The Royal Ballet: Four Temperaments mixed bill, March/April 2015

[FLOSS]

It is, I fear, a fashion thing. Shechter is fashionable. So we have to acquire a Shechter.It does not matter whether it is good or not. The Royal Ballet has acquired a Schecter and Kevin O'Hare can claim to be an innovative director.

 

I did not find the music particularly loud. My objection to the music is that it is dull and repetitive and, in this, the choreography is, as far as I can see, a perfect match. Mr Shechter seems to belong to the "look at me aren't I being daring getting all these classically trained dancers to stomp about the stage?" school of dance maker. At least we were saved the sort of programme notes that McGregor seems to find essential to establish the quality of his work and his genius status. I did not experience anything but tedium as the work kept stopping and starting.Its profondity escaped me completely. I should be most interested to know where those who say that they were moved or found it interesting were sitting. Perhaps I was sitting in the wrong part of the house.But then isn't there something wrong with a dance work that only looks good from a few seats in an auditorium?

 

It seemed as if the bulk of the rehearsal time had been given to the Balanchine and the new work. The Balanchine was well danced. It was nice to see it again. Perhaps everyone thought that they could get away with a short period of preparation for Song of the Earth . Perhaps the fact that there is another run of the ballet before the company goes off on tour indicates that they know how much work is required and that we should treat this run of performances as an extended open rehearsal.

 

I have to say I always find it unnerving when the Royal Ballet dances Balanchine better than it does the work of one of its in house choreographers.It suggests that the MacMillan and Ashton styles are not nearly as deeply ingrained as they once were.It is not that noticeable in a full length MacMillan dramatic ballet. All that emoting is capable of covering a multitude of technical and stylistic sins but works like Song of the Earth and Concerto expose even the smallest defect and lapse just as Ashton's works do. Soares is not a natural fit for the role of the man in this ballet and on the first night he was not dancing on the same level as Acosta or Nunez.I never cease to be amazed by MacMillan's Song of the Earth which captures the essence of one of Mahler's greatest works.The orchestral piece is a meditation on the beauty of life and its transitory nature The ballet manages to capture this but it has to be danced with beautiful precision and that was what was lacking.It is MacMillan's masterpiece but it did not look it last night. Let us hope that it improves.

[zxDaveM]

I found the music for Untouchable mesmerising but then I am somewhat rock'n'roll oriented. Can't say the same for the dancing or costumes or lighting aspects of the production though. May yet grow on me I suppose, will see over the next shows.

 

Loved the Balanchine utterly; loved the MacMillan just as much. I'm not an opera fan (at all!) but can tolerate the singing because the dancing so enthralling.

[penelopesimpson]

Especially if, to judge by the Swan Lake thread, they don't seem to have the time to make sure that every aspect of their bread and butter classical ballet is as good as it can be. 

 

i've not booked to see this triple ballet, because the Balanchine would be the only piece I would want to see.  I normally love MacMillan, but I do find Song very dreary, I'm afraid.  How are ticket sales doing? 

 

So agree about Song.  For me Macmillan can usually do no wrong, but this piece is, for me, without any merit.  Totally dreary and dirge like.  I've seen it twice now and won't be going back for a third outing.  Ticket sales have been good - all performances showing sold out.

 

i've not booked to see this triple ballet, because the Balanchine would be the only piece I would want to see.  I normally love MacMillan, but I do find Song very dreary, I'm afraid.  How are ticket sales doing? 

[alison]

The Four Temperaments, what’s not to like? It was the first time I’d seen this and it will take a bit of growing into but it was good enough for me to want to see again to appreciate it more.

For me this were 3 new pieces to see, and I took to 4 temperaments like a duck to water. There is a distinct possibility that I'm on my way of becoming a Balanchine groupie. I like the language, the abrupt moves, the different angles.

I fell in love with 4Ts the first time I saw it. This time, I didn't quite get that feeling. It seemed to me to start off well, then sag a bit in the middle and pick up again towards the end. And although I appreciated Phlegmatic as much as ever, it seemed to me that Ed Watson's response to it was more musically witty in the previous run than in this one. Unless, of course, my memory is playing tricks on me ...

 

 

I am pretty sure Untouchable would have looked exactly the same on Hofesh's own company.  (He popped in a couple of token balletic arm positions when some of the dancers were static but that is all.)

This is almost exactly my response to it, too. I've seen a few of his works, although not that recently, and wasn't really sure how this one differed - from the minute the curtain opened, it seemed to have "Shechter" stamped all over it. I enjoyed it well enough, although found it outstayed its welcome by perhaps 5 minutes. Several regulars who hadn't seen his work before told me how much they'd enjoyed it, though.

 

 

Ed Watson was an absolute wonder to behold, and I wish he could be preserved in his current stage for posterity so he'd never need to retire.

Lovely thought - I'm sure a lot of people would agree with you And a few still wouldn't.

 

Agree about Ed.  Such a special dancer and I doubt we will have another quite like him.  Really looking forward to him in Song of the Earth as he is superb as the Messenger of Death.

I don't think there could *ever* be another quite like him

 

 

Maybe I missed something when i was focused on the dancing, but the tenor role in Das Lied von der Erde is written to sound like that and it is a piece that can take a while to grow to love.

Is that the ballet or the music itself? I've found that with both: I can't remember whether I saw it as far back as 1990 (I think it was), but it certainly took a while to grow on me. I think it was watching Tamara Rojo in it from the Grand Tier (I'd been re-seated!) which convinced me for the first time, and I know that I was totally converted by 2007 by the Benjamin/Watson cast because I was really wishing it was that one which had been recorded instead of the Bussell/Acosta one!

 

I may be forgetting, but don't remember them standing quite so far out into the stage in prior runs and they lurked a little closer to the side and were less visible in their black outfits against a black background.

I was very centrally located for this piece, and I found the singers a bit intrusive, which I don't normally, so perhaps they *were* standing more centre stage than usual? 

 

I always find Song of the Earth very moving . Nunez, Soares and Acosta who I have seen dance it before were very good.Some of the other dancers might need a little bit of fine tuning but overall it was a moving performance of a sublime piece.

Yes, I agree. And I must say that I was struck by just how in unison the "boys" were in some parts of it - I didn't remember seeing them quite that sharp before.

 

Her interpretation of this role seems to have added depth this time round, and she danced so movingly last night.  I normally don't associate her too much with MacMillan, but she is definitely one of the best interpreters of this role for many a year.

And to think she had to really fight for the role! I thought she was marvellous last night - great use of eye contact too, as far as I could see. 

[Coated]

 

http://www.kennethmacmillan.com/ballets/all-works/1960-1966/song-of-the-earth-das-lied-von-der-erde.html

 

Besides the explanation of MacMillan's thinking, it includes video of Darcey Bussell's memorable final minutes on the ROH stage - and, without that repeated 'Ewig,' I personally would find the steps for the final trio inexplicable.  But we're all different.

 

According to the link, there was an expectation that the original audience for Songs understands the lyrics, which would undoubtedly contribute a lot to the overall experience. Working under the assumption that most ROH audience members don't speak german, it would probably help the piece enormously if the lyrics were provided. Perhaps they are included in the programme, but I think it even a short summary of each song on the cast list would help a lot. The cast list is particularly unhelpful by calling it song 1 through to 6.

 

The Sydney Symphony has a nice programme with lyrics online if anyone else feels the need to do a bit of homework

http://www.sydneysymphony.com/media/81469/PROG14_100526_SongOfTheEarth_SSO.pdf

[barton22]

Working under the assumption that most ROH audience members don't speak german, it would probably help the piece enormously if the lyrics were provided. Perhaps they are included in the programme, but I think it even a short summary of each song on the cast list would help a lot. The cast list is particularly unhelpful by calling it song 1 through to 6.

 

 

The programme does provide translations of the text for each of the six movements.  I agree that it would be great if they could be included on the cast sheet, but perhaps there is a cost issue as presumably whoever the translator is would be owed some royalties and/or the cast sheet itself would be longer and thus cost more to produce.  I suppose the ROH might be able to do a deal with the translator that allows for the translation to be used on cast sheets for no extra cost over the cost of including it in the programme, and then the cost to the ROH is just for those instances where someone would have bought a programme but then does not because they get the translations free (plus any additional production costs relating to a longer cast sheet).  As you have found, it is quite easy to find translations of the German on the internet, so it isn't hard to prepare ahead of the performance.

[bangorballetboy]

It's really easy to find the translated lyrics on the interwebby. Google is your friend, people.

[Coated]

It's really easy to find the translated lyrics on the interwebby. Google is your friend, people.

That's clearly true, but will be too late to the vast majority of more casual or less experienced ballet visitors who didn't realise that they'd miss out if they are not familiar with the song cycle prior to seeing the performance. A few notes on the cast sheet, similar to the synopsis provided for some of the story ballets might be all that's needed to make it accessible to non-Mahlerians. Putting up a sign stating that you'd need to buy the programme if you want to figure out Songs would probably also do the trick, but some people might take exception to that. Anyway, I just think it's a bit of a shame that some people will walk away from it somewhat baffled and possibly avoid it the next time around if a bit of a hint could help them to decipher what they are seeing.

Edited March 29, 2015 by Coated

[GTL]

Or they could use the surtitle equipment as per opera.

(Did they do that for the "Seven Deadly Sins" ballet sung by Martha Wainwright some years ago? Or did ENB do it with "Lieder eines fahrendes Gesellen"? Can't remember).

[bangorballetboy]

Or they could use the surtitle equipment as per opera.

(Did they do that for the "Seven Deadly Sins" ballet sung by Martha Wainwright some years ago? Or did ENB do it with "Lieder eines fahrendes Gesellen"? Can't remember).

Don't people want to watch the dancing rather than look at a surtitle screen?

[FLOSS]

MacMillan had originally intended to make Song of the Earth for the company it was only because the Board objected to the use of this major orchestral work as a ballet score that MacMillan made the ballet for the Stuttgart company. I suspect that the Board's objections were based on concerns that a ballet could not possibly come anywhere near matching one of Mahler's masterpieces and would end up trivialising it.Remember in 1964 when MacMillan made his proposal to the Board he was still comparatively young and while he had made some interesting works nothing that he had made up to that point necessarily suggested that he would be up to the task of creating choreography that would match Mahler's score.

 

While it is true that the first audiences to see the ballet in Stuttgart would have understood the text being sung many people in the audience at the first performances here would have been familiar with the work, if they were at all interested in classical music.The Song of the Earth is one of Mahler's best known works and it had become known to many people through the recording made in the early 1950's by Bruno Walter with Kathleen Ferrier.

 

The nineteen sixties were the age of Mahler and Bruckner in that both composers who had been hovering at the edge of the standard classical repertory as a result of performances by advocate conductors became fully accepted as part of it.I am not suggesting that you could not move for performances of Das Lied von der Erde during the 1960's but it was, and remains, one of the most popular of Mahler's works. MacMillan had certainly not chosen to make a ballet using an obscure work known only to German audiences when he made his proposal to the Board. He had selected an early twentieth century work that had well and truly become embedded in the consciousness of the average concert goer.

[FLOSS]

I know that it is fashionable to portray MacMillan as a misunderstood,undervalued "outsider" and that is how Lady M prefers us to see him.Although I find it hard to think of any other "outsider" who has had a palace coup staged on his behalf.Perhaps the portrayal of the Boards's refusal to agree to MacMillan creating Song of the Earth for the Royal Ballet has more to do with maintaining the "MacMillan myth" than anything else.Could the Board's refusal have, in reality, been occassioned by fear of the reaction of an audience who were fond of the Mahler if the MacMillan had failed to come up to the mark.

[Lindsay]

I think the point is that the Board at that time were not so much personally anti-Macmillan as generally anti-ballet with the opera company and its audiences being given priority in all decision making. Hence the concern (both on "principle" and for fear of negative audience and critical reactions) that great music should not be trivialised by something as lightweight and fluffy as ballet.

[ToThePointe]

To me, it seems a shame that we must limit a company such as the Royal Ballet to such absolute terms. Yes they are a ballet company, but why must that limit them to just perform the classics. We are so fortunate to live in a city with one of the greatest ballet companies in the world, but they are also exceptional dancers who are capable of different styles of dance and I think it is such a treat to get to see a rare example of this. Choreographers such as McGregor or Shechter are perhaps too contemporary for some, but I strongly believe that it's important to welcome such creative people into this company to keep the art form moving forward and current. I also fully support any work that's bringing in a younger audience into the Opera House as I think it's time that a younger generation realise that ballet isn't elitist and can cater for all. 

 

Many have been saying that it's a shame that Shechter hasn't used the dancer's abilities because the choreography isn't particularly interesting. When I read Beatriz Stix-Brunell's blog piece about what it's like to work with Shechter I think she proves that this isn't the case. As she says, it has taken months for their bodies to adapt to his choreography as he demands for the upper body to be much more curved and relaxed- something which would be very difficult for a classically trained dancer. I think that even if it doesn't look like he's used the company, the fact that he's been able to manipulate their bodies to fit his style is a pretty great feat. 

 

I also think it's unfair to brand Kevin O'Hare's decision as a bit of a sham just so that he can be called 'innovative'. I think he's right to be commissioning new work by interesting choreographers and staging them alongside classics as he's proving that this is a company who can perform Swan Lake on one night and a Shechter on the next. But I suppose no matter what he does, he will always be criticized! Part of the job! I just know that I felt such a strong energy from the dancers which to me seemed to signal their relief that they have the opportunity to engage with this type of choreography as well as 'normal' ballet. After all, it is the Royal Ballet's incredible repertoire which makes them so in demand. 

 

We forget sometimes that dance and ballet is an art form and is therefore subjective. There are things we will like and things that we won't, however, surely it's important to be faced with an array of work. I think that witnessing dance that you might dislike strongly is just as important as it broadens the mind and widens your experiences. Surely that is what art is all about? 

[capybara]

Gosh, ToThePointe, you have put this so well. Thank you.

[Lindsay]

I absolutely agree ToThePointe.  I thought there was an energy there, as there was with Carbon Life a few years ago, which was very refreshing.  For me it wasn't Schechter's best work but it was (hopefully) a first step in building this kind of collaboration with a wider range of contemporary composers and I applaud Kevin O'Hare's efforts in that regard. My own visits to see the RB have become much more infrequent in the last decade from a sense of the repertoire and performance becoming ossified and "museum-like" and I really welcome any developments such as this which make attempt to look outward and relate the work of the RB to the society in which they operate (and from whence comes their public funding).  

 

I find it very dispiriting that so many people are preoccupied with seeing and comparing minutiae of every single cast in every single performance of a run, so that discussion becomes a soap opera about casting, with cliques of fans arguing about their favourites.   To my mind it is much healthier to see a broad range of London's cultural offerings (many of them far cheaper than a ROB ticket) and then one will have a context from which to evaluate what is on offer.

 

Edited: to say of course not just "London" - as a London resident it's most convenient for me, hence the shorthand, but I have also seen some great work recently (dance, music, theatre and art) in Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and Liverpool.

Edited March 30, 2015 by Lindsay

[ToThePointe]

Just to add that I was watching a YouTube clip of Darcey Bussell's Farewell interview and she says that being involved with new works every year is what kept her going...

 

...and that it would have been awful just to do the 'things that sell'

Edited March 30, 2015 by ToThePointe

[Balletfanp]

Well said, ToThePointe. Personally, some of the very contemporary stuff isn't to my taste (depends what it is), but I totally agree that it should be in the repertoire. And I have been pleasantly surprised sometimes by some contemporary dance that I thought I would hate but ended up really enjoying.

[GTL]

Or they could use the surtitle equipment as per opera.

(Did they do that for the "Seven Deadly Sins" ballet sung by Martha Wainwright some years ago? Or did ENB do it with "Lieder eines fahrendes Gesellen"? Can't remember).

  

Don't people want to watch the dancing rather than look at a surtitle screen?

A quick glance upwards every ten seconds or so then eyes back to the stage: they would have a choice ☺ . I'm assuming the financial cost would be minimal.

[aileen]

Well, Lindsay, if you don't like what you term the 'soap opera about casting' (and why shouldn't people go to lots of performances in the same run if they want to - it must be good for the ROH's coffers) why don't you comment on the choreography and staging of the Schechter piece. I'd be interested to hear your views on the merits and weaknesses of the piece rather than your views on how people chose to spend their own money at the ROH.

[capybara]

 

I find it very dispiriting that so many people are preoccupied with seeing and comparing minutiae of every single cast in every single performance of a run, so that discussion becomes a soap opera about casting, with cliques of fans arguing about their favourites.  

 

 

Where is this happening, Lindsay?

 

I rather wish that there was more, not less, discussion on here which compared and contrasted interpretations of the same work. If anything, people seem almost reluctant to review performances on this basis especially when it might involve being critical.

 

I agree with Aileen that it would be good to have more comment on the choreography and staging of the Shechter piece. As a complete newcomer to his work, but someone who is prepared to 'give it a go', I would find that helpful.

Edited March 30, 2015 by capybara

[Lindsay]

I have so far only seen a rehearsal of the Schechter piece Aileen and usually don't comment until I have seen a full performance.  If you look back at my profile you will see that I have done so in relation to several pieces in the past.  The reason I am not a more frequent poster here is because of these defensive and often ad hominem comments from the RB "fans" which inevitably stifle any useful debate and the clutching of handbags at the notion of anything (horror!) "political", as if art existed in a void of its own.  See the closing down of a thread only last week when a poster made the mildest of political comments which he followed up by apologising for profoundly.

 

But if you would like a preliminary comment (subject to caveat that this is based on a rehearsal only), my first impressions of this Schechter were that the dancers had done a remarkable job of taking on his heavy, grounded, and at times powerfully sharp movement style and that he continues to show a better mastery than any other choreographer (that I am aware of) of the grouping and arrangements of a large cast of dancers.  However, I felt that the "volume", not just of the music but also the general "thrust" and "attack" of the piece, had been considerably toned down by comparison with works like Sun and Political Mother and therefore for me the impact was lessened.  It may be that some of the power was dissipated in a space as large as the ROH or that Schechter had reached some kind of "compromise" between his own aesthetics and those of the RB.  Either way, I still found it a very interesting collaboration, the first thing I have seen by the RB for some time that made me think the creator had at least engaged with social issues, and I sincerely hope that Kevin O'Hare will commission more work from him in future.  

[Beryl H]

The Times review gives 2 stars, which is a bit unfair on the triple bill and I think apples mostly to the Shechter, but the general opinion is that it isn't one of his best anyway, it was so hard to see the choreography because of the very low lighting and dark costumes, perhaps they will turn it up today.

[John Mallinson]

Don't people want to watch the dancing rather than look at a surtitle screen?

 

Yes.

 

I think surtitles are excellent for opera and significantly improve the experience. I've often wondered about their use in dance and recall feeling very frustrated when seeing Mark Morris's L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato and being unable to hear more than one word in ten. However when Marriott's Im Treibhaus was staged with surtitles at the ROH I found it very distracting and detracted rather than enhanced. Admittedly one doesn't have to look at them but that's actually quite an effort.

 

In the case of Song of the Earth it is useful and helpful to have done some homework but I would leave it at that.

[John Mallinson]

In Jann Parry's review of Untouchable on DanceTabs she twice mentions The Rite of Spring. It had occurred to me that maybe that's a score and scenario that might suit Shechter rather well.

[alison]

To me, it seems a shame that we must limit a company such as the Royal Ballet to such absolute terms. Yes they are a ballet company, but why must that limit them to just perform the classics. We are so fortunate to live in a city with one of the greatest ballet companies in the world, but they are also exceptional dancers who are capable of different styles of dance and I think it is such a treat to get to see a rare example of this. 

 

Yes.  There must, however, somewhere come a point where it starts being too counterproductive, possibly in terms of technique, with physical demands on dancers conflicting with what the ballet side of their work requires.  I have no idea where that point is, but I think there must be one.

 

Just to add that I was watching a YouTube clip of Darcey Bussell's Farewell interview and she says that being involved with new works every year is what kept her going...

 

Leanne Benjamin said much the same.  After all, there are only so many Swan Lakes you can do ...

 

I rather wish that there was more, not less, discussion on here which compared and contrasted interpretations of the same work. If anything, people seem almost reluctant to review performances on this basis especially when it might involve being critical.

 

I completely agree with you, capybara, on both counts.  For example, there are Swan Lake casts which haven't received a mention in the Swan Lake thread at all.

 

I have so far only seen a rehearsal of the Schechter piece Aileen and usually don't comment until I have seen a full performance.  If you look back at my profile you will see that I have done so in relation to several pieces in the past.  The reason I am not a more frequent poster here is because of these defensive and often ad hominem comments from the RB "fans" which inevitably stifle any useful debate and the clutching of handbags at the notion of anything (horror!) "political", as if art existed in a void of its own.  See the closing down of a thread only last week when a poster made the mildest of political comments which he followed up by apologising for profoundly.

 

I have to correct you there, Lindsay: the thread has *not* been shut down, nor, if I recall correctly, has it undergone any surgery.  I think things got a bit heated on it last Sunday night, when most of the Moderating team were out, so it was closed to let everyone cool off a bit and until we were all available to discuss it.  It has since been reopened.

 

In Jann Parry's review of Untouchable on DanceTabs she twice mentions The Rite of Spring. It had occurred to me that maybe that's a score and scenario that might suit Shechter rather well.

 

I too had thought Rite might well suit him - right in the middle of Untouchable. 

[LinMM]

I'm very open to new works ......though not going to this triple bill....but I was disappointed to read that Schechter himself was not keen to have principal dancers for this work. Why was that?

 

My take is that if he is used to using a group of dancers as a whole group(no hierarchy) then why couldn't he treat the Royal in the same way. He could then see which dancers were most adapting to his style before choosing his final caste.

 

To me that either shows he didn't have much faith that Principal dancers would be able to adapt or that he didn't have too much faith in his own work! Or to be more kind about it he just wanted to give some younger dancers a chance.

 

I just feel he should have approached working with the Royal in his usual way with any other group of dancers.

 

At some point I hope to see this work and if some say it isn't one of his best perhaps the next time he may be more confident working with the Royal and that they might be able to give some added value to a work of he might create ......being super trained dancers and not the other way round!!

 

Dancers of Royal calibre should be able to adapt to any style with enough practice

[Ann Williams]

But 'Rite' has been used to death - choreographically speaking - for modern or 'contemporary' pieces, presumably because it's really rather obviously rhythmic (suits a lot of stamping etc.).  Possibly that's why Shechter didn't choose it.

 

Aileen, as an admirer  of what I'd previously seen of Schechter's work, I have to say I was disappointed with this piece,  It never seemed to me to know where it was going and as a result never actually got anywhere; just seemed like  bunch of people grouped closely together doing slightfly differnt kinds of group movement.  I'd like to see more of his work, though.

[Booklover89]

To me that either shows he didn't have much faith that Principal dancers would be able to adapt or that he didn't have too much faith in his own work! Or to be more kind about it he just wanted to give some younger dancers a chance.

...

 

Dancers of Royal calibre should be able to adapt to any style with enough practice

 

I take your point that it wasn't technically 'non-hierarchical' in the way one would expect, but I was actually really pleased to see that he was exclusively using dancers from the Soloist, First Artist and Artist ranks.  I think there's so much exciting emerging talent there at the moment.  I remember last year in the Chroma/Human Seasons double there was a huge amount of overlap between the Principal dancers in those two works (most of whom were drawn from the core 'McGregor group' of dancers) and it was all beginning to get a little bit monotonous.  So I'm very glad to see that a new group of talented performers are getting the opportunity to make new work and, by the sounds of things, relishing it.

 

Also, logistically, it may well have freed up Principal artists to rehearse 4Ts and Song of the Earth, and we've been rewarded with very well-danced performances of those.

 

And I do think the Royal dancers already do a pretty incredible job in adapting to different styles...

[ToThePointe]

I think that it said somewhere in the programme that Kevin could only give him a certain number of dancers because many had prior commitments (maybe with the new McGregor?) so Shechter then put the remaining dancers through a series of workshops and hand-picked those he wanted to use. I might be mistaken though with that...

 

...however, I loved seeing those who aren't Principals being given the chance to dance in a new work. Even those such as Thomas Whitehead, who has been with the company for years, had the opportunity to do something a bit different! But I agree with LinMM that any dancer at the Royal whether Principal or Artist would be capable of adapting to Shechter's style. 

[capybara]

1) so Shechter then put the remaining dancers through a series of workshops and hand-picked those he wanted to use. I might be mistaken though with that...

 

2) ...however, I loved seeing those who aren't Principals being given the chance to dance in a new work. Even those such as Thomas Whitehead, who has been with the company for years, had the opportunity to do something a bit different!

 

3) But I agree with LinMM that any dancer at the Royal whether Principal or Artist would be capable of adapting to Shechter's style. 

 

(My numbering!)

 

1) This has been said in a number of places and dancers have also mentioned this approach.

 

2) Do so agree

 

3) I agree also

[alison]

Muntagirov, for example? (ducks and runs away)

[Lindsay]

Thank you for the clarification Alison.  I must have looked at that thread while it was locked and had not noticed that it had been re-opened.  

 

Without denigrating the skills of RB dancers, I would respectfully disagree that any of them would be capable of adapting to Schechter's style.  The very best contemporary dancers have had years of training in their art and I would no more expect ballet dancers to pick up contemporary dance quickly any more than I would expect contemporary dancers to churn out a brilliant Swan Lake or Sleeping Beauty with only a few weeks work.  It is not the case that ballet is the technical pinnacle of the artform with everything else beneath it.  These are separate (although related) skills and those ballet dancers who have had very little contemporary work incorporated into their training (more likely amongst older dancers or those trained in Eastern Europe where curriculums tend to be more rigidly classical) may find it extremely difficult to adapt - the language is simply not in their bodies.