Alina Cojocaru to Join English National Ballet

[alison]

Well, the implication from the press release is certainly that she will be touring.  ENB has never been known in the past for paying generous salaries - weren't they ranked behind BRB at one time, despite London weighting?

[Nina G.]

My interpretation: this is nothing more than a business savvy move (not meant in a demeaning way!). Alina will continue to tour and guest all over the world when and if it suits her, and appear a few times with ENB. In the meantime ENB has a big name on its roster of dancers thus gaining in prestige. Good for them, no doubt this must be an arrangement that suits both parties.

 

I keep wondering if the arrival of Osipova at RB has anything to do with Alina leaving RB?

[chrischris]

Well, the implication from the press release is certainly that she will be touring.  ENB has never been known in the past for paying generous salaries - weren't they ranked behind BRB at one time, despite London weighting?

 

I just can't see her touring round the UK, but you never know. I've never actually seen her dance. Booked a few times but she never actually appeared, for various legitimate reasons, so I just gave up.

[chrischris]

My interpretation: this is nothing more than a business savvy move (not meant in a demeaning way!). Alina will continue to tour and guest all over the world when and if it suits her, and appear a few times with ENB. In the meantime ENB has a big name on its roster of dancers thus gaining in prestige. Good for them, no doubt this must be an arrangement that suits both parties.

 

I keep wondering if the arrival of Osipova at RB has anything to do with Alina leaving RB?

 

It may have. I think I remember reading once that Cojocaru was frustrated that she hadn't had much created on her, and as Rojo seems to want to get a lot of new work created at the ENB, this might be her chance.

 

To me it seems like an odd move, as i've always considered RB the more more 'prestigious' company, and I guess I just assumed people would go from ENB to RB, not the other way round, but that might just be a sign of my ignorance.

[A frog]

Moving to ENB may allow her to guest more while still taking part in the tours in the UK.

ENB only performs so many different works per year, I assume it will then make it easier for her to combine ENB (including tours) with her other engagements if she only has a limited number of parts to learn and rehearse

[annamicro]

Alina's appearances with the RB have not been very frequent over the last couple of years, and that she has withdrawn from a number of her scheduled performances

 

It's such a pity she was not cast in some production (like Sleeping Beauty and Manon) for exclusive management decision, but this fact cannot be ascribed to the dancer.

Anyway, to not be just a slander, your statement has to be supported by numbers.

Given  that she broke her foot at the end of March/beginning of April this year and that Voices of Spring was cancelled because she and her partner had to rehearse the new Ratmansky, can you give us the number of shows Cojocaru cancelled in the "couple of years" preceeding her last Ratmansky? so from since February 2011?

I made my count, inluding guesting, I'd love to check it with yours.

[chrischris]

Interesting, if slightly OTT, article from Ismene Brown about Cojocaru's move and what it says about the old company system. She refers to Cojocaru as a superstar, and mentions a few dancers that she claims the public want to see. I'd be interested to see if there are any statistics to back that up. In the UK, few ballet dancers have any kind of public profile, and I wonder whether, outside the small, hardcore fans, attendance or box office of particular ballets is impacted by particular dancers, or do people go simply because they like the look of the ballet.

 

http://www.theartsdesk.com/dance/opinion-ballets-stars-are-revolting

Edited July 15, 2013 by chrischris

[Bruce Wall]

 I'd be interested to see if there are any statistics to back that up. In the UK, few ballet dancers have any kind of public profile, and I wonder whether, outside the small, hardcore fans, attendance or box office of particular ballets is impacted by particular dancers

 

There was proof positive last week that this is in fact not a good test.  Polunin was dancing in Coppelia (a family friendly ballet if there ever was one) and the Coliseum was more empty that I can ever remember seeing it before .... ditto for the Sunday matinee.  Both performances had the balcony closed .... and had been (rare in my experience) actually promoted by the venue (e.g., I had received an email about it which I NEVER do for ENB) ... and STILL BOTH performances had globs of red seats sitting empty.  According to today's Guardian, Polunin is one of today's superstars.  What does that say of today I wonder!!!   Obviously he does not have the Vasiliev clout ... on the Coliseum scale at very least.

[Jan McNulty]

Interesting, if slightly OTT, article from Ismene Brown about Cojocaru's move and what it says about the old company system. She refers to Cojocaru as a superstar, and mentions a few dancers that she claims the public want to see. I'd be interested to see if there are any statistics to back that up. In the UK, few ballet dancers have any kind of public profile, and I wonder whether, outside the small, hardcore fans, attendance or box office of particular ballets is impacted by particular dancers, or do people go simply because they like the look of the ballet.

 

http://www.theartsdesk.com/dance/opinion-ballets-stars-are-revolting

 

 

Thanks for this Chrischris.  I have started a new thread "The Company or the Star" and would love to hear people's viewpoints:

 

http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/4398-the-company-or-the-star/

[aileen]

You make a very good point, Meunier. Mind you, the Coliseum might have been even emptier if Polunin had not been dancing. I'm really puzzled that the weekend matinee performances of a family-friendly ballet did not sell better. I know that many critics did not like this production but people booking before the start of the run would not have known this. Of course, BRB's Aladdin, another family-friendly ballet at the Coliseum earlier this year, did not sell particularly well either. As for Vasiliev, whilst the Don Q performances sold well the Laurencia performances had to be substantially discounted in order to sell.

[Bluebird]

Surely one of the reasons the sales for the Stanislavsky were so poor is that the tickets were on sale for less than two months.  I've just checked and they went on sale around May 18, a little over 7 weeks before the opening night.  Most productions from visiting companies are put on sale many months in advance.

[ElleC]

I am over the moon!!!!!!!  I've been grinning from ear to ear all day, and just can't believe our luck that we'll still have Alina dancing frequently in the UK.  In my wildest dreams, I didn't see it coming (although I'd harboured a faint hope that maybe Tamara would ask her to guest), so if ever there was a brilliant start to the week (make that the rest of the year ....!!), this was it.   "Delighted" doesn't even come close to covering it!        

[DavidW]

Very interesting news!

 

I have to admit though, my first reaction was to wonder who will be partnering her at ENB: Tamara seems to be keeping the Vadim/Daria partnership and Johan will not be dancing with ENB in the near future (in an article Tamara said he "is a very busy man"). There is a lot of male talent in the ranks in ENB but are any of them ready to match Cojocaru? It could be a great opportunity for a younger dancer to get his 'break'...

 

I'm really looking forward to seeing Cojocaru at ENB, especially if she'll be involved in the new pieces by Scarlett, Khan and Maliphant - I think the only thing Tamara needs to do now is find a different venue to the Coliseum... And I see no reason why RB and ENB can't both succeed in London. Both ABT and NYCB do very well both being mainly based in NYC (with ABT touring like ENB), lets hope ENB and RB manage to distinguish themselves from each other and cohabitate in a similar way! 

[LinMM]

There was an awful lot going on in London this weekend!!....not just with ballet...in reply to the fact that the Coppelia matinee did not sell that well at the Colisseum.

 

I myself had to make the decision between going to the RBS end of year performance at ROH or the Coppelia and in the end inspite of Polunin chose the former. Glad I did as some of the young male dancers there were fantastic...but that's for another thread!

 

Just too much on in one weekend is my guess.

[Bluebird]

There is a lot of male talent in the ranks in ENB but are any of them ready to match Cojocaru? 

 

 

 

Yes.  Zdenek Konvalina.

Edited July 15, 2013 by Bluebird

[DavidW]

Yes.  Zdenek Konvalina.

I definitely agree - have only seen him dance once but was very very impressed. Any news on his injury?

[SPD444]

Regarding Alina's partner for Le Corsaire we could have a little fun with this. I have just returned from the cinema showing of the Ashton performance including Tamara's last show in Marguerite and Armand, with the flower throw, fantastic. Who did she ask to partner her that night? Sergei!!  Who did Alina ask to come and perform at her recent Gala night for the hospice in Rumania?  Sergei!!

 

Is it ridiculous to suggest it could be the bad boy???

Edited July 15, 2013 by SPD444

[capybara]

I definitely agree - have only seen him dance once but was very very impressed. Any news on his injury?

 

Zdenek has recovered and is ready and waiting to dance again. He would make a lovely partner for Alina but other ENB ballerinas (notably Erina Takahashi) also seem to like dancing with him.

[Bruce Wall]

But then again, who was her last partner at ABT in Bayadere as it happens? ... None other than Ivan Vasiliev .... who I understand will be based in London???.  Might this be an Ali for Alina's rarefied air?. ... In that one at least there are three different principal male roles (and two female) ... and as for being the one in the middle (which Ali most definitely is) ... I have a feeling Ivan has found himself there before.  

Edited July 15, 2013 by Meunier

[A frog]

I only know the Corsaire pdd that gets trotted out at galas, but if that's in any way representative of the work, I could definitely see Ivan Vasiliev in it.

Or Sergei Polunin, and Tamara did say she was trying to have him guest. Regarding his appearance at Alina's gala however, he didn't actually dance with her, but they did partner each other in the past.

[alison]

If his partnering's anything like it was the other night in Coppelia, Alina might want someone securer.

 

I seem to remember that the pdd in Boston's Corsaire was actually a pas de trois, wasn't it?

[Jan McNulty]

Alison, in the full length version by the Mariinsky that I saw a good few years ago the pdd is a pdt.  I read at the time (when I think it was a reconstruction of the original) that the original was a pdt between Conrad, Ali and Medora (?).

[Bruce Wall]

Certainly the last time we saw Corsaire with the Bolshoi (2010) it was a pdt ... and given that Anne-Marie Holmes' productions both for Boston Ballet and ABT have it as a pdt I think it will be safe to assume that it will be a pdt.  This is one so-called 'classical' production that is male principal heavy.  

Edited July 16, 2013 by Meunier

[Pas de Quatre]

Yes, Corsaire is a pd3 in the full ballet, it is only when extracted as a gala piece that it becomes a pd2.

[Beryl H]

There are a lot of male roles, Conrad is the lead but doesn't dance the virtuoso variations in the pdd, they are danced by Ali, so if Vadim Muntagirov dances with Alina, which role will he do?

[loveclassics]

Given Polunin's often-stated aversion to rehearsal, he can hardly be the ideal partner for anyone.  It's OK to go on as a solo dancer and just wing it as the mood and adrenaline takes you, but dancing with others takes a lot of effort and work - not something this young man seems fond of.  Alina has achieved her position, not just from natural talent, but from solid work.  She deserves a partner who can match her in application, not just the flavour of the month.

Edited July 16, 2013 by lbeard

[LinMM]

Well they are probably not at all suited somehow but for hard work and dedication to ballet Vasiliev would deserve the job!!

[chrischris]

Can you really see someone like Vasiliev joining the ENB and going on a gruelling tour round some not particularly glamorous parts of the UK? It would be very different from the life I imagine he leads in Russia and New York.

 

Perhaps Xander Parish might want to come back to London? All depends on whether Rojo has the money to employ any more dancers.

[Jan McNulty]

Well Liverpool is a very glamorous destination!

[LinMM]

To be frank I'm not that sure I can see Cojocaru doing a gruelling tour round either!! My guess is she will do mostly London shows with a few forays out into the wilds of UK! No disrespect but she hasn't been used to it. She does say however that she wants to reach a wider audience so perhaps she will!! Who knows how long she will stay with ENB at this point?

 

The post about Vasiliev as partner was not serious!! It's just that someone else said she didn't deserve Polunin because his work record is not that brilliant at the mo so based on that criteria Vasiliev was better!

 

No a difficult choice...perhaps hubby will do some partnering with her as a guest then for some things?

[capybara]

It is interesting that people have the impression that ENB is short of good men. There are, of course, three Lead Principals (Dima Gruzdyev, Zdenek Konvalina and Vadim Muntagirov) but, as importantly, even with Esteban Berlanga's unfortunate departure, there is a host of up and coming young men (including Ken Saruhashi, James Forbat, Yonah Acosta and Junor Souza). The latter group may not yet be ready to partner Alina but they are certainly among the 'ones to watch'.

[LinMM]

Well Liverpool is fantastic as always

 

The wilds of Britain could be Milton Keynes though(sorry all Milton Keyners .....Ive only been twice and felt a bit depressed each time!)

At least she is going there to give her her due!!

[Bruce Wall]

As to who will partner Alina in Corsaire in London - because my suggestion could only be in a guesting situation .... there is always the option of the lad with whom Alina was meant to dance in Swan Lake this past season at ABT before it so sadly had to be cancelled:  Herman Cornejo .... A wonderful dancer these two had previously been paired in Giselle in New York to deafening acclaim.. .... Sadly he is not yet known to most of those audiences who strictly stick but to UK stages ...Certainly he (like Vasiliev) would have danced Anne-Marie Holmes' Corsaire.   That would come - one might think - with a certain air of both authority and comfort for ENB's new leading ballerina. 

 

Here's an interview with him:

 

http://blip.tv/dancechanneltv/interview-with-herman-cornejo-2523718

 

Here's a sample of his dancing as Mercutio in MacMillan's R&J which will, of course, be familiar to you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKtPujADBNI and in Makarova's Bayadere which the Royal also has and which opened originally at ABT when Makarova danced it with Dowell: :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13dFNOMv1Z8  As Puck he is the definite standout (at least for me) in ABT's DVD performance of the Ashton masterwork.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTSzZkfpilA&list=PL6E4F541F4B8AA306

 

 

Here's the said pas de trois from Anne Marie's Corsaire with Cornejo (whose sister is now with Boston Ballet) in which he shares the stage with Vasiliev.  It is a live camera shot from last July at ABT.  His partnering skills as illustrated here are, for my taste at least, much beyond those illustrated by a certain Mr. Polunin last week. 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B4amLHdrTw

 

Just a suggestion.

Edited July 16, 2013 by Meunier