imogensevans Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 Hi, Has anyone seen Roberta Marquez and Nehemiah Kish dance yet? I'm curious to know whether the significant disparity in their heights work as Romeo and Juliet! What a shame Zenaida Yanowsky never got a shot at Juliet. I really think she would've been a wonderful Juliet-perhaps with Roberto Bolle as her Romeo? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 (edited) Hello Imogen and welcome out of the lurking shadows. I haven't seen any of this current run of R&J so can't comment but I do hope you you will continue to join in now that you have broken the posting ice! A quick look at the ROH website indicates that they are not due to dance until 2nd December. Edited November 8, 2015 by Janet McNulty Edited to add final sentence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 Hi, Has anyone seen Roberta Marquez and Nehemiah Kish dance yet? I'm curious to know whether the significant disparity in their heights work as Romeo and Juliet! What a shame Zenaida Yanowsky never got a shot at Juliet. I really think she would've been a wonderful Juliet-perhaps with Roberto Bolle as her Romeo? Hi Imogen, and welcome to the forum. Yes, I saw their performance the week before last. I am a big admirer of Marquez; she is my favourite Lise and Titania, and I very much like her Giselle. The same goes for her Juliet; last time I saw her dance this role it was with Steven McRae. As a much more established partnership at the time, that performance worked much better than the one she did with Kish. She was lovely, but a bit like what some people said above about Hayward/Golding, the height difference did affect the way it looked. More to the point, Marquez totally out-acted Kish. He did the steps perfectly ok, but there was nothing else there; nothing inside, nothing that gave any indication of Romeo's character or feelings. She didn't have anything to feed off, so to me looked like she was dancing alone most of the time. With a partner with whom she had some kind of affinity or connection, this could have been a superlative performance. With Kish, there was just nothing to connect to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 What a shame Zenaida Yanowsky never got a shot at Juliet. I really think she would've been a wonderful Juliet-perhaps with Roberto Bolle as her Romeo? Yes that would have been wonderful. (Yanowsky in anything is wonderful! I am dismayed that she is doing so few performances this season.) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 last time I saw her dance this role it was with Steven McRae. As a much more established partnership at the time, that performance worked much better than the one she did with Kish. She was lovely, but a bit like what some people said above about Hayward/Golding, the height difference did affect the way it looked. I generally think it's better to avoid excessive height differences in this ballet. I can't remember who it was now, but in the case of one of the RB's more petite ballerinas and a tall Romeo (or was it Paris?) years ago the height difference brought out all sorts of paedophile associations in my mind which had absolutely no place in the ballet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesrhblack Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 Hi Imogen, and welcome to the forum. Yes, I saw their performance the week before last. I am a big admirer of Marquez; she is my favourite Lise and Titania, and I very much like her Giselle. The same goes for her Juliet; last time I saw her dance this role it was with Steven McRae. As a much more established partnership at the time, that performance worked much better than the one she did with Kish. She was lovely, but a bit like what some people said above about Hayward/Golding, the height difference did affect the way it looked. More to the point, Marquez totally out-acted Kish. He did the steps perfectly ok, but there was nothing else there; nothing inside, nothing that gave any indication of Romeo's character or feelings. She didn't have anything to feed off, so to me looked like she was dancing alone most of the time. With a partner with whom she had some kind of affinity or connection, this could have been a superlative performance. With Kish, there was just nothing to connect to. Good to read that Marquez did well. I like her very much in many things and find the current casting attuned towards her very frustrating.... 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunrise Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 I generally think it's better to avoid excessive height differences in this ballet. For me the relative maturity of the dancers is more important. I really enjoyed an R&J with Cojocaru and Bolle who both look very youthful. Their height difference was huge, but it made the pdd especially thrilling. Similarly, Rojo and Cope who had a large height difference (and a similar age difference?) and a maturer look were stunning together in the few performances they had, though they never did R&J together and I don't know if they would have pulled it off. These are rather exceptional performances though - maybe in general, as Alison says, excessive height differences should be avoided. But we seem to now have an excess of tall male principals and apart from Yanowsky, a lack of tall ballerinas to partner them. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 (edited) I'm not sure that height is the issue - certainly not of its own. Hayward and Muntagirov looked and were terrific together in Alice last season (and arguably would have made a lovely partnership in R&J - as has been mentioned elsewhere on the Forum). Yet their height difference is pretty much the same as that between Hayward and Golding and Marquez and Kish. [Edited to add that Muntagirov also partnered Marquez in one Fille and the height difference there, while noticeable, did not detract from a delightful performance.] [Edited again to say - but Muntagirov is a very special dancer and partner. Witness what Lauren Cuthbertson says about him in her Dance Europe interview, "Gorgeous - melts my heart".] Edited November 9, 2015 by capybara 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beryl H Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 I don't like height disparities in any ballets, although the classics do seem to suffer more,I suppose the line is so important in the classics, seeing a tiny girl with a tall man reminds me of the ice skating competitions 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loveclassics Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 Good to read that Marquez did well. I like her very much in many things and find the current casting attuned towards her very frustrating.... I think Marquez is very underrated. She reduced me to tears in Giselle and that's a very rare occurrence for me. Similarly, Rojo and Cope who had a large height difference (and a similar age difference?) and a maturer look were stunning together in the few performances they had, though they never did R&J together and I don't know if they would have pulled it off. They did the Balcony pdd at a gala in Spain and I saw a clip of it on Youtube. it was every bit as good as their performances in Mayerling, Cinderella, Ondine etc. He also partnered Durante on a couple of occasions, when Mukhamedov was 'off'. I missed those performances but the reviews were excellent. But I agree that height discrepancies can be very distracting without any real chemistry between the dancers. In the ice skating world it initially caused a lot of controversy with some judges even saying it gave an unfair advantage, particularly in the lifts and thrown jumps. I always thought such 'one and half' couples looked like a boy and his little sister on the ice - most odd! Linda 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balletfanp Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 I've only seen Marquez a couple of times - once with Vadim in Fille, and once in "In the Night" (not one of my favourites, I must say), and I thought she was outstanding in both. I can imagine she would make a wonderful Juliet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 I generally think it's better to avoid excessive height differences in this ballet. I can't remember who it was now, but in the case of one of the RB's more petite ballerinas and a tall Romeo (or was it Paris?) years ago the height difference brought out all sorts of paedophile associations in my mind which had absolutely no place in the ballet! Yes, I have had the same thought in the past, and it is not a nice thought. I think R & J is one of those ballets where the pairings have to look appropriate; much more so than other ballets, otherwise the men start to look like perverts. I always think of Romeo as being not much older than Juliet, say about 16. So if the male dancer is very tall, and his Juliet is petite, then he has to be able to convey a youthful appearance. Mutagirov is tall, but he is not as muscular as some of the other males. Also, he looks young, so I am not sure it would matter as much if he was paired with a more petite Juliet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 Cojacaru and Friedemann Vogel worked very well for me even though there's a large height difference. There's something very boyish about him though, even though he's not particularly young. This might be to do with his slight build and floppy hair. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Macmillan Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 I don't think we've seen this before? Reuters is running a short video piece about Ms Hayward's Juliet debut" http://in.reuters.com/video/2015/11/09/rising-star-of-the-royal-ballet-delights?videoId=366242404 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jam Dancer Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 I agree with bridiem and was deeply moved by Francesca Hayward's performance on Thursday- even more than her debut. I find her dancing sublime and her dramatic interpretation on Thursday night was full of intelligence , feeling and sensitivity and as bridiem also suggested , with touches I had not previously been affected by . She seems to have a knowledge of the original text and understands the importance of stillness , which she used well, including in the moment of "prayer" before she takes the potion. Also memorable last night was the moment she clasps Romeos hand to her heart - a moment of bliss, ecstasy, joy , a sudden understanding of what true love feels like and the excitement of it - and in addition , her confusion at waking in the tomb. As for Marcelino Sambe, he gave his all as Mercutio and yet so naturally - his dancing , his acting, every move and nuance. He seems to me to be a "class act" , standing out in everything he does . Luca Acri and the whole cast were wonderful too as was the orchestra , notably the brass section . So much owed too to Prokofiev's wonderful score. It was a fabulous evening . What was missing , for me as others have said , was a Romeo to match- one that I could believe Juliet might fall in love with in favour of Paris. One whose kiss (after another wonderful moment of stillness ) didn't look (to me) almost lecherous! How wonderful that Francesca Hayward , Yasmine Naghdi and Matthew Ball have been given such an opportunity at this point in their careers. The future looks exciting - for them and for us! I didn't see her (Francesca's) debut but I did see last Thursday's performance and I agree with you. We were sat in the first row of the Balcony and I did spend lots of time peering through the binoculars because I wanted to be sure that I could see some of the facial expressions clearly... I don't agree that it was all pretty dancing on Thursday, which by the way is very difficult to do even if the role of Juliet is less technically demanding than Manon and others. Less technically demanding doesn't mean a walk in the park.... I also saw Yasmine and Matthew's (Ball) performance which I loved and whilst I prefer their coupling to Golding and Hayward, Francesca reading of Juliet was different to Yasmine's but no less impressive on Thursday. As FLOSS mentioned, I don't think that there was the 'letting go' in the balcony PDD but I think that's also might be understandable. I wasn't really bothered by the height difference but there is a bit of lack of chemistry between the two (perhaps because Matthew always has the same expression (it seems to me) and I did wonder if by chance if Francesca was too light for Golding as there were a couple of instances where it seemed as if he was being very careful - art least that's the way it looked to me. That there is room for improvement in Hayward's portrayal is good news - she hasn't peaked too early and there is a lot to look forward to... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 I don't think we've seen this before? Reuters is running a short video piece about Ms Hayward's Juliet debut" http://in.reuters.com/video/2015/11/09/rising-star-of-the-royal-ballet-delights?videoId=366242404 No, we haven't. Don't know what's taken them so long - it was filmed on the 23rd. I saw the warning notice somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 A lovely show tonight from Sarah Lamb and Vadim Muntagirov - Vadim in particular. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 I agree. Lamb's acting went up a notch . I have admired her before but she was even better tonight. They acted together and danced beautifully especially in acts 2 and 3. Muntagirov's jumps fantastic as ever. The role really could have been made for him- romantic, yearning, sweet and earnest. They were a delightful pair. Perhaps the rest of the cast were not quite a good as that fantastic filmed performance-( that was so stellar, with Mc Rae, Lamb, Avis-the best Tybalt- all on superb form.) But, nonetheless it was a good performance. Nice Mercutio from Zuchetti, getting into the character. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nevsky Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 (edited) Vadim Muntagirov and Sarah Lamb seem to have honed their partnership so that last night's performance was outstanding from both dancers. They clearly feel comfortable dancing together and there was evidence of the essential 'chemistry' between them. For this reason among others their Faun works very well too. It was a pleasure to see Vadim back in a more 'classical' ballet after his Don Jose in Carmen. He did that really well (the third cast really pulled out all the stops for Carlos) but Vadim needs the opportunity to exhibit his full range of steps and demonstrate his superlative technique whilst continuing to live the character he is portraying - and he lives his characters so well. His Romeo was clearly in love and so was Sarah's Juliet and the passion they showed in their dancing emphasised their total experience and enriched our evening. Edited November 12, 2015 by nevsky 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 Personally I thought tonight's performance was a mixed bag. A wonderful portrayal of Juliet by Marianela Nunez and she was truly heartbreaking in Act 3. I also enjoyed Valentino Zuchetti as Mercurio and Eric Underwood as Tybalt. However, as Romeo, I felt that Thiago Soares lacked power and seemed to struggle with some of the choreography. To be honest I have felt for some time that their on stage partnership is uneven with Nunez being on a different level with her dancing. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 I have often felt that Soares lacks power compared with other dancers, both at the RB and elsewhere. However, as I have only been watching ballet regularly for a few years I don't know whether this is a fairly recent development. I assume that he is in his mid-thirties now and so perhaps it's unfair to compare him with dancers who are in their twenties. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 My main thought about tonight's performance is that the audience deserved better. So did Marianela. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthE Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 My main thought about tonight's performance is that the audience deserved better. So did Marianela. Agreed. She was wonderful, and a couple of other people stood out as well (Kristen McNally as 1st Harlot, for example) but everybody else just didn't seem to be "on it"... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 Romeo is according to Acosta the most demanding role that he has danced.It is something of a marathon because once you are on stage you are rarely off it.Julie by comparison has a far easier time with the occasional break.Unlike Lescaut where you can give edited highlights of the choreography and hope to get away with it particularly if you are a reasonable actor Romeo is definitely a dance role.Just when you might like a breather you have to dance with your chums Mercutio and Benvolio dancing the steps that they,far more rested than you,are dancing.I think that Soares can only be in his mid thirties but he looked rather weak as the Man in the Song of the Earth last season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferrylights Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 I don't normally participate in the discussions of the ballets, but last night was a bit of a weird R&J for me. Did anyone else feel that way? I've only seen about 6 R&J pairings, but had high hopes for Marianela and Thiago. I wasn't really feeling it through Act I, but in Act II Valentino Zucchetti stole the show with his death scene as Mercutio, it was absolutely fantastic. Those tears when he hugged his harlot (fabulous Helen Crawford) before he died...wonderful, so much feeling. On par with Alexander Campbell, who is my favourite in that role. Eric Underwood... to put it lightly didn't do a lot for me as Tybalt, especially after seeing Bennet Gartside and Gary Avis a few times this run. As already stated by others Thiago didn't seem as strong technically as some of the others on stage...but who knows, it could have been an off night for him? He just didn't seem very into it, maybe. I had quite close stalls seats, but it just fell flat for me mostly, minus Valentino and Marianela. Kristen McNally was a wonderful lead harlot as well. The corps de ballet seemed really on form. I've never seen someone play the Act III PDD in the bedroom after the wedding night like Marianela did. She barely looked at her Romeo the entire time, just seemed tearful and desperate from that point onwards which carried on into the rest of the act. Like she knew it was just doomed from that moment onwards. Very different from Sarah and Lauren. It was an interesting R&J, very up and down for me. But I'm fairly new to ballet, and no expert. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hfbrew Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 But I'm fairly new to ballet, and no expert. But that doesn't make your opinions any less valid than anyone else! The great thing about Ballet is that it can be all different things to all different people. I love being with people experiencing Ballet for the first time, it's great to have a fresh opinion. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annamk Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 Romeo is according to Acosta the most demanding role that he has danced.It is something of a marathon because once you are on stage you are rarely off it.Julie by comparison has a far easier time with the occasional break.Unlike Lescaut where you can give edited highlights of the choreography and hope to get away with it particularly if you are a reasonable actor Romeo is definitely a dance role.Just when you might like a breather you have to dance with your chums Mercutio and Benvolio dancing the steps that they,far more rested than you,are dancing.I think that Soares can only be in his mid thirties but he looked rather weak as the Man in the Song of the Earth last season. Personally, I think Soares dancing has generally been weak and usually below what you would expect from a principal in a company of the standing of the RB. It always seemed to me it would have more sense for him to have stayed as a First Soloist and concentrated on acting roles requiring less in the way of technical dance ability. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickwellings Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 I nearly left in the first interval last night, as I had a poor seat and missed most of the dancing. I moved (shhhh) into the standing slips right, which was slightly better. It was heartening to see a young kid of about 8yrs old (maybe a future Eric Underwood) with his Mum. It wasn't his first ballet and he was enjoying it. I have to agree about Mr Underwood. And Mr Soares looked to have a bit of bother in the PDT in Act I....but for me redeemed himself with some strong acting. However, I'm glad I stayed. Act 3 from MN was strong, because of her dramatic intelligence. One felt her grief. Overall, pretty good, but not the best I've seen! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pompalompa Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 I was also there on Friday and thought Nunez was a wonderful Juliet - just stunning. We were discussing whether she could perhaps be one of the best. Sadly I agree with the above mentions of Soares. We wondered whether he was injured or perhaps tired as he seemed to lack energy and not be making the most of such wonderful choreography. It felt like it could have otherwise been a fabulous performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Hello Pompalompa and welcome out of the lurking shadows! I hope we will hear more from you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imogensevans Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 Has anyone seen Roberta and Nehemiah dance Romeo and Juliet yet? Dying to hear about it. Interesting comments with regard to Thiago as Romeo. I remember seeing him dance Romeo a few years ago with Marianela. I was with my husband who'd never seen a ballet before, and he pointed out that the bloke playing Romeo didn't seem to be able to do the steps very well. I prefer Thiago in dance-actor roles I must confess. My favourite Romeo and Juliet will always be Carlos and Tamara.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Has anyone seen Roberta and Nehemiah dance Romeo and Juliet yet? Roberta dances tomorrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangorballetboy Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Roberta dances tomorrow Nunez tomorrow (Tuesday), Marquez Wednesday? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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