The Royal Ballet: The Sleeping Beauty performances, 2016-2017

[bridiem]

Sorry Sim, I think that some of them are nonsense but it doesn't mean to say that I don't great an excited feeling in the pit of my tummy when I see them scheduled in the programme.

 

The one I would definitely except is Giselle as I think some of the strands within it are still relevant to today.

 

For me, some of the strands in all the classics are still relevant to today. That's what makes them moving - they deal with themes that are eternally relevant. If they didn't they really would just be nonsense.

 

I would have agreed about Sleeping Beauty not being great for young children, except for the quietness interspersed with delighted laughter (at the white cat!) displayed by some very small-sounding children at the last performance I went to! So they seemed to get on well enough with it.

Edited February 24, 2017 by bridiem

[Sim]

I understand what you're saying, Jan, but I am still wondering what 'nonsense' means in this context?  The fact that they are all fairytales or ghost stories?  If so, what I'm saying is that if SB is 'nonsense' so must all those other ballets be.  Yes, Giselle has strands that are relevant today, but so do all fairytales, myths and fables....that is why most of them were written, to illustrate eternal human themes or to warn against evils, morality, etc. etc.   The ballets, like the tales upon which they are based, are allegories when you look at them, so maybe not total nonsense! 

[LinMM]

I would hazard a guess that Shya100 means SB is "nonsense" because of the Fairy Tale element .....I mean the story itself ( not the ballet) is nonsense rather magical nonsense of course but you know....people don't really fall asleep for a hundred years etc etc!!

 

I think Shya 100 might be more of a Macmillan fan ....again I am guessing!!

 

But to dismiss the ballet itself as nonsense is a different matter unless a lot of beautiful choreography just goes straight over your head!!

 

Also I would disagree that there is only ONE piece of good music in the whole ballet!!

[alison]

Quite.  It's arguably one of Tchaikovsky's greatest creations, after all.

[Shya100]

I would have agreed about Sleeping Beauty not being great for young children, except for the quietness interspersed with delighted laughter (at the white cat!) displayed by some very small-sounding children at the last performance I went to! So they seemed to get on well enough with it.

  

 

There were children all around me who were entranced. And indeed the flowers given to the White Cat on Monday came from a child (well I presume her parents asked her who she wanted to give it too).

 

 

I would hazard a guess that Shya100 means SB is "nonsense" because of the Fairy Tale element .....I mean the story itself ( not the ballet) is nonsense rather magical nonsense of course but you know....people don't really fall asleep for a hundred years etc etc!!

I think Shya 100 might be more of a Macmillan fan ....again I am guessing!!

But to dismiss the ballet itself as nonsense is a different matter unless a lot of beautiful choreography just goes straight over your head!!

Also I would disagree that there is only ONE piece of good music in the whole ballet!!

Indeed. The dancing is hardly nonsense but the story element is. Even as far as a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty goes. One memorable piece of music in contrast to Nutcracker and Swan Lake where I could hum many. The music is all good. That is just it, it is all good and they do it very well. I heard numerous people on the way out, obviously not regular ballet goers, on the way out discussing it and praising the company and dancing to the hilt but all saying 'but it is a silly/empty/frothy story and it got me thinking about it.

[Shya100]

I am interested to know how you are describing 'nonsense' please!  If SB is nonsense, then so must be Swan Lake, Nutcracker, La Sylphide, Cinderella, Giselle, etc. etc.??

You know I don't see any of them the same way. They all have more about them. Even Cinderella which actually is a stronger story than Sleeping Beauty.

[Mary]

Yeeeeees,  well if you're not careful and start being Mr Gradgrind: the whole of classical mythology, Homer, and then all the painting inspired by it- and the music- and  opera, the Bible, Shakespeare, all fairy tales,- and of course all the mythologies of the world- Norse, Indian, African, Maori,- you name it- all the great religious books, - all 'nonsense' isn't it.

Whereas, The News is sense.

 

?

[bridiem]

You know I don't see any of them the same way. They all have more about them. Even Cinderella which actually is a stronger story than Sleeping Beauty.

 

Well, for me SB is about all sorts of interesting and relevant things. Only the most obvious being romantic love. Many other themes and ideas: an idealised vision of a monarchical and hierarchical society; the direct opposition of good and evil, and that both are personified rather than being abstract ideas; the fact that no matter how powerful evil is, it will be overcome and eventually destroyed by good (love); parental and family love; the need to seek out and journey towards love; the need to be aware of danger whilst also celebrating love and security; the expression of the loneliness and yearning that leads us to seek out love; the excitement of a young woman approaching the threshold of adult life; the need to accept that we need guidance in our lives; the general concepts of order and harmony; and others. All expressed in a very grand, expansive, formal and beautiful way.

[alison]

Well, that's another 15 minutes of my life wasted trying to get a Friday Rush ticket.  The area selection page maintaining that all areas barring the Grand Tier were sold out for several minutes after booking was supposed to have opened, seats not showing up when they should have been (sorry, I really don't believe that 15 people suddenly decided to release the tickets from their shopping baskets at the same time about 10 minutes in), and the only viable option being the Select Best Seat option, which is no use to me whatsoever.  Oh well, God willing Beauty will be back quickly and I'll stand a better chance of getting a ticket next time round

[FLOSS]

The Sleeping Beauty was created as a francophile dance extravaganza which was intended to flatter the autocrat who funded the Mariinsky theatre and its ballet company ; to show off Brianzi its latest Italian star guest ballerina,the resident company's own star dancers of every type; its corps and the skills of the theatre's  machinists and its other staff. Although it was generally described as a ballet feerie by its critics, Alexandre Benois said that it was really a "ballet a grand spectacle" .. " the type of heavy ballets, whose traditions have become obsolete, and are now regarded as the belonging to the feeries or musical revues".

 

If Petipa had died in 1889 he would be remembered as the creator and stager of melodramatic dance dramas such as Esmeralda and Le Corsaire. In Sleeping Beauty he created a ballet in which the story set out in the libretto  is little more than a tenuous excuse for the display of the various types of dancing which were regarded as the essential elements of ballet in late nineteenth century Russia.The ballet provides a complete compendium of all the skills which a ballet company requires. It is not a one dancer ballet,nor even a five or six dancer ballet like Manon or Romeo and Juliet are. You may have a dancer who can dance Aurora but if you have not got dancers who can do justice to the other roles including the less obvious dance ones like the King, Queen, Catalabutte, Carabosse, Gallinson without tipping over into caricature or coarseness as well as the obvious dancing roles of  the Lilac Fairy,Fairy Variations, Prince, Bluebird and Princess Florine and you have not got a corps who look good in exposed choreography then you had better think of another ballet to stage.

 

I have yet to meet anyone who actually goes to Sleeping Beauty for the plot except as an excuse for the beauties of the Tchaikovsky score and the quality of the choreography throughout the ballet.  There is so much to enjoy in listening to the music when it is played in a way which respects the composer's intentions and savours its historical allusions to music and dance styles of  earlier generations. The sound world created by the score is extraordinary and it is a great pity that the Hunting scene no longer ends with the Farandole. But it has to be admitted that the ballet can be heavy going if a company has not got enough dancers of the right quality. There have been many occasions in the recent past when I have felt that it was quite safe to skip the RB Prologue as the casting so often produced near terminal boredom in performance.Indeed I often thought that randomly drawing names out of a hat might have produced a better allocation of roles and thus of performances of what are masterpieces of concise choreographic invention than the application of human intelligence to the task was doing.

 

In Beauty Petipa created choreography which continues to test and display the technical skills of a company and in particular those of its principal dancers,female soloists, and corps de ballet, focussing on their pointe technique, as well as testing the skills of its demi-character and character dancers.The proportion in which these elements are mixed varied from ballet to ballet. In Beauty the emphasis is on classical technique rather than acting skills.  In the original production Cecchetti displayed his versatility by performing the role of Carabosse and dancing the virtuoso role of the Bluebird and Maria Petipa danced the Lilac Fairy and displayed her considerable skills as a character dancer in the role of Cinderella. No one is asked to double these roles in modern productions but staging Beauty is still the litmus test as far as a  company with pretensions to be described as "classical" is concerned.  If a classical company can stage this ballet and cast it with dancers who can deliver the goods in every role then it has the resources to perform anything. Sleeping Beauty is a showcase of dance the story is merely incidental.

 

I know that to describe a work as an entertainment is not to commend it because it suggests that it is light. frivolous and of little worth. I know that I should be watching ballets with stronger story lines or at least dance works  with more meaty and substantial themes like "Untouchable" but if I am honest I have to say that I find so many of these "serious" works indescribably earnest, worthy and boring and often downright   pretentious.Sleeping Beauty was created as an entertainment not a melodrama or a morality tale.and with music and choreography of such quality and the sort of performances we have seen during the last week I am happy to embrace my shallowness.

Edited February 24, 2017 by FLOSS

[LinMM]

Well personally I do think "fairy tales" have some psychological relevance .....just as our own dreams do....and some of them can be very strange and weird sometimes!!

 

My only gripe with the Sleeping Beauty usually is the length .....though I'm grateful for earlier starts these days....I seem to remember there was a time when you didn't get away from the performance until nearer 11pm ......far too long ......but don't like any theatre performance which goes on much after 10.30 to be frank.

 

One of the saving graces.... if any has been needed though ....is the music....I love this score.

I remember when I first saw this ballet I actually only knew the music to the garland dance and bluebirds ( must have been played on family favourites or something ) so was a wonderful revelation and I went out and bought some box set of the complete ballet.

I especially liked the vision scene music then .....as watching Fonteyn and Nureyev dance this had often bought me to tears.

[zxDaveM]

Well, for me SB is about all sorts of interesting and relevant things. Only the most obvious being romantic love. Many other themes and ideas: an idealised vision of a monarchical and hierarchical society; the direct opposition of good and evil, and that both are personified rather than being abstract ideas; the fact that no matter how powerful evil is, it will be overcome and eventually destroyed by good (love);

 

The good vs evil particulalrly so - the musical themes for Carabosse v Lilac reverb through the whole score, and Lilac's theme always seems to ultimately triumph

[ninamargaret]

I wonder how many of the 'serious'ballets that are produced today will last as l long as Sleeping Beauty? Any theatre/ballet goer knows that many of the 'relevant' works produced throughout the last 50 years or so have vanished without trace, those that survive can be truly called classics and will always appeal to audiences because they deal with themes that involve all of us. It's quite true that none of us have gone to sleep for a 100 years, only to be woken by a handsome Prince, but story and legend have always been an essential part of the human race,and a very good thing too!

[LinMM]

When I made that comment though it was trying to see it from how another poster might be seeing it ....not my own view!!

 

 

I'm still the child that believes in Fairy Tales in part anyway ....and any strange noises during the night go through a mad variety of possible causes before the most likely one settles in for me!!

[Shya100]

Yeeeeees,  well if you're not careful and start being Mr Gradgrind: the whole of classical mythology, Homer, and then all the painting inspired by it- and the music- and  opera, the Bible, Shakespeare, all fairy tales,- and of course all the mythologies of the world- Norse, Indian, African, Maori,- you name it- all the great religious books, - all 'nonsense' isn't it. Whereas, The News is sense.

?

 

 

Maybe I am far too pretentious and snotty about it, which is fair enough and fairy tales have their worth and are very enjoyable. Surely it says something about the company to say it is fantastically well done. It is the highest compliment to their dancing. I don't think I like the story. Feminists, and I don't necessarily agree, have been flaming them since the beginning of time. And actually, from that point of view, the ballet rather nicely diffuses the whole a charming prince will rescue you. I never did like Sleeping Beauty as a child. I was scared of the cartoon. Much preferred Cinderella but many would say it appeals to my inbuilt martyr complex.

[LinMM]

Interesting Shya100

 

Looking back I'm not sure which of those two I preferred now....I think Sleeping Beauty ....just...because it had more mystery about it to me ....the curse of the witch ...her catching up with Beauty years later....the spell on the castle ....the rescue of the prince etc etc

I did like Cinderella as well though .....probably because she was mistreated but won out in the end!!

 

Some people would see the Prince as the "male" aspect.

To become "whole" the female needs to use the male aspect of her personality .....to come to action etc ....act on ones ideas .....and likewise the male needs the female aspect to become more reflective on his actions etc.

 

For some this will be a bit too psychological an interpretation but sort of makes sense to me anyway.

[LinMM]

Also the Sleeping Beauty is a sort of coming of age story.

 

The Princess is awakening from childhood into adulthood where she has to deal with the Prince and all that the male aspect requires her to!!

And when the Prince reflects on the beauty of the female he is ready for action which serves Beauty!! So presumably not Death.

 

Think it's probably time to start using my male aspect to get on with the washing up now ....can have a wallow in this fairy tale on Wednesday evening!!

[JohnS]

Apologies for interrupting the fascinating Fairy Tale thoughts but I've been meaning to say many thanks all for the comments on Yasmine's and Matthew's unscheduled performance. I'm looking forward immensely to Saturday's matinee for a second chance to see them dance. I'm particularly pleased we have tickets for this as their debut followed so soon after Francesca's debut which I found one of the most magical occasions at the Royal Opera House. I posted earlier that Francesca and Alex for me made Sleeping Beauty so human: I thought Francesca's transition from 16 year old on the cusp of adulthood, excited by all that life might offer but also showing a most touching vulnerability, through the ethereal vision scene, to the supremely confident young woman with her Prince celebrating their marriage, was wonderful to behold and still, a week later, so fresh in the memory.

 

I really enjoyed Yasmine's debut and she sailed over all the hurdles with consummate ease, without doubt a lovely dancer who has already brought so much pleasure to audiences. Because I was perhaps still overdosing on Francesca's Aurora, I'm rather hoping that this Saturday I'll experience more of a sense of Aurora's journey with greater differentiation for the three Acts.

 

As an aside last Saturday's Prologue didn't hit the mark for me, with the Fairy Cavaliers being very out of sorts. In contrast Carabosse's rats and their ensemble work were brilliant, though it seems odd to be preferring rats to Cavaliers in Sleeping Beauty!

 

More seriously, I just wanted to touch on the comparative comments others have made and the notion of dancer x being more classical than dancer y. I'm a little reluctant to award such accolades and prefer to delight in the immediacy of performances which enthral and so lift the spirits and luxuriate in how some performances transport us to a higher place. I rather question the desire for ranking and categorisation. And I struggle with what some of the accolades mean - 'classical', 'demi character' etc and whether there is a suggestion that 'classical' is the highest accolade. If 'classical' doesn't allow for the full portrayal of character development, it's not for me. Some Bolshoi performances in the cinema are without doubt technically brilliant but they can sometimes leave me a little cold. Floss writes: "Naghdi provides greater clarity, expansiveness, grandeur and authority in [sugar Plum Fairy, Aurora, Princess Florine] than Hayward because she is less "busy"." I've no idea what 'busy' means but I find Francesca's fleetness and finesse, attention to detail throughout a performance (and not just for the big moments), and ability to portray her character utterly compelling.

 

Finally, wonderful to see so many flowers and so well deserved - Mark and all at Bloomsberry Flowers do a fantastic job. And do hope Francesca and Lauren are feeling better.

[Jacqueline]

Also the Sleeping Beauty is a sort of coming of age story.

The Princess is awakening from childhood into adulthood where she has to deal with the Prince and all that the male aspect requires her to!!

And when the Prince reflects on the beauty of the female he is ready for action which serves Beauty!! So presumably not Death.

Think it's probably time to start using my male aspect to get on with the washing up now ....can have a wallow in this fairy tale on Wednesday evening!!

The prince is ready for action allright. Didn't the original Sleeping Beauty wake up expecting twins??

[Saodan]

I would defend fairytales, and the fanatical, against any criticism. As Terry Pratchett said, “fantasy is an exercise bike for the mind”. 

 

However, Sleeping Beauty, as often told, is a particularly ‘nonsense’ fairy tale. The relationship between Florimund and Aurora is never expanded; we have to make do with ‘happily ever after’ and trust that they do actually get on after the kiss. Whilst there is much of interest to read into the fairytale (coming of age, especially the role of first love; the value of parents ‘sheltering’ children; whether vengeance and spitefulness pay etc), the focus invariably  remains superficial. The idea of good vs evil and true love conquers all are particularly out of fashion of late. Not much of interest or relevance is teased out of the story and explicitly addressed. 

 

As such, I would agree that Sleeping Beauty is ‘nonsense well done’. The same is true of the Nutcracker, both stories with so much potential, but told on a facile level. In contrast, Giselle and Swan Lake are both fairy stories, but for me they have depth and are told in a way that explicitly addresses thematic elements in an interesting and relevant way. Fairytales are the spiritual home of narrative ballet and we need more of them, but we need fairytales well told. 

 

That said, there is nothing at all wrong with nonsense!

[Anna C]

Horses for courses as ever, but I find so much of Tchaikovsky's enchanting score to be memorable. I'm either blessed or cursed - you choose - in that I constantly have music in my head; a permanent earworm. Much of the time it's Tchaikovsky ballet music and there are so many beautiful pieces in Sleeping Beauty that my brain has plenty to choose from. Bluebird, Woodland Glade, the Grand PDD - to me there are far more memorable pieces than not.

[bridiem]

I would defend fairytales, and the fanatical, against any criticism. As Terry Pratchett said, “fantasy is an exercise bike for the mind”. 

 

However, Sleeping Beauty, as often told, is a particularly ‘nonsense’ fairy tale. The relationship between Florimund and Aurora is never expanded; we have to make do with ‘happily ever after’ and trust that they do actually get on after the kiss. Whilst there is much of interest to read into the fairytale (coming of age, especially the role of first love; the value of parents ‘sheltering’ children; whether vengeance and spitefulness pay etc), the focus invariably  remains superficial. The idea of good vs evil and true love conquers all are particularly out of fashion of late. Not much of interest or relevance is teased out of the story and explicitly addressed. 

 

As such, I would agree that Sleeping Beauty is ‘nonsense well done’. The same is true of the Nutcracker, both stories with so much potential, but told on a facile level. In contrast, Giselle and Swan Lake are both fairy stories, but for me they have depth and are told in a way that explicitly addresses thematic elements in an interesting and relevant way. Fairytales are the spiritual home of narrative ballet and we need more of them, but we need fairytales well told. 

 

That said, there is nothing at all wrong with nonsense!

 

It's true that less is spelt out in SB; I don't mind that at all since it leaves space for breathing. Swan Lake is pretty traumatic to watch really, even taking into account the redemptive ending. And if the idea of good vs evil and true love conquers all is out of fashion, that just proves how fickle fashion is. I've used the word 'austere' about SB before, and I hold to it; in spite of its grandeur, it's pared down, almost sparse in its narrative themes, which gives them a timeless resonance.

[ninamargaret]

Good to know someone else has earworm problems! And SB my favourite of the Tchaikovsky Big 3

[CHazell2]

Good to know someone else has earworm problems! And SB my favourite of the Tchaikovsky Big 3

 

Sleeping Beauty is my favourite too. I love the glorious music and whilst I agree that the story is sparse, without not much room for character development - it is still a pretty good story. One thing I will say though - I think that the Awakening Pas de Deux should be restored as it addresses the problem of Aurora and the Prince quite admirably.

[ninamargaret]

Agree about restoring the Pas de Deux. I think the music is not from the original score of the ballet, maybe a piano piece?

[Jamesrhblack]

Agree about restoring the Pas de Deux. I think the music is not from the original score of the ballet, maybe a piano piece?

The music is an Entracte from the original score. Still have happy memories of the Ashton version being included in the 1977 to 1981 Royal Ballet production. Didn't that also have more of the Court Dances in Act 2? Were the intervals shorter? And am I the only person who misses the Sapphire Variation - Deirdre Eyden used to be absolutely thrilling in that ...

 

(I grow old, I grow old, I shall the bottom of my trousers rolled)

Edited February 24, 2017 by Jamesrhblack

[CHazell2]

The music is an Entracte from the original score. Still have happy memories of the Ashton version being included in the 1977 to 1981 Royal Ballet production. Didn't that also have more of the Court Dances in Act 2? Were the intervals shorter? And am I the only person who misses the Sapphire Variation - Deirdre Eyden used to be absolutely thrilling in that ...

 

(I grow old, I grow old, I shall the bottom of my trousers rolled)

 

Did you see the 1968 Production?

[Jamesrhblack]

Did you see the 1968 Production?

I'm not quite that old (!) although I believe it was the production shown on Christmas Eve 1968 (?) which awakened my interest in classical ballet as a very small child with music loving parents who thought I might enjoy a bit of it - I watched it all ....

[CHazell2]

I'm not quite that old (!) although I believe it was the production shown on Christmas Eve 1968 (?) which awakened my interest in classical ballet as a very small child with music loving parents who thought I might enjoy a bit of it - I watched it all ....

 

Sorry if I implied anything - I didn't mean to cause offence. I am quite jealous as I always wanted to see that production. What were your impressions of it?

Edited February 24, 2017 by CHazell2

[JennyTaylor]

I went to see Marianela and Vadim last night and what effectively is, I'm assuming the first cast. This was a fascinating contrast to Frankie and Alex the previous week.

 

Marianela and Vadim were exemplary. Vadim's solo in the final act was beyond superb and Marianela sparkled her way through the entire performance.  So why did Frankie and Alex move me to tears - the only couple ever to do so in this ballet.  Was it something about Frankie's youth, that she was doing the role for the first time, the sheer promise of what is to come and the way Alex was a true Prince to her. Whatever - it was the emotional gut wrench.  Yet, I have seen many other debuts and in the main. I'd say one's better off seeing the 2nd or 3rd performance and generally, it's an improvement  Nothing has ever moved me in a debut in this way. 

 

Could someone who is technical please explain why Frankie and Alex's fish dives were so good, There seemed so much extra speed in execution.  It was one of the aspects I particularly looked to contrast last night - and there was no comparison

 

Overall, I'd say the other roles were danced a notch upwards, but I'd agree with the many comments on the Forum that it's been a breath of fresh air to see so many young dancers being given their chance. I love it .

 

Still love Christina Arestis as Carabosse.  Wicked enjoyment of the role. 

[Jamesrhblack]

Sorry if I implied anything - I didn't mean to cause offence. I am quite jealous as I always wanted to see that production. What were your impressions of it?

No offence taken. I was four however and it was my first ballet so my critical judgement wasn't very acute. It lit a spark though ....

Edited February 24, 2017 by Jamesrhblack

[Jamesrhblack]

I went to see Marianela and Vadim last night and what effectively is, I'm assuming the first cast. This was a fascinating contrast to Frankie and Alex the previous week.

 

Marianela and Vadim were exemplary. Vadim's solo in the final act was beyond superb and Marianela sparkled her way through the entire performance. So why did Frankie and Alex move me to tears - the only couple ever to do so in this ballet. Was it something about Frankie's youth, that she was doing the role for the first time, the sheer promise of what is to come and the way Alex was a true Prince to her. Whatever - it was the emotional gut wrench. Yet, I have seen many other debuts and in the main. I'd say one's better off seeing the 2nd or 3rd performance and generally, it's an improvement Nothing has ever moved me in a debut in this way.

 

Could someone who is technical please explain why Frankie and Alex's fish dives were so good, There seemed so much extra speed in execution. It was one of the aspects I particularly looked to contrast last night - and there was no comparison

 

Overall, I'd say the other roles were danced a notch upwards, but I'd agree with the many comments on the Forum that it's been a breath of fresh air to see so many young dancers being given their chance. I love it .

 

Still love Christina Arestis as Carabosse. Wicked enjoyment of the role.

 

I do so agree about the unexpected emotional depth that Francesca Hayward and Alexander Campbell brought to their debut performance and feel, on reflection, that so much of it came from Campbell's imaginative absorption during Act 2. Usually, we find The Prince arrives and goes through the motions but his emotional honesty and involvement brought fresh impetus to the ballet after the inevitable excitement of Act 1 and by taking us on Florimund's journey raised our own emotional investment in a really unprecedented way.

 

I did ask AC at stage door about the fish dives, which I agree were like nothing I had ever seen, and he said something to the effect that she was so quick and light that it was possible to get a bit more angle on it so he did...

Edited February 24, 2017 by Jamesrhblack

[Jam Dancer]

Gosh, that all got quite heavy very quickly....I am not sure I get a better told story out of Swan Lake than Sleeping Beauty... the misrepresentation of swans sticks in my craw for one thing but to each his own. I thrive on movement and if it's beautifully done then I can forgive the shortcomings in storytelling in any ballet. Everything doesn't have to be deep and life is a bit too short to take it all so seriously ...