7 replies to this topic

[olddude]

It's been a long time since there was a post here.

I looked this up because of a fond memory - in 1998 I saw Giselle, for the first and so far only time live, at the Halle aux Grains in Toulouse. (I was there for a work conference.) Unfortunately I was not familiar with this ballet at the time so it made less sense than I could wish - but it was very enjoyable and has since inspired me to watch several version on video.

I have retained a fondness for the city and its arts, so I followed the links in the previous post and found a listing of this year's ballets. The best starting page was for all the theater events:

http://www.theatre-d...son/accueil.htm

Here is this year's season:

    *   COPPELIA
      Léo Delibes

The Coppelia is is by Glushak, after Martinez (1968).

    * BALANCHINE/DELCROIX

Second program is Balanchine's Square Dance and parts of the Brahms Schoenberg Quartet, plus a new work by Delcroix of the Netherlands Dance Theater.

    * CASSE-NOISETTE
      Piotr Ilytch Tchaïkovski

This Nutcracker is by Michel Rahn, based on Petipa/Ivanov.

    * 3x3
      Balanchine/Van Manen/Tharp

The last program is Rubies, Bits and Pieces, and Nine Sinatra Songs.

All the above is based on my miserable high-school French so I apologize in advance for any errors and/or omissions. I think there are 35 dancers in the company. You have to hunt around the site to figure out which performance is where and on what date. As I recall from 10 years ago, the people at the central ticket office have not actually heard of classical music or dance and are no help. Perhaps if my French were more comprehensible ...  

[bart]

Thanks, olddude.  Maybe Estelle or others of our French members can tell us more.  I was interested that Toulouse is doing Balanchine and Tharp.   Soon there probably won't be ANY major companies without some Balanchine in their rep. A true global conglomerate.  

I've always loved the name Theatre du Capitole, with its medieval associations.

[cygneblanc]

It's one of the best ballet compagnies in the country. I would rank them just behind POB and at the same rank as Bordeaux.

The influence of the current AD, who's american,  has been very positive, and probably explains the fact they have Balanchine in their repertory. They have been featured in an american made  TV documentary on Balanchine which in France was broadcasted on ARTE.

The dancer's names are here
http://www.theatre-d...rganigramme.htm

If you can see them, go. Of course, they aren't as good as POB but they have their own identity and I guess you could have a very pleasant surprise.

Oh, they don't have a school of their own.

[bart]

Thanks, cygneblanc, for your information and the link.  I don't know what I expected, but I was susrprised to find that there are only 35 dancers in the permanent company:  4 principals, 4 soloists, 6 demi-solists, 21.

The information on the General Director, Nanette Glushak, was interesting.  She "received all her training" at SAB, danced with NYCB and American Ballet Theater, and has been setting Balanchine ballets around the world since 1987.  Quite a special resume, it seems to me.

[cygneblanc]

From what I have understood, she seems to be well known among Balanchine's world and has special links with Balanchine's trust in the sense she knows very well some of its member.

[carbro]

Many of  the Balanchine Trust repetiteurs are contemporaries with Glushak.  If they weren't dancing in New York City Ballet at the same time, they would have been part of the small New York City dance world at the same time.

[Estelle]

I wish the Ballet de Toulouse would tour to Lyon someday !
I saw them twice some years ago, in a Balanchine triple bill (once in Saint-Germain en Laye and once in Massy) and enjoyed it very much.
It's one of the very few remaining ballet companies in France, and I'm in total agreement with cygneblanc's comment.
Nanette Glushak has been there for 14 years, which is quite long for a French company, and seems to have done a good job (especially as the financial means probably are limited...)

[cygneblanc]

An old thread about Toulouse. It seems they have already toured in the USA
http://ballettalk.in...showtopic=10282