Time for Mr. O'Hare to put in a call to Alina Cojocaru?

[balletqs]

I agree there is some outstanding talent in the company and especially after watching class on Thursday I personally would be more than happy to go and watch homegrown dancers. Interestingly I saw Osipova and Hayward together in Month in a Country and I felt Hayward danced her off the stage in many ways! Though I love Osipovas flair.

[penelopesimpson]

I agree there is some outstanding talent in the company and especially after watching class on Thursday I personally would be more than happy to go and watch homegrown dancers. Interestingly I saw Osipova and Hayward together in Month in a Country and I felt Hayward danced her off the stage in many ways! Though I love Osipovas flair.

The first time I saw Hayward and I said that here was the successor to Cojocaru.  I haven't seen Naghdi yet and am deeply envious of those who went to her performance of R&J

[Nina G.]

Naghdi has not been given as much exposure as Hayward over the past two years but Naghdi's progression has been steady. She has danced Principal roles ("Symphonic Variations", "Infra"-finale Pas de Deux, Ashton's "Monotones",... ) but always in Triple Bills.

 

I think one of the reasons why everybody, including myself, was blown away by Naghdi's "Juliet" is that this was the first time we saw her in a full-length. Naghdi showed us aspects of her dancing we had not seen before. She has an exquisite style of dancing and, combined with her great dramatic acting abilities, she was a true revelation for those of us who attended Saturday's Matinee; and the prospect of a (long awaited for) new RB partnership makes Naghdi/Ball the hottest young couple at the RB.

 

There is a wealth of young talent at the RB, including the wonderful Matthew Ball. Where they come from doesn't really matter but I am happy to see a gradual return to a more unified, identifiable RB style. Dancers such as Yasmine Naghdi, James Hay, Francsca Hayward, Matthew Ball, Reece Clark, ...all have the beautiful English style of dancing. 

[hfbrew]

 

 

 

 

There is a wealth of young talent at the RB, including the wonderful Matthew Ball. Where they come from doesn't really matter but I am happy to see a gradual return to a more unified, identifiable RB style. Dancers such as Yasmine Naghdi, James Hay, Francsca Hayward, Matthew Ball, Reece Clark, ...all have the beautiful English style of dancing.

 

And all of these British trained from a very early age, most if not all were JAs and all went to WL and U.S..

[Harwel]

Completely agree with you hfbrew and the quote you chose from Nina G. Personally (and I appreciate this is an entirely personal view) I would love to see Royal Ballet looking much more 'English' in style. I am rather sick of the 'Russian' style, I agree they can be fantastic and exciting but there are other ways to be fantastic and exciting. I disagree entirely about bringing in big names from other companies for a short run. Do we not have confidence in our own?

 

I appreciate this is possibly for another thread but didn't enjoy watching the Bolshoi class on world ballet day - far too over extended in all their movements for my liking.

Edited October 8, 2015 by Harwel

[Fiz]

I agree with you about over extension in the Bolshoi class, Harwel. It was very ugly.

[Melody]

Completely agree with you hfbrew and the quote you chose from Nina G. Personally (and I appreciate this is an entirely personal view) I would love to see Royal Ballet looking much more 'English' in style. I am rather sick of the 'Russian' style, I agree they can be fantastic and exciting but there are other ways to be fantastic and exciting. I disagree entirely about bringing in big names from other companies for a short run. Do we not have confidence in our own?

 

I appreciate this is possibly for another thread but didn't enjoy watching the Bolshoi class on world ballet day - far too over extended in all their movements for my liking.

 

I wish I could give this more than one Like. I almost don't see the point of having multiple ballet companies around the place if they're all going to be Russian clones and host the same handful of peripatetic Russian and Russian-wannabe superstars. We don't have anything to be ashamed of in our British style and repertoire and I'm glad to see RB starting to behave as though it genuinely believes that.

[Vanartus]

Reece Clark - I was amazed by his performance in Symphonic Variations. But they seem to be "resting" him at the moment...

[Nina G.]

Osipova was obviously brought in as a "big" name Russian dancer (I personally do not like her style of dancing, yes her jumps and turns are fabulous ! but for me it stops there. Give me Nunez anytime over her). Osipova has been two years in the Company, drawing what must be a huge salary, but she's been more off than on. Salenko was brought in to partner McRae and is cast in Two Pigeons, a role that could very well be danced by one of the British trained soloists who are more familiar with Ashton's style. 

 

How is the RB going to fascilitate further development of let's say a dancer such as Naghdi, who just gets one (public) shot this Season at dancing a full-length ballet, whilst a foreign Guest dancer such as Salenko gets three R&J shows? If the RB keeps giving Guest dancers priority over their own most talented dancers how can these dancers fully develop their talent?

[Jan McNulty]

Reading all the comments on the R&J thread (even the less than favourable ones) I get the feeling that RB has a great pool of talent and doesn't have a real need to bring in guest artists.

[RuthE]

Reece Clark - I was amazed by his performance in Symphonic Variations. But they seem to be "resting" him at the moment...

 

Is he perhaps injured?

[Tony Newcombe]

He was injured but he is now back on stage

[capybara]

He was injured but he is now back on stage

 

...... which is good news. He is prominently to be seen in the corps of R & J, particularly when he is one of the Capulet brigade.

[MAB]

Osipova was obviously brought in as a "big" name Russian dancer (I personally do not like her style of dancing, yes her jumps and turns are fabulous ! but for me it stops there. Give me Nunez anytime over her). Osipova has been two years in the Company, drawing what must be a huge salary, but she's been more off than on.

 

 

 

Osipova is a dancer of such dazzling talent that I am genuinely perplexed when I read these kind of comments.  I appreciate that people have their favourites but would like to point out that Osipova is currently the hottest ticket in world ballet and it was very much to the Royal Ballet's credit that they had the foresight to acquire her services here in the UK.

[aileen]

Btw, what has happened to the Osipova 'injury thread'? If there is a post under review why has the whole thread been taken down?

[Sim]

It was down in error earlier for a short while but has been back up for a couple of hours now.

[Nina G.]

Osipova is a dancer of such dazzling talent that I am genuinely perplexed when I read these kind of comments.  I appreciate that people have their favourites but would like to point out that Osipova is currently the hottest ticket in world ballet and it was very much to the Royal Ballet's credit that they had the foresight to acquire her services here in the UK.

 

I am really sorry if you feel perplexed by my comment but her talent just doesn't dazzle me (her jumps and turns do ! but not her style of dancing). It has nothing to do with having favourite dancers, for me it has everything to do with a certain style of dancing that I favour.

[penelopesimpson]

Osipova is a dancer of such dazzling talent that I am genuinely perplexed when I read these kind of comments.  I appreciate that people have their favourites but would like to point out that Osipova is currently the hottest ticket in world ballet and it was very much to the Royal Ballet's credit that they had the foresight to acquire her services here in the UK.

I am also a big Osipova fan.  Problem is, she is really the only show in town as far as star names are concerned.

[Don Q Fan]

Well I think Alina Cojacaru and Tamara Rojo are still big names surely.

[billboyd]

I am really sorry if you feel perplexed by my comment but her talent just doesn't dazzle me (her jumps and turns do ! but not her style of dancing). It has nothing to do with having favourite dancers, for me it has everything to do with a certain style of dancing that I favour.

Surely 'style' differs with each role - eg Giselle is not danced in the same style as Kitri. Did you like Natalia Osipover in either of these?

[alison]

Completely agree with you hfbrew and the quote you chose from Nina G. Personally (and I appreciate this is an entirely personal view) I would love to see Royal Ballet looking much more 'English' in style. I am rather sick of the 'Russian' style, I agree they can be fantastic and exciting but there are other ways to be fantastic and exciting. I disagree entirely about bringing in big names from other companies for a short run. Do we not have confidence in our own?

[Tony Newcombe]

I think the title of this thread should be changed to " No this is not the time for Mr O'Hare to make a call to Alina Cojocaru"

Edited October 8, 2015 by Tony Newcombe

[FLOSS]

Well I think that to call in anyone from the outside at the moment,especially former company members, would be seen as a massive vote of no confidence in the company as a whole.I expect that the casting of  Nagdhi,Ball and Hayward in this run of Romeo and Juliet and some of the casts announced for the Two Pigeons after Christmas will help to reinforce the idea that hard work and talent will be rewarded. I believe that the promotion of Morera to Principal had a massively positive effect on the company as a whole when it became  known.

 

As far as Salenko's Juliet is concerned I  thought that her Juliet was a series of beautiful poses and beautifully executed steps but singularly lacking in drama.It was MacMillan with all the quirkiness and character ironed out The pas in the tomb was beautiful shapes when it should have been ugly. I wonder whether her presence was at McRae's request or whether her presence is part of a conscious decision to bring in a certain number of dancers from outside the company each year? I am not sure that she brought all that much to Juliet and I am really surprised to see her cast in Two Pigeons. It can't simply be a question of height can it?

 

I think that O'Hare has to do all that he can to develop the talent that he has got rather than calling in outsiders with big names. He should use Osipova's absence as an opportunity to develop his own dancers. It must be pretty depressing to come to realise that you are most unlikely to progress beyond soloist roles in all but a few ballets from the company's rarely performed specialist Ashton repertory and truly disheartening to see big names appearing in roles when they are unwilling or unable to perform in the appropriate style if you know that there are dancers in the company who could perform them in the appropriate style. 

 

I suppose it depends on how long Osipova is off as to how much opportunity there will be to give the youngsters a real crack at things. If she is off for any length of time then I would hope that we see debuts by dancers in the company rather than a string of guest artists.When Norman Morrice imposed a no guest star rule in the late 1970's it was a failure because there were no where near the number of talented dancers in waiting that the company has at present.There was also an unfortunate tendency to treat young inexperienced dancers as flavour of the month, selected and then discarded in favour of the next "new best thing".It has to be said that some of the choices didn't make much sense but they weren't all duds. It will be interesting to see how far O'Hare feels he can go with casting young hopefuls in big roles between now and the end of March.If Osipova is still off who will replace her in Rhapsody and who might get an opportunity to dance Giselle?

 

As far as sensitivity to choreographic style is concerned two themes crop up frequently one is an idea expressed by Geraldine Morris in her book about Ashton's choreographic style that those who teach the Vaganova method lead their pupils to believe that there is only way to perform a particular step whether in class or in performance; the second expressed by a number of older dancers who coach is the unwillingness of dancers to modify the steps that they learnt in class to those required by the choreographer in a stage performance.Sensitivity to differences in choreographic style is not entirely absent from the stage of course it's just that it isn't always where it needs to be.One of the most interesting aspects of the Trocks is that they all possess a real understanding of the different choreographic styles in which they are performing.Sensitivity to style seems to be more important to a performer sending things up than it is to someone playing it straight where the audience seems to be quite satisfied with dancers performing in a "one size fits all style" where high extensions are seen as part of the "improvement" in technique rather than a whim of current fashion. If a singer were to treat Rossini as if it were Wagner he/she would be laughed off the stage. If a dancer treats Petipa as if he were or ought to be Forsythe, or Ashton or MacMillan choreography  as if it needed correcting to classroom steps he/she is applauded.

Edited October 9, 2015 by FLOSS

[zxDaveM]

 

 

.If Osipova is still off who will replace her in Rhapsody and who might get an opportunity to dance Giselle?

 

 

 

In Giselle, I would cast Yasmine Naghdi in a heartbeat

[Sim]

In Giselle, I would cast Yasmine Nagdhi in a heartbeat

So would I. And Frankie Hayward. And I would love to see Emma Maguire given a go at some of the more 'meaty' roles. Her Princess Stefanie showed wonderful technique and also a real dramatic depth. I remember being blown away by her in that relatively small role, and am sure she could make more of an impression if given the chance. I know she isn't one of the 'younger' dancers, but I don't think that matters.

[Tony Newcombe]

Emma is just one of the many neglected dancers of the previous directorship

[balletqs]

I agree Emma is seriously neglected. I think she would be fab in Two Pigeons and there is definitely a Juliet in her too. Such a shame she has been passed over.

[alison]

I'd love to see her in 2Ps - along with various other more junior members of the company.

[FLOSS]

Well we shall all have to be patient and see what happens.I think that O'Hare has got some very tough decisions to make. Given the number of Principals who he has to accommodate can he afford to give dancers like Emma McGuire or Demelza Parrish an opportunity to show what they can do if that means holding back the development of the younger dancers like Hayward,Nagdhi, Ball,Clarke,O'Sullivan,Stix Brunell and the more recent intake?After all the majority of the Principals are in their thirties and unless he intends to buy in the next generation of Principals and has the money to do so he has to begin succession planning now.Arguably the greatest contribution that O'Hare can make during his directorship is not the creation of new ballets, welcome though many of them are, but devising a system which provides opportunities for those in the junior ranks of the company,identifies potential and develops the next generation of Principal dancers while avoiding the overt selection at graduation undertaken by the major Russian companies.

 

On of the things that makes little or no sense in this context is O'Hare's choice of repertory unless of course bringing the Two Pigeons and the Invitation back into the repertory is part of a training and development scheme. Perhaps he could be persuaded to revive Ashton's Les Rendezvous,Les Patineurs, A Wedding Bouquet,Jazz Calendar,Facade and MacMillan's Solitaire which are all ballets which give dancers the chance to create characters without the burden of carrying the whole show.Perhaps he should try to persuade his inhouse choreographers to make ballets on the younger dancers rather than the established ones.

 

 

No actor, dancer or singer is equally good across the entire repertory of their art form.When that truth is acknowledged then the audience can, perhaps, be spared the horror of the entire season being taken up with an incredibly limited number of full length.works while every Principal gives us their interpreration of a particular role.I know that this is unlikely to happen and that if it did this site would be full of complaints from fans about dancers being passed over.But I think that there is a great deal to be said in favour of typecasting.I am far more interested in seeing dancers appearing in roles in which they are likely to excel than in seeing a dancer who even I can see in unlikely to bring much to a role being given the opportunity to give us her Juliet or Odette/Odile or his Romeo or Oberon on the basis of their position in the company.

 

In a company the size of the Royal Ballet there is no excuse for  compromise casting that is often inevitable in smaller companies.McRae is a fine dancer but while he would make a fine Mercutio he fails to convince as Romeo. It's all to do with his cheeky chappy stage personality and the sort of thing that he did in Rubies where he gave an extraordinary display of his technical skill and speed.He seems to me to be suited for any role that David Blair or Michael Coleman made their own and any role that requires a technician.Is he dancing Romeo because someone thinks that he is suited to the role or is it connected with the trend in recent  years to treat this and other roles previously danced by Principal dancers as beneath the dignity of the current crop of Principal dancers?

 

 Casting dancers because of their status rather than their suitability for roles adds to the difficulty of providing the junior ranks of the company with opportunities for development. I don't expect that the director will deny the Principals their "rights" as far as roles are concerned but he may well find that he has to skip a generation in order to have the experienced dancers that he will need when the current Principals retire.

Edited October 9, 2015 by FLOSS

[penelopesimpson]

Well I think Alina Cojacaru and Tamara Rojo are still big names surely.

But they aren't at the RB...

[penelopesimpson]

Well we shall all have to be patient and see what happens.I think that O'Hare has got some very tough decisions to make. Given the number of Principals who he has to accommodate can he afford to give dancers like Emma McGuire or Demelza Parrish an opportunity to show what they can do if that means holding back the development of the younger dancers like Hayward,Nagdhi, Ball,Clarke,O'Sullivan,Stix Brunell and the more recent intake?After all the majority of the Principals are in their thirties and unless he intends to buy in the next generation of Principals and has the money to do so he has to begin succession planning now.Arguably the greatest contribution that O'Hare can make during his directorship is not the creation of new ballets, welcome though many of them are, but devising a system which provides opportunities for those in the junior ranks of the company,identifies potential and develops the next generation of Principal dancers while avoiding the overt selection at graduation undertaken by the major Russian companies.

 

On of the things that makes little or no sense in this context is O'Hare's choice of repertory unless of course bringing the Two Pigeons and the Invitation back into the repertory is part of a training and development scheme. Perhaps he could be persuaded to revive Ashton's Les Rendezvous,Les Patineurs, A Wedding Bouquet,Jazz Calendar,Facade and MacMillan's Solitaire which are all ballets which give dancers the chance to create characters without the burden of carrying the whole show.Perhaps he should try to persuade his inhouse choreographers to make ballets on the younger dancers rather than the established ones.

 

 

No actor, dancer or singer is equally good across the entire repertory of their art form.When that truth is acknowledged then the audience can, perhaps, be spared the horror of the entire season being taken up with an incredibly limited number of full length.works while every Principal gives us their interpreration of a particular role.I know that this is unlikely to happen and that if it did this site would be full of complaints from fans about dancers being passed over.But I think that there is a great deal to be said in favour of typecasting.I am far more interested in seeing dancers appearing in roles in which they are likely to excel than in seeing a dancer who even I can see in unlikely to bring much to a role being given the opportunity to give us her Juliet or Odette/Odile or his Romeo or Oberon on the basis of their position in the company.

 

In a company the size of the Royal Ballet there is no excuse for  compromise casting that is often inevitable in smaller companies.McRae is a fine dancer but while he would make a fine Mercutio he fails to convince as Romeo. It's all to do with his cheeky chappy stage personality and the sort of thing that he did in Rubies where he gave an extraordinary display of his technical skill and speed.He seems to me to be suited for any role that David Blair or Michael Coleman made their own and any role that requires a technician.Is he dancing Romeo because someone thinks that he is suited to the role or is it connected with the trend in recent  years to treat this and other roles previously danced by Principal dancers as beneath the dignity of the current crop of Principal dancers?

 

 Casting dancers because of their status rather than their suitability for roles adds to the difficulty of providing the junior ranks of the company with opportunities for development. I don't expect that the director will deny the Principals their "rights" as far as roles are concerned but he may well find that he has to skip a generation in order to have the experienced dancers that he will need when the current Principals retire.

Great post and you say everything I have said about Macrae.  He is indeed a wonderful dancer and he blew me away in Woolf Works and was fabulous in Winter's Tale but his Romeo was not right.  He was the cheeky chappie and Salenko was the silky ice maiden.  I much regret I forked out £127 for a performance that did not move me at all.  I am with you - lets see the dancers in the roles that suit them, rather than just the star names.

[Sunrise]

I think all dancers in the world want an opportunity to grow as artists. If they were typecast, as FLOSS suggests McRae should be into cheeky/technical roles, I suspect they'd get bored and we'd lose them very quickly to other companies. Maybe it should be considered that some dancers who were/are successfully typecast are not happy with their lot but never have opportunity to go elsewhere.

 

McRae is an outstanding dancer, and I was happy to pay to see his interpretation of Romeo, which I enjoyed very much. As I've said in previous threads, I think there is room for more than one great interpretation of R&J, and some people who saw the Fonteyn and Seymour casts (as well as Parke and Sibley) might attest to that. ☺

[Vanartus]

I've greatly enjoyed reading this thread. Having started going to ROH in autumn 1976 when I moved to London (yes, Punk and Ballet mash-up!) I sense the lens of time in many of the comments. I tend to see the dancers of today refracted through the lens of my visual experience. It starts with the present - say Frankie Hayward - and I track back to Lyn Seymour (via Rojo, Ferri...) ...is Sarah Lamb the Jenny Penney of today - the Hitchcock blonde on pointe....is sweet Naghdi Lesley Collier? And so it goes, the inner smile of happy memories and the gentle shock of the new. Things change ...and yet the Amphitheatre sides right rows E-K act as an unchanging register of my own years.