Dance on terrestrial TV

[alison]

A slightly better-than-usual week on Sky Arts this coming week:

 

Wednesday 19th April, 7 am: Giselle (am guessing Royal Ballet, Nunez/Muntagirov?)

 

Friday 21st April, 6 am: The Metamorphosis (Arthur Pita, with Edward Watson)

Followed at 7.35 am by Rumpelstiltskin: BalletLORENT

[Beryl H]

I've never seen the BalletLORENT, I'll make a note of it, I have DVD's of the other two 🙂

[Guest oncnp]

Mentioned previously but still available on  iPlayer - BRB Don Q

 

BBC iPlayer - Don Quixote from Birmingham Royal Ballet

Edited April 16, 2023 by oncnp

[jmhopton]

Sun 30th April BBC4 8pm Dance Passion Liverpool: Find the Feeling.

A day in the life of the city through a series of dances, as soloists, choreographers and troupes - both amateur and professional - use pavements and landmarks as their stage, performing everything from high-energy Afrodance and beautiful ballet to energetic hopak and vibrant vogueing

 

Tues 2nd May SkyArts 6am Australian Ballet Merry Widow. Doesn't say which recording this is but I suspect it may the be the latest that was at the cinema 2 or 3 years ago. Whichever version, it's worth watching.

 

 

[Emeralds]

SkyArts aired a few Australian Ballet productions over the last 2 years (that’s technically a “short period” in SkyArts terms! 😆)

 

1) Coppelia - with Ako Kondo and Chengwu Guo (a gorgeous, traditional production that they’ve had for decades)

2) The Merry Widow - with Amber Scott, Adam Bull, Leanne Stojmenov, Andrew Killian...and Steven Heathcote and David McAllister very funny in the   character parts (Ronald Hynd’s production with the original - stunning - designs) 

3) Sleeping Beauty - David McAllister’s production with very glamorous costumes, with Lana Jones and Kevin Jackson, and Amber Scott as Lilac Fairy, Chengwu Guo and Ako Kondo as Bluebird (of course) and Florine. In this version, the fairy tale guests eg Bluebird, are alter egos of some of the Royal hunting party guests in Act 2.

 

There’s also their production of Ratmansky’s Cinderella with Lana Jones and Daniel Gaudiello that I have to rewatch as I missed part of it last time.  They also used to air their Nutcracker (Peter Wright’s BRB choreography and designs) and Swan Lake (the Graeme Murphy version) but haven’t seen them in a while. Hynd’s The Merry Widow is fabulous, funny, with wonderful choreography and a lovely ending... and no U.K. company dances it! I wish/hope AusBallet will bring that on tour to London next time. 

[OnePigeon]

I so agree about The Merry Widow, it’s utterly charming and I would love to see it performed live.  It’s currently available via Sky Arts on demand service, though I don’t know for how long.  
 

I thought Amber Scott was breathtakingly beautiful and made a wonderful Hannah.  It seems such a shame that a British company don’t have it in their repertoire, especially while Hynd is still blessedly with us.

[Guest oncnp]

28 minutes ago, OnePigeon said:

I so agree about The Merry Widow, it’s utterly charming and I would love to see it performed live.  It’s currently available via Sky Arts on demand service, though I don’t know for how long.  
 

I thought Amber Scott was breathtakingly beautiful and made a wonderful Hannah.  It seems such a shame that a British company don’t have it in their repertoire, especially while Hynd is still blessedly with us.

 

Another performance from Teatro Colon (Nunez/Parente). You'll have to skip over the commercials but there is a short interview with with Mr. Hynd 

 

[AHORA] Mirá “La viuda alegre” de Franz Lehár y disfrutá del mejor ballet del Teatro Colón. - YouTube

 

Edited April 23, 2023 by oncnp

[jmhopton]

I've been fantasising for years about a company bringing Merry Widow over here but I don't know if it will happen as Sadlers Wells is the obvious venue and they do mainly modern ballet. Having said that, Stuttgart came about 10 years ago and did Taming of the Shrew. Merry Widow is the one favourite ballet I've never seen live and I would love to see it. Have several recordings; Canadian and 2 Australian ones, but my favourite is the Argentinian one with Marianela.  She is so wonderful in the title role. 

[Benjamin]

12 hours ago, jmhopton said:

I've been fantasising for years about a company bringing Merry Widow over here but I don't know if it will happen as Sadlers Wells is the obvious venue and they do mainly modern ballet. Having said that, Stuttgart came about 10 years ago and did Taming of the Shrew. Merry Widow is the one favourite ballet I've never seen live and I would love to see it. Have several recordings; Canadian and 2 Australian ones, but my favourite is the Argentinian one with Marianela.  She is so wonderful in the title role. 

Marianela did one of the pas de duex with Roberto Bolle on His TV Dancing show this years New Year’s Day. They were both beautiful and it was such a stunning pas de duex, I wish more complains did it. All I can think of is The Australian Ballet (Original Producer), The National Ballet of Canada and Hong Kong Ballet. Are there any others?

[OnePigeon]

Thanks for the link to the Nunez version, I had no idea she had performed the role of Hannah - if only she could wield some influence and get the RB to stage it.  I’m looking forward to watching it properly later, though I had a quick skim through it  and was quite distracted/ disturbed by the lack of padding in Parente’s costume.  It put me in mind of the scandal Nijinsky caused when he appeared similarly attired. 
 

I’ll have to see if the Nunez / Bolle pas de deux is available anywhere to view, I would imagine they would be wonderful together.

[Emeralds]

19 hours ago, jmhopton said:

I've been fantasising for years about a company bringing Merry Widow over here but I don't know if it will happen as Sadlers Wells is the obvious venue and they do mainly modern ballet. Having said that, Stuttgart came about 10 years ago and did Taming of the Shrew. Merry Widow is the one favourite ballet I've never seen live and I would love to see it. Have several recordings; Canadian and 2 Australian ones, but my favourite is the Argentinian one with Marianela.  She is so wonderful in the title role. 

I have the same fantasy too! 😁🌈 Next to the one about either ENB or RB acquiring it 😄 ....after all, at one point it seemed inconceivable that RB would acquire Onegin yet it’s now been danced numerous times by them.

 

7 hours ago, Benjamin said:

Marianela did one of the pas de duex with Roberto Bolle on His TV Dancing show this years New Year’s Day. They were both beautiful and it was such a stunning pas de duex, I wish more complains did it. All I can think of is The Australian Ballet (Original Producer), The National Ballet of Canada and Hong Kong Ballet. Are there any others?

Royal Danish Ballet and Vienna State Ballet also danced it previously. Don’t know if they still can/will revive it. And of course, the ballet company of Teatro Colon, which we can still see online.

 

But it seems improper somehow that no British company performs this gorgeous, fun and beautifully choreographed and designed ballet with the wonderful music by Lehar, made by a British choreographer - Ronald Hynd - and co-created by Robert Helpmann, one of the Royal Ballet’s legends (you could say he was sort of like an executive producer- he had the idea and devised the libretto, and brought Lanchbery, Hynd and Heeley together.) ENB, RB, BRB, NB, Scottish Ballet....anyone? 

[jmhopton]

Sadly, can't see any of them staging it Emeralds, much as I'd like one of them to do so. I thought ages ago (before Tamara) that ENB were rumoured to be thinking of staging it but when I later asked Tamara about this she said it was too old fashioned, and unfortunately, that sums up the attitude of many ADs today. They can commision way out ballets such as Like Water for Chocolate and The Creature, but give them an established ballet with traditional music and most of them shudder and refuse (or at least that's what it seems like). Although it's a twentieth century ballet the music is nineteenth century and that and the traditional costumes seem to put off modern ADs which is an awful shame as I'm sure if any ADs were looking for a new crowd pleaser this would be it. I could see any of the 3 English Companies being able to field casts galore, no problem, (don't know enough about Scottish ballet) but sadly the trend seems to be for modern ballets or classics. Just hope the RB have some good acting or 'heritage' (ASHTON!) ballets in their new programme and don't just rely on endless swan lakes and Nutcrackers with possibly Don Q (another 19th century ballet) as well.

[Benjamin]

4 minutes ago, jmhopton said:

Sadly, can't see any of them staging it Emeralds, much as I'd like one of them to do so. I thought ages ago (before Tamara) that ENB were rumoured to be thinking of staging it but when I later asked Tamara about this she said it was too old fashioned, and unfortunately, that sums up the attitude of many ADs today. They can commision way out ballets such as Like Water for Chocolate and The Creature, but give them an established ballet with traditional music and most of them shudder and refuse (or at least that's what it seems like). Although it's a twentieth century ballet the music is nineteenth century and that and the traditional costumes seem to put off modern ADs which is an awful shame as I'm sure if any ADs were looking for a new crowd pleaser this would be it. I could see any of the 3 English Companies being able to field casts galore, no problem, (don't know enough about Scottish ballet) but sadly the trend seems to be for modern ballets or classics. Just hope the RB have some good acting or 'heritage' (ASHTON!) ballets in their new programme and don't just rely on endless swan lakes and Nutcrackers with possibly Don Q (another 19th century ballet) as well.

Isn’t it supposed to be old fashioned? It’s set in 1905, and the sets and costumes are in a period style. I don’t understand… Isn’t Swan Lake, Don Q, The Sleeping Beauty set before that?

[OnePigeon]

18 minutes ago, jmhopton said:

Sadly, can't see any of them staging it Emeralds, much as I'd like one of them to do so. I thought ages ago (before Tamara) that ENB were rumoured to be thinking of staging it but when I later asked Tamara about this she said it was too old fashioned, and unfortunately, that sums up the attitude of many ADs today. They can commision way out ballets such as Like Water for Chocolate and The Creature, but give them an established ballet with traditional music and most of them shudder and refuse (or at least that's what it seems like). Although it's a twentieth century ballet the music is nineteenth century and that and the traditional costumes seem to put off modern ADs which is an awful shame as I'm sure if any ADs were looking for a new crowd pleaser this would be it. I could see any of the 3 English Companies being able to field casts galore, no problem, (don't know enough about Scottish ballet) but sadly the trend seems to be for modern ballets or classics. Just hope the RB have some good acting or 'heritage' (ASHTON!) ballets in their new programme and don't just rely on endless swan lakes and Nutcrackers with possibly Don Q (another 19th century ballet) as well.

I could imagine ENB doing it a good few years ago or the BRB under David Bintley  - what a shame they never did.  I saw the ENO perform it so it feels like the Coliseum would have been a good venue for it.  It is very depressing that there don’t seem to be any ADs who would champion such a piece any more and the younger and further away they get from the generation that choreographed such lovely ‘heritage’ ballets, the less likely it will be that they perform them.  God forbid we have anything unashamedly joyful and indisputably balletic with a bit of charm and happiness that hasn’t been performed a million times by every ballet company the world over.
 

Marianela was wonderful in the role, I feel so sad we will never get to see it over here.  I kept wondering who my dream cast would be as I was watching it.  

 

[jmhopton]

10 hours ago, OnePigeon said:

I could imagine ENB doing it a good few years ago or the BRB under David Bintley  - what a shame they never did.  I saw the ENO perform it so it feels like the Coliseum would have been a good venue for it.  It is very depressing that there don’t seem to be any ADs who would champion such a piece any more and the younger and further away they get from the generation that choreographed such lovely ‘heritage’ ballets, the less likely it will be that they perform them.  God forbid we have anything unashamedly joyful and indisputably balletic with a bit of charm and happiness that hasn’t been performed a million times by every ballet company the world over.
 

Marianela was wonderful in the role, I feel so sad we will never get to see it over here.  I kept wondering who my dream cast would be as I was watching it.  

 

 

Lovely posting OnePigeon and sums up my feelings exactly. Yes, David Bintley would have been great person to stage this  ballet and what a pity he didn't. However, thinking of it, now Bonelli is in charge of Northern Ballet there may be hope he might consider it as I can't see either Carlos or the new ENB AD being interested. Sadly, don't think it's Kevin's sort of ballet either though I'd love to be proved wrong. What is it with modern ADs that they don't seem to like fun ballets (apart from Don Q) with beautiful sets and costumes and tuneful music. Perhaps not 'relevant' enough for the Arts Council? They did say they prioritised relevance over excellence which I think is truly shocking.

[Sim]

Sun 30th April BBC4 8pm Dance Passion Liverpool: Find the Feeling

 

Further information on this programme....it will feature Matthew Ball and Mayara Magri dancing Ball's piece (Re)Current, a duet he made for the two of them.  Filmed in the gorgeous St. George's Hall in Liverpool, it should be lovely.  

 

 

[Emeralds]

On 25/04/2023 at 09:23, jmhopton said:

 

Lovely posting OnePigeon and sums up my feelings exactly. Yes, David Bintley would have been great person to stage this  ballet and what a pity he didn't. However, thinking of it, now Bonelli is in charge of Northern Ballet there may be hope he might consider it as I can't see either Carlos or the new ENB AD being interested. Sadly, don't think it's Kevin's sort of ballet either though I'd love to be proved wrong. What is it with modern ADs that they don't seem to like fun ballets (apart from Don Q) with beautiful sets and costumes and tuneful music. Perhaps not 'relevant' enough for the Arts Council? They did say they prioritised relevance over excellence which I think is truly shocking.

I’d say the plot sounds pretty relevant to me! Country at risk of going bankrupt (sounds like a lot of nations during the various financial market crises), the wealth of the nation mostly in the hands of a few billionaires (the story simplifies it to just one, Hannah the Merry Widow, as a result of coincidental events - her late husband was the billionaire) but in the ballet, Hannah is a nice, benign billionaire, not the corrupt power hungry type in our world. The fact that everything is told with humour, elegance and wit doesn’t mean it’s not relevant.

 

I was watching the ballet again on recording after we started this discussion and realised what wonderful musicality Hynd has- a quality or skill that not many choreographers today have or bother to cultivate, so a lot of modern works look like dancing in spite of the music or dancing with the music as a backing track, rather than being led by it or working with it as a synergistic whole. That’s why choreographers like Ashton, MacMillan, Cranko, Balanchine and Robbins move us, because they too had musicality. 

 

As for the costumes, many red carpet gowns today copy those looks . And a few cities still have a branch of that restaurant Maxim (based on the real one that was in Paris) in Act 2! It’s more real than Rite of Spring or Swan Lake.

Edited April 27, 2023 by Emeralds

[Shade]

Emeralds I love the Merry Widow operetta and ballet. It would be a thrill to see it on stage live. 

[Emeralds]

On 27/04/2023 at 11:43, Shade said:

Emeralds I love the Merry Widow operetta and ballet. It would be a thrill to see it on stage live. 

Good thought, @Shade 👍- the operetta has been away for far too long too!  I’m sure it will be popular (and sell lots of tickets and souvenir programmes) if restaged in a production that’s not too odd or extreme. The music and songs are beautiful. The Royal Danish Opera were smart in staging it recently - a good boost for their finances. Hope our ballet and opera directors will consider staging both the ballet and the operetta respectively. 

[Dawnstar]

7 hours ago, Emeralds said:

Good thought, @Shade 👍- the operetta has been away for far too long too!  I’m sure it will be popular (and sell lots of tickets and souvenir programmes) if restaged in a production that’s not too odd or extreme. The music and songs are beautiful. The Royal Danish Opera were smart in staging it recently - a good boost for their finances. Hope our ballet and opera directors will consider staging both the ballet and the operetta respectively. 

 

At least other UK opera companies have done the operetta relatively recently - I loved Opera North's in 2018 - even if the ROH haven't so it's been possible to see it, unlike the ballet

[Emeralds]

On 28/04/2023 at 21:43, Dawnstar said:

 

At least other UK opera companies have done the operetta relatively recently - I loved Opera North's in 2018 - even if the ROH haven't so it's been possible to see it, unlike the ballet

I heard that was really good-unfortunately didn’t have time to travel to Leeds to see it, and missed the 2019 ENO production due to a clash of dates too! Hopefully ENO will bring it back soon, as 2019 does feel quite a long time ago, when Tosca and La Boheme seem to be done annually nowadays! But I agree, the ballet doesn’t even get a look in at all. Perhaps if National Ballet of Canada’s new artistic director Hope Muir (who used to dance with ENB) is considering putting on the visit here which was postponed/cancelled by the pandemic, she might be persuaded to bring Merry Widow instead of Sleeping Beauty, which we can easily see from RB (this year), BRB (next year) and ENB (2018 and no doubt it will be back soon)! 

[Benjamin]

6 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

I heard that was really good-unfortunately didn’t have time to travel to Leeds to see it, and missed the 2019 ENO production due to a clash of dates too! Hopefully ENO will bring it back soon, as 2019 does feel quite a long time ago, when Tosca and La Boheme seem to be done annually nowadays! But I agree, the ballet doesn’t even get a look in at all. Perhaps if National Ballet of Canada’s new artistic director Hope Muir (who used to dance with ENB) is considering putting on the visit here which was postponed/cancelled by the pandemic, she might be persuaded to bring Merry Widow instead of Sleeping Beauty, which we can easily see from RB (this year), BRB (next year) and ENB (2018 and no doubt it will be back soon)! 

I believe the production is already in their repertoire so that makes it very easy.

[Emeralds]

1 hour ago, Benjamin said:

I believe the production is already in their repertoire so that makes it very easy.

Yes, it is. I don’t know what condition the sets and costumes are in to travel, but they were considering bringing Sleeping Beauty in 2020, which must be cumbersome to transport too. Argh! My quota of likes has now been exhausted too, so I can only type a thumbs up emoji, Benjamin. 👍

[OnePigeon]

Oh yes please let that happen!  Let’s allow Sleeping Beauty her sleep for a good long while, preferably with Swan Lake.  Why must they all put on the same few ballets ad infinitum?  

[Emeralds]

2 hours ago, OnePigeon said:

Oh yes please let that happen!  Let’s allow Sleeping Beauty her sleep for a good long while, preferably with Swan Lake.  Why must they all put on the same few ballets ad infinitum?  

Good point, OnePigeon! 👍 A polite request from me for international companies not to bring any of the Tchaikovsky big three ballets when touring London for at least 5 years, please. Much nicer when they bring something fairly unique to their own repertoire- besides The Merry Widow, NBC also has some great Neumeier ballets that haven’t been seen in London in the last decade, or ever. Would prefer to see those rather than another SB or SL. 

Edited April 30, 2023 by Emeralds

[Dawnstar]

55 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

Good point, OnePigeon! 👍 A polite request from me for international companies not to bring any of the Tchaikovsky big three ballets when touring London for at least 5 years, please. Much nicer when they bring something fairly unique to their own repertoire- besides The Merry Widow, NBC also has some great Neumeier ballets that haven’t been seen in London in the last decade, or ever. Would prefer to see those rather than another SB or SL. 

 

When the Bolshoi last came I skipped their Swan Lake & Don Quixote in favour of seeing Spartacus & The Bright Stream, given the two former I can see UK companies doing but the two latter I can't. (I find it hard to imagine the RB doing Spartacus.) So I'd definitely prefer visiting companies bring ballets that we can't otherwise see in the UK. Though I don't mind that Australian Ballet's bringing Jewels as I've not seen two thirds of that before.

[Benjamin]

8 hours ago, OnePigeon said:

Oh yes please let that happen!  Let’s allow Sleeping Beauty her sleep for a good long while, preferably with Swan Lake.  Why must they all put on the same few ballets ad infinitum?  

If only I could’ve got to Canada last June to see Karen Kain’s Swan Lake. Canada only haves: Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland and Don Quixote in their 23/24 season so maybe Hope Muir wants them to spread out more.

[Sim]

On 26/04/2023 at 12:05, Sim said:

Sun 30th April BBC4 8pm Dance Passion Liverpool: Find the Feeling

 

Further information on this programme....it will feature Matthew Ball and Mayara Magri dancing Ball's piece (Re)Current, a duet he made for the two of them.  Filmed in the gorgeous St. George's Hall in Liverpool, it should be lovely.  

 

 

Here is the link to the programme on iPlayer.  It features a lovely duet by Matthew and Mayara, and even a cameo from Mr Ball Senior!  Plus the wonderful Robert Carter/Olga Suppozhova performing The Dying Swan! 

 

BBC iPlayer - Dance Passion Liverpool: Find the Feeling

[Shade]

Loved the Ukrainian folk dance but I wish the cameraman had not cut off the feet! Also the RB duet and Dying Swan. Although if you are not familiar with this piece I suspect you wouldn’t ‘get it’, my husband was totally bemused!

 

[Beryl H]

I stumbled upon this by chance, my favourites were the same as Shade's, especially the Ukrainian Hopak!

 

 

 

[loveclassics]

I'm with Beryl, the Ukrainian folk dance was the highlight.  Two dancers obviously loving their dance together.  Of the other stuff, the pop and disco stuff was fine if you've never seen MTV or been to a rock concert but the rest was rather bland.  I tried to like the Pdd with Mayara & Matthew but just couldn't get in to it.  Why is modern dance so depressing?  Is this why the dancers all look so seriously miserable?

[alison]

11 hours ago, Sim said:

It features a lovely duet by Matthew and Mayara, and even a cameo from Mr Ball Senior! 

 

Ah, I did wonder whether they were related, or whether the surname was a coincidence.

[zxDaveM]

On 26/04/2023 at 12:05, Sim said:

Sun 30th April BBC4 8pm Dance Passion Liverpool: Find the Feeling

 

Further information on this programme....it will feature Matthew Ball and Mayara Magri dancing Ball's piece (Re)Current, a duet he made for the two of them.  Filmed in the gorgeous St. George's Hall in Liverpool, it should be lovely.  

 

 

 

enjoyed the programme - especially (Re)Current and the Ukranian folk dance; I think my fave though, was the Indian woman's solo piece.