Alexandra

A review of Alexei Ratmansky's "Giselle" by Alexandra Tomalonis.

Thank you for letting us know, RG. Sad news indeed. Don was very important as a writer and editor for such a long time.

Marat Daukayev taught at KAB for awhile, and was very loved. He's an excellent teacher and a very kind man. This post has been up for awhile, and I haven't heard any follow up news, but I hope things will work out for them.

Very sad news. He was known as a great teacher, indeed, and influenced so many dancers.

I'm so glad to read this! Thanks for posting this, maps. Here's a link to a piece I wrote about Ratmansky's Harlequinade: Ratmansky's Harlequinade

Thanks for that, Imspear. I think not that many people are familiar with "Harlequinade," which often makes for box office problems in DC.

"Harlequinade" will play the Kennedy Center this week. Here are a few links to articles and reviews on danceviewtimes about the ballet that opened in New York last spring. Petipa Laughs "Alexei Ratmansky's Harlequinade" January 22, 2018 by Mary Cargill City Center's Studio 5 presentations, like the Guggenheim's Works & Process series, offer glimpses into the creative process, but the City Center's are held in a working studio, with the audience forming a U-shape around the speakers, which gives a casual, immediate air to the presentations. The most recent featured the Russian choreographer Alexei Ratmansky and ABT Director Kevin McKenzie discussing the upcoming production of Ratmansky's reconstruction of Marius Petipa's 1900 two act comedy "Harlequinade",which was based on the traditional commedia dell'arte characters. It tells the story of Columbine, a young girl who defies her father's choice of a rich suitor in favor of a poor but charming young man, Harlequin, who in this case, happens to end up with money too. https://www.danceviewtimes.com/2018/01/petipa-laughs.html Look Back in Joy "Harlequinade" American Ballet Theatre June 4, 2018 by Mary Cargill "Harlequinade" is a cornucopia of dance styles, with extensive mime, broad physical comedy, folk dances, demi-caractère frolicking, and a radiant abstract ballet, another of Petipa's hymns to female beauty. The story is taken care of in Act I, with a wedding (always a good excuse for dancing) in Act II. James Whiteside, the rogue Harlequin with his iconic diamond patterned tights, was in love with Isabella Boylston's Columbine, who was guarded, completely ineptly by Thomas Forster's lazy Pierrot and helped by Gillian Murphy's Pierrette, Pierrot's sprightly wife. https://www.danceviewtimes.com/2018/06/look-back-in-joy.html Hop To It "Harlequinade" June 5, 2018 by Mary Cargill The Petipa/ Ratmansky soufflé "Harlequinade" has many ingredients, chief among them the older terre à terre style, with its sharp, fast footwork; making lace with their feet is a frequent description of those Imperial ballerinas. Columbine, the heroine of the comic ballet, has choreography packed with these terre à terre moves, as she hops almost continually -- slow hops, fast hops, backwards, forwards, in circles, even little jumps behind the back of the kneeling Harlequin. Those Imperial dancers had ankles of steel. Despite one slight slip, Sarah Lane, the second night Columbine, was a very fine lacemaker, especially in her second act solo where she had series of slow hops on point with rond de jambes, pausing for arabesques, as her upper body opened easily outward, signaling her complete happiness. https://www.danceviewtimes.com/2018/06/hop-to-it.html A New, Young Cast Delights in "Harlequinade" June 4, 2018 by Gay Morris American Ballet Theatre is offering four casts in eight performances of Alexei Ratmansky’s reconstruction of Marius Petipa’s “Harlequinade” this week at the Metropolitan Opera House. The cast I saw was particularly interesting because nearly all the major roles were taken by dancers from the company’s lower ranks. This gave them a chance to prove themselves, and they more than met the challenge. Harlequin was portrayed by corps de ballet member, Gabe Stone Shayer, while his love, Columbine was soloist Cassandra Trenary, and Pierrot was soloist Blaine Hoven. The only principal dancer in the cast was Christine Shevchenko as Pierrot’s wife, Pierrette. https://www.danceviewtimes.com/2018/06/a-new-young-cast-delights-in-harlequinade.html

Thanks for the question, Drew. I really can't say. I haven't been over there since 2000. (I spent a lot of time in Copenhagen in the '90s, but after I finished my biography of Kronstam I stopped going.) I'm only in touch with a few people -- very knowledgeable and devoted balletomanes -- and when the new "Napoli" first came out I was surprised to learn that they liked it. "It's so good to see something new," as one put it. Hubbe's "Folk Tale" was really loved, I was told. I've been told, and have read, that many Danish ballet fans have been sick of "Bournonville" for some time now, and resent him for being "cute and charming". We do have some Danish readers of this forum, and a few regular visitors to the company, and I'd love to know what they think.

About the current Festival, with a special word about "Etudes." NOTE: The article is in Danish BUT if you scroll down, you'll find an English version. HÜBBE’S COMPANY

Looking at this thread, I'm not sure! Thanks for your post, Drew. I've seen a Bournonville influence as well, or perhaps they both share a vision of dance. The "Bournonville generalists" were 3 or 4 people in the early 90s who touted Bournonville and probably did love him, but whose productions were.....lacking in life. The generation before them (Hans Brenaa in everything; Kirsten Ralov, the mistress of Bournonville style and director of several productions; and Henning Kronstam's "La Sylphide" and Act 1, at least, of "Napoli") flowered with Kronstam's 1979 Bournonville Festival. I haven't seen the company in awhile, so I can't say whether Hubbe's approach to Bournonville is fair. He's certainly not scheduling much of it, though. Others who've seen the company recently?

For some interesting answers to that question, here's Eva Kistrup's interview with Danish dance critic Alexander Meinertz: Is Bournonville still alive?

Jane, did you see it?

I noticed this morning that when I searched for "ballet performance DVDs" nearly every one that came up on the list said to hurry, only 1 in stock, or 5 in stock, etc. There were very few "More on the way" notices. Has anyone else noticed this, or read/heard that Amazon is no longer going to sell ballet DVDs?

MALCOLM McCORMICK, DANCER, COSTUME DESIGNER, DANCE HISTORIAN DIES AT 90 We just posted an obituary for Malcolm McCormick, noted costume designer and dance historian, on the DanceView blog here: http://danceviewtimes.typepad.com/danceview/

Here's the link to the NYTimes article: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/01/arts/dance/peter-martins-resigns-ballet.html