leonid17

Dame Margot was tender, regal, glamourous and glittering. Oh, I almost forgot to say she was unforgettable. The tragedy of Dame Margot like many other significant dancers, was that the film camera did not quite love her like it did lesser mortals.

I never go to the cinema and I never listen to popular music. I have however watched "Bodyguard" twice on television and the reason for doing so was, "I will always love you." I am saddened to see Miss Houston as a victim of success, may she Rest in Peace. Thank you for posting Christian.

What we are missing in this thread is a time line of who staged what where and when, who changed what where and when, who danced what where and when and for us seeing Giselle today the question is, are we all talking about the same ballet? As to Gautier, he was never the only cook adding to the pot.

Alla Sizova was an extraordinary dancer and one of those few dancers whose performances captured an other worldy fragrance that one could only call spiritual. Her jumps were not only," light and buoyant," they had extraordinary elevation and all the time she remained not just exquisite but also inspired. In London she was much admired and she is one of the eight or so ballerinas I saw on stage that I would call great.

I really thought pointed feet in passe was pretty standard to ballet. I guess I was wrong (as were all my teachers at the Joffrey and SAB) Not always. The niceties of the completion of a step can also be adjusted for a stronger through movement for an effect in performance. When Balanchine brought his company to the Edinburgh Festival in 1967, he needed a tall dancer to partner Farrell he sought a dancer from Copenhagen and as Henning Kronstam wasn't available the young Peter Martins was recommended. Martins turned up and was surprised at the manner of the company's style of dancing. He said, " The dancers neglected or didn't bother with precision. The emphasis was on the energy and on movement itself, on timing and quickness." See page 258 "George Balanchine: Ballet Master" by Richard Buckle in Collaboration with John Taras.

The name Bathilde means warrior and the same named character in the ballet seems far removed from Saint Bathilde of the same name. Bathilde is a condescending bitch of the nobility being the daughter of the Duke of Courland who plays out a charade of being interested in the peasant girl called Giselle as an amusement. Interestingly, the name Giselle is derived from the Germanic word gisil meaning "hostage" or "pledge". The name may have originally been a descriptive nickname for a child given as a pledge to a foreign court. Albrecht was often a surname but also the first name of a number of Dukes of Prussia, Wurtemberg etc. Albrecht is a dastardly roué, who takes on a disguise pretending to be a peasant so that he can get into Giselle’s……………hum… good books. After all he is going to marry a social equal. He is definitely not a Romantic hero. To Bathilde he dismisses her inquiry as to his clothes saying, “Oh no reason, I was just having a bit of fun”. The swine. In the Act II Giselle’s power arising from her innocence and purity over powers the vengeful Willis and saves Albrecht. The stupid, sweet girl, but it does make the ballet something of a morality tale and everyone goes home moved and happy. The ballet was first produced in 1841, but the famous “mad scene” was not introduced until Fanny Elsller first danced the role. See Galina Ulanova’s remarkable performance as Giselle where in the mad scene you can see that in the last moments before her death she is running away from the scene not into the arms of Albrecht who steps in her way to stop her.Sometime ago Ari posted, “Leigh, you’ve touched on a problem I’ve had with Giselle for years now. The trouble, I think, is that ballerinas I’ve been seeing in the role have no conception of innocence. They confuse it with naïveté, which is NOT the same thing.” I think Ulanova conveys innocence better than most.

I concur with your view on Alicia Alonso, however I think there are lots of events where we have to adjust our appreciation and make a journey towards experiencing other dancer’s realities and particularly their historical context. I am always happy to take a broad view of many things that touch on the arts, as I find that if I adopt the narrow view, I am liable to miss and experience what others have readily found. For some, I would think the only way to approach the 1950’s Soviet films is to adapt ones critical faculties to contextualise the genre in the manner that we would when approaching a early silent movie or seeing a Noh Drama for the first time. That is to say to measure it by its own standards. The emergence of dram ballet and your perceived exaggeration of the acting contained in the films of this genre, can be approached in crossing the divide by relaxing ones held opinions of how ballet should be presented and to consider how other cultures chose at a point in history, to present their style of ballet for a particular audience. Being different to my mind makes it neither right or wrong. The films in question were made to reach audiences that were outside the sophistication of a high cultural elite and of course politics was always the bottom line in the reality that was the USSR. I particularly admire “The Fountains of Bakhchiserai,” “Romeo and Juliet” and “The Flames of Paris” and the sincerity and power of the performances are to my mind remarkable in any context. I have sat in cinemas and in homes of seriously knowledgeable ballet friends watching such films for the first time and we were enthralled by the ability of the dancers to capture both the romanticism and the drama in such a vibrant full blooded manner, that their performances become thrilling. Turn out is a product of mechanics and if a turned in line was expressive, I would not be too concerned. After all in dram ballets, we are not dealing with Petipa classicism.

According to Heinrich Heine, the legend of the wilis can be found in Austria though it appears to be of Slavic origin. It is the lot of maidens who were due to be married but were restricted from dancing in life die before their marriage who rise up from their graves and in groups attack young men and make them dance until they die from exhaustion. The implication seems to be in Berthe's mime is that Giselle's strong desire to dance meant she was taking life to lightly and only sadness can follow as in the legend.

There is a small amount of description and a brief stage performance extract here What one really wants is a video of Gerd Larsen as Berthe with the Royal Ballet in full dramatic flow as taught by Tamara Karsavina. ps I forgot to add that Hartford Ballet in about 1996 staged a production of Giselle with Berthe's mime.

And for me, that is one that most certainly does not hold up. I'd rather have less speed and have turn out, pointed feet (for me, those are the point--no pun intended--of a series of passees) and straight knees. Sorry, this does have its charms (including her adorable demeanor) but it also shows everything I find problematic in some earlier dancers. Raissa Struchkova (born 1925) was more than, ”adorable..." she was a highly accomplished technician whom I saw dance on a number of occasions both in full length works and in a highly successful Pot-Pourri tour of the UK. If you are comparing modern ballet dancers that you have seen, with a dancer you never saw dance and is shown in a Soviet cabaret style performance, I can understand your point of view. See http://www.for-ballet-lovers-only.com/biographies-struchkova.html As an 18 year old teenager I particularly remember her performances with the Bolshoi at Covent Garden. Here is silent footage of her as Juliet. http://www.britishpathe.com/video/macmillan-at-the-moscow-bolshoi-theatre Raissa Struckhova not only wowed me she also got praise from the tough London critics of the early 1960's as she did with New York critics on the 1959 Bolshoi visit. Struchkova was in that category of dancers whose expression in performance fulfilled the aim of storytelling through dance adding an ability to touch people in ways that many leading dancers of today never can. Film of Struchkova in Walpurgis Night starts at 1.53 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s4Nt4c-VHk Seasoned ballet enthusiasts and critics from Covent Garden pursued her last tour around Britain to capture the possibility of experiencing the expressive dynamics of dance in performance that Struchkova fulfilled. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1083/is_9_79/ai_n15674559/ Ps Doris Hering described Raissa Struchkova as. “glorious.”

On BBC's radio 3, I listened to most of "The Enchanted Island" broadcast live from the Metropolitan Opera. I missed some of the first half and from reports, what I did miss was not too much to be bothered about. It was for me an entertainment in the old fashioned sense of the word and I am glad I stayed with it for the second half as I found the performance truly uplifting with singers and orchestra both charming and thrilling. "The Telegraph" critic Rupert Christiansen watched a live screening of the performance. http://www.telegraph...-HD-review.html

Thank you for posting this sad news. I saw Mr.van Dantzig's work as a dancer and choreographer and witnessed the success he had on his first visit to London all those years ago. Mr van Dantzig was more than talented, he had a gentle but somewhat intense charm when speaking to you that was almost overwhelming. As I write, I think of him not just at Sadlers Wells, but greeting Rudolf Nureyev at the Royal Opera House stage door and the pair of them walking away laughing and gesticulating together in a completely free manner as only close friends can. Mr van Dantzig's works from "Monument..." onwards shook the London dance scene and it gives me such a warm feeling thinking how lucky I was to have been around at the time. R.I.P.

The Mikhailovsky Ballet have recently staged what seems to be yet another new production of an old ballet in new clothes. http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2012/jan/08/mariinsky-little-humpbacked-horse-petersburg

The "Song of Summer" I have discovered is available on DVD in a slightly shortened version(cut due to copyright) at Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Song+of+Summer Interesting background to this film can be found at:- http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2001/Dec01/Delius_Russell.htm

Like Mashinka I really admired Mr. Russell's excursions into the world of music, His TV film documenting the last years of the life of Frederick Delius Called "Song of Summer" remains my favourite film of Ken Russell. The playing of Max Adrian as Delius, Maureen Pryor as his wife Jelka, Christopher Gable as Delius's amenuensis Eric Fenby (after Delius became blind), brought an extraordinary sensitivity to the film creating lasting images that I can see as I write, even though I saw it more than half a lifetime ago. Mr. Russell adds a sensitive psychological edge to this film in the way that he chooses the music to reflect, the thoughts and feelings of the main protagonists and its countryside setting. The result is a touching biographical study that reaches places where other such films never reach. Rest in peace and please Mr. Russell don't argue with God. Remember you did play a priest yourself in this Delius biography. Added PS Mr. Russell was a Catholic convert.

I

http://www.mikhailovsky.ru/en/content/history/

Thank you for posting this sad news. I saw Virginia Johnson dance on a number of occasions and I can only say she was truly memorable.

A warm welcome to ballettalk sergek26. Thank you for posting these examples. I was most interesting to see your realisations and especially found the Swan Lake variation extremely curious and fascinating. I was first introduced to. "Two essays on Stepanov Dance Notation" by Alexander Gorsky in a translation made more than thirty years ago by Wiley and published by CORD.

Thank you for posting the review Violin Concerto and what a great review from Mr.Macaulay. Everyone at KCB must be thrilled especially the 20 year old Alexander Peters a former recipient of a Princess Grace Award and trained at Pensyvania's Allegheny Ballet before attending SAB’s Summer Course in 2006 and 2007 and enrolling as a full-time student in September 2007. Mr. Peters attended a Summer apprentice course in Copenhagen as part of the Danish American National Cultural Exchange and last year he received Mae L. Wien Award for Outstanding Promise. PS As a redhead, I always like to see the occasional red-head doing well on stage.

What really Good News.

Perfectly stated, Paul! In fact, the first time that I saw the POB version of the variation, by Guillem in one of the early Guillem documentaties, my first thought was "kinky"...not exactly what would have been seen in a gracious court (Romanov or de Doris). How gracious a court would have the supposed de Doris "court" have been. There seems to be an extraordinary tone of relating Raymonda the ballet to some idealised real life experience. The historic validity of Raymonda is lamentable even though based on actual persons.(This has been discussed elsewhere) The reality would have been that the "court" would have continuously smelt despite floors strewn with rushes and sweet smelling herbs and flowers. Bones and scraps were thrown on the floors for dogs to eat, men and women would have got up from the table to relieve themselves in a corner and this was still happening when the Sun King was in residence at Versaille and throughout Europe in general. Ballets are fiction and often very good fiction and even at times great fiction. But I am sorry to say they always remain fiction. The story telling however can and does, grab the imagination and that is why we enjoy performances especially when the dancing and acting is truly related to the formalities of academic classical ballet. Is Raymonda truly a great ballet in the stagings we have seen. It can look spectacular, it can be danced marvellously well and the score carries it. There is a definite rift between complete performances of the past and performances of today, especially in the case of the Kirov/Maryinsky ballet which began losing its way under Vinogradov. But I do, look forward to seeing the production if not all of the dancers. PS Not quite sure that Petipa wanted his dancers to "display their coquetterie" as he was an irascible old man who was quite unapproachable and rarely had a kind word that alone any word to say to most dancers.

Masculine 'slaps' would not have been in keeping with the ladylike demeanor of a noblewoman. When I said, I can well imagine Legnani and Kschessinskaya performing loud slaps, it was a reflection of their exhuberant stage personalities it was not a literal statement and that is why I used the word imagine. Aggressive women would not have been heroines in Tsarist Russia. Gentility runs through the Court de Doris. Actually there were plenty of examples of aggressive and less than wholesome portrayals of women in operas performed on the St,Petersburg stages throughout the 18th and 19th century. Somewhat in line with this, I found it interesting that, during the 'Combat' between Jean and Abderahman at the end of A2, the two supporters of each combatant stand to each side of the stage, each behaving very differently whenever its fighter strikes a blow. The 'non nobles' are wildly expressive when Abder strikes a blow; the nobles simply stand and barely smile when ever Jean pulls ahead. Its a ballet not real life. This is part of what Pavel Geshenzon (Vikharev's collaborator in this staging) explains in the long interview in the souvenir book. Not that we don't love to watch the 'tougher' manner in the 20th & 21st centuries. As there is no film record of early performances of Raymonda so how can we judge whether its a tougher manner or not. I would suggest that there is a traditional performing manner at work throughout the history of this ballet in St.Petersburg. What is remarkable of course, is that the French Raymonda has learnt how to dance in an Hungarian dance form so quickly. Oh I forgot, its only a ballet. For further fun reading see: The Petipa Code or searching for Raymonda by Ivan Semirechenskiy and Harlequin http://balletbase.com/en/ballet/petipacode/ http://balletbase.com/en/ballet/petipacode-2/ http://balletbase.com/en/ballet/petipacode3/ http://balletbase.com/en/ballet/petipacode4/ http://balletbase.com/en/ballet/petipacode5/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD1vYmfMSmk I cannot see who is dancing but if it Miss Sevillano it is a very laboured effort at times, lacking flow and interspersed with pirouettes totally out of keeping with a Romantic ballet. Sadly I remember her in London where she was extremely popular as a much better artist.

Luke Jennings in The Guardian of 14th October reveals, well to me at least, that the stunning performance of Le Corsaire Queen of the Dryads variation performed by Alla Sizova (in 1958) was in fact chorographed by Rudolf Nureyev. If I knew this before, I have since forgotten it. http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2011/oct/14/kirov-alla-sizova-nureyev-ballet?CMP=twt_gu