Jump to content
This Site Uses Cookies. If You Want to Disable Cookies, Please See Your Browser Documentation. ×

Principal casting for November performances


Recommended Posts

For anyone interested, at this link you can see NBoC principal casting for upcoming performances in November (La Fille Mal Gardeé and triple bill: Kingdom of The Shades/ Firebird (Kudelka)/A Delicate Battle (M. Mrozewski):

http://www.national.ballet.ca/productions/...s/casting.shtml

I think the casting is again very interesting, as I again see several young dancers from corps in prominent roles. Other thing that I'm noticing is that Van der Wyst is not casted this time in any of ballets (injury maybe?).

Link to comment

thanks for the link, saveta :)

i just bought my subscription! yay!

but i'm not sure which performance to pick. right now it's a toss-up between chan hon goh or greta hodgkinson for firebird... i'm sure they're both sublime dancers, but leigh's comment on another thread (about chan not being the "spitfire" he expected of a kitri) makes me wonder if greta might be more exciting to watch?

also, any suggestions for fille mal gardé? the casting for lise is:

Lise MARTINE LAMY (Nov.20 @ 7:30/ Nov.22 @ 7:30)

STACEY SHIORI MINAGAWA* (Nov.21 @ 2:00/ Nov.24 @ 2:00)

GRETA HODGKINSON* (Nov.21 @ 7:30/ Nov.23 @ 2:00)

SONIA RODRIGUEZ* (Nov.23 @ 7:30)

thanks!

Link to comment

Hi tigger,

regarding Firebird, I personally am very curious to see C.H. Goh's interpretation of the role. Last time around (two years ago) I saw Greta Hodginson and Evelyn Hart (both my favorite dancers) in the role of Firebird. I personally don't think that it was one of Greta's best roles. Otherwise, I think that she is very versatile dancer (I loved her in very different roles like

Giselle,Odette/Odile, Kitri, Polyhimnia in Balanchine's Apollo to name just a few) but her approach to Firebird to me was resembling "a quirky Odette" if you can imagine what I'm trying to say (bit like a swan in faster motion with some funkier arm movements occasionaly). ( Hart on the other end was completely different kind of bird, with shorter movements, less academic; also she was this strange, fragile creature even when she was in comand of the situation; she showed emotions, but you could always feel she's an animal, not human trapped inside like Odette i.e.) Therefore, I have a feeling that Kudelka is somewhat leaving a freedom of different stylistic approaches to his dancers and I'm curious about Goh's.

Of course I think it will be interesting to see Greta again in Firebird, but her I'm really looking forward to see in La Fille Mal Gardeé (and Antonijevic). I personally will also try to see Sonia Rodrigez in Fille as well. (I haven't seen NBoC do that ballet before, so I'm just going with my instincts :)

Link to comment
Originally posted by Leigh Witchel

I'm visiting friends on the weekend of the 15th and going to the Sunday matinee, I think.

Leigh, I think you'll have interesting time. I didn't see A Delicate Battle before, but I'm very curious. Critics (as well as many ballet lovers) mostly praised it here. Mrozewsky is definitely establishing himself as one of leading young Canadian choreographers, and that was his choreographic début for NBoC.

For Kingdom of The Shades, I think Xiao Nan Yu is growing into a strong classical dancer and should be good Nikia-shade. Solor,

(R. Borne ) is not one of the strongest classical technicians (Imo) but he has potential. (I didn't see him recently, maybe he's technique is much improved.)

Jenifer Fournier you probably know from before, and her Firebird will probably be interesting to see. Nehemiah Kish (Prince Ivan) is one of youngest dancers in the company (I think it's his second season in the corps if I'm not mistaken). He'll be very interesting to see (although I'm curious what you'll think of choreography for his role, or of the entire Firebird for that matter)

It might be worth considering to see also a cast of Nov 16 (if you possibly can, of course). The casts are so different, and being a mixed bill, It would really give you a good idea about the company. (Even though I know you get to see it often )

It might be worth considering to see also a cast of Nov 16 (if you possibly can, of course). The casts are so different, and being a mixed bill, It would really give you a goog idea about the company. (Even though I know you get to see it often:) )

Link to comment

interesting comments on the different portrayals of birds. (you're so lucky to have been able to see evelyn hart!) a "quirky odette" conjures up images of a swan with epileptic seizures, lol, but i think i see what you mean. but i wonder if dancers change their interpretations from season to season? i just read an unusual version of the firebird story where the firebird was actually a tsarina who could change into a bird at will... so a more human creature, but at least when she was a bird, she wasn't trapped like odette.

anyway, i'll probably see the nov 30 matinee (with chan hon goh) because my friends are worried about performances selling out... and if it does, i'll watch it again with them on dec 1 :)

Link to comment

Well, at least my clumsy "portrayal" of G. Hodgkinson's Firebrd will make any actual performance that you experience look better

;) , and she definitely wasn't least bit "spastic" then, only somehow predictable.

I think it will be great for you to see both performances and both casts.

Link to comment

Saveta -

I'm really coming up for the Mrozewski work - it's a complete unknown to me. Sunday matinee is probably my only chance to see the performance. I feel like I barely get to see NBoC, not the way I know companies in my hometown. I've haven't seen Guillaume Cote or Heather Ogden yet, for instance (and I won't get to this time again :) ) I'd love to get to see the company's dancers in process instead of twice a year (maybe!) And that is why we rely on you Torontonians to keep us informed!

Link to comment

I will be seeing the performance on Nov.16 and for Fille I will be attending Nov.22, and volunteering on Nov. 23 (eve.).

The only Firebird I've seen so far is Xiao Nan Yu, and she was excellent but it isn't her best role. I don't think the choreography really gives the ballerina that much room to shine, but I'm still curious about Goh. I remember the newspapers calling Goh's portrayal "pretty" and Hodgkinson's "a variation on Odette", while praising Yu's. I wish I was seeing Goh in Bayadere though. She seems very suited to dance Nikiya. I'm surprised she wasn't even cast in it this season. But Greta and Aleks should be wonderful, they are both technically fearless.

I saw A Delicate Battle, and I've seen a few excerpts again at the summer performances at the Harbourfront. Leigh, do post your impressions, I'd be interested to see what you think about it. Personally, I enjoyed it very much, though I felt some segments were weak. As a whole though, the concept and imagery were intelligently rendered and it leaves a strong impact on the audience.

tigger, for Fille Mal Gardee, any of the dancers should be great as Lise. I think Sonia Rodriquez will be perfect, but I'm looking forward to seeing Martine Lamy since she is very experienced in this role (all the other dancers are making their debut). Lamy's repertoire is shrinking a bit, going away from the classics, but she is still stunning in some ballets (anything MacMillan, and she was also beautiful in last year's Merry Widow) and I think Fille is one of them.

Link to comment
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...