TurningPointe

Absolutely Janet! Thank you. Just to be clear, I was asking out of concern rather than to speculate. Cesar is a young, super-talented dancer, and the last time I saw him dancing was at the Nureyev Gala (Sept. 2022) where he performed a beautiful Corsaire pas de deux with Yasmine Naghdi.

Thank you Peter, I think I may have originally opened that thread back in June. Unfortunately it does not contain any updates. I was happy to read that Cesar was scheduled to dance in DQ and The Nutcracker in the Autumn but….he has now been replaced again. Hence my asking. Thank you.

I am hoping that Cesar Corrales is OK, but he has been missing for most of the 2022/23 season and was scheduled to appear in Don Quixote and Nutcracker in the Autumn 2023. I note that he has now been replaced in the forthcoming Don Quixote by Matty Ball, and in The Nutcracker by Reece Clarke. Does anyone happen to know what’s happening with him? Thank you in advance.

I am sorry too to hear that Darrion Sellman is leaving the Royal Ballet after his year as a Prix apprentice. He announced that Nicholas LeRiche (formerly an Etoile with the Paris Opera Ballet) now Director of the Royal Swedish Ballet has given him the opportunity to join his company for the 23/24 Season.

Dear All, Does anyone know where Cesar Corrales is, or what is happening with him? He appears to be missing in action. I do not think that we have seen him dance with the Royal Ballet since earlier this year. Is he long-term injured? I am puzzled. I hope that he is OK though 🤔. Thank you so much!

What I am trying to understand is why a Principal such as Natasha Mair, particularly in light of Emma Hawes’ injury, was not cast as Cinderella but other dancers of lesser ranking in the Company were. If relatively ‘junior’ dancers (not really, but you know what I mean…) were going to be cast in the leading role, then why someone like Francesca Velicu was not cast? On a different point (earlier), I do not know who is making the casting decisions but both Christopher Wheeldon and Aaron Watkin were at the Albert Hall for the general rehearsal. Last but not least, different choreographic versions of the same ballet are always unique and subject to individual preferences. I find it hard to process the absence of a wicked Stepmother in Ashton’s Cinderella. The audience may feel passionately about Ashton rather than Wheeldon’s and viceversa. My preferences are James Kudelka’s (National Ballet of Canada) and also Nureyev’s version for the Paris Opera Ballet. Returning to Ashton’s Cinderella, the role of the Stepmother in the fairy tale is so central to Cinderella’s suffering, yet he seemed to have sacrificed the role to give the Stepsisters a higher profile. I say that respectfully, but someone has to say it. The critics seem very quiet about it. Incidentally, Ashton and Helpmann used to play the roles of Stepsisters in earlier stagings for the Royal Ballet.

Just wondering….anybody going? I’d love to go as I love her energy (and her dancing, of course!).

I was very saddened to hear about Michael Denard’s death. I was very lucky to him dancing when I was 12/13 years old. He danced with a fabulous dancer named Ghislaine Thesmar (an Etoile of the Paris Opera Ballet) Pierre Lacotte’s version of ‘La Sylphide’. Denard alternated the male lead role with another Paris Opera Ballet etoile of the time Jean-Pierre Franchetti. They were, simply, magnificent. I am so very sad to hear of Michael Denard’s death. I suppose that one has to contextualise things and clarify that, prior to the 2012s or thereabouts, sports science was not underpinning ballet training and companies. Therefore the athleticism, nutritional knowledge, fitness regimes, rehab, and recovery techniques that we see today were not something available before that time.

SheilaC: Thank you for your comment. I am very sorry, and surprised, to hear that you would be “mystified” by my using of the word “athletic” to refer to a dancer’s body that, while exceptionally expressive, did not conform to the perception of the idealised ballet body. Indeed I could have used different words but I chose carefully out of politeness and respect to the magnificent artist that she was.

Interesting question. Mmmm….I am not sure that we can reduce those casting choices to a certain ballerina’s build. I think that you need to take a careful look at partnerships, artistry, and temperament. Also, certain people are excellent dancers but just not ‘right’ (for a variety of reasons) for certain roles. If you look at the original cast (1978) for Mayerling, the role of Mary Vetsera was interpreted by Lynn Seymour. She was an amazing dancer/actress, an inspiration to Kenneth MacMillan. He originally created his 1960s Romeo and Juliet based on Lynn and Christopher (Gable) not on Fonteyn and Nureyev. Most would tend to agree that Lynn’s more athletic body build did not conform to the stereotypical perception of the classical ballerina but that did not preclude MacMillan from casting her in the role with David Wall partnering her as her Crown Prince Rudolf, or dancing with Nureyev in other ballets.

No, Osipova would not be described as tall but she is not as small as (say) Francesca Hayward. Osipova is reported to be about 5.4-5.5ft but can’t be sure. In pre-Royal Ballet times she had a very successful partnership with Ivan Vasiliev and he is not considered tall (and she was smaller than him, even when on pointe).

This is an interesting comment. Osipova danced a lot with Steven McRae in her earlier years with the Royal Ballet. It is fair to say that people (and dancers are people) change over time: their bodies, technique, artistry, injuries, life events, etc. so I would say that both Steven McRae and Natalia Osipova have changed in recent years and they have naturally migrated towards other dancing partners. Both remain magnificent artists in their own well-earned right and they continue to deliver outstanding performances. I totally agree that roles develop with a dancer over time. Hirano’s initial Rudolf, a few years ago as an emergency replacement for Ed Watson, was nowhere near as powerful and emotive. Last Wednesday, he delivered an outstanding acting (and dancing/partnering) performance. Hirano also played troubled Crown Prince Rudolf with the Scottish Ballet earlier this year, where he danced their adapted version of Mayerling. Embodying such dark, dramatic, role (like Rudolf in Mayerling) will take time and experience to process, elaborate and finally make it their own. I must say that Francesca Hayward also delivered an amazing performance as the terrified Princess Stephanie. It was, without a doubt, a stellar cast in the opening night: Laura Morera (Countess Larisch), Itziar Mendizabal (Empress Elizabeth), Marianela Nuñez (Mitzi Caspar), Reece Clarke (as the leading Hungarian soldier), Gary Avis (Empress Elizabeth’s lover), Luca Acri (Rudolf’s coach driver) and Christopher Saunders (as the Emperor Franz Joseph). A very memorable evening!

Agree! Some dancers in their 40s can and have maintained the technique and look fresh as it was the case with Leanne Benjamin in her 40s.

Yes! Zenaida Yanowsky (she was a tall principal dancer with the Royal Ballet, now a principals’ coach) was given this role when she was 25. She made the comment at one of the rehearsals.

He was indeed. His ‘Corsaire’ absolutely stole the show. It was a huge responsibility and a very fitting tribute to Nureyev’s passion and technique. Vadim Muntagirov delivered a very elegant Prince in ‘Beauty’ grand pas de deux. He was solid technically and received a well-deserved large ovation (Monday eve).