cygneblanc

Here are some explanations, it doesn't mean I agree with them!

Well, the politics followed for the annual performances of the school is that the oldest students are those who must dance the more, I mean the first, second and third divisions. The youngest students were happy to be a part of the performance this year, it is something we're seing only every 6 or 7 years.

They aren't dancing a lot : they aren't given a lot of consideration because as in the ballet, the hierarchy is very present in the school. You have to pay your duties for performing. And the goal of these performances isn't to have every pupil in them, for that there is the Christmas performance for parents, but to show the very best of the school. And you will notice that each year the same students are the main parts of all the works featured in the performances, and very often these kids are the ones admitted in the corps in june...

Well,

I also saw tonight performance, and you said everything!

I noticed Aubane Philbert's smile, and was impressed with M.A. Casinelli technical backgrounds, she's only 15 ! Some of the kids looked tired !

The girl who fell had a bad look (I was sitting in the first row) after her fall, I hope she's OK.

I noticed a lack of polish in Peches de Jeunesse, the legs of some girls weren't extended enough to my mind.

I didn't like Jeu de Cartes a lot, although the kids seemed to have fun,and played it well.

Mouvements was a very nice moment, I liked it !

Su-Lian only Miss Bessy is deciding who is dancing. What I find cruel here is that some of the kids of the lowest classes didn't perform in Mouvements, and only Miss Bessy knows why. And yes, I can say it's hard for those who aren't dancing because when kids choosen for performing are rehearsing the others are doing homework.. Some kids are injured, and that's why they didn't dance, especially Amandine Albisson, but for the others...I hope next year everyone will dance in Concerto en Ré.

I got an explanation from my goddaughter, who's a pupil of the school, about Mouvements:

According to her, it is because of the outfits: there are more kids now in the school than at the creation of the ballet, so there were not enough costumes for everyone...That's why some of the kids didn't dance...

Sulian, we were posting at the same time

Balletstar811, not every single dancer pictured has brown hair. Principal Elisabeth Maurin is blonde as well soloist Eleonora Abbagnato. And only principals and soloists are pictured, not the corps de ballet, and there are a lot of blonde dancers in it, Severine Westermann and Emilie Hasboun eg

Both P.O.B. classes and POB school classes are closed to visitors. The pupils of the school are demonstrating some classes on the Garnier stage two times per year, and you have to pay about $20 to watch them.

The Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique et de danse de Paris (France's best school after the POB in the hierarchy of schools) has some "open days" a week end per yeayr and there you can watch students taking their classes in the studios, (not on stage as at the POB school), and it's free !

Dominique Khalfouni is now teaching in Paris at the A.I.D. And her daughter, Marine, 13, is a pupil of the P.O.B. school in the third division and I have to say she's a very promising young dancer...

I just saw this documentary on the french TV channel Arte. It is short (about 60 minutes), but the dancing is very interesting. Among the works featured, there are Anna Karenine, the Swan Lake, the Death of the Swan, The Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, Carmen , and the Bolero. She has some mesmerizing arms!!!The talking is less interesting, because what she is saying is in her book:p . But just for the dance, yoy have to see it if you can !

Estelle, I think the soloists were Delphile Baey, maybe Gilles Portes and another female dancer with a japonese name, but I don't remember it.

I agree with you about Pietra and the "star system". Well, I went to see the performance in Versailles mainly to see her, so I mean I have to keep my mouth shut

Su-Lian, the ballet of Marseilles will perform in Poissy le sacre du printemps (but I don't which one, maybe the Maryse Delente's version ?) on may 16 and in Meudon on May 13 (Ni Dieu ni maître, Pietra's new creation)

I got to see the Ballet National de Marseilles at the Opera Royal Versailles. THis theater is wonderful and very beautiful, full of history! I like it here !

I didn't know what to expect, besides Marie-Claude Pietragalla, of course ! It was a very enjoyable event , except I wasn't, (and I'm not now !) able to put names on the faces of the dancers, except for some known ones. I noticed Benjamine Dupont, Aurelie Dupont's sister. They're looking very similar. I also saw former POB dancer Delphine Baey, now a soloist of that compagny, and MYlène Martel, I think. She won the prix Carpeaux in Valenciennes, France during the 1990 years, if I remember well.

Overall, the level of the compagny is very good, but no one is equaling the level of "Pietra", as she likes being called. She is just mesmerizing, and I find that a little embarassing for the others dancers (which are very good, but..). She's filling up the stage, and is like a light on it, really a "star", especially in the second piece of the performance, Forsythe's Approximata Sonata. Her partner, Julien Derrouault, was good also, but less than her. I think she was in a stellar night ! There were three others pairs of soloists whose I don't remeber names, sorry! But they danced very well!

The first part of the performance was Balanchine's Cappricio. Good dancers, good executions, but without Pietra it was different from the others pieces, and I was under the impression that something (or someone ?) was missing. Maybe they should try to engage one or two stars, or at least someone whose level can equal Pietra's one ? I think one of the major problem of this compagny is they have a lot of good dancers, but no stars, or great personalities, besides Pietra.

The last piece was a choregraphy of Marie-Claude Pietragalla called Fleurs d'Automne, on some very nice irish/ celtic musics.

I liked it very much, that was my favorite part of the performance. The music is fast, and so is the choregraphy, with a lot of moves very well linked together; The dancers are looking very happy, and are smiling a lot, showing a real joy of dancing. You want to dance with them. And once more time, Pietra was wonderful !!!

It was a great event, slightly different from what I usually see at the POB but it was nice to see something else. IF you can see them, go !

The 2003-2004 POB season is now online

Go to www.Opera-de-paris.fr (One can't put a direct link).

We are going to see a Balanchine night, a Robbins/ Balanchine's one, Giselle, La Sylphide, Ivan le Terrible (I don't know the translation!) , Signes (C.Carlson), A tribute to Claude Bessy, a creation by David Bombana, Don Quixote, and CLavigo , (I'm enough with that piece !!! ), and some other things I don't remember:(

Estelle, this show is on France 3. I've been watching for the first time this week, and I don't think I will watch it again ! It''s beginning at 20.25 and ending at 20 .55

The show featured his father on monday. Yes, Mr Dupont said he had met him for the first time when he was 36 or 38 (I wasn't listening very carefully !). But his father was there only during 1 mn 30, and he cried, so he only said that Patrick had been a child born from some love between him and his mother (how would you translate "enfant de l'amour "?)

For his singing show, I don't know. I saw it when it was played for the first time (they had a very reduced price for students ) and wasn't convinced by Patrick Dupont's singing. Dancing well is one thing, singing well is an another matter ;)

And thanks for correcting the spelling

My favorite Giselle has been my favorite Noëlla Pontois. She was my second one. My first one (I was six) was Claude de Vulpian, and I remember I wasn't too impressed with her . My parents took me to see the cast she was dancing in because at that time like a lot of little girls I was a very big fan of Patrick Dupont who was her Albrecht that afternoon and I saw only him !

But since my parents wanted to see Nureev, we came back again and Nureev was dancing with Melle Pontois and for me it was a revealation ! She was just Giselle, and I remember during the mad scene I believed she had really became mad ! Her daughter Miteki also said once in an interview she had been under that impression the first time she saw her into the mad scene.

Today, I can still see her in Giselle.

And my favorite Giselle in the POB now is Elisabeth Maurin, who is very much into the character, she can make you cry when she's dancing it. You aren't under the impression she's playing someone (I saw Sylvie Guillem in Giselle, and tought she was playing too much, and wasn't really into Giselle), she's Giselle !

This week Patrik Dupont is featured on a TV show called "The fabulous destiny of ...". Unfortanely, he ins't dancing at all ! :rolleyes: Since Monday, we got to see his parents, Max Bozzoni and his wife. Nothing too interesting. But today, it was fun, because Jean-Marie Didière and Monique Loudières sang together a song whose title is "Mon frère" (my brother), and well they're better with the dance than with the singing ! But at least I think everyone, including them, had a good laugh ! They said that Patrik Dupont would going to help Monique Loudières with her school in Cannes, and that Patrik Dupont 's show about Paris was going to be on a world tour until june 2004.

My favorite female dancers are Noëlla Pontois, Monique Loudières and Elisabeth Maurin, but I also like Elisabeth Platel, Karin Averty, Claire-Marie Osta, Marie-Agnès Gillot, Agnes Letestu, Marie- Claude Pietragalla and Sylvie Guillem.

That's a lot, I know But each of them has her own qualities ! If I have to choose only a one, it will be Noëlla Pontois, because she was my favorite when I was a kid !

Susanne, here are some infos about the american skaters:

Ladies : Michelle Kwan was not invited by the USFSA as well Sasha Cohen because they qualified for the GP final (by the way, MK choose not go to that one !). Sarah Hughes declined because of a lack of training, and Jennyfer Kirk is injured.

Men : Michael Weiss declined; The explanation of his coach is that "he needs to work on triple axels !

Tim Goebel has been injured almost all the season, his showing at US nationals wasn't very good (missed all of his quads !) and he choose, reasonablely, I think, to stay at home.

The pairs and dance teams went.

Jeannie, we saw the freedance and exhibitions on Eurosport, but a broadcast is scheduled on the french TV for the next week.

Bourne/Kraatz were good, , they 're trying to have a russian look (very dramatic), but I won't tell that they are going to win world. By the way, they got several 6 ( a little generous to my mind). Belbin/Agosto 's Elvis FD is good and fun to watch, but 5'9 are too much. Lang/Tchernychev were disapointing (skated to a song of the Scorpions). Their FD is not very interesting and they were far from flawess.

Jeannie,

I'm so jealous ! I would hate to have to choose between the skating and the ballet !

I know Sarah Hughes attended a Kirov performance when she competed at the Cup of Russia. Angela Nikodinov got to see a one, but it was during some vacations with her late coach (you can watch some pictures of that trip on her ofiicial website). I hope that some of the skaters will go, but I'm a little sceptical about that.

I saw Sasha Cohen at the Lalique TRophy and I like her SP a lot (fall on double axel that day). If she can finally skate cleanly, I guess she will very hard to beat.

At the POB school, girls aren't allowed to be on pointe until they're on the "5th division", and they have to be at least 11 years old. Theoriticaly, you are eligible to be on that class at 10, if you had your tryout at 8. But they have as a policy to keep these girls two years in the "6th division", so they won't be on pointe until they're 11 !

Well, once my godmother had the idea to bring her 3 years old daughter (who's also my godaughter ! ) to the annual performance of my ballet school in the Salle Pleyel. MY dad was a little sceptical about that idea, but the girl surprised everyone. I was told she stayed quiet during all the performance, and looked mesmerized by the ballet. After seing it she decided she had to become a principal, and is now a pupil of the POB school !

I think a well brought up kid can attend a ballet performance very young, if he's provided with some instructions about manners (not speaking during the performance !) and the story of the balllet, before the beginning ( and not durind the actual performance !) . I saw my very first POB performance when I was four, and I knew if I wouldn't stay calm then I wouln't be allowed to go again ! But I will restrain that view: I'm not sure it would a good idea to bring a kid seing the modern version of Giselle by Mats Ek eg.

Estelle, didn't he perform recently in one of the Noureev's Tribute or somewhere else ? I think I have read (but I may be wrong) in one of his interview he had performed in some contempories works, maybe in Rennes ?

I voted for others : it is not related to a specific piece, but rather to the programmation of the POB related to the french choregraphers; each year we have a Roland Petit or a Maurice Béjard program and I'm tired of that. I want a Lifar program

Well, Estelle,

you pointed something interesting when you wrote about Laurent Hilaire' supervising the rehearsals: we have to note that in the story " A l 'école des Etoiles " (At the School of The Principals") we saw on TV during the holidays, they only introducted him as a 'Chargé de répétition" (in charge of the rehearsals) and not as a principal, although he 's still a one, and all the others principals were introducted as principals !

Well, Naoko, I don't think Laurent Hilaire will take part in the entire run of the Bejard's pro. There always are several casts for each run. If you absolutely want to see him, to my mind, you'll have to wait until the cast is published on the POB's site, otherwise, I'm afraid you'll be disapointed

I think he may dance Manon with Sylvie Guillem at the POB in june (I read somewhere, but I don't remember where, that Melle Guillem is coming to dance Manon at the POB this year. Maybe on her official website ?)

We have to remember that Laurent Hilaire has been a principal for a long time, and he's not twenty years old anymore. The last years he has been injured several times so now he is restraining both his schedule and repertory, because he's concerned with his health.

Good luck!

This evening on TV we got to see a short story about Jewels, featuring Agnes Letestu and José Martinez. The good news is you can watch it ! Go to www.france2.fr. Then click on "journal de 20 heures" (8PM news) : this is the third picture from your left.

Then click on the day : 8/02/03 and the video of the 8 PM news will be played. This story is the last one; the previous one is about a movie with Leonardo Dicaprio. I hope it will help you to find it, so you won't have to watch the whole emission:D

Thank you very much for the explanation Dirac !

This may be a little of the subject, Alexandra, but if someone can respond me, it will be helpful for me. Why are you speaking of the Dark Ages instead of the Middle Ages ? When you're refering to that expression, are you speaking of the whole period of the Middle Ages or just about the 10th, 11th and 12 th centuries ?

Thank you very much in advance