Pas de Quatre Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 Gautier's musings that Bathilde wanted to take Giselle back to the castle may not be so impossible. Some people have wondered (we discussed this in a previous thread) whether Giselle is in fact the illegitimate daughter of a nobleman. There is nothing about her father in the ballet at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 (edited) 3 hours ago, alison said: With sub-zero temperatures currently in London, I'm hoping the theatre will be warm enough for today's matinee @alison If it is anything like everywhere else I have been this week, you might find yourself wishing you had worn a bathing suit! @Irmgard Thank you so much for your detailed comments about the story. I found this particularly interesting, as it has ben the subject of discussion before on this forum: "Gautier makes no mention of Giselle committing suicide or attempting to commit suicide. It is much more in keeping with the ethos of the Romantic era for a heroine to die of a broken heart but, again, it is up to the producer to decide which approach to take. Skeaping followed the leads of Pavlova, Spessivtseva and Nicholas Sergueyev in having Giselle die of a broken heart. The fact that Giselle is buried in a woodland glade is also from the Gautier scenario and does not signify that she is buried in unconsecrated ground but, rather, gives a beautiful setting for Act 2. " I have been watching Giselle for many years, and it is relatively recently that the RB production seems to insist on a definite suicide, the thought being that she has to be buried in unconsecrated ground so that the Wilis can get to her. This has never made sense to me, because her grave is normally marked with a large cross. I assume this wouldn't have been allowed on any grave other than in an official one, and also there is always the concept that its religious power provided by the sanctity of being buried in a place blessed by the church reduces the power of the Wilis. I presume that the fact that Giselle's grave seems to be all on its own is because it would be extremely difficult logistically to have all the Wilis trying to dance around a load of tombstones. Edited January 18 by Fonty 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irmgard Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 1 hour ago, alison said: This would also have been the production I saw at the Festival Hall in (?)1991, with Yelena Pankova guesting, would it? I'm guessing from my recall of the programme cover, which had rather etiolated drawings on it rather than photos. I thought Takahashi did appear to stab herself with the sword last night, by the way. Yes, the last time Mary Skeaping's production was performed in London, prior to Derek Deane taking over as Artistic Director, was 1991 at Royal Festival Hall. It was brought back by in 2005 by Matz Skoog. Aaron Watkin appeared in it as a member of the corps de ballet in 1991, hence his desire to present it during his first season as Artistic Director. Skeaping went with Pavlova's version regarding the sword, in that it is a shiny thing which Giselle, in her demented state, sees as a toy to play with and will not let the villagers take it away from her but, yes, Takahashi's Hilarion was a bit slow off the mark in snatching it from her last night! The joys of live performance! 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irmgard Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 3 hours ago, LinMM said: Would love to have seen Erina Takahashi and Cesar Corrales together in Giselle!! It was a match made in heaven! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 14 minutes ago, Fonty said: ... it is relatively recently that the RB production seems to insist on a definite suicide, the thought being that she has to be buried in unconsecrated ground so that the Wilis can get to her. This has never made sense to me, because her grave is normally marked with a large cross. I assume this wouldn't have been allowed on any grave other than in an official one, and also there is always the concept that its religious power provided by the sanctity of being buried in a place blessed by the church reduces the power of the Wilis. I presume that the fact that Giselle's grave seems to be all on its own is because it would be extremely difficult logistically to have all the Wilis trying to dance around a load of tombstones. The cross in the RB version, is two 'sticks' tied together though, giving it an air of an unofficial marking of the grave, rather than a place in a graveyard (though if they were poor, that may be all they could afford?). So perhaps no religious aspect there - just a marking of where she lay. There again, as you say, the power of protection her grave gave Albrecht would hint at some religious protection, so the graveyard comes back into play. And even if it was just tucked away at the edge of a graveyard, you'd think the designers could paint a few gravestones on the backdrop or side tabs A never ending, circular argument for either approach it would seem! 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 (edited) 16 minutes ago, zxDaveM said: The cross in the RB version, is two 'sticks' tied together though, giving it an air of an unofficial marking of the grave, rather than a place in a graveyard (though if they were poor, that may be all they could afford?). In the current one, yes, but it could also mean she has only just died, and therefore no "proper" cross has been put up. Also, if you look at photos of past productions there was always a large cross on her grave. Have a look at the Magic of the Dance, with the clip of Fonteyn and Nureyev in act 2, for example. In any case, suicide in those days carried such stigma, even if she had stabbed herself deliberately, surely it would have been covered up in some way by her horrified mother and the rest of the villagers. There is no way they would have allowed this poor girl to be buried in an unmarked grave somewhere in the middle of nowhere, especially after the way in which she had been treated by the man she loved. Incidentally, I've noticed that a couple of the dancers in the current RB production make it look as though they stab themselves by accident, as people attempting to intervene and take the sword from her. Which is one way round the issue. . Edited January 18 by Fonty 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheilaC Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 2 hours ago, Pas de Quatre said: Gautier's musings that Bathilde wanted to take Giselle back to the castle may not be so impossible. Some people have wondered (we discussed this in a previous thread) whether Giselle is in fact the illegitimate daughter of a nobleman. There is nothing about her father in the ballet at all. In the Paris Opera Ballet production some, but not all, of the dancers taking the role of the Prince of Courland, after admiring Giselle, look meaningfully at Berthe, giving the impression that they may have had an affair. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 Tues 16/1 Katja Khaniukova (Giselle) Francesco Gabriele Frola (Albrecht) (in place of Aitor Arrieta) Alison McWhinney (Myrtha) Fabian Reimair (Hilarion) Ivana Bueno & Miguel Angel Maidana (replacing Daniel McCormick) (Peasant pas de deux) And so to the third performance - which I changed plans to attend (since I had already seen Arrieta and Khaniukova unexpectedly early) due to missing Oliveira and Frola last Friday - with the heartwarming story of Arrieta and Khaniukova willing to give up their Tuesday show to give Oliveira and Frola a second and final chance to dance Giselle given that it was 7 years since the production was last revived....except Oliveira hadn't yet recovered from her injury so only Frola could take up the offer. That meant that after heroically stepping in just 22 hours after dancing Giselle as a last minute replacement, Khaniukova was now putting in extra work to rehearse with a new partner midway through the run too. She deserves a medal! 🏅 So how did it go? Well, I'm pleased to report that after a civilised rest of 3 days (as opposed to 22 hours!) of not performing (although still workihg hard to rehearse) that Khaniukova's star power was back. The makeup and hairstyling, with charming soft curls, were back to their usual ballerina radiance, and her signature ebullience and sunny glow were very much evident, marking her out, just like Takahashi on Saturday, as the star of the ballet. She and Frola, who were briefly partners in Theme and Variations in September, had great chemistry and were very believable as the peasant girl besotted with her mystery new neighbour and he as the nobleman in disguise, infatuated with Giselle. It was lovely to have a second chance to see Khaniukova's glorious Romantic Era technique- delicate in its ballon and quiet landings yet steely strong in her technical mastery (those beautifully controlled attitude turns and the precision of the pointe work and footwork) and of course- what many had turned up at the last minute for- Frola's dazzling leaps and his beautifully centred and controlled turns. Frola's Albrecht is more boyish, impulsive, than the other two I've seen, and you can imagine him getting caught up in his emotions and feelings without stopping to think, hang on, I have a fiancée already! Khaniukova's sweet and innocent Giselle is sunny and trusting until the point where she realises that her new love is not at all what he seemed to be. I didn't mention the Mad Scene before, but another reason I like this production is that the Mad Scene is taken at a reasonable pace here, with opportunity to see Giselle's break with reality, seeing visions of the wilis, discovering and picking up the sword, remembering the daisy petals, etc but not taken at such a slow pace as in some productions that it drags on. Khaniukova was believable and heartbreaking in Giselle's descent into madness. Although I didn't get to see Daniel McCormick in the Peasant pas de deux (a kind decision to give him a rest before his Albrecht the next evening) it was a pleasure to see Ivana Bueno in the role- a contrast to her Zulma in the previous performances, partnered by Miguel Angel Maidana, who had made his debut in the pas de deux on Friday night. Despite being another new partnership with limited rehearsal time together, Bueno and Maidana were a lyrical and charming pair, presenting a romantic adagio and neat coda, with Bueno musical and graceful in her solo and Maidana ebullient and energetic, much improved in his solo from his debut 4 days previously. Angela Wood took over the role of Bathilde from Quagebeur (beginning a week of different Bathildes), James Streeter reprised his role as her father, as did Laura Hussey as Berthe. The experienced Fabian Reimair brought his eloquent mine and dramatic gravitas to the role of Hilarion. It was a joy to see Allison McWhinney, back from maternity leave, in the role of Myrtha (which I had missed her in last time). It's been ages since I last saw her dance, which I think may have been the La Sylphide pas de deux at the Dance for Ukraine Gala in March 2022 with Fernando Carratala Coloma as her James. She was an outstanding Myrtha here- with a gorgeous Romantic era technique with its continuous silky bourrees across the huge stage, the airy jumps and smooth speedy turns. Over the years, I've seen the role of Myrtha in some productions morphing from imperious leader of ghostly beings, to ever more heavy Halloween style make up and dancing- part goth harpy, part evil witch, which is so far removed from the original intention of the ballet, and quite boring to watch. McWhinney's portrayal doesn't go for histrionics- her Myrtha is authoritative and has power, but she doesn't need to overdo it. She has supernatural power in her authority over the wilis and the men who trespass on their territory at night- although of course Giselle doesn't allow her victory over Albrecht on this night. It's a beautifully nuanced and superior performance She was ably supported by Minju Kang and Chloe Keneally as her lead wilis Moyna and Zulma, and her superb corps of wilis dancing with grace, attack, precision or all three when required. Khaniukova and Frola, living up to expectations, were thrilling in beauty of their pas de deux and solos- her air of weightlessness as a new wili, her love of dancing as.a young girl transformed into the speed of a wili's turns and the ethereal jumps of a spirit being. Frola's well known virtuosity was showcased in the spectacular Act 2 solo and "dance to death" (like Arrieta and McCormick he too uses the more visually pleasing sequence of double tours each ending with a plea to Myrtha for mercy), and he is an admirably skilled partner, presenting his Giselle so beautifully after only limited rehearsal time following the cast change. Frola has now partnered 3 different Giselles in the space of 3 days (one with less than an hour's notice!) without incurring any mishaps- there should some kind of medal 🏅 for that! What a very special evening and memorable three performances it has been: despite the freezing temperatures to travel in, it has been a treat to watch three outstanding Albrechts and two incredible Giselles whose heroic etiquette, can-do courage and performance quality over the last 5 days have been truly inspiring. Bravi to all! (I only wish I could catch their colleagues in all the other casts too.) Khaniukova and Arrieta will be back in the last matinee of the run which promises to be spectacular and unforgettable. This marks the last scheduled performances of Takahashi, McCormick and Frola in the lead roles....unless one or more are required to step in again to save the day!- who knows? One thing's for sure- we need Skeaping's Giselle back in January 2026 or sooner (how about a summer run for a change??) Chookas and toi toi toi to ENB for the remaining shows. 9 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 1 hour ago, Emeralds said: She deserves a medal! 🏅 And that's not all she deserves ... 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CCL Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 Just now, alison said: And that's not all she deserves ... 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Perregrino Posted January 18 Author Share Posted January 18 (edited) Emma Hawes was exceptional in her debut as Giselle in today’s matinee. Breathtakingly beautiful in both Acts. Cast change for tonight: Gabriele Frola replaces Ken Suruhashi Edited January 18 by PeterS 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 Oh no! And I've just got home from the matinee. And I really can't go out again. Hope he and Kase do well. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 A beautiful and mightily impressive debut from Emma Hawes today. My daughter and I were very moved at the end. She was every inch the Romantic ballerina, and took us on an emotional journey that started with a smile and ended with a lump in my throat. Her new stage partner, the young Ukrainian Vsevolod Maievskyi, is tall and with a naturally noble bearing. He was in love with Giselle, and had a lovely connection with Emma from start to finish. I could really feel his despair in Act 2, and got the feeling that he wouldn't have minded being danced to death in order to be with his love forever. Precious Adams was wonderful as Myrthe. No pining for what might have been had she lived; this was a vengeful queen, who glowered throughout at the prospect of Giselle ruining her night and betraying her sister Wilis. Her jump is amazing and she really seemed to fly around that forest. The corps de ballet were once again beautiful: ethereal but fierce. I was sitting in the Upper Circle, surrounded by primary school children. Aside from some paper rustling (which the teachers put a stop to) I didn't hear a peep out of them. They, like me, were engaged and enraptured from start to finish. 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annamk Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 6 minutes ago, alison said: Oh no! And I've just got home from the matinee. And I really can't go out again. Hope he and Kase do well. Me too ! It's too cold. 🥲 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 See Tickets still has some offers on ... or ask at the box office. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 Actually, I'd like to sound off about the Coliseum website. Not only is there no option to switch from one performance to another, but their "occupancy" colour coding is currently highly misleading. It used to be that on the photo of the auditorium each tier would be coded green/amber/red according to availability. Everything now seems to be red, whether there's 1 ticket or 100 available. It's infuriating, and makes me wonder whether I could have got more suitable tickets for last week than I managed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 And can anyone give me a URL for the cast sheets pages, please? I didn't notice if there was one printed alongside the QR code. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaM Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 10 minutes ago, alison said: And can anyone give me a URL for the cast sheets pages, please? I didn't notice if there was one printed alongside the QR code. https://www.ballet.org.uk/blog-detail/daily-performance-casting-mary-skeapings-giselle/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 Dawnstar I don’t know whether you inspired ENB with one of your piccies (page 7 of this thread) but on their Facebook page there are a lot of “blurry” piccies …deliberately of course ….to show the spirity look of the Wilis! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 17 minutes ago, alison said: Actually, I'd like to sound off about the Coliseum website. Not only is there no option to switch from one performance to another, but their "occupancy" colour coding is currently highly misleading. It used to be that on the photo of the auditorium each tier would be coded green/amber/red according to availability. Everything now seems to be red, whether there's 1 ticket or 100 available. It's infuriating, and makes me wonder whether I could have got more suitable tickets for last week than I managed. Yes, don't look at the colours, folks! Just hunt around to find the seat/s you want. A 99.9% sold out auditorium that still has one perfect seat in your favourite area and well within budget is better than 50% full auditorium that only has seats you don't like/can't see/can't afford. Alison, you were right about some parts of the upper circle being a bit restricted in leg room- I finally found a seat that was a little tight! However, nobody was on the left or right of me so I could swing my legs sideways and it was comfortable. Probably not so fun if the entire row and tier were sold out. It was just 2 rows behind and 10 seats away from seats that had plenty of leg room for me. To be fair, the ROH amphitheatre and some parts or Sadler's Wells are exactly the same! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 (edited) 3 hours ago, Emeralds said: This marks the last scheduled performances of Takahashi, McCormick and Frola in the lead roles....unless one or more are required to step in again to save the day!- who knows? I'm sorry if I jinxed Ken Saruhashi by saying that! But of course, January is flu season and Albrecht is a hardworking role after a busy month of Nutcrackers.....which makes Khaniukova, Arrieta and Takahashi's saving of the Friday and Sunday shows all the more remarkable. Wishing Ken Saruhashi a speedy recovery! 1 hour ago, alison said: And that's not all she deserves ... I did consider saying the p word, but I dare not jinx Katja's chances! I will just say she is a total star for not just the last minute jump in on Friday but also going to the trouble of rehearsing with a new partner for Tuesday. And also want to add that those beautifu attitude turns are the hallmark of a lead-ing star! (There you go @alison and @CCL....everything but the actual word! Would be thrilled for her if it did happen!) I notice with some bemusement that the leadership have just morphed Daniel McCormick into Miguel Angel Maidana as well..... 🤣 (Joking of course- it makes sense to rest McCormick after his show last night and to give Miguel another chance at the Peasant pdd) I would have liked to see tonight's cast whether with Saruhashi or Frola but unfortunately I can't go as I have an important delivery tonight and an early appointment tomorrow morning. Wishing Shiori Kase and colleagues toi toi toi! Anyone here who is going tonight, do let us know what you thought. 🖥 📱 Edited January 18 by Emeralds 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryrosesatonapin Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 19 hours ago, Emeralds said: Sat 13/1 eve: Erina Takahashi (Giselle) Daniel McCormick* (Albrecht)(replacing Fernando Carratala Coloma) Emily Suzuki (Myrtha) Erik Woolhouse*(Hilarion) Francesca Velicu* & Shunhei Fuchiyama* (Peasant pas de deux) So on to Saturday and another new cast I've not seen before apart from Myrtha. Takahashi has danced this production Giselle for many years and in a good number of locations and theatres now, while Daniel McCormick, initially scheduled to dance just the Peasant pas de deux (albeit 5 times) now had the additional opportunity and challenge of making his debut as Albrecht in place of injured colleague Fernando Carratala Coloma as well. .... I was at this performance and agree with everything you say, @Emeralds. I was particularly impressed with Emily Suzuki's powerful Myrtha. One thing that shocked me, though, was that the audience laughed inappropriately twice: once when the ghostly Giselle's veil was snatched away, and once when she was 'floating' in the background. How crass, I thought, wiping away my tears. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annamk Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 I was at the matinee in a packed Coli today. Emma Hawes was an exquisite Giselle, everything was there and so it was impossible to believe it was her debut. Her partner: young, tall, elegant Vsevolod Maievskiy also making his debut, impressed with his considerate partnering, the sincerity of his acting, and that nothing was done for show or effect. Surely he has a very promising future. Noam Durand and Chloe Keneally were excellent in the pdd. Precious Adams Myrtha has the most spectacular jump, hers was an all round terrific performance. Hats off to Gavin Sutherland conducting - no glacial tempo here, brisk and terrific ! I could watch this production over and over and now am wishing I'd stayed for this evening. It can't come back soon enough for me. The wonderful thing about this run is that all the casts I've seen have been immensely satisfying - a tribute to the production, the quality of the coaching and the dancers. 13 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 1 hour ago, maryrosesatonapin said: I was at this performance and agree with everything you say, @Emeralds. I was particularly impressed with Emily Suzuki's powerful Myrtha. One thing that shocked me, though, was that the audience laughed inappropriately twice: once when the ghostly Giselle's veil was snatched away, and once when she was 'floating' in the background. How crass, I thought, wiping away my tears. Thanks, @maryrosesatonapin- I'm glad you enjoyed their performances! I do find it strange when people laugh at what is after all just traditional stage craft. I'm guessing there were many people judging by their audible chatter who are new to Giselle or don't attend a ballet often. The audience on Tuesday didn't laugh at those parts and I sensed there were more regulars in the audience (nobody brought popcorn into my section and people were even finishing drinks outside the auditorium before getting into their seats). It occurred to me that with so many musicals, panto, plays and other theatre productions using computer aided scenery, projections, digital special effects, etc many of then have never seen traditional stage effects like wire work, pulleys, trapdoors etc any more. They should all watch that episode of The Magic of Dance that was on BBC4 last Sunday showing the stage effects at the little theatre at Drottningholm Palace- my favourite is still the set of large corkscrews that look like the sea. 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 3 hours ago, LinMM said: Dawnstar I don’t know whether you inspired ENB with one of your piccies (page 7 of this thread) but on their Facebook page there are a lot of “blurry” piccies …deliberately of course ….to show the spirity look of the Wilis! Yes, I saw that on their Twitter earlier & replied to say that I'd taken some curtain call photos in a similar style but mine were accidental! I don't know how photographers manage to do blurring in a deliberate & controlled way. My jaw dropped when I also saw on ENB's Twitter earlier that Frola was dancing with his 4th Giselle in 5 days tonight. I don't know how dancers do it! It's not even as if that he's partnered Kase recently in anything else (at least not as far as I can recall) unlike Khaniukova & Takahashi. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candleque Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 4 hours ago, Sim said: A beautiful and mightily impressive debut from Emma Hawes today. My daughter and I were very moved at the end. She was every inch the Romantic ballerina, and took us on an emotional journey that started with a smile and ended with a lump in my throat. Her new stage partner, the young Ukrainian Vsevolod Maievskyi, is tall and with a naturally noble bearing. He was in love with Giselle, and had a lovely connection with Emma from start to finish. I could really feel his despair in Act 2, and got the feeling that he wouldn't have minded being danced to death in order to be with his love forever. Precious Adams was wonderful as Myrthe. No pining for what might have been had she lived; this was a vengeful queen, who glowered throughout at the prospect of Giselle ruining her night and betraying her sister Wilis. Her jump is amazing and she really seemed to fly around that forest. The corps de ballet were once again beautiful: ethereal but fierce. I was sitting in the Upper Circle, surrounded by primary school children. Aside from some paper rustling (which the teachers put a stop to) I didn't hear a peep out of them. They, like me, were engaged and enraptured from start to finish. Agree. Emma Hawes was my fourth Giselle this run. She so completely captured the innocence and venerability of Act I for me. Amazing to think it was her debut 👏. And wow Vsevolod Maievskyi. Every inch a prince. (The only flaw I saw in Giselle was that she couldn't see how posh he was right from the start 😁.) James Streeter gave us a Hilarion we could empathise with. Precious Adams was stunning. So happy to see this cast 🤩. The corps was imo giving their all (and on a double show day.) My one difference with Sim's review is that the quite young primary school children flooding my area were all having a cheeky picnic lunch during Act I. It wasn't their fault — their ziplock bags of sandwiches and snacks indicated that the school told the parents to provide nourishment. But forgot to teach the kids to wait for the interval to dig in. In fact, it didn't seem like they had been briefed at all. There was a loud outcry of dismay behind me at the end of the first Act because they were sad it was over. When I told them there was another Act to come, there was a happy cheer of surprise. Although they were somewhat noisy neighbours, I forgave all in sympathy with how much the kids loved the show. Me too! Their whispered gasp when when Myrtha appeared mirrored my own. Bravo to all the dancers. 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irmgard Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 4 hours ago, Emeralds said: I'm sorry if I jinxed Ken Saruhashi by saying that! But of course, January is flu season and Albrecht is a hardworking role after a busy month of Nutcrackers.....which makes Khaniukova, Arrieta and Takahashi's saving of the Friday and Sunday shows all the more remarkable. Wishing Ken Saruhashi a speedy recovery! I did consider saying the p word, but I dare not jinx Katja's chances! I will just say she is a total star for not just the last minute jump in on Friday but also going to the trouble of rehearsing with a new partner for Tuesday. And also want to add that those beautifu attitude turns are the hallmark of a lead-ing star! (There you go @alison and @CCL....everything but the actual word! Would be thrilled for her if it did happen!) I notice with some bemusement that the leadership have just morphed Daniel McCormick into Miguel Angel Maidana as well..... 🤣 (Joking of course- it makes sense to rest McCormick after his show last night and to give Miguel another chance at the Peasant pdd) I would have liked to see tonight's cast whether with Saruhashi or Frola but unfortunately I can't go as I have an important delivery tonight and an early appointment tomorrow morning. Wishing Shiori Kase and colleagues toi toi toi! Anyone here who is going tonight, do let us know what you thought. 🖥 📱 Usually I feel it would be inappropriate of me to 'review' casts in this production as I have been so heavily involved with it and with all of the dancers but I have to say that I was extremely proud of Shiori Kase making her debut (!) as Giselle tonight with a partner with whom she had had about half an hour's rehearsal. She gave a highly accomplished performance, and Frola was there, supporting her all the way, partnering her as if they had been dancing together for years. The camaraderie of the dancers in this company is awe inspiring! 19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 41 minutes ago, Candleque said: Agree. Emma Hawes was my fourth Giselle this run. She so completely captured the innocence and venerability of Act I for me. Amazing to think it was her debut 👏. And wow Vsevolod Maievskyi. Every inch a prince. (The only flaw I saw in Giselle was that she couldn't see how posh he was right from the start 😁.) Yes, I thought that as well. Possibly a bit too princely at the moment to fit very naturally into this production, but I look forward to seeing him in Swan Lake. He's fair-looking (although that may have been the effect of the lights), young, slender and very tall (6'4", apparently!) - Emma Hawes came up to about his chin, and I think she's one of the company's taller ballerinas. One to watch, certainly, I think. https://parkmagazineny.com/dancing-for-life-an-escaped-ukrainian-dancers-story-vsevolod-mayevskyi/ Don't forget, though, many of these debuts may have been debuts in this production, rather than in the named roles. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irmgard Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 3 hours ago, maryrosesatonapin said: I was at this performance and agree with everything you say, @Emeralds. I was particularly impressed with Emily Suzuki's powerful Myrtha. One thing that shocked me, though, was that the audience laughed inappropriately twice: once when the ghostly Giselle's veil was snatched away, and once when she was 'floating' in the background. How crass, I thought, wiping away my tears. I have not been bothered by the laughing at the various stage effects at most of the performances (I am at all of them) as it has been quite gentle, as if they are laughing with delight rather than finding anything particularly funny. In fact, it is much as audiences reacted in the baroque era -they expressed their delight quite noisily at the various stage effects. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAB Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 10 hours ago, alison said: Yes, I thought that as well. Possibly a bit too princely at the moment to fit very naturally into this production, but I look forward to seeing him in Swan Lake. He's fair-looking (although that may have been the effect of the lights), young, slender and very tall (6'4", apparently!) And he reminds me very much of Piers Beaumont, similar type of face (patrician) and near identical physique. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 (edited) More later overall but I find myself still, this morning, much affected by the two evening debuts yesterday. The dancing and portrayals from Shiori Kase and Angela Wood (Myrtha) were everything one could wish for - and more. Due to earlier injuries, Shiori has had a very long wait to become Giselle and Angela has been a corps de ballet stalwart since 2010. Both shone brightly as students at the RBS (Angela ‘starred’ in The Lilac Garden alongside William Bracewell), graduating in 2009 and 2010 respectively, and that makes it a particular joy to experience their artistry now. Edited January 19 by capybara 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 Are my eyes deceiving me or does the ENB website now say Frola is dancing again, the matinee tomorrow Saturday? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatC Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 Oh yes - I’ve been refreshing all afternoon - Frola tomorrow it is! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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