Royal Ballet: The Two Pigeons, Monotones I & II, November 2015 & Rhapsody January 2016

[Nina G.]

He commented sadly that he thought the girls in M 1 were rather wobbly and it distracted him. 

 

I agree it is a total distraction when there are wobbles in Monotones, and especially in Monotones 1! Several people have commented on this.  It seems that only the 1st cast (Maguire/Dyer/Naghdi) is capable of dancing Monotones 1 to perfection. I have also seen Pajdak/Hay/Magri as the 2nd cast but I'll return anytime to see the 1st cast again, Monotones being one of my little favourites.

[bangorballetboy]

The "front" dancer in M1 on Tuesday was Romany Pajdak.  I've seen her perform M1 below with n'er a wobble so I think she was, unfortunately, just having an off night.  I'm looking forward to seeing that trio again on 4 December (having seen the other trio again before then).

[Fonty]

Now I really feel my 60+ years!   Yes, Dame Dame Beryl Grey was there but so were plenty of younger folks.   I wasn't aware of any special offer - certainly not when I booked but I chose this date for the cast of 2 Pigeons and I wasn't disappointed.

 

 

Oh dear.    I didn't mean to sound ageist, I am not a teenager myself.  But it seemed to me that the normal broad range of ages was missing on the night I was there.    . 

 

Regarding the wobbly Monotones 1, I appreciate every dancer can have an off day,but I question the decision to cast two first artists in roles that were designed for principals.  Of course it has happened before. Cojocaru was still in the corps when she performed in Symphonic Variations, I believe.  However, she had danced principal roles with another company, and was clearly destined for the top with the RB.

 

I know people will say that young dancers have to be given a chance, and I have no problem with that as a concept.  Unfortunately, this particular piece is not the right place for that IMO.  It demands about 10 minutes of absolute perfection, and I am not sure many first artists are in the position to achieve that. I would have loved to have seen Marquez in the role. 

[FLOSS]

The second cast in Monotones I are Pajdak,Magri and Hay.Only Pajdak has danced it before in the 2011 season.As Luke Jennings said in his review of the first cast of Monotones II in this revival it is easy to forget how little "real ballet" the company has danced this year.I think that the problems that this Monotones I cast experienced and various people have commented upon has more to do with the lack of "real ballet" performed by the company in 2015 than the lack of seniority of the cast.Ashton's choreography is technically difficult and physically demanding and often,as here, leaves the dancer very exposed.Just to make life difficult the dancer must make his choreography look simple and effortless.Perhaps if the second cast get the chance to perform this work when it is next revived they will show as much command of the piece as the first cast do.The first cast have all danced it before and it shows.

 

It is interesting, but not unsurprising that the audience seeing an unfamiliar ballet ascribes all the perceived defects in a performance to the choreographer rather than to the performers.Perhaps it just shows how much we naively expect that ballets will be cast with care and that other factors such as the need to provide senior dancers with roles and the desire to show off recently acquired dancers never enters the equation and becomes more important than their suitability for a role. I think that the dancer's suitability for a role is something that an AD should always consider when casting a ballet and that it should be the overriding factor when casting a ballet which has not been seen for a generation.I think that there is more compromise casting at Covent Garden than should be necessary in a company the size of the Royal Ballet.

 

Ashton rarely went in for obvious bravura displays of technique it is easy to dismiss his works as charmingly old fashioned.When it is well danced it looks so simple and so undemanding that the audience feels they could dance much of what they are seeing which is no doubt why there is a tendency to dismiss his work as twee and unchallenging for both dancer and audience.At a time when most members of the ballet audience seem more interested in technical skills than expressiveness and more concerned with quantity than quality Ashton needs dancers who can do his choreography justice.While I am grateful to see Pigeons back on the stage I don't think that either Cuthbertson or Salenko have done the role of the Young Girl full justice so far.Cuthbertson has turned her into an arch character and Salenko turns her into a soubrette role closer to Coppelia than to the character that Ashton and Seymour created.Why did not they ask Seymour,Thorogood or Katrack in to coach the role and give the dancers the benefit of their experience of working with Ashton.I know that Collier danced it but there is clearly something missing in the performances of the role that we have seen so far. If the lack of impact that the role has made so far is not attributable to the casting it has to be something to do with the coaching.

 

Am I the only one who thinks that a considerable amount of stage time this year has been wasted on performances of works that have been either earnest, worthy and dull or dominated by design and that very few have really shown the company off as a classical company?It will be interesting to see what sort of balance is struck between the classics and other types of choreography in the next couple of seasons.At some point the AD will have to decide what sort of company the Royal ballet is to be.

Edited November 26, 2015 by FLOSS

[alison]

The "front" dancer in M1 on Tuesday was Romany Pajdak.  I've seen her perform M1 below with n'er a wobble so I think she was, unfortunately, just having an off night. 

 

I think in all fairness we should point out that Padjak wasn't the only one who wobbled - although when seen head-on I'd guess that the front dancer partially obscures those behind - and that the first cast wasn't wobble-free on the second night, either

[Fonty]

Am I the only one who thinks that a considerable amount of stage time this year has been wasted on performances of works that have been either earnest, worthy and dull or dominated by design and that very few have really shown the company off as a classical company?It will be interesting to see what sort of balance is struck between the classics and other types of choreography in the next couple of seasons.At some point the AD will have to decide what sort of company the Royal ballet is to be.

 

No, Floss, you are not the only one!  But if the resident choreographer for a company is a contemporary dance specialist, then care has to be taken to make sure that dancers don't lose the finer points of classical technique. 

 

Incidentally, I wan't suggesting that a role originally created for principals should only be danced by principals, and I hope I didn't give that impression.  I simply meant that it gives an indication of the standard of dancing required.

 

Sibley was not only a superb principal, but one of the best performers of Ashton, and a very tough act to follow. 

Edited November 26, 2015 by Fonty

[capybara]

If portraying gypsies makes people uncomfortable, where do we stand with Le Corsaire?? Possibly the most un-PC ballet imaginable with slave girls, harems, abduction etc. But it's great entertainment and should be seen as just that. Ballet is not real life

 

But one can't help wondering how Le Corsaire will go down in Oman !!!!

[Mary]

We have not seen all the casts yet,  so I for one look forward to getting the full picture.

 

 

(A kind friend offered to treat me to the amphi restaurant next time but after looking at the menu and seeing "slow cooked pigeon"- I think it's back to Pizza Express as usual!- my dear, how insensitive)

[Douglas Allen]

Such is the dearth of Ashton performances that I'm grateful for any of his works to be revived, even relatively minor ballets such as Pigeons. It's always at risk of tottering over the edge into twee sentimentality unless the performances are carefully judged. I thought Muntagirov looked exceptionally good as did Morera while Cuthbertson looked a little too pert and knowing in the performance. I thought Monotones II worked well, flowing seamlessly from beginning to end while Monotones I seemed rather more disjointed. Why were the headdresses for I redesigned? The new ones are in no way an improvement.

 

Some of the comments about Pigeons have, to my mind, missed the point. Like most of Ashton's output there is both a surface text and a sub-text. The ballet is about (amongst other things) love and its unpredictable course. Two lovers are together, are fond of each other, fall more deeply in love, but, inevitably, have differences and disagreements. Outside attractions present themselves and one of the lovers is seduced by a new, alternative and potentially risky lifestyle. He is used, and abused, gets ephemeral rewards but is then rejected. He returns (chastened) to his original love who is now more mature and regrets what happened earlier and they are reconciled. The avian intruders provide the aah factor for the more sentimental of the audience. The gay sub-text is quite clear as is the similarity to the ballet of the Prodigal Son by Balanchine. Ashton used the scenario he did for convenience and  because it wouldn't cause any ructions with the Board or alarm the suburban followers of the Royal Ballet. It's nothing to do with gypsies or any other ethnic group just as it isn't a ballet about the life of an artist in Paris. 

 

Might I add that the company as a whole would benefit from some intensive work on Ashton and/or Petipa with particular reference to epaulement and feet.

[aileen]

Gay subtext? Who knew? Not me, anyway.

[aileen]

Seriously, is there pigeon on the current menu at the ROH? That's funny. Pigeon performers: you've been warned; any messing around and you'll be in the cooking pot!

[Fonty]

 The gay sub-text is quite clear as is the similarity to the ballet of the Prodigal Son by Balanchine. Ashton used the scenario he did for convenience and  because it wouldn't cause any ructions with the Board or alarm the suburban followers of the Royal Ballet. It's nothing to do with gypsies or any other ethnic group just as it isn't a ballet about the life of an artist in Paris. 

 

Might I add that the company as a whole would benefit from some intensive work on Ashton and/or Petipa with particular reference to epaulement and feet.

 

Well, I think the gay sub-text is only clear if you happen to to know the history of the ballet.  It certainly never occurred to me as I was watching, and now I am not sure if I wanted to know that!  Suddenly, I feel unbelievably naive.  Next, you will be telling me that the knot tying in Fille has some sort of gay significance.  (And if it does, please don't tell me.  I would rather watch it with innocent eyes.)

[capybara]

Gay subtext? Who knew? Not me, anyway.

 

Please explain, Douglas!

[Lindsay]

I agree with you about the sub-text Douglas.  After Cranko's banishment, no choreographer was going to risk even suggesting an openly gay theme to the ROH.  In fact, now I come to think of it, they still don't, which is quite remarkable given the happy acceptance of so many openly gay dancers.  The disconnect between ballet and its audience is very strange sometimes.

 

However, I do still take issue with the choice of gypsies to symbolise the dangerous and abusive "other" lifestyle.  It's a cheap and lazy stereotype.

[Scheherezade]

Gay subtext? Who knew? Not me, anyway.

Nor me, and that would still be the case if Lindsay hadn't enlightened us.

 

I shan't be seeing this double bill until Dec 4th when Arestis, Kish and Hirano will be stepping up again for Monotones II. There haven't been too many reviews of this trio although Sim preferred them to the 1st cast so it should be interesting to see what they make of it. Whilst not a fan of Kish in dramatic works, this is, to my mind, the type of work that shows him off to best advantage. I seem to remember that he and Watson partnered Nunez extremely well during the last run of Monotones and wonder why the line-up was changed around.

[sarahw]

Going back to gypsies - I'm not PC at all (except at work where I have to be.....) - was reading Famous Five with son recently and squirmed at some awful gypsy stereotypes. What to do though? I think don't go there if you don't like it? We risk losing the chance to learn from historical 'mistakes' if they're suppressed......

 

Loved the gypsy costumes....... ironically would appeal to kids.....

[alison]

Seriously, is there pigeon on the current menu at the ROH? 

 

Bit tasteless, isn't it?  (And I'm not talking about the meat)

 

Well, I think the gay sub-text is only clear if you happen to to know the history of the ballet.  

 

I think only sub-text in the sense that Ashton used to say he was usually (always?) the female character in his ballets?  We can draw conclusions from that if we want.

 

After Cranko's banishment, no choreographer was going to risk even suggesting an openly gay theme to the ROH.  [...]

 

However, I do still take issue with the choice of gypsies to symbolise the dangerous and abusive "other" lifestyle.  It's a cheap and lazy stereotype.

 

Do you mean that Cranko actually suggested an openly gay theme, or am I misreading you?

 

And I always assumed the gypsies were in the original libretto.

 

Whilst not a fan of Kish in dramatic works, this is, to my mind, the type of work that shows him off to best advantage. I seem to remember that he and Watson partnered Nunez extremely well during the last run of Monotones and wonder why the line-up was changed around.

 

Unless I'm mistaken, it was Watson and Bonelli in the last run - but I agree about the wondering bit.

[Scheherezade]

Bit tasteless, isn't it?  (And I'm not talking about the meat)

 

 

I think only sub-text in the sense that Ashton used to say he was usually (always?) the female character in his ballets?  We can draw conclusions from that if we want.

 

 

Do you mean that Cranko actually suggested an openly gay theme, or am I misreading you?

 

And I always assumed the gypsies were in the original libretto.

 

 

Unless I'm mistaken, it was Watson and Bonelli in the last run - but I agree about the wondering bit.

 

You are right, of course, Alison, and Bonelli was fabulous - I can seldom remember being short-changed by him which makes me wonder why I don't make an effort to book specifically for his performances - but I am sure that Kish stood in for him at one performance and really impressed me, to my surprise. Does anyone else remember that or is it just another geriatric moment?

[Melody]

 

Am I the only one who thinks that a considerable amount of stage time this year has been wasted on performances of works that have been either earnest, worthy and dull or dominated by design and that very few have really shown the company off as a classical company?It will be interesting to see what sort of balance is struck between the classics and other types of choreography in the next couple of seasons.At some point the AD will have to decide what sort of company the Royal ballet is to be.

Let's hope he hasn't already decided. If the company is going to be basically MacMillan, a dash of Balanchine, and a parade of contemporary choreographers (with the occasional Petipa blockbuster to bring in some cash), my recently reawakened interest will be going back into hibernation.

Edited November 26, 2015 by Melody

[munchkin16]

Or follow the ENB...

[capybara]

Or follow the ENB...

 

...... which is also hell bent on "transforming the art of ballet" and thus taking the audience on a journey that may not be to everyone's taste on here.

[Vanartus]

Aileen - read the Kavanagh bio ...it's all there...the gypsy camp "is" Fire Island, and the artist "is" Ashton's lover of the time. So basically Lauren Cuthbertson is Sir Fred in drag. Or am I over simplifying ;-) ?

[Melody]

OK, the notion of Lauren Cuthbertson being Sir Fred in drag is a mental picture that's going to stay with me a lot longer than I want it to. Thanks, Vanartus...

Edited November 26, 2015 by Melody

[alymer]

But surely Vanartus, it depends whether you agree with Julie Kavanagh's take on  Ashton's motivation, and the degree to which his private life affected his working life.  A number of people who knew him well and had worked with him over the years said that they didn't recognise her portrait of him.

[bridiem]

 

Some of the comments about Pigeons have, to my mind, missed the point. Like most of Ashton's output there is both a surface text and a sub-text. The ballet is about (amongst other things) love and its unpredictable course. Two lovers are together, are fond of each other, fall more deeply in love, but, inevitably, have differences and disagreements. Outside attractions present themselves and one of the lovers is seduced by a new, alternative and potentially risky lifestyle. He is used, and abused, gets ephemeral rewards but is then rejected. He returns (chastened) to his original love who is now more mature and regrets what happened earlier and they are reconciled. The avian intruders provide the aah factor for the more sentimental of the audience. The gay sub-text is quite clear as is the similarity to the ballet of the Prodigal Son by Balanchine. Ashton used the scenario he did for convenience and  because it wouldn't cause any ructions with the Board or alarm the suburban followers of the Royal Ballet. It's nothing to do with gypsies or any other ethnic group just as it isn't a ballet about the life of an artist in Paris. 

 

 

I would say that the gay sub-text is NOT clear, or evident at all, unless you happen to know something about Ashton's life (which most of the audience will not). A sub-text is just that - something below the surface which influences an artist to create what he or she creates. In my view, Ashton was the ultimate romantic (whatever context that involved in his own life); and (as is described above) The Two Pigeons is about love. Any sub-text may (or may not) be of interest; but the 'point' of the work is the overriding theme which is evident to all regardless of any sub-text.

[Lindsay]

Hi Alison, I don't think Cranko ever suggested an openly gay plot but after he was arrested for soliciting he was persona non grata with the ROH board which was when he moved to Germany. In my humble opinion a huge loss for the RB

[alison]

Ah, that I didn't know about.  Thanks for enlightening me, Lindsay.

[Mary]

Aileen I wasn't joking about the pigeon- it really is on the menu.

Makes you wonder doesn't it.

[Vanartus]

Les Illuminations also shows the sacred love/profane love angle which Ashton uses in 2P -and as the poet is Rimbaud, it is pretty what the subtext is.

[Ian Macmillan]

I would not normally mention this but, should anyone want a view from someone there at the time in 1961 - my wife was a member of the Company and danced in the original production.  I mentioned the gay, Fire Island, subtext notion to her last night.  Her reply would not meet our Acceptable Use Policy, but could be summarised as 'fanciful in the extreme.'

[Lindsay]

Not much evidence of Tchaikovsky discussing his sexuality with the orchestras premiering his works either but there is a pretty large body of analytical writing which discusses its impact on his work.  Authorial intent doesn't need to be express, or even consciously known to the creator.  It can however be an interesting way of thinking about a work.  

 

And no one is being MADE to think about it that way.  I can't see why the fact that others might be interested in doing so should ruin the work for anybody.

[Beryl H]

Nehemiah Kish dances Monotones 2 with Marianela Nunez and Edward Watson on the Ashton DVD so he danced it at least once last time around.

 

I've never associated ballet gypsies with anything other than happy, exhuberant dancers, what am I missing? One thing for sure I must re-read the Julie Kavanagh biography in full, I started dipping into it yesterday

[Lindsay]

Thinking further about this whole discussion, I think it turns on whether ballet merits serious consideration and analysis (of the kind that music, theatre, writing and contemporary dance enjoys) including of its historical, social and political context.  I would say that discussing ballet in that way is a mark of respect for its creators and practitioners - thinking of their work as a serious art form rather than simply something 'safe', 'innocent' and escapist that one takes the children to see at Christmas.  

 

But I would reiterate, that this should not be seen as a threat to anyone who simply wants to enjoy ballet in an escapist way.  There is nothing preventing you from doing so!