Ballet Arizona and "Napoli"

[alison]

I've been catching up with the newspaper links, and am fascinated to see that Ballet Arizona, of all people, has just danced the first performances on US soil of Bournonville's "Napoli". It appears to have gone down extremely well with the critics:

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/17/arts/dance/review-ballet-arizonas-napoli-embodies-a-culture-of-exuberance.html?_r=1

http://www.danceviewtimes.com/2015/02/tales-of-the-danish-southwest.html

 

and I hope the audiences appreciated it as well. The Danceviewtimes article in particular gives an excellent report of the ballet, and I particularly like this comment: "You can’t delete religion or its trappings from “Napoli” any more than you can take the cross out of “Dracula” without damaging its architecture. You’re removing a counterweight to other themes." Other stagers, please take note! It sounds very much as though the production is highly similar to the one Festival Ballet used in 1989, which I really liked.

 

It's great to see Ballet Arizona doing something like this, and marvellous that Ib Andersen isn't neglecting his own heritage. Lucky Phoenix! I wonder if they would ever end up doing a mini Bournonville festival in the US in a similar way to what Sarasota Ballet do with Ashton?

 

I don't suppose we have any readers who actually saw this, and who would like to report back, do we?

[Bruce Wall]

I've been catching up with the newspaper links, and am fascinated to see that Ballet Arizona, of all people, has just danced the first performances on US soil of Bournonville's "Napoli". It appears to have gone down extremely well with the critics:

 

 

 

Just a small point, Alison.  This may be the first 'native' company doing a 'full' Napoli in the USA, I don't know ... but I am certainly aware that both LFB/ENB and RDB presented a full length Napoli in NYC previously - albeit some time ago.  Also I don't think it is particularly strange that Arizona Ballet should be presenting such given (i) their AD's (Ib Andersen) Danish heritage - (he attended the RDBS and became that Company's youngest principal at 20 years of age) - and (ii) due to his close association with Stanley Williams during his many years as a fine performer with NYCB. Indeed, I believe the physical production (both scenery and costumes) has been borrowed on this occasion from the RDB. 

Edited February 20, 2015 by Bruce Wall

[Jan McNulty]

I know a certain Canadian lady who was there!!! Did you enjoy it Katherine???

[toursenlair]

I enjoyed it immensely. I have a blog post about it if anyone wants to visit:

http://toursenlair.blogspot.ca/2015/02/far-from-denmark-ballet-arizonas-napoli.html

including some juicy behind-the-scenes nailbiting!

The audience on opening night was very appreciative. The theatre wasn't full, but it's huge (2500 seats) and apparently ticket sales were in line with what the marketing department hoped for.

 

I was very impressed with how the company managed so well to perform Bournonville in all its aspects. Ib Andersen certainly didn't give them any breaks on the speed of the Tarantella... it was FAST!!!

There wasn't quite as much ease in the heads and hands as with the Royal Danish Ballet, but that's a niggle and, of course, the Arizona dancers don't have the benefit of years of Bournonville training in school. We all know that no one can perform Bournonville like the RDB, just as no one performs Balanchine quite like NYCB.

I am thinking of going back to Arizona next February... especially today I am thinking of it, since the temperature here in Toronto is -20 Celsius with the windchill about -1gazillion.

[alison]

Just a small point, Alison.  This may be the first 'native' company doing a 'full' Napoli in the USA, I don't know ... but I am certainly aware that both LFB/ENB and RDB presented a full length Napoli in NYC previously - albeit some time ago.

Oh? That wasn't the impression given by the media. My apologies. The LFB version must have been 1989, then: I did think it odd that they seemed merely to be giving a handful of performances at the Dominion and none elsewhere.

[Bruce Wall]

Oh? That wasn't the impression given by the media. My apologies. The LFB version must have been 1989, then: I did think it odd that they seemed merely to be giving a handful of performances at the Dominion and none elsewhere.

 

I saw that LFB/ENB production at the Met ... several times in fact.  I can still remember the audiences cheering that third act.  I remember coming out and Adam Luders (then a NYCB principal but who I had seen when I was but a child partner M. Gielgud in LFB/ENB's SL at the RFH) remarking that it was: 'Wonderful; just wonderful'.  It was a truly glorious enterprise ... as was so much under the Schaufuss LFB/ENB regime. 

Edited February 21, 2015 by Bruce Wall

[Coated]

I am rather jealous of anyone having been able able to see a full versions of Napoli since I saw a snippet at the RDB stint in London this year. Wouldn't it be lovely if ENB (or any UK company) would put it on?

[Bruce Wall]

Stanley Williams was so important to the development of the Bournonville technique at NYCB/SAB - (Bujones always said 'he made me a dancer') - largely because Balanchine was such a huge fan.  There is a wonderful bit in the upcoming clip made just over a year ago where Wendy Whelan talks about her teachers - including, of course, Danilova and Stanley Williams.  (She compares Williams' teaching to calculus.)  Pull through to the 13 minute mark here if you'd like to listen to her talk about this. 

[alison]

I am rather jealous of anyone having been able able to see a full versions of Napoli since I saw a snippet at the RDB stint in London this year. Wouldn't it be lovely if ENB (or any UK company) would put it on?

It would be, but I doubt it: it sold incredibly poorly even in London when they last put it on.

 

I think I pretty much loved it from start to finish, although I might have been a bit confused at the singer! It was from that performance that I counted my "proper" balletgoing as starting. It was a sweltering 30 degrees plus outside, and I was very surprised, given that he was in the knee-breeches on the cover of the programme, to see Gennaro make his first appearance in those shorts. In my inexperience back then, I wondered if it was either some sort of health and safety measure, or whether the dancer had actually refused to wear the knee-breeches because it was too hot!

 

I have somewhere a scanned copy of the review from Dance & Dancers, comparing the various casts, but it seems to be at work only. Must check it out sometime.

[Jane S]

Slightly off-topic, but I just came across an agency page with 100 photographs of different Napoli productions in London and Paris, from the RDB at Covent Garden in the 1950s to the RBS School in 2008 (nice photo of Muntagirov!), via various LFB productions and lots of the RB divertissement from 2007.

 

http://www.topfoto.co.uk/imageflows2/?s=Napoli+AND+ballet