24 replies to this topic

[JMcN]

Thanks for the clarifications.

[cubanmiamiboy]

rg, on 27 March 2012 - 08:49 AM, said:

Balanchine's "Candy Canes" (to Tschaikovsky's "Buffons" dance - a Trepak) amounts to an Americanized name for the Aleksandr Shiryaev-choreographed "Buffons" divertissement that was part of NUTCRACKER since its 1892 premiere; Balanchivadze was familiar with this dance in his youth in Petrograd. Costume sketches for the original dance indicate a hoop and jingle-bells which also characterize Balanchine's version of the dance in Karinska's costuming. In the recollections of Aleksandra Danilova, when Georgi B. danced this number in Russia, he would "take down the house." It's only with recent research that the choreography has been credited to Shiryaev, who, formerly, was simply known as the dancer who first danced the number in the Petipa/Ivanov staging.

...Nijinska being responsible for the interpolation of the excerpt reveamped as a Trepak danced by the "Three Ivans" in Diaguilev's 1921 "Sleeping Princess" .

[Pamela Moberg]

Dont know if this will count as a variation, but as it is four dancers all doing the same thing - rather like a revue line up - I think it might qualify.
I just cant stand the pas de quatre of the little swans. Jumpy music, dismal choreography, everything is awful. Probably a lot of people think it is kinda cute, but I close both ears and eyes.

[duffster]

I absolutely hated to dance and to watch the Diamond fairy variation in the last act of Sleeping Beauty.  Too many passe releves- maybe I just did not care for that particular piece of music.

[jsmu]

Speaking of Sleeping Beauty (and the Three Ivans, ugggggggo), not only the cats and the Ivans but Aurora's variation in the wedding scene--
pure tedium after the Act I variation, the Rose Adagio, and the Vision scene.

[Lidewij]

I like Aurora's variation in act III.  But you reminded me that I do hate Désiré's variation.

[cubanmiamiboy]

cubanmiamiboy, on 26 March 2012 - 10:21 PM, said:

Coffee from Arabia and its usual display of contorsionists...

Veeery close runner up: Odile's variation.  Maybe part because I somehow  identify with the Soviet trend to name ballets first by the composers, and knowing that Tchaikovsky wasn't even alive when the piece was interpolated, I feel somehow uneasy with it.  Then, its choreography is so mathematically technical...it almost looks like a series of class exercises.  "OK, now I will demonstrate how do do bourrees", "and now here's how we do sissonnes", and "look carefully how do I do renversees and pirouettes a la seconde"...and so on.  In general I can't get over the fact that Petipa got rid of the beautiful  Sobeshchanskaya's PDD-(aka TPDD)-with its superior, dazzling Odile variation to interpolate the foreigner L'Espiègle.

[carbro]

Pamela Moberg, on 28 March 2012 - 12:25 PM, said:

Dont know if this will count as a variation, but as it is four dancers all doing the same thing - rather like a revue line up - I think it might qualify.
I just cant stand the pas de quatre of the little swans. Jumpy music, dismal choreography, everything is awful.

  Me, too, although I appreciate it when it is done well, i.e., with unison and as much lyricism as the choreography and music allow (not much).

cubanmiamiboy, on 21 April 2012 - 12:22 PM, said:

Veeery close runner up: Odile's variation.  ... Then, its choreography is so mathematically technical...it almost looks like a series of class exercises.  

Really?  Interesting. I've only rarely seen it that way, and then from dancers who are generally mechanical and academic.  Also, I find it hard to dislike any variation with renverses.  

[cubanmiamiboy]

carbro, on 21 April 2012 - 09:39 PM, said:

  Also, I find it hard to dislike any variation with renverses.  

I know..! , specially when the ballerina go way risky and twists her body all the way so she's already looking toward  the audience almost upside down, head very close to the floor, working leg beautifully curved, body completely off center.  Sometimes it gets so daring you would think it is impossible for her to keep her balance on pointe and she will fall off...!!

Oops, sorry..I got carried away... so back to the "least liked variation" ...

[Mme. Hermine]

not terribly fond of the 'finger fairy' in sleeping beauty -