basis of mind” – as archetypal psychologist James Hillman says – the arts are intrinsic to being alive: seeing everything literally is the problem. Ballet is a highly developed form of image-making in performance, based on the human body. As an embodied art, you could argue that it cannot show anything other than “the world as it is”.

The history of ballet has many examples of politically “relevant” ballets (see Jennifer Homans’ accounts of post-revolutionary ballets in France, Italy and Russia in Apollo’s Angels) but the results are not encouraging. I’d suggest though that relevance is not a criterion of the imagination. I wonder whether part of the problem for Carlos Acosta, and for other directors of ballet companies, is that there is so little in depth discussion of ballet as an art form to rely on. The gushing of marketing departments does little to help.

Thanks Two Pigeons! and to the Forum for the opportunity to express views. Ballet must be one of the most difficult art forms to write about, if not the most difficult. What I like particularly is when the writing stays with the dance images themselves (describing them in terms of steps, sequences, shapes, patterns, simultaneous movements) and their effect. Another thing I look for is when a writer responds to a dance image with another image rather than an opinion or a judgment. I like this approach because it can be surprising, in a way it enables the performance to continue in the imagination.

I don't know how to articulate it but even in this supposedly occasional piece Birthday Offering, Ashton is enacting a myth, which seems to touch on themes of survival and renewal. Working within a tradition is not old-fashioned or backward-looking. It acknowledges that something is creating through you, is calling on your craft to display itself. The result may at first seem unremarkable but it has some quality in it which deepens with time. Perhaps Ashton felt that the pressure was off with this piece d'occasion and was fully at the disposal of his muse. I have the feeling that psyche loves such modest structures of time and gleefully fills them: the result is a cornucopia of wonderful dancing!

The Sarasota Ballet finished their digital season with Ashton's Birthday Offering and Twyla Tharp's Nine Sinatra Songs. I've never seen the Ashton ballet live and would love to, judging from this performance. As many have said, it may take many viewings to appreciate just how good an Ashton ballet is, and this one is a good example. It has an easy structure: opening ensemble of fourteen dancers with an adage section, seven solo variations for the women, a group dance for the men, a pas de deux, and a closing ensemble - alternating between group dances and a focus on detail.

I thought that the Sarasota company seemed best in the ensembles and some of the solos. The pdd was conscientiously done - lots to admire about the dancing - but it didn't move me and I'm aware of a number of differences from the film on YouTube of Lesley Collier and Anthony Dowell dancing it. For example, she traverses the stage in a supported bouree in one section, and accelerates when past the half way point. It's exciting because it feels like her heart beating faster. This didn't happen in the Sarasota version, at least not so clearly. Later, she does a back bend just held at the waist, whereas in the Sarasota performance it became a supported fall as in Swan Lake. Also, there is a beautiful section near the end when the couple have a kind of hug at arms' length, where they each stretch their arms out and place them over the other's, repeated three times I think. It's unusual, and reminded me of the people in Botticelli's Mystic Nativity. In the Sarasota version, they just touched fingers. I wonder why that was. It's not fair I know to criticise today's dancers for not being Collier and Dowell, but throughout I felt that although the movements may have been accurate, their significance or meaning was not communicated. In the video, the gestures make sense, and the pdd brings tears to the eyes. It can be something very simple, such as one dancer moving down as another moves up, but if they are together a kind of emotional conjunction happens and is felt; similarly if the angles of heads or legs are just right.

As a non-dancer, I found it very helpful to read the discussion of this ballet in Geraldine Morris's book Frederick Ashton's Ballets, especially her analysis of the solo variations. I could see how what flashes by in a moment (each is barely a minute in length) is in fact carefully constructed and full of detail and nuance. Overall I thought that the Sarasota dancers caught the very different spirits at work in the solos. At just over 25 minutes, this would be an ideal work to include in a triple bill. Finally a few thoughts about the title. It sounds like Bach's Musical Offering - which is a series of variations to a theme by the king of Prussia. It's as if Ashton is presenting his version of variations to Petipa - the king of classical ballet - as well as to the RB and its forebears. The title may also echo the offertory of the Mass - when the priest presents the bread and wine to the altar, and the congregation makes gifts of money - which Ashton knew as a child. For the astrologically minded, the ballet concerns the number seven: seven couples, seven solos in succession, seven men in a group, etc. The seventh house of the zodiac concerns partnership - in all senses, literal. metaphorical, spiritual - and thus reflects both the relationships within the dancing and how the dancers form a company. I like to imagine the section in the ballet when all seven couples form a diagonal, and as they pirouette, the couple at the back runs forward to the front, until all have done it. It's like an ever-filling glass or a cornucopia, of a company of dancers reaching maturity and being renewed from the ranks as the years go by. Similarly the section immediately preceding this [in the opening ensemble of the work] with all the lifts has a feeling of bounty, as if Ashton is drawing on an inexhaustible source. Well, if you've lasted this long, you can tell I liked this work!

As a first step

On 26/05/2021 at 08:07, Jan McNulty said:

Perhaps we should start small and set up an Ashton Appreciation Society as a group of individuals.  Then perhaps a great oak will grow from our acorn.  What does anyone think?

In the spirit of Jan's acorn, is there any possibility of starting a new forum category for Ashton? You could "join the society" by following posts or sub-forums. If his ballets are under-performed, he won't feature in the Recent Performances or Listings sections, and his name will crop up less and less. 

jmhopton's idea of an annual Ashton Day to introduce his work to newcomers is great. A friends group might be able to put weight of numbers behind it. According to the charity commission's website, the charitable objects of the foundation are: “To utilise the legacy of the distinguished English choreographer, the late Sir Frederick Ashton, to advance the education of the public in and the appreciation and performance of the art of ballet and its allied arts in the United Kingdom and throughout the world, and for the public benefit to pursue a broad range of activities and programmes, including ballet reconstructions and revivals, publications, and lectures and videos, and to promote research in all aspects of the subject and to publish the useful results.”

This is quite oddly expressed but it occurs to me that, if it can fit into the charity's structure, a friends group could be of assistance to the Foundation in carrying out its objectives, especially that underlined. For example it could provide constructive feedback from the public on its activities and suggest ideas for additional activities or priorities. It could assist by providing an audience perspective, input from outside the world of professional ballet. The trustees are not paid, nor I imagine are the others listed as associates (who include Margaret Barbieri and Iain Webb). A friends group could enlarge the pool of willing volunteers. If a way could be found to include it without imposing administrative burden.

Yes Fonty, I've only seen Les Rendezvous once (at the Everyman, Cheltenham) but all I can remember is those dots! I saw a great Ashton triple bill at the Theatre Royal in Plymouth once (I think it was Dante Sonata, Scenes de ballet, Enigma Variations). I like the smaller venues BRB tours at. Again, though, as Two Pigeons says, if Carlos doesn't programme Ashton, local audiences for his work will also dwindle.

Coming back to the Society/Friends question, topics like re-designing and ballet ownership are the sort of things the Foundation would know about, which might make the Friends idea more worthy of consideration. I would favour the approach of “If you want a friend, be a friend”, and ask first: If I had the opportunity, in what ways could I be a friend to the Foundation? Putting things that way round seems constructive. How could the Foundation benefit from having audience input?

So eloquent, Two Pigeons. I imagine that mortality is also claiming the Ashton audience. Under-performance prevents regeneration of the audience, which reduces the prospect of challenge to the policy. Isn't there something Orwellian in the rhetoric? At the same time as praising the Ashton legacy, management disinherits future generations by restricting performances.

I am wondering what an Ashton Society might look like. In a sense it already exists in this Forum, or at least this thread! It could be virtual – you don't have to have a constitution or a formal membership. Is there anything to prevent a body of people writing to The Times calling themselves the Ashton Society? Or holding placards outside the Royal Opera House saying “Save the Ashton ballets”?

Thanks Alison. Can I add some thoughts arising from the review of Valses nobles et sentimentales in DanceTabs (in Jan McNulty's Dance Links for 6 May)?

The reviewer interprets some of the dance images in terms of narrative, and concludes that the final section represents the principal girl's memories of past romantic attachments. It seems important to remember that the ballet was made the year after Symphonic Variations, where “paring down” became a crucial part of the creative process, and was a new poetic version of a previous setting to the music which had a story.

The search for a narrative can be a defence against the power of images. It can shut them down, and prevent them working on you. I also suspect that it stems from a literal rather than a poetic perspective. For example, the review mentions the scene towards the end when we see the principal girl being carried from stage right to left behind the screen by two boys, her legs split across their shoulders. You can see it currently in the Sarasota compendium of Ashton performances on Vimeo (https://vimeo.com/368351704) at 16.20. It's an arresting image – breathtaking – a moment of magic.

The review describes it as “a startling sight in so decorous a gathering”. As an image it reverberates on many levels at the same time. Yes, literally she is a glamorous woman in the anteroom of a ballroom being brought on by her two admirers. But the image also evokes a palanquin, or a Catholic saint or Indian god being carried through the streets. As a ballet image, it looks like an eternal jeté, an echo of the statue-like freezing and unfreezing that occurs throughout the work. As a threesome, it's a mythical creature with a female upper body and male lower body. Or an image of “threeness”. As an image it's inexhaustible.

Thanks Jeannette. Sounds great! As far as I can see, under-performance of Ashton is a matter of policy, which is reinforced by the close connections between the institutions (the ballet companies, the Foundation, the Ballet Association) and the lack of a members' organisation devoted to Ashton. There is no process whereby the policy can be challenged. A society could bring together lovers of Ashton's work who are independent of the institutions, and who could breathe some fresh air into the situation. For example, I can imagine some research being done into the effects of under-performance. This could form the basis of a report which could generate publicity beyond the ballet world. Maybe the cost could be crowdfunded. It would be a constructive way of holding up a mirror, and indirectly addressing the powerlessness which unites fans of both Ashton and football!

Maybe I'm wrong, but ballet and dance seem the poor relations among the arts. I doubt whether many people have even heard of Ashton, and yet I would rate him as one of the greatest English artists, and one of the few with an international standing. I am wondering whether, thirty years after his death, it's now possible to re-vision his work in all its breadth and depth as a source of life-giving images. He was in touch with deep well-springs of imagination, going well beyond the dance world. Could a society help to place his work in a much wider context? Streaming could be very beneficial with this. It democratises the work, and, by allowing the flow to be paused, enables us to catch for a moment the fleeting gestures and the hints of meaning they embody. There seems so much to say. Thank you Forum for hosting these initial thoughts.

As someone new to the Forum, I've been intrigued by the sense of bereavement felt by many about the state of the Ashton canon – too few performances, of too few of his ballets etc. It's like football fans who love the game, and care about their club, but feel unrepresented. I can see there is a lot of history and politics involved. My question is: is there scope for an Ashton Society? If not, could there be a Friends of the Ashton Foundation? Either initiative could foster a sense of involvement and enhance the profile of Ashton's work. Obviously, it's possible to donate to the Foundation, but it might be easier to raise money for specific projects if Ashton enthusiasts from the audience side could have an input. What do people think?

This is my first post, so here goes!

The Sarasota Ballet's digital season has been a lifeline. I particularly enjoyed Summertide by Sir Peter Wright, and Amorosa by Ricardo Graziano. The highlight has been Ashton's Valses nobles et sentimentales. Repeated viewings made possible by Sarasota revealed a clear structure: an opening tableau and ensemble of 10 dancers, pas de trois, two couples and solo girl, four girls and solo boy, pas de deux, three couples, pas de deux, and final ensemble. All packed into 16 minutes!

It begins in stillness, with two boys either side of the principal girl who is turned away from us, the principal boy standing behind the screen facing the girl.  As the curtains close, the dancers are still moving, the principal girl being lifted side to side behind the central screen by the principal boy, alternating with another boy. Two have become three. It feels like an image of eternity. The dancers are like sculptures who come to life. Throughout there are beautiful moments in which dancers pause while others continue moving. This crystallising and dissolving increases in the magical final section when the music becomes even more mysterious. I am aware that something is happening of great significance to the soul. The ballet has a mythic power. It is teeming with dance images suggesting courtly love, romantic longing, a quest, the beyond, enchantment, a movement from two to three, and from three to four. 

I feel sorry now the experience is over, and am full of gratitude to Sarasota Ballet for putting it on so that I was able to see it at home.