20 replies to this topic

[Simon G]

Hunterman

Here's another interesting use of costume and how it can dictate or work with a ballet or choreographer it's the Lyon Ballet's version of Cinderella by Maguy Marin from 1989. Lyon is a classically trained company, but they take a contemporary approach to the classics and ballet:

[bart]

Simon G, on 12 August 2011 - 01:39 PM, said:

The Paris Opera Ballet has a huge amount of subsidy compared to any other ballet company in the world and can afford better quality of materials for their costumes, it's that simple, the better the fabric the better the movement quality. Tutus, even common-or-garden ones can cost up to a few thousand pounds each, every female dancer goes through at least a pair of pointe shoes a day at £30 each, supplied by the company, at the end of the day whatever may be lost in substituting tulle & net for silk in terms of the way the fabric falls with the body it's tough, the bottom line is money.

When Paris did Jewels, they got Cristian Lacroix.  I suspect that he works for a lot more than Mme. Karinska did for the original NYCB production.  And it shows.  Those were by far the finest Jewels costumes -- rich but understated, beautiful when moving -- I've seen.

Simon G, on 12 August 2011 - 01:49 PM, said:

Here's another interesting use of costume and how it can dictate or work with a ballet or choreographer it's the Lyon Ballet's version of Cinderella by Maguy Marin from 1989. Lyon is a classically trained company, but they take a contemporary approach to the classics and ballet:

Lyons brought this to the City Center in New York about the same time that Nureyev brought the Paris company with his own Cinderella, which had an equally novel (but strikingly different) vision of the story.

The Lyons production was beautifully thought out and consistent -- an eery world of dolls and other toys. It's lovely to see that this is on video; I've never forgotten it.

The costumes for the Paris version (by Hanae Mori) were based on Hollywood in the 30s.  It never worked for me.  They were not particularly glamourous; in fact, they were  rather drab.  The exception: Nureyev's own costume, which you can see briefly in the clip linked below.  It was MADE for character dancing.

The pas de deux starts at about 2:00 minutes.  Check out Guillem's floppy feather and overall frowsy look.  And what's with Charles Jude's jodhpurs?.  They make him look like Elvis in Las Vegas, and create a cluttered, unflattering line as he dances.

[Simon G]

bart, on 12 August 2011 - 02:17 PM, said:

And what's with Charles Jude's jodhpurs?.  They make him look like Elvis in Las Vegas, and create a cluttered, unflattering line as he dances.

This was the 80s Bart, a real man wouldn't be seen dead in anything other than baggy pants, shoulder pads and thigh highs. Either that or you were totally Emo.

[Drew]

Simon G, on 12 August 2011 - 01:40 PM, said:

cubanmiamiboy, on 12 August 2011 - 01:37 PM, said:

Simon G, on 12 August 2011 - 10:06 AM, said:

Gelsey Kirkland commissioned her own second act Giselle costume which cost her $1000...

...which she ordered of the same fabric she found Carla Fracci's skirt to be made of via sneaking on the Italian's dressing room in the middle of the night and cutting a piece from the underskirt... Oh Gelsey, Gelsey...too much Gelsey..

Maybe she was high at the time?

I understand it's a joke--you have made jokes about Kirkland and drugs before--but I believe the drug problem kicked in later and Kirkland did not need drugs to be an obsessive perfectionist. And...uh...the results were more than apparent in her performances which were extraordinary and seemed as if they were utterly spontaneous. Indeed from performance to performance she was different. I'm sure there are some people out there who were/are not fans, but almost everyone lucky enough to have seen her Giselle when she was at the height of her powers remembers her as one of the all time great ballerinas--no joke!

[dirac]

Simon G, on 12 August 2011 - 01:40 PM, said:

cubanmiamiboy, on 12 August 2011 - 01:37 PM, said:

Simon G, on 12 August 2011 - 10:06 AM, said:

Gelsey Kirkland commissioned her own second act Giselle costume which cost her $1000...

...which she ordered of the same fabric she found Carla Fracci's skirt to be made of via sneaking on the Italian's dressing room in the middle of the night and cutting a piece from the underskirt... Oh Gelsey, Gelsey...too much Gelsey..

Maybe she was high at the time?

Unlikely.

[sandik]

Quiggin, on 12 August 2011 - 12:58 PM, said:

Thanks, Simon, for posting the Michael Clark Company clips. That was a brilliant period for him. In choreographic architecture and counterpoint he's the best of bunch after Balanchine, more complex than Mark Morris and more playful than Wheeldon, and hardly ever gets a mention here in the States.

Adding my thanks as well -- it's been awhile since I've seen his work.  And that's part of the reason he just doesn't seem to come into the conversation here -- we hardly ever saw him, except on public television.