capybara Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 So pleased to see some very favourable reaction (in French) online and some lovely photos of happy dancers in the Palais Garnier. I will post some thoughts on the performances once I have been and returned. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAX Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 Yes that's great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 Looking forward to hearing it, capybara 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 So am I! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 Shiori Kase was promoted to Principal last night after her performance at the Paris Opera Garnier. Huge congratulations, she deserves it! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 There's a congratulatory thread for Shiori here: http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/12872-shiori-kase-new-principal-dancer/#entry176113 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 has there been some career event for Ksenia Ovsyanick coming out of or in parallel to the Paris performances? She's just posted "What an honour to perform on #palaisgarnier stage! Thank you Paris for reception! And can't put in words yet, as overwhelmed for the moment, but @enbtweets... thank you for the most amazing 8 years! #new chapter" If Palais G have poached her I shall be going on a fromage boycott. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 I can't find the tweet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 I can't find the tweet. It's on Instagram. Hopefully just a language thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted June 27, 2016 Author Share Posted June 27, 2016 To say that ENB’s Le Corsaire went down well at the wonderful Palais Garnier in Paris would be an understatement. The predominantly French audience – many of them clearly balletomanes – created an atmosphere of excitement in the theatre. The audience body language was alert and ‘into it’ throughout and the cheering and applause (especially for Cesar Corrales) at least rivalled that for the very best of shows or farewells at the ROH or the Coli. The frontcloth, sets and costumes looked pretty good in their opulent surroundings too. The Company fielded 4 different Medoras (Rojo, Cojocaru, Takahashi and Summerscales) and 3 Gulnares (Kase, Ovsyanick and Summerscales). All of the Medoras are now giving their own versions of the phrasing for their solos and, sometimes, the choreography as well and not all were fully to my taste. Interestingly, it was the dancing of two of the Gulnares which shone most brightly for me. However, as presented by ENB, this is very much a man’s ballet with crowd-pleasing pyrotechnics for all four male characters. First up is Lankendem and Ken Saruhashi has now made this role his own. He is very much the master of the market-place and his solo and pdd dancing is first rate. From the moment he leapt on, Cesar Corrales’s Ali had his audience eating out of his hand. He simply owned not only the stage but the whole theatre. He has all the flashy steps and tricks in abundance but he seems also to have an admirable all-round technique, great interpretative skill and a huge, natural ‘presence’. His Birbanto was equally effective: he menaced not only Conrad and the pirate band but also the audience. I also very much liked Yonah Acosta as Birbanto, not just in terms of his forceful dancing but also for the way he keeps the character alive at the side of the stage. The elegant Isaac Hernandez has ratched his Conrad up a notch since his Coli performances last January but, let’s face it, it is difficult for anyone not to be overshadowed by Corrales. Hernandez was a lovely Ali – a perfect fit size-wise for his Conrad, suitably meek, but able to deliver excitement in the famous Act 2 pas d’action. Guest Brooklyn Mack cut a real dash as both Lankendem and Conrad. He was clearly delighted to be dancing at the Palais Garnier and didn’t take the huge smile off his face throughout his performances. Nice - but we needed a little variation of expression from him. Osiel Gouneo was an altogether more muted presence and did not come across strongly as a character despite some very impressive leaping and emphatic gestures. At the performance I saw, he also seemed to lose his way with some of the stage business, particularly in Act 1. So, overall, it was hats off to the home team, including Music Director Gavin Sutherland. Thanks to them all! Of course, the icing on the cake was the promotion of Shiori Kase after the last show. Tamara Rojo’s bilingual speech of thanks and her announcement about Shiori was beautifully done without a prompt card in sight. So a big bravo to her as well as to Shiori 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Whilst I wish Ksenia very best wishes for what appears to be a future outside ENB I am very sad to see her go. I think that she is a lovely dancer, equally at home in both classical and contemporary work, but, for some reason, she doesn't seem to have been particularly rated by Tamara (not to take anything away from those who are). She invariably received favourable comments from the professional critics. I saw her dance many roles but, sadly, I never saw her O/O or her Medora which I really regret. She has a sort of soulful quality which appeals to me but could be strong or playful as well. If anyway knows where she's going (assuming that she's continuing to dance professionally) please let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duck Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 I have followed the discussion on dansomanie and, for the majority of comments, the difference between expectations prior to seeing the performances and the feedback thereafter is very distinct. I am very happy for ENB to have received such a positive response in Paris. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted June 27, 2016 Author Share Posted June 27, 2016 I have followed the discussion on dansomanie and, for the majority of comments, the difference between expectations prior to seeing the performances and the feedback thereafter is very distinct. I am very happy for ENB to have received such a positive response in Paris. Yes, it's been very interesting to follow the ENB thread on dansomanie. A few individual posters there seem to have done a volte face. Fair play to them! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Whilst I wish Ksenia very best wishes for what appears to be a future outside ENB I am very sad to see her go. Is it not yet clear what *is* happening? She was a lovely Medora, BTW. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Loved Capybara's review. It's great to see ENB doing well abroad as well as in the UK and it is a fantastic production (although it seems to all be over far too soon). I have a lot of admiration for ENB at the moment and the way that they celebrate rising talent but also for all of the community facing work they do engaging as wide an audience as possible with dance. I think they are one step ahead of the competition and it's great to see them get the great tour opportunity in a city celebrated for dance - and doing us proud! I really hope they are enjoying themselves as much as the social media posts seem to suggest - and that they get a bit of free time to enjoy Paris too! Ksenia - #newchapter could mean anything - could be real life news which might require taking a break? Not to assume but it could be something good... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angela Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 has there been some career event for Ksenia Ovsyanick coming out of or in parallel to the Paris performances? She's leaving for Berlin State Ballet, where she will start as principal dancer in October. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balletfanp Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 Our loss - but good for her! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 Yes, it is our loss. I'll certainly miss her but I wish her the very best in her new company. Perhaps I'll get out to Berlin to see her some time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 Surprised that there's no joiners and leavers announcement from ENB yet. The season ended a fortnight ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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