The Classics - contemporary versions

[Pas de Quatre]

I was rather surprised to see the quote below in anon_dancer's blog which Janet put a link to on the thread discussing Akram Khan's Giselle.  

 

"To my knowledge, Matthew Bourne is the only other choreographer who has attempted to go anywhere near such classical well known ballets with his Tchaikovsky trilogy (Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty; all of which I have seen and thoroughly enjoyed) and turn them into entirely contemporised productions."

 

Everyone will have their own opinion of a production so the blog is valid as one person's view, but I thought it might be interesting to start a thread purely about other contemporary versions of the Classics as there are in fact many versions around.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7yCCVvfmPY

 

I will start the ball rolling with Mark Morris's "Hard Nut".  One of my favourites. This is a Youtube link to the party scene, but if you watch it, various other videos are offered.  I would recommend looking at the Snow scene.  His casting is gender neutral and sometime cross-dressing. 

 

He brings his company to UK regularly, but I don't think has ever brought this.  It has been shown on tv here - can't remember which channel.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CXJOrG4sQU

 

Another wonderful  new interpretation of a classic is Jean-Christophe Maillot's "La Belle" for his Ballets de Monte Carlo. Link above - a modern version of Sleeping Beauty.

 

Then of course there is Mat Eks version of Giselle - which I am afraid I cannot get on with!

 

Does Bejart's version of Firebird count?  I think I would call Firebird classic so probably yes!

 

What other re-interpretations of Classic should be included?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Duck]

Does Bejart's version of Firebird count?  I think I would call Firebird classic so probably yes!

 

If Firebird , then I would also go with Faun (Cherkaoui), Spectre de la rose (Goecke), Sacre du Printemps (Bejart, Bausch)

 

Swan Lake (Keegan-Dolan)

 

From my limited knowledge, maybe Bourne stands out as he has done so many of them?

[Pas de Quatre]

Bausch's Sacre is my favourite version! 

[Sim]

And mine!  Can't wait to see ENB do it in the New Year!

[Fonty]

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CXJOrG4sQU

 

Another wonderful  new interpretation of a classic is Jean-Christophe Maillot's "La Belle" for his Ballets de Monte Carlo. Link above - a modern version of Sleeping Beauty.

 

 

 

 

 

Speaking personally, while there may be some interesting ideas in this, the little clip seems to show an enormous waste of all that gorgeous music. 

[Duck]

Bausch's Sacre is my favourite version! 

 

And mine!  Can't wait to see ENB do it in the New Year!

 

Haven't seen it yet and am much looking forward to ENB in April

[Jan McNulty]

Christopher Gable and Michael Pink produced a version of Giselle in 1997 that was set in a ghetto.  Although the choreography for Giselle and Albrecht was traditional, the Wilis were men and women in new choreography.  When I saw this production back to back with a traditional version I realised just how clever Act 2 was as it paid homage to the traditional.  I thought it was a magnificent production.

[Jane S]

We had the Hard Nut at Sadler's Wells once, didn't we? 10/12 years ago I'd guess.

[Jan McNulty]

We had the Hard Nut at Sadler's Wells once, didn't we? 10/12 years ago I'd guess.

 

 

Yes, I think it was.  I remember being desperately disappointed that I couldn't get there.

[John Mallinson]

Good guess! November 2004

[alison]

Mats Ek has of course also done Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty.  I suppose the question is, how do you define The Classics?  I wouldn't call Rite of Spring one, for one.

[MAB]

Mats Ek has of course also done Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty.  I suppose the question is, how do you define The Classics?  I wouldn't call Rite of Spring one, for one.

 Possibly a major ballet where music and choreography have co-existed for decades such as La Sylphide, not a ballet with a famous score that's inspired a number of choreographers throughout it's existence, e.g. RJ.

[Jan McNulty]

Northern Ballet have modified versions of some of the classics over the years, to mixed success.  I loved the end result of Christopher Gable/Michael Pink's version (modified from earlier versions of the same production) and I absolutely adore David Nixon's version.  His outer space production of Sleeping Beauty was not as successful but there were some lovely moments in it and it was a personal triumph for Georgina May as Aurora (and boy would I loved to have seen her as Aurora in a conventional version!).

 

I think it is harder for smaller companies to produce traditional versions of the classics.  I well remember Galina Samsova's lovely production of Swan Lake for Scottish Ballet being criticised because she could not field enough swans.  Around the same time the Gable/Pink production was being criticised for not having the Petipa/Ivanov Act 2.  Damned if they do and damned if they don't!

[trog]

Shakti has a version of Swan Lake which I've had the privilege of seeing three times, once danced on her own and the other with her two regular co performers. It's not Swan Lake as we know it, focusing more on the birds rather than the people, but it is most definitely SL - the entire story is there.

[Duck]

Swan Lake as seen by a contemporary comic strip https://www.operadeparis.fr/en/magazine/dessine-moi-le-lac-des-cygnes  (in French only though an online translation tool should work as the text is straightforward).

[assoluta]

What other re-interpretations of Classic should be included?

 

My answer would be: none. I am sick an tired of what you call "re-interpretations of Classics". There have been all too many. Mark Morris at least I can understand: his Hard nut is a parody. Nearly every great ballet of the 19th century generated a parody in its time, except that the parodies were never considered to be "re-interpretations" and all have been quickly forgotten.

[trog]

The BRB did The Cracked Nut twice. It was the beautiful Peter Wright production, which they messed about with - giant candy cane for Clara, seemingly endless Sugar Plum Faries chasing the Prince, Roger Cook (remember him) making an appearance to confront King Rat, lots of guest appearances such as Rusty Lee, Brian Conley, etc. Great fun!

[Jan McNulty]

The BRB did The Cracked Nut twice. It was the beautiful Peter Wright production, which they messed about with - giant candy cane for Clara, seemingly endless Sugar Plum Faries chasing the Prince, Roger Cook (remember him) making an appearance to confront King Rat, lots of guest appearances such as Rusty Lee, Brian Conley, etc. Great fun!

 

 

It was absolutely dire!

[toursenlair]

My answer would be: none. I am sick an tired of what you call "re-interpretations of Classics". There have been all too many. Mark Morris at least I can understand: his Hard nut is a parody. Nearly every great ballet of the 19th century generated a parody in its time, except that the parodies were never considered to be "re-interpretations" and all have been quickly forgotten.

 

I think the world would be a poorer place without David Dawson's Giselle and John Neumeier's Swan Lake, though I love the traditional Giselle  to bits, and many traditional Swan Lakes too. There is no shortage of traditional versions around; when we let artists be free to have their own vision sometimes we make amazing discoveries. Not everything will be a success but that is true of more traditional versions too. For instance I loathe the Grigorovich Swan Lake that the Bolshoi does. Art involves risk.