Don Q Fan Posted August 9, 2016 Share Posted August 9, 2016 I'm disappointed not to see Merkuriev too, I believe he is dancing elsewhere, Shipulina is shortly to become a mother. Bolshoi curtain calls are a joy to watch, their dancers are so spontaneous and uninhibited. I also liked the way Lantratov tucked one of the thrown bunches of flowers into his waistband. Those two are absolute darlings. Oh thank you for the info...how lovely for Shipulina???? glad Andrei Merkuriev is still dancing then... just elsewhere. Agree A&L are fab together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Q Fan Posted August 9, 2016 Share Posted August 9, 2016 If we're going to discuss ballet technique, at the FoP performance it was actually a knee-skid under the curtain from a running start. Was the same choreography used in Don Q, or was yours a full-length run? :-) Alexandrova and Lantratov looked at each other as if to say "are we doing this? Yes let's" and ran hand in hand from the back of the stage through the closing curtains to the front...only just making it but they remained upright and the audience loved it. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godots_arrived Posted August 9, 2016 Share Posted August 9, 2016 Alexandrova and Lantratov looked at each other as if to say "are we doing this? Yes let's" and ran hand in hand from the back of the stage through the closing curtains to the front...only just making it but they remained upright and the audience loved it. The audience did indeed love it. However, as the same stunt was pulled in more than one performance, I doubt it was quite as spontaneous as you imply! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted August 9, 2016 Share Posted August 9, 2016 The audience did indeed love it. However, as the same stunt was pulled in more than one performance, I doubt it was quite as spontaneous as you imply! But who cares if it is planned and repeated? As someone has already said, curtain calls are all part of the performance and add to the audience experience. I for one hope that they dive under the curtain again after Le Corsaire on Thursday. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted August 9, 2016 Share Posted August 9, 2016 Curtain calls are most definitely choreographed - I have often seen this in BRB and NB rehearsals. Wish I could have been there to see it! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted August 9, 2016 Share Posted August 9, 2016 (edited) I read somewhere that Ashton thought that the gift of apparent spontaneity was one of the greatest gifts a dancer could possess. Some of the Bolshoi dancers certainly have that gift where curtain calls are concerned. As far as the RB's curtain calls are concerned they now appear very carefully regulated, presumably to ensure that everyone is out of the stage door in good time.They are definitely not what they once were. At one time they would go on for ages with the house lights up accompanied by lots of rhythmic clapping. This rhythmic applause would summon the dancers out onto the stage after the official curtain calls were over.The dancers would retire and the applause would call them back out front and so it would continue until the audience was exhausted and everyone decided to call it a day. I think that this style of curtain call may have originated with Fonteyn and Nureyev. It happened with Sibley and Dowell but after that it fell into disuse partly I suspect because the performances during the Morrice directorship and later were not sufficiently exciting to warrant the near hysteria that was almost palpable at these post performance rites. . Edited August 9, 2016 by FLOSS 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godots_arrived Posted August 9, 2016 Share Posted August 9, 2016 But who cares if it is planned and repeated? As someone has already said, curtain calls are all part of the performance and add to the audience experience. I for one hope that they dive under the curtain again after Le Corsaire on Thursday. For Goodness sakes, please read my posts carefully before replying with angry retorts. The OP had written "lexandrova and Lantratov looked at each other as if to say "are we doing this? Yes let's"" and I was merely responding to that by pointing out that the spontaneity he suggested wasn't the case. Nowhere did I say that it mattered that it was planned and repeated. Nowhere did I say that it was wrong to do what they did. I simply replied with a fact in response to a statement. That is all. Please drop it. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted August 9, 2016 Share Posted August 9, 2016 I really see no reason to describe capybara's reaction as an "angry retort". 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mallinson Posted August 9, 2016 Share Posted August 9, 2016 Too many ill-tempered exchanges here. This thread is now closed. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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