Kerfuffle

I really enjoyed Meghan Grace Hinkis in her pas de trois a couple of weeks ago. It was spirited and it felt like she brought something new to the variations. I saw BRB’s Sleeping Beauty last weekend and the first soloists were doing multiple roles really effectively. Maybe these dancers won’t become principals but they can be hugely enjoyable all the same. There are so many lovely solos in that ballet.

Very foolish considering the changing demographics since 2016 and all those coming of age at the next election. I can’t believe that statistics won’t eventually prove to the parties that no freedom of movement is an election winner. I have hope and a suspicion that this sort of progress will be made in a very slow but low key way.

I think this has happened to Russian opera singers in USA too.Singers are often freelance. Ballet is used as soft power by Russia and has been strongly associated with politics, eg the use of Swan Lake in the USSR times. Khoreva is a huge Instagram star with a massive following amongst young dancers but she is state funded too. Having her fly in and perform gives the impression that there is no war going on. Considering the precarious situation of the Ukraine war I am not surprised if the theatre have cancelled.

While it must be disappointing for the artists to find out like this at the last minute there is a moral dilemma for theatres when considering inviting performers from Russia. The ROH cancelled the Bolshoi’s tour here after the Ukraine war broke out.

Ah that is interesting !

I wonder why now? Maria Khoreva performed last summer at a YAGP gala in Italy.

I’m excited to see that this could be a potential break through in getting work in EU. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/apr/18/brussels-proposes-return-to-pre-brexit-free-movement-for-uk-and-eu-young-people?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

My American friend’s daughter had to go home for 3 months but perhaps she didn’t know about this or was too young at the time (14 I think). We felt it was a very bad deal for an upper school but they can study online much easier.

Contemporary works are an important part of company repertoire these days which I think this is a good thing for dancers, giving them a chance to have a bit more individuality than only pure classical. In this country the upper schools associated with our top ballet companies have an international intake so it’s not very surprising that the companies do too. Top London art schools and conservatoires are also full of students from overseas (as are universities such as Imperial) . Brexit makes it difficult for non EU to attend European Ballet School, although I have met Americans who don’t mind the 3 months on 3 months off visa situation - part of the difficulty is how our education structure clashes with this. It looks like our relationship with the EU is improving and with a change of government fingers crossed some of these barriers will be removed or improved on. The shadow culture secretary trained at the Royal College of Music and is looking into improving the deal with Europe for touring musicians which should help dancers with work visas too. That’s my hope anyway!

There is also a happy ending Russian version (Mariinsky maybe) where Siegfried fights and wins against Rothbart, whose wing he pulls off. Odette and Siegfried are subsequently reunited. It kind of makes sense with the music , the ethereal harp and then final orchestral finish. Typical Nureyev to add solos in for himself - his Romeo and Juliet also switches the emphasis to the men as far as I recall!

Just to add I think from an emotional story telling point of view Siegfried’s solo is one of triumph, the thinks he’s got his girl and is going to marry her. Before that he’s winning her trust and maybe a solo there would feel a bit strange as it’s so much about Odette’s internal struggles. When we saw Vadim he really communicated his joy at having won over Odile, oblivious of how he had been tricked. This makes the ballet properly tragic in act 4. Of course Marianela made a heartbreaking Odette too.

I think the reason is that in the tradition of classical ballet format the Swan Lake grand pas de deux is between Odile and Siegfried in Act 3. This is when you get pas de deux, his variation, her variation then the coda. So Siegfried’s solo is saved until that act.

Absolutely, so it’s always going to be a mixture of those things, as with all professions at an elite level. Hard work at a great school can help you gain a good technique but less quantifiable qualities such as performance also come into play. I think it’s really helpful having the potential pitfalls and scams pointed out and good to have realistic expectations without losing hope.

Judi Dench is so right, this situation is similar for actors and musicians. You have to catch the right person’s eye. It’s the same at school auditions , I feel there is a lot of luck involved. Who you know is also very important. There are more people spending more money on ballet, I think competitions have increased the pressure (private lessons, associates, intensives etc being part of this cost). I think there is a limit to how far you can train though even if it seems like these extras are going to make you get further, I have a suspicion that a lot of this is just a distraction. All bodies have their own limitations.

I think this could work especially if the dancer’s strengths are performance - some find it hard to project themselves on video and vice versa. Competitions can be exhilarating in their own right. It’s possible that even new companies hire people they already have some connections to, this would be normal within other arts industries. I guess with established companies doing some research helps - what kind of dancer do they employ, their look and way of moving?

This sounds a shame for Elmhurst students, especially not being paid were they over 18? It’s so sad that the funding has been cut to Birmingham arts as well. Are the RBS grads all taken on following Aub Jensen ? I saw there were several ENBS grads too. Is it that the ballet world is very London centric with its hiring?

I was looking at Birmingham RB and they seem to have a lot of mainly RBS British alumni (though not many Elmhurst). Is this just a generational thing though ?

Yes we have digressed bit 😉

The connection with Billy Elliot is an interesting one - the swan corps are stunning but the ballet is not what we’d associate with Billy’s training up until then - we are expecting an RB future. I like some of Matthew Bourne’s work, the most satisfying ones for me are when the story diverges the most such as Red Shoes, Carman. I found Nutcracker frustrating, it was too much of a pastiche, other than the orphanage beginning which was a very unexpected setting. Tchaikovsky’s musical score did not fit with the twerking of the waltz of the flowers and the grand pas de deux was lost on me.

Fonteyn had huge charisma and musicality - she managed to dance the role of a teenage Juliet in her sixties, she had a real vivacity that I think overcomes some of what we might see now as less evolved technique. Ballet has become more athletic but the British ballerinas of her generation had quick neat footwork, perfect for Ashton’s repertoire.

I am not saying that there isn’t considerable talent within the RB. I would love to see Fumi perform as well as several others. I can’t help feeling that seeing Marianela is a priority for me given her age and I think that every aspect of her dancing really is an absolute peak right now. I know this subjective and of course individual dancers blossom at different times in their careers.

Personally I feel like Marianela really is an international talent that will be hard to replace, good though some of the young principals might be, it’s a very rare quality that she has.

I agree it felt like the energy spread to everyone tonight! I totally agree that Marianela was dancing like there is no tomorrow - she really threw herself into every aspect of the dual roles. Vadim was so heartbreakingly in love in act 2 pas de deux and gleeful in the ball scene so the tragedy really hit home. Just magical !

Saw it tonight, an electric atmosphere in the ROH! Could palpably hear the relief when the announcement was made about replacements in the cast that it wasn’t going to be Marianela or Vadim! Hugely appreciative audience, standing ovations and the longest curtain call I’ve ever experienced! Every aspect of this was truly memorable, I feel like I’ve experienced something very special tonight.

I think it depends on the child’s personality if they enjoy doing festivals. They can be stressful and add an atmosphere of competition between dancers at a young age if in solo categories but some dancers really thrive on that. Being in groups can be a nice compromise as you’re working together or duets. If your daughter is performing in school shows and enjoying that then that might be the best option - it’s a totally different experience being adjudicated rather more like a ballet exam and your audience is totally on your side! My DD did group stuff at her first school then moved to a school with a youth ballet company which performed full length ballets. Her first solo competing in YAGP in Paris but by this point she was ready.