77 replies to this topic

[Cygnet]

It would be interesting to see how the entrance of the shades would look like if Matthew Bourne would renew it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Please - don't give him any ideas!

[Hans]

Especially since Makhar Vaziev would probably think it was "cool" and decide to acquire it for the Kirov...:rolleyes:

[pj]

Oh No!

[Solor]

It seems to me that MinkusPugni is very very young (in age)! Not that Im old by any sense of the word (Im 24) - I felt the same way when I was in my early to mid teens - even my late teens. As I got older I began to see the effect of it all. Anyone who changes the Entree de Shades is doing a criminal act the same as taking the balcony scene from Shakeperes Romeo and Juliet! You do not screw with with the Kingdom of the Shades!!

MinkusPugni - You shoudl watch the Bolshoi's production of Bayadere (with Vetrov, Bylova, and Gracheva on the label Kultur). Not that this production is great or anything, but the deep and wide stage of the Bolshoi (along with the very dark stage and blue lighting) allows more turns in the desent of the Shades, and makes the affect of spirits traveling toward the earth more apparent.

But hey, if you have a cool vision, perhaps one day you will stage it! After all, even Petipa himself thought change is a wonderful thing to the old works, and even though people (like me) may gripe, so what?

[MinkusPugni]

Thanks for the half support lol. I have seen most Bayadere productions available. Certainly, live has a greater effect on me but the effect is lost after the giant repetition. A short, sharp precession leaving you wanting more is how it should be. Not overindulgence. Another idea, then seeing as you don't like the cut, is to have the same amount of music used and have lines of six (at the end... don't picture the lines yet) and have a shade come from a wing on prompt, then the next one comes from a wing on OP, then a the next downstage wing on prompt, etc. I don't like this idea as much as my other one, though. I think the general audience would appreciate the cut (though this thread is starting to change my mind!)

[Hans]

I actually find the current entrance of the shades very restrained and would think that any sort of attempt to change it would be overindulgence on the part of the stager.

[Rebeccadb]

I've just had the pleasure of renewing my acquaintance with the RB's Bayadere this week & yes the Shades scene is certainly mesmerizing. I love the way all the dancers enter & have their moment alongside the corps as a whole. Some dancers may find it boring to perform, but its also a challenge both personal & professional in that they must be able to execute the steps & not let the rest of their colleagues down with wobbles & mistimings. This scene, even more that Swan Lake in my opinion is a test of the quality of a companies corps & the individual abilities of the dancers contained within. Last thursday for example I can tell you the names of the 2 dancers who had wobbles in the back row compared to their colleagues!!

The whole point of the Shades scene is that its supposed to be ethereal & other-worldly & when done correctly the choreography builds up to a crescendo of beauty. The best performance I have ever seen of it was the Marinsky in their new-old Bayadere at the ROH. The choreography & dancing was superb, but the costumes were especially elegant & flattering & the scenery just hit the mark & I spent the last section of it in tears because it was so beautiful.

One mistake that a lot of companies make when staging it is simply using a plain black bckdrop & a ramp as a setting. This is missing the point of the ballet as its supposed to be set in the mountains of India & have an exotic, romantic atmosphere. It needs mountains, moonlight etc to really reach its pinnacle.

[carbro]

Thanks for reviving this thread, Rebeccadb.

One mistake that a lot of companies make when staging it is simply using a plain black bckdrop & a ramp as a setting. This is missing the point of the ballet as its supposed to be set in the mountains of India & have an exotic, romantic atmosphere. It needs mountains, moonlight etc to really reach its pinnacle.

I don't think the scenic backdrop is necessary when the Shades scene is performed as a free-standing piece on a mixed bill, as it often is. A beautiful backdrop would enhance it, but I don't think it's a make-or-break element.

Of course, in the context of the full staging of Bayadere, it's quite a different matter.

[bart]

It would be interesting to see how the entrance of the shades would look like if Matthew Bourne would renew it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Have the Trocks ever done this? They'd have a lot of fun, but would definitely find a way to remind us of the serious beauty in this passage. They love the art form that they spoof.

By the way, I just re-read this thread and want to reiterate: the entree is wonderful, but gets its significance from what happens after, when the last girl arrives at the floor of the stage, the corps rearranges itself, and everyone dances. If they just exited stage right, we would not be so mesmerised by this passage, no matter how beautifully it was done. Context (in this case, what the entree is leading up to) DOES count.

[EricMontreal22]

I suspect they feel the Trocs corps isn't big enough to really make it effective....

[Rebeccadb]

The Trocks & La Bayadere: the possibilities are endless.....

I've just checked the Trocks website & Bayadere is not in their rep, but I can imagine what they would be able to bring to it & this ballet is just ripe for reinvention!!

[carbro]

The Trocks & La Bayadere: the possibilities are endless.....

Nikiya confronts Gamzatti. I can't begin to imagine . . .

[4mrdncr]

And oooooh that long scarf! Isadora anyone?

(Even if the Trocs have a small corps, seeing the end 'girl' runaround to start the line again at the other side of the stage (lots of panting I'm sure) makes me smile. Yes, Rebeccadb, endless possibilities in every act for all concerned.)

[bart]

I suspect they feel the Trocs corps isn't big enough to really make it effective....

Well, the corps might at least LOOK big enough ..

-- if they made the spaces between the dancers bigger

and

-- if each dancer, after chugging across the stage, disappeared at the other side, galloped behind the scene to the original starting point, and entered a second or third time, panting and puffing, but pretending that they hadn't been on before.

Nikiya and Solor could then dance together on a stage littered with Shades in various stages of exhaustion and collapse. Like this: ...... ............ ...

[carbro]

-- if each dancer, after chugging across the stage, disappeared at the other side, galloped behind the scene to the original starting point, and entered a second or third time, panting and puffing, but pretending that they hadn't been on before

The only thing missing is the little, red car.

I imagine the Trocks' Shade tutus would resemble something that would be suited to hang on a lamp.