paul

During the "End of Season Gala 2009" at the Bolshoi a Esmeralda pas de deux was danced. It was a delight. I had never seen it before and it looked to me 100% Petipa. I waited for this pas deux to pop up in the new Bolshoi Petipa "Reconstruction" of the Ballet. But it never did. Does anyone know where this delightful Esmeralda, danced at the End of Season Gala 2009, comes from?

I especially went to see Alexandra Ansanellis Sleeping Beauty and was charmed. Such a beautiful classical line everywhere and all the time. A absolutely beautiful vision scene. I prefer her to any other Royal Ballet Pricipal in this role.

Koburgs productions of La Sylphide in London featured some very very beautiful mime and dance scenes which I had never seen in any Danish production of the Ballet Does anyone know when these scenes were last performed in Danemark?

He did Don Quixote as well. Very simple, straigt forward and the Drama for once works for me as well. Especially the beginning which in other production I find often boring and incomprehensible.

On the web I found Lacotte saying lots about his work which I found interesting. He says that his teacher acctually saw the premiere of this ballet and that he learned lots of the steps from her. Russian friends of mine dispute this absolutely. But I think he is right. There is so much which caries the signiture of Petipa. The ballet is much shorter as it origianly was. Most of the mime has gone. Critics in London found this a great handicap. Karsavina, by the way, tought the mime scene 2.Act. "Arrival of the pricess" here in London many years back. So she obviously still knew lots of the ballet. I know someone who was in that particular class. But unfortunately she (Joan Hewster) remebers lots about Karsavina but nothing about this particular mime scene. I do have the ballet with Grachova, Assylumoratova and Alexandrova as well, in case anyone like to exchange something with me.

Lyn Seymore, of course. No one came even close to her presence on stage and to the drama she created.,

Has anyone seen the "La fille mal gardee" broadcast? And what do people think of it? I went to see the filmed performances and enjoyed so much of it. There was such a sparkle on stage which cought the audience.) I found the camera work annoying in the broadcast. Always chopping about and going in and out and beeing in general busy busy busy when all you want to see is the dancing and the coreography. At one stage for example when Alain is dancing and is getting Applaus we do not even see him. Did others feel the same?

I gave the tape away but I shall look it up as soon as I get it back.

I am just wondering in how far the POB has a ballet performing traditon. Are there any ballets they have passed on from generation to generation?

I spoke to a russian friend last night and he told me that his friends in Petersburg mainly complain about the lack of different personalities on stage. "All they think nowadays is to get their legs up high" he quoted a friend of his saying. But this said: I saw the performances "Gala 230 years Bolshoi school" and was amazed. Not just so many wonderful peformances. They had the '"grand ballerina" "the balanchine dancer" all sorts of different personalities were on stage and it made me happy for the future. There were even different shapes and sizes amongst the dancers.

After the dress rehearsal I thought I never ever want to see this ballet again with this sort of dancing. But than I watched Nunez peformances. And there were some wonderfull moments. Her entrance was terrific. I showed a friend who never been to a ballet in all his live a bit of the 3rd act and than the same thing from the 60. From the 60:shadowing figures, black and white, faces you could not see. My friend said immediately: "but they are much better". In the Foyer they showed bit from the 60s Silvia. And nowhere did we see nowadays such attack, speed and style.

You can either go for the Amphitheatre or for - as already said - Row C. I am quite happy with C 97. It is restricted view but one sits so lovely close to the stage. They do now day seat for 35 and 40 pounds as well. And always offer you these seats first. Once I had to ask various times before I got my C 97. You can get standing tickets as well. Good luck!

Yes, she must have been a very dramatic dancers. Unfortunately she upset me very much. During class she was always looking at herself in the mirror, danced a few steps and than looked out of the window. But of course, she was a star.And could give you what others could not. She had this ingredible presence. Oh, I wish that I would have woken up much earlier. Because she suddenly gave it all up and died very quickly.

I do remember as well hearing these horror stories about Dame Marie Rambert reahersing Les Sylphides. The girls when walsing and "junping" forwards had to to it over and over again until there was no noise heared.

I learned Giselle from Joice Graham who danced with the Ballet Rambert I thing during and after the war. All these lovely mime I have lerned from her I never see performed. For example: Giselle "says" to the girls: don´t go on picking grapes, dance with me. During the Walze: the choir and Giselle are holding a imaginary basket of grapes bith both arms. Ther peasant pas de deux: at one stage the boy whispers the girls soemthing in the ear. And one thing I can remember so cleary because Mrs. Graham insisted that you walk the pattern of a heart at one stage during the peasant pas de deux. I asked a russian friend who danced the ballet in russia and produced it in the west. He is blissfully anaware of all these mime. Has anyone else learned this sort of mime?