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'Sleeping Beauty' live in cinemas, Dec 15, 2011


Natalia

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I agree it's maybe a pity they chose this cast for the cinema show. Lauren Cuthbertson in my opinion, she's good on the 20th century classics (like Manon or Juliet) but not so much in Petipa... She seems stressed in her technique and then quite withdrawn from the character because of it.

For whatever reasons that Alina Cojocaru didn't dance it this season, it wouldn't make a lot of sense to have another recorded performance of her on the same role! Plus it's good to see Polunin who is so impressive (although as a partner he still learns... maybe Cuthbertson needed someone stronger in partnering like Kish or even Pennefather..) But I agree, why to choose a dancer who is NOT at her best in 19th c work? Record her in R&J, yes it would do justice to the work and to her also. But not in Beauty!! Hikaru Kobayashi, 1st soloist, was a beautiful Aurora this run (Akane Takada should have had her debut but sadly did not because of the injury). Sarah Lamb was nice so I heard, Rojo is probably amazing in this role as most others, Nunez apparently had some lovely performance. I'm not such a Nunez fan as many (in London it seems like she can do no wrong) and I found her Aurora too flashy but she is a technical genius and has a lot of personality on the stage, also she can do adagio with the proper emphasis and understand English style. Or Rojo with her amazing Rose Adagio! Why not to record one of these two to share with the world? Nunez especially is as much a Royal dancer as Cuthbertson, she did after all spent her whole adult career in this company and she hardly guests much.

I agree on Akane Takada, apparently her SPF a few nights ago has been gorgeous. Melissa Hamilton also did it. I don't find her so great in classical roles, but in contemporary she is surely great and I think as Juliet she will do good things..

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Hamilton has a strong personality and stage presence and I enjoyed some of her performances in modern or not classical works. I have a bad feeling about her in classical things, but honestly I'm not sure whether I've really seen her or it's just an extrapolation of her characteristics made by my imagination. I should check the cast sheets.

Anyway, since I'm not British, at the moment she is not a dancer I'd travel for, even though I'd book for anything with her if already in London (infact I have a ticket for her Nutcracker matinee on the 28th)

As I know it, she didn't do a lot in classical solos. She did "summer" in Cinderella, the huntresses in Sylvia, she might did Moyna or Zulme in Giselle. This season only she danced Florestan pd3 and Bluebird pdd, as well as the 2nd fairy variation and maybe 1st? And apparently her Arabian in Nutcracker is very good.

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If Cojocaru "doesn't have the style to dance this production", they could have given it to Nunez, at least from a technical point of view she is perfection.

Interesting to hear that RB management feels that "Cojocaru doesn't have the style to dance this production". That's a point of view that I hadn't heard before. But then, I don't follow RB reports very closely.

I saw this production of SB at the Kennedy Center in DC just a couple of years after it debuted. Cojocaru led it off and danced Aurora twice to great acclaim. I also recall seeing Nunez, Lamb and Marquez as Aurora and Cojocaru was my favorite by a mile.

I wonder what the RB considers to be stylistically correct at this point in time...

I saw both of Cojocaru's performances plus Lamb's, and Marquez's in rehearsal, and likewise loved Cojocaru's best. If she doesn't have the style, why did she alone get two performances in D.C., plus the DVD appearance? Is she a diminished dancer since she came back from the neck injury? Someone must think so.

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Nunez especially is as much a Royal dancer as Cuthbertson, she did after all spent her whole adult career in this company and she hardly guests much.
I wish she would guest with ABT.

I would suppose her schedule at the RB hardly leave time for it...she dances almost every productions because she does much on the triple bills also which some dancers doesn't. She's beautiful in Glen Tetley's choreography I think.

RE: Cojocaru, I saw her only one time since her return of injury, it was my impression that technically she lost a bit but the artist remains!

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Hamilton .... I have a ticket for her Nutcracker matinee on the 28th)

I'm afraid that yesterday performance confirmed my opinion (or suspects). People said she was much better than in the first show, but she seemed still not ready for the role. The adagio was acceptable, but the solo and the coda were quite temptative. She seems to not have the stamina needed for this killer pdd and her technique is not refined enough, the result was a quite flaccid performance. In addition her stunning beauty doesn't fit with the role, especially because doesn't have at the moment the sensitivity to act as a fairy: SPF is NOT Mary Vetsera...

Polunin was much better than in Sleeping Beauty, his solo was quite impressive. I think he is in a stage of his career where he needs to be cast with experienced and demanding ballerinas; the partnership with Cuthbertson seems put on to help to create the British star using also her partner, but it could be dangerous for Sergei development as an artist.

In the evening Cojocaru (back on ROH stage after 3 months) and Kobborg (back there after SEVEN months) were absolutely beautiful in the pdd, and capable to deal with the terribly slow tempo given by the conductor (the same of the afternoon...informed people reported he was conducing his first ballets...). Alina managed to fill the slow music in the solo and the result was excellent both technically (she is in great form despite the recent injury) and artistically event though she has made better in the past with a proper conductor to support her.

Tonight I think I think it will be Cuthbertson, interesting to see if SPF fit her better than Aurora.

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"In the evening Cojocaru (back on ROH stage after 3 months) and Kobborg (back there after SEVEN months) were absolutely beautiful in the pdd, and capable to deal with the terribly slow tempo given by the conductor (the same of the afternoon...informed people reported he was conducing his first ballets...)."

Although I agree with you about the slow tempo, I’m afraid to say that your ‘informed people’ are not very well informed.

Here is an extract from Dominic Grier’s online biography:

He was a permanent staff conductor at the Royal Opera House from 2008-10, where his work included guest and cover conducting with The Royal Ballet and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, and an affiliation with the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme. He is currently Associate Guest Conductor with Northern Ballet, a guest conductor for The Royal Ballet, Scottish Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet

And here is a list of the works he’s already conducted:

Bizet Symphony in C (Balanchine) - Royal Ballet 2010

Feeney Hamlet (Nixon) - Northern Ballet 2011

Schoenberg Cleopatra (Nixon) - Northern Ballet 2011

Shostakovich Concerto (2nd Piano Concerto) - Royal Ballet 2010

Tchaikovsky The Nutcracker - Royal Ballet and Northern Ballet 2011

The Sleeping Beauty - Scottish Ballet 2011

(NB Apologies if this post appears twice. My first attempt seemed to disappear).

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Although I agree with you about the slow tempo, I’m afraid to say that your ‘informed people’ are not very well informed.

Here is an extract from Dominic Grier’s online biography:

Thank you for the information flowers.gif

Maybe the few ballets in his biography are already too many, if he is so able to disappoint both dancers and audience ....ermm.gif

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*whispers* For those interested, the entire telecast has made its way onto youtube.

Another 'Cuthbertson Alert': I see that LC be starring again in the next ROH Ballet-in-Cinema - Romeo & Juliet, on March 22, 2012. This must be the 'All-Cuthbertson, All-the-Time' season.

Sort of like when the RB released DVDs of Manon, La Bayadere, and Romeo and Juliet all starring Acosta and Rojo a couple years ago.

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Hello,

For those interested to see Cuthbertson’s performance as Princess Aurora, The Sleeping Beauty by the Royal Ballet in Cinema will be performing this Summer!

sleeping_beauty_royal_235x350.jpg

Here’s the list of the main casts:

Gary Avis as King Florestan XXIV

Genesia Rosato as Queen

Lauren Cuthbertson as Princess Aurora

Sergei Polunin as Prince Florimund

Need some information about the showtimes? Here’s one easy step!

You can click on this link and enter the zip code to check out the schedules at your local theatres.

http://www.emergingpictures.com/theaters/

Laura Cuthberson will also be playing Juliet in the famous Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet. Here is the link for more details about the show:

http://www.balletincinema.com/titles/romeo-and-juliet-royal-ballet/

And for all ballet lovers..

There are a number of great ballet performances coming up such as The Bright Stream, La Fille Mal Gardee, Le Corsaire, and La Bayadere.

Visit our website www.emergingpictures.com or www.balletincinema.com for some updates if you don’t want to miss out!

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