Ashley Bouder's Giselle

[drb]

Italian information agency Iniziativa* reports that Ashley Bouder will dance in Carla Fracci's Giselle:

... The ballet company directed by Carla Fracci [will present].. the poignant story of another folly of love: Giselle, music by Adolphe-Charles Adam, following the maiden involved with the nobleman Albrecht (whom she believes a farmer) who is promised to the rich Bathilde....... The Rome Opera presented it the last time in February 2007. With choreography by Carla Fracci in collaboration with Gillian Wittingham, there will be five pairs of performers: Ashley Bouder and Jared Angle, Laura Comi and Mario Marozzi, Mara Galeazzi and Giuseppe Picone, Oksana Kucheruk and Robert Tewsley, and Larisa Lezhnina Igo Yebra. On stage from August 9 to 14.

Mr. Angle was also Ms. Bouder's partner in Carla Fracci's Sleeping Beauty last Fall.

This will be part of the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma program at Caracalla of a whole season of women: Aida, Lucia, Madame Butterffly and Giselle, whose passions of love result in tragedy and death.

* http://www.iniziativa.info/index.php?optio...iew&id=4021

[Hans]

I would just about kill to see Larissa Lezhnina in this role.

On a completely different note, does anyone know whether Oksana Kucheruk is related to Anatoly Kucheruk?

[Farrell Fan]

Thanks, drb, for injecting a litle excitement into an otherwise sleepy Saturday.

[Roberto Dini]

I would just about kill to see Larissa Lezhnina in this role.

Well, I suppose you'd be keeping with the theme "of women...whose passions of love result in tragedy and death."

[drb]

The Roma Opera Ballet has now given specific daily casting for Giselle: Ashley Bouder and Jared Angle are listed for one week from tomorrow, August 14.

This release also quotes Carla Fracci's instructions to all the dancers playing the lead role (translation from Italian):

Dance it above all against the violence, against the war, against the hunger in the world. Free your spirit [soul] and immerse yourself in the beautiful unreal night of the second act, thinking that salvation and well-being will arrive when all men of goodwill will rise up to educate others in the spirit of tolerance, liberty, and honesty.

http://en.operaroma.it/header/sala_stampa/...icato_giselle_2

This statement seems to have attracted the attention of numerous publications in Italy. Ms. Fracci certainly takes the story well beyond that of a count's dalliance with a pretty village innocent, toward a grander spiritual realm; but also her vision has an immediacy that is somehow contemporary and almost political.

In a recent interview, Ms. Bouder spoke of her interest in dancing Giselle. Ashley is especially looking forward to the Mad scene and to all the acting in the ballet. She's liked several performances, especially Diana Vishneva's. But liked even more some really old videos, specifically those of Fracci and Kirkland (I did not know that there was one of Gelsey's Giselle). In every interview that I can recall, when Ms. Bouder was asked for a dance wish-list she's said Giselle, including the one on NYCB's site. Carla first dance the ballet 50 years ago and is surely an ideal teacher for Ashley, both as one so admired by Ms. Bouder, and one with whom she worked so successfully on Aurora last year.

Merde!

[rg]

the NYPL has the following films of kirkland's GISELLE - the L.R.Wayne footage is silent, but some of it was used on 60 MINUTES if mem. serves w/ sound added. all the footage documents are excerpts. a complete kirkland GISELLE is not in the collection. perhaps these are the films Bouder knows.

[Gelsey Kirkland: Dancing on my grave] 1986. 15 min. : sd. color

Excerpt from the series, 60 minutes, telecast by CBS-TV on November 16, 1986. Producer: Jan Legnitto.

SUMMARY: Interviewed by Diane Sawyer, dancer Gelsey Kirkland discusses her recently published autobiography, Dancing on my grave, and the physical and psychological problems which led to her addiction to cocaine. She talks about the influences of George Balanchine and Mikhail Baryshnikov, and notes how the film The turning point reflected her own experience. Her husband Greg Lawrence offers a brief commentary. Brief excerpts depict Kirkland in rehearsals and performances of Balanchine's Tchaikovsky pas de deux (partnered by Patrick Bissell) and Theme and variations, Don Quixote (partnered by Baryshnikov), Giselle (with Bissell), and The sleeping beauty (with an unidentified partner from the Royal Ballet). Baryshnikov and Leslie Browne are also seen in the pas de deux from MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet, filmed for The turning point.

Giselle with Gelsey Kirkland / choreography by David Blair after Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot ; music by Adolphe Adam.

[1975?] (28 min.) : sd., col.

Recorded in performance, probably in 1975.

Film edited by Jill Kroesen ; scenery, Oliver Smith ; costumes, Peter Hall.

Danced by Gelsey Kirkland (Giselle) with Mikhail Baryshnikov (Albrecht), Martine van Hamel (Myrta) and members of American Ballet Theatre.

Pianist: Gladys Celeste.

Excerpts from two performances, edited for continuity, with an added piano soundtrack. The excerpts, from both acts, focus mainly on Gelsey Kirkland in the title role.

[Gelsey Kirkland] 1975-1978.

si., col.

Recorded by Lucia R. Wayne.

Excerpts from ballet performances and rehearsals, focusing on Gelsey Kirkland.

Danced by Gelsey Kirkland and others.

Giselle [excerpts] (ca. 29 min.) / recorded at the Uris Theater, New York, N.Y., on December 22 and 27 (matinee), 1975 ; choreography, David Blair after Coralli and Perrot ; scenery, Oliver Smith ; costumes, Peter Hall ; danced by American Ballet Theatre: Gelsey Kirkland (Giselle), Mikhail Baryshnikov (Albrecht), Ruth Mayer (Berthe), Martine van Hamel (Myrta), and others. Excerpts from both acts.

Giselle [excerpts] (ca. 12 min.) / recorded at New York State Theater, New York, N.Y., on July 31, 1975 ; same credits as above ; danced by American Ballet Theatre: Gelsey Kirkland (Giselle), Mikhail Baryshnikov (Albrecht), Frank Smith (Hilarion), Ruth Mayer (Berthe), Martine Van Hamel (Myrta), and others. Excerpts from both acts.

[dirac]

This is really interesting news. I hope someone sees this performance and reports on it.

[bart]

Thanks for that link, drb, and for the translation.

This release also quotes Carla Fracci's instructions to all the dancers playing the lead role (translation from Italian):

Dance it above all against the violence, against the war, against the hunger in the world. Free your spirit [soul] and immerse yourself in the beautiful unreal night of the second act, thinking that salvation and well-being will arrive when all men of goodwill will rise up to educate others in the spirit of tolerance, liberty, and honesty.

http://en.operaroma.it/header/sala_stampa/...icato_giselle_2

This statement seems to have attracted the attention of numerous publications in Italy. Ms. Fracci certainly takes the story well beyond that of a count's dalliance with a pretty village innocent, toward a grander spiritual realm; but also her vision has an immediacy that is somehow contemporary and almost political.

I guess I'm one who thinks that every plot, even the most vapid and trivial, is "political" in some sense or other. Albrecht and his associates come from, and benefit from, a world in which exploitation and violence are expected and rationalized. Giselle, a true naive, is betrayed not only by Albrecht but also by the political class of which he is/was a part.

Fracci speaks of "tolerance, liberty, and honesty." You don't often see "honesty" included in your run-of-the-mill litany of the qualities needed to make the world a better place. But it's central to the story of Giselle. Giselle herself is incapable of duplicity, nor can she survive exposure to it. Albrecht, on the other hand, has learned to play the dishonesty game quite well.

It would be marvellous to be able to observe what Bouder does with this role, both as a dancer and as a human being.

[PeggyR]

Has anyone seen reviews for Bouder's Giselle? I've been Googling "Bouder" "Giselle" without any luck (lots of hits but nothing about her August performance in Italy).

Peggy

[carbro]

No. I've been searching YouTube, where "eliathestar" posted a bit of Ashley's Rose Adagio from last summer's guest appearance in Rome . Nothing there, either.

[drb]

I could not find a press review of Bouder's performance, somewhat surprising since her two prior guest performances for Carla Fracci were reviewed. There was one review that appeared to be for all five performances, but it merely praised all five leading ladies, mentioning none by name. Another, in EUMAGAZINE, got into details, but it was for the night that Oksana Kucheruk ("expressive delicacy") danced the lead. However, one can at least see a photo of Ashley in costume, second from left, with each of the Giselles posing around Ms. Fracci, as well as a photo of Caracalla in this opening night article:

http://serateromane.corriere.it/2008/08/sabato_9.html

There is also a rather beautiful video of the corps and Myrtha in Act II, that displays the quality of the production Ms. Bouder danced in quite favorably. Giselle isn't in it (it was two nights before Bouder's anyway), but the Myrtha is Fracci's highly touted young prodigy (still not listed among the Rome Opera Ballet dancers on their site) Dalila Sapori. This video is not on YouTube, but others of her are...

http://dailymotion.alice.it/relevance/sear...le-act-ii_music

[drb]

There appears to be a link problem getting to the Giselle photo of Ashley (with Carla Fracci and the other Giselles) and the review of her Caracalla Giselle, on Saturday, September 13 Links. This should work:

http://www.tanznetz.de/kritiken.phtml?page...9&tid=13007

The translation of Ms. Bouder's very favorable review appears in Links. The full article includes individual reviews for each of the five lead ballerinas.

If the above link fails, go back and click the one in Links. Then click "2007/2008". Next go a little past half-way down, to 17/08, and then you can connect to the review and photos.