Manon, Royal Ballet Winter 2024

[FionaM]

1 minute ago, Sim said:

Having seen Lukas BB as a very sinister Von Rothbart and an evil Gaoler, I think he could make a very nasty GM in the next run.

 

he’s probably got his sights on the romantic lead roles first.  

[Sim]

Just now, FionaM said:

 

he’s probably got his sights on the romantic lead roles first.  

No reason why he can't do both...as the company seems to be giving young dancers character roles, I can't see any reason why you can't be a Romeo and a GM, especially as it is unlikely that it would be in the same season.  Siegfried and GM?  Why not?!

[Scheherezade]

Agreed. I was just about to say he could show his versatility by doing them all but you beat me to it. Why not?

[capybara]

13 minutes ago, Scheherezade said:

Agreed. I was just about to say he could show his versatility by doing them all but you beat me to it. Why not?

 
Why not - well, not yet…..

1) Lukas’s classical technique has some way to go;

2) the ranks above him are already overcrowded;

3) there are other soloists lining up nicely too

 

I do like him, though, and agree that there is scope for dancers to ‘double up’ in terms of the nature of the roles they portray.

[Emeralds]

To join in the character artist and/or romantic lead discussion, I noticed that very unusually for runs of Manon, this season, the performances of Manon I attended had a Des Grieux and a Gaoler who had both danced Nutcracker Prince! (Richardson and Brændsrød, Campbell and Edmonds). 10 or 20 years ago that would have been unheard of- their Gaolers would have been dancers who no longer danced/didn't dance classical leads but mainly performed character roles.

 

I think if the dancer can perform the acting part convincingly and the dancing part well, it doesn’t matter which "category" they usually perform. I notice that some companies like the Paris Opera often cast GM to be a younger man, using soloists or principals who dance classical parts, while companies like RB, ENB would cast artists who perform predominantly character roles and are often older than the leads. Both practices are fine with me as long as the portrayal is convincing. And there's no reason why a GM can't be Siegfried the following week if he has the technique for it.  I think Aiden O'Brien could be an excellent GM next time round following his brilliant debuts as Drosselmeyer and the Cello Teacher in The Cellist recently.

 

PS slightly different topic but since we're still discussing Manon while waiting for the next Swan Lake, a shoutout for the excellent trio of Leo Dixon, Taisuke Nakao and Joonhyuk Jun as the three young gentlemen in Act 2 on 8 March, who had beautifully complementary lines and positions while jumping, on the ground or when turning, and were neatly synchronised while having their own distinct personalities. 

Edited March 14 by Emeralds

[Linnzi5]

1 hour ago, Emeralds said:

PS slightly different topic but since we're still discussing Manon while waiting for the next Swan Lake, a shoutout for the excellent trio of Leo Dixon, Taisuke Nakao and Joonhyuk Jun as the three young gentlemen in Act 2 on 8 March, who had beautifully complementary lines and positions while jumping, on the ground or when turning, and were neatly synchronised while having their own distinct personalities.

Yes. I agree 100% - I thought they were fantastic! 

[Scheherezade]

1 hour ago, Emeralds said:

Both practices are fine with me as long as the portrayal is convincing. And there’s no reason why a GM can’t be Siegfried the following week if he has the technique for it. 

Absolutely. It all turns on the portrayal and the technique. 
 

1 hour ago, Emeralds said:

a shoutout for the excellent trio of Leo Dixon, Taisuke Nakao and Joonhyuk Jun as the three young gentlemen in Act 2 on 8 March, who had beautifully complementary lines and positions while jumping, on the ground or when turning, and were neatly synchronised while having their own distinct personalities. 

 

They were stand out, weren’t they? Unfortunately some of the other trios somewhat suffered by comparison. 

Edited March 14 by Scheherezade