Birdsall

I forgot to mention that "Ballerina" was so inspiring that Mr. PT surprised us with his pirouette attitude jete combination afterward. Quite a treat.

I enjoyed that documentary also, and I love Lopatkina! I have watched her in Swan Lake, Raymonda, Bayadere, and Corsaire, and I feel she not only dances superbly, but she also acts very well! Amazing dancer! No wonder the Russians think she is a goddess!

Have you seen this dvd? Perhaps netflix will have it.

There is also more about the ballet on this site:

Website for MacMillan

"He had chosen Antoinette Sibley as Manon and Anthony Dowell as Des Grieux, giving them both a copy of Prévost’s novel to read in preparation for their roles. He had completed three of their key pas de deux when Sibley was injured, out of action for several months. MacMillan finished the ballet with Jennifer Penney as Manon."

Royal Ballet with Jennifer Penney and Anthony Dowell

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU3iKCexmR8

Thanks for the clip! I actually have that version in my Netflix queue about to come as soon as I get the dvds in the mail that I currently have from them. Since that is the original cast I want to see that. I think I chose the Australian Ballet version first b/c it was newer, and I thought the picture quality would be better, and I didn't think I would like the ballet as much as I did, so I originally thought any version would be okay for a first time viewing. Well, I loved the Australian Ballet version, and this clip looks good, and I plan to see the full version of this original cast soon. I think there are only 3 dvds available of Manon. The two we've mentioned and the brand new Acosta/Rojo one. That has good reviews on Amazon, and it is not available on Netflix. So the only way to see the Acosta/Rojo one is to purchase it so far.

I love this ballet Manon!!! I rented the dvd from Netflix from the Australian Ballet, and I expected to find it just so-so, b/c I am so familiar with Puccini's opera Manon Lescaut and Massenet's opera Manon. I like both operas but they are both fairly low on my list of operas I want to see again anytime soon. Even a star soprano would probably not entice me to go see it again. So I thought, "Maybe I should see the ballet, but I probably won't like it any better than the operas." Was I wrong! I loved the Manon ballet. It was such a fascinating mix of modern choreography (a drunk scene for Lescaut and a scene in which Manon is passed from man to man) yet based on classical ("beautiful") movement. I was really surprised I liked it so much. It is so modern-seeming while still pretty traditional. Maybe some people don't like that aspect, but I did.

I want to see the new Manon with Acosta and Rojo. I wonder if that is as good as the Australian Ballet version.

Did you end up buying Ondine? I recently purchased it from Amazon and enjoyed it very much. I tend to prefer 19th century ballet, but this was charming and beautiful too. There were modern touches to the choreography but still based on traditional movement, I think (as opposed to expressionistic style). I liked it a lot, although it is a fairly calm piece (no 32 fouettes or anything that makes your jaw drop), yet the dancing is beautiful. I am fairly new to ballet (seen many over the years but never really became obsessed until recently), so I don't know if my comments are helpful, but I think this is a ballet worth seeing. I plan to watch it many times over the years even if I reach for Raymonda or Sleeping Beauty more often! LOL

I watched the Bolshoi's version of Jardin Anime on YouTube, and it is wonderful!!! It is so much better and so much more exciting than the Mariinsky's shorter version of that scene. I hope the upcoming Bolshoi Corsaire that will be transmitted into movie theaters will have this version of the Jardin Anime, and let's hope it gets a dvd release too!!! So beautiful!!!

I think I posted this link on another thread about "Raymonda," but it's worth a read. It's called "The Petipa Code," and it has an exhaustive background -- geneology of the real characters included. Wikipedia has a very complete structure of the ballet -- I guess it's complete, I really don't know. Doug is the expert here.

Thanks! I think I found that a while back before I ever joined, b/c when you google Raymonda and info on it, your posting came up, so even before I joined Ballet Alert! I saw your posting and I printed all that out, b/c it is so long! I have it in a file but haven't read it all yet! Thanks for directing us to that info!

... I fell off the wagon when I got a puppy almost 3 years ago.

What does that mean? You did the same thing? LOL

Back to the R&J aside, since Royal Ballet will be doing the Macmillan version, I found the mis-filed Ulanova/Zhadanov DVD of the Lavrovsky, and I must not have seen it before, because I didn't realize it was a film, with interior and exterior sets. There are several things I love about this: the crowd scenes are rarely static, with the camera able to cut to details, there are so many more opportunities to include the crowd, the sense of space is so much bigger, and Ulanova dances with such freedom. For example, everyone from the wedding rushes to Juliet's bedroom, after she is found "dead". I'm not sure how much choreography was changed to accommodate the film.

Like with the other Lavrovsky (or Lavrovsky-Grigorovich versions, I found one of the best scenes the one with Paris, after her parents force the engagement. (In the Lavrovsky, the parents exit to leave them alone, so it wasn't a change by Grigorovich. In the Ulanova version, the camera doesn't linger on their exit.) Ulanova is like a ghost in that scene, and it's a great contrast to the sunlight and blue skies seen through the window.

I loved the clips you posted! I just saw the Cranko version by Miami City Ballet of R&J, and I enjoyed it a lot. I think I like the Cranko version better than the MacMillan (have the dvd with Acosta). I will have to watch them again to figure out why.

That sounds like a good thing to do! I didn't mean to be nosey or pry into your personal decisions. I was prompted to wonder about it in general b/c of what Helene said, so I meant in general why people choose the university direction as opposed to the traditional route that Helene mentioned. But your route sounds interesting. I also knew a woman who eventually used her dance training at a university to become an owner of a Pilates studio. She was really good at anatomy and body movement, so she enjoyed teaching Pilates and opening up a Pilates studio. So that is something that would be another direction too that dancers can go into. I used to do Pilates at least 3 times a week and yoga 2-3 times a week, but I fell off the wagon when I got a puppy almost 3 years ago. I wanted time to spend with the dog and after work I just felt guilty running off to yoga class, etc. I miss doing yoga and Pilates regularly! I still work out and do cardio, but I want to get back into more fulfilling exercise.

The great Violette Verdy is on the ballet faculty of Indiana University:

http://www.indiana.edu/~alldrp/members/verdy.html

Ballet and opera are usually the opposite in terms of career trajectory. Ballet training is so specialized, that it usually begins as a preteen, and by college age, some dancers are in their final year of a pre-professional dance program, while most are apprentices or members of a corps. It is rare for a college student to dance professionally in a mid-size or major company; by 22, graduation age, many ballet dancers have already finished their career in the corps. In opera, college and even graduate school students are learning the technique, languages, acting, stagecraft, music theory, sight reading, etc. skills that will support a future career as they wait for their voices to strengthen and mature.

That doesn't mean there aren't wonderful dancers in college programs, but it's not the standard career path.

Why do people go to dance school at universities then? I mean this as honesty curiosity, b/c I did not know what you wrote and find it fascinating. It makes sense from the documentaries I watched (Etoiles and Ballerina). I just wonder what a dance program at a university does then. What do the students do when they finish their program?

I am new too! Welcome! I know that Indiana University has a great opera program, but I am new to the world of ballet, but I imagine they have a good ballet program too!

It looks like both Sleeping Beauty and R&J from the Royal go to Lauren Cuthbertson and Sergei Polunin.

Not even they could make me sit through the McMillan "Romeo and Juliet", but I look forward to seeing their "Sleeping Beauty".

I'm hoping for an Alexandrova "Le Corsaire", with Andrei Merkuriev as Birbanto.

I am curious about your opinion about the McMillan Romeo and Juliet. I have seen the Cranko version and McMillan versions, and even though I saw differences I did not know enough about the choreography to know all the differences except for the really obvious ones. Why is the McMillan version awful, in your opinion? What other versions are there?

Let me know if you have any questions about our offerings. I work for Emerging Cinemas and am focussed on the "Ballet in Cinema" productions.

Best,

Joseph

Joseph, can movie theaters request to become a site that shows these movies? I noticed that we can request from Emerging Pictures and the more that request then something will be done, but can it be done the other way around also? Can we ask our local movie theater to contact Emerging Pictures and start showing them?

Thank you for posting!

Two other highlights for me: "Bright Stream" and "Le Corsaire", and, if from the home theater, not the truncated version we saw in DC, which still had the magnificent "Jardin Anime".

I wonder if they'll start to release these on DVD. I know the Royal Ballet has Opus Arte, but I'm much more interested in what the Bolshoi is offering.

Yes, I hope these will be released on dvd eventually. It seems like once they have it transmitted live they record these because they make them available as "encores" at some movie theaters to play later. So it would be a shame not to simply release them as dvds also.

Bart

I just found the upcoming schedule online for Ballet in Cinema. I only list the "live" events. You have to go to the Ballet in Cinema website and put in your city or zip code to find a movie theater near you that carries these live transmissions. Many of you probably already know this, but in case anyone doesn't, I am posting. I am so excited that it will be possible to see the Bolshoi's Esmeralda and Raymonda at the movies!

Live: Oct. 9, 2011 Esmeralda (Bolshoi)

Live: Nov. 20, 2011 Sleeping Beauty (Bolshoi)

Live: Dec. 15, 2011 Sleeping Beauty (Royal Ballet)

Live: March 11, 2012 Le Corsaire (Bolshoi)

Live: March 22, 2012 Romeo and Juliet (Royal Ballet)

Live: April 29, 2012 The Bright Stream (Bolshoi)

Live: May 16, 2012 La Fille Mal Gardee (Royal Ballet)

Live: June 24, 2012 Raymonda (Bolshoi)

Both Bessmertnova and Kolpakova are past their prime, but they're both competing against their younger selves, and you can't buy that kind of expression. I also love, love, love the Mariinsky version.

I think it's always good to own as many version of a favorite ballet as possible. I managed, through a post of naomikoge's, to purchase the New National Ballet of Tokyo in the ballet on the Japanese amazon site. The guests are Svetlana Zakharova as Raymonda and Denis Matvienko as Jean de Brienne. Asami Maki is the choreographer.

I love this DVD for the costumes alone, and the woman who portrays the Queen is stunning.

Great tip! I will look for it!

When you watch the more traditional and more acrobatic Sleeping Beauty it is a little hard to be totally satisfied with the reconstruction. Is that just me?

It takes a while to adjust. The pacing and architecture are different. Often the ratio of mime and theater, like processionals, is much greater in relationship to dance sections, and the characterizations can change. Some of the "wow" choreography goes and is replaced with choreography that has a different feel.

Helene, thanks for your in depth explanation. It helped me a lot. It makes sense that there are definite positives to the reconstructions. I liked what you said about how characters become archetypes in the more "famous" and traditional stagings instead of more fully fleshed characters (in the reconstructions of originals due to longer mime sequences). That makes sense, so I am sure as I watch more and more ballet, I will probably want to see more reconstructions as my taste is slowly refined as the years go by. I think newbies to ballet like me are wanting the "wow" factor where everything is an excuse to dance. But I am sure I will grow to love the reconstructions also.

I have heard about PNB's reconstruction of Giselle, and by your description, it sounds wonderful. I hope they are able to put it out on dvd to save it for history and get a bigger audience for this version. I think a "feisty" Giselle sounds like a great idea (makes more sense for her to be able to fight off the other Willis and save Albrecht), and from your description the way they have matched the original steps with the music better than what we normally see makes it sound like it is worth seeing to compare and contrast. I imagine these "new" old versions help people who have seen hundreds of Giselles and want to view it from a new (old) perspective.

Does anyone know whether the Mariinsky's new Little Humpbacked Horse will be videotaped and released as a dvd? I have read rave reviews of it, and I wish I could see it.

Well...the reconstructions are aimed to go back to what was notated in the S.C, and I think so far it's been a lot about restoring cuts, as in Bayadere-(the full last act), Beauty, Coppelia, Corsaire, and even full length ballets-(Pharaoh's Daughter or Awakening of Flora), or with the less orthodox Lacotte's revivals-(which I love)-like Paquita, Ondine and Taglioni's Sylphide. On the other side,going back to the original could also mean cutting, like the most of the pointe work that Lilac acquired throughout the years-(poor Lilac...back to her helmet... )

Is it wrong to like the more traditional "wow" Sleeping Beauty than the reconstruction by the Kirov (watched it on YouTube)? I think it is great to view the reconstructed Sleeping Beauty to see what the "original" was like, but little things like the fish dives were missing, if I remember correctly. When you watch the more traditional and more acrobatic Sleeping Beauty it is a little hard to be totally satisfied with the reconstruction. Is that just me?

The Danse Orientale is not included in the Stepanov notation of Raymonda. My current thought is that it was cut, either by the time of the premiere or shortly after. Also in Act 1 scene 2, the third variation in the dream scene was replaced by a variation taken from Glazunov's Scenes de ballet (the violin solo variation for Raymonda).

On Wikipedia (I know that Wikipedia is not the most reliable source) there is a listing of the structure (dances) in Raymonda, and it does say the Danse orientale de Raymonda was cut before the original performances. The Bolshoi keeps it in, but I think it is done almost like a pdd for Raymonda and Abderakham. I don't know if the ballet world is like the opera world though. I am just learning the ballet world. Most major opera houses now attempt to put in everything they can (full length Boris Godunov including scenes that were cut for the premiere......full 5 act Don Carlos nowadays instead of the traditional 4 acts....they used to always cut the first act where Elisabetta and Carlos meet). So in the opera world there is a tendency to include everything possible....a current trend. It may not stay that way. This is fluid. I am just wondering if the tendency in ballets is to keep traditional cuts or open them back up. I know that all this cutting and alternative dances and different choreography over the years probably created so many versions that it is practically impossible to have a truly complete performance of many classical ballets. Opening up all the cuts and including alternative variations might make each ballet 5 hours long! LOL

I am glad to hear everyone's comments, b/c I was hesitant to buy Bessmertnova's Raymonda (Amazon has the dvd) b/c one of the reviews on Amazon says she is past her prime. But I trust what you guys say more than somebody on Amazon!

Now I want to buy the Kolpakova and the Bessmertnova Raymondas.

Thanks, Helene! I agree! I think Russia would be the best place to see Raymonda. However, there is a grandiosity about Nureyev's Paris Raymonda judging from the clips on YouTube and also the documentary on his Raymonda (yes, I actually do have that and watched it). So even if Nureyev's Raymonda is not as authentic, it probably is fun to see anyway. Supposedly, he includes 7 variations for Raymonda. The documentary shows dancers saying how he would tease them, "You have 7 variations!!!" in a joking but almost sadistic way! LOL So I hope the dvd of the Paris Raymonda comes out eventually, so I can count and see how he comes up with 7 variations. I think it is only possible if the Danse orientale is kept in and Raymonda's entrance is counted as a variation.

Yes, I love the entire final act. This is quite beautiful. I could watch Raymonda everyday. I don't know why I like it better than most ballets. I love Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Sleeping Beauty, etc. but for some reason I love Raymonda. I wish it were performed more often in the US!!! It looks like I will one day have to fly to Russia or Paris to see the full length ballet!

Here, Bridsall...a clip that I watch very often with the divina Miss Kolpakova as Raymonda and Vladilem Semenof as de Brienne. They really look like beautiful porcelain figurines...

Beautiful!!!! I am glad you alerted me to that video, Cubanmiamiboy! So beautiful!

I have heard the Paris Opera Ballet's Raymonda was videotaped in 2008 and shown on french television, and it is supposed to be released on dvd, but there is some sort of hold up. Do you know why there is such a long wait for this video? Judging from YouTube excerpts it is a truly lavish production. No expenses spared with the sets and costumes!