17 replies to this topic

[allegromezzo18]

What ever happened to Sylvie Guillem?
How does she compare with Sofiane Sylve?

[allegromezzo18]

Are there any videos or DVDs of Sylvia Guillem or Sofianne Sylve ballets?

[boydancer05]

Do you mean Sylvie Guillem? If so there are documentaries on her from the 80's one of which I think is called Sylvie Guillen at Work. There is a Sleeping Beauty with Sofiane Sylve.

[zerbinetta]

Sylvie Guillem has reached 40 & seems to be coming to the end of her association with the Royal Ballet. What her future plans are I don't know.

Comparing Sofiane Sylve to Guillem is the old apples & oranges theme. The only thing they really have in common is that both are French.

[bart]

Clicking Amazon(above) will bring you to search engines that can help for both dancers.  The Sylve Sleeping Beauty (Dutch National Ballet) is super.

[Jane Simpson]

Guillem is doing some performances of Marguerite and Armand with the Royal Ballet next season, but she' s also appearing with Russell Maliphant in a new show at Sadler's Wells Theatre at the end of September - this seems to be the sort of thing she's more interested in these days.

[allegromezzo18]

Do you know of any DVDs of either Syvie Guillem or
Sofianne Sylve for USA use?
Thank you.

allegromezzo18, on Jul 1 2005, 10:33 PM, said:

What ever happened to Sylvia Guillem?
How does she compare with Sofianne Sylve?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[drb]

Do you know of any DVDs of either Syvie Guillem or
Sofianne Sylve for USA use?

If you go to Mlle. Guillem's website, click the word videos in the white square and you will receive three dance videos plus three others which are of her at play.  A very interesting, very different site.  Quite appropriate for the female Nureyev.

http://www.sylvieguillem.com/sylvie/22

[JMcN]

For the past couple of years Sylvie Guillem has been performing with the likes of Russell Maliphant and Akram Khan.  She has just performed the role of Manon in Milan.  Here is a blogger's view of the performance:

http://gramilano.com..._medium=twitter

[yiannisfrance]

I was at La Scala for the première of "L'histoire de Manon" with Sylvie Guillem and it was in every sense of the word an unforgettable experience. Even while entering the prestigious theatre of La Scala one was aware that this was a very special event indeed. Was I apprehensive too? Yes, with no doubt. I was scared to death. Adoring Sylvie like I do, still I was wondering. Would she be able to pull it off? I had already seen Sylvie in her incomparable Manon three times before this performance, the first being in 1998 forn her triuphant return at the Paris Opera at the Palais Garnier where she portrayed the part with the marvellous Laurent Hilaire.

But from the moment she entered the stage magic worked like a miracle and my fears were gone. I have never seen or heard an audience welcoming a performer on stage like they did at La Scala for Sylvie's entrance with such thunderous applause. Everyone was thrilled to see her again on stage, especially in this wonderful ballet, one of her signature roles.  Her dancing was divine but what realy impresses always is how fluid and natural it all seems. Every single movement seems to occupy the entire space of the stage, every single extension is part of the dramatic characterisation of the part of Manon. Guillem a dancer of genious has only deepened her characterisation of Manon over the years. And she is such a great actress-dancer. Every single expression of her face, her hands, everything tells us something about Manon's free and naive nature, her inner conflicts, her desire to be loved by De Grieux but also unable to resist the temptations of a luxury life.

During the brothel scene she danced her solo (I believe it is called Manon's variation) and you could feel that no one was breathing in the audience. Everyone was suspended at her movements, her seduction, her charm. And at the end someone cried from the audience "Diviina!" and everyone burst into applause. A wonderful, unforgettable moment. Her death scene will certainly remain one of the greatest moments in dance, a heartbreaking, magnificent moment of desperation and virtuoso dancing which seems to be caught in a moment of eternity. Sylvie's partner was the wonderful Massimo Murru from the Scala. A wonderful, true magic  couple. The evening was a great triumph, everyone rose to his feet and applauded like mad and Sylvie was the Divina of that night. At the stage door there was such a crowd waiting to see her, to take her photograph and sign autographs and Sylvie was trully happy to have this warm contact with her audience again. When I told her that it was such a wonderful magical experience to see her again as Manon, even more so at La Scala, such a mythical, prestigious theatre she smiled and said maliciously and charmingly (Oui c'est mon théâtre), "Oh yes it is my theatre". She is right. One could feel tghat she was indeed at home that night. The triuphant return of an artist of genious to a legendary part, in a mythical theatre. Merci Sylvie.

[dirac]

Thank you for that wonderful description, yiannisfrance. I enjoyed reading that.

Quote

When I told her that it was such a wonderful magical experience to see her again as Manon, even more so at La Scala, such a mythical, prestigious theatre she smiled and said maliciously and charmingly (Oui c'est mon théâtre), "Oh yes it is my theatre".

[yiannisfrance]

Thank you as well. It was such a magical experience, I am still in heaven thanks to "Mademoiselle Non", who said "oui" and returned at last to the classical repertory.

[Ceeszi]

This is such wonderful news!  I have only seen Sylvie dance once and that was the summer of 2004, when she danced with Murru in Marguerite and Armand as part of the Ashton Centenial at Lincoln Center.  How much I would love to see her dance again in something classical.

[yiannisfrance]

Yes, it is indeed wonderful to see in in the classical repertory. I was lucky enough to see her several times when I was living in Paris at the Paris Opera House and in London as well as Manon, Juliet (in the MacMillan and Nureyev version), Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, Marguerite and Armand).

I honestly hope that her triumphant return at La Scala as Manon will convince Sylvie to do more classical work in the near future, since there is no doubt that she is still at the peak of her powers, but I am not certain that she will.


What is certain is that she is preparing a new work with three great choreographers (Matts Ekk, Forsythe and Kyllian) which I believe will be presented at the Sadler's Theatre in London in July. The work created by her by Matts Ekk was presented at a world premiere in Stockholm last December and was a huge success. I think it is called "AJO" (Adieu) with a music on Beethoven.

At any rate, "Mademoiselle Non" has still a lot to offer to the dance world.

[Mme. Hermine]