37 replies to this topic

[Alexandra]

Oh, absolutely.  My comment above, Thalictum, was simply that this issue was raised by someone who was once kicked off the board - working through someone who posts here   That's not something I want to encourage.  Also, the discussion got quite nasty before and I didn't want to repeat it.

Re Thibault, though, the opinions written above are shared by many -- a pure stylist is not necessarily an etoile, or even a premier danseur.

The only politics we try to keep off the board are real politics, like someone's an idiot because he's voting for Kerry, or Artistic Director X is as dumb as Bush.

[Juliette]

Yesterday was the performance of Don Quixote everybody was expecting, since it was the debuts in the title roles of Dorothée Gilbert and Emmanuel Thibault.
First, congratulations to Dorothée Gilbert, who really led the performance!  Her Kitri was amazing: great technique, great acting, nothing was missing. Since her entrance she is Kitri, with all the vivacity, piquancy, musical quality and humour required and she offered us great moments, such as her act I variation and above all her Dulcinée variation in act II, one of the most beautiful I've ever seen, with lyricism, poetry and something magic (and she made such beautiful balances!). Dorothée is for the moment the best Kitri I've seen this year and already an Etoile; I hope she will be promoted very soon.
I can't imagine what a great performance it would have been if she had had an other partner. Indeed and unfortunately, Emmanuel Thibault's Basilio was disappointing and not really interesting. Of course his technique was brilliant, but what a bad acting! He didn't care for her Kitri and there was no couple in act I, he was only dancing, that's all. The pdds, and especially the mill pdd and act III pdd, were really laborious and we have to congratulate Dorothée Gilbert to have do such a good job during them. Thibault is definitively a brilliant soloist and... a bad partner!
As Espada, Christophe Duquenne made a very good job (the best I've seen this year), in spite of some little mistakes. Eve Grinsztajn was a beautiful street dancer, although she lacked some vulgarity (Nathalie Riqué remains the best in this role this year). Juliane Mathis' Cupidon was really cute and Laurence Laffon's Queen of the Dryads was a little disappointing; her entrance was good, but she made mistakes in her variation.
Anyway, it was really an interesting performance and I hope Dorothée Gilbert will dance a lot of big roles very soon; she is really the most promising young ballerina of the POB at the moment! And a complete artist!

[Naoko S]

Thanks Juliette for the thoughts.  I'm so glad to hear Dorothée's debut in the role was such a huge success.  It's not difficult to imagine how good she would have been as last week I saw her dancing the role of la premiere demoiselle d'honneur and was quite impressed with her charms; she was full of youthfulness and a sunny personality shone through from inside.  Also technically she was very secure.

Someone said that Dorothée reminded her of Monique Loudières - have you seen resemblances between the two?

[Juliette]

Unfortunately I've only seen Monique Loudières once on stage (it was for the Nureyev gala and she made a big impression on me) and therefore I can't really compare.
It's true that Dorothée looks like Monique Loudières (she has the same physical features), but that's all I can say.
But all the people who have seen Monique Loudières are saying that Dorothée makes them think of her.
I think Françoise could tell you more about it.

[Mashinka]

I've just returned from Paris this morning and was delighted to read Clement Crisp's review of the Sunday matinee of Don Q.  

http://search.ft.com...arch&state=Form

This was a very special performance indeed, with the European ballet world converging on the Opera Bastille for one of the most eagerly awaited debuts in years:  Emmanuel Thibault's long over due first performance in a leading role.

Quite simply, he was superb.  Lets hope this performance indicates a change of heart in the POB management and that his career is set to belatedly Blossom.  Other companies would have planned their entire repertoire around this astonishingly gifted dancer.

[Françoise]

At first, concerning the matinee, I agreed completely with Juliet.
I must say that the problem of Thibault is not really a problem of Dancer, but a problem of the kind of Dancer we must see at POB and Thibault is not of this kind, it's certainly for that he never has be promoted :shrug: ! He has not French and Nureyev style. It's really viewable when we saw in the same week the young Mathieu Ganio who has just 20 years but dance with all the French and Nureyev style (thanks M. Hilaire !) and Emmanuel Thibault.

Certainly he is a magnificent technician, and his variation are well danced, despite some faults. He is not an actor, and it has no alchimy between the two partners, especially in first ac.

Dorothée Gilbert is as said Clement Crisp a marvel, he compares him to the young Plissetskaia, waouh    ! I didn't saw her young, but Dorothée should make a beautiful career as Maia. She is absolutely wonderful, she played, she is a technical dancer, but she is in the pure Nureyev style of this ballet. And what a vision scene, I never saw one of this kind since I go to POB, even Loudières was not so moving, so flying in the entry, it was magical    !

Concerning the comparison between Monique Loudières and Dorothée Gilbert, it's the same kind of dancer they have the same kind of look, they present some similar form of face  :rolleyes:

http://www.imagidans...chaikovski2.jpg - Dorothée Gilbert

http://www.imagidans...s/loudieres.jpg - Monique Loudières

they present also some way to move which are the same, they don't make 6'o clock, they have the style of the ballets. It's very hard to explain in word, what is so viewable  :rolleyes:  !

[Viviane]

Allow me to shed a more balanced light on Thibault's performance and read Clement Crisps comments :

Quote

A marvel. No less so Emmanuel Thibault. Over the past eight years I have reported on his astonishing technical purity, his vividly communicative delight in what he does - the dance shining. And yet, for reasons inexplicable, he is not promoted (in this hierarchic troupe) beyond sujet, when everything he does speaks of his being a premier danseur.
...........
Thibault polishes every step, every phrase with what seems angelic ease, and an extra joy was to see fifth positions that are tight, clean, teacher's-pet-ish.

http://news.ft.com/s...p=1016625900929

[Mashinka]

One can almost imagine that Françoise and Juliette attended a different performance from myself and Clement Crisp.

Quote

He is not an actor, and it has no alchimy between the two partners, especially in first act

I'm sorry but I really don't think this was the case at all.   Thibault was to me very clearly an actor of the first rank and his interplay with Gilbert was highly amusing especially in the first act.

[Viviane]

I agree Mashinka. Unfortunately I couldn't attend the performance myself, but I heard enthusiastic reviews from friends who were there and don't have biased views on dancers.
Clement Crisp's article is only an aproval of what I've heard.

As for Mathieu Ganio and Dorothée Gilbert I prefer that one gave them the TIME to grow and become even more intriguing dancers...and by doing so maybe they can skip all the rubbish that's announced in next year's programme !  

[Leigh Witchel]

I guess there are certain dancers about whom there will be no consensus, and alas, M. Thibault is obviously one of them.  I haven't seen him for several years; when I did, I was impressed but thought he would have a limited repertory.

In any case, please keep arguing pro and con, but if we could avoid escalating to Thibault War II, it would be appreciated!

[Estelle]

http://www.lefigaro....25.FIG0276.html

A review by René Sirvin in "Le Figaro" (it might be online for a few days only). He's enthusiastic about Gilbert and Thibault.

[Françoise]

At first, I don't have biased views about dancers, but I think I have the right to explain my own opinion   . If I don't love some dancers, it's because I'm waiting a certain stylicism from POB dancers, and don't want see just jump a dancer, even good are the jumps :shrug:  but I go to see them to hope change my advice   !

Yesterday, I look the second performance of Eleonora Abbagnato and Karl Paquette, premiers danseurs of POB. It's sure that they are not spanish, they are all both blond hair, but they understood completely the mood of the ballet and it was a very good performance, totally in the spirit of Noureev !

Eleonora is very surprising, she has beautiful arabesques,  she was very well partnered by Karl Paquette. At the second act, she is a beautiful vision, very "woman", maybe is it the default of the dancer, she is perhaps too woman for the part. But she plays all the ballet, even in the Grand pas where she doesn't forget she is Kitri who's married to Basilio and she is not just dancing a gala pdd   ! She smiled, have the good look, she makes beautiful variation, perhaps castagnettes was not too joyfull. Her vision is also interesting despite sets problems, and she completely succeed in the fouettes. She seems happy on stage.

Karl Paquette is not the technician for the first act where the choreography is completely by Nureyev, but he succeed completely in the third act, where it's the traditionnal version, except at the end of his variation but even etoile lacks some steps in this variation. He makes a beautiful manege of coupés jetés and is a very good partner, no problem with the portés at one hand, which are long and without difficulties, no problem in adagio, and his play is very interesting too and he is a pleasant Basilio   .

Isabelle Ciaravola was absolutely wonderful as Queen of the Dryads   . she tries to balance at each leg raise of the beginning of the variation, and she is musical, lyrical, really a pleasure for the eyes   . Myriam Kamionka is a cute Cupid. As Kitri's friends, Dorothée Gilbert is absolutely complete and has  completely understand Nureyev style, she doesn't raise her legs, and has the good movement of head and shoulders, Karine Villagrassa is interesting too, but has not the technic of Dorothée and some pdd are not completely together.

Nathalie Riqué is the most beautiful Street Dancer of the serial, she has the vulgar attitude of the character and is good dancing. Against Yann Saiz as Espada, makes me laugh, he is too much   and he dances Fandango as Zapateado   !
Emilie Cozette is very dissapointing, she was a great hope of POB, two or three years ago, but she seems lost all her qualities  :shrug: !

It was a good evening, where we have a true dance couple on stage.

[Françoise]

After the young and the POB dancer, it's no the time of the guest artist. First of the both, Roberto Bolle, the second will be Carlos Acosta with Aurélie Dupont.

Roberto Bolle is really interesting, he is an handsome dancer as the French POB dancer and he has this stylicism necessary to the part. He seems to have not problem with the technical parties and is a pleasant Basilio   ! At the beginning of the variation of the third act, he made a long balance and his leg doesn"t move at all. He danced the part without "circus", but with handsome, stylicism, and he has completely understood Noureev stylicism ! He is a good partner and he seems to have work with Agnès because we don't see difference due to a lack of rehearsals   !

Agnès Letestu is a less interesting than with Mathieu Ganio, but she seems to be injuried at the beginning. She just danced, she played, but she was less convincing than with Mathieu. She seems to be in a gala part at the end and not at the Marriage of the two characters !

Aurore Cordellier is better and better in Queen of Dryad, Myriam Ould Braham is a cute Cupid with technical and spirit ! Nathalie Riqué is always the best Street dancer, but Yann Saiz is not really an Espada as I love him. He is always too much, and makes me laugh in the fandango with the noise of his shoes on the floor   !

Vanessa Legassy and Emilie Cozette are Kitri's friend but lacks of peps ! Dorothée Gilbert is one more time extraordinary as Bridemaids, she plays with music, balance, slow and quick tours, and so on. Really a future etoile on stage   ! Emmanuel Thibault in gypsy boy was very dissapointing, he is not made for this part where he jumps less higher than all the other gypsy corps, and he lacks of authority in this part. But I think Gypsy boy is not his technic  :shrug:  !

Simon Valastro is a good Sancho Pança, less vulgar than Fabien Roques, and Jean-Marie Didière is unforgettable as Don Quixote where he is a poet, an old man lost in his dream.

I hope that Bolle will come next year to dance Sleeping Beauty, because he is really dancer as I love  :rolleyes:  with all the handsome and the joy of dance  on stage !

[Naoko S]

Françoise, thanks for keeping us posted on POB's Don Q run.  I've read your report with great interests particularly on how you loved Robert Bolle's Basilio.  He is a regular visitor to Covent Garden so I had more than a few opportunities to see him in the past years; for instance in the last season in La Bayadere and Romeo & Juliette, and on both occasions he didn't do for me.  I don't know why - he is indeed quite handsome, ideally built and certainly of height any tall ballerinas would dream of dancing with.  Also as a partner he was very secure; but a fine danseur noble?  In my opinions, no.  Perhaps it was just I saw him in wrong repertoire!

>>Yann Saiz is not really an Espada as I love him. He is always too much, and makes me laugh in the fandango with the noise of his shoes on the floor

Oh I'd love to see his 'too much', over-done Espada!  After all isn't certain excessiveness something we expect from this role?

>>Jean-Marie Didière is unforgettable as Don Quixote where he is a poet, an old man lost in his dream.

Thanks for this...  I was also impressed by his presence throughout the performance, perhaps slightly got sentimental as he is leaving us soon..... (that's what I've heard.)

[Françoise]

Jean-Marie Didiere is officially retired since next season but they invit him to dance Don Quixote part and also Madge the sorceress in La Sylphide in next june-july.