Fosca

“I’ve actually hit dancers,” said Antony Tudor, a prominent choreographer and instructor at American Ballet Theatre in the 1940s. “I’ve bitten little fingers that stuck out too much. I’ve slapped wrists. I’ve threatened to throw people out of the window. People don’t usually learn unless there’s a little pain involved” Source: https://www.bu.edu/deerfield/2023/04/26/ohara1/ Marco Goecke never hit, injured or threatened a dancer. Dancers love to work with him, the work is actually very funny. I can't repeat if often enough. You all know how Jerome Robbins could be with dancers, yet we love his work.

Just for the record: Béjart's tenure at La Monnaie in Brussels was 27 years, before Mortier decided his work was crap. Mark Morris lasted three troubled years there, with the famous headline in the newspaper "Le Soir": "Mark Morris go home". Different tastes on different continents. Meliss, I checked in all ten Béjart books and brochures I own - there is no information about the meeting with Bujones or about working with Godunov, I'm sorry. Some date from before 1987, in others he speaks about philosophers, authors, composers and other influences to his work, or about the dancers he chose for his companies like Jorge Donn.

How different the taste was, the Russians of 1987 seemed to be mad about him - already hungry for choreography from Europe/the West, as they were after the Soviet regime fell. As Grigorovitch, he loved strong, masculine dancers, maybe that's a reason why Vasiliev, Godunov, Ruzimatov wanted to dance his works, while ballet was still woman in the US.

Béjart did work ten days in St. Petersburg with his company, during the White Nights in 1987. Vinogradov had invited the company, Kirov and Bolshoi stars like Maximova, Vasiliev, Asylmuratova, Ruzimatov, Tchenchikova or Neff danced Béjart works like excerpts from Héliogabale, Notre Faust or Roméo et Juliette. There is even an official Russian documentary about the visit, search for "Grand Pas in the White Night" - and watch the end, where both companies, the Kirov and the Ballet du XXe Siècle, cheer and laugh for Jorge Donn, Farukh Ruzimatov, Vadim Gulyayev and Michel Gascard, a very touching document of dancers breaking the Iron Curtain.

If you check Béjart's work list, the premieres were on the same day. Well it HAD happened, and with Bujones. In 1987, please watch the video I posted, Bujones is in it. So how could he have lunch with Béjart in 1995 and wonder about the piece?

Béjart made a ballet "Trois Études pour Alexandre" for his Ballet du XXe Siècle in 1987, which was inspired by Alexander the Great , with Bujones, Serge Campardon, Eiji Mihara as soloists. Check this out, it's all in French, I'm sorry: http://www.laits.utexas.edu/avis_des_artistes/parttwo/01.php He also made two ballets for Alexander Godunov: "Le Minotaure" with Ekaterina Maximova, Alexandre Godounov, Maris-Roudolphe Liepa, Bolshoi 1978 "Six Personnages en Quête d'Auteur", with Ekaterina Maximova, Maris-Roudolphe Liepa, Alexandre Godounov, Bolshoi 1978 You'll find a list of his oeuvre here: https://www.mauricebejart.be/oeuvres-de-maurice-bejart/

Thank you very much. I was looking for the announcement of the Onegin casts in 2005 which was changed until the performances, as announcements often do. I remember how glad I was that Cope finally should get the role, and then he dropped out because of an injury.

I'm not sure but wasn't Cope cast in the role and then broke his leg? I can't find the casting for the Royal Ballet's Onegin in 2005 though...

He was even invited back to Stuttgart for Reid Anderson's farewell gala in 2018, where he danced the pdd from "Taming of the Shrew". Anderson discovered him and made him a star.

Ask all the other German dance critics, they still love his work. Dancers love his work, especially the working process. As you don't read German, I suppose, you have no idea how cruel and hurting Mrs Hüster can be in her reviews. Which is absolutely no excuse for what he did, of course not, I'm just trying to explain why certain ballet directors still show his pieces: they are fascinating.

Marcelo Gomes danced Romeo in David Dawsons's version at Dresden recently, he is still dancing at galas in Europe, f.e. at the last Prix de Lausanne. Dresden has found a new AD, the Swiss-Canadian choreographer Kinsun Chan is starting with season 2024/25. I don't know if Gomes will stay at Dresden.

this is the complete recording from 2014 from Austria, available on CD and different streaming editions via a German music store https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/johann-strauss-ii-aschenbroedel/hnum/7089669?lang=en https://www.amazon.de/Aschenbrödel-Ballettmusik-Orf-Radio-Symphonieorchester-Wien/dp/B07FTNNKFV/ on Amazon Germany, the Bonynge recording is also still available on CD https://www.amazon.de/Aschenbroedel-Ritter-Pasman-Richard-Bonynge/dp/B000068QRU/

Daniel Barenboim once directed a Swan Lake premiere at Berlin, Kent Nagano directed ballet in Munich when he was Music Director at the National Theatre, Simone Young directed John Neumeier's "Purgatorio" with Mahler music, when she was Music Director at Hamburg. Some famous conductors take an interest in ballet music, but it's rare. Gergiev often directed ballet, also abroad.

If you compare what the libretti of Nutcracker and Coppélia did to ETA Hoffmann's dark and sinister, psychologically sophisticated stories to what Cranko did to Pushkin, you will know that Cranko is the one who cared much more for literature.

How else would you learn about the small, but important differences in style, tradition, interpretation of the classics?! Only by comparing.