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DNB etoiles


Terry

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I'd like to know more about the principal dancers of this company. NYers have had the wonderful opportunity to see Sylve and perhaps Lezhnina, but how are the other principals, like Yumiko Takeshima and Tamas Solymosi for eg? I also know that Samodurov (sp?) is a frequent guest artist there from the Kirov -- how do the Dutch audiences respond to this ecclectic group of dancers? And does this explain perhaps the more contemporary/neo-classical nature of this company?

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Terry, I can't tell you much about the leading dancers of the Dutch National, except for the fact that on those occasions I saw them, they always made a favourable impression. Frederico Bonelli (Italian), Altin Kaftira (Albanian), Tamas Nagy (Hungarian) and Vyacheslav Samodurov (Russian) (I haven't seen Solymosi with the DNB) are all excellent dancers, while Larissa Lezhnina (Russian), Anna Seidl (German), Sofiane Sylve (French) and rising local talent Igone De Jongh leave little to be desired. All seem well adapted to the eclectic repertory of the company. (Actually, Samodurov is a full member of the DNB and is now guesting with the Kirov Ballet.)

The DNB is first and foremost a classical ballet company. This has been a clear choice from the start by founding director Sonia Gaskell and has been continued by her successors Rudi Van Dantzig, who brought the company's standard to an international level, and most recently Wayne Eagling, who vastly expanded the repertory. They have most of the great classics in the repertory as well as a lot of early 20th century ballets and Balanchine. At the same time the company has been giving a lot of attention to what they call the "avant-garde", with a strong emphasis on contemporary Dutch choreography. It is an eclectic repertory, but I don't think it has much to do with the various origins of the dancers. It's a definite choice. Funnily enough this variety in the repertory has been causing a lot of trouble, especially to Wayne Eagling, who is for some too classically-minded (and nicknamed Mr. Swan Lake, although he didn't bring Swan Lake to the DNB), for others too much involved with the avant-garde, and for others again, unable to make a clear artistic decision as in which direction to continue.

Eagling will be succeeded by Ted Brandsen, one of the Dutch talents Eagling himself brought to the fore, this summer.

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When I saw the company last year in Onegin, I was very impressed with Bonelli as Lensky. I don't think he was a principal at that time but clearly had the gifts to become one. In addition to his dark good looks, he had strong technique, which he used to create the character of Lensky. It was a very sophisticated performance and I preferred it to Angel Corella's performance at ABT. Corella seemed more interested in completing eight pirouettes than conveying Lensky's despair at his upcoming duel with Onegin.

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Het Nationale Ballet will participate in the Dance Salad Festival on 17,18 and 19 April in Houston, Texas, USA.

Program : Live by Hans van Manen, The Grey Area by David Dawson and several pas de deux from Krzysztof Pastor's Kurt Weill.

Okay, not exactly NY...:D

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