29 replies to this topic

[diane]

Has anyone seen a company which calls themselves The Russian National Ballet?

Their artistic director is Sergei Radchenko.
The current tour is....... the Nutcracker.  
(I know, I know; but most of the kids I teach have NEVER seen a ballet before)
((besides, I still love it, even after all these years.))

I cannot tell from the info if they dance to live music or canned. (there is no mention of an orchestra)
I am assuming not live.

They are on tour in central Europe this autumn/winter, and there is a possibility to order bunches of tickets for ballet schools and the like; but I am a bit wary as I have not heard of them before and do not want to take kids  to see something which may even turn them _off_ of more than on to ballet.

Thanks.

-d-

[Alexandra]

Yes, they came here.  I didn't see them, but friends did.  Radchenko was a great character dancer with the Bolshoi.

The reports I got were mixed -- what you'd expect from a company that spends much of its life on the road, with dancers of a variety of ages, technical ability, etc.  Yet both of my friends who saw it enjoyed it.  It was a few years ago now, so I can't remember details (I'm sorry) but you might turn up something on them on Google.

I"m sure it was canned music here.  If you're taking kids who've never seen the ballet, unless you're dragging them kicking and screaming because they think it's dumb and they'd rather be skate boarding, or whatever active children do there, my best guess is that it's safe.  (please don't hate me if I'm wrong! )

[diane]

  
Of course I won't hate you if you are wrong!

Thank you very much for your information.

I am just trying to be careful, as there are so many touring companies around, and I have heard such horror-stories about some.

It is sad that, although nearly every mid-sized city over here has their own opera, acting-dept., orchestra and ballet/dance group, only a very few do classical ballet anymore.
It is probably just too expensive.

Thanks again.

-d-

[Luxie]

They are touring in my local area of the UK later this month so I'm taking a chance and getting tickets..*hopefully* they will be good.


Luxie.

[diane]

Oh, do let us know how it was, Luxie!

I shall not be able to go after all; conflicts of rehearsals and the like... but I still want to know for _next_ time around.

-d-

[Luxie]

Of course I shall be pleased to report back after the event  


Luxie

[JRB]

We just returned from seeing this company perform Swan Lake.  There was a pretty good crowd for this area.  Too bad we can't seem to attract the same numbers for our local companies in their  performances.  
It was an enjoyable evening and they did a lovely job considering the difficulty of touring and adjusting to different stages all the time.

[vrsfanatic]

In our area they toured as the Moscow Festival Ballet. They seem to change their name around quite a bit!

Unfortunately I found the 1st and 2nd Acts to be the worst of a professional company I have ever seen. With my Russian background, it was an embarassment for me with my students sitting there, some seeing their very first Swan Lake. I walked out. Cannot tell you about the rest.

When I lived in St. Petersburg, I did have the opportunity to see the various companies (again always changing names) directed by Radchenko. Although the productions where not of the quality of Mariinski or Bolshoi, I never walked out. The dancers were decent, the production qualities were also very nice and of course beautiful theatres always do help. In the Swan Lake I so last week, I could not say any of this!

Sorry for the opposing view, but I just thought perhaps others might like to hear there are some of us who will never go to another Radchenko production! :angry:

[JRB]

Your opposing view is quite ok with me!  I was trying to be PC with them.  I too saw problems, like a Prince who looked like he was working too hard and never had a facial expresion other than concentration.  The corps was in unison with all their moves and the little swans were quite good.  Not being familiar with Swan Lake other than seeing Peter Martins I have nothing else to compare it with.  There were other things that I noted and discussed with my DDs on the way home but they were technique issues and a few personal things such as "did you see her foot, what was wrong with that?"     
My bigger concern is the Theater Manager walking around and seeing the crowd that was there.  I'd like more classical dance to be available in our area but now I'm worried that he'll bring them back to do a Nut and hurt the three regional companies that are fighting for an audience for the same 2-3 week time frame in December.  
My hope would be that last nights performance build an interest in dance and send more children into the local ballet schools.

[Drew]

There are some other impressions of the company posted in a thread listed under "News, Events, and Issues."  (I saw them in Giselle and seem to have liked them better than other posters...)

[sbtsps08]

They are coming to Concord New HAmpshire soon, they are doing Swan Lake. Are they good? Is it worth seeing?

[bart]

My feeling is that, if you have the opportunity to see one of the great classics done by a professional company trained in that tradition -- grab it!  Especially if you don't often get to see this kind of ballet.

There will be elements (perhaps a dancer, a short section, a musical phrase something that you cannot anticipate) that will be beautiful.  And that you will remember for a long time.

Some of the provincial Swan Lakes and Giselles I saw when very young gave me a familiarity with the material and an admiration for many kinds of dancers.    Although I didn't know it at the time, they helped train my eye.  I was very grateful for these experiences later on when I had the opportunity to attend  first-rate productions with great dancers.

These performances exist serve an important function and exist outside the ordianry parameters of ballet criticism.

---------------------------------

On the OTHER hand (and there always is an other hand), I wonder about photo of Siegfred leaping, taken from one of today's LINKS.  I can't imagine why they considered this a good advertisement for the purity of the dancing.

http://www.sheboygan...08/1097/SHElife

[carbro]

Well, the photo may not be an example of good classical form, but it really conveys the dramatic import of that moment.  There is little doubt that the guy is in desperate trouble.

[bart]

And whatever it is has got him by the rear foot.

[Juliet]

It's  Hilarion in Giselle.