ENB Giselle (Skeaping) January 2024

[Emeralds]

Just to add another reminiscence to the cow hop discussion (I'm getting a hilarious visual of cows dancing now), Marion Tait and David Yow were also  gorgeous in that Act 2 passage as well- he made her look so light as though she was floating rather than being lifted, and Marion was of course incredible in the classics, as she now is in character roles when she performs them with BRB. It was one of their last seasons at Sadler's Wells before they moved to Birmingham and the name was changed  from SWRB to BRB (and before the renovation and part rebuild of SWT). Oh, and from the same company, Momoko Hirata and Cesar Morales too.....just sublime.

 

To add another animal to the discussion, Gelsey Kirkland described working on this passage and the lifts with one of her partners, Ivan Nagy, who was of course one of ENB's previous artistic directors. Kirkland describes the position of the partner as standing and walking along like a frog during the lifts so that they could do  the lifts comfortably enough to look weightless. You can't see the posture of the partner as he is mostly covered by Giselle and her long tutu. (I'm sure the danseurs look nothing like frogs nonetheless!) I had just read the book before seeing the show and asked David if that was what they called it too, and he was very sweet to say he was certain that Ivan was a much stronger partner than he was, and he'd never heard it called that but it was very funny! 😁

 

I like both cows and frogs, so that will make me smile if we have very cold or delayed train journeys home after the performances!

Edited November 4, 2023 by Emeralds

[San Perregrino]

3 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

See my post in Special Ticket Offers about the SOLT ´New Years Ticket Sale’. Starts 21/11 or earlier for Mastercard holders. This has previously included ENB January productions. 

[Jamesrhblack]

Many of my thoughts are inspired by Alastair Macaulay’s fascinating Giselle, and her problems which examines the ballet with reference to the original sources. He does refer to the Wili’s arabesques voyagées as”cow hops” and points out that it is this step in which Albrecht supports Giselle with her face turned down towards the grave. I don’t imagine I’m allowed to give the link but it’s easily findable on google search and is well worth a read. 

[LinMM]

I think the head facing downwards in those lifts gives Giselle a slight disconnect from the physical so makes her appear more like a spirit being (in dancing terms)  
But in this bit of the ballet hasn’t Albrecht just been doing some exhausting dancing and then Giselle comes in to slow it down a little and show her concern for him by doing so? 
 

[Jamesrhblack]

8 hours ago, LinMM said:

I think the head facing downwards in those lifts gives Giselle a slight disconnect from the physical so makes her appear more like a spirit being (in dancing terms)  
But in this bit of the ballet hasn’t Albrecht just been doing some exhausting dancing and then Giselle comes in to slow it down a little and show her concern for him by doing so? 
 

That is one way of looking at it. Macaulay’s point, with which I agree, is that by emulating the Wili’s travelling arabesque hops and looking towards the ground as they apparently did originally (the Wilis being creatures of ground and grave quite as much as air) her inner Wili, the Wili that dances a man to death at Myrtha’s command is coming to the fore, and she does indeed finish the sequence leading the company in the sauté foutées en arabesque (I hope I have the terminology correct) in which Myrtha previously led them.

 

We will all respond to moments differently. For me, these moments when Giselle’s submission to Myrtha and love of dancing (which Berthe, of course, in Act worried would lead to the Act 2 situation) come to the fore add a depth and resonance to the Act, very much in accord with the Romantic notion of the idealised woman as destroyer as well as redeemer, that make it much more interesting than a simple, she was betrayed, she forgives narrative.

 

Puccini’s Le Vili offers an interesting development of this perspective too.

[Pas de Quatre]

1 hour ago, Jamesrhblack said:

... the Wili’s travelling arabesque hops and looking towards the ground as they apparently did originally

 

I don't know when or why this was changed.  It was actually known as a "Giselle" arabesque, the upper body leans forward so that it is the same level as the lifted leg, with the head beside the upper leading arm and eye line down.   It is meant to re-create the idea of drifting mist in the forest.  Too often the line of Wilis with upright backs looks like a row of ducks in a shooting gallery.

 

With regard Giselle & Albrecht's lifts, the impression for the audience should be that he is catching her before she floats away rather than he is lifting her. 

[Jamesrhblack]

10 minutes ago, Pas de Quatre said:

I don't know when or why this was changed.  It was actually known as a "Giselle" arabesque, the upper body leans forward so that it is the same level as the lifted leg, with the head beside the upper leading arm and eye line down.   It is meant to re-create the idea of drifting mist in the forest.  Too often the line of Wilis with upright backs looks like a row of ducks in a shooting gallery.

 

With regard Giselle & Albrecht's lifts, the impression for the audience should be that he is catching her before she floats away rather than he is lifting her. 

Love thie idea of drifting mist. I’d always read it as the Wilis consecrating their particular place…

[Jamesrhblack]

18 hours ago, LinMM said:

I think the head facing downwards in those lifts gives Giselle a slight disconnect from the physical so makes her appear more like a spirit being (in dancing terms)  
But in this bit of the ballet hasn’t Albrecht just been doing some exhausting dancing and then Giselle comes in to slow it down a little and show her concern for him by doing so? 
 

 

Except that the tempo is rather brisk at this point …

[Irmgard]

On 04/11/2023 at 16:37, Emeralds said:

T

 

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. 

 

Shiori Kase has never danced Giselle before.  This will be her debut in the role.  Katja Khaniukova has danced the Skeaping Giselle before, but only one performance in Belfast.  This will be her London debut.   

 

Myrtha's extended passage of dancing is actually her first solo which is much longer than in most productions and uses almost all the music Adam composed for her.  The Fugue is mainly danced by the Wilis when Myrtha commands them to get Albrecht away from the cross. When they fail, she uses the final few bars of the Fugue and commands Giselle herself to move away from the cross and dance.  The Skeaping version also includes the Pas de Vendanges in Act I in its entirety.  This is the big central pas de deux for Giselle and Albrecht composed by Adam which not even Ratmansky in his "historically informed" version attempted to include.  It includes solos for Giselle and for Albrecht, both choreographed by Skeaping, and comes at the height of the festival, just after Giselle is crowned.  Both Acts in Skeaping's version are approximately one hour long, certainly making it longer than Peter Wright's production for the Royal Ballet. 

 

As we are currently rehearsing the Skeaping production, I am pleased to report that our lovely Wilis do not resemble cows in any way as they perform the 'shunts' across the stage, and all our Giselles fly beautifully in their temps levés supported by their Albrechts ☺️.

[Emeralds]

20 minutes ago, Irmgard said:

Shiori Kase has never danced Giselle before.  This will be her debut in the role.  Katja Khaniukova has danced the Skeaping Giselle before, but only one performance in Belfast.  This will be her London debut.   

 

Myrtha's extended passage of dancing is actually her first solo which is much longer than in most productions and uses almost all the music Adam composed for her.  The Fugue is mainly danced by the Wilis when Myrtha commands them to get Albrecht away from the cross. When they fail, she uses the final few bars of the Fugue and commands Giselle herself to move away from the cross and dance.  The Skeaping version also includes the Pas de Vendanges in Act I in its entirety.  This is the big central pas de deux for Giselle and Albrecht composed by Adam which not even Ratmansky in his "historically informed" version attempted to include.  It includes solos for Giselle and for Albrecht, both choreographed by Skeaping, and comes at the height of the festival, just after Giselle is crowned.  Both Acts in Skeaping's version are approximately one hour long, certainly making it longer than Peter Wright's production for the Royal Ballet. 

 

As we are currently rehearsing the Skeaping production, I am pleased to report that our lovely Wilis do not resemble cows in any way as they perform the 'shunts' across the stage, and all our Giselles fly beautifully in their temps levés supported by their Albrechts ☺️.

Oh, has she not? I thought I saw photos of Shiori in the Giselle costume- maybe it was from a competition! Thanks for the information, Irmgard. It is good to have our Skeaping production expert back with all the  correct information 👍. 

[LinMM]

When I said “those two casts will be fine” referring to Kase and Khaniukova it was not because they had performed Giselle before but because I think they are generally good performers! 
It was hard to make choices this time for this Giselle and I would love to see Shiori Kase as well but chose Khaniukova and Lee because have not seen either of these two in Giselle before  and their dates were more suitable for me.