cygneblanc

It's with a great sadness that I learned the death of our fellow member of this board Volkmar though a common friend . Here's a link to his obituary:

http://www.uibk.ac.at/bibhist/premstaller/

May he rest in peace !

The following dancers won permanent positions at the external competition :

Claire Gandolfi and Lydie Vareilhes. Both of them graduated from POB's school in 2007.

Are recruted as quadrilles the following POB's school's pupils of this year graduating class:

Julia Cogan, Letizia Galloni, Sophie Mayoux and Pierre-Arthur Raveaux

Congrats to them

:( What a sad news!

I hope he'll recover well. He was seriously injured for a while, but has come back strongly this year.

Otherwise, thanks a lot for your review

Some videos of the bows are on on youtube under the title : adieux Manuel Legris

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAeXity57dQ...feature=related

This one is especially moving as Noella Pontois and Monique Loudieres are on stage.

A very long and interesting interview

http://www.resmusica.com/article_6923_entr...jamin_pech.html

Wow Mark, thanks a lot, this review is just brilliant.

http://www.resmusica.com/aff_article.php3?art=6862

A long interview of Mathias Heymann

It used to be public

Well, try this one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uif5hIi7JCc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O28ykT32AWI

A video of the promotion !

http://www.kommersant.ru/dark-gallery.aspx...42&stpid=21

A few pictures. Mine are coming

Manuel Legris will guest in 15 days when he dances Charlus in Proust.

Stéphane Phavorin and Dephine Moussin were absent from the Defile, although Stéphane Phavorin was in the audience. Eleonora Abbagnato was dancing in Italy.

Laetitia Pujol hasn't danced for a while but it was for an excellent reason and not because of an injury (there wasn't any official announcement though). Mathieu Ganio's condition is more worrying since it seems that he has some chronic injuries.

I believe he danced in the Bejart's tribute.

I'll try do do something with the pictures tonight.

I have some pictures which aren't that bad, but how could I put them here ?

The last night belong now to history. Manuel Legris was the last POB’s principal still dancing who was promoted to the etoile position by Rudolf Nureev.

The performance was certainly on stage but also in the audience. A lot of etoiles were there, including Monique Loudieres, Claude Bessy, Noella Pontois and (I wondered if I had a vision) Sylvie Guillem!!! The audience also included the former prime minister Edouard Balladur and the current minister of culture Christine Albanel.

The night began by the Defile. The most applauded principals were Isabelle Ciaravola, Dorothée Gilbert and Mathias Heymann. The music couldn’t be heard anymore when they took their bows. It has to be noticed that Mathieu Ganio and Laetitia Pujol marched, so that means they will be seen on stage very soon since according to French law you can’t march if you’re injured and can’t dance otherwise.

The cast was exceptional. Lenski was danced by Mathias Heymann. It was very symbolic since he’s the youngest etoile now and the last one promoted. He usually dances with Myriam Ould Braham, who played Olga yesterday. This pair always works very well and there was no exception. Both were fresh, young and precise. Mathias Heymann is probably the biggest star of tomorrow. He’s very noble and and very musical. His partner deserves to be promoted, too.

The main pair was danced by Clairemarie Osta and Manuel Legris. Both of them were sublime, especially in the pas de deux of the last act. While I think it took them some time to get into their parts, they became better and better. The last act was really poignant. Clairemarie Osta could display all her artistic skills and showed what an exceptional artist she’s. It’s amazing how Manuel Legris can look young while being quite old for a dancer. He clearly gave everything he had and exploded near the end.

At the end, there was a 20 minutes standing ovation but I felt it was less emotional than for Elisabeth Maurin’s farewell performance.

Tons of etoiles came on stage to congratulate Manuel Legris who took some bows with them individually. I was so moved to see Noella Pontois, the idol of my childhood, on the Garnier Stage again. Monique Loudières was particularly cheered by the audience. She’s always so beautiful. I regret that Sylvie Guillem stayed in the audience. She clearly had her place on stage with her peers. Claude Bessy choose to remain in the audience, too. She was given what is known as the best seat in the balcony. Good for her, everything she did for the school and the compagny needs to be recognized. Another very moving moment was when Laurent Hilaire and Manuel Legris bowed together.

The last legend of the Nureev’area is now gone. I hope that the youngest generation will write another brilliant pages of POB’s history.

Whatever way she choose, may she find the peace. She is a lovely dancer and seems to be a very special person.

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117940103...yid=31&cs=1

Did someone see this ?

It was broadcasted yesteday on Arte and was quite interesting. While I've been really impressed by Irlan Santos, and particularly by his Neumeier's variation during the Prix de Lausanne, I wasn't at ease with Isabella Coracy because I feel she was pushed in the wrong direction.

I wonder why the teacher was pushing her so hard to go to New York for the YAGP final because from I've seen from YAGP until now, it's obvious for me that this girl couldn't reach the final round there. I hope here parents have coped since, because they had to take loans in order to have her compete in the YAGP final.

Howewer, she's doing well in contemporary (there is a video on youtube) and I hope she'll find her way because she's a beautiful danver and is obviously talented.

Not that much, but there are several of them:

Ludmilla Pagliero, Kora Dayanova, Sofia Parczen, Yannick Bittencourt, Yann Chailloux...

No, there isn't, unless you're a member of the AROP. Howewer, these tours may be given in special circumstances.

http://www.operadeparis.fr/cns11/live/onp/...dex.php?lang=fr

here are some infos for the extenal competition

http://www.lightmediation.com/blog/podcast...ruary/opera.pdf

Here's a very interesting (and in english! ) reportage of 21 pages on POB's school's backstage

No, you can't return your tickets to the box office but you can try to sell them on french-speaking ballet forums. It works rather well from what I know.

POB's schhol is currently touring Japan with Péchés de Jeunesse, Scaramouche and Yondering.

Here are some pictures:

http://www.nbs.or.jp/blog/news/contents/to...u/post-109.html

http://www.nbs.or.jp/blog/news/contents/to...u/post-107.html

Could one of our japonese reader be kind enough to say us what's the articles are saying ?

Thank you very much in advance

Etoiles (9 women, 8 men)

Isabelle Ciaravola, Emilie Cozette, Aurélie Dupont, Dorothée Gilbert, Marie-Agnès Gillot, Agnès Letestu, Delphine Moussin, Clairemarie Osta, Laëtitia Pujol

Jérémie Bélingard, Mathieu Ganio, Mathias Heymann, Manuel Legris, Nicolas Le Riche, José Martinez, Hervé Moreau, Benjamin Pech

Premiers danseurs (7 women, 7 men).

Eleonora Abbagnato, Nolwenn Daniel, Eve Grinsztajn, Mélanie Hurel, Myriam Ould Braham, Stéphanie Romberg, Muriel Zusperreguy

Yann Bridard, Stéphane Bullion, Alessio Carbone, Christophe Duquenne, Karl Paquette, Stéphane Phavorin, Emmanuel Thibault

Well, for once, I feel these promotions are deserved.

About the number of principals: there is total number, that includes principals and premiers danseurs(seuses), men and women mixed, that can't be exceeded. Within that total number, the dispatching between the categories is free. For example, we could have 1 premiere danseuse, 12 etoiles women, 1 etoiles men, and 6 men premiers danseurs (these numbers are totally fanciful!).

The news that you can be be promoted later in your career is rather good, but I wonder now about working margins of POB's new director.

And since premieres danseuses positions were distributed with so much fantasy during competitions, it means that the youngest will have to wait for a long time or to be promoted directly from sujet to etoile...

At this time, no.