Mandy Kent Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 La Sylphide , Mariinsky Theatre , St Petersburg. Friday 19th July 2019 The privilege of sitting in this historic and beautiful theatre to witness the outstanding debut of the youngest ever guest to dance on this stage, will stay with me for ever. It is so rare for a guest from another company to feature so prominently. What a challenge for this 19 yr old Canadian to dance the role of James. And he did he rise to the challenge ? Shale Wagman devoured the choreography and made it look effortless. The many clips posted to his Instagram account show the lightness, precise allegro, rapid beats and high jump which make Bournonville’s choreography so difficult yet so beautiful when done correctly. He acting was natural and believable . In summary, he was a sensation! Shale partnered Olesya Novikova who was beguiling as the Sylph, her delicacy and soft arms concealing how hard this role is. Novikova is an established First Soloist in the company with many years of experience . But the pairing looked good and reminded my friend of the Nureyev/ Fonteyn age gap which evaporated on stage when they danced together. Madge was danced by the incredibly charismatic Igor Kolb, who just yesterday swaggered as Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet at the Mariinsky 2. Now here he was with a crooked back, long greasy tresses and the evil magic and desire for revenge which proves the downfall of James and his fairy lover. Bravo Igor! The ballet , set in Scotland , begins with James asleep in his chair, on the eve of his wedding,dreaming or perhaps not dreaming about an apparition of great charm. As the Sylph weaves her magic he becomes obsessed with finding her and holding her in his arms. She always evades his yearning arms as she is without substance and cannot change her nature. James’ fiancée Effie , danced by Tatiana Tkachenko, is very real and he does love her, is all set to marry her, and see off his rival Gurn , danced by Ivan Oskorbin. Tatiana was a delight as the characterful Effie , very much in love with James but prepared to show her exasperation and jealousy as he looses his concentration on her and chases his dream girl. I love this ballet ; the tartan, the men in kilts, the bizarre story and weird witches. Gurn’s mime of ‘ I saw the fairy with my own two eyes’ so exaggerated and so funny! The gorgeous ‘white’ scene in act 2 with the sylphides dancing in the woods. The Highland dancing with the little head shake .The little girl ( Anita Voroshilova ) who dances with Gurn at the pre-nuptial party. It all adds up to a wonderful night , which ended too soon. So, back to the man of the match, the rising star who last night proved he is capable of so much. This leading role at the Mariinsky will , I’m sure, bring other opportunities for Shale Wagman and further steps up in what will without a doubt be a stellar career . The curtain calls at the end went on and on, six or seven calls, the slow hand-clapping typical of Russian approval bringing them back to the front of curtain repeatedly. The audience already know and love Olesya Novikova but tonight they fell in love with Shale Wagman for the very first time. Bravo my dear Shale ! Your many friends wish you every success in your future . Get Outlook for iOS 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 Thanks for your lovely review Mandy. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 Thanks Mandy. Sounds like a very special night! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaM Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 Loving the video clips on Shale’s IG story from audience and from the wings. Super debut! What next for Shale I wonder? Surely not back to lowly corps de ballet at ENB? Although ENB have not yet announced annual promotions I think? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmhopton Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 Fabulous video clips and it makes me wish the Bolshoi had brought it this time to alternate with all those Spartacus'. It also makes me wish we could see it again with the RB. Think of all those debuts ; Hayward /Campbell, O'Sullivan/Sambe, Naghdi /Ball, not to mention Vadim. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailR Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 Loved the red socks and light floor so we could appreciate his stunning footwork and elevation 🤗 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 Another clip, this time of the pas de deux: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC3LOqCa8KE 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 Whose production is it, BTW? I didn't know the Mariinsky had La Sylphide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 Yes, they have had it for a little while. I saw them do it in St P in February 2015. It is similar to Kobborg’s production but there were a few differences. I enjoyed it but not hugely. Thanks for the videos; Shale really nailed that difficult footwork, and the height of his jumps is very impressive indeed. I can see why the Maryinsky asked him to guest! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stucha Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 8 hours ago, alison said: Whose production is it, BTW? I didn't know the Mariinsky had La Sylphide. This production entered their repertoire in 1981. The credits are as follows from the Mariinsky website: Choreography by August Bournonville, revised version by Elsa-Marianne von Rosen Set design by Vyacheslav OkunevCostume design by Irina Press 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabine0308 Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 Sorry I'm late with my review...still travelling. Plus busy with writing an article. Anyway, I can only nod to everything Mandy said. The high delayed jumps in midair, as if the the air was reluctant to let him return to the floor. The excellent speedy footwork. The elegant arabesques, and beautifully controlled pirouettes. The FUN and excitement and great acting which came naturally and wasn't overacted at all. His excitement hopped across the orchestra pit. Hard work and total commitment to his art made this a wonderful evening and debut, and it's easy to remember the exact date: on July 19, 2019, at age 19. 😀❤. His dream to dance on the Mariinsky stage came true at such an early age, and I am happy and proud to have been there. Plus sharing that night with Mandy was an additional beautiful treat❤. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy Kent Posted July 21, 2019 Author Share Posted July 21, 2019 Thank you Sabine. You have captured the essence of the way Shale dances in your description. What a fantastic evening! 😍 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabine0308 Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 Beautiful pictures are on this Facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100024832762996 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
assoluta Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 On 20/07/2019 at 10:47, alison said: Whose production is it, BTW? I didn't know the Mariinsky had La Sylphide. Not only they do but they dance it often: more than 200 times in the first 16 years since the the 1981 premiere. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabine0308 Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 My review is finally up also in English, the German Ballet platform "Tanznetz" was waiting for official pictures from the Mariinsky. https://www.tanznetz.de/blog/29422/sensational-debut 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabine0308 Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, Sabine0308 said: My review is finally up also in English, the German Ballet platform "Tanznetz" was waiting for official pictures from the Mariinsky. https://www.tanznetz.de/blog/29422/sensational-debut And I want to thank @Mandy Kent for proofreading!❤ couldn't edit my previous post, so sorry for quoting myself.🙄 Edited July 30, 2019 by Sabine0308 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 Thanks for that wonderful review Sabine. I wish I could have been there! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToThePointe Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Shale for my blog, To The Pointe. He's a lovely guy and a great ambassador for classical ballet... Link to the interview here: https://tothepointemagazine.wixsite.com/tothepointemagazine/single-post/2019/08/04/ToThePointe-Meets-Shale-Wagman 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy Kent Posted August 4, 2019 Author Share Posted August 4, 2019 19 minutes ago, ToThePointe said: I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Shale for my blog, To The Pointe. He's a lovely guy and a great ambassador for classical ballet... Link to the interview here: https://tothepointemagazine.wixsite.com/tothepointemagazine/single-post/2019/08/04/ToThePointe-Meets-Shale-Wagman Thank you for your super interview. You are right that Shale has a wise head on young shoulders. He is also modest and down to earth... except when he is flying through the air ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 That's a great article on Shale Wagman thanks very much just so annoying probably not going to have that easy access to see him for a while unless........well one can dream! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 What a fascinating interview, TTP. Thanks for sharing it here. It is so interesting to read how totally dedicated and committed Wagman is to his art, and his focus and determination at such a young age. I am also very heartened to see this young artist give such a heartfelt defence of classical ballet and its importance today. With such innate talent and such passion for his artform, I am sure he will go far. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom Posted August 6, 2019 Share Posted August 6, 2019 Another lovely interview, this time video from Dance Europe. https://vimeo.com/352217310?ref=em-share 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabine0308 Posted August 6, 2019 Share Posted August 6, 2019 56 minutes ago, Blossom said: Another lovely interview, this time video from Dance Europe. https://vimeo.com/352217310?ref=em-share That is so beautiful to watch.❤ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon Posted August 6, 2019 Share Posted August 6, 2019 Yes it was. But he didn't say where he is going. Or have I missed that? Or is it a secret?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabine0308 Posted August 7, 2019 Share Posted August 7, 2019 11 hours ago, Sharon said: Yes it was. But he didn't say where he is going. Or have I missed that? Or is it a secret?? He didn’t say. He will say it if he wants to.😀 Patience😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaM Posted August 7, 2019 Share Posted August 7, 2019 11 hours ago, Sharon said: Yes it was. But he didn't say where he is going. Or have I missed that? Or is it a secret?? He doesn’t seem worried, so I guess we wait. Tantalising! I note that the Maryinsky season only finished officially a few days ago and most companies don’t announce promotions, new joiners etc until after that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amelia Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 Introducing 19-year-old Canadian dancer Shale Wagman: from Lausanne to ENB to the Mariinsky https://www.gramilano.com/2019/08/introducing-19-year-old-canadian-dancer-shale-wagman-from-lausanne-to-enb-to-the-mariinsky/?fbclid=IwAR3pZe9AN5lYYSqF_Z7N-hbmsG_oO0g6uDTXlSJjInaHtmBdiOCso9hoKqQ 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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