58 replies to this topic

[Françoise]

Gillot is not at all injuried, but she must dance Appartement every night.
How this production must be record for television and they have just one cast for the Mats Ek ballet, MA doesn't dance Diamonds to not injury her and be sure to have her for the movie.

Hilaire seems to have a different contrat and must dance only some performance during a season. He is not injuried as he danced Manon in London.

[Françoise]

Viviane cast are changing and we won't see Fanny Fiat in Rubies what is really a deception, she is a so wonderful dancer ! She is replace by Nolwenn Daniel and Emmanuel Thibault. Hervé Courtain initially previous on this date will dance now 5 march with Nolwenn Daniel instead of Fanny Fiat.

Against Hervé Moreau should appear in Diamonds the 1st and the 3 of march beside of Delphine Moussin as well Karin Averty and Christophe Duquenne 2 of march.
As I thank, Stéphane Bullion replace Laurent Novis 3 of march.

[Estelle]

Thanks for the information about the casts, Françoise! Once again, one never knows what to expect as there are so many changes... What a pity that Fanny Fiat won't dance "Rubies", she isn't cast very often in such big roles, what a bad luck!

About Marie-Agnès Gillot, I wonder why it hadn't occurred to the direction before that perhaps having her dance so many roles (Rubies, Diamonds, Appartement) at the same time might be a bit too much? It would have been simpler if they hadn't printed her names in the casts, because now probably there are some people who had hoped to see her in "Diamonds" and are disappointed... And having only one cast for "Appartement" is a bit dangerous anyway- there would be some problems if for example Jose Martinez or Clairemarie Osta got injured...

By the way, do you know for which channel "Appartement" will be filmed?

[Françoise]

The Programm Ek/Teshigawara is record for Mezzo, and I suppose France 3, it will replace Sylvia.
Yes they don't think before cast the dancer that they have two programm in same time. Moreover Marie-Agnes recovered from an injury, it's perhaps why they don't want she take more risk on stage.
The worst, she has rehearsals on stage with Jean-Guillaume Bart, she was ready to dance Diamonds when she was cast on the first date of february. I don't understand the programmation of POb and I think I never will understand   !

[Nanatchka]

Speaking--to quote Leigh out of context-- of "umpty frillions"--my French friends, this is a made up silly phrase, but a "frill" is something you see a lot of in LaCroix--will some PLEASE describe and evaluate the LaCroix costumes for Jewels. I'm dying to hear about them. Here in the US, ABT did a version of Gaite Parisienne with his outfits a long while ago.It was one of those moment--at the opening, some of the audience wore LaCroix, too. (Peter Martins using Manolo Blahnik shoes in his "Thou Swell" is a version of the same thing: Show the patrons themselves, and they'll be happy, goes the thinking. )

[Estelle]

Françoise, thanks for the information. Pity it isn't on Arte, because I know nobody who receives Mezzo and could record it for me...


Well, actually there was much fuss about the Lacroix costumes when it was premiered two seasons ago (reading some articles in the French press, one would have believed that it was a fashion defile and not a ballet, Balanchine was hardly mentioned), but I thought it wasn't so exceptional. I haven't seen the costumes of the original production, so I can't compare, and in general I'm not a specialist of costumes at all... Well, those that I liked the least (I think I have already said it) were those of "Rubies", I didn't like much the color of the women's costumes (a bit too bright) and the men's costumes were a bit weird. Those of the other two movements were fine, in my opinion.

Here is a link to a page whch includes some photographs, it will be more precise than anything I could write about it:

http://www.cultureki.../rhfjewels.html

And also a few ones of Sophia Parcen's page:

http://mapage.noos.f.../kep/kep23.html

And one from "Diamonds" on José Martinez"s page:

http://www.josecarlo....com/enter2.htm

(Oh, and also a silly detail: sometimes I found the "décolletés" of the female costumes in "Emeralds" a bit too low, it was not very flattering on some of the dancers...)

If I remember correctly, Christian Lacroix also made the costumes for Blanca Li's "Scheherazade" last season, and they were probably among the weirdest and ugliest costumes I've ever seen.

[Françoise]

For the men I'm agree with you that Sheherazade costums were vulgar , against, the pink costum of the girl or the soloist male or female costums were really beautiful

[Françoise]

Sad news , Hervé Moreau won't dance Diamonds and will be replace by José Martinez besides of Delphine Moussin. Against I don't know who replace him, sunday afternoon in first soloist of Emeralds.

[Nanatchka]

Merci, dear Estelle, for the excellent links to the costumes! They are much more restrained that I expected from LaCroix's designs for ABT Gaite Pariesienne.  Did you think that was a good shade of green? Emeralds is such a French variation, anyway==with the Faure, and remember, originally with Violette Verdy. It was so interesting to see the pictures. I wish I were in Paris (well, I always wish that) to see the dance itself.

[Juliet]

Oh yes, thank you, Estelle for the photo links!

I think they look lovely....the green has just the right amount of blue in it for emeralds....I cannnot tell enough about the Rubies ones, but the Diamonds are wonderful---the colour, in the photographs at least is dead right.  Perfect,  and I very much wish we could see this over here, so thank you for the visuals!

[Françoise]

Jewels - sunday 2 march

Principal interest of this matinee was to see, several sujets of the company in the leading part of Jewels.
Unfortunately, the cast was changed, Hervé Moreau is injuried, Nathalie Rique is ill and was replaced by Laetitia Pujol and Karl Paquette in first pdd of Emeralds. Laetitia Pujol dances very well but she is a few amusical, and she's too "appliquée". Karl Paquette is elegant partner. In second pdd, it was a confirmed sujet who dance Sicilian variation, Beatrice Martel was very lyrical and very well partnered by Yann Bridard in Sleepwalker pdd. In pas de trois, it was Christophe Duquenne with Alexandra Cardinale and Myriam Kamionka. They were brilliant all three.

In rubies, we must see Fanny Fiat, one of the best dancer of the troup unfortunately injuried and Hervé Courtain, if Hervé Courtain will dance wednesday with Nolwenn, the couple was replaced by Nolwenn Daniel and Emmanuel Thibault. They were very very dissapointing, especially Emmanuel Thibault. They dance "alone together" and never in couple, we don't feel nothing, they make too many beautiful things technically, but it was cold, and without this necessary "grain de folie" in Balanchine work. Emmanuel Thibault showed his artistics "limits" and shows that he can't become a premier danseur. Nolwenn Daniel, a lyrical ballerina, was in a "contre-emploi" and shows several beautiful technical things.  Against Stéphanie Romberg as tall soloist was exactly what we wait for this part, "glamourous".

For Diamonds, it was Karin Averty with Christophe Duquenne, I don't understand why they don't cast someone else in Emeralds pas de trois, as Diamonds part is not so difficult. Karin Averty was really good in this part against she has not poetry and lyrism of Agnès Letestu or especially Delphine Moussin. Christophe Duquenne is an handsome partner, good technician even if it's hard to dance after José Martinez and Jean-Guillaume Bart. Against It's not normal that he is again sujet and not premier danseur, because when he dance, audience feel something.

Audience was more hot for Diamonds than for Rubies, what it's strange when we know Thibault popularity, but if this dancer is really brilliant in virtuoso academic solo, Balanchine is not really for him.

[Viviane]

I sincerely hope we get another account to read about this performance instead of an inaccurate translation of Cathérine's posting on another forum !

[Françoise]

If you don't know, but Alexandra knows it, I'm Catherine and I don't make a translation. I write with my "bad" english, but it's not at all a translation, It's what I thank about the performance of today and it seems normal that the cummentaries are the same. It will be a pity if they were not the same.

[Viviane]

this is not about 'bad' language, but about a tendentious posting : something rarely seen on this site.

[Françoise]

I write what I feel after the performance of this afternoon. I don't really enjoy this performance and I explain why. I don't criticize any dancer badly. And concerning rubies, we are too many ballet lovers this afternoon to have exactly the same opinion about the couple Emmanuel Thibault and Nolwenn Daniel.
I insist about Thibault because Marc of Kirov topic wanted to know how he was after some polemics discussion. Perhaps my purpose could seem more tendancious or hard because I write with the vocabulary I know and it's not always the true word to explain something good. I could use an hardest word than wanted.
I'm sorry if my purpose seem tendancious, it's really what I feel and nothing all  !

I want add something about Emmanuel Thibault, he technically danced very well this afternoon, he is musical, he was a good partner technically speaking, but I'm sorry to not have feel something, and I was surprised that audience who always love Emmanuel and hard clap his performance, don't applause too many. I was very surprised about it especially that in France since the beginning of Jewels performance it's always the part the most applaused. Today it was Diamonds who have several curtain and was the most applaused   !