English National Ballet - The Forsythe Evening

[capybara]

9 hours ago, Candleque said:

 Speaking of Tamara, will there be any formal send off / celebration from ENB?

That will be up to the Company. Tamara herself has previously eschewed fuss and wasn’t really in favour of what the audience and dancers arranged at the RAH when Daria Klimentova was leaving.

 

But I agree; it’s nice to celebrate someone’s achievements with a proper send off. The RB is now doing that well.

[Jan McNulty]

37 minutes ago, capybara said:

That will be up to the Company. Tamara herself has previously eschewed fuss and wasn’t really in favour of what the audience and dancers arranged at the RAH when Daria Klimentova was leaving.

 

But I agree; it’s nice to celebrate someone’s achievements with a proper send off. The RB is now doing that well.

 

David Nixon always does that well for his dancers at Northern Ballet too.  I hope he gets a very public acknowledgement from the company for all he has done for them!

[BeauxArts]

Back to the programme.. I enjoyed this bill so much. Someone commented on the The Times review thread that it should be made available on the NHS as a tonic and I could not agree more: brilliant choreography danced with palpable  joy and effervescent style by the company. This is surely the way to bring new audiences to classical ballet. Bravo ENB!

[Erica]

On 03/04/2022 at 10:41, capybara said:

That will be up to the Company. Tamara herself has previously eschewed fuss and wasn’t really in favour of what the audience and dancers arranged at the RAH when Daria Klimentova was leaving.

 

But I agree; it’s nice to celebrate someone’s achievements with a proper send off. The RB is now doing that well.

I wonder where you got that from. I believed Rojo has always encourage anyone´s achievements with a proper send off. After all, it is her who introduced direct stage announcements when promoting a dancer to either Principal or Lead Principal categories

[Tango Dancer]

Just back from the Forsythe Evening.  Thanks to those who recommended it.  I really enjoyed myself and so (judging from the whoops and cheers) did a lot of people.  What a lovely, uplifting programme!

 

I don't go to contemporary dance as it's usually a bit violent contorting and involves too much aggression for my personal liking but this was like proper ballet but to modern music which worked really well.  Now I remember why I like Forsyth's style. 

 

In the first half I liked most of the pieces although I think it would have been better with someone else singing.  I don't know who James Blake is, but he can't sing very well and his voice was awful in my view (sorry to any fans of his).  Still I loved Julia Conway in "Put that away and talk to me."  My other favourite was "Two Men Down" which I thought showcased the lovely men of the ENB very well.  

 

In the second half I could not take my eyes off Precious Adams.  She really suits this choreography and moves so beautifully through it with such elegant movements.  I was captivated by her performance in "Location" and "Everlasting Love"  I also loved the group dance in Sha la la which worked so beautifully as a whole, I didn't know who to look at next.  

 

Overall a thoroughly satisfying evening.  I just wish it had been longer as it felt too quick.  

[serenade]

1 hour ago, Tango Dancer said:

In the first half I liked most of the pieces although I think it would have been better with someone else singing.  I don't know who James Blake is, but he can't sing very well and his voice was awful in my view (sorry to any fans of his).    

I agree…I went to the matinee on Saturday. My friend loved the music and everyone around me seemed to also. For me it was really like nails on a chalkboard and it unfortunately ruined it. And I also didn’t really think the music lent itself very well to really being danced to, j think I didn’t really ‘get’ the piece but I was very distracted by his voice so could be that.  I think the choreography itself was mostly nice, and I do really like most of Forsythe but it wasn’t for me. 
 

I really loved Playlist the first time round. I did really enjoy it again but I think I liked it better when it was the shorter work, it just seemed to pack more of a punch for me but I’m pleased I’m in the minority with that view and that everyone seemed to love it. Obviously all the dancers were amazing, goes without saying and it was great just seeing them 😊

[alison]

6 minutes ago, serenade said:

I really loved Playlist the first time round. I did really enjoy it again but I think I liked it better when it was the shorter work, it just seemed to pack more of a punch for me but I’m pleased I’m in the minority with that view and that everyone seemed to love it.

 

No, I rather agree with you - I think extending it has slightly diluted the effect, although it's still great fun.

[Fonty]

I only went to see this because of the rave reviews on here, and really enjoyed it.  I am never quite sure what category Forsythe belongs to.   I suppose he is contemporary because he is alive and active, and the previous pieces I have seen by him have been set to a weird soundtrack.  But it is obvious he knows his classical ballet , so I don't think of him as a contemporary dance choreographer in the same way that I view Wayne MacGregor.  

 

Anyway, this was not my idea of modern or contemporary.  Where were the physical contortions?  Where were the splayed leg lifts for the women?  Where were the 20 odd  dancers all doing something different at the same time, interspersed with a lot of frantic running about?  Where were the angst ridden expressions?  And most importantly, where were the vest and pants, or the baggy, torn clothing, in washed out shades of pale grey and beige?  Instead, we got flattering outfits for both sexes, very simple but very effective.  I particularly liked the Playlist ones in shades of hot pink and electric blue.  (I was amused by the fact that the ladies had pink tunics, but we got occasional glimpses of electric blue pants as they danced.  Great fun.)  The women wore pointe shoes, and both men and women were doing recognisable classical ballet moves.  Plus they were smiling a lot of the time, and looked as though they were having fun.  Goodness me, what was going on?

 

I agree about the music for the first ballet.  The only James Blake I know is the tennis player, and I couldn't help wondering whether he would have made a better singer.  The voice was too whiny for my taste, and the music too down beat with each track sounding remarkably similar, although much of the movement was very beautiful.  I loved the second one, and not having seen the original it really made an impact on me.   Great stuff, and I whooped and hollered at the end  along with everyone else.  

 

 

[Jan McNulty]

17 minutes ago, Fonty said:

I only went to see this because of the rave reviews on here, and really enjoyed it. 

 

 

 

Fab review Fonty!

[Scheherezade]

Yes it is, Jan. I agree with every word of your second paragraph, Fonty, and most of the third, apart from the fact that I didn’t mind the James Blake tracks, although they didn’t, of course, have the energy or variety of Playlist.

 

So for anyone who hasn’t yet been to the Forsythe evening, I have one word: “Go!” The run ends on Sunday so not many performances left but make sure you grab a ticket to one of them. Uplifting, exhilarating, supremely enjoyable, you’ll come out on a feelgood high that lasts well after the performance ends and what’s not to love about that?

Edited April 7, 2022 by Scheherezade

[Fonty]

Regarding the James Blake music, I should have said that I agreed with those who didn't like his voice.  I appreciate that some people on here really enjoyed it.  I didn't hate it, and I could sit through it again, it just wasn't really my cup of tea.  

 

Actually, it was a bit of a surprise.  For some reason, I had it fixed in my head that the music was by James Blunt......

[Scheherezade]

36 minutes ago, Fonty said:

 

Actually, it was a bit of a surprise.  For some reason, I had it fixed in my head that the music was by James Blunt......

Phew! Close call there! 

[Bruce Wall]

How extraordinarily refreshing to see such delightfully fresh linked-up step combinations and true neo-classical BALLET choreography.  Blessedly these vivid examples on display were not themselves transfixed with a constant succession of minimalistic isolation; i.e,, employing the contemporary dance lexicon (weighted contractions, etc.,) in the name of balletic idioms. The world has MUCH to thank William Forsythe for. This stellar programme was stunningly depicted throughout by a fantastically exuberant ENB company. Special shout outs at this Thursday matinee performance for (a) Precious Adams - infusing the very soul of jazz in her sizzling legs; (b) the svelte dignity of that marker for consistent quality, Noam Durand; (c) Francesco Gabriele Frola - surely one of the greatest ballet artists on any world stage today; (d) the ever mesmerising legend that is Erina Takahashi; (e) the life force emanator who sings through the witty feet of Katja Khaniukova; both the acerbic (f) Daniel McCormick and the ever pungent (g) Angela Wood punching well above anybody's business in the 'Location' pas and last - but CERTAINLY NOT least - (h) Rhys Antoini Yeomans, a young British hope who is clearly becoming a balletic force to be reckoned with. Just so many riches were on display ... in this Forsythe fabric which itself personified cultural wealth; nay, health!  Bravi!

 

 

 

Edited April 8, 2022 by Bruce Wall

[Irmgard]

Having attended two exhilarating and joyous performances of the Forsythe Evening (a bit of a misnomer for the matinées!), it seems a bit churlish to have any niggles but I do have a couple. With the excellent ENB Philharmonic available, it seems a shame that both pieces were danced to taped music, especially as I personally found James Blake’s music for the first piece on the bland side and, to be perfectly honest, completely unmemorable.  I do not know the whole canon of Forsythe’s work but surely he must have choreographed something to live music!  Also on the subject of music, I found it sad that ENB did not follow the lead of other large performing arts institutions and play the Ukrainian national anthem as a mark of respect, at least at the start of the opening night performance, instead having an anonymous voice read out the very brief statement which appeared on the cast sheet and even this had disappeared by the Saturday matinée.  As the ENB Philharmonic had made a wonderful recording of the anthem, I asked ENB’s executive director why it was not played and I received the response that it was going to be played but an artistic decision was made on the day to just concentrate on the statement about donating to DEC.  I do feel that the omission of the anthem was out of step with the mood of the general public and, in particular, the UK’s artistic community.

 

I have absolutely no niggles about the dancing, which was a joy from start to finish.  “Blake Works” owes a lot to Balanchine, with its motifs of hips thrust forward and spiky hands, along with the fast and furious dancing in most of the numbers, highlighting the strength and talent of the company as a whole. I can just see the Paris Opéra Ballet, for whom it was created, dancing it with their usual mix of arrogance and insouciance but ENB dance it with a generosity of spirit which is immediately and totally engaging, and my eye was continually caught by Ivana Bueno who epitomised this.  In the opening number, the three leading ladies were perfectly matched physically, with their long limbs and beautiful feet, and it was good to see Angela Wood as one of them, bringing her innate elegance to the choreography, as she did in the pas de deux in the fifth number (“Waves Know Shores”), partnered by the equally elegant Ken Saruhashi.  She is a dancer I have admired since she enchanted me in one of the intensely moving pas de deux in “No Man’s Land” in 2014 but whose undeniable talent has not been nurtured since then by the current artistic regime, in my opinion.  Emma Hawes and Emily Suzuki were also captivating, with Suzuki displaying such refinement and beauty of movement in the adagio “The Colour in Anything”, partnered by Isaac Hernàndez, that I feel sure she is ripe for promotion to one of the soloist levels. Likewise, Hawes and Aitor Arrieta brought elegance and graciousness to the final pas de deux.  It is almost impossible to single out any of the men for particular praise in this piece because they were all breathtaking in their technical abilities, as they were in the extended version of “Playlist”, now entitled “Playlist (EP)”, but of course I must mention the phenomenal Jeffrey Cirio who is sadly making his last London appearances as a member of ENB in this double bill.  His unique talent will be very much missed.  Apart from the aforementioned Hawes and Suzuki, who also appeared in ‘Playlist’, Precious Adams sparkled in the quirky “Location” and in the final number, “This Will Be”.  The evening ended with an impromptu dance party onstage and it was wonderful to see all the dancers thoroughly enjoying themselves and still entertaining us with their infectious exuberance.

 

I returned for the matinée on 2 April, which featured an almost complete cast change from opening night.  It was lovely to see Alison McWhinney, sadly absent during the Coliseum season, back on top form and bringing a wonderful lyricism to the pas de deux in the fifth number of “Blake Works”, partnered by the equally impressive Rentaro Nakaaki. Again, the highlight of this piece for me was “The Colour In Anything”, this time danced by Shiori Kase and Junor Souza with a chemistry that was almost palpable. On opening night, I had thought that the technical abilities of the male dancers were much better served by Forsythe than those of the female dancers.  However, at this performance of “Vegas”, the all-female number in ‘Playlist’, the diminutive Katja Khaniukova burst onto the stage like a human dynamo, with a dazzling smile and a heady mix of sassiness, sexiness and glamour (very Vegas!), as well as her flawless technique, (always a credit to her training at the Kyiv State Choreographic Institute), making the choreography her own and lifting it to a completely different level.  Her charisma and technical brilliance were well matched in “Sha La La…” by the mercurial Rhys Antoni Yeomans, and the two sparked off each other to create real electricity in a highly entertaining display of bravura. Angela Wood impressed again, this time in the “Location” pas de deux partnered by the always watchable Daniel McCormick, bringing to it a different quality from that of Precious Adams but equally compelling. 

 

Although there was no dance party onstage after this performance, and the audience was not as vocally appreciative as on opening night, nevertheless the huge ovation demonstrated how much we had enjoyed this immensely entertaining and fabulously danced programme and I, for one, had no issues with the shortness of the programme, due to the third advertised piece being withdrawn, and I look forward to being able to see two more performances before the end of its run on Sunday.

[FionaM]

Thoroughly enjoyed yesterday’s matinee… felt delightfully peaceful and uplifted after Blake Works where Alison MacWhinney and Noam Duran caught my eye.  Lovely performances from everyone.  
 

And then the energy of Playlist.  Just brilliant.  Especially want to mention Precious Adama, Katja Kaniukova …dynamos both … and Francesco Gabriele Frola was absolutely fizzing.  
 

I can see that the rehearsal time would have been enormous for this big cast.
 

So glad I didn’t miss this, even if it was one one hour of dancing.  It was a full on feast.

Edited April 8, 2022 by FionaE
Grammar

[Lizbie1]

3 minutes ago, FionaE said:

I can see that the rehearsal time would have been enormous for this big cast.
 

So glad I didn’t miss this, even if it was one one hour of dancing.  It was a full on feast.

 

I completely agree - that one hour contained more content than many three act ballets or bills IMO.

[art_enthusiast]

How are people actually getting to Sadler's Wells? Is the Northern line still going to Angel from Euston? I thought there was a big cancellation between Moorgate and Kennington.

[alison]

It is, but it's currently hell.  I tried getting on the Northern line earlier, but there was a 10-minute wait for a train.  And the buses were tailing back past the theatre when I arrived.  Hope whatever it is is sorted before the performance finishes.

[serenade]

1 hour ago, art_enthusiast said:

How are people actually getting to Sadler's Wells? Is the Northern line still going to Angel from Euston? I thought there was a big cancellation between Moorgate and Kennington.

I walked from Farringdon…takes 15-20 mins ish depending how fast you walk. But depends where you’re coming from if that’s an option … I can’t wait for Angel to reopen 😂

Edited April 9, 2022 by serenade

[JNC]

2 hours ago, art_enthusiast said:

How are people actually getting to Sadler's Wells? Is the Northern line still going to Angel from Euston? I thought there was a big cancellation between Moorgate and Kennington.

Northern line does run from Euston/King’s Cross to Angel, and then to Moorgate. It’s just it doesn’t carry on around down from Moorgate/Kennington via Bank. 
 

Depending on where you’re coming from if it’s Euston it may be worth getting a bus. Citymapper is a good app for giving you the best routes with live updates for next buses/tubes. 

[alison]

It's still horrendous. Angel station appears to be closed, although tfl website doesn't indicate that.  Victoria line severe delays too. There was a message earlier citing problems on numerous tube lines.

[alison]

Also, beware of some unusually short intervals. I've been caught out twice.

[annamk]

4 minutes ago, alison said:

It's still horrendous. Angel station appears to be closed, although tfl website doesn't indicate that.  Victoria line severe delays too. There was a message earlier citing problems on numerous tube lines.

 

Where did you see that Angel station is closed ? There's nothing on google maps or citymapper ...... 

[JNC]

I attended today’s matinee performance and it was a great, happy and lively bill. 
 

I have to admit Blake Works was merely on ‘ok’ for me. I think as others have commented music for me is integral to dance and I often overlook or forget this, but then am reminded when I don’t like particular music, and or when dancers don’t dance in time/sync with the music and it becomes very obvious how important music is. (Silent ballet doesn’t really work, or at least wouldn’t be sustainable for a long work!) So whilst I appreciated the choreography visually I didn’t really perhaps fully appreciate it and I wouldn’t be bothered about seeing this again (but wouldn’t be opposed to it either if it was part of a wider bill I was interested in). 

 

I really appreciate Forsythe as a choreographer and to me he seems closest to Balanchine and Ashton in the sense that he is clearly using classical steps and producing “ballet” not contemporary dance. The use of flicked and fast arms but still in clear Ballet positions and quick footwork was lovely to see. 

(As much as I found Pite’s solo echo an interesting piece of work I’m still not sure if I would classify it as ballet, I think for me the test is maybe whether a non-classical ballet would be able to perform the work and I think they would for Solo Echo but not for this Forsythe bill. But I’m not a technical expert so may be wrong on this.)

 

The Playlist EP was infectious and had a real atmosphere, and was great fun and very uplifting. Great to see the corps and in particular Precious Adams, Frola stood out (also others but I’m not sure if the cast list is correct but I could just have been sitting too far away to identify properly). 
 

It’s interesting that one comment here noted they felt it was a bit too long compared to the original Playlist - I didn’t feel this way at all and even could have done with one final concluding piece, but I didn’t see the original Playlist so can’t comment. 

 

one minor gripe with the work is the fade to black and screen down endings when the dancers are still dancing - on one hand I like it as it gives a sense the dancers will carry on enjoying themselves even after the formal performance has ended. On the other hand it feels like a bit of a cop out to not have a clear defined ending - whether it’s dancers clearly going off stage, or a sort of freeze frame position to conclude the piece. 
 

Overall a really fantastic double bill, and the music also was played at an appropriate noise level (could even have been a little, but only a little, louder) which I was concerned about given the sensory overload of the crushing noise levels of Creature. 
 

For the curtain call Katja Khaniukova was draped in the Ukrainian flag and I found this rather emotional given the recent news about the horrendous situation in Ukraine. 
 

I hope we do see more Forsythe (either ENB, or RB, or any company!) in the U.K. as to me of the newer works I’ve seen so far he comes the closest to ensuring ballet innovates but still ensuring a clear calling and link back to classical moves and choreography. (But I’ve not seen works by all modern choreographers of course, but Forsythe to me is ahead of Wheeldon, MacGregor for example.) 

[JNC]

13 minutes ago, annamk said:

 

Where did you see that Angel station is closed ? There's nothing on google maps or citymapper ...... 

 

same, I admit I haven’t used it recently and got a bus but as far as I’m aware it shouldn’t be closed, so apologies if what I’ve commented above is incorrect! But it certainly should be accessible via Kings Cross/Euston. 

[serenade]

16 minutes ago, annamk said:

 

Where did you see that Angel station is closed ? There's nothing on google maps or citymapper ...... 

The Tfl website has info about it the line closure.

[Bluebird]

16 minutes ago, serenade said:

The Tfl website has info about it the line closure.

 

The TFL website gives no indication that Angel station is closed.  This is the only information it gives: 

 

"From Saturday 15 January to mid May 2022, the Northern line will be closed between Kennington and Moorgate as part of major upgrade works. During this time, Angel Station is expected to be busy between 07:45-08:45 and 16:30-18:45. Please consider travelling at the quieter times for a more comfortable journey. If you must travel at the busier times, allow more time for your journey"

 

Edited to add that I've just found a possible source of the confusion.  Angel Station is due to be closed next Saturday, April 16 (as well as Good Friday, April 15)

 

"NORTHERN LINE: Good Friday 15 and Saturday 16 April, no service between Euston (Bank Branch) / Charing Cross and Stockwell / Battersea Power Station."

Edited April 9, 2022 by Bluebird

[serenade]

35 minutes ago, Bluebird said:

 

The TFL website gives no indication that Angel station is closed.  

 

Sorry I must have misread it.   

[annamk]

Angel station is closed so the forum is more reliable than TFL’s website ! 

[Bluebird]

30 minutes ago, annamk said:

Angel station is closed so the forum is more reliable than TFL’s website ! 

Indeed, Anna. I only just thought to check their twitter feed and found the tweet below. Clearly a case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing!

 

@TfL

Hi Chris, thanks for getting in touch and sorry for any disruption to your journey. Angel station is closed due to the temporary unavailability of station staff. Thanks, Sue.

Edited April 9, 2022 by Bluebird

[capybara]

Last performances in the UK with ENB for both Jeffrey Cirio and Isaac Hernandez.

[LinMM]

😥

[Bruce Wall]

1 hour ago, capybara said:

Last performances in the UK with ENB for both Jeffrey Cirio and Isaac Hernandez.

 

Question:  Does anyone know whether or not this was the last London performance of Joseph Caley?  The only reason I ask is twofold - (a) he certainly danced tonight as if it was - augmenting - brilliantly it has to be said - his choreography and smiling with delight at his considerable achievement in Playlist - and (b) he and Cirio were the two brought forward in front of the men - with all the company applauding during the final call .... and Cirio then moved to Caley pointing - it seemed rather knowingly.  Perhaps all this was just my imagination .... You never can tell.  (Had a nightmare journey trying to get to the Wells.  They shut down Angel tube while I was on the Northern Line - at King's Cross no less - because of 'a lack of staff'.  I only just made it, huffing and puffing - nay panting - beneath three masks.)  

 

Was this just happenstance - i.e., the Caley front call?  Grateful for those in the know to inform ... if they can that is.  

 

Cirio will be SO missed.  I will very much look forward to seeing him with Boston - both he and his sister are such brilliant artists there. 

Edited April 9, 2022 by Bruce Wall