Reinhard

Hi Jasper, a couple of weeks ago I had the chance to attend a public rehearsal for Giselle. Alicia Amatriain and Friedemann Vogel rehearsed with Valentina Savina. It was very impressive. Alicia and Friedemann are the youngest principals in Stuttgart and both look quite fragile if you can say this for a man. Both are very good actors too and espc. Friedemann with his elegant moves is a real prince. So i am quite sure, these two will definitely dance Giselle. I am also quite sure that there will be a B and C cast because many performances are listed on the plan.

Reid Andersons and Valentina Savinas Giselle back on stage in Stuttgart. Reid Anderson invites to a 'Dance in progress by Giselle' on February 5th in the Opera-house to a workshop with him and solists of the Stuttgart Ballet.

Here is a review on Endstation Sehnsucht from one of the Stuttgart newspapers. I am sorry but it is in German. It is a bit long for a translation into English. http://www.tanznetz.de/kritiken/kritiken.p...d=431&tid=20629 If anybody is really interested in the English version please ask but it will need some time for translation.

Stuttgart, do you know why Sue Jin Kang has not got to dance the role of Blanche? John Neumeier said in an interview that he wanted a mature dancer because Endstation Sehnsucht was one of the very few of his ballets which was done for a special person (Marcia Haydee). Sure, Alessandra Ferri is fantastic but i had expected Sue Jin Kang at least in the B-cast. Sue Jin Kang is a wonderful dancer/actor and has danced all the big dramatic roles with Stuttgart Ballet.

Happy New Year to all the friends of Stuttgart Ballet. Happy New Year espc. to all the wonderful dancers of this great company. A warm welcome to Maria Eichwald who joins the company today coming from Munich-Ballet. I wish everybody Joy and Peace, Happiness and Lots of Love for this New Year.

Hello Stuttgart, hello Elizabeth... will you also be dancing in Endstation Sehnsucht?

There are no additional cast infos for Endstation Sehnsucht out yet. Actually there are no cast infos out at all. Alessandra Ferri as Blanche seems to be the only name announced yet. Sue Jin Kang said in an interview that the role of Blanche du Bois would be the only role of the Stuttgart repertoire she has not danced yet and that she sees this role as a big challenge. Since I love her dancing-acting very much I hope we will find her name in the cast list. I have not heard about Maria Eichwald in this ballet.

John Neumeier's Ballet in two acts will be back on stage on January 10th. On January 4th Reid Anderson and John Neumeier invite to a ballet-talk about this ballet. It was choreographed for the Stuttgart Ballet by John Neumeier and had its world-premiere in december 1983. John Neumeier was inspired by Tennessee Williams work 'A streetcar named desire'. The mainrole, Blanche du Bois, was originally danced by Marcia Haydee. This time Alessandra Ferri is supposed to dance a couple of performances. I really hope that my favourite female dancer in Stuttgart, Sue Jin Kang, will have the chance to be in the cast. Endstation Sehnsucht was the 2nd. ballet after Lady of the Camellias which John Neumeier choreographed for Marcia Haydee and the Stuttgart Ballet after the death of John Cranko.

Manhattnik maybe I do not understand this kind of humor about the absence of Robert Tewsley. Fact is that he was injured almost the whole past season. Fact is also that a dancers career is very short. Mr. Tewsley is about 32 or 33 years old, which means, if he really should be injured again, his body shows its limits. Well, I really hope it is nothing serious and he will be dancing again very soon. I can not imagine that he did not perform because of the bad weather or because of any transport problems. The audience found its way to the theater too! Robert Tewsley once said in an interview that he is always rather too early than too late at the theater when he has to perform. He is profi enough to take care for being at his work-place in the right time. Mr. Tewsley has not been blessed with good luck since he has joined NYCB. I wish him all the best!

Hi Oberon, I am really worried about the health of Robert Tewsley. It is true, since he joined NYCB he has been injured most of the time. I would be happy if you would report here when you have the chance to see Mr. Tewsley on stage. I have always been a huge fan of him.

Sorry Alexandra, I did not think about copy-rights and the law at all but will definitely do so in future.

Has anybody seen Robert Tewsley dancing in the Nutcracker so far? I haven't seen any reviews yet mentioning him.

Here is another review on Christian Spucks Lulu. I found it in London's Financial Times by Larry L Lash [edited by AT]

First, thank you very much for your good wishes for my health. This will make me recover so much sooner. At least I hope so... Here I have tried to translate the first review of Stuttgarts newest Ballet: LULU. Eine Monstretragödie by Christian Spuck The review is by Horst Koegler, the most famous man for ballett-reviews here. As said above, I have tried to translate it. My English is far away from good. So please forgive me the mistakes. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It’s done! The big and important break through in the career of Christian Spuck, resident choreographer of the Stuttgart Ballet. With his ‘Lulu. Eine Monstretragödie’, Ballet in two acts, free after Frank Wedekind he can be named in one line with the great acting-ballet choreographers like Noverre and legitimate successor of John Cranko and John Neumeier. This man can tell a story, very concrete, with pure dance and absolutely no pantomimic help. He can suggest dramatically situations, can characterise persons, can choreograph big room conquering ensembles and can give a multiple adapted literary work a new and characteristic profile. This all may sound not very progressive and innovative but proofs the sovereign mastery of his work and has become very, very rare nowadays. With his dramatic producer Rüdiger Nolte he brought back Wedekinds material to its source, the theatres of the suburbs, the fairs. A big part of this success was the choice of the music: Shostakovich (film-music’s, ballet-suites), Schönberg and Berg. Contacted by James Tuggle and brilliantly played by the Stuttgart State Orchestra. Breathtaking the choreographic dramatically access Spucks in the countless, sometimes even forced, original Pas-de-deux-combinations and especially in the big, superb structured corps-ensembles. There is such an escalating drive; this is Stuttgart Ballet at its best! What still could be done is to sharpen the individual character profiles. Here in the roles of the painter (Jorge Nozal), Dr. Schön (Ivan Gil Ortega), Alwa (Marijn Rademaker) and the both London-suitors (Damiano Pettenella and Dimitri Magitov) as marvellous they are danced in Stuttgart. Christian Spuck proofs that he has the gift for an individual choreographic character-portraitist with the drawing of the roles of Lulu, Gräfin (Countess) von Geschwitz, von Schigolch and Jack he Ripper. Alicia Amatriain is a wonderful, extremely expressive Lulu: a childlike naïve bitch a la Lolita and a cunning snake but everything she does is surrounded with an aura of world-tired melancholy. This aura of melancholy is with Bridget Breiners Gräfin von Geschwitz intensified into tragicalness, in a burning frustration. The character of Eric Gauthiers Schigloch is not easily to be seen but he dances with an exploding dramatically presents. Jiri Jelinek as Jack the Ripper shows his great acting talent, a mystery man, an angel of death. Rodrigo, a lover was powerfully danced by Jason Reilly. What an ensemble – no other company here dances with such an attack, with such an animalism lust, such an élan. What a ballet-highlight, what a pleasure to live in a city that can call such a ballet-company its own. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello Doug, no, I have not been at the Lulu Permiere last night. I am still sick home. I have read the first review today and it sounded very very positive, not to say exciting. I will try and translate it into English and then post it here. Regards from Stuttgart

Does anyone know about a DVD or a Video with former Stuttgart Ballet Star Robert Tewsley?

Doug, have you already spoken with your daughter about the performances in Cairo? The Stuttgart newspaper only told about outer circumstances but not really about dancing. They said that the 2nd night would have been more successful than the first. They danced contemporary pieces only. Will Giselle be the first time you are able to see your 'dd' live on stage? It must be exciting and i can imagine that a dad must be very proud. Greetings

I was afraid it would not work. But anyways, thank you very much. Greetings, Reinhard

Please copy it for me....lol :rolleyes:

Hello Glebb, up to now I have not known that Romeo and Juliet with Sue Jin Kang and Robert Tewsley has been taped. As far as I know, it is not available here in Stuttgart. How did you get it? I fully agree, the partnership Kang/Tewsley was very special. It is a pity that it is over. Greetings

Hello Glebb, I have only seen him as Romeo. Jason Reilly has only been promoted to prinipal dancer for the beginning of the season 2003/2004. He was a great Romeo, still very boyish but so sensitive caring for his Juliet. Here you will find more about him: http://www.stuttgart-ballet.de/english/e_b...illy_jason.html Greetings

Hello Glebb, I think your original question was about Sue Jin Kang... I have seen her dancing here in Stuttgart in so many roles. She is a wonderful, dramatic ballerina. She appeares so fragile but has so much power. You would not believe. Sue Jin Kang is the only dancer from the Marcia Haydee era and joined Stuttgart Ballet in 1986. Marcia Haydee couched her in all the leading Cranko roles. Ms. Kang was outstanding as Tatjana in Onegin and, for me, most beautiful as Marguerite Gautier in Neumeiers Lady of the Camellias. But Sue Jin Kang is not only a dramatic ballerina. She showed her talent as a comedian as Katharina in Crankos Taming of the Shrew and in The Concert von Jerome Robbins as the grazy lady with the hat. In 1999 she won the Prix Benois de la Danse for her role in Lady of the Camellias. Sue Jin Kang and former Stuttgart dancer Robert Tewsley have been something like a dream couple in the Stuttgart Ballet. I am glad you like her too. The whole bio of Sue Jin Kang here: http://www.stuttgart-ballet.de/english/e_b...ang_suejin.html Greetings

I like Story-Ballets too. A story ballet gives the dancer the chance to be in the work with both, body and soul. Non story ballets, like the Balanchine Ballets, live from music and movement but they don't touch me at all. Sure, they are hard to dance, the movements and steps are much faster than in story ballets but the dancer is not able to give all of him or her. Fine, sensitive acting, for me, belongs to a ballet. Here you have the chance to see how different casts interprete a role. The same role might come out so very different. Also you can see how a dancer grows into a role. It is always amazing to see a dancers development.

Alexandra, Glen Tetley was in Stuttgart for 2 years and Stuttgart owns him more than thankfulness. After Crankos death he helped Stuttgart Ballet to survive. It was a short time having him here in Stuttgart. That time, Stuttgart wanted only Cranko. The audience was not 'ripe' for Tetley. The separation was not in pure harmony as you can imagine. In the season 2001/2002, Reid Andersen brought American Masters. A triple bill with choreographies of Americans. This included Glen Tetleys Pierrot Lunaire with Robert Tewsley as Pierrot. It was a huge success and when Mr. Tetley, who coached the piece, came on stage, he got tremendous applause. He seemed to be moved and very happy. In a newspapere interview he talked about his Stuttgart time, told about his herbal garden at his house and stuff...He said that the situation that time was very difficult but now he seems to be in harmony with Stuttgart Sure, there is a move to more contemporary ballets although the audience loves full lenght story ballets. We will have a world new battet premiere in the next couple of weeks. It's Lulu, a monstre tragedy by Frank Wedekind. Choreographed by resident Stuttgart choreographer Christian Spuck. Its a full lenght ballet. Music: Alban Berg / Dimitri Shostakovich. Doug, would you please explain to me what a 'dd' means. Sorry but I dont come along with these engl. abbreviations. May I ask which dancer your relative is?

Doug, have you been able to see any of the Swan Lake performances over the weekend? If so, it would be nice to hear your opinion. There have neither been reviews in the Stuttgart newspapers nor in the german 'Tanznet'. Regards Reinhard