silvermash

Agnès gave her farewell show last Thursday as Marguerite in what was a great evening from the performance point of view and also from an emotional one, up to me the best show of this long run of Lady of the Camellias. She said in an interview that she was proposed a farewell special evening and that she preferred to dance this ballet, her favourite role, and surrounded by the dancers of the company. First of them, Stéphane Bullion, the perfect cast for the evening, the one captured on the DVD. She artistically met him by chance in 2008 on this ballet when he took the role as surrogate when her partner injured the day of the Premiere. She had never danced with him before as he was just promoted Premier danseur six months before and started then a dream partnership. This was a lucky encounter that lasted these past 5 years. Up to me, this gave her a fresh breath for her final years in the company. Stéphane is an atypical dancer -completely different from Jose Martinez whom she had shared before the stage with- who possesses the rare intelligence of artistic craft that they shared in the most perfect way. The past years showed a fusional partnership which is shown at its height in the Neumeier psychological ballet where acting is paramount and where the crazy lifts have been quite a challenge for the other pairs during this round. It’s difficult to talk of this performance because it is probably biased by the emotional circumstances but it looks like a perfect show. Agnès and Stéphane were telling the story with every part of their bodies, it was both sad (she dies at the end) and yet wonderful and pleasurable, mixed feelings that are the success of a wonderful evening. They were supported by a beautiful cast, the very emotional Michael Denard, a long retired Etoile as Stéphane’s father who performed a moving duet in the second act with Agnès. Christophe Duquenne and Eve Grinsztajn as the mirror couple of Des Grieux/Manon were stunning. The role is suiting well to Christophe who is going to retire as well this season and gave a poignant rendering of Des Grieux, while Eve, an underused Première danseuse shone as well, especially in another duet with Agnès during the same 2nd act. Nolwenn Daniel and Nicolas Paul were perfect as the entertaining friends of the heroes. Léonore Baulac who stepped in at nearly last minute to replace Myriam Ould-Brahm suited even better than the missing Etoile as a mischievous Olympia. At the end, as it’s the usual ritual, Agnès bowed alone in a very emotional way for both her, her partners and the audience. She called Stéphane quite a few times to come back to support her, José Martinez -her artistic half during most her career as she likes to say- came from Madrid to offer her a bouquet that she offered to the crowd who gave her a 20 mn standing ovation, only thrown out of the opera by the curtain which the technicians didn’t raise while everyone was still clapping (There was a party afterwards where she was awarded some decorations). Anyway, it’s not finished yet, as Agnès will performed with Stéphane the final performance of the POB Japan tour.

The POB 2013-2014 season is starting next week with The Lady of the Camellias. Casting is now available. As expected, Agnès Letestu will dance with Stéphane Bullion, the Premiere on September 21st and then her two official last shows, October 8th and 10th, the date of her farewell. However, she said in a Japanese interview she will dance the role next March as guest Etoile during the POB tour in Japan. There is a lenghty interview in POB magazine "En Scène" this month. Hopefully it will be available at some point online, it sometimes does.

I’m also very cautious and reluctant to comment from a private video but from what I watched there, it’s sadly not the same ballet that I’m used to with Paris Opera Ballet nowadays. (I don't like to trash but I had to, sorry)... I think the Belingard, Bridard, Bullion, Le Riche are closer to Nureyev in any case… and I’m puzzled because I thought that Roland Petit before he died had coached himself Vassiliev I’m not sure about the girl who is a disaster as well… There is a POB DVD with Nicolas Le Riche and Marie-Agnès Gillot and it's what I like to remember from this beautiful ballet.

Nureyev used Clara as well in his Nutcracker

From left to right at the curtain call you have Mikael Lafon (Coryphée), Simone Valastro (Sujet) and Axel Ibot (Coryphée)

What would you like to know? It works quite well and just as it is written. I think over the past years, I only had one return ticket unsold but this was for a quite empty evening of Onegin. Refund is quite quick.

Well of course a lot of dancers could be filmed in the different ballets recorded depending your own preferences but it’s quite understandable that the stars of the company are more often chosen. That’s why they are Etoiles. Also, Dupont and Letestu were mainly filmed at a time recording meant DVD so you had to be sure of your choice, they have now the longest careers at the star level so they were more “exposed” than others but Gillot and Gilbert are also quite well served and at a time, Abbagnato and Osta too. Perhaps it will change a bit now with the streaming policy if it proves to be economically profitable and filming not considered as such a “big thing”…

It will enter Paris Opera Ballet repertoire next season Have they never performed it before? No.

It will enter Paris Opera Ballet repertoire next season

I think even recently when she was not doing full length, she was cast as an Etoile. She's very good in contemporary, she has a vast range of possibilities... casting is not a matter of choice for the dancers in POB, even for the Etoiles! She will be able to refuse I guess but that's the only privilege they are granted once they fulfill the number of shows due per season... Next season is favorable to her style I think

Why not? There is only a couple of classical ballets per season with few casts... However, she danced most of classical roles when she was younger (Odette/Odile, Kitri, Gamzatti, Myrtha, Clara, Cinderella...) and many other title roles in neo-classical ballets, that's why she has been many times rumoured to be promoted. She's has been filmed quite a few time which is rare for a Première danseuse. Then she took more or less two years off... in two times. She danced and has been filmed in Caligula (but not on pointe) when she returned from her second leave of absence in 2011. And before her first leave, I think that was Children of the paradise in 2008. Have a look on her bio, it's impressive if you compare with some other Etoiles. She was cast as an Etoile in any case...

I don't know what you are refering to cinnamonswirl. Anyway, Eleonora Abbagnato is a wonderful artist. She has been rumoured to be promoted numerous times and it didn't happen. She took some time of the company. It proved to be a good idea... Congratulations to her...

Really? I always thought it was the opposite and POB always tries to link, at least intellectually, the ballets in mixed bills. I remember quite a few times it was obvious it wasn't and huge complaints came from the audience... I have in mind a Balanchine/Noureev/ Forysthe bill or last year Robbins/Ek... Anyway, Psyche has little to do with Dances at a gathering I think.

It entered POB repertoire in 1996. It seems it's the only season it was danced...

the new season is online http://www.operadepa...3_2014/Ballets/ Farewells announced : Agnès Letestu October 10, 2013 Lady of the camellias Isabelle Ciaravola, March 5, 2014 Onegin Nicolas Le Riche, July 9, 2014 during a Gala evening.

October 10, 2013 is announced as Agnes farewell in The Lady of the camellias as previously mentioned

Casting is always late with POB but usually farewell performance is known early. One can also suppose Agnès Letestu will Premiere the ballet especially since she said she will dance with Stéphane Bullion. Her next appearances this season should be in Neumeier's Third symphony of Gustav Mahler and Lacotte's La Sylphide in Paris and she will go on tour in Japan to dance in the Children of Paradise in May. She will also dance Nikiya in an excerpt of Bayadère with Stéphane Bullion to end the Tribute to Nureyev at the beginning of next month.

Manon should be the season after (2014-2015), farewells this season are Agnès Letestu, Isabelle Ciaravola (Onegin) and Nicolas Le Riche (Notre-Dame de Paris)

Agnès said in an interview she will retire at the beginning of next season in The Lady of the Camellias. We are expecting the schedule of the season by the end of February so we will know more soon...

End of speculations : it will be Benjamin Millepied. he discussed how it happened in the New York TImes

yes but he's rarely first cast... To add to the list, he was filmed in La Source las year as lead and I heard the DVD will be released.

Paquette is on nearly ALL the DVD the past ten years!!! Ivan the terrible, Paquita, Swan Lake, The lady of the camellias, Degas little dancer... He doesn't really show only on contemporary works... Bullion was due to be on the film with Gilbert, I guess because Paquette was second cast, he had priority.... Besides, Ganio hasn't been really convincing so far on this run but perhaps his late coming on the role shows only lack of rehearsals

the hierarchy is certainly important and it has always been the policy to have Etoiles and Premiers danseurs in the event of injury to replace them, even if the company has always favored to replace Etoiles by Etoiles which often leads to this high number of shows among the favorite ones. I have the feeling- but I don’t know for sure- that there are very little understudies among the lower ranks. Until now, Etoiles and Premiers danseurs were filling the gaps even if it looks at time quite acrobatic replacements, but I think now, very reliable Etoiles and Premiers dancers are getting older and don’t want or just can’t dance very demanding roles, so among the youngest, if one or two in this case (Bullion and Magnenet) of the solid ones are injured, it’s a huge problem. I believe now Etoiles are more named around 30s with few exceptions like Ganio, Gilbert or Heymann. The POB repertoire favors more mature dancers

Honestly, I don't know. But why this run of Don Quichotte started with 12 shows for Paquette? This is ridiculous. During the last classics, it has been seen that due to different injuries during the run, dancers like Bullion, Paquette and Martinez danced a lot of shows, but at a last minute replacements (even if it tends to become more and more frequent and less and less last minute). But starting 26 shows of Don Quichotte with only two etoiles and three Premiers danseurs (with one Thibault really fragile) is a lack of foresight, especially after what happened last season with Cinderella and Bayadère. So of course, Paquette is convenient... It is convenient from an administrative point of view, but is it from an artistic point of view?

All of which speaks to Madame Lefevre's apparent lack of a conscience . . . Well Paquette is not such a slave that he couldn't refuse... the direction would have been long faced to its lack of organisation if he was just doing his normal share...