dancemomCA

Very interesting topic and replies. My son attends RWB school and has received both scholarhip money and financial assistance. We have no clue as to who the patrons are, but I think he said he is required to be at certain events, "meet and greet" type of things. So it does start at a young age. Scolarship students are often under more scrutiny and can "lose" their scholarship for undesirable behaviour. However, without this type of generosity, my son wouldn't be able to study at the school.

Last year, the RWB brought their "Nutcracker" to Ottawa. Local dancers were used for the mice, etc. During the battle scene one little over-excited mice threw her rather large carrot very forcefully out towards centre stage, where it flew off the stage and bonked the first trombone player on the head. Needless to say, the AD was told to rein in the energy of those darn mice.

Hi gracey - is this a free performance??? Is this why so many people show up so early??? Or is it just to get good seats? Thanks!

B) Attended a performance last week of Compagnie Kafig, an Algerian/French group of 8 dancers, founded by Mourad Merzouki, who trained at a circus school. Also brought my 15 yr old daughter who takes hip hop classes - she had high expectations of this group. It was a one hour performance which attempted to consider where the women fit into the world of hip-hop dance and used calligraphy as the hinge or bridge between the two sexes. Calligraphy was also used in a literal sense on a large box, which in turn became a projection screen, a carousel, a big reverberating drum, a hiding spot, etc. It was very, very clever and very well choreographed with humour, beautiful fluid upper body movement during the hip hop sequences, sychronized break-dancing and very funny sharp comedic moments meshed with the music. The music was instrumental, quirky, sometimes techno, sometimes with Arabic undertones, but always with that underlying beat of street dance. This was not a night of MTV dance, it was a wonderful hour of Arabic influenced street dance, with powerful dancers who displayed incredible break-dance skills, but also fluid, lyrical moments where the suppleness of the dancers allowed them to intertwine and partner with ease. The women alternated between the "feminine" and the "masculine", so that the question of the role of women in hip hop became irrelevant. I was simply amazed at the sheer physical strength of the female dancers. The male dancers were exceptional, especially one, who had the long lean, well-muscled look of a Cirque du Soleil dancer. He was lithe, but with powerful surges of grace and very fast technical execution. All of the dancers were involved in this word and dance "play" and in essence, the calligraphy (which the dancers did change around from time to time) and the choreography which initially took part around the letters merged and became one at the end. I would also take this a step further and say that the differences between the male and female hip hop dancers was no longer a question by the end of the dance. It was definitely not the Ballet, but wow, it was an impressive hour. My daughter was completely awe-struck and said that she would go back to see them in a flash. And she did not say that of any other ballet we enjoyed this year. I know that they are on a tour, and I would highly recommend this group of young dancers.

Sigh - fundraising and dance. Solicitations come from everyone - from the National Arts Centre, even after purchasing a season's subscription, to my son's dance school where I myself had to organize a dance/silent auction to help defray his tuition costs. Ah, the irony.....

It is not showing anywhere in Ottawa, Canada yet, possibly Toronto and Montreal, as it was reviewed in our national paper, The Globe & Mail. It is based on a story written by Neve Campbell who shopped it around for years before it was picked up. It received a fairly good review in the Globe and frankly I am looking forward to seeing the movie - no script aside - so many times, the scripts just make me wince in embarrassement. From what I read, it seems that the movie will be more of a docu/fiction piece, but I won't really know more until I see it. N

Paquita - with regards to Hart's wide box on her pointe shoes - my son informed me that she has huge bunions which has made her feet mishapen. Her feet do look very boxy - not the usual tapered look of most dancers. Her "dying swan" was quite amazing - her ability to finely and minutely control her arms and upper body is a continuous source of wonder to me. She literally took on this birdlike persona - it gave me shivers!!

Last week attended a performance in Ottawa Canada, with Evelyn Hart, Principal with RWB and "friends", who included Rex Harrington of NBC, Arionel Vargas, RWB and vocalist, Anne Mortifee. It was a mixed bill of song, orchestra and dance. The National Arts Centre orchestra was on stage for the evening with the dance happening in front of the musicians. I found this staging unsettling at first, as I am used to watching dance in front of a set or on an empty stage. Ms. Hart did comment in a newspaper article that she loved having the musicians on stage as she felt completely surrounded by the music. As the evening progessed, my initial feelings abated somewhat as I became lost in the dance. I won't comment on the vocalist - not my style. Hart and Vargas performed the "White Swan" pas de deux first - she is ethereal with her upper body, so lyrical, so beautiful, but so, so thin. I find that her skinny, knobby knees really do take away something from her classical line. Vargas partnered well and showed her off brilliantly. He is Cuban trained and possesses a clean technique, with fearless jumps and turns. I still find him a bit remote, good technician, but lacking in emotion in this piece - mind you, he didn't really have much to do. The second piece was from "Lady of the Camellias", Act I, "The Romance", music by Chopin. Hart dances the part of a courtesan who spurns the advances of her escort, danced by Harrington. Harrington is still amazing and is the most effortless, attentive partner. He never seems to get "set" for any lift or any turn, one move flows into the other. He and Hart, both in their 40's, brought a wonderful sense of longing and tenderness to this dance - it is no wonder that she calls him her "soul mate". My favourite piece of the evening was "Belong" the pas de deux from "What to do Till the Messiah Comes" by Norbert Versak. "Belong" was awarded a gold medal in Varna in 1980 for dancer, choreography and pianist. It was definitely the most powerful, evocative work of the evening. The dancers, dressed in pale purple unitards, started face down on the floor and worked themselves up with entertwined limbs and arms, then fluid lifts. Both Hart and Vargas were sensual creatures, sliding along each other on the floor at one point, joining together, then splitting apart. This theme of togetherness, then solitude, was underscored by the fluid, expressive and often unexpected steps of the dancers. This piece left me breathless and wanting more. Hart finished with "The Dying Swan" - I found myself still tied up in "Belong" to probably properly appreciate her performance. All in all, it was a great evening, especially to see Harrington dance in his last season before retirement.

In Canada, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet will be performing "Carmina Burana" in March 04, choreography by Argentinean, Maurico Wainrot. It is a 55 minute piece with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchesta and singers. More info at www.rwb.org. It is on a mixed-bill with Nina Menon's "La Soif". In 2002, Carmina/La Soif set the highest attendance to date for the company's mixed bill performances.

Sigh - the performance is not coming to Ottawa. Too bad.

:rolleyes: Boy - this thread has taken off - great to see so much discussion about skaters. Funny Face - when you refer to Browning, were you refering to Kurt Browning, Canadian male skater? If so, I heartily agree with you - he is absolutely amazing to watch and can do so much with a song and/or music. He was performing in a 4 country competition on the weekend as well. Don't know if anyone else saw it - the skating was fabulous, at least from the pairs side. Canada just edged out Russia - it was a pro event I think.

Yes, it was nice to see Sandhu finally overcome his nerves and skate a good solid program. No other Canadian male skater can meet his artistic ability. But the depth of the men is an encouraging sign - for the past few years, it has been slim pickings. But this year, wow - many good solid young male skaters in Canada. As for Jennifer Robinson, IMO, it is time for her to retire. She has not progressed at all in the past few years - I do not find her an inspiring skater. I still think that Kwan is over-rated, transcendent or not, and am waiting for Cohen and Jenny Kirk to mature. When that happens, these two gifted skaters will "connnect" with the audience too - I think Cohen did cast a spell until she fell, but until that point, she was the "swan".

NB will be techncially sound, with strong female corps. I was not overly impressed with male corps in Swan Lake last year, Guilliame Cote was strong and theatrical. Heather Ogden didn't sell the entire package, she has lovely technique, but young and I think will be a stronger emotional actor with maturity. Do you know the cast for that evening's performance? Is Rex Harrington dancing that night? He will be one to watch even though he is dancing in his final professional year. I still get chills watching him. There was an article in weekends' Globe and Mail about his upcoming retirement. Very sad to read of the disentegration of his family and the fact that he has almost no contact with any of his family since a student at the NBS. This is somewhat off topic, but I am hoping to see Onegin in Ottawa. Please post your ballet thoughts following the performance!

From the hinterland of Canada's national capital city, I will be taking in Royal Winnipeg, Magic Flute in January and their Nutcracker next month. In the new year I plan to see Bill T. Jones - has anyone seen his dance? I'm also taking my teenage daughter to Compagnie Kafig - a group of French Algerian dancers, who bring traditional culture/choreography to hip hop. This new work claims to questions social roles and womens' place in hip hop. Lots to be said there. They also mention mime and capoeria, which I've never come across before - can anyone clue me in on this style/movement? (If that is what it is.) And, maybe get down to Toronto to see National Ballet of Canada. Cheers!

I'm going to see the Royal Winnipeg's Nutcracker, set in the Canadian prairies in 1913, complete with a hockey game, snowball fight, Mounties (I think). There is mice, snowflakes and the Sugar Plum Fairy, et al, too- so the traditionalists should still be satisfied. First time for this company - should be a truly Canadian experience!!! Plus, I have promised to take out one of the "Snowflakes" after her performance. Cheers!

I did see the piece on the CBC news, with Godden running around changing choreography right up until the last minute. I think he really stretched some of the dancers' thought process/technical ability - they commented on the fact that he/they didn't really have a name of any of his moves. One female said that it is more comfortable for them to be working in classical ballet terms where they are familiar with the terms of dance reference. Then Godden strained his calf muscle and wasn't able to demonstrate physically what he wanted the dancers to do, so that also contributed to delays. Hence your comment tutu14 on the fact that it is more of a contemporary piece than classical ballet. However, at the end of opening night, that same female dancer was very happy with herself and the fact that it all finally "came together" on stage. I know my son loved it when they all attended the two shows. He also commented on the crazy costumes, but then again, costuming is his second love and Johnny Wright is his hero!! I'll be seeing it in Ottawa in January and plan to see the RWB Nutcracker in December. N

:rolleyes: I saw BC Ballet's production of "Orpheus" this week in Ottawa. It was very moving - the female principal, Emily Molnar, is tall and powerful - wonderful energy on stage. Can't write much more at this time. I will write more thoughts tomorrow. But, if you get a chance to see it, I highly recommend the ballet.

Very timely - I am going to see the performance next week in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. HMMM... After reading Paul's review, I don't know who to take with me. My daughter (tap and hip hop) will probably find the seven rhythm jarring. Dancing son is training out of town, but I know that with his dance sensibilities he would definitely enjoy this show.

This review is a bit late - my son, a dancer, and I took in the March 15th performance in Ottawa with Cote/Ogden in the lead roles. I was curious to get my son's reaction to Act I with the male ensemble, as his comment is usually that men never receive enough stage time. Well, he wasn't overly impressed with Kudelka's choreography, called it boring and repetitive and also noticed very early on that the men were not in synch. There was one dancer in the back corner who was always a touch behind - very annoying and distracting. The men came out flat in the first few minutes (tired?) - I kept waiting for them to "get into the dance". Stephanie Hutchinson was a feisty wench, providing welcome energy into Act I. The final scene didn't bother me, and my son, at 13, didn't realize what was taking place in the corner until I told him. His question was "why?". What was the point of the rape? I found Ogden removed from her Odette role, she danced a far better Odile - technically she is wonderful, but she is missing emotive expression and contact with the audience. However, their pas de deuxs were excellent, especially as Odile and one of the highlights of the performance. And I agree with a previous poster about Rothbart's tiedyed hippie creation - I mean, what was that? Not very evil looking, and those weird head pieces - way over the top. They looked so heavy and cumbersome. The Queen's long, long train also got caught on the wooden rampert and pulled her to a sudden stop while mounting the stairs. A lady-in-waiting saved the day and calmly lifted up the train and they regally carried on! My son thought that the female corps carried the performance, he said he got shivers watching their ensemble performances and was very impressed with their technique. So let's hear it for the often overlooked corps. The ending I found a bit confusing and depressing. As I write this I still have mixed feelings about this "Swan Lake", the dancing was superb in most places, I found the set beautiful in its bleakness and I thoroughly enjoyed Cote and the corps. There you have it from Ottawa.

My son and I are going to "Swan Lake" this evening in Ottawa. I haven't read the local reviews (don't want to) and I don't know who is dancing the leads. I want to be surprised. I am also curious to get the opinion and reaction from my 13 year old ballet dancer son with regards to the male dominated Act 1. He personally feels that men don't get enough on-stage time in classical ballets. So we'll see....

Hello everyone: My son and I have tickets to Kudelka's "Swan Lake" in a few weeks. Has anyone seen this National Ballet of Canada production? I have read a few reviews and I am looking for other opinions from ballet people!! Thanks.