National Ballet of Canada at ROH summer 2020

[Shade]

I would love to see Lunkina

[LinMM]

Gosh I may know you Irmgard! That’s a memory of mine too!! 
My friend who was doing some sort of Arts Admin degree worked for the Company for a bit when they were still LFB ...for experience I think and I joined her to dress for the corps de ballet when Evdokimova and Nureyev danced together ( her Giselle was fab) I remember the Sleeping Beauty because there were SO MANY hooks and eyes on one set of costumes and I was really nervous as there was one very quick change ...I was terrified I wouldn’t get them on and off in time or some dancer would lose their costume mid performance!! 
Am really interested to see this again! Shame no longer be standing in the wings and discover that Nureyev standing behind you though!!!

[Irmgard]

35 minutes ago, LinMM said:

Gosh I may know you Irmgard! That’s a memory of mine too!! 
My friend who was doing some sort of Arts Admin degree worked for the Company for a bit when they were still LFB ...for experience I think and I joined her to dress for the corps de ballet when Evdokimova and Nureyev danced together ( her Giselle was fab) I remember the Sleeping Beauty because there were SO MANY hooks and eyes on one set of costumes and I was really nervous as there was one very quick change ...I was terrified I wouldn’t get them on and off in time or some dancer would lose their costume mid performance!! 
Am really interested to see this again! Shame no longer be standing in the wings and discover that Nureyev standing behind you though!!!

I didn't dress for LFB, only NBOC but I remember those very heavy costumes - especially for the Queen!  Having to heave the two sides of the skirt together to fasten the waist and then all the other hooks and eyes!  It was a great workout for the arm muscles!   As for Nureyev and LFB, I remember him coming flying into my wing at the end of his manege in his Act III solo and almost crashing into me but my knees went weak anyway, purely from his electrifying eyes!  

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Irmgard said:

I, for one, am delighted NBOC is bringing Nureyev's "Sleeping Beauty" to London as it will be nostalgic in so many ways for me.  It was the production I grew up with and watched Kain many times as Aurora.  I was a dresser for their summer season of 'Beauty' before returning to the UK as a student so I got to know those fabulous costumes intimately!  It was also in the rep of LFB/ENB for many years and I thought it sad when it was jettisoned for the much less interesting production by MacMillan.  I saw many stars in the ballet and my abiding memory is of standing in the wings to watch Nureyev with Evdokimova because the Coliseum was completely sold out during the Nureyev and Friends season.

 

It would be interesting to see Hynd's "Merry Widow" but it is not a very challenging ballet for the dancers and I think Kain, during her final season as Artistic Director, will want to showcase the strengths of her dancers at all levels, and there is nothing like Nureyev's 'Beauty' for doing this, as anyone who has danced in it will tell you!

I also have happy memories of watching this, but I think it was replaced by a production from Hynd/Heeley, which was shortlived. Deane then produced his in the round version which may or may not have had a pros arch outing, I don't remember. Then came the Macmillan. 

[Don Q Fan]

7 hours ago, Bruce Wall said:

 

I saw that the prices were £8 to £120 which (if memory serves) was only a little less than the Bolshoi.  (Certainly the cheapest standing room for that was £10.) 

 

I would imagine this programming is largely targeted to the tourist market at that time of year.  Myself, I will be glad to see the Nureyev SB again.  I did see Obratsova and Sarafanov in it with La Scala when they were here ... but before that it was back in the days of Nureyev, Veronica Tennant and Karen Kain with NBoC and that WAS a long time ago ... Heady times they were (or so my memory would like to serve).  

 

In terms of catching up with the Canadian company at least SB does also offer a lot of soloist and demi-soloist possibilities and gives you a chance to really evaluate the state of the corps work.  That may have been the Company's factor when in discussion with the Hochhauser Organisation. 

 

It would have been nice if, perhaps, they brought Neumeier's Nijinsky (especially with Frola) as they did in Paris.  That too has so many different dancing possibilities - but I'm sure such would have been seen (with I fear some justification) as being too commercially risky.  

 

We were indeed treated with that Nijinsky we saw in Paris with Frola and Lunkina. Pity they didn't bring it here but SB probably sells better to the masses as you say. 

[toursenlair]

Here is the casting for NBOC's upcoming SB shows in Washington DC, which will probably give  you a good idea of what it will be like for London.

I suspect the choice of SB was also influenced by the fact that they had to prepare it for Washington  as well. They just did Merry Widow last spring here in Toronto but that would mean another whole ballet to rehearse again for this coming July, just after they've premiered a new Swan Lake in Toronto in June.

Princess Aurora 
Heather Ogden (January 30, February 1 at 7:30 pm) 
Jillian Vanstone (January 31 at 7:30 pm/February 2 at 1:30 pm) 
Emma Hawes* (February 1 at 1:30 pm) 

Prince Florimund
Harrison James (January 30, February 1 at 7:30 pm) 
Francisco Gabriele Frola (January 31 at 7:30 pm/February 2 at 1:30 pm) 
Guillaume Côté (February 1 at 1:30 pm) 

King Florestan
Jonathan Renna (January 30, February 1 at 7:30 pm/February 1 at 1:30 pm) 
Piotr Stanczyk (January 31 at 7:30 pm/February 2 at 1:30 pm) 

Queen
Sophie Letendre+  

Catalabutte, Master of Ceremonies
Tomas Schramek (January 30, February 1 at 7:30 pm) 
Hazaros Surmeyan (January 31 at 7:30 pm/February 1, 2 at 1:30 pm) 

The Lilac Fairy
Tanya Howard (January 30, 31, February 1 at 7:30 pm)  
Stephanie Hutchison (February 1, 2 at 1:30 pm) 

Carabosse, the Wicked Fairy
Rebekah Rimsay (January 30, February 1 at 7:30 pm/February 2 at 1:30 pm) 
Stephanie Hutchison (January 31 at 7:30 pm) 
Alejandra Perez-Gomez (February 1 at 1:30 pm) 

Principal Fairy
Emma Hawes (January 30 at 7:30 pm/February 2 at 1:30 pm)
Hannah Fischer (January 31, February 1 at 7:30 pm/February 1 at 1:30 pm)  

Bluebird
Naoya Ebe (January 30, February 1 at 7:30 pm)  
Siphesihle November (January 31 at 7:30 pm/February 2 at 1:30 pm)  
Skylar Campbell (February 1 at 1:30 pm) 

Princess Florine
Elena Lobsanova (January 30, February 1 at 7:30 pm) 
Miyoko Koyasu (January 31 at 7:30 pm) 
Tina Pereira (February 1 at 1:30 pm) 
Koto Ishihara* (February 2 at 1:30 pm) 

Diamond Lady
Chelsy Meiss (January 30, February 1 at 7:30 pm) 
Hannah Fischer (January 31 at 7:30 pm/February 2 at 1:30 pm)  
Jordana Daumec (February 1 at 1:30 pm)  

Diamond Man
Donald Thom (January 30, February 1 at 7:30 pm) 
Brendan Saye* (January 31 at 7:30 pm/February 2 at 1:30 pm) 
Jack Bertinshaw (February 1 at 1:30 pm) 

 

[Scheherezade]

When the casting is confirmed, and assuming that it is largely in line with the Washington DC shows, who would you recommend, Toursenlair? I am familiar with some, but by no means all, of those names. 

[Naomi M]

A very disappointing cast. IMHO. Especially after Royal Ballet also performing Sleeping Beauty with far better dancers. 

 

Jillian Vanstone and Francesco Gabriele Frola would be my choice (they are very good) , avoid the other casts.  

[Irmgard]

Hopefully Jurgita Dronina will be dancing, who was simply sublime in ENB's performances in 2018.

[toursenlair]

8 hours ago, Naomi M said:

A very disappointing cast. IMHO. Especially after Royal Ballet also performing Sleeping Beauty with far better dancers. 

 

Jillian Vanstone and Francesco Gabriele Frola would be my choice (they are very good) , avoid the other casts.  

With respect, Naomi, I don't agree. Harrison James and Heather Ogden are also a good cast.

[Jeannette]

I’m looking forward to seeing the Ogden/James cast in DC on the evening of Feb 1. Also, the designs should be treat, from what I’ve read...this level of luxury is rare in the 21st century. Report forthcoming!

Edited January 11, 2020 by Jeannette
typo

[LinMM]

Does anybody know if the Canadians are coming instead of the Mariinsky this year or are we having the double whammy? 

[Lizbie1]

1 minute ago, LinMM said:

Does anybody know if the Canadians are coming instead of the Mariinsky this year or are we having the double whammy? 

 

No Mariinsky this year - I believe ROH is putting in a new stage (?), which presumably would have taken too long to work with the much longer Bolshoi and Mariinsky tours.

[LinMM]

Thanks Lizbie it’s only because the Canadian visit seemed so short that it crossed my mind the Russians might be coming too!! 🙄

[Naomi M]

https://victorhochhauser.co.uk/page/repertoires.php

 

Principal Dancers include

Elena Lobsanova
Heather Ogden
Jillian Vanstone

Guillaume Côté
Naoya Ebe
Harrison James
Brendan Saye

(Subject to alteration)

 

No words.