281 replies to this topic

[California]

Macaulay seems to have a little inside information about the ABT Met season. Has a press release gone out?

Quote

“La Bayadère” appears to be resting for a year. The news comes, though, that Ballet Theater will revive “Le Corsaire” next spring in a new production. Both these ballets will remain problematic in any version. Their music is at best undistinguished, and large parts of their received choreography are formulaic, added or altered in the 20th century.

http://www.nytimes.c...?pagewanted=all

[Dale]

No press release yet. But the NY Times often receives a heads-up so it can go in their Fall Preview.

[puppytreats]

But not CC :<

[fondoffouettes]

California, on 05 September 2012 - 07:42 AM, said:

Macaulay seems to have a little inside information about the ABT Met season. Has a press release gone out?

Quote

“The news comes, though, that Ballet Theater will revive “Le Corsaire” next spring in a new production."

http://www.nytimes.c...?pagewanted=all

I won't be sad to say goodbye to the silver bikini bottom/harem pants combo worn by the female corps in the last act. Now if only we could ditch the 80s hair band gypsies in Don Q...

[YID]

Sorry for a bit off-topic, but is Macaulay on Ratmansky's retainer? everytime he writes about him (in case of Le Corsaire and last time about another ballet, he steals from Burlaka, it was Burlaka and Ratmansky's REVIVAL - not just Ratmansky's staging..... Sad, that such an educated man is so ignorantly desribes the process. Shame on him. the link can show the definition of the Le Corsaire at Bolshoi site http://www.bolshoi.r...rformances/198/

[Waelsung]

Macaulay hates the classical ballet. Always has, and probably always will. But this article must be a new low even for him. To criticize Petipa's masterpieces because they do not adhere to the strict rules of political correctness and do not reflect the exact ethnic mix of the XXI century America as was determined by the latest Census? It really makes me sick.

[mussel]

The new production is still Anne Marie Holmes staging but with new sets & costumes.  Here is a sneak peek:

[bingham]

Dale, on 05 September 2012 - 07:46 AM, said:

No press release yet. But the NY Times often receives a heads-up so it can go in their Fall Preview.

AM writes that ABT will revive Ashton's Sylvia and produce, for the 1st time, A Month in the Country at the Met in May.
ABT will also do a full-evening of Ratmansky short ballets.

Thanks to Mussel for accurately"predicting" the ballets for the spring season.

[abatt]

Yes, thanks mussel!

[Natalia]

What was wrong with ABT's Corsaire sets & costumes? They were beautiful and 'deluxe' - originally from the Bolshoi/mid-90s, in fact. So are they planning to replace them with an all-purpose LEGO set, 'El Cheapo' style (like the Mariinsky Cinderella or Humpbacked Horse)?

Month in the Country sounds good. I hope that ABT isn't planning to present it in a LEGO set.

[Drew]

Waelsung, on 05 September 2012 - 08:28 PM, said:

Macaulay hates the classical ballet. Always has, and probably always will. But this article must be a new low even for him. To criticize Petipa's masterpieces because they do not adhere to the strict rules of political correctness and do not reflect the exact ethnic mix of the XXI century America as was determined by the latest Census? It really makes me sick.

I don't think this is a fair summary of Macaulay's article and certainly I don't believe that he hates the classical ballet. Specifically, he does not have a problem with Petipa masterpieces in this article ... it is revivals of those works that are full of inaccuracies/revisions or otherwise pastiche (not Petipa at all) that nonetheless retain or, much more problematically, exagerate the racism of the original--even, in the case of the Bolshoi Raymonda he discusses, putting it in where it did not necessarily exist in the Petipa masterpiece. He is also very careful to say that he does not believe in applying a strict "political correctness" to works of the past and even goes so far as to defend national stereotyping in the Nutcracker.

[Waelsung]

Drew, on 06 September 2012 - 12:41 PM, said:

Waelsung, on 05 September 2012 - 08:28 PM, said:

Macaulay hates the classical ballet. Always has, and probably always will. But this article must be a new low even for him. To criticize Petipa's masterpieces because they do not adhere to the strict rules of political correctness and do not reflect the exact ethnic mix of the XXI century America as was determined by the latest Census? It really makes me sick.

I don't think this is a fair summary of Macaulay's article and certainly I don't believe that he hates the classical ballet. Specifically, he does not have a problem with Petipa masterpieces in this article ... it is revivals of those works that are full of inaccuracies/revisions or otherwise pastiche (not Petipa at all) that nonetheless retain or, much more problematically, exagerate the racism of the original--even, in the case of the Bolshoi Raymonda he discusses, putting it in where it did not necessarily exist in the Petipa masterpiece. He is also very careful to say that he does not believe in applying a strict "political correctness" to works of the past and even goes so far as to defend national stereotyping in the Nutcracker.

But didn't he object to the whiteness of the Shades? It's not even funny.

[Drew]

Waelsung, on 06 September 2012 - 12:54 PM, said:

Drew, on 06 September 2012 - 12:41 PM, said:

Waelsung, on 05 September 2012 - 08:28 PM, said:

Macaulay hates the classical ballet. Always has, and probably always will. But this article must be a new low even for him. To criticize Petipa's masterpieces because they do not adhere to the strict rules of political correctness and do not reflect the exact ethnic mix of the XXI century America as was determined by the latest Census? It really makes me sick.

I don't think this is a fair summary of Macaulay's article and certainly I don't believe that he hates the classical ballet. Specifically, he does not have a problem with Petipa masterpieces in this article ... it is revivals of those works that are full of inaccuracies/revisions or otherwise pastiche (not Petipa at all) that nonetheless retain or, much more problematically, exagerate the racism of the original--even, in the case of the Bolshoi Raymonda he discusses, putting it in where it did not necessarily exist in the Petipa masterpiece. He is also very careful to say that he does not believe in applying a strict "political correctness" to works of the past and even goes so far as to defend national stereotyping in the Nutcracker.

But didn't he object to the whiteness of the Shades? It's not even funny.

As I read the article he did not "object" to their whiteness--What he does say is that when the ballet imagines a heaven for its Indian maidens it is a white heaven and he seems to intend that as a reflection on the generally problematic attitudes that shape these ballets. For me, that was not one of his strongest points since there are strong ballet traditions shaping the scene that aren't simply a matter of ethnic codes...In fact elsewhere in the article he alludes to moments of transcendence in Bayadere and surely it's pretty obvious that he means the Shades scene.

I realize though we are in the realm of "ballet writing" rather than "Met season" ... For myself I was also surprised by news of a new Corsaire production if only because the old seems such a success, but perhaps costumes and/or sets were in need of repair and it seemed worth the investment. (I have no fears that they will be replacing Julia Trevelyan Oman's designs for A Month in the Country and hope that it's true that Ashton's ballet is in the works for ABT.)

[Birdsall]

I think new costumes for Corsaire is a very good thing! Lankendem's red pajamas need to GO!!!

[Golden Idol]

I had no beef with Corsaire's costumes, except for Lankendem's. I agree--no dancer has ever looked good in that outfit, not Malakhov (in the video), nor (just this past season) Sascha, Jared, or Daniil.