leonid17

I saw most of the performances that Lynn Seymour gave in this ballet and today I broke my rule of trying never to watch films of performances I have seen in the theatre. Thank you for posting Simon G. You are quite right when you say, "...they don't make them like her anymore:" It is almost 34 years ago since I first saw this ballet and no one knew then, though some guessed, that the great era of Sir Frederick Ashton who had been near or at the helm of the company for so many years, would so quickly change for the worse.

Yolande Sonnabend was not responsible for the designs for "The Invitation", it was Nicholas Georgiadis. A background look at Sonnabend's designs for "Swan Lake" can be found at: http://www.rohedswanlake.org.uk/pgs/main/n...story.asp?id=30 I personally cannot see the ballet through the designs and have stopped watching the production.

I was directed to http://www.bachtrack.com/find-a-ballet by a post on a UK ballet website and thought this should be shared especially as its information is so broad.

A review of the film from The Times http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol...icle6938024.ece Do scroll down past the column to read the comment by Ian Payne.

Interesting review of the film by Ismene Brown http://www.theartsdesk.com/index.php?optio...r&Itemid=27

The problem was that it the BBC billed it as both a DRAMA and a BIOGRAPHY and the biographical content need not have been an invention when the real story is interesting enough. Film makers seem to think that viewers only need sensation to make them watch a film with biographical content. I doubt if that is true given both the age and interests of the target audience in this case. I think there is little evidence to suggest that young viewers in any great numbers would be attracted to such a film. Being prepared for the worst by the advanced publicity, it failed to be sensational and was in fact a dull drive through territory familiar from previous TV documentaries. What no film can capture is the frisson that both of the artists in question created individually and as a partnership in the theatre and in the case of Dame Margot and Rudolf Nureyev off stage as well. As an alternative/antidote See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26zYKpwBxjo or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4cRBQdnZJw...feature=related and Dame Margot aged 47 as Juliet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvOFMvwD-CU ADDED Ps following scenes of the first "Giselle" that they danced at the Royal Opera House, the film cuts to a nude scene of sexual intercourse in Dame Margot's bedroom. This film is indicated to be suitable for children under the age of 16.

The film has been and gone. The film began with a disclaimer acknowledging the "invention" in the telling of the story. Having been prepared for the worst I was not deeply offended. The story was told in very many short episodes. When you are portraying real people using their names and the roles they played in real life, research and consultation with those who were part of the story could have given detailed advice as to how the characters should comport themselves and realise their actual mannerisms. Almost everyone was wildly miscast and characterisations could easily have been more realistic in the hands of a different cast and director. There was no real casting to type. When you could not recognise Margot's mother as one knew her, although she was well played given the script. Dame Ninette was unrecognisable as was Somes and Seymour. There was a touch of Ashton in Derek Jacobi's performance which could have been better if he had been better coached in Sir Fred's mannerisms not as an impersonation but in the way they defined his character. Anne-Marie Duff was both Duff by name and Duff in her portrayal which was very stagey, she has a hard jaw line, wide hips and ugly feet. Her make and hairstyling made her look a little like Dame Margot but without that gentle sweetness of the original or her diminutive stature. The difference between film acting and ballet acting was pronounced, but thankfully, the close up dance scenes were mercifully short and a million miles away from the actual leading protagonists. When the film finished and the credits rolled, almost the last legend read, Inspired by Margot Fonteyn by Meredith Daneman. I and I am sure others, will never forget it. Foolishly, I kept expecting verisimilitude whilst still knowing, that it could not be achieved. There is a lot more that could be said.

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_an...icle6935545.ece

As far as I understand, the question of the sexuality of a bi-sexual is not a particularly straightforward delineation. If by gay you mean homosexual, he wasn't quite one hundred percent that delineation. Mr Nureyev did have periods of monogamous relationships with men and indulged in non-monogamous relationships with men but less so with women some of whom were well known and remained lifelong friends. He was pursued as a sex object by many women but I never have heard that Dame Margot was amongst them. As far as I understand that he was generally not polyamorous. As to his mysogony, he retained warm, friendly and close relationships with a number of women over decades.

Tomorrow on " You Can Dance Canada", Nico Archambault hits the small screen as Rudolf Nureyev in the dance drama Nureyev (Bravo! at 9 p.m.). “Both director and star make one thing clear: the film is not a biopic. Archambault is not imitating Nureyev, but interpreting and paying tribute to him..” See: http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/artic...-a-ballet-force

An excellent question. Speaking for myself, I have no idea of how to answer this, or draw the line, and am looking forward to people's suggestions. Thank you for your reply and the idea of the question being addressed. I am however sorry that I included it, as I was unfortunately more interested in eliciting responses to the first three questions. PS Tomorrow on "You Can Dance Canada." Nico Archambault hits the small screen as Rudolf Nureyev in the dance drama Nureyev (Bravo! at 9 p.m.). “Both director and star make one thing clear: the film is not a biopic. Archambault is not imitating Nureyev, but interpreting and paying tribute to him..” See: http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/artic...-a-ballet-force

Of course you are right to state this, but, we are discussing a "drama" that purports to be biographical, in which a recommended biographer of Dame Margot, Meredith Daneman has been involved. Dame Monica Mason regarding the film is quoted as stating, "'... that, after ten minutes, all she could see was her dear friend Margot." and Otto Bathurst comments, "Monica is a harsh critic. If she buys it, then we know we've done a good job. " Curious is it not. I shall be watching tonight with someone who knew Dame Margot much more than I did and I eagerly await others responses to this film.

Given your above statement, I first ask what is the justification for the intrusion when the examination or analysis of their artistic achievements which made them famous remains incomplete. Secondly where would you draw a line as to what is of prurient interest and thirdly what is the value of an academic biography as opposed to the literature of what Daneman and this new film presents. Finally I would ask, where in your opinion, is the line to be drawn between the chimerical and a reasonable measured reality.

Mashinka, I wanted to return to your invitation to comment on this article(which I had at first chosen not to read given your above comment) and take in the subsequent two articles that have been discussed. I have only today read this article which for me is an arrogance when you consider what the subject purports to be and how much the author talks about herself and her life events as if equating status with Dame Margot Fonteyn. This article is both vulgar in content and writing style. I had the good fortune to follow Dame Margot's career in London from September 1961 until her last performance. I am also appalled at the style and tone of the recent Daily Mail and Telegraph articles concerning both Dame Margot Fonteyn and Rudolph Nureyev wherein the portrayals of these great artists of the dance have been re-invented by those who have had little contact with either of them and yet express opinions which cannot be substantiated. Here in all three articles we find tabloid journalism when the status of the subjects, deserve an analysis of existing texts of their lives and especially testament made by colleagues who knew them really well. So far in books by various authors, there is a distinct problem in the use of oral history as regrettably, witnesses, too frequently begin to establish themselves as historical figures with their contributions. In the case of the subjects of this new film as presented in both the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph, there is a failure in journalism. The personality and facts of their lives get smothered in the welter of promoting the film as revealing something shocking or tawdry. Nor, do we find substantive evidence for the least savoury comments made which innopac referred to, " What concerns me is that this will become the new historical truth." Both Dame Margot and Rudolf Nureyev had had big hearts and a generosity of spirit. The vast majority of us will remember them for this and their relationships with hundreds of people whose names will neither appear in any book or newspaper article nor most probably any film, but who loved them.

Thats fine Catherine. Its fairly easy for this to happen in the welter of views being presented.

I looked at the obit and was a bit confused. Alan Blyth is credited as writing it but the article also notes that he died in 2007. Does anyone know how this is possible? Did he write it in advance of his own passing and it was put on ice? In England at least and I am sure elsewhere, informed persons often critics, colleagues or friends are asked to write obituaries often well before the subjects demise and if they are still relevant they are used. Alan Blyth was a distinguished critic author and musicoligist. See his obituary: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituari...yth-462271.html Someone I knew wrote an obituary for Natalia Dudinskaya who died in 2003 and he had pre-deceased her by nine years yet because of its content it was published in "The Independent." Edited for misspelling

I think you mis-read my post. I said luck not lock. Publications by senior distinguished Russian academics of 19th and 20th century St.Petersburg ballet that have been published in the last 20 years, good as they are, all have large gaps in details and context presumably because they were not able to access all records. I have read two biographies of Nijinsky and Pavlova published in Russia recently, that have gaps in information and errors which I would suggest are both due to lack of familiarity with their subjects and access to material that only western authors and academics have had.

I was saddened to hear of the passing of Miss Soderstrom as I well remember her stylish charm and poise as both singer and actress. She was a mature singer when I first heard her in the late sixties and on stage I witnessed her Countess in Figaro, Fiordiligi, Melisande and Tatyana in casts with some very distinguished singers. Miss Soderstrom will be remembered by many and for those that did not see her on stage there is a wealth of recordings to admire.

Hmmm... Interesting. The only thing I've found related to this is something that Lynn Garafola apparently translated: http://openlibrary.org/b/OL22366970M/diari...f_Marius_Petipa. However I've never seen it on sale anywhere; and Amazon does not carry it. There are some German source materials and French of Petipa's diaries. And, from what I found at the Theatrical LIbrary (in St Petersburg), there are TONS of Russian-language source materials, and quite likely more than a few about Petipa, although probably not his own since his Russian was questionable at best... OK I like this idea. Anyone else? :-) I have tried a host of second hand and antiquarian bookshops with no luck. I suggest for anyone interested that they put in a request for it via their local library assuming that it is a participants in a larger library system.

Absolutely. Zakharov was incensed by Grigorovich's productiions of, "The Stone Flower"(1957) and "The Legend of Love" (1961) with their character interaction through dance and denounced him for turning his back on dramballet. Zakharov was to call his production style of mimetic acting overlaying dance as, "dancing through the characterisation" or "dancing through the personality" in which a clear story was delineated and elevated above abstraction in the choreography and thus evolved the term "dram-ballet."

Homage to Nureyev - Ballet Gala with International Ballet Stars - Coliseum London - March 21 2010 Tickets on Sale See: http://www.eno.org/whats-on/whats-on.php?i...son=forthcoming

Artwork for Powell and Pressburgers “Red Shoes” to go on show at the BFI http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol...icle6926206.ece http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/pilgrims/cl...s/redshoes.html

It became a pejorative term when western reviewers thought the histrionic portrayal style and the paucity of choreography was an underwhelming feature, especially when combined with historic political overtones. Like many others, I was introduced to dramballet via two films of truncated versions of “The Fountains of Bakchiserai” and “The Flames of Paris.” I admired them at first viewing and I still admire them today. When all aspects of public life were controlled in the old Soviet Union, the theatre was also restricted in its presentations of both old works and new. With the classical ballet companies, a Communist Party literary person (dramaturge) was employed in all theatres to ensure that all stories and actions were integrated to reflect the new order and passages were to be excised, amended or extended to fit the newly introduced non danced dramatic elements, which became known as a dramballet presentation. Dramballet was inseparable from politics in Russia, serving as a function of the state simplifying dramatic actions and re-enforcing characterisations as symbolic of the good and entirely happy communists and those that were clearly the enemy of Soviet society. It extended so far into productsions that when “Romeo and Juliet” was being discussed as a suitable story for a ballet, it was proposed that the lovers would not die but live happily ever after and of course, “Swan Lake” had a happy ending with Odette and Siegfried walking towards a sunrise shining beyond the lake. Certain choreographers responded with dram ballets that were over laden with conceptualised socialist dogma but were still, effectively produced for audiences in terms of dance and spectacle. Rotislav Zakharov was the leading figure in staging dram ballet and the Maryinsky website where Zakharov’s career started, states, “A pioneer of new Soviet ballet, he was one of the most important influences in the spread of ‘dram-ballet’, although his critics complained about the lack of truly inventive dance in his productions. “ The Bolshoi website states, “The 30's of the last century, saw the age of 'dram ballet'. Theatre directors actively collaborated with the choreographers. Dance was called for only when justified by the development of the action. And the plot unfolded via pantomime, various forms of 'walk' and other devices of the sort.” http://www.bolshoi.ru/en/season/ballet/eve...=2&id26=977 In reading your comments, "We just did dramballet in one of my classes this week -- and I showed them the brief versions of The Fountain of Bakhchisarai and Flames of Paris. The vast majority of the students loved them, and, rather sadly (and ump4ompted by me!) said the ballets couldn't be performed today, because "we don't dance like that anymore." (They were also fascinated by how small the dancers were - and how powerful.)" I would hope that many of your students will go beyond the, "we don't dance like that anymore" and become artists rather than mechanised humans reaching for the stars with a pointed toe rather than with a heart that loves ballet.

Although answers.com may sometimes be lacking in academic rigour, there is an article on the choreographer Rotislav Zakharov that clearly points of the political overshadowing of his work and others to present "soviet ballets." See: http://www.answers.com/topic/rostislav-zakharov In the soviet period the story line of ballets were overseen by the resident theatre dramaturge who ensured that the story telling followed the correct political ideology with its themes and that there was a storytelling clarity in the the action for audiences unfamiliar with ballet which also had to have an historical content. It has been said that the drama was almost semaphored.

Agreed. I very much like the way effective way she passes on the tradition. Thank you for posting the video. Of course this is interesting, as apart from playing the role herself, Monica Mason had witnessed brilliant performances by Alexander Grant and Stanley Holden. I would however refer to earlier posts on this subject and my new take on such casting. However I personally can never get my head around a female Carabosse in The Sleeping Beauty no matter how well performed as for me it interferes with the symbolism of the good fairies played by women. A contrast is required and Carabosse should so far removed from an ordinary or elevated female and their fairytale positive attributes. Psychologically having a man play in the context of this fairy tale version concretely distances Carabosse from Aurora, the good fairies, Aurora's friends etc. I have seen three women play Carabosse in a most committed way(perhaps I admired Seraphina Landsdowne most) but they also me for robbed the traditional balance despite their individual excellent performances. I remember this subject being addressed in "Who are your favorite character dancers, in which roles?" at the end of 1996. I then said my favourite characterisations of Carabosse were Alexander Grant, Anatole Gridin and Stanley Holden. Anthony Dowell's height took him out of the emploi for the role and he was in my opinion too camp. The precedent for Carabosse being danced by a woman was set by Carlotta Brianza who at fifty years old having been invited to recreate her original performance of Aurora in Diaghilev's 1921 production of "The Sleeping Princess" chose to perform Carabosse and it was in its way a marketing gimmick no matter how brilliantly she played it.