Sandsfoot Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 I saw this at Southampton - I have not much more to add to what has already been said but I thought it was incredible. The contemporary movements appeared to be mimicking machinery, the energy and pace of the dancers adding to the atmosphere. I thought the character of Hilarion was very well played by Yonah Acosta and Fernanda Oliviera as Giselle was amazing. I think the Wilis were very sinister, and the sticks were used to great effect. The set is very impressive and the wall was used well - I have no idea what it was made of but it looked like concrete. I was worried it was going to drop on someone at one point. It was quite dark -in terms of lighting - but I did not find that this distracted from the performance as the story seems to be told in the body movements rather than facial features. Interestingly the Landlords all looked taller than the outcasts. I don't know if this was deliberate but it gave them an arrogance and superiority as they towered over the outcasts. And that white dress - it became part of the set. Very different from the usual classical ballet but I am a fan of contemporary dance so I thoroughly enjoyed it and so did the rest of my family. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penelopesimpson Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 Much has been written already - thanks to all of you for that - and I agree with most of it. I went all the way to Southampton to see the first performance with Cojocaru / Streeter / Corrales / Quagebeur and I very much hope for a DVD because watching it only once just isn’t enough, there is so much to see and think and listen to. Even in this awful cave of a theatre the energy and the power of the dancers blew me away, I was thoroughly bowled over. Alina Cojocaru gave herself completely over, physically and mentally. I’ve rarely seen a dancer of this caliber. I own a video of her and Kobborg in Giselle (I have never seen her in the role on stage) and somehow I feel both versions of the character came alive at the same time. Her last duet with Streeter had me in tears (that rarely happens), it was so intensely painful. Myrtha and the Wilis – I always wanted the traditional Wilis to be more threatening, these were surely scary! The bamboo sticks already had an appearance in “Until the Lions”, but in a quite different way. And Corrales is an Animal with a big A. The stage and lighting are truly fabulous, but I’m sorry to say I found the music a bit repetetive and sometimes boring. I wish I could see it again, I hope ENB keeps it in the repertoire. I’m so glad I was there, it will stay in my memory for a long time. SO agree with your description of Southampton. Each time I go I vow never again - it is absolutely hideous 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 I don't know if any other forum members attended, but there was a very interesting panel discussion with Q&A at ENB last week on the theme of reinterpreting the classics. The panel was Tamara Rojo, Gavin Sutherland, the Almeida's Robert Icke and V&A Senior Curator Mark Evans. Tamara mentioned that her ideal would have been to stage the Khan Giselle and the Skeaping Giselle on alternate days, so that an audience could see one after the other and reflect upon the questions of core messages and their reinterpretation. I imagine logistics and financials put the kibosh on that, but that would have really been something! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 Tamara mentioned that her ideal would have been to stage the Khan Giselle and the Skeaping Giselle on alternate days, so that an audience could see one after the other and reflect upon the questions of core messages and their reinterpretation. I imagine logistics and financials put the kibosh on that, but that would have really been something! Surely the toll on dancers' bodies would be the major consideration here? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 Surely the toll on dancers' bodies would be the major consideration here? I may be talking very naively but what would be the difference for the dancers between alternating daily productions and simple daily productions? there would presumably be the same requirement for shuffling casts day by day to alleviate the strain; unless the interpretation was that she wanted to see the same cast on consecutive days, which I hadn't considered as a possibility, and which would of course be brutal.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted November 14, 2016 Author Share Posted November 14, 2016 Dancers use muscles differently in different styles of dance and they may not have enough recovery time between performances to do justice to both styles of Giselle as well as the more important danger of risking injury to themselves. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 I think that if you asked RB and ENB dancers, Vanartus, they would explain that they are using different muscles (say between McGregor and MacMillan and between Khan's Giselle and the classical rep. currently being rehearsed) and that that represents a very real challenge even week by week (as will be the case for ENB), never mind day by day. Khan looks to me to be especially hard on the knees. And it has been reported that some dancers are reluctant to tackle McGregor for fear of injury. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 I think that if you asked RB and ENB dancers, Vanartus, they would explain that they are using different muscles (say between McGregor and MacMillan and between Khan's Giselle and the classical rep. currently being rehearsed) and that that represents a very real challenge even week by week (as will be the case for ENB), never mind day by day. Khan looks to me to be especially hard on the knees. And it has been reported that some dancers are reluctant to tackle McGregor for fear of injury. Errrr....I think you mean Quintus, Capybara! I don't know, all these Latin names sound the same!! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 Thanks, that makes sense - so for alternating productions you'd want completely separate casts throughout the run, as well as the usual within-production cast alternation, which would be logistically impossible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 Errrr....I think you mean Quintus, Capybara! I don't know, all these Latin names sound the same!! Were I an ancient Roman I'd be crying 'odium phylleticum' at this point Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 Were I an ancient Roman I'd be crying 'odium phylleticum' at this point Apologies to Quintus and Vanartus. Oh dear, not my day 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pas de Quatre Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 If the two Giselle's alternated I think there would be even more room for confusion and people booking the wrong production. As it was, listening to conversations on the way out at Southampton it would appear quite a few people were expecting a more traditional version! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 (edited) Quintus,Switching between classical and non classically based styles of dancing increases the likelihood of injury. Guillem was in a position to insist on a gap between performing classically based choreography and more modern choreography. It is the reason that she survived unscathed and relatively injury free. Dancers in the corps have the heaviest workload.They are not able to insist on recuperation time to ensure that their bodies adjust and therefore they run the greatest risk of injury. It is not too difficult to switch between different styles of dance based on body friendly classical styles of dancing grounded in a real understanding of how the human body actually works. It is when the dancer is being asked to switch between classical and a style of movement more concerned with what the body is capable of doing than it is on human anatomy or concerns about the excessive strains being placed on the body. The fact that a dancer can perform really extreme movements does not necessarily mean that it is safe for them to do so now or that it will not have any long term consequences. Only time will tell what the long term effect of performing extreme movement will be. Edited November 14, 2016 by FLOSS 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Q Fan Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 Tickets now on sale for the Khan Giselle at Sadlers Wells September 2017, I got mine just now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 (edited) Tamara Rojo, James Streeter, Cesar Corrales and Stina Q tonight at a so-called working rehearsal at Sadlers which was actually a full production sans orchestre as it was apparently being filmed for a BBC documentary. All were very impressive, with Stina a particularly chilly wili. I think the wilis are the triumph of this production; they are truly menacing and look dank and grubby, as if they would smell of the grave... In the first act, I agree with some earlier comments abut the difficulty of following the narrative and I think there is still some tightening to be done, as there are a few passages where long pauses may feel dramatic to those on stage but are somewhat overstretched for the audience. Had the good luck to sit next to the new exec director of ENB, which made for a very interesting chat. The theatre was packed out as they'd invited ballet schools and parents along, which made for a good atmosphere. As a nice close to the evening, I later found myself wandering back towards the tube in the exit crowd beside Marianela Nuñez, resplendent in extremely high heels (la Nuñez that is, not me). Edited November 14, 2016 by Quintus 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted November 15, 2016 Share Posted November 15, 2016 But they haven't released the casting yet for September ......or have they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted November 15, 2016 Author Share Posted November 15, 2016 But they haven't released the casting yet for September ......or have they? I would imagine that they wouldn't know. People may leave, people may join... I think the contracts usually run from after the summer break. Years ago BRB used to list the casting way in advance and I booked for a specific matinee to see Oaks/Edur. By the time the performance came around they had left the company. Mind you we did get Leticia Muller/Michael O'Hare instead! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Q Fan Posted November 15, 2016 Share Posted November 15, 2016 No, no casting yet for 2017, but I don't mind who I see as I've seen Alina/Isaac and Tamara/James so I'll be happy whatever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted November 15, 2016 Share Posted November 15, 2016 As I was saying when I was so rudely interrupted - aka the train pulling out of the station before the incredibly sluggish broadband could respond and post my comments: Wow, just wow. (Can you tell that I'm virtually speechless? ) 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted November 15, 2016 Share Posted November 15, 2016 I was absolutely stunned by this production. I do suspect that without a prior knowledge of the traditional version, and/or reading the programme notes, it might be tricky to know exactly what's supposed to be happening all the time. But in the end I don't think that matters much because the big themes are clear; in fact, I think the programme notes should simply be made less specific so that less of a literal 'story' is expected when watching it. I'm not sure whether or not I would have understood the 'double death' without the benefit of having read the forum reviews, but since I had, I did. But the sheer power and beauty of the work, and its myriad emotional resonances, blew me away. I saw both the 'working rehearsal' on Monday evening, which as Quintus has said was basically a performance but to taped rather than live music, and then the performance tonight. The cast were uniformly magnificent and the role of Giselle exploits all of Tamara Rojo's best, unsurpassed qualities of both dance and drama. James Streeter and Cesar Corrales were also brilliant as Albrecht and Hilarion and Stina Quagebeur was a thrilling Myrthe - cold, pale and cruel but not in the end completely inhuman. The Landlords are very grand, very strange; and the wilis brutishly terrifying. Some imaginative choreographic echoes of the traditional Giselle which work superbly. And so many evocative moments and movements, both tiny and huge - e.g. when Giselle and Albrecht look at each other near the beginning, and their arms begin to lift very very slowly and their hands begin to open up very very gradually, as if they are welcoming love, welcoming each other, recognising each other. And Giselle's desperate, thrusting gestures when she realises Albrecht's betrayal, as if she is trying to pull her heart out of her own chest in her anguish. Khan is also not afraid to use silence and slowness, as well as spectacular noise and speed, to brilliant dramatic effect. The tension builds inexorably until the climax, which is both redemptive and devastating. Like Petunia, I was in tears as Giselle and Albrecht danced their beautiful, loving, gentle, reflective, painful last pas de deux, with Myrthe fading away as evil will ultimately fade away in the sight of true goodness. When Myrthe comes back for one last attempt to exert her power, Giselle looks at her with calm, clear resolution and slowly takes her stick away from her; that is the great moment of victory. She then pierces herself in the body with it, and then pierces Myrthe with the other end so that they are bound together. For me this indicated that Giselle's redemptive love can now be passed through the stick to Myrthe as through a vein, or umbilical cord. They both then move slowly back into the underworld from which they have come, which will also be transformed and redeemed by them. The tragedy being that Albrecht is still in this world, and his final redemption, and reunion with Giselle, will only come when he too passes to the other side of the wall/death. That wall - representing so many ideas: separation, loss, death, fear, difference, change, barrier, bridge. Albrecht can only pound the wall in despair and grief, and then finally accept that Giselle is gone. For now. The costumes were excellent, with those of the Landlords being wonderfully ornate. The lighting was mainly low, and very atmospheric and effective. Terrific music/sound, and very moving when it echoes the Adam score. Altogether a spectacular evening. My ONLY complaint was the dearth of curtain calls! The applause was terrific, but we couldn't show our full appreciation because it was all over so quickly. A real shame, and the dancers (and creative team) deserved much more. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 (edited) My ONLY complaint was the dearth of curtain calls! The applause was terrific, but we couldn't show our full appreciation because it was all over so quickly. A real shame, and the dancers (and creative team) deserved much more. A wonderful review, bridiem, for a truly spectacular - and well deserving production. I'm still sorting my own reflections and look forward to two more look-sees during the inaugural London run of the Khan Giselle. I would just like to say now that I, myself, wasn't troubled by the length of the curtain calls. It was only fitting perhaps that we should be left wanting to celebrate even more. I was delighted that both calls were for the entire company - for it was the entire ENB company that deserved our mass respect ... and it was moving in the extreme to see the creative team move away in their obvious approbation of this specific belief. (Cue even more respect.) If I, myself, did have one complaint in this regard - it was that some people in the audience didn't let the dust settle from the music's telling toll before they began applauding, screaming and pounding their feet. It was as if some wanted to pull the attention to their own response. 'You see', they seemed to want to proclaim, 'I got it,'. Personally I feel this is unnecessary. Of course I know this is sometimes openly encouraged in other theatres but I, myself, often feel this robs the work at hand - especially one where the impact was as telling as it was tonight - and one where the entire company worked so astutely to build to the climax - of its rightful dying fall; of the settling of its true and full impact. Certainly tonight was a case in point in that regard; one where that space was more than demanded ... it was well and truly deserved. I tried, for myself, to honour the joy of that space within and was most glad I did. For me it only helped focus the stealth of my responding appreciation when it came. Edited November 16, 2016 by Bruce Wall 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 I must admit, I was surprised not to see a near-100% standing ovation in the Second Circle. Ones have been given for much less. I was under the impression that the evening was somehow under time pressure. Having been delayed for the not-uncommon reason of a restaurant being slow to deal with bills, I only arrived shortly before 7.30, reminding myself that I probably didn't need to hurry because this was Sadler's Wells and they never started on time, but they were more punctual than usual, the interval didn't seem as excessively stretched as is usual with first nights, and as you mention the curtain calls weren't over-generous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 If I, myself, did have one complaint in this regard - it was that some people in the audience didn't let the dust settle from the music's telling toll before they began applauding, screaming and pounding their feet. Funnily enough, Bruce, I was struck in precisely the opposite direction about this - i.e. at the end the curtain came down very slowly, and I found it thrilling that there was no sound at all until it had finished falling and the tolls had stopped. I was really impressed by that, especially because I was hard pressed myself to wait before applauding. But I suppose a few extra seconds of (awed) silence would have been even better! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 I must admit, I was surprised not to see a near-100% standing ovation in the Second Circle. Ones have been given for much less. I would have stood up if the calls had gone on longer - I'm very aware that if you stand up immediately you block the view of the people behind who may well not want to stand up! So that was another frustration about the length (or rather brevity) of the calls. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 There was a 100% standing ovation in the first circle, and so there should have been, to honour such a truly wonderful production and performance. It moved me beyond belief. It was original, fresh, exciting, fascinating, and deeply emotional. I was going to write more but after reading BridieM's beautiful review there is no need. I can only echo every word she says, from the bottom of my heart. Coming only a few days after seeing the RB's new work, I know which way forward I would like to see ballet go....this put Multiverse in the shade. Brava Tamara for having the guts to commission this, bravo Akram Khan and his team for such a breathtaking production, and bravi to the wonderful ENB dancers, who were flawless. Wow indeed. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 There was a 100% standing ovation in the first circle, and so there should have been, to honour such a truly wonderful production and performance. It moved me beyond belief. It was original, fresh, exciting, fascinating, and deeply emotional. I was going to write more but after reading BridieM's beautiful review there is no need. I can only echo every word she says, from the bottom of my heart. Coming only a few days after seeing the RB's new work, I know which way forward I would like to see ballet go....this put Multiverse in the shade. Brava Tamara for having the guts to commission this, bravo Akram Khan and his team for such a breathtaking production, and bravi to the wonderful ENB dancers, who were flawless. Wow indeed. I made the same comparison, Sim - this magnificent, passionate, fantastically imaginative work of dance/theatre, compared to the sterile, inward-looking, self-conscious tosh at the ROH last week. Not just a difference of style but of substance. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAB Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 Coming only a few days after seeing the RB's new work, I know which way forward I would like to see ballet go....this put Multiverse in the shade. Brava Tamara for having the guts to commission this, bravo Akram Khan and his team for such a breathtaking production, and bravi to the wonderful ENB dancers, who were flawless. Wow indeed. I have been in awe of Akram Khan as both a dancer and choreographer for many years now and am disappointed the RB has never seen fit to utilise what I believe to be an astonishing talent while giving over the stage to far lesser dance makers. I very much agree that Ms Rojo has made a wise move in tempting him into collaboration with a classical company, she has expressed interest in modern dance in interviews and clearly has the intelligence to recognize quality from dross. For me what distinguishes Mr Khan from his contemporaries is that he can imbue his works with emotional content that his audiences can connect with. Giselle was not simply an evening out for me, it was an experience. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted November 16, 2016 Author Share Posted November 16, 2016 For me what distinguishes Mr Khan from his contemporaries is that he can imbue his works with emotional content that his audiences can connect with. Giselle was not simply an evening out for me, it was an experience. Beautifully put MAB. I couldn't agree more. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annamicro Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 (edited) I made the same comparison, Sim - this magnificent, passionate, fantastically imaginative work of dance/theatre, compared to the sterile, inward-looking, self-conscious tosh at the ROH last week. Not just a difference of style but of substance. In Manchester I asked Tamara Rojo why they scheduled so few shows in London and she replied: "We couldn't run the risk to have more shows: we weren't sure of how it would have been received" To have to be sure to produce something of value to survive having no money to waste, probably stimulates thinking and evaluation, and care and attention in the creative process. A leader as Rojo and a choreographer a Khan also help of course. Edited November 16, 2016 by annamicro 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 I am surprised they didn't fit in a Sunday show or something, though, when they realised how much demand there was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 Well, Tamara probably wanted to give the dancers a day off before the company opens Nutcracker in Milton Keynes next Wednesday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 Ah, I hadn't realised Nutcracker started so soon. That would explain it, then. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 Interesting view of the production, courtesy of today's links: http://www.artsjournal.com/performancemonkey/2016/11/propwatch-the-lace-in-giselle.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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