Emeralds Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 For thoughts and reactions to the 2024 gala in aid of Ukraine organised by Ivan Putrov, this time at the London Palladium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 I really enjoyed last night and Ivan Putrov is to be commended for turning around a gala in little over four weeks with such a splendid mix of dancers. In some cases, this meant that What I particularly enjoyed about the evening was the mix of principals and dancers lower down the ranks, giving a great opportunity to see them close up, in more dynamic roles with no distraction in terms of set and narrative going on around them. As much as this offers opportunity for the audience, I assume it can also feel quite exposing for dancers, especially working on pas de deux with only a few weeks' prep around their day job. All of the Royal Ballet dancers and ENB dancers were on good form, but it might get a bit boring to write about all of them in detail! What did cross my mind during Lauren Cuthbertson and Matthew Ball's R&J balcony pdd was the lack of live orchestra, which got me thinking about Northern Ballet's upcoming production. A recording was acceptable in this case due to a combination of turnaround time and lack of access to the pit, but it does make me incredibly sad to think that some NB audiences will not get access to the music in its full glory. Luca Acri, Marianna Tsembenhoi and Vladyslav Bosenko danced Le Corsaire pas de trois. Luca Acri was absolutely explosive on stage in his solo as Ali and Bosenko was a slick and assured Conrad, although perhaps there isn't quite enough dancing for Conrad which is why, I assume , the show piece is usually a pas de deux. Medora is quite a challenge to take on, less so in terms of her solo which is of course popular competition fare, but in terms of partnering both Conrad and Ali, the complexity of the dancing and the exceptionally short prep time. Marianna Tsembenhoi really took on the challenge. It wasn't quite as perfect or assured as some of the principals on stage, but her partners were as generous as can be and she is absolutely to be commended for accepting the challenge and delivering such a good show. It really demonstrated what a difficult piece this was and it was great to see what she is capable of. I look forward to seeing much more from her in the future. I'm lucky to have seen Olga Smirnova dance live in Amsterdam as Raymonda so was delighted to see her again. Her Dying Swan felt incredibly authentic for want of a better word, likely given her Vaganova elegance, long limbs and musicality. It almost brought a tear to my eye (as did Nunez and Braendsrod, not sure if it's the piece itself or if it's memories of Beatriz Stix Brunell). Very much enjoyed Smirnova in Alberto Alonso's Carmen Suite a bit later in the evening danced with Denys Matvienko, which was a sharp, modern and witty piece of choreography, excellently delivered and much enjoyed as it was new to me. Suited to the Russian style, I wonder if homegrown dancers would be able to deliver it with as much impact. As with Tsembenhoi, it was good to see Francesca Velicu, junior soloist at ENB, dance the pas de deux from La Fille Mal Gardee with a dancer from the Swedish ballet. Another complex pas de deux, with a partner she likely hasn't had a huge amount of time to practice with but she danced so perfectly, with energy and joy. She could make a lovely Lise, but also looks like she has plenty of stamina and could see her dancing the Swan Lake Neapolitan. A round up of the remainder - the guests from Japan danced a piece from The Dragon God by Tomoharu Yonekura which was structurally everything you'd expect from the big pas de deux, but the music didn't quite have the attack to follow the choreography. It was good to see something new (to the UK, premiered in Tokyo in 1957) and the dancers were incredibly light on their feet. William Bracewell danced a piece which drew on his lyricism and I could have watched all evening. Sanguen Lee and Gareth Haw from ENB danced Metamorphosis by David Dawson which suited Sangen's long and lean frame beautifully but I found the piece was a bit too long and perhaps not as engaging as some of the showier pieces. From a more contemporary perspective, Two by Two by Russell Maliphant, danced by Ivan Putrov and Grace Jabbari was completely different, the music had a thumping beat but the movement and the pace made it much more impactful. A mix of ENB and NB dancers took on Gloria, apt given the cause and particularly enjoyed the opportunity to see the elegant Minju Kang. We also got to see a full character dance, 'Gopak, Taras Bulba' danced by Volodymyr Kutuzov which was most definitely had the oomph in terms of the jumps alone as a show piece and this received rapturous applause. I left the theatre on a high - and wanting more, a lovely feeling to have at 9.30 on a Sunday evening. 18 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 Thanks so much for this lovely review, @Blossom. Did more seats sell in the end, or was the Palladium half empty? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobR Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 Thanks @Blossom for such a lovely review. I agree with it all. A really enjoyable evening 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 12 minutes ago, Sim said: Thanks so much for this lovely review, @Blossom. Did more seats sell in the end, or was the Palladium half empty? We should definitely view this as a glass half full (and not half empty) event! I was on the front row of the Royal Circle, the centre section looked pretty well sold but sides not so well. It looks like some of the sold seats weren't taken - must have been a few no-shows. From what I could see, similarly the side stalls were not particularly well sold. Having checked the seating map earlier in the day, I don't think there was a particular last minute rush, despite leaflets being handed out at the ROH on Saturday night. From the audience response, especially to the bigger, showier pieces, you wouldn't have thought that the auditorium was anything but full. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 There was the now-standard QR code for donations displayed around the theatre, but I didn't notice a URL for those of us who don't have scanners. Can anyone supply it, please? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted February 19 Author Share Posted February 19 1 hour ago, alison said: There was the now-standard QR code for donations displayed around the theatre, but I didn't notice a URL for those of us who don't have scanners. Can anyone supply it, please? @alison I only have the gala website link; will this do? It's near the bottom of the page. https://putrov.com/ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
li tai po Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 Thank you Blossom for your beautiful review. Dancing apart, the evening was a love letter to Ukraine and to the homeland. We began with the National Anthem, Ivan Putrov gave a brief, but impassioned address about home and what it meant to Ukrainians and the evening ended with the pas de trois from Gloria. A bold and highly unlikely ending to a Gala, but so appropriate and very moving. This was Putrov's customary artistic vision trumping just an evening of fireworks, although there was much passion, lyricism and fireworks during the evening. I counted 26 dancers on stage, including Putrov himself, who chose to dance this time, as well as putting on the show. He assembled 8 Ukrainian dancers from 7 companies across Europe. It was a thoughtful touch to present pas de deux from both Ashton's and Gorsky's version of Fille. I too left the theatre on a high. 12 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nogoat Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 I thought I'd reproduce details of the running order from the rather splendid, ROH-quality, glossy programme from last night's Dance for Ukraine Gala at the Palladium, as it gives some sort of structure to my otherwise random thoughts, as well as providing information for those who were unable to make it. PROGRAMME PART 1 UKRAINIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM Music Mykhailo Verbytsky Mezzo-soprano Kseniia Nikolaieva Cello Urška Horvat Piano Sasha Grynyuk Members of The Royal Opera Chorus ROH Songs for Ukraine Chorus Conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson As it was for the first gala two years ago, this was the most moving part of the evening. Once again Kseniia Nikolaieva began the anthem on her own, with the rest of the chorus joining in as the curtain was raised to reveal them. Perhaps it was the rather poor attendance (the Grand Circle was maybe only one quarter full), or the smaller venue and absence of an orchestra, but, to me, that passionate indignity, that solidarity, that appeal to the injustice of it all, seemed to be rather diluted compared to the first gala at the Coli. Yes, we stood, yes, some sang, but it didn't have the same fervour. PRAYER FOR UKRAINE Music Valentin Silvestrov Mezzo-soprano Kseniia Nikolaieva Members of The Royal Opera Chorus ROH Songs for Ukraine Chorus Conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson In comparison to the rousing national anthem, this was a much more contemplative, reflective piece which seemed entirely apt given the events of the last two years. Perhaps the sung equivalent of the last danced piece, Gloria? FOREST SONG Olga Golytsia & Volodymyr Kutuzov Choreography Vakhtang Vronsky Music Mykhailo Skorulsky World Premiere Kyiv 1946 A fairly low-key start to the evening's dance - enjoyable enough, but I got the impression that the partnering could have been a little more polished on the male side (that's fine by me. I do not expect anything close to perfection in galas - it's more the opportunity to see a variety of dancers do a variety of pieces; the ballet equivalent of a tasting menu or a big box of assorted chocolates - yum!). I thought that lack of polish might not bode well for Kutuzov's Gopak in the second half - but how wrong I was! ROMEO & JULIETTE Lauren Cuthbertson & Matthew Ball Choreography Kenneth MacMillan Music Sergei Prokofiev World Premiere London, 9 February 1965 A predictably polished performance from Ball and Cuthbertson - they were almost on 'cruise control' - and I agree with @Blossom that the lack of live music really knocked its impact down a notch or two (despite what seemed like a very good sound system from listening to other pieces, this rendition seemed a bit 'lo-fi'). GISELLE Vsevolod Mayievsky & TBA* Choreography Marius Petipa after original Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot Music Adolfe Adan World Premiere Paris, 28 June 1841 * original cast is indisposed Included here for the sake of completeness. It didn't happen. METAMORPHOSIS Sangeun Lee & Gareth Haw Choreography David Dawson Music Philip Glass Choreographic Assistants Rebecca Gladstone & Raphael Coumes-Marquet Costume Design Eddie Grundy & David Dawson Light Design Bert Dalhuijsen Piano Olga Khoziainova Online World Premiere Amsterdam, 29 April 2021 I loved this piece, partly because I love the repetitive, minimalist music of Philip Glass - and this piece provided its visual, dance analogue. Glass is not to everyone's taste, of course, and it can seem too repetitive and protracted, but I'm happy to not fight its apparent refusal to resolve itself, and lose myself in the slowly changing sonic and visual landscapes it provides. Bliss. LE CORSAIRE Marianna Tsembenhoi, Luca Acri & Vladyslav Bosenko Choreography Marius Petipa after original Joseph Mazilier Music Adolphe Adam World Premiere Paris, 23 January 1856 This was a bit of a shock for me. It took a few performances, but Acri's stepsister in Cinderella (pink, wide-eyed, smeared lipstick) imprinted 'herself' so well that it took a while to adjust to this bared-torsoed, muscular, stubble-faced, 'alpha-male slave' (if there can be such a thing!) that bounded across the stage like a madcap Tigger. And, like Tigger, he seemed to be having a complete whale of a time! I don't think I've seen him do anything like that before, and I'd love to see more! Bravo! SUITE EN BLANC mazurka Denys Cherevychko Choreography Serge Lifar Music Edouard Lalo World Premiere Zurich, 19 June 1943 Perhaps it's more down to my ignorance than anything else, but coming straight after the well known dance/slave combo, this seemed a bit lacklustre. Denys seemed very earnest, though; perhaps I need to seek it out on YouTube and become more acquainted with it. PRELIWD William Bracewell Choreography Andrew McNicol Music Sergei Rachmaninoff Piano Sasha Grynyuk World Premiere The London Palladium, 18 February 2024 Like Acri, Bracewell was bare of torso and similarly, if not more, muscular. However, that musculature was used in this premiere more to express than propel. And this he did extremely well; he is such an assured and expressive dancer with bucket-loads of 'presence'. DYING SWAN Olga Smirnova Choreography Mikhail Fokine Music Camille Saint-Saëns Cello Urška Horvat Pino Sasha Grynyuk World Premiere Mariinsky Theatre, 22 December 1907 And talking of 'presence'... I was slightly underwhelmed by Smirnova's character in the Dutch Giselle that was broadcast to cinemas recently, but here, in the flesh, in another iconic role, she simply exuded 'ballet icon/diva'. Her technique was simply wonderful but, if I had to criticise anything, it would again be the 'acting' side of it. But that would be unfair of me, of course, as I believe technique/acting is a zero-sum game - it's just that I didn't think the balance was quite perfect. But that is a minor quibble - she's a bona fide superstar, and I got to see her live doing a bona fide classic! And, to top it off, the music was played live by an on-stage cellist and pianist (which helped underline the deficiencies of most of the recorded music elsewhere). TWO BY TWO Grace Jabbari & Ivan Putrov Choreography Russell Maliphant Music Andy Cowton Lighting Michael Hulls Relighting Andrew Ellis Costume & Set Design Russell Maliphant and Dana Fouras World premiere London, 1997 The stage is in darkness apart from two six-foot square puddles of light in which a male and a female dancer move - for most of the time in synchrony. The dance is contemporary and the music modern (it starts with sonar beeps and builds to include thumping bass beats; the sound system did this music proud, including some impressive stereo effects). YouTube can help you visualise it much better than I can, so I'll stop here! PROGRAMME PART 2 AFTER THE RAIN Marianela Nuñez & Lukas B. Brændsrød Choreography Christopher Wheeldon Music Arvo Pärt Piano Sasha Grynyuk Violin Benjamin Baker Costumes Holly Hynes Lighting Mark Stanley World Premiere New York, 22 January 2005 Like Glass's Metamorphosis, Pärt's Spiegel im Spiegel (again, played live!) spools out, seemingly endlessly and enjoyably - like subtlety different waves on a beach. I know I'm in the minority here, but, despite the privilege of seeing this pair of dancers perform it, I often find Wheeldon's choreography crossing too often the line between captivation and boredom. It's me, I'm sure, but I always think of him drawing attention to himself in his choreography, rather than to the music and dancers. It's all very faintly tinged with what I can only describe as narcissism. ASUKA Sugaru-Otome Yuuri Hidaka The Dragon God Tomoharu Yonekura Choreography Asami Maki after Akiko Tachibana Music Yoshikazu Kataoka Lighting Plan: Yuji Sawada World premiere Tokyo, 1957 Probably my ignorance again, but I found this a bit of a 'filler', a bit like Forest Song. Pleasant enough to watch, but it didn't really stir anything in me (positive or negative!). LA FILLE MAL GARDÉE pas de deux Francesca Velicu & Dmitri Zagrebin Choreography Alexander Gorsky after Marius Petipa, original by Jean Dauberval Music Cesare Pugni, Ludwig Minkus, Léo Delibes, Riccardo Drigo World premiere Bordeaux, 1 July 1789 This was a curious one to watch, such is the hold of the Ashton/Lanchberry version on me. Like a distant ancestor in the fossil record, I could see and appreciate the similarities and their contributions to the family tree, but its the modern version that represents the 'evolutionary peak'. The recorded music also contributed to feelings of distance and disconnect (for one, fleeting, moment I was reminded of one of those massive, steam-powered 'orchestras' that used to appear at travelling fairs - really strange). Nevertheless, it was lovely to see Velicu perform; she is another of those dancers with a definite stage presence, and I don't think I've ever seen her where she has failed to stand out (which is sort of self-fulfilling now I think about it...). CARMEN SUITE Olga Smirnova & Denys Matvienko Choreography Alberto Alonso Music George Bizet & Rodion Shchedrin World premiere Bolshoi, 20 April 1967 This, alone, was worth the price of admission! A solo by Smirnova! A solo by Matvienko! Then the pair of these two formidable beasts locked horns in high-stakes, increasingly close and seductive encounters as the air crackled with sexual tension. And that weird, droning-strings music - as if listening in some slightly altered, skewed state of mind. Matvienko still has it - his progress across stage in what might otherwise be comical steps are infused with the self-important seriousness of his own machismo. And Smirnova's Carmen, appearing in total control; but we, and possibly she, knows that she is subject to forces beyond her control as she is inexorably drawn towards Escamillo. The bit that summed her up for me was in her solo, where she steps, three of four times across the stage, each time pointing one leg vertically and grabbing its calf, while on pointe on her standing leg; on the last one she momentarily held her position and turned her head to look at us: there was not the merest hint of any movement anywhere else. Brava! I thought at the time I'd be happy for this piece to just carry on and on; strangely enough, a friend we bumped into on the way out of the theatre said exactly the same without prompting! I think that's a valid enough sample size to prove conclusively it was amazing! LA FILLE MAL GARDÉE pas de ruban Sabine Strokša & Philip Fedulov Choreography Frederick Ashton Music adapted by John Lanchbery from Ferdinand Hérold original World Premiere London, 28 January 1960 I was surprised to find this little snippet made me quite emotional. I love Ashton's Fille. The ribbon dance and, in particular, the music that accompanies it, is redolent of innocence, love, sunshine, etc, etc (probably kittens in there somewhere, too!). Add in the rationale behind the staging of the gala, and it became quite affecting. GOPAK, TARAS BULBA Volodymyr Kutuzov Choreography Rostislav Zakkharov Music Vasily Solovyov-Sedoi World Premiere Bolshoi, 15 April 1941 There are probably as many variations to Gopak as there are dancers who have danced it, and this was among one of the best I've seen. Short, and full of concentrated energy, it's a virtuoso piece - and Kutuzov didn't disappoint. He ended it with a series of 'handless cartwheels', for want of a better term (I've been told ice skaters call them camel jumps). GLORIA Minju Kang, Joseph Taylor & Lorenzo Trossello Choreography Kenneth MacMillan Music Francis Poulenc Design Andy Klunder World Premiere London, 13 March 1980 Again, given the context of the gala, this performance of part of Gloria - between two soldiers and a (beautifully-danced) 'angel' - became even more achingly poignant than usual. The appallingly destructive attrition of the last two years of warfare is difficult to comprehend from afar. Indeed, I often actively avoid it on the news because it is so distressing, but it says something about the nature of dance that it is able to convey, in a way that I am willing to pay for, quite profound insight into the best and the worst of humanity. I, too, came out on a high - but it was a much deeper high (if that's not too much of a contradiction) than usual. 21 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 Many thanks for your above 5⭐️review Nogoat. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaM Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 1 hour ago, Emeralds said: @alison I only have the gala website link; will this do? It's near the bottom of the page. https://putrov.com/ thank you for the donation link. I have contributed in addition to my ticket and buying a programme. It’s worth highlighting from the programme book that the Jean-Pierre Gasquet has gifted the rights for La Fille Mal gardée to the Ukrainian National Ballet company. He says: My decision to gift the choreographic rights of Sir Frederick Ashton’s La Fille mal gardée to the Ukrainian National Ballet was motivated by unstinting admiration for the bold entrepreneurial flair of Ivan Putrov, and his tireless work in bringing the tragic situation in his homeland to the attention of thousands of people in the United Kingdom. My respect for the unquenchable spirit of his compatriots is inexpressible in mere words, and their courage in the face of naked tyranny is an inspiration to the entire free world. Ashton's La Fille mal gardée, his undoubted masterpiece, embodies the joy of life, respect for the natural world, and romantic and filial love. I hope my gift will lift the spirits of the artists and people of Ukraine and happily acquaint them with the poetry of an English genius. Also in the programme are these words from Nobuhiro Terada, AD of Ballet at the National Opera House of Ukraine: Despite this terrible war, we are continuing to perform and are striving to keep the spirits of our dancers and our audiences high. I can't imagine a more inspiring way to do this than to add this most delightful and heart-warming gem of British ballet to our repertoire. We are hugely grateful to all of those working to make this possible. We send our thanks and gratitude to Jean Pierre Gasquet, for his generosity, to all of the artists taking part and, of course, to the audience for their support. The dancers of the national company deserve new repertoire while not being able to perform the great ballet classics. I hope others here will be able to donate also. 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaM Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 @Nogoat thank you so much for posting the full running order and your review too. Like you, I always attend galas with the attitude that some things will change (pieces get pulled due to injury, visa problems, director’s calling more rehearsals, etc etc). There are always pieces and dancers that pleasantly surprise and then others that disappoint. My impressions in running order: FOREST SONG pdd - intrigued by this, having heard much of it. Would love to see the whole ballet. Pleasing performance by the two Ukrainian National Company members, Olga Golytsia and Volodymyr Kutuzov, who Ivan said had flown in from their two month tour of Canada and haven’t been home yet. R&J balcony pdd - super emotional chemistry from Lauren and Matthew. Her technique was particularly effortless, light and beautiful. She is at her peak. Cannot wait to see her on ROH stage in a full length. METAMORPHOSIS duet - more organic chemistry in the lyrical dancing of Sangeun Lee and Gareth Haw. How lucky we are to have these fine artists join the ENB. It cannot be long before Gareth is promoted to principal. I also want to thank them for bringing more David Dawson choreography to us. LE CORSAIRE trio - bravo to Luca for his flashy eyes and technique, and to Vladyslav Bosenko (Soloist at Slovak National, previously soloist at Ukraine National) who is an elegant dancer with especially lovely and dynamic grand pirouettes a la seconde. The partnering was a bit ropey (probably lack of rehearsal time as is too often the case with galas), however Marianna carried it all off with tremendous aplomb. Including the fouettés. SUITE EN BLANC solo - Denys Cherevychko’s dancing had nice humorous touches and he has the neatest execution of any male dancer. Beautiful legs and pointed feet especially. PRELIWD solo - premier of lyrical choreography by Andrew McNicol, accompanied by live Rachmaninov played by Sasha Grynyuk, and the graceful dancing of William Bracewell. I wish he hadn’t been topless. It felt gratuitous. DYING SWAN solo - I was very pleased that the audience applauded Olga’s entrance in her first appearance in the UK. Gorgeous tutu. I wasn’t convinced her swan was dying. Too controlled and too energetic. TWO BY TWO duet - intriguing contrast of co-ordinated and non co-ordinated moves by Russell Maliphant. Always good to see Ivan dance. Grace Jabbari was new to me and she was fantastic! AFTER THE RAIN duet - I’ve seen this lots of times and to be honest it’s not my favourite. However Nela and Lukas were fascinating in it. Both were expressively honest with seamless partnering, and Nela’s sublime technique elevated this to another level. A highlight for me, when I was expecting ‘meh’. ASUKA duet - the dancing was nice, though I wasn’t sure what the piece was about. No doubt thanks are due to the Asami Maki Ballet company in Tokyo for supporting this event financially and sending their dancers to participate. I don’t know this company, although I see that Nela and Vadim guested in their Sleeping Beauty in December 2023. LA FILLE MAL GARDÉE pdd (Gorsky/Petipa) - loved this. Francesca Velicu (ENB) was superb, such control, speed, neat batterie and airtime in her light jumps all delivered with charm. I hope to see her given more lead roles soon. It was 2017 that she won the Olivier for her knock-out performance in The Chosen one. She was well partnered by Dmitry Zagrebin (Royal Swedish Ballet) who was joyous in his virtuoso performance, though I struggle with his musicality at times. CARMEN extracts - Denys Matvienko (ex Mariinsky, ex Kyiv, ex Mikhailovsky) positively smouldered as Escamillo. The Carmen role requires more allure and intensity than Olga could deliver. I’ve seen many dancers perform this role and although she can do the technical stuff quite easily, she’d have benefitted from (more) coaching for the dynamics of the expression. You can find clips online of Plisetskaya (originator of therole) to Zakharova, Vishneva, Sevenard LA FILLE MAL GARDEE ribbon duet - charming and faultless performance by the dancers from Latvian National Ballet were this ballet was staged first in November last year. The ribbon behaved too (always makes me nervous). GOPAK from TARAS BULBA ballet - thrilling crowd-pleasing virtuoso solo often performed at galas and enthusiastically done here by Volodymyr Kutuzov (google Vadim Muntagirov Gopak for two videos of him performing it many years ago) GLORIA trio - how wonderful to end with one of my favourite MacMillan ballets. Heartbreakingly performed by the trio of current and former Northern Ballet dancers. In conclusion, for me it was an interesting gala of pieces (Ivan avoiding too much of the usual) lasting over 2.5 hours (without the Giselle, not needed) with a large cast of special dancers all supporting Ivan’s worthwhile initiative. A real treat for the audience! Thank you 🙏 12 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 There's a write up from Debra Craine in The Times this morning - see links. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane S Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 1 hour ago, Blossom said: There's a write up from Debra Craine in The Times this morning - see links. And in the print edition it's in the news section rather than on the arts page 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naomi M Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 19 hours ago, FionaM said: ASUKA duet - the dancing was nice, though I wasn’t sure what the piece was about. No doubt thanks are due to the Asami Maki Ballet company in Tokyo for supporting this event financially and sending their dancers to participate. I don’t know this company, although I see that Nela and Vadim guested in their Sleeping Beauty in December 2023. Here are experts from the full length ballet "Asuka". This is a footage taken when Svetlana Lunkina and Ruslan Skvolzov guested at Asami Maki Ballet. This is a ballet based on an ancient Japanese myth, with a girl who is betrothed to a dragon god but cannot forget her childhood sweetheart. Asami Maki was an important figure of ballet in the Japanese ballet scene, she studied from Alexandra Danilova and not only formed her company but also formed ballet schools, and was artistic director of National Ballet of Japan. She passed away on 2021. 1 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 21 hours ago, FionaM said: LA FILLE MAL GARDÉE pdd (Gorsky/Petipa) - loved this. Francesca Velicu (ENB) was superb, such control, speed, neat batterie and airtime in her light jumps all delivered with charm. I hope to see her given more lead roles soon. It was 2017 that she won the Olivier for her knock-out performance in The Chosen one. She was well partnered by Dmitry Zagrebin (Royal Swedish Ballet) who was joyous in his virtuoso performance, though I struggle with his musicality at times. I've not really had time to comment on this, but I must say I thought Velicu and Zagrebin made a very good case for the Gorsky version, too. I presume it was the one I saw in Wimbledon some years ago by one of the small touring Russian companies, but it didn't make quite so much of an impression on me there*. Very much also enjoyed the Bracewell Preliwd piece, and - for once - The Dying Swan, but can I just say how nice it was to see a gala with rather less of the "standard gala fare" items for a change? *Okay, yes it did - I've found my comments on it and that I said it was a very nice pas de deux. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheilaC Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 I agree with Alison about how good the 'other' Fille version was- particularly as danced by Velicu; I enjoyed her dancing as much, perhaps more, than any other dance piece, she had a lovely flow to her movement and technically was very polished.. Many companies across the world dance pre- Ashton versions of Fille, including the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. Their former prima ballerina, Viengsay Valdes (now their artistic director) watched a performance of Fille at the Royal Ballet some years back and said how much she'd love to do the Ashton version; I have a tape of her doing the Russian version and very good she was in it. The Russian version has many similarities with the Ashton version but is more slapstick, less subtle and poignant. The audience was very appreciative, I think we were all trying to clap especially hard to make up for the lack of numbers. But I was horrified when they applauded at the start of The Dying Swan, so totally inappropriate for that ballet, even though Smirnova was no where near as poignant as Pavlova in the excerpt shown on Fonteyn's Magic of Dance. I feared then how they would react to the final, sombre, piece, from Gloria, so bravely selected to end the evening but all was well and it was movingly danced. What I found especially moving was being sat next to an Ukrainian woman and her young daughter, who watched the ballet intently. The mother said how much she appreciates the support of the British people. Her husband isn't in the army, as a successful business man and father of 3 children he's allowed to work in Ukraine, to keep the economy going, and to visit them here, but when her son is 18 he's likely to be called up. After the interval a woman from Hong Kong sat the other side of me, and she said how many people from Hong Kong offer full support to the Ukraine movement. All in all, a lovely evening. 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pulcinella Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 1 hour ago, alison said: Very much also enjoyed the Bracewell Preliwd piece I found it interesting that this piece used the Welsh spelling of Prelude. I know Bracewell is Welsh but I don't think he speaks Welsh. I wonder what the reasoning was. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suffolkgal Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 Actually I believe his first language is Welsh. I heard an interview with him once where he said he struggled with lessons at first when he arrived at RBS, because he’d been taught the subjects in Welsh. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaM Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 @Naomi M thank you for the information on Asami Maki and the Asuka ballet. And for the video of Lunkina and Skvortsov. Both superb Bolshoi principals. Lovely to see clips of them performing with this company. I’ve since scrolled through the company Instagram to see other top quality guests in prior years. Clearly a company of influence and connections. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSR101 Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 On 19/02/2024 at 14:44, FionaM said: My decision to gift the choreographic rights of Sir Frederick Ashton’s La Fille mal gardée to the Ukrainian National Ballet was motivated by unstinting admiration for the bold entrepreneurial flair of Ivan Putrov, and his tireless work in bringing the tragic situation in his homeland to the attention of thousands of people in the United Kingdom. My respect for the unquenchable spirit of his compatriots is inexpressible in mere words, and their courage in the face of naked tyranny is an inspiration to the entire free world. Ashton's La Fille mal gardée, his undoubted masterpiece, embodies the joy of life, respect for the natural world, and romantic and filial love. I hope my gift will lift the spirits of the artists and people of Ukraine and happily acquaint them with the poetry of an English genius. What a wonderful eloquent quote! I won't go through every one of the performances - I enjoyed them all and it was a great evening - I would however add that like the poster above, I felt although Olga's 'Dying Swan' was technically exceptional, I didn't feel the swan was dying. More graciously flying around whilst finally coming to rest. In my mind I was very much comparing it with the recent Osipova Dying Swan, which I felt made me feel I was witnessing the final fluttering of a swans wings before it lay down to die. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted February 23 Author Share Posted February 23 (edited) Great to see so many members have enjoyed this one off performance in aid of a great cause. A thrilling and very special evening with rare repertoire and delights from many artists who don't often dance in Britain, including some who had travelled specially from as far as Canada (Golytsia and Kutuzov on tour), Japan, Eastern Europe, Netherlands, Sweden etc. Just some impressions to add to what fellow members have already shared: - National anthem and Prayer for Ukraine-something poignant about the predominantly amateur choir of ROH Songs of Ukraine members wearing their vyshyvanka (traditional Ukrainian embroidered blouses or shirts) singing solemnly and proudly, with a pianist and cellist, without the might of a full orchestra. Conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson was unable to appear but the chorus member who conducted in her place did very well. Forest Song - very fitting to open with this Ukrainian rare gem with music by Ukrainian composer Mykhailo Skorulsky, Ukrainian National Ballet dancers Olga Golytsia and Volodymyr Kutuzov sparkled in the pas de deux which had athletic lifts alternating with sweet lyrical monents. Romeo and Juliet- apart from slight modifications to the choreography to accommodate the lack of a balcony and stairs, MacMillan's choreography danced faithfully and magnificently by Lauren Cuthbertson and Matthew Ball (whom I've not seen together in this ballet before) who of course know the ballet so well. Metamorphosis- the pas de deux to Philip Glass's Metamorphosis 1 from his suite of five pieces that David Dawson choreographed for Dutch National Ballet in 2021 during the time of Covid, danced by Sangeun Lee and Gareth Haw. There's something haunting about Glass's minimalism that seems to fit times of trauma or crisis, such as Covid, bereavement or war. Lee and Haw are skilful interpreters of Dawson's work and were mesmerising. Le Corsaire pas de trois- the Royal Ballet's Marianna Tsembenhoi and Luca Acri joined forces with Ukrainian soloist Vladyslav Bosenko of Slovak National Ballet, with slightly mismatched costumes (Bosenko in black tights and white Etudes/Suite en blanc style tunic). Acri and Bosenko brought the pyrotechnics, Tsembenhoi (dancing the Gamzatti variation which Marianela Nunez also uses for Le Corsaire) brought exuberance, and everyone brought fun to the coda. Suite en Blanc (Mazurka variation)- speaking of Suite en blanc, Denys Cherevychko formerly principal at Vienna State Ballet, danced the Mazurka (perhaps the Polish origin of the dance being a nod to the many Polish residents who have aided in the humanitarian efforts for Ukraine...plus Denys dances it really well) to Lalo's music with elegant lines, precision and musicality. What a pity his solo was fast and short; it would have been nice to see more of his dancing. Preliwd- a premiere by Andrew McNicol created for William Bracewell to Rachmaninov's well known (too well known, according to the composer!) Prelude in C sharp minor. Dressed in tights similar to his costume last week in Twinkle at ROH, the solo has the emotion and depth of Neumeier and Robbins (without copying either) and makes full use of Bracewell's gifts of elegant line, musicality and expressiveness, and his strength in holding or accelerating phrases to express an emotion or idea. It was thrilling to see this beautiful piece of choreography that showed off Bracewell's artistry so well- what a privilege for the small audience. I hope the Royal Ballet ask McNicol and Bracewell to reprise it on the ROH Main Stage. Indeed, it would be lovely to have McNicol create a ballet for RB. Sasha Grynyuk performed Rachmaninov's prelude beautifully- it really helped to have live music for this choreography. Dying Swan-cellist Urška Horvat rejoined Grynyuk to accompany Olga Smirnova for Dying Swan, and Smirnova gave an elegant and dignified interpretation of Pavlova's iconic solo. No dramatic flapping death throes here but more of a graceful majestic creature who gently fades away. In Saint-Saëns' original score, the Swan is very much alive and I like Smirnova's interpretation being more in tune with the music. Two x Two- Russell Maliphant's popular duet for two dancers (whether a male and a female or two females or two males) to Andy Cowton's pulsating music is a popular choice for many independent dancers' showcases, from Guillem to Acosta to Bolle. Dancing with Grace Jabbari from Maliphant's dance company, Ivan Putrov danced the role of the first dancer, and showed that he still has the stamina, artistry and now the maturity to bring depth and power to this energetic but enigmatic piece. After the Rain - London audiences have probably seen Marianela Nunez in Wheeldon's popular After the Rain (whether in its full version or just the pas de deux) but it was Lukas B Brændsrød's first time dancing it in London, I believe (and Nunez had just danced Manon the night before while Brændsrød had danced at both the matinee and evening performances the day before!) Their performance was a moving display of serenity, control and strength in the contemporary style pas de deux in soft shoes, with Grynyuk accompanying them in Arvo Part's simple but moving Spiegel im Spiegel. Asuka- from the familiar to the unfamiliar, lovely to see Yuuri Hidaka and Tomoharu Yonekura of Asami Maki Ballet bringing something very different. This ballet is new to me but they performed it with great commitment, in vivid costumes, and it was fascinating. La Fille mal gardée (Gorsky)- a surprising choice perhaps to include two versions of the same ballet, especially when danced in costumes for ENB's Coppelia! Francesca Velicu and Dmitry Zagrebin, both new to each other (and I assume the pas de deux is new or at least not familiar to Velicu) and both made an excellent new partnership desjpite the limited time they had had to practise together. Although they performed the duet brilliantly with virtuosity and zest, Velicu particularly delightful in the fast spins and lightness of her jumps and footwork, I couldn't help feeling the choreography was somewhat indistinguishable from all the other Petipa-Gorsky-Vaganova back catalogue productions (or what is now left of them) and that Ashton's choreography had more originality, humanity and charm. Carmen Suite- choreographed by Alberto Alonso for Maya Plisetskaya, who spearheaded the project and commissioned Shostakovich to write the music. He later backed out saying that the reputation of Bizet was too intimidating and suggested her husband Rodion Schedrin take over instead-so he did, solving the reputation problem by using Bizet's themes from the opera to form an orchestral suite. I've seen various ballerinas dance the ballet and the solo, some are flirty and some are imperious, but I think Smirnova comes the closest to Plisetskaya's vision that I've seen - she knows her power and her charisma and uses them; she has no need to entice or flirt- she knows she holds power over any man she chooses to ensnare, including Escamillo in the pas de deux that follows the solos. Her balances, pirouettes and jumps in the solo were a masterclass in control, line and strength. The hallmark shoulder shrugs in this solo said "All men want me- mess with me at your peril! But you won't be able to be able to stop yourself." Escamillo always seems a bit of a caricature in this production but Matvienko gives it 100% - every double tour, every pirouette is given its full value, while being the brilliant partner he was always known for. Now based in Ljubljana, Slovenia (according to the souvenir programme) with his wife and offspring, Matvienko, the Ukrainian former megastar at Mariinsky, Bolshoi, ABT and Mikhailovsky has been through a lot in the last 24 months but looked absolutely delighted to be back on stage in London- he had the broadest smile at the curtain calls. La Fille mal gardée (ribbon duet)- Latvian National Ballet principal dancers Sabīne Strokša and her American partner Philip Fedulov, whose participation in the gala showed what a popular hit La Fille mal gardée is worldwide, looked thrilled to be dancing on the West End stage. Indeed, in the programme there is a photo of Vladyslav Bosenko dancing Colas at Slovak National Ballet, and the production has been mounted at the Paris Opera and Bolshoi (even though both have their own distinct versions), Australian Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, American Ballet Theatre, etc. Aside from a slightly uncooperative ribbon at the start, Strokša and Fedulov made a delightful pair with great chemistry who danced the familiar pas de ruban with fun and charm. Gopak from Taras Bulba- probably one of the most spectacular parts of the gala. Volodymyr Kutuzov, now changed out of his Forest Song costume into the distinctive vyshyvanka, bright red trousers and red boots for this Ukrainian favourite, dazzled us with the highest leaps, neat pirouettes and the jumps to the side but saved his most spectacular bit to the last. instead of the usual manege of grand jetes or barrel turns, he substituted them with not one but eleven (!) aerials - best described, as @Nogoat has done, as handless cartwheels, for those who don't know what aerials in gymnastics are. Or upside down tour jetes if you want a ballet equivalent! (They're not actually camel jumps in ice skating - which look more like a jump into arabesque position. They would be too dangerous to execute normally on ice. Only one skater ever attempts these in competition- French national champion Kevin Aymoz, because he had early training in acrobatics - and he only executes one as as it would be too dangerous to do a series of them.) Mezzo soprano Kseniia Nikolaeva, who sang with the Chorus at the beginning, filmed him from the wings and posted it on social media but looks like it was only posted in "stories" as it seems to have gone. Kutuzov also performed the aerials on the Ukrainian National Ballet's Nadiya Ukraine tour in Orlando (you can see the full video on YouTube if you want to know what we mean.... the Gopak is at 1h 45mins in) with another dancer -they danced the Gopak in a quartet of four men, but the two men only performed 6 aerials each; hugely impressive in itself, but the Palladium audience definitely had the gold medal version! (And he didn't seem to look tired at the end either. Amazing!) Bravo Volodymyr! Gloria- an unusual excerpt to finish off a gala after the spectacular display of Ukrainian glory earlier, but given the circumstances, it made perfect sense. MacMillan made Gloria in 1980 to Poulenc's music of the same name, in memory of the war dead of World War One. Danced by Joseph Taylor, Lorenzo Trossello and Minju Kang who danced the ballet when all were members of Northern Ballet (Kang and Trossello are now at ENB), they conveyed the sense of loss, horror and grief in the ballet that reflect what so many in Ukraine have felt for so many months. The small but enthusiastic audience certainly made lots of noise at the end and the cheers and applause were as loud as for a full theatre while Ivan and his team handed out bouquets and long stemmed roses to every performer. As I type this it is coming up (in less than 6 hours) to 2 whole years since missiles hit many towns and villages in Ukraine destroying homes, schools, hospitals, playgrounds, railway stations, theatres and civilians' lives, and troops devastated vulnerable villages. While we felt immensely privileged to have watched amazing dancers give wonderful performances, and made our donations (still possible on the Putrov Productions page) to the gala and other humanitarian efforts, the most pressing need now is for peace, which I pray will happen sooner rather than later. Edited February 23 by Emeralds 7 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amelia Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 Kutuzov's Gopak as we saw it last Sunday: 11 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted February 25 Author Share Posted February 25 Good ol' Dance Europe! (Is FotoKaul= Emma Kauldhar, I wonder?) I bet Ivan and others thought, we absolutely have to film Volodymyr's spectacular version of Gopak for posterity! (If you hear amazed gasps after the first aerial, that was me and a few upstairs who weren't expecting to see that!) 😀 Good find, @Amelia! 👍 Someone should put Volodymyr Kutuzov on TV! (Is there a Ukraine's Got Talent?) Yep- eleven aerials (that last one squeezed in just before the music ends!). The rest of the solo was very good as well, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tattin Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 Thank you, all of you, for your reports of the gala which make fascinating reading. What a great programme and what a feast of dancing! I was, however, shocked to read that the theatre wasn't fully booked, and very surprised considering the huge enthusiasm for ballet in London. Have any of you any idea why that was? I hadn't realised that Denys Cherevychko had left the Vienna State Opera Ballet. His dancing always made a great impact in the company's live streams under Manuel Legris. I wonder where he is now... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suffolkgal Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 Honestly I’d love to have been there but I simply can’t afford the whole parking train tube seat tube train etc … and trekking about in this terrible weather and you can forget any trains at the weekend. I have in my stores a programme from an evening of ballet led by Fonteyn - must have been so close to retirement- but also Seymour, Wall, Dubreuil among others. This was at the Theatre Royal in Norwich, where I often saw Festival (as was) and SWRB (as was). I believe in our capital city and have no wish to diminish its place - but! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryrosesatonapin Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 On 19/02/2024 at 13:33, Nogoat said: this bared-torsoed, muscular, stubble-faced, 'alpha-male slave' (if there can be such a thing!) that bounded across the stage like a madcap Tigger. I so love this description, ha ha! And I have always thought that Acri has a lot more in him than we have the opportunity to see. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tango Dancer Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 29 minutes ago, Tattin said: Thank you, all of you, for your reports of the gala which make fascinating reading. What a great programme and what a feast of dancing! I was, however, shocked to read that the theatre wasn't fully booked, and very surprised considering the huge enthusiasm for ballet in London. Have any of you any idea why that was? I hadn't realised that Denys Cherevychko had left the Vienna State Opera Ballet. His dancing always made a great impact in the company's live streams under Manuel Legris. I wonder where he is now... I think people have less money and can't afford everything. I know I can't afford all the things I want to see. People make financial commitments and have plans and it's not always possible to add extra ballet shows because the money doesn't stretch. Especially as people may come from outside London and so need to factor in accommodation, travel costs etc. I went to see cirque du soleil last week and most of the circle wasn't sold out. There were a lot of empty seats. The last time I saw cirque was before Covid and it was sold out. I think people are having to watch the pennies more. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizbie1 Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 For me it was that it was a Sunday night at quite short notice and was announced while I was swamped with work - no real time to look into making arrangements. I'm also quite nervous about timings for galas as they can be very unpredictable and often overrun quite badly - not good if you have to work the next morning and your journey home, point to point, is two and a half hours minimum if you're very lucky with the train timetable; more like four hours if not. I expect plenty of others were in a similar boat. This is not intended as a criticism - Putrov did very well to bring this one off and it seems unlikely he delayed announcing it any further than he could. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted February 25 Author Share Posted February 25 (edited) 1 hour ago, Tattin said: Thank you, all of you, for your reports of the gala which make fascinating reading. What a great programme and what a feast of dancing! I was, however, shocked to read that the theatre wasn't fully booked, and very surprised considering the huge enthusiasm for ballet in London. Have any of you any idea why that was? I hadn't realised that Denys Cherevychko had left the Vienna State Opera Ballet. His dancing always made a great impact in the company's live streams under Manuel Legris. I wonder where he is now... I think the rail engineering works were a major part of it (I was very lucky that I was just out of reach of the closures), the late notice (one month), Sunday is a tricky day for many (if you don't count programmes like Ballet Icons Gala where they announce a year in advance) because rail and Tube services are fewer on some routes. Paradoxically, the Sunday date did mean that if you already had existing bookings for ballet eg the double show day of Manon at ROH. you could have made it to both Manon and this as they weren't on the same day! (If you have the time, energy and funds to attend on consecutive days, that is.) I suspect the late notice was due to planning reasons, eg getting the theatre, organising the programme, gathering so many artists from around the globe (last time the only dancer who was based abroad was Mathieu Ganio- a short Eurostar or plane ride from Paris, although it’s possible that Miki Mizutani and Mathias Dingman had the more tiring journey from Plymouth to London after dancing a full Don Q the night before) etc etc. With regards to travel, for me, it turned out to be very convenient- a choice of London Bridge railway station to Bond Street tube or Oxford Circus tube for the Palladium (OC is nearer but BS is also easy as long as you don't get lost). Parking was fine for us being a Sunday rather than a weekday, rail services worked out ok especially with the earlier start of 6.30. Timing wise it finished at around 9.30 and the ushers were helpful at advising people how long the dress rehearsal had taken and hence what to expect. Our seats said restricted leg room but no worse thah some parts of ROH, Coliseum or Sadler's Wells Theatre. I was actually very comfortable, with arm rests and good views of the dancing. I think also perhaps because the ticket prices were initially a bit higher than the first time (maybe there were lower costs at the Coliseum in 2022 thanks to ENO support?) a lot of regulars may have found it priced out of reach (the £25 tickets sold out very quickly). They did reduce some ticket prices slightly later on but I suspect those who didn't get a ticket initially might have not known (if they didn't read this forum!) that there were extra £25 tickets released later. That said, from Putrov's social media post and the souvenir programme listing it sounded like they received donations from some arts luminaries, eg Anthony Gormley, Anish Kapoor, Sylvie Guillem, in addition to Baryshnikov (I'm amazed at how that happened - well done Ivan) who supported the cause but couldn't attend so they probably raised a good sum even if it was almost a private performance for us! Just to say I saw a number of mothers bringing their children (even though there is no child discount) so it is great that a number of the next generation have had some experience of seeing so many international artists dancing a variety of repertoire and supporting a good cause. I think (98.5% certain) from Denys Cherevychko's website that he is currently freelancing. If so I hope that means he might dance in Britain again in due course. That Mazurka felt too short, although there's a lot packed into it (you can see it from a video he posted on his Instagram account: @cherevychko_denys it's pretty much what we saw 😀 ). Edited February 25 by Emeralds 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 I'm another one who looked into it & decided not to go due to the high ticket prices for any seats remotely near the stage (yes, I know it's for charity but I can't currently afford to pay over £100 for a single ticket no matter how good the cause) & engineering works meaning I would only have one slow train per hour which, given there was no way of knowing the running time accurately in advance, could have left me having to wait for a train nearly an hour on my own late in the evening. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAB Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 2 hours ago, maryrosesatonapin said: I have always thought that Acri has a lot more in him than we have the opportunity to see. I'll second that. Corsair at the RB has always been reserved for the likes of a Nureyev or an Acosta, never for those further down the ranks. His partner, Marianna Tsembenhoi, really impressed a fellow old timer who like me can remember RB principals a few decades back whose attempts at fouettes were downright embarrassing. These twp convinced me the future looks very bright. A special mention for Marianela Nunez. She had danced an emotionally grueling three act ballet the night before and instead of putting her feet up the next day she happily contributed to the cause. What a star! 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amelia Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 4 hours ago, Emeralds said: ... I suspect the late notice was due to planning reasons, eg getting the theatre, organising the programme, gathering so many artists from around the globe... You can add to this visas too... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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