Australian Ballet - Royal Opera House, 2-6 August 2023

[BeauxArts]

33 minutes ago, stucha said:

Two of his former students joined the Australian Ballet. Maxim Zenin, and Misha Barkidjija. He may have taken the opportunity to catch up with them too.

Zenin was not in London. His other student Aaron Oh is here atm but presumably they can see each other in St Petersburg… 

[Sophoife]

44 minutes ago, stucha said:

Two of his former students joined the Australian Ballet. Maxim Zenin, and Misha Barkidjija. He may have taken the opportunity to catch up with them too.

 

Maxim Zenin stayed in Australia with the group touring the regions.

 

22 minutes ago, Missfrankiecat said:

No it was my mistake in saying Concerto when I meant the Tchaikovsky pdd.

 

Aha! Thank you for clarifying that for me. Definitely Kondo then!

 

17 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

I didn’t come up with the phrase “National Tour”- that's what the company are calling both the ensemble and the activity

 

Thank you! Yes, I eventually realised they're now calling it "The Australian Ballet On Tour" which is completely misleading and deliberately so (six corps members and the touring party is 43 - I baked them 11 dozen tiny cupcakes and muffins, 4 dozen of which were gluten-free).

 

They're also, as you say, calling it (on socials) "National Tour" which, again, is basically a lie. Regional Victoria and NSW is hardly a "national" tour.

 

When I said "national is pushing it" I literally meant that describing this tour as "national" was pushing the meaning of the word to well outside its normal parameters, I didn't mean to be seen as correcting you, and am sorry if it came across that way. It's only national in the sense that they're remaining in Australia.

 

[San Perregrino]

50 minutes ago, Sophoife said:

Harlequinade it was a piece of fluff but such pretty fluff.

I thoroughly enjoyed (admittedly some more than others) the diverse assortment of pieces danced yesterday at the Gala. One could say it was a cabinet of curiosities containing some of the gems of Ausballet’s deep and varied repertoire. So perhaps London did see a Kunstkammer after all.
I can’t afford to travel to Australia to see the company but I would happily pay to see them again especially to see Benedicte Bemet & Joseph Caley dance a full length narrative ballet. As they had shown when dancing Diamonds, in their Don Q excerpt yesterday these two dancers had a connection and a synchronicity that was simply stunning to my amateur eyes.

Amy Harris and Nathan Brook shimmered and simmered in Concerto excerpt in Act 1 then were beautifully romantic, languid and conflicted in Act 2’s Anna Karenina excerpt. 
Elsewhere Chengwu Gou and Ako Kondo caught the eye in the Tchaikovsky pas de deux and the whole company excelled in Everywhere We Go.

As an aside, I’m not sure what headspace I was in yesterday…. Not knowing anything about Harlequinade, I pieced together a plot from what I saw onstage which can be summarised thus:

“Masked man spies on and stalks young woman, then drugs and abducts her. 
Holding her hostage until she develops Stockholm Syndrome and is convinced she has fallen in love with her captor.”

 

 

 

 

[zxDaveM]

9 hours ago, serenade said:

I unfortunately totally can imagine that 😂  It's not about the 100 years we've had, who cares about that.  It's naturally about the next 100 years...

 

you may well be right - but if they don't look after the past, there may be no future 😞

[serenade]

46 minutes ago, zxDaveM said:

 

you may well be right - but if they don't look after the past, there may be no future 😞

Agreed

[Jan McNulty]

1 hour ago, Missfrankiecat said:

No it was my mistake in saying Concerto when I meant the Tchaikovsky pdd.  For some reason I couldn't edit my post.  It was Kondo's timing I felt was off and their lift that was fluffed.

 

You have around 30 minutes after posting to edit your post.  This is how the Invision software that hosts the forum works.

[Benjamin]

Enjoyed Jewels and the gala (but I don’t usually write reviews on here) and I just wanted to say The Australian Ballet is also streaming their productions but unlike RB you can watch them from your home. They have Swan Lake on in September and The Dream/ Marguerite and Armand in November. 

Some people have probably already heard about this and the streams aren’t free but here’s a link if anyone’s interested: https://australianballet.com.au/performances/live-on-ballet-tv

[Missfrankiecat]

16 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

You have around 30 minutes after posting to edit your post.  This is how the Invision software that hosts the forum works.

Thanks for that Janet.  I thought I'd tried pretty much straight away after reading through but I obviously got distracted - not for the first time - and missed my opportunity!

[zxDaveM]

4 minutes ago, Missfrankiecat said:

Thanks for that Janet.  I thought I'd tried pretty much straight away after reading through but I obviously got distracted - not for the first time - and missed my opportunity!

 

as an aside, the 30mins rule is there to protect the integrity of the thread, especially if posts are quoted, then someone can't go back and alter their original post which would possibly make a nonsense of the reaction to the quote

[JNC]

Thanks to those who reviewed the gala as I couldn’t make that, have enjoyed reading various thoughts.

 

on a personal level I’m glad I prioritised Jewels over the Gala - when they came out with the selection for it I guessed it may be hit or miss for me (and the ones I knew I’d like I had seen previously) and comments align with what I would have thought myself I imagine (although I seem to enjoy Tanowitz a lot more than everyone on here as I loved Dispatch Duet, having said that I didn’t get on too well with Secret Things).

 

As for the concept of celebrations being looking forward or looking back, I can see both sides.

 

What I do think though is if some of the older pieces aren’t going to be shown again as the company is moving in a different direction, surely they should be shown at an anniversary celebration precisely because of this and to give them a proper goodbye? Ideally I suppose you’d have two programmes - one a celebration of the last X number of years and another a looking forward featuring existing and new choreographers that will create works for the company going forward (and or choreographers whose work will be acquired). 
 

I was disappointed with the RB’s Diamonds Bill being including a lot of “looking forward” works so my personal preference is always to celebrate the history and heritage! 

[bridiem]

I think that unless they have a brief to completely change the direction of a company, every new AD should build on (and not completely discard) the legacy they have inherited. They're not there (generally) to build a new company in their own image. (Not saying this is what Hallberg is doing - just a general point.) Without what has gone before, there wouldn't be a company for them to inherit. And their history is what makes - or should make - every significant company unique.

[alison]

Going back to Dawnstar's (I think) comments about the Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux, I have to admit that of all the pas de deux I've seen regularly trotted out at galas and the like this is the one which seems to differ the most from performance to performance.  I've lost count of the number of times I've thought "I thought I knew this pdd, but it looks completely different ..." 

[FionaM]

Regarding the Tchai pdd, I thought Ako Kondo was sublime.  She was musical and unfussy (some of the port de bras choreo in this pdd are overly fussy and she managed to make them look clean and neat.  She had very neat footwork and all the movements were in balance and under control, and she carried it off with a lightness in her upper body and relaxed enjoyment. 
 

I noticed her partner Chengwu Guo landed very deeply (too deeply as though he has an overextended knee joint) on an earlier jump and I think the same thing happened in his final assemble just before the fluffed second fish dive, which meant he was struggling to recover in time to catch her, which he did thank goodness.  I wonder if he has a knee injury.  

[art_enthusiast]

4 hours ago, PeterS said:

I thoroughly enjoyed (admittedly some more than others) the diverse assortment of pieces danced yesterday at the Gala.

 

Same here. I thought it was a great experience overall, hugely invigorating and the dancers had wonderful energy throughout. I was so glad to see David Hallberg at the beginning!

 

Harlequinade - adored this, Marcus Morelli and Sharni Spencer were absolutely superb. So sprightly - I assume it's a sort of fairy/changeling child story? That was the impression I got.

Concerto - was beautiful. So smooth, flowing, it filled me with peace to watch it and listen to the wonderful music.

I New Then - I really enjoyed this, it had a lot of depth, I found it really easy to imagine the storyline throughout. (My version of it anyway!)

Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux - I thought Ako Kondo and Chengwu Guo had incredible energy. I was excited to recognise Chengwu Guo from the Mao's Last Dancer film! His soaring leaps were brilliant, I really liked Ako Kondo's speed. This was my first time seeing the Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux so I don't have a lot to compare it to. It certainly seems fiendishly difficult!

Everywhere We Go by Justin Peck - I adored this. It reminded me a little of an ensemble piece that was included in ABT Studio Company's Linbury performance in Next Gen 2022 - just the vibe and energy of it. It's so amazing to be able to see the stunning work of American choreographers more. 

Anna Karenina - This was probably my favourite and certainly left me wanting to see the full ballet. Both dancers seemed incredibly immersed in their roles. I really felt Anna's agony. I haven't yet read the book but have watched several film adaptations a number of times, and I think their characterisation was superb. Of course, incredible partnering.

Watermark by Pam Tanowitz - Not at all my cup of tea. Which is strange as I did somewhat enjoy Dispatch Duet - ish. (Not enough to want to see any more of her work though.) Does she always have dancers randomly sitting on pieces of the stage? I didn't detect any sort of flow or connection in the choreography whatsoever. At one point the main dancer (who was lovely, this is no criticism of the dancers of course) seemed to be half doing Italian fouettes and stopping in between? Really not sure what was going on there.

Alice Topp's Little Atlas - I actually really liked this. perhaps that was mainly due to the use of Ludovico Einaudi's Fly, a piece that I adore. I do agree with the comments about manipulation of the female dancer in endless lifts becoming a bit too overused.

Don Quixote - a sublime finish, Joseph Caley was incredible to watch. Benedicte Bemet was superb, she handled the slight issue during the fouettés very well. So glad I got to see them in the Diamonds pas de deux as well.

 

I think substituting the Tanowitz piece for a more classical/heritage work from the Company would have been a better option.

[Sophoife]

@FionaE Guo Chengwu has an ongoing issue with a bulging disc in his back, and at times has struggled to walk, let alone dance. Well spotted.

 

For anyone who doesn't know, Chen and Ako Kondo are the married to each other parents of one human and two canine babies.

 

I'm thoroughly enjoying the speculations regarding the plot of Harlequinade - it's based on commedia dell'arte.

 

Girl and boy in love, father not happy as he wants her to marry a rich nitwit, has her locked up, she escapes with help and a good fairy gives Harlequin a magical slap stick that helps him get his own back on the Old Man and the Fool, and he and Columbine can marry.

 

Yes, it's quite similar to the plot of Don Quixote.

[Dawnstar]

@Sophoife It's so useful having an interpreter! You wouldn't think an interpreter would be needed when the visiting company is from another English-speaking country but evidently it is!

[Sophoife]

Memories @Dawnstar of a three-performance gala season in Launceston (that's Lon-ston to Australians, we know the one in Cornwall isn't), northern Tasmania, in 2011.

 

The theatre up there (my parents live in Hobart, at the other end of the island, okay) was celebrating its centenary, and AusBallet sent a bunch of principals and senior artists down for a Gala Celebration.

 

The audience was fine with pdds from Coppélia, Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Giselle, Merry Widow, and Sleeping Beauty and yes, all of those were included. It was the extract from Tim Harbour's Halcyon that had them puzzled, as of course no story information was included on the printed handout! I spent interval at all three shows (yes tragic but 2 hour drive and a cheapish hotel) explaining who and what! No need to do so here as it's been relegated to obscurity, having been created on and for Harbour's wife Madeleine Eastoe who is some years retired now.

[bridiem]

I've just gone properly through the Jewels programme (which also lists basic info re the gala). It's very good and comprehensive with lots of photos and biographies; but I can't find a biography for David Hallberg - there's a welcome/intro from him and the Executive Director Lissa Twomey but no biog - why would there be no bio for him or have I just missed it?

[Sophoife]

There isn't a bio for him in "home" programmes either, @bridiem. 

[bridiem]

3 minutes ago, Sophoife said:

There isn't a bio for him in "home" programmes either, @bridiem. 

 

How odd! Surely his credentials matter, and not everyone will know his background. I find that inexplicable.

[Dawnstar]

14 minutes ago, bridiem said:

I've just gone properly through the Jewels programme (which also lists basic info re the gala).

 

It sounds like I should have bought the Jewels programme then & not waited in the hope for a Gala one. Does it give any contextual information about the gala pieces?

Edited August 7, 2023 by Dawnstar
Typo

[Missfrankiecat]

13 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

 

It sounds like I should have bought the Jewels programme then & not waited in the hope for a Gala one. Does it give any contextual information about the gala pieces?

No just one page listing basics - choreo, music, staging and design - not even lead dancers.  The programme is entitled Jewels and I didn't expect anything about the gala in it when I bought - I found it informative on Jewels, which I wasn't very familiar with and hadn't had time to look up before, and with lovely photos - for which I'm a sucker!  But it's a shame there wasn't one for the gala - I guess not cost effective.

[Dawnstar]

Thanks. It sounds like just the same Gala info as on the 2 page free one handed out yesterday then.

[bridiem]

1 minute ago, Dawnstar said:

Thanks. It sounds like just the same Gala info as on the 2 page free one handed out yesterday then.

 

Yes, it was.

[Emeralds]

Amazing Grace, Brilliant Brett, a Belle at the Ball, and more: Awesome Australian Ballet sparkles in Balanchine’s Jewels 💎👏

 

I attended the first two nights of Australian Ballet’s Jewels and the Anniversary Gala. Didn’t have time to post a review after each show, as we had a packed schedule all week caused by the rail industrial action. 

 

In front of a full house that included Li  Cunxin and Mary Li (both looking well, I’m pleased to report), Alexander Campbell, Claire Calvert, and other dance luminaries, the curtain opened up after a brief speech by David Hallberg to a tastefully sparkling set designed by Peter Harvey and the dancers in Karinska’s iconic costume designs. The Royal Ballet Sinfonia sounded wonderful under the baton of Jonathan Lo (same orchestra and  conductor throughout the whole tour) with Andrew Dunlop playing the solo piano part in Rubies. 

 

Sharni Spencer and Callum Linane were a charming and refined  First Principal Couple in Emeralds with elegant lines who responded sensitively to the music and each other. Spencer was light on her feet, elegant in the many distinctive hand and arm movements of this solo. Valerie Tereshchenko, a late replacement for Rina Nemoto not originally scheduled to reprise the Second Principal Couple role in London, found herself dancing it on opening night with a new partner at short notice, She gave a wonderful rendition of the long solo to Fauré’s Sicilienne music, with graceful lines and precise delicacy in the petit allegro. She and partner Mason Lovegrove looked understandably cautious at the beginning of their demanding pas de deux which has the ballerina completely on pointe throughout the first part, but they gradually eased into the pas de deux and finished gloriously. The pas de trois was led by an exuberant Drew Hedditch, with soaring jumps and neat footwork, while his partners Larissa Kiyoto-Ward and Katherine Sonnekus were charming in their synchronised yet lyrical phrases.

 

In Rubies, Isobelle Dashwood, promoted straight from corps de ballet to soloist two years ago (bypassing one rank) is a tall dancer at 5 foot 10 (she has discussed this extensively in interviews) who led Rubies at the start with quiet confidence and ease. Her long limbed, coltish quality reminded me of some NYCB young dancers who went on to become stars: Heather Watts, Maria Kowroski, Teresa Reichlen. Tall dancers are often cast in this part but it isn’t enough just to be tall without adequate mastery of the choreography, as sometimes happens. Dashwood’s youthful coltish manner belies a strong technique and she performed the solo with ease, especially the notoriously tricky arabesque balances at the end.

 

Ako Kondo and Brett Chynoweth were a stunning virtuoso lead couple in Rubies, dazzling in the fast changes of position, daring drops by the ballerina into his arms, and jazzy, sinuous quality in such contrast to the traditional romanticism of Emeralds. Ako has long been known for her technical wizardry, but Brett matched her for pyrotechnics with dazzling jumps and lightning fast turns. Marvellous! 

 

On to the grandeur of Diamonds, led by Benedicte Bemet and Joseph Caley, Bemet reminiscent of a sweet young princess and Caley her attentive prince. I remember Bemet from the last tour and tv broadcasts where she often danced young girl roles such as Clara, and here she was, dancing with the regal authority of a ballerina leading her realm of soloists and corps de ballet. Her virtuosity in a breathtaking series of turns into the wings and Caley’s elegant jumps, and their soaring lifts were highlights of this performance. 

 

The corps de ballet who had been exceptional in their unity, grace and musicality in the Emeralds and Rubies sections, really came into their own in Diamonds, with each graceful sweep of their arabesques and each luxuriant developpe  (unfolding movement of the leg), virtually moving and breathing as one. Their lyricism and attention to detail in the Emeralds and Diamonds sections, and the dynamism and energy of Rubies coupled with their seemingly effortless unity, whether in the quartet of men or the corps, can be easily taken for granted by the audience- when it’s there you may not appreciate it, but when it’s not you certainly do!  All credit to the dancers, their coaches and stager Sandra Jennings- the care and time invested in rehearsal and prior performances certainly produced an excellent performance that was warmly appreciated by an enthusiastic audience. 

 

If first night was a lovely experience, nothing prepared me for the second night. We usually expect second casts to be less polished than the first cast, often with the main focus in rehearsal often placed on the first cast, but I was in for a surprise. Grace Carroll, only in the company for 2 years after graduating from ballet school, was second cast in the First Principal Couple with Jarryd Madden for the first run in  May, while Imogen Chapman danced Second Principal Couple on the first night. From the opening moments, you can why Carroll and Madden have been thrust into the spotlight for Emeralds, and why Chapman was given opening night. Carroll has an innate elegance and a noble grandeur - even her fingertips are refined- with gorgeous lines and  sensitive musicality, picking up on the melancholic nuances of the music. She was wonderfully complemented by Madden’s attentive partnering and refined ease in his dancing, and with the immaculate corps, they danced with a breathtaking grace. 

 

Having only previously performed their roles with other partners, Chapman and Mangakahia made an elegant pair, she lyrical and musical, he strong and refined, a noble partner for his ballerina: both were magnificent in the demanding second pas de deux. Carroll and Chapman were both resplendent and magnificent in their ballerina solos. Yuumi Yamada, Jade Wood and Marcus Morelli were a joyous trio in the pas de trois, Morelli with wonderful ballon in his jumps, and Yamada and Wood precise and light on their feet. This cast was so incredible that it seemed astounding that none of them were principals yet.

 

If one surprise was remarkable, there was more to come. I had booked this cast mainly to catch their star virtuoso Chengwu Guo in this ballet but I was to find more stars. From the opening tableau where all the women were en pointe and the men on three quarter pointe right to the finale, Belle Urwin, a corps member who only joined the company three years ago, was eye catching as the Soloist girl, sassy and commanding from the start, strong in her technical mastery, imbued with finesse, and rock steady in her solo all the way to the arabesque balances. I had previously only seen Jill Ogai in supporting or character roles, but as the principal couple with Guo, she too matched him for fireworks, dazzling in the pirouettes, lunges, high kicks, arabesques, and her dramatic gifts were put to good use in this pas de deux. Both made light work of the solo sections, Guo with his trademark spectacular jumps and lightning fast turns, Ogai confident in the tricky spins and bringing her charisma and dramatic gifts to the role. Once again, the impeccable corps shone as brightly as their soloists. 

 

For Diamonds, Sharni Spencer and Callum Linane made a welcome return as the principal couple after performing in Emeralds the night before. They brought their lyrical charm to the grandeur of Diamonds, once more ably supported by that wonderful ensemble of corps and soloists. Spencer was a beguiling star, gorgeous  in the adagio, and resplendent in her fouettés and pirouettes, Linane a noble partner, dashing in his fine leaps and series of spins. And their stunning finale! Knowing this would be the last Jewels I would see this magnificent company dance for a long time, I tried to savour every second and burnish every scene in my memory of their glorious dancing. These have been two of the best performances of Jewels I’ve seen in the last 15 years. 

 

Australian Ballet was always a talented company, quietly honing their craft from the time of Peggy van Praagh, through the era of Nureyev’s visits working on projects with them, till today, when their unmistakable quality shows that they are now among the top five companies in the world. I’d love to see their Kunstkamer and other repertoire here, from the long awaited Merry Widow, their fun Coppelia to their new Harlequinade and Anna Karenina, and many more. Although unlikely given their geographical location and the timing of their own performing season, I would be more than delighted if Australian Ballet became our regular August visitors at ROH from now on. Either way, let’s hope it’s not 35 years - or even 5 years - before they return to ROH again. 

Edited August 7, 2023 by Emeralds

[capybara]

1 hour ago, Emeralds said:

till today, when their unmistakable quality shows that they are now among the top five companies in the world. 

 

I've held back from giving my views so far since I was clearly less enamoured with The Australian Ballet's offerings than most BCF members. But, on the basis of seeing Jewels and the Gala, I would certainly not rate them among the 'top five' although, of course, I wish the Company well on its journey towards that goal.

[Emeralds]

On 03/08/2023 at 17:35, alison said:

 

What about the Tall Girl's "partners" in Rubies?

Ooh, I don’t think the RB list them either, @alison. Although I think they have quite testing choreography to dance along with partnering Tall Girl/Soloist (as Australian Ballet calls the role) girl. They do the jumps and “running” with the man in the coda and have to be in sync with their jumps and coordinated with their spacing too, so they perhaps deserve as much credit as the Diamonds couples.

 

The interesting thing is that RB records the Demi soloist couples too. I think the Paris Opera listed the two soloist women in Diamonds but not the four Diamonds Demi soloist couples or the four Rubies men, and NYCB doesn’t record the four men or the four Diamonds Demi soloist couples either- just the four leads in Emeralds, the Emeralds pas de trois, the three leads in Rubies, the lead couple in Diamonds. @Bruce Wall might be able to fill us in as to whether the NYCB playbills have more cast names than that. 

Edited August 7, 2023 by Emeralds

[Bruce Wall]

43 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

@Bruce Wall might be able to fill us in as to whether the NYCB playbills have more cast names than that. 

 

NYCB in their playbills lists ALL DANCERS performing.  To do otherwise would be in breech of the union regulations and they would be brought up on charges.   Where there are cast changes they are (i) changed in the electronic casting notices; (ii) announced from the stage if late - and, if in time, (iii) have paper inserts in the playbill itself.  Sometimes all three.   


 

Edited August 7, 2023 by Bruce Wall

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[bridiem]

9 hours ago, capybara said:

I've held back from giving my views so far since I was clearly less enamoured with The Australian Ballet's offerings than most BCF members.

 

That's a pity, capybara - it's interesting to get the range of reactions to performances, not just those that are very positive.

[bridiem]

8 hours ago, Bruce Wall said:

NYCB in their playbills lists ALL DANCERS performing.  To do otherwise would be in breech of the union regulations and they would be brought up on charges.   Where there are cast changes they are (i) changed in the electronic casting notices; (ii) announced from the stage if late - and, if in time, (iii) have paper inserts in the playbill itself.  Sometimes all three.   

 

I think that's an excellent practice.

[Emeralds]

8 hours ago, Bruce Wall said:

NYCB in their playbills lists ALL DANCERS performing.  To do otherwise would be in breech of the union regulations and they would be brought up on charges.   Where there are cast changes they are (i) changed in the electronic casting notices; (ii) announced from the stage if late - and, if in time, (iii) have paper inserts in the playbill itself.  Sometimes all three.   


 

Thank you Bruce! I remember some like this from a long time  ago, but wasn’t sure if it was still done. The website doesn’t record everyone in the cast for a premiere, but it’s lovely that it is done on the performance programme. Not only is it informative for audiences who are keen to know, it may come in useful for artists’ careers, eg choreography for the corps in Concerto Barocco is complex, so evidence for being cast in it frequently shows that someone is entrusted with a crucial role.

[annamk]

18 minutes ago, bridiem said:

 

That's a pity, capybara - it's interesting to get the range of reactions to performances, not just those that are very positive.

 

I agree, do post your thoughts @capybara I see Louise Levene at the FT was less enthusiastic than other critics.