Royal Ballet Insight and In Rehearsal discussion

[MAX]

On 16/11/2019 at 21:31, betterankles said:

It is extremely usual for a coach to give a kiss to the dancers he or she has been coaching at the end of a rehearsal.

For those interested, it is also very usual for Russian coaches coaching Russian dancers, to have heated arguments during a coaching session, then meeting up  afterwards over a meal or a drink as the greatest of friends

 at the end maybe but not in the middle of a rehearsal come on

 

[bridiem]

14 minutes ago, MAX said:

 at the end maybe but not in the middle of a rehearsal come on

 

 

She was embracing Corrales to congratulate him on how spectacularly he had just danced part of his solo; the audience also responded ecstatically to his technical prowess. It was a lovely moment for everyone.

[MAX]

anyway   it has absolutely no importance..... it's just that it was the first time I saw anything like it (and I saw quite a lot of rehearsals in my life)

but yeah why not....  I might be too old fashioned

 

 

[JohnS]

1 hour ago, bridiem said:

It was billed as 'The Royal Ballet rehearses The Sleeping Beauty'

 

As BBB pointed out earlier, it was not a standard Royal Ballet Sleeping Beauty Insight:

I don’t think it’s a standard “forthcoming production” insight: “Petipa’s timeless classic returns to the Main Stage this Season and Hélène Blackburn brings Les Beaux dormants (the sleeping beauties) to the Linbury Theatre. This Insight explores the world of The Sleeping Beauty and the ways it has been made into ballet.”

 

But the billing is not consistent and depends on how you access the website.  

 

On 16/11/2019 at 07:31, JohnS said:

Many thanks BBB - I thought I’d read this and had taken a look at the website.  Accessing the information for the Insight via Calendar (which I used) omits the first sentence, with the reference to Les Beaux dormants, and only has the second sentence - which is not so explicit.  Another website quirk which hopefully will get resolved.

 

Calendar:

https://www.roh.org.uk/events/5wg0q

 

Tickets and Events:

https://www.roh.org.uk/tickets-and-events/insights-the-sleeping-beauty-details

 

And the ROH’s website/Facebook advertising the streaming simply shows ‘The Royal Ballet rehearse The Sleeping Beauty’.

 

But I agree with all the comments above - very much enjoyed Samantha Raine coaching the three fairies, odd to pull in the Sarah Lamb/Steven McRae clip, and Les Beaux dormants seemed a bit overblown.

 

The main point must be that the ROH needs to be much more consistent in how it describes and publicises its Insights or it risks irritating its audience.

[Richard LH]

12 minutes ago, JohnS said:

The main point must be that the ROH needs to be much more consistent in how it describes and publicises its Insights or it risks irritating its audience.

Although to be fair it may not be always easy to know exactly what they are able to show in advance, given the various commitments of all involved, fitness of dancers etc. For example Claire Calvert was planned for this evening, presumably demonstrating Lilac Fairy, but was unable to attend as she was unwell.

[alison]

2 hours ago, bridiem said:

NB in case she or anyone else is in any doubt, Sleeping Beauty is NOT about NON consensual sexual activity of any kind. End of.

 

Not exactly.  I'm guessing you haven't read the original   

[bridiem]

3 hours ago, alison said:

 

Not exactly.  I'm guessing you haven't read the original   

 

Well there are many possible 'originals'; but the BALLET The Sleeping Beauty - of which Les beaux dormants purports to be a version - is not. (And I see from the ROH website that Les beaux dormants 'explores all the changes – physical and emotional – that come with blossoming adulthood: easy for some, but a nightmare for others. With its new take on a familiar work, this is an immediately engaging ballet for everyone. Rediscover the sleeping beauty ready for awakening in the heart of each of us, whether child or adult.') Of course there are nightmare elements in the tale (as in life); but even this version is allegedly about the awakening of beauty (not a concept associated with sexual assault).

[Duck]

As I've seen Les Beaux Dormants performed live recently, in relation to yesterday's Insight -

- the lighting didn't come across well in the videos shown; it wasn't as dark on stage as it looked last night

- the Lilac Fairy was wearing shades of blue/ berry rather than black when I saw the piece (yes, there is a lot of black for the other costumes)

- the sleeping beauty is wearing a long white shirt when she is woken up by the prince

- why Helen Blackburn mentioned metoo

and Bruno Bouche' spoke about sexualness when it comes to the male dancer in the role of Carabosse, I don't know - I certainly didn't see anything resembling metoo or sexualness when I saw the work in Strasbourg

 

The description of the event on the ROH site was inconsistent as others have pointed out.

 

[Sebastian]

7 hours ago, alison said:

Not exactly.  I'm guessing you haven't read the original   

 

The question of what constitutes “the original” is an interesting one and not entirely straightforward. Vsevolozhsky said he was setting the Perrault tale: in this there is no kiss (that appears in the later version from the brothers Grimm) but, as one translation has it, “the princess awoke, and bestowed upon him a look more tender than a first glance might seem to warrant”. Which sounds pretty consensual to me.

 

Incidentally the French text also has a sly little joke about the young couple not needing a lot of sleep. 

[capybara]

8 hours ago, JohnS said:

And the ROH’s website/Facebook advertising the streaming simply shows ‘The Royal Ballet rehearse The Sleeping Beauty’.

But I agree with all the comments above - very much enjoyed Samantha Raine coaching the three fairies, odd to pull in the Sarah Lamb/Steven McRae clip, and Les Beaux dormants seemed a bit overblown.

The main point must be that the ROH needs to be much more consistent in how it describes and publicises its Insights or it risks irritating its audience.

 

I had tickets for a Sleeping Beauty Insight which, fortunately in many ways, I had to return. However. thanks to NoGoat putting up the link that I failed to find after a long search, I did watch online. I felt that it was a 'cop out' spending so long on Les Beaux Dormants. OK to mention it, but not at that tedious length. The traditional audience may need to be challenged but people didn't spend their money to have that segment wished on them. I fast-forwarded it in the end. And why show a video of a DVD many in the audience would possess anyway?

The fairies were a delight and, as I have commented before, it's nice for more junior members of the Company to have that experience and to be seen. All three (Yu Hang, Sae Maeda and Leticia Dias will progress, for sure). Leticia was on my list for promotion last July - she's one of the corps members who catches one's eye all the time, I find.

[bangorballetboy]

I seem to have been in a significant minority in being intrigued by the Les Beaux dormants segment, particularly the music.  Whether or not I could manage the whole piece is another matter but, if I can find a decent ticket, I might give it a go on Friday.

 

I really think people shouldn't presume to speak on behalf of others as to what they might or might not have expected to see at this insight.

[DanJL]

I was really intrigued by the Les Beaux dormants footage too - it's not possible for me to see it this week, but if there's another chance in future I'd be interested to give it a try.

 

I also thought the Lamb and McRae footage was wonderful - I'd not seen it before and it made me wish I could see the whole ballet. Is this really available on DVD?

[Sim]

I can imagine a time in the not too distant future when Florimund is no longer allowed to awaken Aurora with a kiss because it’s non-consensual (duh...the girl is in a deep sleep!).  He will have to shake her by the shoulders.  Oops no, that would be a non-consensual touch.  So he will either have to throw a bucket of water over her or grab one of the page’s bugles and blow it very loudly in her ear.  😀

[Toria]

Maybe it's just me but I think the kiss is consensual. I always interpret the visions scene as being Aurora's real consciousness or spirit being summoned by the Lilac Fairy - so whilst her body is still trapped in sleep in the palace she dreams the events of the vision scene. So when she beckons the prince in the pas de deux that is her telling him to follow her and Lilac and come wake her up, which seems like consent to me. The Auroras I've seen don't generally seem surprised when they are woken, it's more like she's happy to see the prince because she remembers dreaming him and hoping he can wake her up.

[zxDaveM]

17 minutes ago, Sim said:

He will have to shake her by the shoulders.  Oops no, that would be a non-consensual touch.  So he will either have to throw a bucket of water over her or grab one of the page’s bugles and blow it very loudly in her ear.  😀

 

oo - no! all that would be assault!

[bridiem]

8 minutes ago, Toria said:

Maybe it's just me but I think the kiss is consensual. I always interpret the visions scene as being Aurora's real consciousness or spirit being summoned by the Lilac Fairy - so whilst her body is still trapped in sleep in the palace she dreams the events of the vision scene. So when she beckons the prince in the pas de deux that is her telling him to follow her and Lilac and come wake her up, which seems like consent to me. The Auroras I've seen don't generally seem surprised when they are woken, it's more like she's happy to see the prince because she remembers dreaming him and hoping he can wake her up.

 

Very beautifully expressed, Toria. (Way too subtle/interesting/imaginative for some modern interpreters.)

[Sebastian]

2 hours ago, Sebastian said:

The question of what constitutes “the original” is an interesting one and not entirely straightforward. Vsevolozhsky said he was setting the Perrault tale: in this there is no kiss (that appears in the later version from the brothers Grimm) but, as one translation has it, “the princess awoke, and bestowed upon him a look more tender than a first glance might seem to warrant”. Which sounds pretty consensual to me.

 

Incidentally the French text also has a sly little joke about the young couple not needing a lot of sleep. 

 

And here is the relevant section from Joan Lawson's authoritative 1942 translation of the working documents for the ballet (a shortened version of which appeared in the programme for the first night in 1890)  --

 

>>"He [Prince Desire] goes up to the Sleeping Beauty and kisses her on the brow - the music rises to a crescendo. Then a pause. The spell is broken. Aurora and the entire court awake...The music expresses: astonishment, wonder, happiness and joy. Everyone embraces at seeing each other again."

 

Edited November 19, 2019 by Sebastian

[bridiem]

1 hour ago, bangorballetboy said:

I really think people shouldn't presume to speak on behalf of others as to what they might or might not have expected to see at this insight.

 

I did wonder if it was just me, but there were some very negative online comments on YouTube from people who'd clearly (and not unreasonably) been expecting only the RB.

[capybara]

1 hour ago, bangorballetboy said:

I really think people shouldn't presume to speak on behalf of others as to what they might or might not have expected to see at this insight.

 

I was speaking on the basis of A LOT of feedback from disappointed friends who are not on BCF!. But, I should have said SOME people...................

And it has to be admitted that the nomenclature and 'advertising' of this Insight event was somewhat misleading.

[Rob S]

57 minutes ago, DanJL said:

 

 

I also thought the Lamb and McRae footage was wonderful - I'd not seen it before and it made me wish I could see the whole ballet. Is this really available on DVD?

 

I was about to say that the Lamb/McRae combo isn’t on dvd the most recent release featured Nuñez and Muntagirov...the older one was Durante. So maybe it was from a cinema screening 

[Rob S]

47 minutes ago, Sim said:

I can imagine a time in the not too distant future when Florimund is no longer allowed to awaken Aurora with a kiss because it’s non-consensual (duh...the girl is in a deep sleep!).  He will have to shake her by the shoulders.  Oops no, that would be a non-consensual touch.  So he will either have to throw a bucket of water over her or grab one of the page’s bugles and blow it very loudly in her ear.  😀

 

In the next version Florimund will ballet mime ‘Siri, play Aurora’s favourite alarm call’

[bridiem]

9 minutes ago, Rob S said:

 

In the next version Florimund will ballet mime ‘Siri, play Aurora’s favourite alarm call’

 

Except that that would infringe Aurora's personal privacy; probably best if he just leaves her to sleep and lets Carabosse triumph. Who really cares after all - it's only a silly fairy tale.

[Sim]

35 minutes ago, bridiem said:

 

Except that that would infringe Aurora's personal privacy; probably best if he just leaves her to sleep and lets Carabosse triumph. Who really cares after all - it's only a silly fairy tale.

I think he will just end up having to stand outside the castle, in the foliage, shivering and damp, until she wakes up of her own accord because entering her bedroom without permission is a no-no too....

 

But I love Toria's beautiful explanation above and it should be shown to anyone who thinks that Aurora is being 'assaulted' by the prince. 

 

And I will state here in public that if Reece Clarke, Matthew Ball or Cesar Corrales ever fancy waking me up with a non-consensual kiss that is absolutely fine by me! 

[LinMM]

Oh Sim you’ve just had the nerve to express what I was thinking earlIer ...especially the latter was sort of well on the way but have now fallen hook line and sinker ( where did that come from) since that Insight rehearsal 🙃😉🙃

[FionaM]

Leticia Dias particularly impressed me in the rehearsal of her fairy.  
 

Thrilled to see younger dancers in this insight.  

[LinMM]

Leticia Dias did a blog when she was at the Prix de Lausanne I'm sure it will be somewhere on YouTube . 

She danced a bit from Coppelia then ....the piece that Magri danced in the recent Insight.

Shes a very expressive dancer and glad to see her being given an individual role in SB 

[ninamargaret]

6 hours ago, Sim said:

I think he will just end up having to stand outside the castle, in the foliage, shivering and damp, until she wakes up of her own accord because entering her bedroom without permission is a no-no too....

 

But I love Toria's beautiful explanation above and it should be shown to anyone who thinks that Aurora is being 'assaulted' by the prince. 

 

And I will state here in public that if Reece Clarke, Matthew Ball or Cesar Corrales ever fancy waking me up with a non-consensual kiss that is absolutely fine by me! 

And I could add another couple of names to the list!!

[Scheherezade]

2 hours ago, ninamargaret said:

And I could add another couple of names to the list!!

That’s just being greedy, Ninamargaret!

[Tango Dancer]

4 hours ago, ninamargaret said:

And I could add another couple of names to the list!!

 

Definitely! Marcelino Sambe for me every time, I think he's just amazing and stunningly gorgeous.  

 

I think I'd say that while there are various versions of the tale of Sleeping Beauty, some of which do vary into the less worksafe, the one they use in this ballet obviously is very pure.  He kissed her on the forehead gently to wake her for goodness sake.    

[LinMM]

At least you'd have a chance Tango Dancer! I think if it was me lying asleep awaiting to be brought back to consciousness the end of Sleeping Beauty might take a different turn ...the Prince might have to have a few choice words with the Lilac Fairy 😩

[MAX]

Am I right thinking Magri and Dias come from the same ballet school in Rio called Petite Danse or something like that ?

 

[Sim]

19 minutes ago, MAX said:

Am I right thinking Magri and Dias come from the same ballet school in Rio called Petite Danse or something like that ?

 

Yes you are right.  

[LinMM]

 

This is Leticia on Blog Day five!! ....I hope that is !