Contemporary dance replacing ballet, another angle

[Alymer]

I've often wondered how Symphonic would have looked on the Bejart dancers. Ashton was certainly impressed by the general standard of the men. I remember him asking Bejart how he managed to get all those good male dancers the which the answer came; "you grow them, like a gardener".

At that time his leading women were probably Farrell and Gielgud and the leading men Bortoluzzi and Donn. But the general standard was pretty high - it was as much personnality which made those dancers outstanding - and class was very classical and very demanding.

I found it inteteresting that the men's teacher was Menia Martinez, a Cuban dancer who had been a contemporary of Nureyev, Soloviev, etc at the Vaganova Institute, while the women were taught by Pierre Dobrievitch.

Ashton's reply to the request was that he "wouldn't want it to go anywhere that Michael (Soames) couldn't look after it".

But assuming that a ballet has been correctly set by someone who really understands it, it can be fascinating to see a work strongly associated with one company danced by another. Obviously, it's not like seeing it for the first time - you know the piece. But a new company will bring out different aspects of the work and perhaps things you took for granted will take on a n ew originality.

I loved seeing the dancers of Dutch National dance Symphonic. Their attitude, the way they approached the piece put it into a new context. And someone from the Vienna Staatsoper told me that Balanchine was fascinated by the Viennese dancers when he came to mount Liebeslieder on them, presumably because of the generations of waltzing in their blood.

[Alexandra]

Originally posted by Alymer

But assuming that a ballet has been correctly set by someone who really understands it, it can be fascinating to see a work strongly associated with one company danced by another.  Obviously, it's not like seeing it for the first time - you know the piece.  But a new company will bring out different aspects of the work and perhaps things you took for granted will take on a n ew originality.

I'm still intrigued by the notion of first, Bejart WANTING Symphonic Variations, and secondly, what it would look like -- but with the cast you cite, it would be interesting. As for the comment Ashton made about "where did you get those men?" Clive Barnes said at a symposium at the Kennedy Center when the Royal was last here that both Balanchine and Ashton would have created far more roles for men, especially the male corps and soloists, if there had been enough first-rate male dancers during their day, a statement that made a great deal of sense to me.

I think it is often fascinating to see another company perform a familiar work, and they can bring out something in the work that the "native" company wouldn't. (Many New York critics wrote this about the Danes' performances of "La Sonnambula" in the 1950s and '60s.) I'd love to see Austrian dancers in "Liebeslieder".

But it's a situation that produces heated debate, as we've seen by comments of both critics and fans about the Kirov dancing Balanchine. Some love it, some think it's just plain "wrong."

I'd guess that often what forms our opinions about this is, again, familiarity. When OUR company dances a work from a different tradition, they improve it (see dozens of reviews about NYCB's "Bournonville Divertissements" in 1977). When THEIR dancers dance one of OUR ballets, however, it's another story.

What do others think about this? What ballets have you seen danced in a different accent that were revealing, or interesting, especially in a good way?

[Alexandra]

Just posting to bump this up -- it's an interesting topic that some of you may have missed the first time.

[carbro]

Originally posted by Alexandra

I'd guess that often what forms our opinions about this is, again, familiarity.  When OUR company dances a work from a different tradition, they improve it (see dozens of reviews about NYCB's "Bournonville Divertissements" in 1977).  When THEIR dancers dance one of OUR ballets, however, it's another story.

"I don't have an accent, but you talk funny." ;) Right? We absorb a style to such an extent that we don't perceive it, and anything different deviates from the "norm."

[Alexandra]

Exactly!

[grace]

a friend in london was just telling me yesterday, that teddy kumakawa's company has the rights to dance symphonic - they've been coached by wendy ellis (somes' partner), and have performed it. apparently viviana durante was one of the women (she, of course, had already performed it with RB).

i hadn't heard about this before (you probably have a thread about it, that i haven't seen!). it surprised me to think of such a 'special' work being performed outside the confines of a large classical company setting...i haven't SEEN it, so i can't make any comment, but i was rather startled that it had happened.

[grace]

sorry to be so dim-witted, but how does this subject matter relate to it's thread title? it's not what i expected, when i came in here - but obviously interesting, nonetheless. could someone please explain what i am not getting...

[Alexandra]

Grace, I should have put up a note at the top of Alymer's post -- I moved it from another thread, where it made perfect sense in context, but I thought it might spark a discussion on its own. It was apropos of divisions between contemporary dance, or contemporary ballet, and classical ballet, and I thought Alymer's story of bejart (whom some consider classical and some consider not classical) wanting to do Symphonic and Ashton even considering it was interesting -- it goes against the stereotypes.

I pulled it out, too, because we've discussed the basics of this topic so much here that the "other angle" might entice those who are bored with, or wary, of that discusison.

I don't know how the Ashton ballets are guarded. They don't have anything like the Balanchine Trust, which does make judgments on whether or not a company is able to dance a particular ballet (I've heard they're working on it, but they don't have it yet).

I was also startled when I heard that Kumakaya was doing this, and more startled when I saw the photos (in Dance Now)

[grace]

thanks alexandra - i WAS interested in the 'NEW angle'.

you wrote "I don't know how the Ashton ballets are guarded."

i'm sure you do. ashton willed ballets to various people who he trusted with them. michael somes got symphonic. therefore, since somes' death, wendy ellis (somes' partner) is in charge of it.

haven't seen those pics you mention.

[Alexandra]

Yes, I know that the ballets were willed to different people -- many of whom have since died -- but I meant guarded in the sense of having a central person, or group of people, who would have the power to say, "It's wonderful that you'd like to dance Symphonic, but we don't think that group of people is appropriate" or "We insist that live music be used, not a recording." Until (assuming the plans go through) there is a Trust, I supose the decision of what company gets to do what is up to the discretion of the stager.

The photograph that I remember in particular was very athletic. I don't think one would look at it and think "My, that's one of the men in Ashton's 'Symphonic Variations.'" Don Q pas de deux in an odd costume, perhaps, but not 'Symphonic Variations.'"

[grace]

oh dear.

now i understand you (on both points).

[Alexandra]

We live in troubled times.

[Mme. Hermine]

is that type of decision making entrusted to anthony russell-roberts?

[Nanatchka]

I am reminded here of something the late Viola Farber said to me at a revival of a dance whose original she had appeared in some forty years before. She said it wasn't "the" dance, but a version of it, and that she thought it was beautiful. That gave me a lot to think about.....

[Alexandra]

Nan, isn't Farber the one quoted in "Repertory in Review" that she cried when she saw City Ballet do Summerspace? Some revivals are different, some are more different than one can stand

Mme. Hermine, I don't think so -- at least, not in the same way that the Balanchine Trust functions. (I don't mean to say that that's the only way to serve as guardian of a repertory, but right now, it's one of the few formal ways to try to do so.)