What is your LEAST favourite ballet?

[WoodlandGladeFairy]

I don't really have a strong hate for any ballets but I will say I did not enjoy Sylvia, found it very twee and don't like Ondine either, not a fan of the music. 

 

I really, really like MacMillan's 'Romeo and Juliet', so when I see alternative productions by other choreographers I don't enjoy them much either, because it they feel wrong.

[Texan]

Cinderella by Stanton Welch

 

In this version, Cinderella doesn't marry her Prince......

[alison]

Welcome, Texan.  So, what happens?  Does she not get married, marry someone else, ...?

 

Fonty, that Quote function has a nasty habit of disappearing, I'm afraid.  I've complained about it numerous times.  If it's not the Quote function, then it's the formatting which goes, or something else.

[FLOSS]

 Sleeping Beauty has already undergone a considerable amount of pruning in order to accommodate current  performance practice. If it is cut any more it will have to be described as "edited highlights".

 

Although everyone pays lip service to Petipa as a choreographic genius we see his ballets in forms which he would not recognise. Their structure is ignored and  contrasts between different types of stage action are blurred as sections of choreography for processions and character work are cut  generally by salami slicing. to accommodate the ballerina's modern "improved " technique  and artistic expression. We don't have time for the full hunting  scene but we have time for the ballerina to balance interminably or to put her foot in her ear.

 

When during the last century did performances of the nineteenth century classics stop being concerned with the choreographer's  style of  musicality and the flow of movement and become fixated on freeze framing poses  and excessive slowness?

 

A different ballet I know but anyone  interested in changes in performance style of the Petipa classics by the Royal Ballet might like to search out the first  recording of  Peter Wright's Nutcracker with Collier and Dowell as the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier and compare  their style of performance with the slower more ponderous style  we see today.

Edited March 27, 2016 by FLOSS

[Mimi]

I suspect that seeing the ballet in the theatre vs. watching it on video will also affect one's response.  Mayerling, which I've seen only on DVD, felt interminable, but I can certainly see that it might be profoundly moving when watched live.  On the flip side, Wheeldon's Alice struck me as better in the cinema than when I saw it danced by the NBoC, and not just because there were some noticeable differences in the execution: the camera angles and closeups concealed spots in the choreography that, in the theatre, had no real focus.  

[FLOSS]

Is Ashton's Sylvia  Twee? It does not strike me as being cute or sweetly sentimental. I am not even sure that it is silly as Aston wanted to give Fonteyn a great role that would display her command of  ballet as a theatrical art form. In Sylvia he succeeded in doing just that. It is true that Aminta is a drip but I believe that he is in the original work by Tasso on which Merante based his libretto and for which Delibes wrote a glorious score. The original ballet was not a ballet d'action and I don't think that the score leaves much wriggle room for a choreographer to transform Aminta into a character whose actions affect the outcome of the story.

 

 Ashton's ballet is a ballerina focussed work which follows the structure of a French Empire ballet. It is an excuse to show what the dancer on whom it was created could do. The ballerina's character in each act is so different that they are virtually three different ballets. In act one a nymph who scorns love and is impervious to it, who is forced to love by the gods and is abducted. The abductor  Orion, is a stage villain, who seems to have escaped from a lost Diaghilev ballet distantly connected with the Polovtsian dances and Scherezade . In act 2 a Sylvia forced to play the seductress  in order to escape a "fate worse than death" and finally her act 3 transformation into a nineteenth century ballerina just in time for the grand pas de deux. It is all very tongue in cheek even down to the sacrificial goats who quote Nijinsky's L 'Apres Midi d'un Faun. It is also a wonderful showcase for the dancer who has the technique for the role and is able to encompass all its facets and meet all its technical challenges with apparent ease.  It seems to be just the sort of work that a  serious  classical ballet company needs.

Edited March 27, 2016 by FLOSS

[Dance*is*life]

1) I have to agree with those who reacted to the Enigma inclusion.  The original cast was divine and as far as I am concerned I don't want to see it again without Beriosova   

 

2)  I switched on the TV the other day and on Mezzo the classical arts channel (Music,ballet,opera) there was a ballet by Preljocaj.  I stared rather disbelievingly at a stage full of half naked ladies and switched off.  Sue me I'm a prude!  I don't understand the need to bare it all I'm afraid!

 

3) I also have to agree about the penchant for slower and slower tempi!   I saw a Russian ballet company (St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre) in a production of Swan Lake and horror of horrors I fell asleep in the 2nd act!  Real heresy for me!   It was just soooooo slooooowwwww and the ballerina that performance (not their star) couldn't really fill it out properly and the Prince was a block of wood.  I was sitting near enough to see the acting and it still didn't move me except to yawn.

 

4) I hate any ballets choreographed to cats miaowing and doors squeaking.........

[FLOSS]

Miriam  I saw the Collier, Dowell cast live in the theatre in Wright's Nutcracker when it was new. The performance on the DVD was filmed by the BBC in a very straightforward way without gimmicks so there are no odd angles or uncalled for close ups. It is an accurate record of what the audience saw on stage. I may well have watched it on television at the time it was broadcast. 

 

What I saw on the DVD was a company dancing in a style that was heavily influenced by Ashton and Cecchetti in which the performers dance with the entire body with lively, fast, crisp, footwork and expressive  epaulement. I am interested to learn what other people think of it. It reveals the changes that have taken place in Royal Ballet performance style over a period of about thirty years without anyone noticing them because the changes have, for the main part, been incremental and gradual. I rind it fascinating

Edited March 27, 2016 by FLOSS

[tabitha]

Ballerinas are getting taller, legs are getting longer, extensions are getting higher. All this equates to music getting slower and ballets such as Sleeping Beauty reduced to nothing more than making a series of beautiful shapes held for as long as possible. Reminds me of a series of Instagram photos. RB seems happy to let go of its heritage and follow the Russian trend, albeit gradually. However, it is certainly not alone and similar style changes can be seen all over Europe.

 

As a ballet fan, I am becoming less and less enamoured with this gradual homogenising.of ballet style and I have pretty much stopped going to any ballet theses days as I see little that I enjoy in the way of dancing - it's all about athleticism, tricks and visual effects.

[alison]

You get similar complaints with international orchestras - that they are losing whatever it was - strings, woodwind or so on - which made them so distinctive, and becoming homogenised.  It's sad to see.

[capybara]

......   and I have pretty much stopped going to any ballet theses days as I see little that I enjoy in the way of dancing - it's all about athleticism, tricks and visual effects.

 

That's a real pity, Tabitha. As you will see from this forum, there is a whole raft of dancers whose beauty of movement and truth of interpretation captivates their audiences time and time again.

[Fonty]

Ballerinas are getting taller, legs are getting longer, extensions are getting higher.

 

Who started this trend towards the bigger dancer?  It does seem to me that the girls look taller, and I often think that when they are on point they seem to be taller than the average male partner.  Assuming men aren't getting shorter, this must cause issues in pas de deux work.  Does the music have to be slowed down to accommodate these problems?  I am genuinely interested to know if this is the case.

 

The average height for a woman in this country is now an inch taller than it was 40 years ago - that is, 5'4".  (I know this, because at 5'2" I was very quick to point out to people who called me Shortie in my youth that I was only an inch below average height.)  I am not sure what the figures are in other European countries, but I would not have thought they would be that different?  So I would expect female dancers to reflect that, and be around that height, give or take an inch or two at the most in either direction.  Are schools and companies specifically picking taller girls?

[LinMM]

Well I'm taller at 5ft 8ins than most of the dancers in Professional Companies .....though there are some professionals taller than that....however I'm only a very average amateur dancer but I wouldn't expect ...if performing ...the music to be especially slowed down for me!! I just wouldn't dance in pieces I couldn't keep to speed with!

Some of these professionals I'm sure could keep up if made to!!

Come on Conductors.....start refusing to play the music at excessively adapted tempo ....then the dancers would have to play ball...and I'm sure they'd be fine!!

[Jan McNulty]

 

The average height for a woman in this country is now an inch taller than it was 40 years ago - that is, 5'4".  (I know this, because at 5'2" I was very quick to point out to people who called me Shortie in my youth that I was only an inch below average height.)  I am not sure what the figures are in other European countries, but I would not have thought they would be that different?  So I would expect female dancers to reflect that, and be around that height, give or take an inch or two at the most in either direction.  Are schools and companies specifically picking taller girls?

No, I've just read an interview with Francesca Hayward who says she is 5'2". There are also petite ladies in NB, BRB and ENB.

[tabitha]

The trend over the last few years has definitely moved in favour of taller dancers and reports from European audition rounds for the major companies are that many specify a minimum height of 5'5" with those chosen being around 5'6-5'8" with very slim physiques and hyperextended legs. This seems to follow trends in both Russia and America.

 

So there are many shorter dancers already in companies but of course they were selected several years ago and there will always be the exceptions. Also the UK does seem to be slightly behind the curve on this but I still see a slow but noticeable trend.

[Jan McNulty]

25% of the lady dancers in Northern Ballet are 5'3" or less - i.e. the same height or shorter than me.  Jenny Hackwell only joined this year.  I can only think of 2 or 3 lady dancers there who may be taller than 5'4".

 

Approximately 22% of BRB lady dancers are my height or less - again with some of them only joining the company in the last year or so.  The percentage may be higher as I have not seen some of the newer dancers in street clothes.

[Rachelm]

 

I think Sleeping Beauty isn't as magical as it should be considering it's full of fairies and an evil curse. I think that's why I enjoyed Matthew Bourne's production so much, where the emphasis was on storytelling.

 

In no way did I miss the Rose Adagio or Grand Pas De Deux, multiple turns in pirouettes, or high extensions. This story flowed.

 

The classical version feels quite static. There are elements I love in the classic version though- mainly the vision scene. Somebody else mentioned the Rose Adagio as feeling like an Olympic event- it really does! There is so much build up, and sometimes I feel quite uncomfortable watching it in case there are wobbles or worse. 

Edited March 28, 2016 by Rachelm

[tabitha]

25% of the lady dancers in Northern Ballet are 5'3" or less - i.e. the same height or shorter than me.  Jenny Hackwell only joined this year.  I can only think of 2 or 3 lady dancers there who may be taller than 5'4".

 

Approximately 22% of BRB lady dancers are my height or less - again with some of them only joining the company in the last year or so.  The percentage may be higher as I have not seen some of the newer dancers in street clothes.

As I said, the UK is behind the curve, possibly because the two Directors in those companies have been in post for many years; although BRB have historically had a reputation for taking smaller dancers, they have recently taken on some much taller dancers.Virtually all the dancers taken on at RB in the last couple of years have been over 5'5".

 

In Europe, the trend may be more apparent as there is a much higher turnover of Director, with many having worked in Russia or the States.

[Jan McNulty]

As I said, the UK is behind the curve, possibly because the two Directors in those companies have been in post for many years; although BRB have historically had a reputation for taking smaller dancers, they have recently taken on some much taller dancers.Virtually all the dancers taken on at RB in the last couple of years have been over 5'5".

 

In Europe, the trend may be more apparent as there is a much higher turnover of Director, with many having worked in Russia or the States.

 

 

Or perhaps the UK is ahead of the curve!

[Two Pigeons]

No dancers under 5'5"? By my reckoning that rules out Fonteyn, Makarova, Sibley, Park, Seymour, Collier, Penney, Tait, Donovan, Yoshida, Durante, Benjamin, Hydee, Terekova etc etc etc. Well, that's all the highlights of my ballet going then.

 

However, I must welcome the trend for taller male dancers. This was badly needed at BRB and it has made a great deal of difference.

Edited March 28, 2016 by Two Pigeons

[Fonty]

The trend over the last few years has definitely moved in favour of taller dancers and reports from European audition rounds for the major companies are that many specify a minimum height of 5'5" with those chosen being around 5'6-5'8" with very slim physiques and hyperextended legs. This seems to follow trends in both Russia and America.

 

So there are many shorter dancers already in companies but of course they were selected several years ago and there will always be the exceptions. Also the UK does seem to be slightly behind the curve on this but I still see a slow but noticeable trend.

 

I did think the last time I saw the Russians that they looked tall, but I couldn't decided whether that was because they were so thin they just looked elongated.

 

I would say 5' 8" is very tall indeed for a female ballet dancer.   Apart from anything else, the taller the dancer, the bigger her feet must be, surely? So when she goes on pointe, that would make her well over 6 foot.  I hope the British companies don't follow this tread.  I definitely prefer the petite, speedy girls to the taller, leggier, but slower varieties!

[Two Pigeons]

One of the most commanding ballerinas I ever saw on stage was the great Tatiana Terekhova as Myrthe and Medora. She absolutely dominated the stage and had the most enormous amount of presence.

 

Not long after that I passed her in Thorp Street in Birmingham and I had to do a double double take. She was tiny. It just shows you how a personality can fill a theatre despite actually being very small.

Edited March 28, 2016 by Two Pigeons

[Jan McNulty]

I remember seeing Terekhova as Myrthe when I was a ballet-watching newbie.  I thought she was absolutely awesome.  It looked to me as though she was floating a couple of inches above the stage.  Thanks for reminding me of her TP.

[betterankles]

The Sleeping Beauty only looks boring and static, if it is not DANCED!  

[alison]

As I said, the UK is behind the curve, possibly because the two Directors in those companies have been in post for many years; although BRB have historically had a reputation for taking smaller dancers, they have recently taken on some much taller dancers.Virtually all the dancers taken on at RB in the last couple of years have been over 5'5".

 

Kevin O'Hare's been in charge at the RB for less than 4 years - although wouldn't it have been Monica Mason who took on Francesca Hayward - and others?

 

Where do you get your statistics from, Tabitha?  I'm not aware of dancers' heights being regularly reported anywhere.

[penelopesimpson]

Hands down winner for me is Acosta's Carmen which was more pantomime than ballet and, for me, a truly terrible way for this great dancer to say his farewells.

 

I don't go to Sleeping Beauty anymore but can understand it's place in the repertoire.  I'm also going to confess that, like another poster, Jewels leaves me cold.  

 

If I could only see one ballet it would be Mayerling, no contest.  I do hope RB will be doing this again whilst Edward Watson is still on peak form.

[LinMM]

I do think it's easier for the smaller build and height dancers to move more quickly ....centre of gravity and all that ....but not all taller dancers prefer or relish adage!! Some of us love allegro but have definitely had to work harder to get that speed!

 

I cannot see a move to go for much taller dancers lasting in the Professional world though .....as height is definitely a disadvantage if 5ft 8ins or more because of being on point and having to be lifted in pas de deux etc......there are not that many men over 6ft around in the ballet world.

 

I've only Once been nearly tempted to walk out of a performance and that was in a performance of the Rambert....a company I usually love and am a Friend of.....because the music was so excruciatingly awful that it actually felt like a form of torture.

Luckily it was not a long piece as it ended just as I got to the end of my endurance level!!

 

The choreography was very interesting in fact but just couldn't concentrate .....I would rather have seen it in complete silence than be tortured by that score......if you could call it that!

[MAB]

I'm uncomfortable that what is deplored on this thread is the stock in trade of ballerinas listed as favourites on another.

[FLOSS]

Our ballet likes and dislikes are in large part the result of time, opportunity and chance. When and where you started ballet going has a terrific impact on how you watch ballet performances and what you get from them. The repertory that you saw initially influences how you watch and what you watch subsequently. It is those initial experiences with repertory and dancers which "teach" you how to watch a ballet performance and develop your taste. They "get your eye in" and leave you with an indelible impression of how particular ballets and types of ballet should be performed. Someone who started their ballet going when Fonteyn and Beriosova were dancing is likely to have a totally different appreciation and understanding of performance style and repertory from someone who began ballet going at any time in the last twenty years.I think that the fact that the same ballets appear on the like and loath lists is evidence of this as are the ill informed comments made about historic performers and performances. Initial experiences "improvements" in technique and changes in performance and casting practice go a long way in explaining how and why the same ballets are to be found on both the like and loath lists.

Edited March 30, 2016 by FLOSS

[Two Pigeons]

I know what you mean about 'getting your eye in' FLOSS.  I referred to the gala for Fonteyn when she was 60 on another thread.  I loved Birthday Offering and Facade and Salut d'Amour blew my mind as they say.  I regret I must also confess that the performance of Symphonic Variations with Merle Park and (I think) David Wall (may have been Eagling) bored me excessively.  Boy, have I come to revise my opinion of that since!  Oh, the follies of Youth.

[MAB]

Point taken FLOSS. My first ballet experience was seeing Alicia Markova on a primary school outing.  You can guess from that the period when my views on ballet aesthetics were formed.

[LinMM]

I think I'm of similar ilk MAB!

My first experience was a gala held at Drury Lane ....an RAD gala I think....around 1960

 

Being a gala only extracts performed etc and this was the first time I saw Fonteyn .....she did an extract from the Firebird.

Alicia Markova also performed .....my memory is of her in a Sylphide like dress and I'm sure she performed a waltz or something from Les Sylphides but she was getting on a bit by then!!

There were lots of other really well known dancers at this gala like the Tallchief sisters and I got quite a few autographs....pushed by an Auntie to do so as was cripplingly shy back then ...but glad I was pushed as still have the autographed programme!!

 

I know I probably over defend Fonteyn as she does have a special place in my heart and I'm sure the 60's and 70's have influenced my taste in ballets somewhat but I do try to keep an open mind about the current situation. It will be interesting to see....if I live long enough that is....how I feel say in 15-20 years time about some of today's dancers and ballets.

 

First impressions are certainly pretty powerful though so although it's not usually one of my favourite ballets when I see a dancer like Osipova dancing the role of Kitri (gosh already two years ago now I think) it definitely goes up the list a few places! (Russian version)

[Two Pigeons]

I don't think it is possible to over defend Fonteyn. Her influence was enormous and this should never be under appreciated.

 

I really envy you seeing Markova. Anyone who influenced Clement Crisp to the extent he still refers to her as one of his ideals has to have been something very special.

Edited March 30, 2016 by Two Pigeons