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POB new web site


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Me too, more easy to find, and more easy to read. To see lyric cast you must click each time on distribution. Before you had immediatly the cast.

More deceiving ballet season with at bastille :

Bayadère, Flamenco, Le Parc (Prejolcaj), Don Quixote.

At Garnier :

Notre Dame de Paris, Fokine/Nijinski/Robbins/Li (tribute to russian ballet with Petrushka, two versions of Afternoon of a faun, Sheherazade creation by Li)

Scala Ballet : Excelsior

Clavigo (Petit)

Hurlevent (World creation by Kader Belarbi about Wuthering Heights - music asked to Philippe Hersant)

Coppélia (Bart)

Ballet School (Western symphony - Fille mal gardée)

Dunn/Balanchine/Bausch ; Pulcinella, Violin concerto and Rite of Spring

Le Concours (Béjart).

Very sad season with only reprise, no many classical ballet just two (Bayadère and Don Quixote at Bastille !!!!)

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The ballet version of Wuthering Heights sounds intriguing. LeRiche as Heathcliff? wink.gif Quite a commission for the dancer Kader Belarbi. Does anybody know if the composer, Hersant, writes in a melodic style?

Maybe I'll finally see a "live" EXCELSIOR. That one jumped out at me immediately!

Once you get past the shock of only two full-evening-length classical ballets, you can see a number of delights in the program.

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Jeannie, I think that Belarbi himself might be a good Heathcliff... I know that Philippe Hersant has written some operas, but have never heard anything from him. I hope that his music will be more suited to ballet than the one which was commissionned for Lionel Hoche' "Yamm" to Philippe Fenelon earlier in the season (also another problem that the choreographer and the dancers first heard the music just before the performances, before that they had to work only on piano reductions! I hope that the organization will be better this time).

That's a matter of personal tastes, but I find the next season very, very disappointing.

As Catherine pointed out, there are only two real full-length classics (Don Q and Bayadere)- perhaps also Coppelia, but Patrice Bart's version doesn't seem very interesting.

There will be only two new works in the repertory: Belarbi's "Wuthering Heights" and the new work by Blanca Li (a modern dance choreographer that I don't appreciate much). This season, there were three world premieres (Lacotte's "Paquita" and two modern works by Hoche and Gallotta) plus 4 new works in the repertory ("Jewels", "The Cage" and two Kylian works), so the next season really looks poor. Also there are only 11 "normal" programs (by the company itself, not by guest companies or the school) instead of 12 in all the previous seasons.

Most of the works of the next season have been danced already by the company quite recently: "Clavigo", "Le concours", "Don Quichotte", "Le Parc", "Coppelia" all have been danced in the 1999-2000 or 1998-99 seasons.

It's such a pity to see that a company with such a large repertory neglects a large part of it- what about Tudor, Lifar, Nijinska...? Why was Ashton's "Rhapsody" danced only for one season? And only one Balanchine work in the whole season really isn't much...

With only three female principals remaining (Letestu, Maurin, Dupont) and such a program, I'm not looking forward at seeing the next season.

(And sometimes I wish Claude Bessy could do the programming, becuse her POB school programs often look more interesting that Ms Lefevre's choices).

[This message has been edited by Estelle (edited March 28, 2001).]

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Estelle --

thanks for all the information! I'm quite disappointed as well because I'm going to be spending a semester in Paris from January 2002 and was hoping I could see the very best of POB! I wish I had gone this year. frown.gif Do they not have the "Jeune Danseurs" Program every year as well? I was hoping I could see that...Still, the POB school's program looks exciting with La Fille and Western Symphony. Oh, and I do hope they promote Marie-Agnes!!!

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Jane, I don't know if Guerin is likely to be invited for "Le Parc". From her interview in the latest issue of "Dance View", she doesn't want to stop dancing just after her official retirement in july, but I don't know if the direction would like to invite her. It seems to depend a lot of the relationships between the direction and the dancers (for example, among the recently retired principals, Elisabeth Platel was invited a few times, Monique Loudieres was invited only for Neumeier's "Sylvia"- though I've been told she still takes company classes regularly-, Francoise Legree was not invited at all...)

enterachilles, I think that the small number of female principals might be one reason for the low number of full-length classics... Moreover, among the remaining principals, Elisabeth Maurin is close to retirement (she's 38) and the direction doesn't seem to like her very much (she rarely is in the first casts), and Aurelie Dupont has had several problems of injuries recently.

Jeannie and Terry, I wish Marie-Agnes Gillot could be promoted! And I think that all the people who saw her "Paquita" think the same.

I also think that Clairemarie Osta would deserve to be promoted, but she's 30 or 31 and the direction might think it's already too late. But from the rumors, it seems that the next promotion is very likely to be Eleonora Abbagnato, who just became a premiere danseuse at the last competition and is about 22. Perhaps it's just that I haven't seen her enough, but so far I'm not really convinced by her (and unlike Gillot and Osta she hasn't danced many big classical roles;

except Clara in "The Nutcracker", she was cast mostly in works by Roland Petit or the contemporary repertory). To me, Gillot and Osta would be more reliable choices.

Some people on ballet.co.uk also pointed out that the next season will be more suited to male demicaractere dancers than to "nobler" ones: the only real "prince" role will be that of Solor in "La Bayadere" ... I wonder if this has something to do with the fact that some of the principals are likely to dance fewer prince roles as they get older (Legris, Hilaire) and that most of the premiers danseurs are better in demicaractere roles.

About the new web site: it includes more information than the previous version, but unfortunately some links don't work (including the page which is supposed to announce the next seasonà. And it shocks me to see than there still isn't any list of the dancers, musicians and singers on the web site...

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Guerin must dance Esmeralda in Notre-Dame de Paris, I don't know but she could be guest for Bayadère but for the Parc, I'm not really sure. I don't who dance it at USA.

POB must also make a tour in Liban with Clavigo.

They stay three etoiles because 40 years is the age where etoile must retire at POB, Gaida, Guerin and Arbo (this last one made her farewells last 8 march in Other Dances). Gaïda and Guérin must retire in july with Juliet, 23 june for Guérin who made her unofficial farewells at Garnier, last tuesday in Manon (it was the last time she danced in etoile on the floor of Garnier, the next time she will dance in guest artist) and 16 juillet for Gaïda. Both make their Farewells with Le Riche.

We forgot in the season the Tribute to Kochno, 26 of november with Stravinsky Opera Mavra, Balanchine' Prodigal son and Mixed dance and lyric "Sept pêchés capitaux", music by Kurt weill.

[This message has been edited by Françoise (edited March 30, 2001).]

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