ENB Giselle (Skeaping) January 2024

[capybara]

I'm sorry, Emeralds but you've lost me now.

We have been told on good authority 1) that the Giselle and Nutcracker casting will issue next week and 2) the reasons behind the somewhat late announcement for Our Voices. 1) is a significant improvement on recent practice and augurs well for advance information under Aaron Watkin's tenure. What more is there to say until we actually have some names in front of us?

[Emeralds]

10 hours ago, capybara said:

I'm sorry, Emeralds but you've lost me now.

We have been told on good authority 1) that the Giselle and Nutcracker casting will issue next week and 2) the reasons behind the somewhat late announcement for Our Voices. 1) is a significant improvement on recent practice and augurs well for advance information under Aaron Watkin's tenure. What more is there to say until we actually have some names in front of us?

The discussion you asked me about is from 4 August, not 6 August.  😊

 

There are two concurrent topics under discussion. Yes, I know about (1) and (2) because I actually posted the news in (1) and commented on (2) higher up being unavoidable. 😊

 

 

[Dawnstar]

An email from ENB has just arrived with casting for The Nutcracker, both Giselles & Swan Lake. No mention of the triple bill next month though. Also as the casting says who will be dancing each main role but not the pairings or dates I'm not sure how helpful it actually is.

Edited August 17, 2023 by Dawnstar

[annamk]

I think maybe it's just a problem with the link in the email because it does say that daily casting can be viewed online via the link. 

 

[Bruce Wall]

6 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

An email from ENB has just arrived with casting for The Nutcracker, both Giselles & Swan Lake. No mention of the triple bill next month though. Also as the casting says who will be dancing each main role but not the pairings or dates I'm not sure how helpful it actually is.

 

The email does say you can follow the link for the performance castings - but it really isn't functioning at the moment.  Maybe it just needs to be updated.  I'm sure that's what they intend.

[Dawnstar]

Yes, I've tried that for every production & can't currently find any sign of any casting on ENB's website. Maybe someone forgot to check the website had been updated before sending the email!

[capybara]

13 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

Yes, I've tried that for every production & can't currently find any sign of any casting on ENB's website. Maybe someone forgot to check the website had been updated before sending the email!

 

It's all there when I click the links under the production info.

[Lizbie1]

3 minutes ago, capybara said:

 

It's all there when I click the links under the production info.

 

And for me.

[Dawnstar]

It might be there now but it wasn't there half an hour ago!

[LinMM]

I’ve got the full casting in my email!! 

[annamk]

It is now working for me.

 

[Bruce Wall]

Now working for me too.  Hadn't previously.

[Scheherezade]

Dawnstar, if you haven’t yet been able to access the castings, Frola is dancing with Oliveira on Friday 12 at 7.30 and Sunday 14 at 2.30. 

Edited August 17, 2023 by Scheherezade
Dodgy autocorrect

[Scheherezade]

And whoops, I see that it’s already up on another thread. 

[art_enthusiast]

On 31/10/2023 at 16:02, Emeralds said:

Oh good, for a moment I thought there were cast changes! Everyone still on track to dance their scheduled roles! This is my biggest Giselle booking ever, I believe, and that includes visiting companies from abroad. 

 

Who would you recommend booking for? I'm looking at Thursday evenings as that's the more convenient day for me. 

 

So that would be Katja Khaniukova and Aitor Arrieta, or Shiori Kase and Ken Saruhashi.

 

I am tempted by the Emma Hawes cast as I really wanted to see Precious Adams as Myrtha, the times/dates don't work too well for me though. I have also seen Emma Hawes quite frequently - as Raymonda/Odette Odile/lead in Theme and Variations - she's great, but it would be nice to see someone different.

 

Also how does this version differ to the Peter Wright one in terms of choreography?

 

[Jan McNulty]

16 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said:

 

 

Also how does this version differ to the Peter Wright one in terms of choreography?

 

 

Does it really matter?  Mary Skeaping's Giselle is the most beautiful of traditional productions and, IMHO, is unmissable.

 

I'm hoping to get there despite Avanti Trains appalling record.

[LinMM]

Both those Thursday casts will be fine! 

I seem to remember one of the main differences is that in the second Act there is the inclusion of an extra piece of music (not in Royal version) a sort of Fugue ….and not sure if this music is by Adolphe Adam or not but it’s rather nice and adds to the drama a little so perhaps a bit of a plus! 
 

[Jamesrhblack]

4 hours ago, LinMM said:

Both those Thursday casts will be fine! 

I seem to remember one of the main differences is that in the second Act there is the inclusion of an extra piece of music (not in Royal version) a sort of Fugue ….and not sure if this music is by Adolphe Adam or not but it’s rather nice and adds to the drama a little so perhaps a bit of a plus! 
 

It is indeed a Fugue from the original score and it is in the Ratmansky version too. Apparently, the idea was to represent the Willis as relics of a former judgemental world as opposed to the new world of understanding and forgiveness (although that doesn’t stop Giselle succumbing to her own inner Willi and seeking to dance Albrecht to death at one point in the Act Two coda when he partners her doing the “Cow hop” step…

[Pas de Quatre]

Please elaborate Jamesrhblack, I thought I knew all the terminology,  both correct and 'ballet slang', but cow hop step is a new one to me!

[LinMM]

I hope it isn’t a rather rude reference to the arabesque held hops across the stage whilst gently being lifted by partner …..a lovely bit which some dancers ( like Hayward) can make look so gossamer light it’s almost as if they really are a spirit!  

[capybara]

1 hour ago, LinMM said:

I hope it isn’t a rather rude reference to the arabesque held hops across the stage whilst gently being lifted by partner …..a lovely bit which some dancers ( like Hayward) can make look so gossamer light it’s almost as if they really are a spirit!  

 

Sarah Wildor was peerless in this respect.

[LinMM]

Unfortunately Sarah Wildor was dancing at a time I wasn’t going to ROH so didn’t see much of her at all. 
Osipova a few years back was also very spirit like. 
I’ve never seen Fumi in Giselle yet so am sure that will be a treat at some point. 

[Jamesrhblack]

6 hours ago, Pas de Quatre said:

Please elaborate Jamesrhblack, I thought I knew all the terminology,  both correct and 'ballet slang', but cow hop step is a new one to me!

It’s the jumps across the stage that the Willis execute adding row by row until all are cross  crossing “consecrating” their place. When Giselle comes on at the end of the coda of the Act 2 duet from the upstage wing Albrecht is partnering her as she executes that step. 

[Jamesrhblack]

1 hour ago, LinMM said:

I hope it isn’t a rather rude reference to the arabesque held hops across the stage whilst gently being lifted by partner …..a lovely bit which some dancers ( like Hayward) can make look so gossamer light it’s almost as if they really are a spirit!  

It’s not intended as rude. I’ve definitely seen the corps de ballet sequence referred to as that and it’s definitely the step Giselle is performing which always suggests to me that her Willi side with the love of dancing is taking over. 

[LinMM]

I can sort of see how it applies to all the hopping across stage of the corps as that can actually have a rather heavy quality sometimes to be honest! But the partnered bit with Giselle is anything but …and is much quicker. 

[art_enthusiast]

19 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

Does it really matter?  Mary Skeaping's Giselle is the most beautiful of traditional productions and, IMHO, is unmissable.

 

I'm sure - I don't know much about other Giselle versions as I have only seen the RB's one and the Ratmansky version performed by the United Ukrainian Ballet last year. (Haven't seen the Akram Khan one yet, would love to if it comes back to London.) It would be nice to see a contrasting version.

 

I'm just trying to work out if it's possible for me to do financially, as I've splurged a bit on upcoming Sadler's Wells productions (Streetcar named Desire, BRB's Sleeping Beauty, Acosta Danza's Carmen, NB's R + J). I know there's a Giselle/Nutcracker offer but I probably won't be seeing ENB's Nutcracker this time round.

[Jamesrhblack]

1 hour ago, LinMM said:

I can sort of see how it applies to all the hopping across stage of the corps as that can actually have a rather heavy quality sometimes to be honest! But the partnered bit with Giselle is anything but …and is much quicker. 

But it’s undoubtedly the same step which always suggests to me Giselle’s inner Wili surfacing at this crucial moment. The sequence even ends with Giselle leading the corps de ballet in the same sequence as Martha earlier in the act.

[LinMM]

However isn’t this the bit where she sort of comes in to save Albrecht!!

So I see it as her more “human” Giselle side coming out at this point! 
 

[Pas de Quatre]

They are two different steps.  The corps de ballet crossing the stage in arabesque, are what I know as "shunts".  They are moving on bent knee travelling forward not up, the aim being to keep the body and arabesque leg level as if on a conveyor belt.  Rarely achieved. The same step is used for the diagonals of 4 swans in Act 2 of Swan Lake. 

 

The step Giselle is doing is a temps levé (hop) in arabesque, straightening the leg as she become airborne, gently supported/lifted by Albrecht.  In some versions this is a series of supported small grand jetés.

[Jan McNulty]

2 hours ago, art_enthusiast said:

 

I'm just trying to work out if it's possible for me to do financially, as I've splurged a bit on upcoming Sadler's Wells productions (Streetcar named Desire, BRB's Sleeping Beauty, Acosta Danza's Carmen, NB's R + J). I know there's a Giselle/Nutcracker offer but I probably won't be seeing ENB's Nutcracker this time round.

 

I do hope you get to see this Giselle.

 

Wild horses couldn't drag me to see the current ENB Nutcracker again ... I've seen it twice and that was once too often!  Mind you I loathe the RB one even more!

 

It sounds like you'll be having a fab time at SW!

[Emeralds]

23 hours ago, art_enthusiast said:

 

Who would you recommend booking for? I'm looking at Thursday evenings as that's the more convenient day for me. 

 

So that would be Katja Khaniukova and Aitor Arrieta, or Shiori Kase and Ken Saruhashi.

 

I am tempted by the Emma Hawes cast as I really wanted to see Precious Adams as Myrtha, the times/dates don't work too well for me though. I have also seen Emma Hawes quite frequently - as Raymonda/Odette Odile/lead in Theme and Variations - she's great, but it would be nice to see someone different.

 

Also how does this version differ to the Peter Wright one in terms of choreography?

 

That's really difficult for me to choose between them, @art_enthusiast! It's not lip service but I would say they are all good pairings and casts- the company currently has a lot of great talent, so it is down to your personal preference.

 

I was really struck by how Aitor and Ken have developed so much recently as artists when I saw them last season in Cinderella and how expressive both have become while being such technically accomplished dancers.

 

Giselle was a very early lead role for Shirori even before becoming principal, so she has a lot of experience in the role, while Katja has danced Giselle as a guest in Kyiv with Jeffrey Cirio pre-pandemic and during the  United Ukrainian Ballet performances in Netherlands (both different productions to ENB) so the role has a lot of emotional significance for her. 

 

Both the Skeaping and Wright productions are quite traditional. The ENB Skeaping one has the peasant divertissement as a pas de deux instead of RB's pas de six; the traditional version is indeed for only 1 couple- it's meant to contrast their uncomplicated, trusting relationship with Giselle and Albrecht's complicated one.

 

There is an extended passage of dancing in Act 2 for Myrtha set to a fugue that is in Adolphe Adam's score which works really well and is danced beautifully at ENB. Most of the production you will recognise and enjoy. 

 

I guess you may just have to pick your cast based on your gut feeling and preference for what you prefer, or which dancer/s you haven't seen enough of lately? 

Edited November 4, 2023 by Emeralds

[Jamesrhblack]

1 hour ago, LinMM said:

However isn’t this the bit where she sort of comes in to save Albrecht!!

So I see it as her more “human” Giselle side coming out at this point! 
 

Hmm, that’s not how I interpret that aspect of the choreography which suggests me to me her succumbing to the demon within as I watch it (given that she is directly quoting steps executed by the Corps de Ballet and Myrtha). The music is also farly frenzied at that point too.

[Jamesrhblack]

1 hour ago, Pas de Quatre said:

They are two different steps.  The corps de ballet crossing the stage in arabesque, are what I know as "shunts".  They are moving on bent knee travelling forward not up, the aim being to keep the body and arabesque leg level as if on a conveyor belt.  Rarely achieved. The same step is used for the diagonals of 4 swans in Act 2 of Swan Lake. 

 

The step Giselle is doing is a temps levé (hop) in arabesque, straightening the leg as she become airborne, gently supported/lifted by Albrecht.  In some versions this is a series of supported small grand jetés.

Interesting to have the technical explanation. Watching though, it still seems very much the same intention….