Royal Ballet's Swan Lake (Spring 2022)

[bridiem]

11 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

If we can discuss body parts, I'd like to put a word in for her back! I was first struck by it in R&J Act III. I never knew until then that someone's back could be so expressive.

 

Yes - or so pliable! As Sim said about her arms, her back also seems to be boneless. Incredible.

[Dawnstar]

3 minutes ago, bridiem said:

Yes - or so pliable! As Sim said about her arms, her back also seems to be boneless. Incredible.

 

She seemed to acquire some bones for Act III last night though! I found that in Acts II & IV I was most struck by her "boneless" arms whereas in Act III it was the power of her legs, sharp & kicking out strongly.

[Stephenwolf]

1 hour ago, Sim said:

I have a girl crush.  It's never happened to me before, but now it has.  Last night's astonishing, awesome, assured debut from Fumi Kaneko has made me fall in love.  Maybe the spell she cast in Act 3 reached out to me in the stalls circle standing section, dazzling me and putting me totally under... because I am still not quite thinking straight today.  

 

I just loved every single thing about Fumi's interpretation.  Usually I have something even vaguely critical to say, but not this time.  Those eyes!  Those arms, that surely can't have any bones in them!  Those long legs that uncurl into such beautiful, perfect, expressive lines!  Simply stunning, and with such a strong and varied technique it works in a way that is rarely seen.

 

I loved the way she smiled through a lot of the Act 2 pdd.  I can't remember ever having seen this before...Odette usually looks so sad here.  But Fumi showed her to be happy, falling in love and hopeful that her saviour has arrived.  And with Mr Bonelli as her noble, handsome and deeply passionate prince, why wouldn't a girl be happy?  She punctuates these moments of happiness with worry, as a brief shadow of sadness and foreboding passes over her face and her whole body...but then she shakes it off and allows herself to hope once more.  

 

This smiling makes eminent sense;  when Odile brandishes that smile at Siegfried in Act 3, of course he would think it's Odette.  He has seen and felt that smile already.  Fumi's Act 3 was dizzyingly fabulous.  Her total control of every movement's beauty, her feel for the music, the whaz of those fouettes, mixed up with singles, doubles and triples, one arm raised aloft in triumph whenever she felt like it...she created a whirlpool into which I would have happily been sucked and drowned at that point, such was the delirium I was experiencing!  Her delight in her control over Siegfried, knowing from the get-go that she had already won, was palpable, every movement drawing him more and more into her orbit.  Her evil laughter when the deception was unveiled sent the proverbial shiver up my spine, and then right back down again.  Sensational.

 

As others have said, Act 4 was so very touching.  The deep hurt that Odette felt was expressed so beautifully, with each gentle shake of the head, movement of those big dark eyes or flutter of the hands...here was a vulnerable creature about to break in two.  Siegfried, full of pain himself, and as devastated as you can get, gently convinces her that he truly loves her and to forgive him.  Once achieved, they find strength again and defy Von Rothbart.   When the artistry is like this, I don't even care about the ending.  I personally prefer an apotheosis involving both of them.  Hopeless romantic that I am, at least they are together forever, and I love that.  

 

As many others have said, this was a very special night in so many ways.  Saying arrivederci to Federico Bonelli was so sad, but we can all be glad for the 19 years he has been here.  It has been a privilege to watch him grow over the years into a true danseur noble as well as a dance actor who could raise every emotion possible in the audience.

 

As a new star is born and illuminates the night sky, another star fades into the morning light, having burned brightly for so long.  

 

Thank you Mr Bonelli for so many wonderful performances, and the very best of luck in your new position at Northern Ballet.  You will be missed very much.   In bocca al lupo! 

 

 

I’m so glad that I read Sim’s post, because I am also in thrall to the divine Fumi, and beginning to doubt myself because of a perceived (by me) lack of appreciation among other Balletco members of her performances so far since becoming a principal dancer. As I have mentioned in previous posts, Fumi is the single reason that I became interested in Ballet just prior to the first lockdown. I noticed her in the role of Rosaline in RB’s film Romeo and Juliet Beyond Words. Though a relatively minor role, for me it was a standout performance. Her haughtiness towards a besotted and persistent Romeo really caught my eye. I was mesmerised by her, but I had to wait until October last year for live ballet to resume and I finally saw another mesmerising performance in Romeo and Juliet, but this time with Fumi in the title role.

 

Unfortunately, she has been underutilised since then (again, my opinion). I saw her as Satan in The Dante Project, but nothing else, until last night. Oh what a debut! What a performance! What a night!

 

Following her Juliet last  October I expected that, like me, others would be in raptures after witnessing such a stunning performance (partnered, of course, by a wonderful Romeo in William Bracewell), but comments have been relatively low-key.  In the build-up to the opening of Swan Lake there was even a suggestion that in rehearsal for Swan Lake she smiled too much! Why not smile? I thought. But then I’m just a novice. Maybe I should rely upon the judgement of other more seasoned balletomanes, I thought. Maybe my instinctive adulation is just because of the novelty of immersing myself in (for me) a new art-form. Well, after last night all that negativity has evaporated. My instincts were true. Others think that Fumi is as wonderful as I do. Comments that I heard last night were “a performance out there with the best!”, and “she is almost certainly going to become a ballet superstar!” She already is, for me!

 

Thank you Sim. I couldn’t agree more with your post. But “dizzyingly fabulous.” That says it all for me. I know exactly what you mean. I’m sixteen again, and in love for the first time!

[emmarose]

38 minutes ago, Stephenwolf said:

I’m so glad that I read Sim’s post, because I am also in thrall to the divine Fumi, and beginning to doubt myself because of a perceived (by me) lack of appreciation among other Balletco members of her performances so far since becoming a principal dancer. As I have mentioned in previous posts, Fumi is the single reason that I became interested in Ballet just prior to the first lockdown. I noticed her in the role of Rosaline in RB’s film Romeo and Juliet Beyond Words. Though a relatively minor role, for me it was a standout performance. Her haughtiness towards a besotted and persistent Romeo really caught my eye. I was mesmerised by her, but I had to wait until October last year for live ballet to resume and I finally saw another mesmerising performance in Romeo and Juliet, but this time with Fumi in the title role.

 

Unfortunately, she has been underutilised since then (again, my opinion). I saw her as Satan in The Dante Project, but nothing else, until last night. Oh what a debut! What a performance! What a night!

 

Following her Juliet last  October I expected that, like me, others would be in raptures after witnessing such a stunning performance (partnered, of course, by a wonderful Romeo in William Bracewell), but comments have been relatively low-key.  In the build-up to the opening of Swan Lake there was even a suggestion that in rehearsal for Swan Lake she smiled too much! Why not smile? I thought. But then I’m just a novice. Maybe I should rely upon the judgement of other more seasoned balletomanes, I thought. Maybe my instinctive adulation is just because of the novelty of immersing myself in (for me) a new art-form. Well, after last night all that negativity has evaporated. My instincts were true. Others think that Fumi is as wonderful as I do. Comments that I heard last night were “a performance out there with the best!”, and “she is almost certainly going to become a ballet superstar!” She already is, for me!

 

Thank you Sim. I couldn’t agree more with your post. But “dizzyingly fabulous.” That says it all for me. I know exactly what you mean. I’m sixteen again, and in love for the first time!

 

Where exactly were you seeing these comments? 

 

And for what it's worth, most people are usually (deservedly) very complimentary of Fumi online from what I've ever seen.

[Dawnstar]

1 hour ago, Stephenwolf said:

Following her Juliet last  October I expected that, like me, others would be in raptures after witnessing such a stunning performance (partnered, of course, by a wonderful Romeo in William Bracewell), but comments have been relatively low-key.

 

I can definitely recall many positive comments on here about her in R&J. In fact one reason I got a ticket at a few days' notice for her first public performance was that those who had been at the dress rehearsal were dropping hints as to how good she & Bracewell were.

 

Further to the comments about issues with the staging of the ending, one things I found a bit visually confusing last night was the treatment of Von Rothbart. His first appearance in Act IV was lying down on the rock & at the end he lay back down in a similar position so it didn't seem completely visually clear that he had been defeated. It looked like he could just be having another nap!

[LinMM]

As I said what a night!!
From the stirring Ukrainian anthem right at the beginning reminding us that there is a very real tragedy being played out in the real World to the farewell flower throw and speeches marking Frederico Bonelli’s final performing night with his beloved Royal Ballet.
 

And Well Fabulous (in the real sense of the word) Fumi 🌟❤️

And thanks folks for so many terrific reviews here already and I can see many of you have felt very close to how I felt at this truly wonderful debut. 
I still can’t believe I’m writing that word ……“debut” 
I can’t quote everybody but a line Sim said in her terrific review sums up Fumi’s dancing perfectly : her total control of every movements Beauty. 
That almost makes me want to cry in itself and it’s so true. 
She really does bring the beauty of classical ballet to a very real and full fruition. So you can almost feel every movement with her. 
I loved what LianneEva said about her seeming to melt into Bonelli’s arms (and his body)…her swoon becomes your swoon. Amazing. 
As many others here I’ve loved Fumi for a few years now and somehow I always expected that she would be a fantastic Odette one day but in the end was also completely blown away by her Odile!! 
My God she was just superb in every way both dancing and acting.  She seemed to be relishing every single moment and I was sitting at the back of the Balcony and her almost vicious seduction of the hapless Siegfried at this point really hit home. No more nice Fumi! And that amazing visceral grand ronde de Jambe in the pas de deux! Phew he didn’t stand a chance! 
I usually hate the 32 fouettés bit but somehow Fumi made them totally joyful and they were so powerful you almost wanted to do the Russian thing and start clapping them along lol! 
I also felt as Sim did that when the artistry is of this calibre I don’t care so much about an ending ( and a beginning ) I dislike but I have to say When all that dramatic music is going on I can’t get used to the idea that Siegfried is just lying on the floor!! He should be up fighting Rothbart to the very end!! 
Bonelli is a fine actor too and so conveyed all siegfrieds emotions wonderfully from his discontent at Court his falling in love with Odette his horror at his betrayal with Odile ( but with Fumi dancing is immediately forgiven) and finally his grief at her death. A great classical Artist. How lucky are Northern to get him. 
As it happened two people sitting in front of me were at ROH for the very first time and mainly see Northern Ballet where they live… I think they were suitably impressed with the new soon to be Director!! 
Of course then having no time at all to recover from THAT performance there was the farewell to Bonelli. And how moving and beautiful was that….all those ballerinas and other colleagues playing tribute with flowers while other flowers rained down from above.  Even forgave Wayne’s white wellies! And who was wearing those bright green very high heels? 
By the time he stood at the front of the stage with his little girl picking up his dropped bouquets for him I can’t imagine there was a dry eye in the house. So a terrific send off for him in a palpably very warm and wonderful House atmosphere. 

All supporting casts …sorry to hardly mention especially a really good performance from Ella as Benno….were also excellent as were the corps especially in Act 4 …all adding to the atmosphere but it was Fumi and Frederico’s night last night …first and last ….and that I imagine they too will each cherish forever. 

 

 

[bridiem]

46 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

Further to the comments about issues with the staging of the ending, one things I found a bit visually confusing last night was the treatment of Von Rothbart. His first appearance in Act IV was lying down on the rock & at the end he lay back down in a similar position so it didn't seem completely visually clear that he had been defeated. It looked like he could just be having another nap!

 

From my vantage point in the Amphi, I found his demise pretty effective because he basically seemed to disappear into the rock, so it was as if his evil being had been entirely destroyed and returned to dust. Maybe being at a distance was an advantage since I could no longer see him at all.  

[Rob S]

27 minutes ago, LinMM said:

 And who was wearing those bright green very high heels? 
 

 

Lauren Cuthbertson

[Sim]

30 minutes ago, LinMM said:

As I said what a night!!
From the stirring Ukrainian anthem right at the beginning reminding us that there is a very real tragedy being played out in the real World to the farewell flower throw and speeches marking Frederico Bonelli’s final performing night with his beloved Royal Ballet.
 

And Well Fabulous (in the real sense of the word) Fumi 🌟❤️

And thanks folks for so many terrific reviews here already and I can see many of you have felt very close to how I felt at this truly wonderful debut. 
I still can’t believe I’m writing that word ……“debut” 
I can’t quote everybody but a line Sim said in her terrific review sums up Fumi’s dancing perfectly : her total control of every movements Beauty. 
That almost makes me want to cry in itself and it’s so true. 
She really does bring the beauty of classical ballet to a very real and full fruition. So you can almost feel every movement with her. 
I loved what LianneEva said about her seeming to melt into Bonelli’s arms (and his body)…her swoon becomes your swoon. Amazing. 
As many others here I’ve loved Fumi for a few years now and somehow I always expected that she would be a fantastic Odette one day but in the end was also completely blown away by her Odile!! 
My God she was just superb in every way both dancing and acting.  She seemed to be relishing every single moment and I was sitting at the back of the Balcony and her almost vicious seduction of the hapless Siegfried at this point really hit home. No more nice Fumi! And that amazing visceral grand ronde de Jambe in the pas de deux! Phew he didn’t stand a chance! 
I usually hate the 32 fouettés bit but somehow Fumi made them totally joyful and they were so powerful you almost wanted to do the Russian thing and start clapping them along lol! 
I also felt as Sim did that when the artistry is of this calibre I don’t care so much about an ending ( and a beginning ) I dislike but I have to say When all that dramatic music is going on I can’t get used to the idea that Siegfried is just lying on the floor!! He should be up fighting Rothbart to the very end!! 
Bonelli is a fine actor too and so conveyed all siegfrieds emotions wonderfully from his discontent at Court his falling in love with Odette his horror at his betrayal with Odile ( but with Fumi dancing is immediately forgiven) and finally his grief at her death. A great classical Artist. How lucky are Northern to get him. 
As it happened two people sitting in front of me were at ROH for the very first time and mainly see Northern Ballet where they live… I think they were suitably impressed with the new soon to be Director!! 
Of course then having no time at all to recover from THAT performance there was the farewell to Bonelli. And how moving and beautiful was that….all those ballerinas and other colleagues playing tribute with flowers while other flowers rained down from above.  Even forgave Wayne’s white wellies! And who was wearing those bright green very high heels? 
By the time he stood at the front of the stage with his little girl picking up his dropped bouquets for him I can’t imagine there was a dry eye in the house. So a terrific send off for him in a palpably very warm and wonderful House atmosphere. 

All supporting casts …sorry to hardly mention especially a really good performance from Ella as Benno….were also excellent as were the corps especially in Act 4 …all adding to the atmosphere but it was Fumi and Frederico’s night last night …first and last ….and that I imagine they too will each cherish forever. 

 

 

Lovely review, Lin. The green shoes were on the feet of Lauren Cuthbertson.  Some of the heels were so high that I was thinking they had more of a chance getting injured in those than from dancing on the stage!  

[capybara]

To Stephenwolf…….

My perception is that there is huge appreciation for Fumi Kaneko on this forum.

As for last night, I have seen nothing but praise across social media with the exception of Alastair Macaulay on Instagram who is known for taking a contrary position in various respects.

[LinMM]

Also Thankyou to Maddie Rose for the second piccie …the one of Fumi. 

I honestly don’t know how they wear those heels after any sort of pointe work. I wonder what Fumi wore home last night …it would be large fluffy bedroom slippers if it was me lol. 
 

 

[Dawnstar]

I suppose, in one way, covid has done me a favour with Swan Lake. Back in September 2019 when booking opened for the 2020 run of Swan Lake I hadn't seen Kaneko in any lead roles & she wasn't near enough the top of my list when deciding which casts to book for. Also it didn't seem quite so urgent to see Bonelli. Come November 2021, when booking opened for this Swan Lake run, I had been blown away by Kaneko's Juliet the previous month & time was evidently running out to see Bonelli, so they were definitely on my must-book list. As the dates of the casts I'd chosen made it clear that this would be my first live Swan Lake, I therefore went for an expensive seat so as to have an unrestricted view for my first live view of the production. So even though it took 2 years longer for me to see my first live Swan Lake, it ended up being both Kaneko's debut & Bonelli's last & an extremely memorable performance.

Edited March 5, 2022 by Dawnstar

[emmarose]

29 minutes ago, capybara said:

To Stephenwolf…….

My perception is that there is huge appreciation for Fumi Kaneko on this forum.

As for last night, I have seen nothing but praise across social media with the exception of Alastair Macaulay on Instagram who is known for taking a contrary position in various respects.

 

And online too, on Inta and Youtube her videos are filled with very positive comments (again, deserving) and amongst her peers too, I've seen other principals comment on post very lovely things towards Fumi quite often.

[Dawnstar]

30 minutes ago, LinMM said:

I honestly don’t know how they wear those heels after any sort of pointe work. I wonder what Fumi wore home last night …it would be large fluffy bedroom slippers if it was me lol.

 

I recall reading an interview a few years ago, I think it was with Tamara Rojo but it might have been Alexandra Ferri, where she said that she found wearing heels more comfortable than wearing flats because of her muscle/ligament development after so many years en pointe.

 

I, on the other hand, wore heels for the first time in over 2 years yesterday - not from a glamour point of view but because it was raining & the only foot wear I own that is both fairly waterproof & smart enough for the ROH is a pair of heeled ankle boots - & have very sore leg muscles today! Of course the dancers wearing high heels last night probably didn't have to walk a mile and a half from Kings Cross to the ROH & back unlike me. And I've obviously never done pointe work!

Edited March 5, 2022 by Dawnstar

[Stephenwolf]

3 hours ago, emmarose said:

 

Where exactly were you seeing these comments? 

 

And for what it's worth, most people are usually (deservedly) very complimentary of Fumi online from what I've ever seen.

Dear emmarose,

Well, as I am only active on this forum, I saw, (or didn't see) the comments here. However, please don't misinterpret my opinion. It's a fact that when you are in support of a particular entity, no amount of feedback can be enough to reinforce your own inclination, particularly when you're not so sure whether you are in a majority, or a minority. The fact is, I became instantly entranced by Fumi, and I just couldn't get enough comment about her. It just seemed to me that she didn't seem to be getting the recognition that I thought she deserved. In my (limited) view, she is the at the very apex of a company that surely, currently, has to be at the very apex of world ballet. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Yours very sincerely,

Stephen

[Sim]

17 minutes ago, Stephenwolf said:

Dear emmarose,

Well, as I am only active on this forum, I saw, (or didn't see) the comments here. However, please don't misinterpret my opinion. It's a fact that when you are in support of a particular entity, no amount of feedback can be enough to reinforce your own inclination, particularly when you're not so sure whether you are in a majority, or a minority. The fact is, I became instantly entranced by Fumi, and I just couldn't get enough comment about her. It just seemed to me that she didn't seem to be getting the recognition that I thought she deserved. In my (limited) view, she is the at the very apex of a company that surely, currently, has to be at the very apex of world ballet. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Yours very sincerely,

Stephen

Hi Stephenwolf.  It’s not a question of being wrong.  As you are new to this beautiful art form, you don’t yet have the experience that most of us have had for many years…that of being very fond of a certain dancer but being very frustrated when others can’t see what we see, or the feeling that they don’t get enough artistic exposure.  
 

I think Fumi is one of those rare dancers who gets universal plaudits whenever she dances.  If you look back on the forum you will see great comments about all her lead roles.  You have to remember that people can only comment on a dancer when they dance, and a sad irony is that the higher up a dancer moves through the ranks, the less we get to see them dance.  Add to this that at Principal level there is a bit of a hierarchy, so the newer promotees might get fewer performances than the senior Principals.  But be happy in the knowledge that you have years of Fumi-watching to come!

 

 Thanks so much for your kind comments about my review.  

[JNC]

I often say ballet is subjective but I fail to see how anyone who likes ballet/swan lake could not have been blown away by Fumi’s performance.

 

everything from the technique, to the dramatic acting, to the emotion, to the synch in with the music and her partner…if that is her debut who knows what is to come! 

[Sim]

I’ve often wondered what happens to Odile after her dad dies?  Does she see the light and become a good girl once freed from his evil influence?  Does she come back to continue his evil ways?  Or is she just an illusion conjured up by Von Rothbart and doesn’t really exist at all?  And who is her mother?

 

 I know, I have to get out more…🤦🏻‍♀️

[capybara]

Or is the whole thing Siegfried’s dream/nightmare as a consequence of his mother’s demands that he must marry?

[Fiz]

21 minutes ago, Sim said:

I’ve often wondered what happens to Odile after her dad dies?  Does she see the light and become a good girl once freed from his evil influence?  Does she come back to continue his evil ways?  Or is she just an illusion conjured up by Von Rothbart and doesn’t really exist at all?  And who is her mother?

 

 I know, I have to get out more…🤦🏻‍♀️

I’ve always felt she was either an illusion or a sort of robot von Rothbart had created. The sinister by play that is used so successfully by Gary Avis and the Odette/Odile ballerina gave me that idea.

[Richard LH]

12 hours ago, LinMM said:

As many others here I’ve loved Fumi for a few years now and somehow I always expected that she would be a fantastic Odette one day but in the end was also completely blown away by her Odile!! 

What struck me was how complete and well-thought out her performance was, in terms of portraying Odette and Odile in every part of the story, in each movement, reaction, and expression, as well as being outstanding in her dancing technique.

 

At  the filmed rehearsal  she seemed, to me, a bit  restrained in her interpretation,  and  indeed appeared rather shy - but I thought then that she would probably improve with further rehearsal, with Federico's assistance,  and  once she  was in costume and on stage. Well "improvement" does not do her justice - in both contrasting Swan roles this was an absolute  transformation, totally commanding and mesmerising.  Utterly brilliant!

[Guest oncnp]

And right on time to miss today's links......

 

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/mar/06/swan-lake-liam-scarlett-royal-ballet-london-review-vadim-muntagirov-yasmine-naghdi-mark-bruce-phantoms-triple-bill-wiltons-music-hall

 

I was starting to think they hadn't gone.

Edited March 6, 2022 by oncnp

[LinMM]

I had been considering going to the Mark Bruce Company performance yesterday afternoon but weighing up the travel problems back home against it. However I don’t think I could have gone anyway in the end as it was just too soon after the Swan Lake the night before. It was 2.30am before got to bed …a long time been on such a high after a ballet performance …so just wasn’t ready to see any other performance the next afternoon!! 
I think I will have to write to Mark Bruce and ask if he can bring this Rep to Brighton ( missed off this year) as I’m sure it was really good I usually love their shows. 

[JennyTaylor]

I attended the performance last night and really enjoyed it. Top class dancing throughout the cast with special mentions for Vadim and James Hay.  I've seen 2 rehearsals but this was my first proper performance in this run and it certainly lived up to expectations, apart from the ending, which I have now decided I REALLY dislike.  I did think Vadim and Yasmine had a much better connection than in R&J and they both gave it their all. Yasmine's "holding balance" in Act 3 was one of the best I have seen. Comments made on this forum often flit through my mind as I watch. James Hay was certainly the most encouraging Benno (the use of those eyes!) I have seen, not that it did him any good in moving Vadim's Siegfried. However, I didn't feel that Vadim was over glum tonight, just playing it as it should be played. The lyricism and technical quality of his dancing continues to be out of this world.  Once again very thankful for this thing of beauty in such an awful world.  

[zxDaveM]

1 hour ago, oncnp said:

And right on time to miss today's links......

 

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/mar/06/swan-lake-liam-scarlett-royal-ballet-london-review-vadim-muntagirov-yasmine-naghdi-mark-bruce-phantoms-triple-bill-wiltons-music-hall

 

I was starting to think they hadn't gone.

 

is it just my perception, or were there far fewer reviews of Swan Lake this time round, than we come to expect?

[emmarose]

13 hours ago, Stephenwolf said:

Dear emmarose,

Well, as I am only active on this forum, I saw, (or didn't see) the comments here. However, please don't misinterpret my opinion. It's a fact that when you are in support of a particular entity, no amount of feedback can be enough to reinforce your own inclination, particularly when you're not so sure whether you are in a majority, or a minority. The fact is, I became instantly entranced by Fumi, and I just couldn't get enough comment about her. It just seemed to me that she didn't seem to be getting the recognition that I thought she deserved. In my (limited) view, she is the at the very apex of a company that surely, currently, has to be at the very apex of world ballet. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Yours very sincerely,

Stephen

 

I didn't even see any on here about her smiling in the role.

 

I'm of a little different opinion in that I think if I enjoy, not support necessarily, but enjoy them in whatever arena, be it ballet, dance or sport, I'm just happy enough to enjoy them and it doesn't really matter to me if who I support or like is the majority opinion or not, I just understand that everyone has their own taste and are drawn to different people for many different reasons.

 

Fumi is for sure a beautiful dancer and she always seems to earn wonderful praise for it, as she should. I've never seen anyone here say otherwise. She is one of the many in a company that at the minute is absolutely spoiled for choice of world class ballerinas who are the apex. But she is very special, you don't have to worry about that, but if you enjoy her, don't worry.

[Jan McNulty]

44 minutes ago, zxDaveM said:

 

is it just my perception, or were there far fewer reviews of Swan Lake this time round, than we come to expect?

 

I've just had a quick check back through links and the 3 obvious missing ones are the FT, Guardian and Telegraph.  The Guardian is usually very quick off the mark with reviews but the Telegraph and FT not so much.  Perhaps they elected for tickets to see a different cast? 

[JNC]

Some quick thoughts based off a few of the performances I’ve seen so far.

 

Thought Ospiova’s Odile was killer - devious in attitude and flair. Similarly I thought Naghdi’s Odile was amazing and the attack in her arms was brilliant. Interestingly despite some of the black swan appearing to be technically harder (based on an untrained eye!) it seems more difficult to successfully portray Odette due to the emotion/character required. 
 

Thought James Hay and Benjamin Ella were strong Bennos, Hay in particular beautiful technique and brought a certain charm to the role. As I watch more and more I do think Benno actually dances more, or equal to Siegfried and I wonder if parts of that role are danced by Siegfried in other productions, or split between different male dancers? 
 

Thought Yu Hang stood out as the Spanish Princess and also Nadia Mullova-Barley and of course Joesph Sissens in the Spanish dance. Luca Acri also good in the Neapolitan dance.

 

Goes without saying that Muntagirov was great as Siegfried, though I do think there was a lack of chemistry/partnership between Naghdi and Muntagirov. I felt that they both probably were dealt an unfair hand though in that the Fumi/Federico performance was the night before and I was still thinking about it then! 
 

(These are all different mixes of casts on different days.) 

I do hope they reconsider the ending - the further detail I noticed is while Siegfried carries the body you see Odile in tutu fluttering in the background. I think this is supposed to signify she is ‘free’ and perhaps in heaven (if you believe in that) but to me it links too much to her fluttering behind the staircase in act 3 in distress and trying to get Siegfried’s attention. So she looks a bit trapped and unhappy - and also logically it doesn’t align with the prologue where the tutu indicates her being magically trapped in swan lake form - just having the dual tutu and female body/dress on stage at the same time just didn’t work for me on an either an emotional or logical level. 
 

yes I’m probably overthinking but if others feel the same about the ending it’s clearly not packing the emotional punch it should, or at least perhaps dampening what preceded on some level. Whilst there was lots I didn’t like about the previous production (notably the very 80s feel of some of the more garish costumes) at least it had a clear, emotional ending. 

[bridiem]

10 minutes ago, JNC said:

I do hope they reconsider the ending - the further detail I noticed is while Siegfried carries the body you see Odile in tutu fluttering in the background. I think this is supposed to signify she is ‘free’ and perhaps in heaven (if you believe in that) but to me it links too much to her fluttering behind the staircase in act 3 in distress and trying to get Siegfried’s attention. So she looks a bit trapped and unhappy - and also logically it doesn’t align with the prologue where the tutu indicates her being magically trapped in swan lake form - just having the dual tutu and female body/dress on stage at the same time just didn’t work for me on an either an emotional or logical level. 
 

yes I’m probably overthinking but if others feel the same about the ending it’s clearly not packing the emotional punch it should, or at least perhaps dampening what preceded on some level. Whilst there was lots I didn’t like about the previous production (notably the very 80s feel of some of the more garish costumes) at least it had a clear, emotional ending. 

 

Agree very much with this, JNC. (Just to mention that the white swan is Odette, for the avoidance of confusion - I thought for a moment there was a vision of the black swan too that I'd missed!). And I agree about Benno, including his first entrance - he comes on with such a flourish that a lot of the audience claps because they think he's the prince, so when the prince then follows him on it's a bit of a damp squib. Something wrong there.

[Sim]

12 minutes ago, bridiem said:

 

Agree very much with this, JNC. (Just to mention that the white swan is Odette, for the avoidance of confusion - I thought for a moment there was a vision of the black swan too that I'd missed!). And I agree about Benno, including his first entrance - he comes on with such a flourish that a lot of the audience claps because they think he's the prince, so when the prince then follows him on it's a bit of a damp squib. Something wrong there.

Agree...the prince should come on first, with Benno following a respectful few paces behind...

[Sim]

47 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

I've just had a quick check back through links and the 3 obvious missing ones are the FT, Guardian and Telegraph.  The Guardian is usually very quick off the mark with reviews but the Telegraph and FT not so much.  Perhaps they elected for tickets to see a different cast? 

The Guardian review has come out this morning, after the links were published!  So that leaves the FT and the Telegraph to come...

[capybara]

11 minutes ago, bridiem said:

 And I agree about Benno, including his first entrance - he comes on with such a flourish that a lot of the audience claps because they think he's the prince, so when the prince then follows him on it's a bit of a damp squib. Something wrong there.

As someone who is firmly in the ‘Benno does far too much camp’, I have found James Hay and Benjamin Ella delightful this week (I wasn’t there on Thursday). Both acted and danced superbly without taking anything away from ‘their’ Siegfrieds. That is not always the case.

 

Regarding the applause when Benno and Siegfried come on, the music suggests a clap, so it’s a case of  tentative applause, then ‘wait a minute, that’s not Siegfried’, followed by ‘this one is, so clap clap clap……’

 

Something similar happens in Act 2 of Sleeping Beauty where the Countess precedes the Prince - equally ‘wrong’.

[JNC]

1 hour ago, bridiem said:

 

Agree very much with this, JNC. (Just to mention that the white swan is Odette, for the avoidance of confusion - I thought for a moment there was a vision of the black swan too that I'd missed!). And I agree about Benno, including his first entrance - he comes on with such a flourish that a lot of the audience claps because they think he's the prince, so when the prince then follows him on it's a bit of a damp squib. Something wrong there.

Whoops sorry think the names are too similar in my head and was thinking about how Odile does often leave a stronger impression! 

 

this also reminded me I really don’t get the point of all the black swans that come on at the end of act 3 - no dancing, we don’t see them before or after. I guess the sense is that evil prevails and the additional number is meant to intensify this but who are they, where have they come from and where do they go? Surely they would pop up again and come to rothbart’s aid in act 4 when he is being attacked by the white swan troupe? 
 

I don’t think anyone dancing Benno would intentionally take anything away from Siegfried and I can see it’s an excellent opportunity for a first soloist or soloist to make that impression and play a bigger role. But the choreography and amount of dancing I find does naturally conflict/shadow Siegfried which is the fault of the production, not of Benno! It doesn’t help that his costume in act 3 is a bold vibrant red - lovely but again more eye catching that Siegfried’s black. I can see red not being appropriate for Siegfried but should Benno then be wearing navy or a grey colour? 
 

I know the male main dancer doesn’t have a huge amount to do in other classical roles like sleeping beauty and the nutcracker as well but at least in those productions there is no clear role that overtakes or equals them given costuming and choreography. 

Edited March 6, 2022 by JNC