Jamesrhblack

Dowell and Wall danced both roles, and Acosta certainly did Lescaut in 2014 (not sure if he was still dancing Des Grieux by then)...

I absolutely understand your position. I have long enjoyed reading this forum and sharing my views but, of late, I have found that if I have had the temerity to wax less than lyrically eulogistic the opprobrium strikes and I too am minded not to contribute further.

Gosh, glad I saw this. I’m still stuck in London and had been tempted to get a ticket to see Laura Morera...

Alexander Campbell stood at the back centre interacting with the ladies of the corps de ballet and Francesca Hayward was alongside Berthe reacting to the dancing of the Pas de Six.

Hayward and Campbell certainly didn’t ....

I noticed that both Osipova and Hallberg left the stage during the Harvest Scene. With hindsight perhaps they needed to consult with Stage Management (a source told me that the injury happened early on) about the best way to continue....

Respect might extend to calling him by his proper name in a public forum ...

Snow stranded in London and encouraged by this morning’s Times feature, I managed to pick up a return for this evening’s performance. I won’t offer any comment as such as it’ll only upset the snowflakes but record that after a long interval Kevin O’Hare announced that David Hallberg had sustained an injury and that Matthew Ball, summoned from home, would take over. I imagine there can only have been the most cursory of rehearsals and, for the record, the big lifts in Act 2 were changed, no doubt for safety reasons. Osipova was warm in her response to him as was the audience and he deserves every respect for tracking over under the most difficult of circumstances. So sad for Hallberg though....

There’s a very candid interview with Soares in the current Dancing Times where he discusses the changes in his repertoire and confirms that he intends to remain with the Royal Ballet for at least another three seasons.

Although didn’t Naghdi and Bell replace Cuthbertson and Clarke in Beauty when Cuthbertson was unwell. Willing, as always, to be corrected (although, ideally, not berated)...

I thought this but didn’t wish to post to that effect for fear I’d be accused of showing a lack of respect to Bonelli or, indeed, Nunez... It’s a minefield out there at the moment.

I always enjoy reading your reports Janet, especially because you get to see companies such as BRB and NB that I cannot easily get to. I don't think I'd be accused of being "fluffy" but I am occasionally concerned that anything that is not just what is liked (I don't include you in this) seems to lead to potential acrimony. I learn a lot from reading the reports of people much better informed than I, and find that by such reading (as well as other books, websites discussing dance), my own critical antennae become better educated, in fact more appreciative, but also more acute, leading to a heightened enjoyment. I'd be sad that any "snowflake" mentality were to dissipate that and that we were, to mix metaphors (or something) to end up in some sort of Caucus Race where everybody wins and everybody has prizes. I don't think that anybody interested enough in Classical Ballet to follow this forum has anything but the highest regard for the talent and discipline of those who have made it a career and enlarge, enliven and educate our perceptions bringing so much pleasure, but I would be sorry if the observational / critical (as opposed to judgemental) faculty were to be shut off. I've probably not put this very well, but I hope most people will understand what I am trying to write. people's opinions,

It's just about my favourite Shakespeare play too (Much Ado runs it close). Didn't Hirano dance Polixenes last time? If so, he does have some experience of the piece. Whatever my reservations about his Albrecht, it's certainly remarkable that here was Matthew Ball making another major debut four days on...

Interesting thoughts here. Isn't the wreath that Hilarion lies on the grave in Act 2 Giselle's Harvest Queen crown?

“One other person to mention and, in the general run of a show, probably hardly noticed, but Jonathan Howells, as Master of the Hunt produces a cameo performance which draws on his years of stagecraft. When the hunting party sit for their wine he is there behind the table flicking his gloves at the locals to keep them at bay. Then, when Bathilde asks the Duke whether she can present Giselle with the necklace, he had his ear close that conversation and expressed disapproval.” On Saturday afternoon, he also gave a perceptible snigger when Berthe knelt to him before indicating The Duke and Bathilde...

What I was trying to express JohnS was what reads to me as a difference in performance style. It is not a comment on technique. Francesca Hayward has a remarkable fleetness and brilliance of movement. I’m not saying that she didn’t soften beautifully that brilliance during Act 2 but, in general, I find her style as “natural” in manner as it is possible to be within a stylised art form. However, Yasmine Naghdi has very rounded arms and a gentler way of movement that seems inherent to her particularly evocative of the prints that one sees of the so called “Romantic” period in ballet (i.e. the mid to late 19th century). Perhaps I am influenced by having watched some of Ursula Haegli’s very interesting YouTube demonstrations of this style. It isn’t a matter of critical commentary for the sake of setting one lovely artist against another. However, I learn a lot from reading the very informed writings of many on this Forum and find that not only is my critical acuity informed by it (as well as reading within the wider dance bibliography) but so is my deeper understanding and enjoyment.

Was this the MacMillan choreography Janet?

Having said that I would be brief, I find that I am writing more and more, possibly a reflection of the impact these two performances made. Non dance loving fans are astonished that those of us who are will see multiple performances and casts and yet I cannot think of anybody who attended both debut performances feeling anything other than blessed by the experience. Having been entranced by Yasmine Naghdi’s Aurora debut last year, I had high expectations of her Giselle and they were not disappointed. People write of her musicaloity and I think that it is this that draws me to her dancing. She seems to breathe in the music and express it through movement and for a character such as Giselle motivated by a love of dance this works wonders. I found her absolutely captivating and her rounding of arms to create a romantic, as opposed to classical line, gave a most beautiful period feel in what is a naturalistic staging. Maybe she didn’t turn as fast or jump as high as Hayward when released from her grave but I felt that the moment when Giselle realises that Albrecht is weeping read even more tellingly. The effortless grace to her high extensions and the beauty of her line were ravishing to behold and, heretically, I have to agree that I would wish to see her with another partner. Her onstage rapport with Matthew Ball “reads” as it did in Beauty (I didn’t see their Romeo) and I can appreciate his support as a partner but I really don’t find his characterisation strong enough to complement her and I don’t find his solo dancing as satisfying as, for example, Reece Clarke’s. After his fall in Beauty last year, there seemed to me to be a near stumble in his Act 2 solo, and I think it will do him good to work with other ballerinas, such as Cuthbertson and Osipova, who may be less sympathetic and require him to dig more deeply in to his undoubted talent, whilst Naghdi may blossom yet more (is that possible? The prospect is thrilling) with more experienced partners (such as Kish for Swan Lake) and the n be re-united in a season or so. I appreciate these may be heretical writings on here and I am in no way wishing to undermine Matthew Ball’s undoubted talent, potential and achievement. I was very moved by Yasmine Naghdi and the prospect of her Odette / Odile and other roles to come, as well as returns to those in which she has made debuts, one to relish for future seasons. Is she too tall to dance with Alexander Campbell? If Hayward is regularly to be partnered, at least in planning with Sambé, is that an option to explore?

I agree with so much of what has already been written about two wonderful performances that I will try to be brief. Giselle is one of my favourite ballets. I still remember as a child listening to the old Ace of CLubs recording of musical extracts played repeatedly by my late aunts on the Isle of Sheppey and it was the first ballet I saw at the ROH (with Sibley and Macleary). I find the second, in particular, with its invertsion of the idealised woman turned in to avenging furies absolutely in line with other artistic developments of the time (think of the ballet in Robert Le Diable) and am perhaps inspired in my thinking here by Mario Praz’s The Romantic Agony. The current ROH production is over thirty years old so has a combination of both familiarity but also a certainty for the audience - it’s always been a production that audiences seem to have lived unlike the controversial Dowell / Sonnabend Swan Lake - and the choreographic and musical text seems to be about as good as it is likely to be, although I do miss the more extended version of Myrthe’s solo and the fugue for the Villis that can still be experienced in the ENB / Skeaping version. A ballet as rich as Giselle will always inspire different responses from different audience members and we will all be conditioned also by our won pre-conceptions and expectations. Perhaps I’ll start with some certainties. The ladies of the Corps de Ballet in Act 2 was tremendous at both performances, utterly discvoplined and thrilling when moving as one whether implacably “consecrating” their sacred space in the “cow hops” or bearing down on Hilarion. The gentlemen in Act 1 also had tremendous precision and you could almost feel the rhythmical precision in the air as they moved across the stage to celebrate the harvest. Kristen McNally brings absolutely clarity to the mime narration (one of my favourite passages) and it’s good to see a Berthe who is recognisably young enough to be Giselle’s Mother. There seemed uncertainmties in the Pas de Six on Friday: the “bookends” were certainly not together and charismatic as William Bracewell is I think he needs greater precision and control. The contrast with James Hay on Saturday afternoon was marked and, indeed, the whole section seemed more coherent, although I share the concerns about Takada’s feet. Is anybody able to explain exactly what is going on with her shoes? Mayara Magri showed tremendous authority as Myrthe, and her leaps, so high and commanding, yet with a softening as she landed were really remarkable. It’s a ferociously demanding role and both she and Fumi Kaneko at the matinée were first class: Kaneko’s first entrance touched the sublime. ”Compatiosons are onerous,” as Dogberry says and it seems invidious to set two contrasting debut couples against each other. It’s the nature of the beast of course. Whether its Borg / McEnroe, Callas / Tebaldi, or indeed Hayward / Naghdi, people will seek to set one over the other, and yet was it not Martina Navratilova who said that if Chris Evert hadn’t been around at the same time, each might have won more titles but been a less good player. Hayward is, to quote Richard Buckle, “swallow fleet” and her dazzling turns of speed and unexpectedly high flights of elevation were captivating. Her naturalness of presence, her sincerity and her charm were delicious to watch and her partnership with Alexander Campbell perfectly judged in shared line and musicality. You really feel that they dance together and as one. There were moments in Act 2 that where absolutely breath taking and I found the detail of his characterisation remarkable given that he had initially not been cast and that this was for both of them a debut. He’s not afraid to play Albrecht as unsympathetic as well as charming and I found his increased maturity on stage suited well with, as others have written, the arrogant disregard for his actions and the need to try and save face as catastrophe unfolded. He seemed a man broken in Act 2, not necessarily for lost love but with guilt for his actions, and this, I think, lies behind his throwing away of the flower at the end: the Dream is over, discarded. He’s such a superb partner and a dancer of real technical panache too. I had looked forward to this performance for weeks and was certainly in no way disappointed.

Having seen them together twice now, I absolutely “get: that, but I still remember how wonderful Sibley and Wall were together so we may see something new and exciting as well....

The discarding of the flower was interesting, wasn’t it. I took it as an indication that his dream was over and back to reality (whether to not that meant Bathilde). Absoluteluy agree re McNally, whose mime read with crystal clarity., and Magri, who was utterly superb. I loved the way in which she managed in grand jeté to expand the movement so that it softened as she landed as well as her manner which was authoritative but not glacially fixed. After three dodgy Myrthas in my last broadcast and theatre experiences, a joy to see both her and Kaneko in consecutive performances.

Still cogitating ahead of writing at greater length, but I would say that Francesca Hayward was more naturalistic than Yasmine Naghdi. The latter’s music borne dancing, breathed through her body, seemed to be a wonderful evocation of the Romantic movement. Both terrific, Hayward enchanced by Campbell, who was truly outstanding, but, for me, Naghdi just edged it through her musical empathy and evocative prowess. Lovely as her partnership with Ball is, I think she gives a little more than he does, so it will be good that he is challenged by Osipova in Swan Lake and she will be able to, to quote (misquote?) Deborah Bull, “release her inner safety catch” in the experienced arms of Nehemiah Kish.

Particularly sad re Arestis who was really rather wonderful in Winter’s Tale last time.

The phot5ographs of Hayward and Campbell are just exquisite and I’ve been pondering as to why they are so very moving. For what it is worth, I would say that both dancers have, in a medium based on movement, a remarkable stillness and an ability to encapsulate emotion in a moment. Perhaps that is why they photograph so well, as well as being beautifully matched physically. A non dance loving industry friend commented on the tenderness which which AC holds FH in the famous arabesque pose from Act 2:: it really does read as his holding on to her spirit not her body. Even more than that, there seems an absorption in character and moment that moves beyond dance to a wider emotional field. I’m enchanted by the pictures, deeply touched too, and am very pleased that I will see them in motion next month.

I am so looking forward to this. The pictures are beautiful and Hayward and Campbell look so good together. I still cannot believe that initially he wasn’t cast...