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The Sleeping Beauty, Royal Ballet 2023


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53 minutes ago, Scheherezade said:

Just loved this rehearsal. A surfeit of fabulousness! 

 

Very much so. Looking forward to seeing this cast again in March.

 

I head a child crying earlier  - it sounded like a baby from the amphitheatre but I thought under 5's weren't allowed? 

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1 hour ago, MJW said:

I head a child crying earlier  - it sounded like a baby from the amphitheatre but I thought under 5's weren't allowed? 

 

Balcony boxes. I wondered if it was the child of a performer. They made as swift an exit as possible.

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A bit out of sync with the date of the dress rehearsal and the first night, but today happens to be the 132nd birthday of Sleeping Beauty (premiered on 15 January 1890) in St Petersburg, with Carlotta Brianza as Aurora and Pavel Gerdt as the Prince.....and the Lilac Fairy was a mime/character role. Still looking good at 132! 😊

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On 14/01/2023 at 14:45, emmarose said:

 

To be honest though, the talent lies in making the difficult look easy. 

 

Indeed - such as smiling through the Swan Lake fouettès! What I meant was I like knowing how difficult certain pieces of choreography are from listening to interviews/podcasts and watching rehearsal/performance commentary videos, etc. I really enjoy New York City Ballet's Anatomy of a Dance series for this reason (they've got some great ones on their version of the Sleeping Beauty, not sure how different it is from the RB's).

One thing that can't be avoided too easily is panting/loud breathing, which I recall hearing a lot of in the final Mayerling pas de deux, for example, easily discernible from the front of the orchestra stalls. Certainly adds to the realism of that particular scene! 

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Aha I was just going to ask if anyone had booked this Thursdays performance as was checking whether Corrales and Magri still on for Feb 14th and then saw his name against 19th so wasn’t sure if was a mistake. 

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36 minutes ago, ctas said:

Judging by Instagram he partnered for Magri’s stage rehearsal, so I was half expecting this to change back!

 I wonder why they put the cast change on the website in the first place then. You'd think if it was doubtful then they'd stick to the original casting until it was certain one way or the other. I feel like now I won't be sure who's dancing until I see him come on stage - and of course in SB you have to wait until Act II for the Prince to turn up!

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1 hour ago, Dawnstar said:

 I wonder why they put the cast change on the website in the first place then. You'd think if it was doubtful then they'd stick to the original casting until it was certain one way or the other. I feel like now I won't be sure who's dancing until I see him come on stage - and of course in SB you have to wait until Act II for the Prince to turn up!

 

I wasted several hours last week with the "will he/she, won't he/she make it to stage" debate in my head in respect to whether Natalia & Reece would dance Nutcracker on Saturday night.  It looked very doubtful, and yet when it mattered, against the odds, there they were resplendent and dancing at the top of their respective games.  a timely reminder to self that it helps me to remind myself regularly that the small print says that casting for any evening is only provisional and always subject to change.  and yes, you're right, we won't be sure who's dancing until we see him/her come on stage, or at least until there's a curtain announcement before the performance.  i have even been at performances where one dancer has started the evening and another has finished it.

 

the nature of dance is that it is fluid, injuries can happen at any time and recovery from them can take longer or, perhaps in this particular case, less time than anticipated.  

 

my experience is that whoever dances onstage at the ROH is always worth watching so best allow events to take their course rather than get unduly worked up or indignant. Cesar or Reece, both have been absent from a leading role for too long so it'll be definitely a treat. 

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1 hour ago, PeterS said:

my experience is that whoever dances onstage at the ROH is always worth watching so best allow events to take their course rather than get unduly worked up or indignant. Cesar or Reece, both have been absent from a leading role for too long so it'll be definitely a treat. 

 

I'm neither worked up not indignant, just curious as this is the first time I've seen a cast change then change back again. I would be happy to see either Corrales or Clarke in the role. However I do prefer to know casting in advance as I'm autistic & don't deal well with uncertainty.

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The photos from the ROH Flickr account are all great, especially the impressive neatness of the corps de ballet in the Act 1 Waltz and the Act 2 Vision scene. But top prize for stunning elevation, expression, and placement of hands and feet by the dancer (beautifully pointed feet), and perfect  timing of the shot goes to photographer (and former RB dancer) Andrej Uspenski and Joseph Sissens (as Bluebird)! Wow! 

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This being my first live Sleeping Beauty, I was thrilled to see Marianela and Vadim. Superb as always, I felt such palpable excitement emanating from the stage through the grand PDD/finale of Act Three. I'm consistently stunned by Marianela's technical prowess and the way she seamlessly moulds herself into the character, making every reaction so believable. Vadim flies as always! The partnership between them seems so effortless. I was also thrilled to see Fumi Kaneko's Lilac Fairy, after seeing her rehearsing the role in one of the World Ballet Day videos from 2019. The vision scene with all three of them, and the incredible corps, was just so visually stunning, and the music there is definitely my favourite. 

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9 hours ago, art_enthusiast said:

Joseph Sissens and Isabella Gasparini, an iconic Bluebird/Princess Florine pairing! Superb.


It’s good to see Isabella Gasparini being given more mature challenges: not just Florine but Enchanted Garden rather than Songbird, as well as Stephanie and Louise in Mayerling. I’m not really a Nutcracker person, but my understanding is that she also danced Rose Fairy. I fjnd her a delightful dancer and presence on stage.

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34 minutes ago, Ian Macmillan said:

Well, David Jays is first up with a decidedly cool review in today's Standard - see Links.  "Decorous but dull." 

 

I didn't go last night, but this reviewer sounds as if he is objects to the concept of a fairy tale that is just that; not a fully fledged drama, no social commentary, and yes, maybe even one 'mired in antique hierarchies' with remote monarchs and respectful courtiers. And he opens by saying that 'no-one goes to Sleeping Beauty for the plot' - well I do, at least in part. If he can't see the poetry behind the plot, that's his loss.

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16 minutes ago, bridiem said:

 

I didn't go last night, but this reviewer sounds as if he is objects to the concept of a fairy tale that is just that; not a fully fledged drama, no social commentary, and yes, maybe even one 'mired in antique hierarchies' with remote monarchs and respectful courtiers. And he opens by saying that 'no-one goes to Sleeping Beauty for the plot' - well I do, at least in part. If he can't see the poetry behind the plot, that's his loss.

 

I found this review to be one of the strangest I've ever read. His problem seems to be with the fairy tale and the fact the monarchy in question seems stable? I don't really understand what he's getting at. I'm actually a republican (in the sense I do not wish to live under a monarchy, not in the US sense) and even I wouldn't put that against a fairy tale.

It just seems a strange angle to take for a review.

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Anyway, I was there last night and what an absolute treat, there's not much more to say about Marianela and Vadim that hasn't already been said in the past, but they just work so beautifully together with complete ease and both were sublime on their own and then magical together.

The Rose adagio, well, towards the end my heart was beating so fast, I don't know how the ballerinas keep their cool, but flawless, not a wobble in sight!

 

What a gorgeous Lilac Fairy Fumi makes, enchanting us all throughout the whole evening. Kristen was a fabulous Carabosse. And the standouts were the Bluebird pairing of Joseph Sissens and Isabella Gasparini, just wow, I love Isabella, she has such a beautiful and light quality to her dancing that was perfect here and Jo just was exceptional, it wasn't just his leaps, but the crispness of his technique that really stood out.

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I agree absolutely with everything that @emmarose wrote! One of the better Sleeping Beauty's that I've seen in a long time (even Act 3 which I do often find can drag a bit until the final PDD...)

 

Marianela & Vadim were subline in everyway, so lovely to see two artists with such strong, controlled technique which really then allows them to be in the moment and almost 'play' with their musicality and phrasing. What a treat to be able to see them both! I may be wrong, but I also thought that they were dancing at a faster tempi compared to previous years, which I think is a good thing - it adds a freshness and excitement to what you are watching on stage. 

 

Loved Fumi as the Lilac Fairy, radiating such warmth and benevolence all evening. I thought Claire Calvert as the Woodland Glade & Yuhui Choe as Golden Vine were the standout fairy variations in the Prologue. Joseph Sissens and Isabella Gasparini were fantastic in the Bluebird, I've long admired both of them and it was lovely that they were given this to dance for the opening night. 

 

Special mention to Kristin McNally as Carabosse - wickedly fantastic! 

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2 hours ago, Ian Macmillan said:

Well, David Jays is first up with a decidedly cool review in today's Standard - see Links.  "Decorous but dull." 

 

I actually get where he's coming from.

 

I remember many years ago Kenneth MacMillan (as the then Artistic Director) commenting that he felt the burden of having to watch so many Sleeping Beauties. I was aghast back then but I absolutely 'get it' now despite some really stellar performances shining through last night and the opportunities afforded more junior dancers.

 

Kenneth's own version (danced by ENB) seems to me to have more life about it, including less weightier costumes.

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David Jays clearly has no understanding of ballet history, tradition or heritage.  Nor does he have any understanding of those who simply want to have some escapism and not delve into analysing an old fairytale.  This is not supposed to be a history lesson wherein we discuss whether 'the monarchy is healthy or ripe for toppling'.

 

He complains that the 'fireworks' of Vadim and Marianela don't appear until nearly three hours into the evening.  How about all the work done by her for the previous three hours?  He also moans that the court 'hardly reacts to Aurora's swoon.'  Again, this shows a total lack of understanding of the artform, and the court.  What does he expect them to do, charge around like headless chickens?  In a classical ballet?  This is a highly stylised piece of work, with the steps being laid down many years ago.  Furthermore, no-one would have approached the king or queen without being summoned to do so.  Finally, Lilac appears so they don't actually need anyone else to help.  That is the whole point.  

 

He also seems to have no idea that there are plenty of ballet and dance companies that are "arguing back" at classic ballets.  Why do we have to 'argue back' at classic ballets?  Guess what Mr Jays, there is a reason that these ballets sell out, over and over again (viz. Swan Lake at the Coliseum right now), all around the world.  The clue is in the word:  they are classics.  

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