leonid17
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These are points which still excite controversy even down to today. We've discussed whether Giselle dies a suicide or of a broken heart here, but without coming to a final conclusion, and perhaps we shouldn't.
To be sure, Gautier was part of the anti-clericalism of a frequently-revolutionary society, and showing Giselle's remains excluded from consecrated ground in the churchyard would be a good device to show an uncaring church. Perhaps her grave marker should be some sort of rustic cross, obviously crafted by her neighbors, showing their true compassion for her. Although Gautier may have been anti-clerical, he does not seem to have been an anti-theist. In several works, he indicates that the church gets in the way of the True Words of their religion, so that is one reason why this ballet can yet develop some passionate debates.
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.
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Nice thread, and wonderful clips that I do agree stand the test of time. I'm a lurker because I generally read this forum to learn from people who know far more than I do. I just wanted to add Alla Sizova in here, pardon me if anyone disagrees, personally I would love to see someone like her (and others posted in this thread) on stage today. I also think the way she jumps is superior in quality of the movement to many ballerinas we see now a days (of course there are exceptions)... so light and so buoyant.
With Soloviev
With Nureyev
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.
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Thanks, Christian, for making the case so clearly -- esp about Struchkova --and also about hte neeed to keep Kitri different, essentially different, from Raymonda and all the rest of those girls who do lots of passes..... its in the asdverbs, thespeed,elan, attack, and posture. Kitri and Paquita, for example, are both Spanish girls, but they're VERY different and should not take the same pose the same way.....
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.
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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.
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I think if anyone attempted this Spessivtseva solo the way Alonso did in this video it'd certainly be applauded to the rafters:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMyYsjm278Y
As for ballet that does NOT hold up well, I think all those dram-ballet films made in the 1950's by the Soviets look funny today. All that melodramatic stomping, the poor turnout, the exaggerated acting, the hammer-and-sickel storylines ...
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.
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Just wondering, because if a wili is the spirit of a jilted girl, rather than of a frivolous girl (who loves dancing), then perhaps Berthe's recounting of the wili legend is her way of slyly commenting on Loy's character.
On balance, I think the mime helps to give the story the narratological arc of real tragedy, since Berthe can see the train wreck coming, even though she seems powerless to prevent it. By contrast, Odette's mime seems more like simple explication, adding little to the drama of Swan Lake
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.
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The Cuban version "speaks" some key words and phrases: Sleeping time-(during the night), pointing to the forest, the cross on the graves of the Willis, the opening of the ground, the crossing hands pose of the spirits, the macabre dancing to which all men are subjected when being found and the ultimate death in the vengeful spirits' hands.
Is there any video, commercial or not that shows the British version...? I would love to see it...
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.
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When thinking and talking about sharpness and brisk movements, I always point to Raisa Struchkova...I think this Kitri variation is the most perfectly executed-(and fastest)-I've ever seen live or in video. My standard for "sparkling", that is...
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.”
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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.
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I did not see this elsewhere so am posting here. The great choreographer Rudi van Dantzig passed away this morning. R.I.P.
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.
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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
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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
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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.
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Not everyone's favourite but his early films about composers for the BBC will be remembered with affection by many.
His early ambition was to be a dancer by the way.
I
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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.
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It is good news that Gorsky's choreography is interesting not only to those who live in Moscow.
I would like to show for comparison my variant of the same Swan Lake male variation composed by Gorsky which is being prepared for future Moscow presentation on Gorky because 2011 marks the 140th anniversary of his birth.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zsW5dyQtn8
I've also animated the exercises from his manual on Stepanov, f.e.
sergek26
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.
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I spotted this in the Times, and thought I'd share it with all of you, since it's a generally positive review and has a photo of an exceptionally cute red-headed dancer. Here is the link.
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.
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The RDB has announced today that Nikolaj Hübbe's contract as director has been extended by a further 5 years. (His original 3-year contract expires at the end of this season.)
Press release (Danish only)
... and now in English too.
What really Good News.
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Re the SLAPS....in 1890, Petipa's "Raymonda" was a princess, not "the people's princess" -- she did NOT do a double pirouette in the Hungarian variation. Pontois is amping it up.
It's pretty clear that Petipa wanted his heroines to "display their coquetterie." it's a phrase he uses over and over. The style of Pontois is much coarser than that -- she is not gracious at all; she's commanding, impressive, sexy, challenging, borderline dominatrix -- very Nureyev. it puts me in mind of Rudi's thigh-high crocodile boots. It's wonderful in its way -- the technique is of course mighty fine. But.............
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.
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Masculine 'slaps' would not have been in keeping with the ladylike demeanor of a noblewoman. 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. Aggressive women would not have been heroines in Tsarist Russia. Gentility runs through the Court de Doris.
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.
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/
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I've always been under the impression that many changes and substitutions and bravura additions have been Soviet-born, being instituted by ether Rudy or Misha post defection. About Albrecht duality of steps during his pre-floor collapse # 2 all could add, if this is of any relevance, is that as long as Dolin was still visiting Havana and restaging and refreshing with Alonso the ballet, neither step was ever part of the section. At this point Albrecht usually gets out and keeps circling the Willis territory asking for mercy, and then dances a little in between the begging, but always in circles with a heavy load of miming until Giselle gets out to join him in the diagonal of little traveling lifts in arabesque. As long as 1980, when Alonso danced with Vladimir Vasiliev-(and Dolin again coached her)-he didn't do neither brises nor entrechats. He was coached then by Ulanova, but they decided to follow the Dolin-Markova version once again.
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.
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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
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This debate reminds me of the debate over differences in one of Albrecht's solo. I just did a little googling and discovered that a full decade ago this discussion board was debating Nureyev's entrechats sixes vs. Baryshikov's flying brises:
I guess because I've seen the tape of Baryshnikov's version so much (the 1977 Live from Lincoln Center, with Makarova, later released on VHS) that I am jolted when I see Albrecht's doing something different.
I can't find a clip of Nureyev, but here's Baryshnikov (at 2:02):
I don't think I could find the source back, but I remember an interview with Baryshnikov right after his defection when he asked if the brises were "too much," suggesting he knew he was changing the usual choreography. (Indeed, it appears not all of Albrecht's solos appeared in the original versions.)
I just found a clip of Erik Bruhn from 1969. Perhaps this is what Nureyev did? The same passage starts at about 2:20:
Rudolf Nureyev was highly influenced by Erik Bruhn and changed his variations in the second act Giselle seemingly
under Bruhn's tutelage or was it vice versa?
In this film and from memory, the first two variations are virtually identical to what Nureyev danced although I do not remember him exactly matching the 32 entrechat six of Bruhn, but Nureyev's feet, were more beautifully stretched.
The next two danced sequences were not performed in the same choreography, but the final dance sequence was.
Whitney has died...
in Other Performing & Fine Arts: Performances, Exhibits, Films, and Events
Posted
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.