leonid17

Wonderfully funny. Having talken a lot of stick on my local website over "The Macgregorgate affair" I needed this. I shall let the locals not wise enough to visit this site to read Alexandra's so pertinent post.

I did not mean the title role, I was thinking of the costume Anna Pavlova wore as a soloist in the ballet 'Paquita' as a means of identifying the MM role. It is difficult with some dancers in period photographs to tell one from another. However one might be able to divine who the dancers is, by comparing Madaeva's roles with other dancers of a similar era and see who concides, then eliminate who it obviously is not.

I thought this seasonal article with two Royal Ballet dancers talking about the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy might be of interest. http://arts.guardian.co.uk/critic/feature/0,,1965110,00.html

Could the photograph on the right in fact be M.S. Petipa as the costume is identical to one worn by Mathilda Madaeva (see page 120 of Beaumont's History of Russian Ballet) who was active 1861-1878 and Coppelia was not staged in St. Petersburg until 1884? I have edited this post as I had retired for the night after having struggled to place the other costume and suddenly remembered that the photograph on the left shows MMP in Paquita costume to be compared with Anna Pavlova in an identical costume but a different hair style. I could have waited for the morning to add this but I am always conscious of the time difference from London and New York for instance.

I have heard Gergiev conduct Stravinsky for ballet performances and I agreed with the critics who were inlined to suggest that it was a near act of sabotage. Stravinsky music composed for a ballet, should be conducted for the dancers alone, because that is what Stravinsky intended. Gergiev's star stopped being in the ascendent along time ago in Europe and for me he was no replacement for Temirkanov's authenticity, authority, instinct and subtlety.

To answer your question, I think not. Why, because he was not merely remarkable because of his technical skills honed by Boris Shavrov, he was a product of an unusual culture of the dance and possessed of an obsessive personality that saw his performances as having a particular meaning beyond the performance of steps that one might in other contexts call holy. There are dancers to whom their particular calling is related to spirituality whether they are religious in the conventional sense or not. It is as if they are inspired and that manner of inspiration attains a kind of spirituality, often fleeting, but that some performing artists not only reach for, but often achieve. That particular level of theatrical expression can be found in diverse performers and diverse roles. It is that region of experience when performers become artists and artists become inspired and inspiring. I have witnessed moments when watching dancers, singers, actors and musicians when I neither wanted to or could actually breath, why, because the performance was literally breathtaking. This may not sound an objective view, but I have witnessed audiences reponses that were absolutely in unison in timing and weight, that confirms for the theatregoer of many years that what they had witnessed as unique, finding a resonance simultaneously, with hundreds of others. This is differfent to mass hysteria, this is a shared experience by knowledgeable audiences of artists performing at a level that one hopes and might I say in the best sense lives for, but experiences not so often. Yuri Vladimirovich Soloviev, is one such dancer who for me, entered and remains in the pantheon of the elite.

Heels were worn and changed for pas de deux and variations by Russian dancers in the past.

I haven't followed the company very closely in recent years, since I've moved from Paris to Lyon, but I fully agree with what you've written: under Ms Lefèvre's direction, the classical repertory has been shrinking, and I'd say especially the 20th century neoclassical repertory (e.g. Lifar's works were completely neglected, the Tudor repertory that Nureyev has brought has disappeared, the Ballets Russes works haven't been performed much...) and she definitely seems fare more interested in the modern dance premieres, even though most of such works were very short-lived. When you look at the survival rate of new works in the ballet repertory of the 20th century, you have no need to recourse to a mathemetician to see that very few ballets become part of the accepted canon of important or great works. When I hear of the need for new or modern works I cringe a little, because the important or great ballets are are never old or new, they are by their quality and significance timeless. It worries me also Estelle that there are still many ballets of the past Royal Ballet repertory that made the Royal Ballet what it is(or was) today, appear not to be considered for revival alongside new works. Which echoes your fears about POB. The essence of any company is not just its style of dancing but the ballets that made the ethos and reputation of that company. In Monica Mason's short tenure as Artistic Director of the Royal Ballet, there has been much to commend her decisions so I should really trust her management. However it should be remembered that the recent audience reception of McGregor's 'Chroma' is unlikely to be the same audience to support the backbone of the RB repertoire, the Petipa classics and the Ashton ballets.

Thank you for posting these photographs. I was still at school when I first saw Soloviev and the deep sincerity of his performances then and later, caused me to feel an extreme sadness when he died far too young. Physically you would say he was a demi-classical dancer, but his innate grace and perfection in technique and epaulement took his appearances to a plain of his own making. Not an obvious actor, however his physical expressivness in a wide range of roles, characterised absolutely perfectly, together with such convincing sincerity, made him for me a most unique performer of a type never seen again. In soviet ballets he definitely was a hero mixing revolutionery zeal with what one always imagines to be the historic simple honest Russian peasant type. As a prince, not possesing a conventional princely face it is true, but not that many other dancers have matched his seemingly inner princely manner.

I did actually say that it was a rather good performance of the 4Ts by the Royal Ballet. I was not comparing it too performances seen by NYCB many years ago. Further publicity for Wayne McGregor was to be found in tonights London Evening STandard by Norman Lebrecht which can be read on his site at this link: http://www.scena.org/columns/lebrechtindex.htm[/url] I should warn you that Mr Lebrecht has his own brand of hyperbole that I suppose is fine for those who worship at the shrine of minor celebrities. If the Wayne in the title of this article had been Wayne Eagling, I would have responded more enthusiastically to his musings.

Thank for what I consider to be a most unusual and striking photograph of LK. As regards supposed animosity's between Pavlova and various dancers, the quotations are all concerned with dancers writing for posterity and spicing up the narrative. The Kyasht claim certainly must have caused a frisson when first made but has never been substantiated. The story of the creation of The Swan has been told by those involved and no programme details other than the charity performance has been recorded. In fact there was no such problems in relationship between Pavlova and Karsavina when the latter arrived in England to live and Kschessinska who is quoted in a negative remark about Pavlova to Karsavina visited Pavlova in her home as a colleague and in an entirely friendly manner. Lydia Kyasht was an undoubted friend and near neighbour of Pavlova in London and visited her home often.

To paraphrase Tamara Karsavina, " Lydia had a wonderful memory, the trouble is that she relies on it too much." I cannot find the original quotation at this time of the morning. Once in a while the Kyasht story re-appears and it disappears just as quickly. It is a shame, as Kyasht has her own history and success and was surely one of the prettiest of the Russian dancers of the early part of the 20th century. The claim of Lydia Kyasht is not substantiated by any record, whereas the details of Anna Pavlova's creatiion of 'The Swan' is well documented.

Note the importance assigned to versatility. The Royal seems to be expanding its product line, not unlike POB over the past years and NYCB under Martins. Mashinka refers to deep discounts in ticket prices for Chroma. Perhaps ROB is considering variable pricing as well. (That WOULD be a good idea.)All of this seems to be a reasonable strategy in business terms. My concern, already expressed by others, is that changes in education, teaching, and coaching may move the company -- intentionally or not -- towards a new approach to movement that undermines its ability to preserve (and even expand, in the sense of encouraging new work in a classical manner) its own classical style. At the premier of 'Chroma' the audience was arguably not a typical RB audience.Top price seats were approx 67US dollars as opposed to approx 160US dollars for Sleeping Beauty, so who is surprised? Younger members of the audience welcomed McGregor's dance work, I did not as I thought it was completely the wrong sort of direction for a classical ballet company to go in. Chroma was also in my opinion not a very good dance work when a new 'ballet' of quality was really was required. On the same programme Christopher Wheldon's new work was a ballet and a choreographically successful one at that, spoilt only by the relentless second- rate music of Michael Nyman. Truthfully for me, the evening was only saved by a rather good performance of Balanchine's 'The Four Temperaments.' You are quite right Bart to raise the question of whether such works might undermine the RB's style and after watching last night's performance of 'The Sleeping Beauty' I was considering if in such a short time it had already done that. Port de bras were sketchy and free, execution of steps by corps and soloists were weak and it was if the die had already been cast. An under par performance by Cojocaru and Bonelli did not help and only Marinella Nunez as the Lilac Fairy and Sarah Lamb as Princess Florine in my opinion should have gone home happy with their performances.

I couldn't agree more it is for me, the best version I have seen. I saw Plitsetskaya dance this in the mid-1960's when she encored this work at least two times. One might think this to be bad taste. However Plisetskaya’s performance was truly monumental and entirely dramatic and for me the least disappointing of the many other dancers I have watched performing. 'The Swan' either on film, or in the theatre. I have a copy of the "The Immortal Swan" which I watch 3 or 4 times a years for the last 20 years and never tire or fail to be amazed by Pavlova's dancing and characterisations. This year as part of an exhibition to mark the 75th anniversary of Pavlova's death and the 125th anniversary of her birth, a newly processed copy of the above film made by the British Film Institute, was shown on a continuous loop from January through to March at Ivy House Pavlova's former home now leased by the London Jewish Cultural Association who funded the exhibition and who are committed to remember her presence. A perpetual exhibition of Anna Pavlova in her home is exhibited and in their delightful café there are outstanding photographs of Ivy House in Pavlova's time.

I'm not talking about the actual value/maintenence of traditions, I'm talking about attitudes. That's the irony of it. Even bad choreographers take on the matle of tradition as if they are guarding the holy grail--believe me, I've worked with my share of these tiresome guardians of "ballet purity" who breathe life into the old SNL "bad ballet" moniker. There is more of a diversity of approaches to/digressions from traditions in the music world. Even as standards are in some cases absolute, people can do crazy things and it's still "classical music." I agree with Hans regarding ballet traditions not need be considered a burden they should only be considered an inspiration and a model. Rays last sentence raises questions regarding classical music I cannot entirely agree with. When orchestral music has become an object of marketing and celebrity promotion of an entirely commercial enterprise that may be 'crazy' it does not follow that it is entitled to be called 'classical music'. Because noises are made by a professional orchestra with a conductor in a venue that is associated with classical music, it does not follow that it 'classical music' has been performed but it may be called as such for commercial reasons much more than artistic reasons. Classical anything, follows an academic form which originated millenia ago. The term classical, can only be used as a benchmark meaning 'the highest form' or quality. To associate noise, with the accepted 'masters' of music is to me a vulgar marketing ploy to gain some standing for a commercially exploited maker of such music. Anyone interested and knowledgeable enough about the traditions of 'classical ballet', will not be fooled by a cheap representation whose aim is inevitably entertainment of a kind rather than 'art' which is the aim of 'classical ballet'. There is a place for, original thinking in theatrical dance which could follow the 'classical ballet' form. There are always possibilities for theatrical dance that employs much of the technical vocabulary of classical ballet that will however remain outside the academic pantheon of classical ballet. I enjoy many of the genres of theatrical dance but am frequently dismayed when 'cross-over' steps or moves are used simply as a gimmicky effect in a particular genre that has its own form. Crazy music is not for me nor is crazy dancing just for the sake of being different. Original creative works genrally survive, commercially exploitative works one hopes will only give short term financial rewards(surely their aim) and the Emperor's new clothes revealed. Tradition can not only sustain the best of works, it also resonates most loudly with knowledgeable audiences and those less knowledgeable.

I believe you are quite right in your statement. Although both Penney and Eagling are Canadian born their ballet influence as graduates of the Royal Ballet School from where they joined the Royal Ballet and had long careers with that company, makes them particularly British dancers by experience. Eagling I believe may in fact be American by nationality as that is certainly where his family lived. Both dancers had fairly wide associations with MacMillan's choreography. I remember The Song of the Earth's first performance with the Royal Ballet and its impact on the audience was extraordinary. Marcia Haydee danced the lead with Donald Macleary and Anthony Dowell and Jennifer Penney was in that cast. It is a difficult ballet to successfully stage, as the three leading roles need outstanding expressive dancers to make it work and the soloists and corp de ballet also need to expressive in a way that is not always easy to achieve. Whilst Gloria for me in successive RB performances has never achieved the intensity of the first cast nor has The Song of the Earth and I have seen a number of casts in these ballets. It is often the case that choreographers are naturally influenced by their original casts and tailor the roles (in part) to their particular gifts.

Ouch!

I would say in Europe, "Das Lied von der Erde" as in the MacMillan ballet is considered a masterwork. It does need the right cast and coaching. But as they say in Europe and some parts of Canada, "chacun à son goût".

Dear Mel I have never heard American's either described as colonists or as "...ignorant colonist" by an English person of any class and with your lucid explanation of the 'Civil List' and its history it is more likely that you would be described as an erudite person with no allusion to your country of origin. Linking back to Bart's question I have my own views as to where a major company might by sited but I am sure Spain with its fiercely regional pride will please some and offend others when the decision is made. In Europe for a national ballet companies theatre home to be elsewhere rather than in the capital city is fairly rare. I have to confess I like my visit to see the ballet to be an all in one therapeutic and art experience away from my routine of work, mundane matters and the problems of the world. I also like the theatre setting to be an essential part of that experience. I know that ballet audiences develop a fondness for the theatre in which their favourite companies dance. Which made me turn to the only two theatres I know in Spain and consider which would be the best home for a national ballet company. The Teatro Real in Madrid generally seats 1748 and the stage just exceeds 59 feet by 46 feet and has modern stage machinery, with extensive changing rooms and rehearsal space. The stalls seats are stepped and reasonable raked however the fairly narrow horse shoe-shaped auditoium has four tiers of boxes not always ideal for viewing ballet and finally a steep seating area at the top called the windows to paradise. The auditorium in red and gold has an intimate feel and possesses central royal box which adds old fashioned glamour. The theatre has a formal restaurant and a cafe. In Barcelona however the Teatro Liceo seats 2292 on 6 levels and has a glorious horseshoe auditorium in red and gold with a wonderful ceiling brilliantly lit and with decorative art makes it a favourite opera house of mine if you wanted to be transported back to an earlier age. The theatre entrance has a fabulous columned and marble floor from which marble stairs with flamboyant torcheres take you up to a mirrored salon. The Teatro Liceo stage is a similar size to Madrid’s Teatro Real and had similarly modern equipment and facilities. There are of course many other beautiful old theatres suitable for ballet and modern venues as well. Although Madrid is the capital, I would personally prefer to visit Barcelona to watch ballet. The problem for both a national school and a national company would be accommodation which in any major city would be costly. The model with the UK’s Royal Ballet is that the Junior school is in a park like setting in a near London suburb and the Senior School is now centred successfully in the Royal Opera House enclave. To adopt this model would not be a bad idea, although any reading of biographies of Maryinsky dancers will tell you that junior students contact with members of the ballet company was both exciting and inspirational. Establishing from virtual scratch an academic teaching body, will undoubtedly be a challenge. But with the will and the finance, not an impossibility as long as unrealistic expectations are not placed upon early results. Establishing a successful ballet company may be easier as it is probable that recruitment will not be difficult, but again it will take some time to establish what is seen as an appropriate identifying repertoire for a Spanish ballet company. As it appears that the new company that Tamara Rojo has been approached to lead, will have the appellation Real and the Real Theatre and the Spanish monarchy’s royal palace is in Madrid, is it a forgone conclusion that the new national Royal company will be settled in the capital? Whatever the decision, I believe the Spanish government's decision for a national company to be formed is brave and farsighted and reflects the growing interest in ballet both amonst children who wish to dance and audiences that want to see more ballet, perhaps from their home grown talent.

Thanks, I enjoyed looking at this gallery.

The amount of arts council funding the Royal Ballet receives is also annually published; it is also no secret that the Royal Ballet's finances have been fairly perilous over time, in spite of being granted the Royal Charter, which does not entail major funding. Technically the Royal Ballet receives no direct government subsidy as along with the Royal Opera, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and ROH 2 (These are any working names or acronyms which the Charity uses.) are subsidiaries of The Royal Opera House Covent Garden Ltd a registered company that has charitable status(enabling it to trade) that receives gvernment subsidy, donations and sponsorship along with its income from box office etc. In the Tax Year ending 27.03/2005 the charity received 23,111,000 British Pounds in Arts Council Grants( The awarding body of Government Arts Funding) its total expenditure was around 78,000,000 British Pounds For a general background to the European model for government funding in performing arts I would suggest you vist http://www.culturelink.org/culpol/se.html then simply choose a category and then a country.

It would appear that it was recorded in 2004 released in Australia and perhaps elsewhere in 2005 and entered American catalogue in the 6th of June this year. An excerpt was first broadcast on Australian Radio on the 26th April 2005. A copy was on sale on ebay which finished on 21st November 2006 which did not sell for the equivalent of 77 American cents. Ps This is a very nerdy reply, my apologies.

Forget the photographs of dancers at fotoescena, look at the fabulous and penetrating photograph of Monica Mason. Ps Not the first photograph that makes her look older than she does in life, but the second

Wow! When I next visit New York, NYLPA here I come. I never saw Miss Kirkland as Kitri but she was extraordinary in everything else I saw her dance.

I absolutely agree with Mashinka as to Miss Bussell really being a neo-classical ballet dancer and it was voiced by a number of ballet lovers in London shortly after her joining the RB that the best company for her was NYCB. I have continued to watch her in the classical ballet repertoire in the hope that this highly talented dancer would make the grade. I never disliked her in the classics but felt that with a teacher of abilty at the early stage of her career she might been happier in the classic repertoire and given more successful performances. In a triple bill at the ROH recently I felt that she had at last understood her body and used her undoubted skills brilliantly. I am sorry to hear that she may be leaving the RB as she is the only famous dancer in the company, whilst Alina Cojcaru is probably the most most admired along with Rojo and Nunez.