yumiko Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 although one has to wonder if a company that has a grand total of 28 performances of 3 programs between now and the end of November can still be considered "major"... I missed “major” part. The following companies may not be as grand as POB, but female company/artistic director is the head. Sue Jin Kang – Korean National Ballet Noriko Ohara – New National Theatre Tokyo Brigit Breiner – Musiktheater im Revier Gelsenkirchen Birgit Keil - Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 And of course he has kept his LA Dance Project during his brief tenure at POB...why didn't he just stick with that and spend his time and effort building them up to a world-famous contemporary company if that's what he's most interested in? It looks to me like being AD of POB was nothing more than a vanity project that was thwarted before too much damage could be done. Best wishes to Ms Dupont for success in her new role. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angela Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 (edited) Sue Jin Kang at Korean National Ballet (also her predecessor was a woman), Bridget Breiner at Gelsenkirchen Ballet/Germany. Sorry, I should first read the whole thread... Edited February 5, 2016 by Angela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A frog Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 I didn't much care for this from the BBC website: "He also said the ballet was not as "excellent" as it claimed to be, but added that its troupe could be "perhaps the best modern dance group in the world"." What the heck is this with wanting to turn ballet companies into modern dance groups? Ballet companies and modern dance groups are different - you wouldn't expect a modern dance group to suddenly mount a production of Petipa's Swan Lake, so why expect ballet companies to combine top-level ballet with top-level modern dance? Quite apart from anything else, we keep hearing about how this is one of the reasons that dancers are getting injured so often. If this guy wanted to run a modern dance group, why didn't he go and find a modern dance group to run, rather than finding a major ballet company and trying to turn it into something completely different. There's no reason to expect that a ballet company would be the best modern group in the world, given the number of already outstanding groups, it just sounds like an excuse for him to do something he wanted to do anyway. The BBC is mistranslating the quote, assuming the version in the Le Monde article is correct (I haven't seen the documentary, but that's also how it was reported in other French outlets), what he said was "the company isn't the best classical troupe, but it is the best contemporary one". And while his appointment wasn't going to reverse the classical/modern balance of the company, it is something that predates him, the company after all already had in its repertoire pieces by Pina Bausch, Anne Teresa de Keersmaker, Jiri Kylian, Mats Ek, or Angelin Prejlocaj (and probably a few more I don't remember). If anything his complaint that the company didn't have the standards required for classical dance while probably unwise to phrase so bluntly in public was something he wanted to correct (that documentary also saw him complain that the dancer didn't seem to be having fun when dancing something classical). 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kameliendame Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 I havent seen the documentary, but this is what he said: C’est quoi l’excellence de l’Opéra exactement ? Je ne suis pas encore satisfait de la façon dont ça danse en scène. L’excellence, j’attends de la voir pour de vrai… [...] la compagnie n’est pas la meilleure troupe classique mais la meilleure en danse contemporaine. [from here: http://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2016/02/04/benjamin-millepied-va-t-il-quitter-l-opera-de-paris_4858949_3246.html] in an interview with Le Figaro he's saying something similar: En ce moment, à Garnier, dans le programme contemporain Wheeldon/McGregor/Bausch, ils sont fantastiques, d'une liberté totale. Mais, dans le classique, ça n'est pas ça. [from here: http://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2016/02/04/benjamin-millepied-va-t-il-quitter-l-opera-de-paris_4858949_3246.html] Its not a secret that Millepied doesnt like classical ballet, and he also said something in the lines of how the dancers looked like wallpaper when they were dancing the big classics. He was thinking of staging new versions of the classics: Du coup, je vais en programmer énormément dès l'an prochain: j'ai envie de nouvelles Sylphides, d'une nouvelle Giselle, montées au plus près des artistes qui en détiennent encore le sens. He was also critical of the hierarchy in the company: La hiérarchie du Ballet, avec ses cinq grades, relève d'un ordre militaire archaïque, et induit une manière de parler aux danseurs «subalternes» que je n'accepte pas. Its probably comments like these that got him fired. The dancers did NOT like what he said at all, especially the part about how the quality of their dancing wasnt good enough. Étoile Karl Paquette said the atmosphere has been 'stormy' since the documentary came out in december. Sure an AD has every right to comment on the dancing of their dancers, but not in the way he did it by publicly announcing it to the press. Apparently the dancers didnt even knew how he was thinking of their dancing and found out by watching the documentary. In defence of the dancers, two of their best balletmasters left when Millepied arrived. Laurent Hilaire because he was forced to leave and Clotilde Vayer (his replacement) because of illness (apparently she has been absent for months). You cant possibly blame the dancers for this. Besides, it's not like POB was a purely classical company upon his arrival; Brigitte Lefèvre has introduced plenty of contemporary choreographers to the reportoire and was often accused of staging too many modern works (something that I agree with). Before they danced Swan Lake last season, they hadnt danced it in five years (the last time being during the 2010/2011 season) and they havent danced Giselle in almost six years (last time in the 2009/2010 season). Same goes for ballets like Raymonda (last time in 2008/2009), Romeo and Juliet (2010/2011) and the Nutcracker (before they danced it last season, the last time was in 2009/2010). Whereas the company used to dance these kind of works almost every other season under Nureyev, under Lefèvre the distribution has become erratic and it didn't do the dancer's technique any justice. Yes, right now POB isnt exactly going through an Golden Age like they did under Nureyev, but that has more to do with the work method of the AD than the dancers themselves. POB school continues to be one of the most excellent dance schools in the world and produces stellar graduates every year, but its not their fault if they end up getting cast in Kylian and Ek when they were trained to dance Petipa. Its sad that Millepied didnt realise this and blamed the dancers instead, and continues to stage contemporary and neoclassical works. Wheres the logic in that? It also seems like Millepied was threatening to radically change the very foundations of the company and I'm so glad Stéphane Lissner finally gave in and fired him. I agree with Sim, to Millepied it seemed like POB was some sort of personal project of his that he could do whatever he wanted with it. And I cannot understand how he could possibly be critical of the hierarchy. Is there any ballet company in the world that DOESN'T have a hierarchy? Isn't he the alumni of a hierarchical company himself (NYCB)????? This is very rich coming from someone who was a principal dancer for years. The hierarchy is the skeleton of every company, so to speak, it has been there since the very beginning and all the classics are made with that hierarchy in mind. How could he have possibly taken the job of ad of one of the biggest classical companies in the world when he doesnt even agree with the very foundations of the company? I remember when Millepied was appointed a few years back he accused POB of not being diverse enough (something that the French press did not take well) and Elisabeth Platel retaliated by saying something in the lines of 'the opéra is bigger than all of us'. Hopefully he has realised that now. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 Hello Kameliendame and welcome to the Forum! Thanks for your comments on Millepede's departure from POB. I do hope you will continue to contribute to the Forum. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kameliendame Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 Hello Kameliendame and welcome to the Forum! Thanks for your comments on Millepede's departure from POB. I do hope you will continue to contribute to the Forum. Thank you Janet! I have been checking up on this forum for a while now and I thought it was high time I contributed something myself too 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A frog Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 (edited) I haven't seen anything anywhere that confirms he was fired, it seems he had mentioned to Stéphane Lissner he was considering quitting a few months ago. I also understand his "Du coup, je vais en programmer énormément dès l'an prochain: j'ai envie de nouvelles Sylphides, d'une nouvelle Giselle, montées au plus près des artistes qui en détiennent encore le sens." to mean he wanted to correct the defiencies in the classical repertoire by having the dancers do more of it so they regain the level they should have, after all the last part means he wants to involve artists who still understand these parts in helping train the dancers. He may have preferred contemporary to classical, but he definitely didn't want to give up on the classical side. His public pronouncements might have been inelegant (and I can't judge given that the only performances I've seen by POB lately were contemporary or with guests (though I wasn't too impressed by the corps in La Bayadere)), but the posters on Dansomanie seem to overall agree with him and point the irony of having the dancers most loudly complaining about him being the ones who apparently can't actually do the steps properly. Also, I don't see anything wrong with him complaining the hierarchy leads to junior dancers being mistreated by those higher in the hierarchy. And even if it is something he witnessed at NYCB (that there is hierarchy there doesn't mean the day to day relationships would be the same), that doesn't mean he was happy with it, a director is in a better position to change this than one dancer among many. Edited February 5, 2016 by A frog 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kameliendame Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 (edited) I also understand his "Du coup, je vais en programmer énormément dès l'an prochain: j'ai envie de nouvelles Sylphides, d'une nouvelle Giselle, montées au plus près des artistes qui en détiennent encore le sens." to mean he wanted to correct the defiencies in the classical repertoire by having the dancers do more of it so they regain the level they should have, after the last part means he wants to involve artists who still understand these parts in helping train the dancers. He may have preferred contemporary to classical, but he definitely didn't want to give up on the classical side. His public pronouncements might have been inelegant (and I can't judge given that the only performances I've seen by POB lately were contemporary or with guests (though I wasn't too impressed by the corps in La Bayadere)), but the posters on Dansomanie seem to overall agree with him and point the irony of having the dancers most loudlt complaining about him being the ones who apparently can't actually do the steps properly. Also, I don't see anything wrong with him complaining the hierarchy leads to junior dancers being mistreated by those higher in the hierarchy. And even if it is something he witnessed at NYCB (that there is hierarchy there doesn't mean the day to day relationships would be the same), that doesn't mean he was happy with it, a director is in a better position to change this than one dancer among many. Oh I must have misunderstood his quote then, by saying 'nouvelle' I thought he meant a new production, not a new way of dancing. I still dont quite agree with his complaints about the hierarchy. Im all for giving young dancers a chance to develop themselves and prepare them for a higher rank, but it should never be in the expense of those who already earned their position as Étoile. Compare what he's saying with what Aurélie Dupont said in a recent interview: L'Opéra est hiérarchique, c'est comme ça. Ce n'ai pas moi qui l'ai choisi et je ne le changerai pas. C'est une compagnie hiérarchique. Pour être Étoile, c'est extrêmement difficile, ce sont des années de concours. Je veux remettre, pour le moment, les Danseurs et Danseuses Étoiles à l'honneur. Et bien évidemment, je veux continuer à faire danser de jeunes artistes, pas pour leur faire plaisir, mais pour les préparer à être Danseur et Danseuse Étoile. from here [http://www.dansesaveclaplume.com/pas-de-deux/41881-aurelie-dupont-je-suis-pleine-damour-pour-le-ballet-de-lopera-de-paris/] POB has a hierarchy that everybody must respect. It has been there for centuries and will be there for centuries to come. any attempt to change that will be futile. Instead, an AD must know how to work with it. POB is the only company in the world where promotions arent given by the AD but by winning the annual concours. Every étoile has been through this and have rightly earned their position at the top. For an AD to disregard their hard work in favour of his own vision is disrespectful to say the least. Instead, an AD must find a way to nurture the next generation while at the same time honouring his principals. This really isnt some radical way of thinking, almost all classical companies work like this.... Millepied should have known better when it comes to following the hierarchy of a company. On a sidenote, i accidently inserted the wrong link to Millepied's interview in my previous post, and i cant seem to edit it, so here is the right link: http://www.lefigaro.fr/theatre/2015/12/17/03003-20151217ARTFIG00225-benjamin-millepied-le-ballet-doit-sortir-de-sa-bulle.php Edited February 5, 2016 by kameliendame 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A frog Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 (edited) Your post made me double-check how I understood his quote, but it wouldn't be nouvelles (plural) for a new ballet, he was hoping for more dancers being able to dance the parts properly (I'm guessing Giselle stayed in the singular as he found enough dancers being able to dance it to have a run this year already). I doubt he would have done away with all hierarchy (though who knows? He after all wanted to bypass the competitions altogether), I'm guessing he was rather hoping to put an end to some associated behaviour from the people at the top that I can all too well picture and must have come as a bit of a shock to someone who left France so long ago. I have no doubt Aurélie Dupont will be a better fit for the culture of POB, but as the Nouvel Obs put it in their article, it feels like the Restoration of the Old Regime and a refusal to accept an outside look. And even there, Joshua Hoffalt's words in a comment piece ("We'll give her a chance... Like we did for Benjamin") don't sound too hopeful. Edited February 5, 2016 by A frog 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Macmillan Posted February 5, 2016 Author Share Posted February 5, 2016 Restoration of the Old Regime? Here's Sarah Kaufman, main Dance critic for The Washington Post, drawing a parallel of sorts between the change at POB and the replacement of Ross Stretton at the RB by Monica Mason: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/02/05/why-benjamin-millepied-is-quitting-paris-opera-ballet-he-tried-to-do-too-much/?postshare=341454675689186&tid=ss_tw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A frog Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 An attempt at translating (la Restauration de l'Ancien Régime) probably only muddied things up; it's meant to evoke the return to the monarchy after the Revolution (and First Empire). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 Has Millepied got any grounds for saying that the classical dancing of the company is not of the standard that it should be? It's amazing to read that several of the big classics are performed so infrequently. I get the impression that the company is in something of a transition anyway with several dancers recently retiring or winding down. The company seems to have had problems with casting in the big classics as a result of injuries, which won't have helped the standard of performances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 We are back to the same situation that seems to be affecting the "classical" companies - how do you keep alive the heritage works that have made you who you are and move forward to keep pace with developments at the same time? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluebird Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 Your post made me double-check how I understood his quote, but it wouldn't be nouvelles (plural) for a new ballet, Isn't it plural because Les Sylphides is plural? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A frog Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 (edited) Isn't it plural because Les Sylphides is plural? I would keep it singular as it's just one ballet, un nouveau Les Sylphides, but I suppose that could also be the case. Though I still read from his various comments that he wanted to improve the classical standards. Edited February 5, 2016 by A frog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 (edited) Restoration of the Old Regime? Here's Sarah Kaufman, main Dance critic for The Washington Post, drawing a parallel of sorts between the change at POB and the replacement of Ross Stretton at the RB by Monica Mason: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/02/05/why-benjamin-millepied-is-quitting-paris-opera-ballet-he-tried-to-do-too-much/?postshare=341454675689186&tid=ss_tw That parallel also occurred to me (although it doesn't sound as though the POB dancers were quite as far along in open rebellion). I hope Aurelie Dupont works out well for the POB, combining its wonderful tradition with newer work going forward and also maintaining and improving the technical standard. Edited February 5, 2016 by Melody 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duck Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 From the three ballets performed at Paris Opera tonight, Millepied's new ballet "La nuit s’achève" (the night ends) received by far the loudest and longest applause. More on tonight in a separate post once post I've gathered my thoughts. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 Excuse the mess - quotes not working here again - but: POB has a hierarchy that everybody must respect. It has been there for centuries and will be there for centuries to come. any attempt to change that will be futile. Instead, an AD must know how to work with it. POB is the only company in the world where promotions arent given by the AD but by winning the annual concours. Every étoile has been through this and have rightly earned their position at the top. For an AD to disregard their hard work in favour of his own vision is disrespectful to say the least. Nureyev didn't exactly respect the hierarchy, from what I remember, did he? Was Guillem the only one he promoted differently? Your post made me double-check how I understood his quote, but it wouldn't be nouvelles (plural) for a new ballet, he was hoping for more dancers being able to dance the parts properly (I'm guessing Giselle stayed in the singular as he found enough dancers being able to dance it to have a run this year already). Thanks, A frog. I could only interpret it as meaning that he had several ballerinas in mind for Sylphide, and one for Giselle, but it's good to have confirmation from a native speaker Isn't it plural because Les Sylphides is plural? Does the POB *have* Les Sylphides in its repertory? Has Millepied got any grounds for saying that the classical dancing of the company is not of the standard that it should be? It's amazing to read that several of the big classics are performed so infrequently. Oh yes, I think so, from what I've picked up in recent years. The concentration on a more contemporary rep at the expense of the Classical was a feature of the last few years of the previous regime - in fact, it was going on for several years before this forum started up, because I remember people complaining about the season schedule on the old forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted February 6, 2016 Share Posted February 6, 2016 It's surprising then that Millepied was brought in when he seems to be more interested in contemporary works than classical ballet. However, perhaps it was thought that an outsider would find it easier to tackle deficiencies in the company than someone who knew the dancers well. The most recent big classic, Bayadere, seems to have had pretty mixed reviews and there appear to have been problems with casting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAB Posted February 6, 2016 Share Posted February 6, 2016 Does the POB *have* Les Sylphides in its repertory? It used to, certainly I've seen them dance it. Of course it may have been dropped by now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duck Posted February 6, 2016 Share Posted February 6, 2016 (edited) Appointments to senior posts tend to come with an exploration of the candidate's plans for the future for the hiring organisation. I can't imagine that this wasn't the case with Benjamin Millepied - and in his case also, his plans for his LA Dance Project which already existed back then. Much discussion has been about the "wallpaper" topic. The article here from Dec 2015 http://www.slate.fr/story/111835/millepied-opera-documentaire gives a bit more context to the "wallpaper" comments. The article refers to the documentary that was shown that month on Canal Plus. «Les danseurs ont tellement été habitués à danser en ligne, à se faire engueuler, que ça devient du papier peint, il n’y a plus aucun plaisir. Un corps de ballet, s’il ne prend aucun plaisir, ça n’a aucune vie." Briefly translated (NB I am not a French native speaker so please correct if necessary) - "The dancers are so much used to dance in line, to be snubbed at, that it becomes wallpaper, there is no pleasure left. If a corps the ballet takes no pleasure, there is no life." And in an interview in Le Figaro http://www.lefigaro.fr/theatre/2015/12/17/03003-20151217ARTFIG00225-benjamin-millepied-le-ballet-doit-sortir-de-sa-bulle.php in relation to wallpaper "Les danseurs du corps de ballet travaillent avec l'idée curieuse que «si on ne vous voit pas, on fait bien». Mais quel métier est le nôtre? Être danseur, c'est s'exprimer, pas tenter de ressembler à un motif sur du papier peint!" Translated "The dancers of the corps the ballet dance with the strange idea of "if you are not seen, you do well" However what is our profession? Being a dancer means to express oneself, not to try and look like a pattern on a wallpaper" - all while recognising that harmony and a sense of space are important. Later in the same interview, he praises the freedom that he sees in his dancers in the Wheeldon/ McGregor/ Bausch programme, and that however he doesn't see in the classics. "En ce moment, à Garnier, dans le programme contemporain Wheeldon/McGregor/Bausch, ils sont fantastiques, d'une liberté totale. Mais, dans le classique, ça n'est pas ça." The article in Slate also provides a link to the documentary on Canal Plus that was shown in Dec 2015. While I am able to open the link, the screen then however freezes every time (I am writing this from a local coffee shop so maybe with a faster broadband connection, watching the documentary will work). Both articles give interesting insights into what he was planning to change and why - e.g., he describes that in his first conversations with dancers, some dancers trembled and were hardly able to talk to him, that he was trying to bring in more diversity into the company, develop in-house choreographers, offer low-cost dance lessons to children ("l'art, c'est pour tous"). Other articles that I read this week mentioned that he brought in flooring that is better for dancer's feet, and that he put a stop to blackening up children's faces in La Bayadere and that he renamed a dance in La Bayadere by these children to "the children's dance" (I don't even want to put in writing here how it seems their dance was called previously). Opinions of course, will diverge, however a lot looks like good ideas to me. Remains the question for me as to how and when and where these ideas should best be discussed/ shared to gain buy in and support. Interestingly, reading the article in Slate, the documentary that was shown in December 2015 on Canal Plus was co-produced with Paris Opera, so surely someone within the organisation will have reviewed the content before it was shown to the public, which makes me think that something really went wrong in the production process. --------- edited for typo Edited February 6, 2016 by Duck 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted February 6, 2016 Share Posted February 6, 2016 (edited) Every organisation has its own culture which reflect its origins, its history and the management style of its founders and its leaders over the years. This applies to every place of work including ballet companies. However much an AD wants to change things he has to understand and show respect for his company, its dancers, its repertory, its history and its culture.. It seems to me that this is particularly necessary if you want to alter things radically. No one likes to be told that what they have been doing for years is inadequate. It seems to me that Millepied's criticism of the company should have been given to the dancers concerned in private after he had told them what he wanted from them. No one can expect to receive the respect and support of their workers if they broadcast their dissatisfaction with them in interviews in the media. No one directing a company today can expect their workers' loyal support as of right. It has to be earned In the context of a ballet company this means gaining the support of the dancers through repertory choices and casting decisions which show a real understanding of the ballet concerned and what the dancers need to bring to their performance. An AD needs to remember that his success will be measured in the artistic success of his dancers. his choice of repertory his programming policy and his company's ticket sales. I understand that ticket sales for the mixed bills have not been that strong. Of course there may be causes for poor ticket sales which have nothing to do the attractiveness of the ballets being performed. As someone from outside the "POB family" Mr Millepied needed to display the skills of a diplomat when setting about instituting change. When it comes to suggesting altering things like the concourse the director should at least show he understands why it was instituted . I have not seen much evidence, on Mr Millepied's part of any attempt to understand the culture of the three hundred year old institution which he was leading. I wonder whether he ever asked himself how the dancers of the NYCB, a somewhat less venerable institution, would react if the next AD of that company were to demand a change to its way of doing things and adopted a more hierarchical approach to casting? I get the impression that he has been out of France for so long that he has ceased to see things in French cultural terms. It seems to me that the few accounts that I have read in the American press start from the position that the POB is old fashioned, hierarchical and in need of reform to bring it into the twenty first century and that a former NYCB principal was the best person to do it. I am not sure that the comparison with the position of Ross Stretton at the RB is particularly enlightening. It strikes me as a rather facile bit of journalism which creates an impression for the reader but tells them very little .it's as helpful as opening an account of a performance at the ROH by telling the reader the price of seats in the stalls. I think that the journalist who referred to the restoration of the old order when wring about Dupont's appointment as AD was telling his French readership something more than it was business as usual at the POB. It implies the legitimacy of the newly appointed AD and her right to the position as a member of the " POB family" while at the same time emphasising Millepied's position as an outsider. it may be that the writer intended to remind his readers that you can't simply turn the clock back and do everything as it was done before and that there may be many things that do need changing at the POB. Any French reader will be aware that the restoration of the French monarchy did not go that well. There was a revolution which ousted the Bourbons in 1830, followed by another failed attempt at monarchy which was, in its turn, brought to an end by the 1848 revolution. In other words the problems at the POB need to be resolved rather than papered over. It will be interesting to follow Dupont's progress as AD on the Dansomanie Forum and other French sites.. Edited February 6, 2016 by FLOSS 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMballet Posted February 7, 2016 Share Posted February 7, 2016 I love you, Floss! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kameliendame Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 Laura Capelle of the Financial Times reviews Bel/Millepied/Robbins: http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/a6a8b10a-ce5d-11e5-831d-09f7778e7377.html I didn't know whether to post it here or on the Bel/Millepied/Robbins thread, but Capelle made some comments about his departure too so I'm going to post it here. She's pretty harsh on him and the way he's exiting, basically saying he just gave up and left the company in a crisis of some sorts. Can't help but agree with her... Like Floss said, If you want to change one of the oldest cultural institutes in Europe you need to be tactful and diplomatic. I don't quite understand why Dupont's appointment is being presented as some backwards decision though. What's wrong with appointing someone from inside? At least they know how things work in the company and how to keep the French tradition alive. France has the richest ballet history in Europe, it should be celebrated, not thrown under the rug in favour of flashy new productions that have little to no connection to the dancers. Giselle was made for the Paris Opera, as well as La Sylphide... would we call those ballets old fashioned and stop performing them just because they were made over a hundred years ago? No ofcourse not! Both works remain one of the most popular ballets and are considered essential in any ballet company's reportoire. NYCB even got a new La Sylphide not long ago. And I absolutely hate how the American press is making it look like the Paris Opera is some old war horse in need of an overhaul. Do those people even know what they are talking about?! Contemporary work has been perfermormed there for AGES, Lefèvre made sure of that, Balanchine has been a part of the reportoire ever since he defected from Russia, Forsythe made his first work for a ballet company on Paris Opera dancers, it's the alma mater of Roland Petit, one of the most prolific and shocking choreographers of the 20th century... I could go on. Honestly, I blame that propaganda-esque documentary about Millepied for all of this. It made him look like he was some sort of visionary ready to set POB on the map, except the company has been on the map since it was first established by Louis XIV. They don't need an American to do that for them. I mean the school alone is older than the US.... 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 Much discussion has been about the "wallpaper" topic. The article here from Dec 2015 http://www.slate.fr/story/111835/millepied-opera-documentaire gives a bit more context to the "wallpaper" comments. The article refers to the documentary that was shown that month on Canal Plus. «Les danseurs ont tellement été habitués à danser en ligne, à se faire engueuler, que ça devient du papier peint, il n’y a plus aucun plaisir. Un corps de ballet, s’il ne prend aucun plaisir, ça n’a aucune vie." Briefly translated (NB I am not a French native speaker so please correct if necessary) - "The dancers are so much used to dance in line, to be snubbed at, that it becomes wallpaper, there is no pleasure left. If a corps the ballet takes no pleasure, there is no life." And in an interview in Le Figaro http://www.lefigaro.fr/theatre/2015/12/17/03003-20151217ARTFIG00225-benjamin-millepied-le-ballet-doit-sortir-de-sa-bulle.php in relation to wallpaper "Les danseurs du corps de ballet travaillent avec l'idée curieuse que «si on ne vous voit pas, on fait bien». Mais quel métier est le nôtre? Être danseur, c'est s'exprimer, pas tenter de ressembler à un motif sur du papier peint!" Translated "The dancers of the corps the ballet dance with the strange idea of "if you are not seen, you do well" However what is our profession? Being a dancer means to express oneself, not to try and look like a pattern on a wallpaper" - all while recognising that harmony and a sense of space are important. Later in the same interview, he praises the freedom that he sees in his dancers in the Wheeldon/ McGregor/ Bausch programme, and that however he doesn't see in the classics. "En ce moment, à Garnier, dans le programme contemporain Wheeldon/McGregor/Bausch, ils sont fantastiques, d'une liberté totale. Mais, dans le classique, ça n'est pas ça." I think this must be a perennial problem for artistic directors and ballet masters, because it's undeniable that in a ballet like Swan Lake you do need the corps to be an actual corps and not just a parade of individuals doing their own thing to the point where it detracts from the overall effect. But I must say I felt a bit sorry for the RB corps in the YouTube video (I think it was the one about the Swan Lake corps de ballet but I'm not certain) where the assistant ballet mistress said something like "if we don't notice you, you're doing it right." I mean, more than a decade of hard training, just to be told "we don't want to notice you." But then they aren't doing Swan Lake the whole time, and there are other ballets where the corps dancers do have a chance to be more individual. Hopefully his comments about wallpaper don't mean that he sees no value in the Swan Lake-type ballets - but then again, given some of the above discussion, that might be exactly what he thinks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 As kamiliendame says, the POB has a long history of commissioning and performing contemporary work which recently has included Wheeldon, McGregor and Bel so the issue, if there is one, is not one of a fusty and unchanging repertoire. I'm more struck by Millepied's comment about there being effectively two companies, one classical and one contemporary, and that there are dancers who have not danced en pointe for years. The concept of the 'concours' is alien to most ballet lovers in the UK but the idea behind it is, presumably, that it is a transparent system* which prevents favouritism (although I believe that the AD still has enormous say). In the UK, if you are not in favour with the AD you've had it - and we have all seen dancers who are inexplicably sidelined or, conversely, repeatedly given plum roles which they sometimes under-perform in. Some dancers are clearly singled out and 'groomed' for principal positions whereas plenty of others plod through the ranks (or languish in the lower ranks) over years. *Dancers at the POB are French civil servants and so the concours may have something to do with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 They don't need an American to do that for them. I mean the school alone is older than the US.... Isn't Millepied French? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Macmillan Posted February 9, 2016 Author Share Posted February 9, 2016 Sim: He is, indeed, French by birth - but see today's Links, where Australian writer, Valerie Lawson, describes him as 'a stranger in his own land.' http://dancelines.com.au/millepied-returns-life-lhomme-libre-paris-opera-ballet-boss-call-day/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 With apologies for any double/cross posting I see that Luke Jennings' long piece from this Sunday's Observer is now online:- http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/feb/07/benjamin-millepied-paris-opera-ballet-director-resignation-black-swan-interview Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duck Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 I think this must be a perennial problem for artistic directors and ballet masters, because it's undeniable that in a ballet like Swan Lake you do need the corps to be an actual corps and not just a parade of individuals doing their own thing to the point where it detracts from the overall effect. But I must say I felt a bit sorry for the RB corps in the YouTube video (I think it was the one about the Swan Lake corps de ballet but I'm not certain) where the assistant ballet mistress said something like "if we don't notice you, you're doing it right." I mean, more than a decade of hard training, just to be told "we don't want to notice you." But then they aren't doing Swan Lake the whole time, and there are other ballets where the corps dancers do have a chance to be more individual. Hopefully his comments about wallpaper don't mean that he sees no value in the Swan Lake-type ballets - but then again, given some of the above discussion, that might be exactly what he thinks. What looks like a leak in advance of the announcement of the 2016/ 17 season on 10 Feb, pictures of the programme for next season where shared on twitter yesterday https://twitter.com/LStrapontine/status/696748470888177665. There is Swan Lake (Nureyev), Sleeping Beauty (ABT), La Sylphide (sic! ... a new production?), Antony Tudor, and various Balanchine, plus McGregor, Peck, some in-house choreographies (Sebastian Bertaud is one of the dancers in Tombe). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duck Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 Honestly, I blame that propaganda-esque documentary about Millepied for all of this. I tried to access the documentary a few times however it looks like behind closed doors unless I am subscribed to Canal Plus. Have you been able to see it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 Sim: He is, indeed, French by birth - but see today's Links, where Australian writer, Valerie Lawson, describes him as 'a stranger in his own land.' http://dancelines.com.au/millepied-returns-life-lhomme-libre-paris-opera-ballet-boss-call-day/ And Luke Jennings, in the article posted above by Geoff, refers to him as essentially French: "He was personable, newsworthy, and although a long-time artistic exile, French." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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