Greatest character dancers in the ballet

[silvy]

I thought it might be interesting to raise this topic: who is the dancer who you admire the most in character roles? It could be just a character dancer, or an ex-danseur noble or ballerina who developed later as a character artist.

My votes go to the English: I love them as actors, and among them, I would place first Anthony Dowell. I find his Carabosse totally convincing, without being exaggerated. On the funny side, i love Ashton as one of the Sisters in Cinderella.

On the other hand, I have not yet seen a Russian character dancer who is convincing to me.

Who would you vote for?

Silvy

[MakarovaFan]

My vote goes to the English too: Ashton and Helpmann in CINDERELLA.

[perky]

Alexander Minz danced many character roles wonderfully with ABT. He was Drosselmeyer to Kirkland's Clara in Baryshnikov's staging of The Nutcracker. Lucky for us his performance in preserved on video.

[Helene]

Francisco Moncion was the warmest, most sympathetic Drosselmeyer that I've seen at NYCB.

[carbro]

Niels Kehlet.

Also Monica Mason for her Carabosse, by reputation. I never saw that. I'm thinking, though, that Merrill Ashley's is as distinguished as Mason's.

[Alexandra]

Too many great RDB character dancers to mention! Fredbjorn Bjornsson, Sorella Englund, Henning Kronstam, Niels Bjorn Larsen, Johnny Eliason, Niels Kehlet, Kirsten Simone; less known abroad, and not principals: Mona Jensen, Erling Eliasson, Tommy Frishoi, Thomas Berentzen, Michael Bastian, (briefly) Alexander Kolpin.

Odd. All of these people are either dead or no longer with the company, except Simone.

When Bjornsson died, there was a sign in a very odd little dance bookshop window (fire marshalls here would have shut it down; there was a path through newspapers and books from the front door to the back, but that was the only space that wasn't covered with SOMETHING). The sign said, "Our very best troll has died." Now, that's an epitaph!

I did see Mason's Carabosse and it immediately went into my Permanent Top Ten. Spewing venom, she was, and beautiful in an odd, evil way. Among British dancers, though, Alexander Grant is 1, 2 and 3 for me.

[Mme. Hermine]

carbro monica mason's carabosse should be in the library, they did a telecast in 1978 i think, with merle park.

[sandik]

Olivier Wevers is still dancing prince roles at Pacific Northwest Ballet, but he's got a flourishing side-career going as a character performer. His Gamache in Don Q was a clueless wonder, and his Carabosse is very disturbing -- "she" kisses the snake after she threatens the court with it. Very twisted.

[Marga]

Shaun O'Brien, NYCB

[liebs]

Alexander Grant, Leslie Edwards - just to add a few.

[kfw]

How about Balanchine? I never laid eyes on the guy, but I've seen that clip of his Drosselmeyer, and the delightful pictures of him rehearsing and dancing Pulcinella at the Stravinsky Festival. I wonder how others who saw him in Don Quixote and Firebird would rank him.

[Lovebird]

Leslie Edwards, a most amazing person and artist. He embodied his roles so thoroughly. In Enigma Variations he was Elgar! He learned to play the cello for that role, I think. Derek Rencher was another incredible character actor. William Tuckett, presently a character artist at the Royal, is also a specialist in these roles he is incredible as Carabosse. David Drew, last but not least, his portrayal of the gaoler in Manon is definitive and is also remarkable as Drosselmayer.

[carbro]

Among British dancers, though, Alexander Grant is 1, 2 and 3 for me.

Would Wayne Sleep, then, be No.4?

Let me add Kathleen Moore, so powerful emotionally in Tudor and kinetically in Tharp, great Berthe and my all-time favorite as Juliet's Nurse. I miss her terribly.

[Alexandra]

Among British dancers, though, Alexander Grant is 1, 2 and 3 for me.

Would Wayne Sleep, then, be No.4?

Nope

But I'd vote for Kathleen Moore in a heartbeat.

[Alymer]

Like Alexandra, I'd nominate Alexander Grant 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. I'd almosty go as far as suggesting he was the greatest male dancer that company ever produced. Is it perhaps worth mentioning that he also had a very fine classical technique - he won the Adeline Genee gold medal while a student. I was also told that shortly after Ashton had made yet another wonderful character part for him he was heard to complain "They're neglecting my classical technique!"

Anatoly Gridin was a wonderful character dancer with the Kirov - does anyone else remember him. And Michael Denard was great in character roles, though I guess that aspect of his career was overshadowed by his perfomances in the classics.

[Farrell Fan]

The anecdote about Alexander Grant reminded me that Shaun O'Brien once told me that when Peter Martins saw an early photo of him he said, "I didn't know you were a classical dancer!"

[atm711]

Lest we forget---here's an oldie. Edward Caton as the Prince of Courland (Bathilde's father) in Giselle. He brought to the role something I have never seen again---a PRESENCE. He was a very tall man, and had natural loping walk---his long legs preceded the rest of his body. When he performed the role with Ballet Theatre, he entered most impressively with two Russian wolfhounds---his whole demeanor suggested royalty (not unlike Burt Lancaster in 'The Leopard'). For those who have never heard of him---he was born in St. Petersburg of American parents in 1900; he was a member of Pavlova's company, a choreographer and probably one of the best ballet teachers in New York.

[Estelle]

Among recent POB dancers, I'd mention Jean-Marie Didière (now officially retired, but I've heard he'll be back soon as a guest for "Don Quichotte").

Alymer, I'd be interested in knowing in which roles you saw Denard

[Marga]

How about Balanchine? ..... I wonder how others who saw him in Don Quixote and Firebird would rank him.

Oh yes! I saw him in Don Quixote with Suzanne Farrell and he was absolutely wonderful.....but, of course, they were in their own world all during the ballet, as Suzanne tells it.

[Mel Johnson]

Any mention of character dancing has to include two geniuses of the genre from the Bolshoi, Alexander Radunsky and Shamil Yagudin.

[Mashinka]

More recently there was the Bolshoi's Gediminas Taranda: better looking than any of the company's premier danseurs, he could out-dance the lot of them.

[Alexandra]

Oh, I loved Tiranda, although I didn't see him that often. I remember his Courland in "Giselle" -- a provincial Henry VIII, come to rape the peasants and steal the wine.

[cargill]

Like so many others, I would have to say Alexander Grant is my favorite, possibly because I was lucky enough to see him so often. His Bottom, when he woke up from the dream, and looked around the forest, was unforgettable, funny and eerie and so touching. And of course Alain, so pathetic when he tried to give away the ring, and so triumphant when it started to rain, and only he had an umbrella! As an aside, I wrote in a review that I thought it was too bad that ABT didn't keep that moment--the widow tells Alain to open it up, making him more of a simpleton. I said that I supposed that it must have been done that way originally since Grant set the ballet on ABT, but that I regretted losing that moment. Mr. Grant wrote me to say that that was his favorite moment, that he was glad I mentioned it, and that he had set it, but that the dancers tended to improvise that bit. I remember Jonathan Howells' Alain, and he was particularly funny in that bit, so I only hope that the Royal Ballet doesn't lose it! Howells, by the way, was a very, very good Alain, I thought, but I haven't seen his name recently.

I also think Guillaume Graffin, of ABT, is a very good character dancer. His Radjah (as ABT spells it for some reason) is the best one I have ever seen, so powerful. During the bethrothal scene, I can hardly keep my eyes on Nikiya, he was so dominating, taking a few steps and telling the Aya to kill her. And his Widow Simone was so detailed, flirty and French, and quite fond of a tipple.

[Cygnet]

My favorites are: Gerd Larsen, David Drew, Wayne Sleep, and Monica Mason - (as Carabosse) from the Royal Ballet, Gediminas Taranda (Bolshoi), Vladimir Ponomarov, Pyotr Russanov, Eldar Ailiev (as von Rothbart), and Tamara Mirzhoyan (as White Cat) Kirov Ballet.

Edited March 27, 2004 by Cygnet

[Juliette]

Among the French dancers, I agree with Estelle: Jean-Marie Didière by far!

I saw him in a lot of character roles and he was always great in them: Don Quichotte, Mr de GM in "Manon", the Rajah in "La Bayadère", the evil in "Paquita" (I don't remember his name)...

And fortunately, as Estelle said, we will see it again in "Don Quichotte" next may and in Madge, the witch, in "La Sylphide" next June-July.

Wilfried Romoli is also a very good character dancer.

And I also found Ashton and Helpmann wonderful in the Cinderella video I saw!