Rosalie

If you don't understand why it's critical, you don't understand. It's a master of taste instead of "points". It's purely personal.

I hope every balletomane enjoy his/her own favorites, and will have many more cherished ballet going experiences to come. I'll rest my case.

10 minutes ago, Mashinka said:

Rosalie, I suspect you are far from alone with that view.

Yes, Mashinka! I know I am far from alone. I think it's not an issue to "discuss". People who get it, get it immediately. People who don't, won't get it even if I explain it in the best way possible.

On 3/12/2018 at 5:02 PM, mnacenani said:

Dear Buddy imho with her pdd performance in MN Dream last night Aksana Skorik put the naysayers on and off this forum to shame ...... Russianballetvideos do you copy ???  I'll stop there so as not to become more unpopular !

I am happy for you that you enjoyed the gala and Ms Skorik's performance. However, there's no shame for being a naysayer of Skorik. People with different tastes and standards go to ballet for different reasons. 

As for me, Mariinsky is not just one "prestigious" ballet company in the world. It is Mariinsky. It hurts me to see Skorik dancing on its stage as a principal. But I won't press my opinions on anyone else.

I suspect whoever responsible to casting in POB has some misunderstanding on the story and its spirit. 

6 hours ago, nanushka said:

 

Not to mention that expecting Marcelo Gomes to better personify one's ideal image of a Russian-trained ballerina is....well, kinda bizarre.

My comments on Marcelo Gomes casting were intended to be sarcastic, despite my tremendous respect towards him. What I meant to say was that the NYCB ballerinas were not more of Swan Queen materials than Marcelo Gomes was. You see, there's no fun to say everything explicitly.

5 hours ago, abatt said:

Of course NYCB dancers are not going to look like Vaganova trained Mariinsky dancers.  Similarly, Mariinsky dancers generally do not perform Balanchine very well in comparison to NYCB dancers.  If you're expecting Vaganova style, why would you even consider going to an NYCB performance, much less a performance of Swan Lake at NYCB?

The same reason some people in this forum went to the Jewels this past summer, ended up complaining about Emeralds performed by POB, I assume?

All right, my above remark was sarcastic. But a die hard Russian ballet fan has every right to attend and may also enjoy non-Russian school ballet (and Russian schooling is much more than Vaganova training). I mentioned my preference only because the NYCB production, no matter how the company has claimed, is mostly based on Petipa's choreography, a representative of Russian school ballet. Ballerinas from other schoolings with a different style, however, may still be a bona fide Petipa Swan Queen interpreter, as long as they understand Petipa's intention and display certain specific qualities under his intention. For example, Margot Fonteyn and Elisabeth Platel are two Swan Queens I utterly appreciate. Of course, Swan Lake is repeatedly subject to all kinds of deconstruction, some of which I find insanely interesting and enjoyable. But it's another topic since this is not the case with the current NYCB production. It is merely a cash cow taking advantage of Patipa. The choreography was altered for practical reasons instead of aesthetic ones. 

In addition, people go to events they don't really enjoy all the time. You may go to a movie because your spouse like it. You may go to a football game just to socialize with your colleagues. You may go to a random event when you feel bored. You may even go to a live performance because you have heard it is a train wrack and you are curious how bad it could get. Anyway, I may spend my honest money on any performance and I am entitled to dislike it. It is indeed unreasonable to assume people only go to performances they are likely to enjoy. 

I don't owe anyone a reason to go to a performance of Swan Lake at NYCB, but I'm writing it here now. I would like to give Ms Peck and Ms Fairchild some benefit of doubt before I saw their performances. They could have been another Margot Fonteyn or Elisabeth Platel, or to a lesser extent, Tamara Rojo or Gillian Murphy. 

As it's rude and vulgar to laugh at a foreigner for his/her accent when he/she speaks English, I,  a long-term balletomane devoted to Russian school and a die hard Petipa fan, would like to spare my comments on Ms Fairchild's and Ms Peck's debuts. 

Chapeau to Ms Martins for his attempt to break stereotypes when making casting decisions this season. His choices are obviously embraced by the audience. It might be too much to ask for but I wish I could see Marcelo Gomes dancing Odette and Odile one day. He has beautiful lyrical quality for Odette and unbelievable sexual appeal for Odile. He has no problem killing the 32 fouettes. And he is the hell of an actor, one of the best tragedians I've ever seen on a ballet stage. 

On 7/21/2017 at 3:53 AM, Gnossie said:

 

 

Ganio is the company's superstar, he's the senior male Étoile of the company but he's not the oldest, this is because he was promoted when he was only 20. IMO he's the best classical dancer in the world, and the only one in the company that does represent the French tradition, he has a sensibility that makes his mentor Monsieur Legris look deadpans. 

This is one of his signature roles.

 

Pujol - as others have already posted, her Emeralds was recorded, she's a very beautiful lyrical dancer with the maturity you can expect of a dancer in the verge of retirement, her technique is poor now but not too poor.
This is HER signature role. 

 

Ould-Braham: the best female Étoile in the company, a dancer as lyrical as it gets and by this I mean she is THE Sylphide, imagine a Sylphide dressed in green and now you know how he performance will be like, she's amazing BUT she usually messes up, a wrong foot here and there, very frustrating but she's amazing.
This is one of her best roles.

 

Heymann: elevation and petit allegro are his thing but he remains a very classical prince, he's very very musical too. He's paired with Ould-Braham, they're the only true partnership in the company.
He was born to dance Emeralds. 

 

Gilbert: stiff, unmusical ugly dancer, I'm so sorry for the ones seeing her, she does NOT represent the French tradition AT ALL. She is debuting in the role, once again: I'm SO sorry for y'all. 

 

Marchand: recently promoted thanks to a pretty face, he's elegant and has presence but his technique is mediocre to say the least, has no artistry and what disturbs me the most: he has the upper body of a swimmer, I can't I can't and I can't, basically he's the male version of Gilbert but without being ugly. Doesn't represent the French tradition at all neither. Also debuting in the role.

 

Louvet and Baulac: same as Marchand but in Louvet's case he doesn't have a pretty face to distract the audience, his hypertextension is worrying to say the least. Baulac is as pretty as it gets and more mediocre than Copeland. These two don't represent the French tradition either. They are debuting in Emeralds.

Park and O'Neil are outsiders. I won't say more about those two, I don't wanna have a stroke.

 

Alu: the company's only born show man, should be a principal but never will be, but anyway he's not dancing in NYC because he's injured. Fabien Revillion is his replacement in the pdt, he's ok.

 

Moreau: OK dancer, pretty to look at,  that's about it.
Colasante: mediocre dancer.

 

In conclusion: The 23 July performace is the one to attend, it has  Ganio/Pujol - Ould-Braham/Heymann in Emeralds and Krysanova/LOPATIN in rubies!!! 

 

Your comments on those POB dancers are INSANELY interesting to read! I appreciate your insights deeply, and agree with around 70% of your points. Thank you so much!

If you are still following the thread, I'd be very grateful if you care to comment on any of the "big names" below. 

Sylvie Guillem

Isabelle Guérin

Laurent Hilaire

Manuel Legris

Élisabeth Platel

Charles Jude

Agnès Letestu

José Martinez

Monique Loudières

Aurélie Dupont

Nicolas Le Riche

Isabelle Ciaravola

Marie-Agnès Gillot