Magic moments (no, not Perry Como!)

[BMC]

As a newbie poster to this site, I think I may have got off to an unduly negative start asking about ballet bugbears! So, how about the opposite: not our absolute favourites or the ballets we love, but those particular moments that clutch at the heart (for want of a better expression) every time, regardless of dancer, theatre etc. Here are a few of mine - with advance apologies for my lack of technical knowledge or descriptive powers. Some are related to the narrative/music, others because I just love the physical shape they produce. Hope you will recognise which ones I mean -

 

Rhapsody - the big lift in the pas de deux when the ballerina does the 'shaking raindrops' movements with her hands

 

Symphonic Variations - when the six dancers hold hands and run in a circle; so simple but just utterly beautiful

 

Cinderella - when the Prince just stands still and she bourrees around him / and when they just walk together, Cinderella en pointe (sigh...)

 

Giselle - when she cradles Albrecht in her arms when he has been saved

 

Symphony in C - in the second movement when the ballerina just sinks back into the arms of her partner

 

Romeo - the moment in the balcony pas de deux when he is kneeling and clutches her dress / and the moment Juliet wakes up in the tomb

 

Fille - the 3 lifts in the final pas de deux that get higher and higher

 

Manon - the scissor movements in the bedroom pas de deux / the baton twist throws at the end

 

Two Pigeons - reconciliation pas de deux when the girl is leaning against the boy and brings down her leg in a sort of trembling motion

 

Swan Lake - when Siegfried rushes in to beg for forgiveness; and in the second act pas de deux when she does a trembling (I do like a bit of trembling!!) movement with her foot at the end of the second act pas de deux (ditto Nutcracker)

 

And my favourite: Natalya bourree-ing from side to side across the stage in a Month in the Country.

 

Would love to hear others' moments that get them every time.

[bridiem]

Brilliant list, BMC!! Will ponder and return.

[nycitybird]

Before I'd ever seen a live ballet but was looking to book one Manon was on, and I watched a youtube clip and the scissor movement actually made me decide NOT to see it! Different strokes indeed. It seems ridiculous now, especially as Manon has become one of the ballets I most want to see.

 

I almost always end up getting emotional at the curtain call, no matter what the ballet is.

 

Other things that have choked me up:

 

Woolf Works - the duet with Septumis and his friend

 

Within the Golden Hour - I loved the image of the ensemble still dancing as the curtain went down and love the music of that ballet.

 

Two Pigeons - saw it at the cinema and Vadim's sheepish face when he returned with the pigeon on his shoulder made me cry.

 

Swan Lake - the last few uplifting bars of music.

 

Giselle - the last scene when the prince is walking foreward holding Giselle's flowers as the curtain goes down (I think I have a thing about the curtain going down while the action is still happening!)

[_emeralds]

What a great topic, BMC!

[Duck]

The moments that touch me every time tend to be linked to loss/ departure and love/ unity. There is also something about the final moments of a ballet.

• Song of the Earth - when the three leads walk towards the front of the stage at the very end of the ballet
• Bentley’s Still Life at the Penguin Café – the theme of extinction of fauna through civilisation
• Romeo & Juliet – the balcony PDD
• Onegin – the final PDD between Tatiana and Onegin
• The Winter’s Tale – when Leontes touches the statue again, hoping that Mamillius will come to life, too
• Woolf Works – the duet between Septimus and Evans
• Jerome Bel’s Tombe – the 3^rd part i.e., the video of the final rehearsal with Benjamin Pech and the octogenarian woman, preceded by Benjamin Pech on stage explaining that the woman who had followed him throughout his career has been taken ill and that a video is thus shown instead
• Bejart’s 9^th Symphony – the PDDs for the two leads in the 3^rd movement; in the 4^th movement when all dancers walk, hand in hand, towards the outer perimeter of the stage

[_emeralds]

Symphonic Variations - when the six dancers hold hands and run in a circle; so simple but just utterly beautiful

 

Yes! I love this part too. I think i may have gasped the first time I saw this

 

 

Others for me are, in no particular order....

 

 

The finale of Etudes. First of all, the music is just so fabulous. There's a lot of flashiness in this ballet and still the climax trumps the lot with everyone dancing in unison.

 

The 2^nd Movement pdd in Macmillan's Concerto. Again, the music is so beautiful. The couple speak profoundly of love through the simplest steps. I believe the supported forward bend the ballerina does was inspired by Lynn Seymour stretching at the barre? I just love the way a classroom stretch is taken and transformed into something totally different

 

Myrthe's manege at the end of her solo in Giselle. So powerful!

 

The part of the Swan Lake Act 2 pdd where Siegfried 'cradles' Odette, he's standing behind her, she has her leg wrapped back round him in attitude derriere, her head is back on his shoulder and they rock gently as they embrace

 

The Pie Jesu solo from Requiem. The combination of the singing and the almost awkward shapes of the dancing makes me cry.

 

The 2^nd couples' pdd in Stravinsky Violin Concerto: the part where the woman is slowly turned by her shoulders in a continuing spiral by her partner. It's so moving and to me it expresses love and loss.

 

The 'green girl' solo from Dances at a Gathering

[bridiem]

Have enjoyed the posts so far very much! And would choose some of the same moments. In particular:

• the gentle, reflective Pie Jesu solo in MacMillan’s Requiem
• Song of the Earth – the final slow, hypnotic walk forward
• Penguin Café – the strange, beautiful hand movements made by the women during and especially towards the end of the Zebra section
• The Sons of Horus (Bintley) – the figures moving across the stage and back, of which I have only the haziest memory now but which brought ancient Egypt to life for me
• Swan Lake – Odette’s final, desperate but clear and willing decision to die to break the spell
• Giselle – the death of Hilarion and the Wilis subsequent gleeful jumps off stage
• The Sleeping Beauty – the moment at the end where all turn to The Lilac Fairy and acknowledge her as the true star of the show
• The Nutcracker – the tree growing, and growing, and growing, to the most thrilling music imaginable
• Akram Khan’s Giselle – the Wilis and Myrthe dancing with their sticks and their hair...
• Fille – the storm scene
• Scènes de Ballet – the diagonal of the most elegant dancers possible
• Symphonic Variations – the linked hands walk/dance – the grave dignity
• Woolf Works – the ‘Tuesday’ steps, the solitary figure walking round the stage whilst the group dances and then the figure becomes part of the group and they move as one in gestures of love and farewell
• The Firebird – the climax when all the figures come endlessly onto the stage and the grandeur reaches epic proportions
• (though not technically ballet) Don Quixote solo danced/skated by John Curry - incredibly beautiful, lyrical, joyful
• Mark Morris’s L’Allegro, il penseroso ed il moderato – so many moments, but I particularly remember a circular dance bursting with joy and delight
• Concerto (MacMillan) – the fast, exciting opening movement contrasted with the slow, beautiful, reflective central pas de deux, all to the most glorious music
• The Dream – Titania and Oberon’s reconciliation
• The Two Pigeons – the second pigeon's big moment
• The Four Temperaments – the women advance with their high kicks
• Symphony in C – the glittering finale
• Theme and Variations – the glorious finale

 

And that had better be my glorious finale or I/we will be here all night. But there could have been plenty more!!

[alison]

The Dream – Titania and Oberon’s reconciliation

 

Ooh yes, probably my favourite of all - at least, when danced with full understanding and commitment to the characters.

[trog]

• The Dream – Titania and Oberon’s reconciliation
• The Two Pigeons – the second pigeon's big moment

For me, both of these belong on the other list!

 

My magic moments are

• when the corps run on in Act II of Swan Lake (traditional version)
• the lake in Murphy's Swan Lake
• Bathsheba and Troy pdd in Bintley's Far From The Madding Crowd (hate the book, love the ballet)
• the faries with the brolly's in James's A Midsummer Night's Dream (the entire ballet is wonderful in it's simplicity)
• the skaters in Hindle's The Four Seasons
• Penguin Café – the strange, beautiful hand movements made by the women during and especially towards the end of the Zebra section (yep!)
• the drum dance in Bintley's Cyrano
• the ravens in Bintley's Beauty & the Beast

[Two Pigeons]

My immediate thoughts

 

Fille - right at the end when the harvesters lift Lise above them all

Onegin - both the mirror and final pas de deux

Cinderella - first entrance of the prince (especially when it was Dowell)

BRB Nutcracker - entrance of King Rat

Two Pigeons - all of the last pas de deux

Hobson's Choice - 3rd act pdd when Maggie and Will hold out their arms as if looking at a bright future

Flowers of the Forest - both pas de deux, entry of the men in part 2

 

I am sure others will come to me

[Two Pigeons]

P.s. forgot one - Raymonda's mini variation in act 3 when she starts at the back of the stage and moves forward at increasing speed.

 

(Or moves backwards at the same speed in the Russian version.)

[Jacqueline]

Two magical ballet experiences that immediately come to my mind would be the sheer beauty of the interaction of Giselle and Albrecht in Act 2, combined with that incredible score.

Then Cinderella - again the perfect fusion of Prokofiev's wonderful music and Ashton's incredible, imaginative choreography. As well as the beauty of the pdds already mentioned, I love the build up in the scene where Cinders is being prepared and is then carried off in her carriage to the ball. You can just sense her excitement and anticipation.

Well, I like it! I also love the scene where the clock strikes and she flees. The music alone makes my toes tingle.

There is much of Ashton's work that doesn't appeal to me, but Cinderella is the work of a genius.

[Two Pigeons]

And Cinderella's magical entrance in act 2 when she comes down the staircase en pointe and in a dreamlike trance. No one ever did it as well as Sibley for me.

 

I agree, I love Ashton's Cinderella and you cannot get it out of your mind when you see other versions.

[RuthE]

Mine are very RB-centric, I'm afraid!

 

The moment at the end of the RB Nutcracker when Clara looks back at Hans-Peter and gives him a "don't I know you from somewhere?" look, before realizing as he leaves that she is still wearing the Sugar Plum Fairy's necklace.

 

The moment in the RB Giselle just before she returns to her grave, when she appears to drift straight through Albrecht's grasp. (I once had a front row seat with a friend, for a Nunez/Soares performance, and that moment made my companion gasp and grab my arm...)

 

The moment in the final pas de deux from Onegin when the music morphs into the climax of the Letter Scene music.

 

Two moments in the last act of Winter's Tale: when Paulina recognizes Perdita's emerald, and also when Leontes realizes that although his wife is alive his son really is dead.

[Jacqueline]

I saw Merle Park as my first Cinderella with, I think, Anthony Dowell as her prince. Roberta Marquez and David Makhatelli were also wonderful, a perfect match.

I do agree that you cannot put Ashton's version out of your head when viewing others. I do hope that Cinderella will be back at the ROH soon.

 

Edited to say I also like the part of Swan Lake where time's up and Rothbart comes in to claim Odette. She is 'pulled' away from Siegfried as they try to hold on to each other. Then she reverts to swandom, her demeanour changes to rigid and off she goes, all to that extraordinary score.

Edited February 16, 2017 by Jacqueline

[MAB]

For me a lot of my favourite moments have to do with the music and how both choreographer and dancers react to that music.

 

First and foremost I adore the snowflakes scene from Nutcracker, Vainonen does it best.
In Lavrovsky's R & J the moment Romeo strews lilies at Juliet's feet as she approaches the altar.

Raymonda's third act solo, where she claps her hands and bourees forwards with her hand behind her head.

The tango from The Golden Age.

The moment in Spartacus when the male corps leap in unison.
The final coronation scene from Firebird
The human pyramid below the Bride in Les Noces
Le Tricorne - The Miller's dance
The Two Pigeons reconciliation  pas de deux
Cinderella - dance of the Winter Fairy (Ashton)
Enigma Variations - opening scene.

Dances at a Gathering - female trio
The kiss in Petit's Clavigo where they fall to the floor, roll and return to their feet with lips still together.
Pas de deux from Mai Murdmaa's Carmina Burana, astonishing eroticism (how did that get past the Soviet censor?).
The reel from La Syphide

The hornpipe from King's Volunteers on Amager.

[aileen]

There are too many magic moments to list but I, personally, get a tremendous thrill from seeing the 'uniform' corps in action in Nutcracker (Snowflakes), Swan Lake (swans) and Giselle (Wilis).

[Mary]

All of the above,  but if I could only have ONE,  I have sometimes thought in maudlin moments that I would  like to die on an absolute high to the ending of Symphony in C, the apotheosis to me of utter ballet bliss-oh and please could it be Cojocaru/ Koborg.

[Bravissima35]

Where to start!

 

Nutcracker - Clara and Has Peter Pas de deux. Glorious music! So romantic.

Swan Lake: Act 4 of before the Prince comes in looking for Odette and the bit when he is looking for her.  Lump in throat moment!    

Onegin: Final Pas.

Sleeping Beauty: The 2nd Act 

Hmm seeing a bit of a theme with the composer. Lol

 

Romeo and Juliet (Macmillan version): Juliet's thinking scene before going to Friar Lawrence. Swirly Prokofiev

Spartacus: All the Shepherds dancing to the Percussion accompaniment.  

Giselle (Mariniksy Version) Mythe's Bourees down the centre of the stage and Albrect's Brise's across the stage. 

Infra: Lauren Cuthbertson in all of it and The Pas with Melissa Hamilton and Eric Underwood. 

[nickwellings]

Siegfried's Entrance in the final act of Swan Lake

 

The 'ribbon carousel/roundabout'in Fille where Colas runs through the girls as Lise is rotated as the run round her, and Lise bursts with joy and scatters the ribbons

 

Whenever Odette or Siegfried do a great leap into death at the end of Swan Lake

 

When Ferri kisses Sarah Lamb's head in Woolf Works 'Tuesday'

 

The Rose Adagio entire

 

As above, when Siegfried cradles Odette, and the 'falls' that precede this, bit only when done with true (acted) belief, and the falls with eye contact (Delia Mathews and Brandon Lawrence did this the best ever for me)

 

The Christmas Tree growing music in Nutcracker, and in RB version, where Nutcracker wakes after being savaged by Rat King.

 

Two Pigs, when the second pigeon flies in.

 

I'm sure there's more!

[Ian Macmillan]

Simple - whenever Mme Yanovsky graces a stage.

[Jacqueline]

Further to my comments on Cinderella, I forgot to mention that when I saw Merle Park, her "sisters" were Frederick Ashton and Robert Helpmann. I was too young to appreciate the significance of this at the time, but I do remember them.

I am not a fan of the characters as such, but like so many roles, the way they are played is crucial.

Gary Avis is particularly good, as he has great presence but doesn't overdo it. Then again, he is always excellent whatever he does. Apart from maybe that thing with the fish!

[ninamargaret]

I share many of the likes mentioned, but would like to add one. Act 1 of Onegin, where the corps crosses the stage in seemingly flying grandes jetes. Always gets me! And to add to the comments about Cinderella - my first was Fonteyn and Somes in 1958. Interestingly, the sisters were played by women. One was a revue artist popular at the time, not sure who the second was. I wonder if this would appeal now?

[mshovelt]

I like this topic - for me, what I most love about ballet is the anticipation leading up to these moments.  So, I've only been watching ballet a few years (and my memory fails me, so there are probably some inaccuracies here) but here are some of mine: 

• Swan Lake - end of act 2 when Odette bourrees off stage right.  When I saw Osipova do this (on her Swan Lake RB debut, I think), she just melted away and that was the moment I fell in love with ballet. 
• Romeo & Juliet - so many;  when their eyes first meet; the moment Romeo loses control just after Mercutio is killed; when Juliet first sees Romeo's body in the crypt, and that silent scream as she kneels over his body (just listening to that part of the music makes me well up). 
• Onegin - Lensky's solo before the duel (Matthew Ball - so good); at the end when Tatiana tells Onegin to go and has to almost forcibly restrain herself from running after him. 
• Giselle - the mad scene and her death (I just love a good ballerina death scene).
• La Bayadere - when Nikiya drops the antidote on seeing Solor walking off with Gamzatti. 
• The moment just before Natalia Osipova first appears on stage - in anything.
• The moment just before Francesca Hayward first appears on stage - in anything. 

There are probably loads more ...