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Luke Jennings slams RB as "turkey of the year"


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I find it hard to see anything other than Chroma and Infra surviving (and I really feel they deserve to survive).  I have always felt they were in a different league to his later pieces, and it is also telling that these are the only pieces (of which I am aware) to have been taken on by other companies of the highest calibre (the Bolshoi has Chroma and the Mariinsky Infra).  I know others have a different view, but for me everything after Infra has been pretty uninteresting and some have just been painfully boring (especially Tetractys).  I think perhaps the first and last segments of Woolf Works deserve to survive but they are saddled with the ludicrous central segment.

 

As above (especially my own fave 'Infra') - plus 'Carbon Life' would be terrific to revisit, if they could assemble a similar lineup of rock stars. And I know many others didn't like it, but I really enjoyed 'Live Fire Exercise' too.

 

As a general comment, I really like a lot of Wayne's duets, but once he has more then 3 dancers on stage at the same time, all doing vastly different things, I find it a struggle (even the pieces above - Carbon Life excepted, where he had them all co-ordinated in the opening sequence)

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The fact that POB is going through one of its not infrequent transitions, moving from the classical company created by Nureyev, to one which appears intended to be a very distant cousin of NYCB does not mean that it is a path that the RB should follow.The POB has a great history but has little to show for it in the way of repertory.It seems to be a company which since the nineteenth century has chased after every fashion. Although Giselle was premiered there it disappeared from the company's repertory in the 1860's and was restored to it in the early years of the twentieth century by Diaghilev's Ballet Russes. It was, until Nureyev was appointed director, a company without a repertory to match the quality of its dancers.The RB has in its short life acquired a magnificent repertory but has not always had dancers to match the quality of its repertory.

 

Some people have complained of lacklustre performances in the classics. I don't think that the answer is to recruit dancers from the outside.The company is brimming over with talent and it would be a disaster to make any appointment which might block the possibility of one of the under twenty fives securing promotion to Principal. I don't think that being AD of a company is easy but it must be easier to fulfil that function if you have a real vision for the company you are running. O'Hare's pick and mix strategy is not the way to build a company up from the bottom.

 

While I enjoyed Chroma and Infra Mac Gregor employs an extraordinarily limited dance vocabulary and like Acosta he is no story teller i wonder whether the company can afford to allocate so much of its resources to a choreographer whose works often appear to be over reliant on design and lighting rather than choreographic substance. Pretentious titles and lengthy essays do not make a dance work a work of substance.If you want to develop a company you follow the path taken by Peter Wright when he began  rebuilding a proper touring company in the 1970's. You programme works of real choreographic substance which use a lot of the company and provide significant opportunities to dance rather than works which provide limited opportunities except for the chosen few.

 

The range of works available to the company is enormous. I am not suggesting that the company should become a museum company but that  the AD has the resources available to him to develop his dancers as artists.Perhaps he should limit the commissioning of new works to those who work within the ballet idiom and be more specific about what he wants Scarlett and Wheeldon to produce when he gives them commissions, Viscera and Asphodel Meadows would look good on a triple bill perhaps he should ask Scarlett for a companion piece. He should programme the full range of Ashton's works and some Tudor, if necessary in the Linbury, if only to show dancers and audiences a greater range of ideas and invention than we see in more modern works and how much can be conveyed to the audience in a short piece of dance.Just a thought. Of course if you think that classical ballet is dead or at least dying you follow the route being taken across the Channel.

Edited by FLOSS
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Very well said FLOSS.

 

I remember a period in the early 80s (the Morrice years) when the RB was similarly in the doldrums. At the same time LFB/ENB was revitalised under the leadership of Peter Schaufuss. He had terrific guest artists such as Patrick Dupond, Eva Evdokimova, Natalia Makarova, Denys Ganio, Dominique Khalfoni and Alessandra Ferri. He had good relations with Ashton and built on the company's own rep.

 

The RB started to get bad press and it started something of a roll among the critics to the effect that it could not do anything right. This was compounded as SWRB was on the crest of a wave as well with the new productions of Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty. It was presenting terrific triple bills. The Royal wasn't. I remember being part of a discussion in the old amphitheatre asking why the RB was being slated all the time.

 

A very elderly lady who had been watching the company since the 30s just said 'because it's fashionable'.

 

I think we are getting elements of that now. ENB is 'in'. RB is 'out'.

 

The wheel will click round again in tone.

Edited by Two Pigeons
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The rep at RB this season has made it very cheap for me barely anything of interest to me hence I've gone to Amsterdam more (little difference in the expense compared to London) and I've seen some great dance from a great company and orchestra. For those able to travel there are some great offerings looking forward to 2016 elsewhere in both the UK and in Europe.

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ENB is 'in'. RB is 'out'.

 

 

If that is the case, it is very unfair and not really true, surely.

 

Moreover, one only has to compare the immediate response on here to the RB's opening night of Nutcracker with the very few contributions about ENB's offering yesterday to see that one section of the ballet-going public at least is fundamentally very supportive of RB.

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Moreover, one only has to compare the immediate response on here to the RB's opening night of Nutcracker with the very few contributions about ENB's offering yesterday to see that one section of the ballet-going public at least is fundamentally very supportive of RB.

 

That's indicative of the forum membership, not necessarily the wider public.  I have the feeling that there are generally far more posts on here about RB than ENB, which could be for a number of reasons - perhaps for example several core members are members/friends of RB so naturally see more of their performances. 

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One reason for the limited coverage of ENB could be that there is no specific section in which to post views about ENB's performances. It could be that people are put off posting anything  for fear that they might be thought not to know enough about ballet.Perhaps someone should start a specific section for ENB and begin by posting their views about the current Christmas performances.

 

The other reason could be that it spends a lot of its time outside London touring where it is seen by an audience who do not have the luxury of being regular ballet goers. I am not sure whether an occasional ballet goer is likely to seek out a site like this one.If they did would they be put off posting because there is nothing suggesting that we would welcome their views?

 

I am talking about a permanent ENB section rather than one that is created annually for the tour or one created for the seasons at the Coliseum which is very much centred on London. Ballet Alert has a special section for US companies with all the main ones given a special section within it for posts and another one for European companies similarly subdivided. Only a thought.

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Well Floss you could say exactly the same thing about BRB and NB too!!

 

Bruce experimented with similar sections on the previous version of the forum but they did not last long.

 

I would urge all our members and lurkers to post on the companies they see, whichever company they may be.

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Floss:  A thread on the ENB Nutcracker was started at 0923 this morning:

 

http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/11336-english-national-ballet-the-nutcracker-2015-16/

 

The 'Performances Seen' section of the Forum is not, nor will it be, considered as an exclusive RB enclave.  And whilst I stand to be corrected by colleagues, my recollection is that the Ballet Alert format was considered in the first weeks of this Forum and a decision was taken not to adopt it.  The Forum's general approach is essentially something that grew out of its late ballet.co progenitor.  And the Moderators would welcome any move by lurking users to make it less London-centric than I fear it may be considered.  It is, in the end, what its users make it.

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Janet believe me I did think about mentioning them. I decided just to mention ENB and I have my answer. If I had known that you had tried it in the early days of the Forum I would not have suggested it..

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The other reason could be that it spends a lot of its time outside London touring where it is seen by an audience who do not have the luxury of being regular ballet goers. I am not sure whether an occasional ballet goer is likely to seek out a site like this one.If they did would they be put off posting because there is nothing suggesting that we would welcome their views?

 

 

 

As it happens I know many regular ballet-watchers who are not London based and who all travel to a greater or lesser extent to see ballet.  Quite a few members who post about RB are not London-based and some travel great distances to see them.

 

When I first started watching ballet, I did the bulk of my ballet-watching in London - mostly visiting companies at Sadler's Wells and London Festival Ballet (now ENB).  As it happens I thought that LFB were the pre-eminent company in the UK (mid-80s).  I did go to Covent Garden too but I now realise that the company was in something of a doldrums and that was why I was often underwhelmed by the performances I saw - the exception for me being anything with Lesley Collier.

 

A lot of the regular ballet-watchers I know lurk on this site but choose not to post, even though I try to persuade them.

 

I know many members on this site follow ballet in general but equally it seems to me that there are many members who only go to Covent Garden.  Reading postings at the time I got the impression that some members had never sought out ENB until Alina Cojocaru moved over.  I'm sorry if other members find that statement offensive but it is the way it sometimes comes over.

 

When I discovered the previous Ballet.Co I started posting because not many other people posted about companies and performances outside of London.

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..... I got the impression that some members had never sought out ENB until Alina Cojocaru moved over.  I'm sorry if other members find that statement offensive but it is the way it sometimes comes over.

 

 

I feel quite sad that undue caution about sampllng ENB has meant that many ballet lovers, including a number on here, didn't experience the glories of the now retired Elena Glurdjidze and Daria Klimentova.

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Well seeing ENB Nutcracker was actually my first choice but the cinema screening was more accessible this time round. I am definitely looking forward to seeing Le Corsaire in January though. To me ENB seems the more vibrant, exciting company at the moment, I can't wait to see their dancers, especially the up and coming males. The only thing stopping me seeing them earlier was the fact they were on tour and not in London. The fact that I prefer the London Collesium, tickets are cheaper and easier to get hold of are bonuses!

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I would like to think that some of the younger members of the RB went to see Glurjidze's Odette/Odile and that a lot of ballet goers who are Covent Garden regulars did too. It is important to see a  great interpretation of an iconic role in which the dancer places their technique entirely at the service of the choreographer.I think that their old Giselle,the Skeaping production,was the best that I have seen. I find it difficult to believe that their new production or version will be anywhere as good.

 

I thought that Eagling's repertory choices were really interesting and worth seeing.It is a great pity that not enough people thought so.It is a great pity that the idea of reviving Ashton's Romeo and Juliet came to nothing. During his directorship ENB once more became a company worth seeing for both its repertory and its dancers.It was a great shame that he was ousted. I think that he had a greater understanding of the range of  the repertory,the significance of historical works and their style than Rojo has. He also had a fantastic team of coaches working for him. I think that I went to see more ENB's performances during his directorship than I have during Rojo's. But it is all a question of taste. Somehow the company's limited repertory did not seem so limited when he was in charge.All very odd. 

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'Twas ever this with ENB. So many of their directors seemed to do well and then got the boot. I am sure Tamara will be very aware of this and it may be one of the reasons she has made herself so high profile. If things do go wrong I am sure she will be able to walk into another job without breaking her stride.

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I know many members on this site follow ballet in general but equally it seems to me that there are many members who only go to Covent Garden.  Reading postings at the time I got the impression that some members had never sought out ENB until Alina Cojocaru moved over.  I'm sorry if other members find that statement offensive but it is the way it sometimes comes over.

 

As somebody who lives and works in London, I see the vast majority of my ballet at Covent Garden for two very simple reasons - the existence of genuinely cheap tickets at the bottom end of the price spectrum, and the fact that they do a vast number more performances in London than any other company.  At the RB, I'll go to anything once (and several casts if the fancy takes me) and obviously when you see a certain company regularly and start to be able to recognise the dancers' faces and follow their progress through the ranks, that leads to further loyalty.  Of course "seeing most of my ballet at Covent Garden" also sometimes includes Bolshoi and Mariinsky tours.  Of course it helps that as a long-time opera fan it's also the only house where I bother with membership and therefore have priority booking privileges, dress rehearsal access etc.

 

Ticket prices at ENB, even with special offers, mean I'm unlikely to see things there as many times per run as I do at the RB (for example, my side Dress Circle ticket for my one visit to Le Corsaire this time around was £29.50 reduced from £59.  Bearing in mind that I prefer a downstairs view, for which I don't care if I sit or stand, I could see three performances at the RB for the same price in Stalls Circle Standing.

 

I do go to other companies' performances, but it tends to be driven by a particular factor (repertoire I'm keen to see; dancers I'd particularly like to see in a particular role; guest stars with obscure touring companies...) whereas at the RB I'll go just because it's there.  I don't keep count of how many performances I attend, but this year I've attended ENB a couple of times, BRB a couple of times, Queensland Ballet once, Dutch National Ballet once, and that Diana Vishneva one-woman show.  And the RB on probably about 40 occasions.

 

(I've always been prepared to travel all over the place for opera, which takes up all my spare time and cash as it is - I can't possibly develop a travelling-for-ballet habit as well ;))

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(I've always been prepared to travel all over the place for opera, which takes up all my spare time and cash as it is - I can't possibly develop a travelling-for-ballet habit as well ;))

 

 

With one week of ENB a year in Liverpool (and what a fabulous week this year!) I have no choice but to travel.  I see around 100 performances a year - mostly BRB and NB but ENB in Liverpool and Manchester, lots of dance at the Lowry and the odd foray to RB.

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I would also say (before I stop talking about myself and taking the thread off-topic) that I'm not in London by accident.  I didn't grow up here, or get a particular job that brought me here.  I moved here specifically to have the easiest possible access to live performances (albeit that opera was then and is still my main interest) and built the rest of my life around it.  I'm now London-centric by necessity (home and full-time job here) but get about to the regions and Europe pretty frequently - I'm not one of these people, and I see plenty of them, whose cultural world ends at the M25.

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I thought that Eagling's repertory choices were really interesting and worth seeing.It is a great pity that not enough people thought so.It is a great pity that the idea of reviving Ashton's Romeo and Juliet came to nothing. During his directorship ENB once more became a company worth seeing for both its repertory and its dancers.It was a great shame that he was ousted. I think that he had a greater understanding of the range of  the repertory,the significance of historical works and their style than Rojo has. He also had a fantastic team of coaches working for him. I think that I went to see more ENB's performances during his directorship than I have during Rojo's. But it is all a question of taste. Somehow the company's limited repertory did not seem so limited when he was in charge.All very odd. 

 

I agree with everything you say about Wayne Eagling and his team.  ENB is still in a transitional stage and although at the moment we can say 'so far so good', we've still to see the consequences of the loss of those outstanding coaches and also the rapid loss of existing dancing personnel at all levels.  Newly acquired dancers are young, virtuosic and without the years of experience behind them that produces rounded artists.  None I believe, correct me if I'm wrong, are graduates from the company's own school, something I believe should be raising eyebrows.

 

For those of us that are fans of the company there is also concern over casting, with dancers that have over time proven themselves wholly successful in certain roles now finding themselves side lined and I do wonder about the long term effect that may be having on morale. 

 

So no, it's not a case of ENB good, RB bad, as what you are comparing if you think that way is that a couple a successes on the one hand are more significant than a couple of minor glitches on the other.  Not sure I agree with that.

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MAB much of what you say could apply to RB as well. Young dancers are selected for virtuosity with less account taken of musicality or artistry, the assumption being that this can be developed, but this is not necessarily the case. There are also some dancers in the ranks who have been there a long time, since the previous AD, who are somewhat sidelined. Alongside the lack of obvious vision for the direction of the company, it feels like RB is as much in transition as ENB.

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.  None I believe, correct me if I'm wrong, are graduates from the company's own school, something I believe should be raising eyebrows.

 

 

There have been a number of joiners from the ENB School in the past couple of years, MAB. Two, Isabelle Brouwers (Dancer of the Month in the December DT) and Jinhao Zhang were nominated for Emerging Dancer this year. Jinhao won and went on to also win second prize in the Beijing International Competition last summer (as well as the choreographic prize there).

 

Both Isabelle and Jinhao have prominent roles in this run of Nutcrackers as Louise and Nutcracker (and Russian) respectively, I think. Other graduates of ENB School who are featuring in several leading roles incude Ksenia Ovsyanick and Junor Souza (joined 2008), Lauretta Summerscales (joined 2009), Guilherme and Vitor Menezes and Ken Saruhashi (joined 2010, I believe). Alison McWhinney  and Anjuli Hudson also frequently have named roles and are ex ENB School, although (in common with some others) dating from a little longer ago. [Apologies for any obvious omissions.]

 

However, the recruitment of dancers such as Alejandro Virelles, Isaac Hernandez and Cesar Corrales as well as the introduction of guests (Osiel Gouneo and Brooklyn Mack at the Coli this season) can give an alternative impression, I agree. While I accept that 'things move on', I agree that it is a pity when dancers with an excellent track record in certain roles appear to be passed over when still in their prime. But I think that this happens at the RB as well and a change of Director always seems to involve a change of preferences which the audience cannot always understand.

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