Terry

Since we are talking about the repertoires for the Scandenavian companies, I'd like to ask if anyone can tell us about the classical levels of these companies. I know that they don't often tour the West, so I really don't have any clue about these companies, although I would be thrilled to see them. Which one has the longer history? The Royal Swedish Ballet? Are there major differences in the technical abilities between Norwegian National Ballet and the Finnish National Ballet for example? Which companies are geared towards more contemporary works? How are their principal dancers? I'm throwing all these questions, but anything is welcome! Thank you in advance!

Here is the program for this year's gala:

Lots of wonderful dancers (notably Legris and Guerin!!), and some gorgeous pieces (I personally love "La Dame") -- it's a shame we don't get to see them more frequently here. And if anyone did see it, please comment.

-------------------

Nijinsky-Gala XXVIII

ConductorÊ Klofpeter Seibel

Philharmonic State Orchestra

HostÊ John Neumeier

Sanday, June 30, 2002, Hamburg State Opera, 6 P.M.

Part I

1st and 2nd movement of

Spring and Fall

Music ÊAnton’n Dvor? - Serenade, op. 22

Choreography and costumesÊ John Neumeier

Alexandre Riabko, Elizabeth Loscavio, Peter Dingle, Guido Warsany

Pression

Music ÊHelmut Lachenmann, Franz Schubert

ChoreographyÊ Mauro Bigonzetti

Costumes ÊKristopher Millar, Lois Swandale

Light ÊCarlo Cerri

Macha Daudel, Sveva Berti, Adrien Boissonnet, Thibaud Cherradi

Aterballetto, Reggio Emilia

Excerpt of

Winterreise

Music ÊHans Zender - A Composed Interpretation of Franz Schubert's Winterreise for Tenor and Orchestra

Choreography and stagingÊ John Neumeier

Sets and costumesÊ Yannis Kokkos

Tenor ÊChristoph Genz

Niurka Moredo, Yukichi Hattori, Alexandre Riabko, Galien Johnston

Excerpt of the 1st act of

Illusions - like "Swan Lake"

Music ÊPeter I. Tchaikovsky

Choreography and stagingÊ John Neumeier

Sets and costumesÊ JŸrgen Rose

Jo‘lle Boulogne, Otto Buben’cek, Carsten Jung

Pas de deux of

Ma Pavlova

Music ÊJules Massent - Meditation from "Thais"

ChoreographyÊ Roland Petit

Costumes ÊLuisa Spinatelli

Eleonora Abbagnato, Manuel Legris - Ballet de l'OpŽra National de Paris

Excerpts of the 3rd act of

The Lady of the Camellias

Music ÊFrŽdŽric Chopin

Choreography and stagingÊ John Neumeier

Sets and costumesÊ JŸrgen Rose

Piano Volker Banfield

Marguerite Gautier ÊIsabelle GuŽrin - Ballet de l'OpŽra National de Paris

Armand Duval ÊLloyd Riggins, Olympia ÊAdŽla Pollertov, Count N. ÊGuido Warsany

and The Hamburg Ballet

An der schšnen blauen Donau

Music ÊJohann Strauss

Choreography, sets and costumesÊ John Neumeier

Heather Jurgensen, Carsten Jung and The School of The Hamburg Ballet

Part II

Sounds of Empty Pages

Music ÊAlfred Schnittke - Concerto for Viola and Orchestra

Choreography, sets and costumesÊ John Neumeier

Adrian Fadeev, Daria Pavlenko - Ballet of the Mariinsky Theater

Silvia Azzoni, Carsten Jung, SŽbastien Thill and The Hamburg Ballet

Part III

In the Night

Music ÊFrŽdŽric Chopin

ChoreographyÊ Jerome Robbins

Costumes ÊAnthony Dowell

LumiresÊ Jennifer Tipton

Am KlavierÊ Maria Babanina

Lisa-Maree Cullum, Roman Lazik, Kusha Alexi, Oliver Wehe, Maria Eichwald, Kirill Melnikov

Bayerisches Staatsballett

Night

Music ÊGustav Mahler - Third Symphony, 4th movement

ChoreographyÊ John Neumeier

Alto ÊN.N.

Laura Cazzaniga, Otto Buben’cek, Peter Dingle

Pas de deux of

A Cinderella Story

Music ÊSergej Prokofiev

Choreography and stagingÊ John Neumeier

Sets and costumesÊ JŸrgen Rose

LightÊ Max Keller

Eleonora Abbagnato, Manuel Legris - Ballet de l'OpŽra National de Paris

Excerpt of

Peer Gynt

Music ÊAlfred Schnittke

Choreography and stagingÊ John Neumeier

Sets and costumesÊ JŸrgen Rose

Anna Polikarpova, Ivan Urban,

The Hamburg Ballet and The School of The Hamburg Ballet

Paquita,

Thank you so much for the wonderful report!

I'm wondering if there is any way you (or anyone who has the information and the time) can provide us with some names of the previous participants of the competition. The winners of the previous competitions have been up on the NBoC website, but not the list of previous representitives of the companies. Thank you!!!

You've said it, Katherine. Vishneva KNOWS that there is an audience out there. I have to agree with what Marc has said about Vishneva's actual quality of dancing, but she just knows how to glue the audience's eyes to her face, her body, her everything, regardless of whether you like or don't like her dancing. That's her talent. I think her best variation was the Act I varition -- how she uses those casternettes (sp?) in order to accentuate the orchestral music !! She had the music under her control!! And I just loved the way she used her eyes as a tool of expression!

Of course, we saw the differences in the french and russian schools. Vishneva is not an archetype of the Vaganova style, I don't think -- she doesn't have the lyricism of Assylmuratova or Makarova -- but the power and energy she adds to the role makes her so much more expressive and interesting than the french etoiles. I don't blame her for not being able to assimilate into the french style, how could she? with the time she had to prepare herself, and if she had, that would have meant a sacrifice on her part.

Martinez is a technically competent dancer, with brilliant balances but I just found him lacking the depth in his interpretation for Basil. Perhaps I shouldn't compare him to Legris. Technically speaking, there's a certain speed and crispiness that Legris adds in executing his pas, while also connecting the movements with finesse. Legris has the line because he "reaches" -- that is, he tries to conquer the space and make himself appear bigger. Martinez doesn't have to do that because he's already so tall (1m90 I believe)...but anyway, what I wanted to say was that I just prefer Le Legris.

Like you, Katherine, I cannot quit this forum without noting the REMARKABLE qualities of Myriam Ould Braham, who IMO, has the brightest future ahead of her, more than her colleagues in POB, and even those around the world!! Forget Cojocaru!! J/K. Although I think Cojocaru is a lovely dancer as well. La Ould-Braham is THE CLASSICAL dancer, or perhaps, the ROMANTIC ballerina. Her impeccable classical qualities are just so refined and sumptous, and she just knows how to connect her pas so lyrically. Her arms and feet are polished to the point that they look porcelain!! And I can't believe I missed her cupidon/amour!! And regardless of the fact that POB has so many talented dancers in their corps, honestly speaking, my eyes did not leave Ould-Braham for even a second during the second act...if only I could see her in La Sylphide, The Festival of Genzano, Pas de Quatre, Giselle, etc...I'm sure we won't have to wait long.

Hi Jeannie.

I've heard that the lovely Clara Blanco will be representing the San Francisco Ballet along with the powerful Gonzalo Garcia (who will be principal from next season). I'm sure the Spanish pair will have a lot of positive energy to offer in their "Paquita."

I tried looking on the RDB wesbite, but next season's schedule is not up yet. Does anyone have some information about this?

I've also read somewhere that RDB was going to build a new theatre, which makes me wonder: what will happen to the old one? Thanks very much in advance.

I too was surprised to hear about the promotion, but it sounds a little bit like a Billy Elliot success story for Laetitia!! It is true that she hadn't been cast as much as Marie-Agnès, and I do hope Marie-Agnès is not discouraged by this, in any case, I wish both of them the best of luck. I still remember Laetitia in her Raymonda variation from Prix de Lausanne and the sparkling variation she performed from "Etudes" at Varna; and that was quite a long time ago! I hope she matures into a "true" étoile in the next 15 years.

There's a great website on the Bubenick twins, both principal dancers at the Hamburg Ballet. Jiri Bubenick just received the Prix Benois de la Danse.

http://www.bubenicek.net/

Information about their new season can be found on their website. Next season looks like a lot of touring: to Opera Garnier, Paris in January, an Asian Tour in Feb/March, as well as performances at the Mariinsky Theater in July. Natalia Makarova will also be helping with her production of La Bayadere.

Thank you Mel!!

Just out of curiousity, and since I'm also interested in learning more about American companies: can anyone give me a list of companies that are well known throughout the US besides the ones that are listed on the American Ballet Companies board? And how are their levels in comparison with one another? Do we include the Tulsa Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Pennsylvania Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Colorado Ballet? What else? I haven't seen any of them, so I would appreciate it if anyone can tell me about some of them. Thanks in advance!!

Katherine: I think we are talking about the same girl -- she was the tiny little girl (probably the tiniest in the whole corps) who hopped onto the stage from the left wing at the final section of Western.

Alexandra: Just from my own assumption (since I saw the "Spectacle de l'ecole" for the first time), I think this year's boys were not as strong as 2 years ago. I've seen a video of the graduates of 2000, which presented a couple of students at the time of their graduation, including Dorothée Gilbert, Aurore Cordellier, Ninon Raux, Adrien Bodet, Sébastien Bertaud, amongst others. Technically, the boys showed more refinement and strength, and they looked ready to enter the professional world, where as this year's boys seemed to require further school training. Still, I think it's natural that the standards change slightly from year to year.

Speaking of recent graduates, I wonder if anyone has seen the filmed version of last year's school performance : Coppelia, as it featured Mathieu Ganio, the son of Dominique Kalfouni and (forgot first name!!) Ganio . I saw him listed as a quadrille in the program, and rumors having been telling me that he's quite talented. Katherine or Estelle, if you have seen him, I'd appreciate some comments!!

I do agree with the point that Mme Claude Bessy really deserves much appraisal for the work she's achieved for the school. The level of the school is simply outstanding. I had the opportunity to see the Vaganova performance last year, and despite the differences in their methods, the level of the recent POB students looked remarkably higher. I wonder if it had just been a so-so year for Vaganova, because I do recall Vishneva's year (when they came to Japan), which included Doumchenko, Volchkova, and Gumerova, and wow!!!that was quite a year!! But going back to the POB school, perhaps the only problem I've been seeing is the lack of originality and personality amongst the recent dancers of POB. I don't know if this is something that the school "cultivates," and as Alexandra points out, perhaps this is the job of the ballet masters; but a few years ago, I think each of POB's etoiles carried a unique identity, including Pietragalla, Guerin, Loudières, and Platel. Dupont and Letestu can be called fine technicians, but to me, their dancing is rather banal and looks homogenous. Perhaps Gillot might bring a change, but I haven't seen much of her...

I too saw the school's "Spectacle" and was delighted to see the young students of the POB. I found Mathilde Froustey's theatrical abilities fantastic, but the quality of her dancing needs polish. (Still, she is only 17, so I need to give her a break!) Froustey resembles an doll -- her porcelain body and her adorbale face are so perfectly proportioned-- physically, she is unbelievably beautiful. I would have liked to see Claude Bessy dance Widow Simone instead of Carole Arbo; Arbo doesn't have the 'character dance' experience for this role, she is too young, and her acting looked superficial. Other students did not impress me much, which is odd, because I was much more impressed when I saw them in class during the school demonstration, even Mathilde herself. I think there's often a disparity between the classroom and the stage, which can be disappointing at times. However, a few girls in the corps for Western Symphony stood out, including Aubane Philbert, who I believe is only 13. I look forward to seeing Mathilde after her entrance to POB!

* Just a note Katherine, c'est Aubane Philbert et non, Philibert. Merci.

Has anyone seen her dance? I've heard from some people that she's one of the rising dancers at the RDB. She must be very young.

Elizabeth has been doing fairly well in general, I think. She's tackled pretty much a lot of the roles that require strong technique; in fact, she will be dancing the principal role (Princess Natalia) in the DVD: "Illusions -- like Swan Lake" which will be out very soon. (check their website for more information.) She's also been dancing Neumeier's new version of "Giselle," a production which I haven't heard too many great things about. Last time I saw her live, she danced Princess Natalia in "Illusions -- like Swan Lake," and she didn't do very much for me, quite frankly. I don't think the classics suit her very much. But I saw her again, as Prudence Duvernoy in "La Dame aux Camelias," and I think she captured the role better this time. Elizabeth seems to be a versatile dancer, which seems to be the type of dancers that the SFB nurtures.

Does anyone have the list for the new season?

I believe they've been announced...

Thanks very much in advance.

For those of you interested in knowing all the participants of this year's Jackson IBC, I believe that they are up at their site: www.usaibc.com

I just wanted to post a thread on the HAMBURG BALLET, headed by John Neumeier because it is a leading neo-classical company in Germany. They will be performing NIJINSKY, last year's world premiere by Neumeier at the Opera Garnier in Paris during January, 2003. Here is a link to their website: www.hamburgballett.de

Also, for more information about their season in Paris, go to the Paris Opera Webiste: www.opera-de-paris.fr

It's just an awful, awful production. First,I found the sets to be completely unsuited to the whole comedian aspect of the story. Most disturbingly, I didn't understand what Wilfred Romoli's role had anything to do with the original story of Coppelia. And where are the marriage pas de deux and festivities at the end?! Maurin doesn't capture the light and freshness of Swanilda and her technique was disappointingly unstable; moreover, her partnership with Delanoe lacked any real chemistry as lovers. As for Delanoe (Frantz), I could not distinguish his dancing from any of his "friends," still, amongst them, Mallory Gaudion and Emmanuel Thibault were technically remarkable. Two of Swanilda's friends caught my attention: I must mention the tender and exquisite Myriam-Ould Braham, who in my opinion, should have performed Swanilda instead of Maurin. Dorothée Gilbert possessed a charming character as well, but I found Braham to be more natural and at ease.

I've only seen the Nureyev version with the Paris Opera Ballet, and although I can't really speak about the production itself because I haven't been able to compare them to others, I just love the music in Raymonda. The music for Raymonda's "Tableau de Reve" variation and the grand adagio (extremely long one) that comes (was it before or after?)...it's one of those ballet musics that just makes you feel as if you're watching the ballet in heaven. I think the problem with Nureyev, or the way I see it, is that sometimes, his steps become so complicated at times that by the end, I'm not so sure what was the point of making it so complex!! Was it his priority to show a dancer's technical capability? Anyway, I find his works incredibly difficult.

For those of you in NY, this is a MUST see. The level of the POB students are amazing, Mme Bessy has been a super director. There is a REAL future etoile potential in the 6th division (class) this year, although I won't give her name as I know that that is not allowed here. I will also post my comments about the school's performance in April!!

Hello Alexandra -- I just sent you an email so I hope you will receive it.

As for the experience, well it was wonderful. First of all, I think it is rare that we have a "competition" within a classical company -- I dont know of any other national companies that do this. Although we see many dancers in the corps we never see them dance individually, so this is a great opportunity to see them have the opportunity do reveal their personal strengths, especially in a large company like this one with 120 dancers!! As I've already noted, it was WONDERFUL to see all the quadrilles and the corphyees, especially to see the standard of their dancing because really, the POB has such a high classical standard particularly amongst the men. On the other hand, I realized how the standard has become such a "homogenous" standard that no one truly "sticks out" as the "star." Perhaps this has been one of the main problems with the POB in the recent years. But what abundance of talented talented male dancers!! It is such a pity that many of them do not get the opportunity to perform principal roles because they do not get the chance to grow individually.

I agree with you Estelle - the sujet women were much more mature then the coryphee and the quadrilles and I believe that there is quite an age difference as well. Once again, I would like to note Dorothee Gilbert, who has so much talent and charm. When she dances, the stage lights up and she fills the stage with her bursting happiness. Myriam Ould Braham is VERY special too, I think it's really rare to find such a classical dancer like her in this generation of ballet, keeping in mind that she is only 19 ! What maturity!! I was never too fond of Emilie Cozette but I think that overall, she still did the best performance out of the coryphees. I wasn't left with much of an impression with the sujets women, but I agree with the criticism that Fanny Fiat should have at least been classified.

It was great to see the concours -- something that I would have never been able to see in the US. The POB standard of classical ballet is amazingly high; I can´t think of any other company which has this high of a caliber in the classics, particulary amongst the men. I couldn´t feel much of a difference in the standards between the quadrille men and coryphe men at all!! I also liked very much Dorothee Gilbert (18yo) in the quadrille division, who unfortunately could not make it to the corphyee division, having ended up in the 2nd place, but with her talent, I am sure she will make it next year. It was unfortunate not to have been able to see the sujet mens this year -- I think Emmanuel Thibault and Alessio Carbone both deserve to be premiers danseurs already. That´s about it for now. Did anyone else see the concours?

Hello Jeannie!!

Once again, your reports are invaluable.

Jeannie, out of all those participants, how many non-Chinese competitors are there, do you know? I am interested to hear more about the competition, and do you think you can provide a little comparison (in terms of the level of the participants) with the recent Moscow IBC? Many thanks.

Enjoy the competition!!

Estelle,

Do some POB dancers tend to concentrate or perform more frequently and specialize in contemporary roles because of the number of dancers, performances, and 2 different venues? I wonder how that part of the system works...

Thanks in advance.