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Jewels


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I just came back from the Royal Ballet's Jewels and am too excited to go to sleep. Natalia Osipova and Steven McRae were unbelievable in the Rubies pas de deux. It stands to reason that Osipova would be excellent - it's a part that might have been choreographed for her athleticism and flirtatiousness, but I was amazed at how well McRae matched her energy. I wonder if the two have been partnered elsewhere, because I think it would be great to see if they work this well together in classical ballets.

Emeralds and Diamonds were also very good, although not as earth-shattering. Lauren Cuthbertson had a beautiful night as the lead in Diamonds. Laura Morera (who I've not seen before) was very elegant as the second leading lady in Emeralds.

Full review here: http://itinerantballetomane.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/mcrae-and-osipova-dazzle-in-royal-jewels.html

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I saw the Bolshoi perform it last summer this way and, for instance, the little skips that the dancers have are done very lightly, with a smile. Similarly, that stop motion duet has a little humor in it (I think). If it's done in this way where everything is very somber, the dancers are always glaring, the movement is always slow, then I think those light bits make little sense. And that it gets tiring. On the other hand, Rubies was funnier than I've normally seen it, so I think the company was trying to pull out more contrast between the two acts.

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Swanilda- I'm not sure what the stop motion duet is that you are referring to. Are you talking about the walking duet in Emeralds?

That is the duet I'm talking about - I really don't know how to describe the movement other than stop motion - the dancers both move in quick jerks rather than smoothly.

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I saw the matinee on 30th December. It was the first time I had seen anything other than Rubies and I loved it all, especially the serenity of Emeralds. Natalia Osipova and Steven McRae were absolutely sensational in Rubies! Is it supposed to be erotic because that was how it came over to me?

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Thank you for this report--I would love to see Osipova in Rubies.

Yes, I can imagine Osipova bringing cheekiness, attack, and spontaneity to this role.

I'm trying to recall Patty McBride's performances. She was pretty close to being Villella's equal in those qualities. Since then, there's sometimes been a blandness in the performances of the woman's role I've seen. It's as though the male lead is still encouraged to be strong and risk-taking in Rubies, and to dance all out, but the lead woman is not. I can't imagine Osipova putting up with that.

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