Naoko S

Nice to hear such warm words for Romoli's nomination, as I myself cannot be that ecstatic..... Whilst I'm sincrely glad for him for what happened, in more wider perspectives - I don't know - well I'm slightly confused, actually. Like Estelle what characterises Wilfried Romoli-a-dancer to me, first and foremost, has been that he's very versatile artist in contemporary works, a reliable dancer and partner (and certainly one of the most durable!). But etoile? hmmm..... Essentially he's been to me one of the most formidable Premier danseurs of the company, which means, er..... not a bad thing at all and looked fairly reasonable arrangements, from the viewpoints of carefree audience; it was good even for ballet world in general, or on a 'public' scale. On hearing the news my immediate reactions were: First, a big surprise; second, maybe a more logical explanation can be sought in practical reasons, like Estelle mentioned. Personally I felt a bit of a chill in thinking that this nomination might mean more than that - what if it doesn't just mean to give him "a nice way to wind a career to a close"? Think of the fact that POB has made precedence that from now on dancers who under the normal circumstances are not casted in lead roles in CLASSICAL repertoire can reach the top position at the company..... (or am I being too pessimistic?)

Hmm it's interesting.... The result of the competition gives one this impression that the higher weight was put on the rating given for actual competition rather than daily contributions by the dancers. For instance, I too cannot recognise who Mlle Aurélia Bellet is - although it turned out in the current La Belle run I must have seen her at least once as one of the three <pierres précieuses>, whereas I saw Mlle Aurore Cordellier, who ended up in the last position in the competition, literally countless times in the ballet, often in major soloist roles. In fact, as recent as on 26th December, while watching her dancing la Fee's Sixieme variation and the pdd in pierres précieuses - the roles danced by then première danseuse Gillot in the DVD - I thought she might have got promoted! Over the year, as a Coryphées dancer, this young lady has already been given more opportunities to dance big roles in classical repertoire than anyone else - that leds me to wonder how the title/rank in the company really matters to certain <outstanding> dancers......

Thanks for a further feedback, hockeyfan228. I didn't know RB had Dances at a Gathering as the repertoire! (Though I'm sure about POB - they did it some years ago.) Let's hope they will revive the work in the not so distant future...... Leigh, you've made me laugh with the episode - thank you!

I'm so glad you've stepped in, hockeyfan228, as a former New Yorker - thanks so much for taking time digging out some historical documentation from archives! It's so exciting to hear from someone who witnessed the premier performance of "Glass Pieces" - were you among the ecstatic crowds then? As a Londoner my chances to see Robbins's works are so limited - in the last couple of years I only managed to see "Concert" (by Royal Ballet; Guillem as the lead) and "Faun" (by POB; Le Riche as the lead). Frankly both works didn't have a lasting impression on me, neither "Glass Pieces" – maybe it’s only that Robbins is not my thing! (But then in my case it usually takes at least several patient viewings to get used to someone’s style, so not all hopes are lost yet! Once I saw brief excerpts of “In the Night” and “Dances at a Gathering” – at a quick glance they looked very appealing, and some day I hope to be able to see them in their entirety.) In my original post I did comment that the exterior of the piece reminded me of the time the work was created – that it had a strong 80's feel but not particularly reflected the "spirit" of the time. I take that back - in retrospect, ambience or mood the work provoked - a peculiarly closed world with uneasy stuffiness to it - had a certain similarity to what I used to feel about works by American minimalist writers, back in the 80’s. Maybe it’s got something to do with why I couldn’t appreciate the piece that much; maybe it’s the current I personally do not enthuse to have now, or in the future.

Did any one go last night??

>>>Also I remember talking with a former POB corps de ballet dancer, and she mentioned some corps de ballet parts were especially hard, for example she especially disliked some parts of "La Bayadère" as it was easy to get some cramps... On the other hand, she said that she did like most of Balanchine's corps de ballet parts. Hmm.... if a majority of POB's Corps dancer felt the same way as she did, it really would give me a gloomy picture for the company's future..... Easy to imagine she liked dancing Balanchine works, which is just fine, but to hear she DISLIKED doing Bayadere gives me a big chill - and what an irony as we ballet fans go to a theatre to see THEM in this particular ballet....... >>>About the rest of the program: "Etudes" made me think about some sort of Olympics too... but well, for me it's in the "guilty pleasures" category, a bit like the Défilé. Oh I love the way you describe the work - "guilty pleasures"! And I guess I can understand what you meant by that ..... For me watching "Etudes" is fun, but for no apparent reasons I always have some uneasiness for taking pleasure out of it! And thanks for your thoughts on other casts - I really envy you for having seen Legris in the ballet. Are you going back to see more of this programme? If so, please let us know how Mathieu will have tuckled this nightmarishly demanding role.... >>>Also I liked the second part with the corps de ballet moving in the background, as some sort of Egyptian bas relief (I don't remember the English word), and its hypnotic music. And my husband liked it so much that for once it was him who insisted that we should get some tickets for a second performance Yes, yes, I remember that - "Egyptian bas relief", exactly. I found that rather amusing...... Perhaps that "hypnotic" music was guilty for making me terribly drowsy (particularly in adagio part - it's a shame I couldn't enjoy Gillot and Belarbi very much because of the drowsiness....). Good to hear your hubby loved the piece - and that you two enjoyed the programme together!

Estelle, many thanks for your quick feedback. So, she moaned over a tiring job of just standing still while a leading ballerina (i.e. Odette) takes her time & relish the meaty choreography..... My sympathy is with her, but surely that job is NOT an unrewarding one, is it? At least for us audience, in a ballet like Swan Lake, Corps dancers really are a backbone and soul of the ballet - it's more than just sad but apocalyptic if Corps dancers see themselves a mere wall paper in classical works! Also thanks for your corrections on M. Bel's profession - that he indeed is a choreographer - my apologies. Good luck to him, but I sincerely hope he would not use that sort of obscenity you mentioned as 'nouvelle' language of dance - it's absolutely unnecessary! Leigh, I'm not a dancer, but it's not difficult to imagine dancers prefer roles with lots of dancing. The sad truth is that not every one can be in the limelight (in fact majority of them cannot)....... Oh and since you're a New Yorker, may I ask a question please. Jerome Robbins's "Glass Pieces" - is the work highly regarded in his native city?

I saw the first night on the 22nd. It was really a mixed bag of a programme - that's my impressions. The highlight for me was "Defile" (it always unfailingly uplifts your spirit!) and "Sonatine" (that was the only thing I could call "art" among the four pieces). "Etudes" was ok - if you could indulge yourself in watching all the hard work displayed on the stage and simply enjoy a battle of technique. (Indeed, perhaps the idea of having this piece to kick-off the new season was well grounded - no one, particularly Corps dancers, could escape from showing their commitments to their vocation, very hard; "Vacance is over - work, work, more work!") It also gave me a strange feeling, or a kind of deja vu - Is Olympic not over yet? It's more a competition between the dancers, and the dancers looked more like athletes than artists in this ballet - Ok then, who won the competition? Well the gold medal definitely went to Jose Martinez - his immaculate, clean and elegant dancing really saved the entire fare. I don't want to offend anyone but found the last piece, "Glass Pieces" absolutely dull & uninspiring. It depends - if you could recall a slice of the cultural side for the decade of 'me-ism' with a fond memory or even have nostalgia, you'd love the piece, as it's so "80's" in its presentations (I'm not talking about the ‘spirit’ though). That bunch of dancers in NY studio, that body-tights, that synthe-music - Ouch! But my problem mainly was with the choreography - I couldn't find anything outstanding or interesting in it....... About the only new creation presented that evening, "Veronique Doisneau" - not being a French speaker I'm afraid I cannot comment much. That's a one-woman-show, starring a company's Sujet, Veronique Doisneau. She came on stage in a humble leotard and spoke, danced and watched the other dancer danced in the space of good half an hour. The monologue part was rather long and if you couldn't comprehend what she had to say, you would surely miss a certain aspect of the work. (I'm very much interested in knowing what she said about dancing as Corps for Act 2 adagio in Swan Lake - could someone kindly tell me roughly what was all about? Ta.) That said, I had this impression that she tried to present a sort of a comedy-drama, titled: "My Life as a Corps dancer". Not totally uninteresting work, perhaps, but I couldn't help but be amazed that this work graced the stage of Palais Garnier. My astonishments were largely in a lack of new choreography - is the creator, M. Jerome Bel not choreographer, I wondered. (Perhaps he's not - on the cast sheet he was credited for 'conception', not for choreography.) "Sonatine" was the main reason I was there that night, and my expectations were not betrayed. Here the music and the choreography were never apart - they stuck together, beautifully, and so did the dancers (Legris & Dupont). Ravel's music was very fluid, and the movements of the two dancers were like ripple - it's as if you looked at ever-changing flow of water and was quietly overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of it. (It's really a shame this was a bonus piece only for the first night - that's something worth for repeated viewings......) So. I wonder what other BalletAlerters thought?

Alas - ALL the shows have now been cancelled. (I just found the info. on ballet.co) http://info.royaloperahouse.org/Performing...ccs=569&cs=1379 I could only wish Sylvie a full and speedy recovery. In the statement Sylvie was quoted as saying that she was not a dancer prone to injury and it is very rare for her to be off. It's true - I've seen her for many years and not known of more robust and durable dancer as her. Get well soon!

Thanks Estelle for bringing this subject up. At the sad news I checked all the major English quality newspapers, and it was actually The Guardian who spared more space and respects to the great artist-photographer (his big portrait on the front page, etc). The Independent also dedicated a good article together with some of his well-known pictures. I've been trying but denied access to the website for Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson. It may be worth trying for more info.: www.henricartierbresson.org

Great news! Isabelle Ciavarola and Karl Paquette will appear in A. Alonso's "Carmen", a piece constituting the Sylvie Guillem programme scheduled for next week (she in the title role; he as "Toreador"). My only concern is if this Sylvie Week would happen at all; it's been announced that owing to Sylvie's foot injury, the week has been cut short - performances for the first three days have been cancelled. Details are now updated in ROH's website: http://info.royaloperahouse.org/Performing...ccs=492&cs=1377 Please keep fingers crossed for us!

Thanks Françoise for the info. Do you think the programme can live up to expectations considering sky-high ticket prices? No disrespect to any one, but M&A will be a complete turn-off for me....... At Covent Garden this summer this ballet will be staged as part of the week-long Sylvie Guillem programme. Do Parisian audience love this work? Personally I would have wanted to see dancers from both camps in one grand ballet - in digested/concise version or something.....

Estelle, yes I think Japanese ballet audience who got to see Hilaire felt extremely privileged. It would be great if Hilaire and Legris could restage the ballet in some gala performance somewhere soon, although it appears not likely to happen in Paris this September....... So it's a done deal for Courtain to leave for Canada - what a loss for POB.... I wish him every success with his new career! FYI, here's what was shown in Programme <A>, on 21st July: * The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude/Forsyth Ould Brahm, Zusperreguy, Gilbert, Courtain, Bezard * Abelle etait...../Mallory Gaudion Saïz & Bullion * Esmeralda PdD/Petipa Dupont & Ganio * Magnificat (Aria)/Neumeier Platel & Saïz *Phrases de Quatuor/Bejart Legris & Tokyo Ballet * Diana & Actaeon PdD/Vaganova Abbagnato & Bullion * Illusions - Like Swan Lake/Neumeier Legris, Dupont, Saïz * Tchaikovsky PdD/Balanchine Hurel & Gaudion * Who Cares?/Balanchine Abbagnato & Ganio/Zusperreguy/Dupont & Saïz/Hurel/Ould Braham & Courtain/Gilbert/Legris Looking back, dancers who shone & impressed most were: Aurelie in Esmeralda PdD, Legris in the Bejart's piece, Gaudion in Tchaikovsk PdD, Saïz in everything he did. The best piece for me was "Who Cares?", in which all the dancers had the right mood & attitude - they enjoyed dancing the piece to the full!

A week-long dance extravaganza in Tokyo, led by Manuel Legris, sadly came to a close yesterday. I’d like to congratulate M. Legris & participating dancers to have survived killing heat here (even in the evenings they hit 30C!) and staged another successful gala performances. They presented two programmes in Tokyo, both were well structured, but more heavy-weight Programme <B>, featuring two of the exceptional senior/retired etoiles, somewhat eclipsed lighter and more fun-orientated Programme <A>. (Well, being fair, it’s likely that Programme <B> impressed me more simply because I saw them 3 days-in-a-row whereas had a chance to see Programme <A> just once!) Programme <B> opened with the sumptuous wedding scene from Lacotte’s “Paquita”, with Legris and Aurelie Dupont as a leading pair, joined by Corps ladies of Tokyo Ballet. This was the only pure-classical piece Legris chose for himself in this gala programme, and he wasn’t shy to show off his technical prowess as well as an outstanding quality as a danseur noble. Literally he controlled every movement; his supporting skills were as soft and smooth as silk – I know of no one who can move on stage with such ease and liberty as Legris does. His partner Dupont was no less magnificent - I bet every one gasped at her sheer, authoritative beauty and subtle yet assured technique. What a pleasant surprise to see the ballerina became a grand dame of ballet world in such a small space of time! Together they bursted into full bloom and showed an exemplary performance of classical ballet. The company’s young Sujets, Muriel Zusperreguy and Herve Courtain conveyed the spirit of Balanchine’s “Stars & Stripes” in a way only the young could do; they were dangerously bold, full of energy and absolutely unstoppable. Particularly impressive was Courtain’s virtuoso dancing, which all of us will surely miss once he departs for Canada (that’s what I heard, his leaving POB shortly). A brief cool-down air, provided by a serene piece titled “Moments Shared” (choreography by van Dantzig) with Abbagnato/Bullion didn’t last long, as another flamboyant Balanchine piece “Tchaikovsky PdD”, quickly followed. As the piece went, it became apparent the lady - one of the company’s most promising rising star, Dorothee Gilbert - was miles ahead of her partner, a young Corps dancer Audric Bezard, who was a last-minute stand-in replacing injured Herve Moreau. At tender age of 20 (or 21?) Gilbert is already a complete dancer, and this piece suited her like a dream; she’s got charms, rhythm and attack – above all the music and her body were in perfect tune you could almost hear the music flowed from her sweet yet strictly precise movements. What a joy! And now the time to get serious - the absolute highlight of the programme came immediately before the intermission, when Legris and Hilaire tugged in Bejart’s le Chant du Compagnon Errant. It is our tremendous fortune that Bejart created this work more than 30 years ago, and now it’s been revived by two of the exceptional male talents in today’s ballet world. Theirs were completely different calibre, and I was (yet again) blown away by Laurent Hilaire’s powerful stage presence and delicate and almost sensual portrayal for the main role, originally created for Nureyev, a young man drifting away - searching for soul. At 41 he still maintains the physical beauty, and his expressiveness was something he definitely earned through years of experiences. His maturity as an artist gave a profound reading to the role; his sculpted body, facial expressions and beautiful movements were so eloquent they made me feel like I was reading a book – a good one, which gives you a chance to go through all the emotions of a character together (this was indeed a very “literary” dance piece, I thought). Watching Hilaire in the piece reminded me of very similar feelings once provoked by the same dancer when he danced Melancholique in Balanchine’s Four Temperaments at the beginning of the season. No one, in my views, tells a story out of abstract works like Hilaire does – what an extraordinary dancer! His counterpart, Legris put on an effectively cold persona as a shadowy role, Destiny, and the chemistry between the two was something you can rarely see and feel. It’s an exceptionally beautiful piece and I wish they would re-stage it again and again so that more people would be able to see – every ballet fan must give it a try and get to see them do this ballet, I thought. “Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude”, a cheerful and humorous Balanchinian work by Forsythe, opened the second half of the programme. This was the only piece shown in both programmes, and personally I found a line-up for the latter (“B”) did more stylish job. They were: Gilbert, Hurel, Abbagnato, Saiz & Gaudion. Particularly worth mentioning was Gilbert and Gaudion – theirs were the most sharp movements; they sparked! Next came a traditional crowed-pleaser of a gala performance: Grand PdD from Sleeping Beauty. Although somewhat looked tired-and-out throughout this Tokyo run (a heavy workload in recent months seemed to have taken its toll), Mathieu Ganio was a true prince – and what a joy to see someone destined to do a Prince actually take on the role! His dancing may need a polish, but his beautiful line and sculpted pose were enough to make you feel happy for what you saw. His Aurora was Myriam Ould Braham, a petite and lovely dancer with certain technical strength, but to my personal taste she didn’t quite look like an ideal Aurora material. “Le Parc”, choreographed by Anjelin Preljocaj for POB, is a work well known among Japanese ballet-goers as the national TV, NHK, did show the film of the ballet in its entirety in the recent years. Not only well-known, but it turned out to be quite popular as well, judging from ecstatic receptions from the audience. Laurent Hilaire, who created the main role back in 1994 and was featured in the film with Isabelle Guerin, danced the PdD from the last act with Aurelie Dupont. This last PdD was meant to show the height of emotions of a man and a woman in love – abondoning their selves to passions. Unfortunately for me the passions escaped this pair as to my taste Aurelie was a bit too princess-like, and still a girl not a woman. I saw the pair in this ballet a couple of years ago, and it appeared Aurelie’s approach to the role hasn’t changed much – so I suppose it’s her interpretations. What I wasn’t convinced was at times she appeared to play a sleepwalker – floating around the stage looking as if she had no intentions/will of her own, her facial expressions almost static, and so on. (And certainly her temperature wasn’t on the up!) Hilaire is a dancer who effortlessly has romantic air around him; he is also a very passionate, straight-forward dancer – these qualities were immediately visible the minute he made a move, and his passions quickly spread across the auditorium. This is becoming his signature role, and I strongly wish a revival of the ballet in the immediate future….. Renato Zanella’s “Allez Waltz” was a perfect vehicle to show off POB’s envious male talent – more Pop-Idol than ballet, it’s fun and sparkle that mattered. The programme closed with Neumeier’s “La Dame aux Camelias” with Legris and his favourite partner Monique Loudiere. Having no eyes for Neumeier’s choreography, I cannot comment much but could see the partnership between the two dancers were something special; they brought tears to many….. At the end there were endless curtain calls and happy faces everywhere - all the dancers were rewarded with thunderous applause and flowers. Huge success!

Estelle, Thanks for sharing your experiences with us. I read your comments with great interests as Ballet de Bordeaux has been one of the companies I've marked as the "one to see". Maybe next season I'll have a chance to bypass Paris and go straight to Bordeaux!

Hi - I'm back from a short trip to Paris.... here're quick thoughts on the performance of July the 1st. The cast were: La Sylphide: Isabelle Ciaravola James: Mathieu Ganio Effie: Caroline Bance La Sorciere: Jean-Marie Didiere PDD des Ecossais: Myriam Kamionka & Mallory Gaudion Trois Sylphides: Dorothee Gilbert, Myriam Kamionka, Severine Westermann 'A beautiful dreamer' - that's what Mathiu Ganio was, in the ballet. Perhaps the way he looked - too princely to be a simple Scottish peasant - but throughout Act I he had this atmosphere around him that it wasn't actually this world, where he's about to marry the girl called Effie, he belonged to. It appeared as if the young man's mind was constantly seeking an exit to the unknown world - so his encounter with the sylph seemed no coincidence; it happened quite naturally to this James, who looked like living in a reverie. A perfect introduction to the world of a romantic ballet, I thought. It's not that rapport between James and Effie was weak; on the contrary they made a very pleasant, fresh and effective pair. Caroline Bance, whom I saw for the first time in a big role like this, was very convincing Effie; a petite blonde dancer who brightened up the stage with a sunny smile and a down-to-earth manner, she also possessed a secure technique (a very light footwork) and was good in acting department too. Mathieu Ganio, on the other hand, was not only a reliable partner but had a quality most desired for a danseur noble; he was a true chevalier! As to Mathieu's dancing - what a difference a few weeks could make (and during this while he was made to the top, 'etoile', of the company), I thought. He seemed far more comfortable in this role than Basilio in Don Q some weeks ago; gone are the nervous facial expressions I saw in his Basilio, this time he showed off confidence and youthful energy - what's best, Mathieu genuinely seemed to have enjoyed dancing the principal role and looked at ease being a central persona on the stage. Among awesomely gifted male etoiles of POB, Mathieu is not particularly strong on technique - that's how I've seen him. In fact with this James I wasn't completely carried away by his dancing itself - just yet. But what a great prospect he has before him - if he could achive this at tender age of 20, in a decade or so what will we be able to see? I can only have a very rosy picture in mind..... Then came the heroine of the evening - Isabelle Ciaravola as la Sylphide. A dancer with an elegant line (long - but not too long), I was particularly fascinated by her port de bras. In this choreography, it appeared to me that movements down from one's wrists matter more - the way she folded her wrists; used her fingers - how eloquent it was! She also seemed to possess a strong advantage for the apparently demanding pointe works, having very beautiful and flexible feet. Her portrayal of the role was very likable - a femine, womanly slyph who was a charming and innocent seductress absolutely free from malicious intentions. She didn't put too much weight on coquetry nor she was a mysterious type. (Watching her sylph reminded me of the retired etoile, Carole Arbo. I imagined Arbo would have possibly made a similar portrayal - very feminine - not a chance?) Her partnership with Mathieu worked well, I thought - in fact they made a very handsome couple, and in Act II, together with Corps ladies who traded humble cotton dresses for long white tutus, every scene was a delight to watch; they would have made nothing but beautiful pictures......

Thanks Françoise for the feedback. This is going to be the first time for me to see Isabelle in a lead role - I'm so excited!

Has anyone gone to the first night? Please, do tell us how it went - I'm coming to Paris on Thursday and can't wait to hear your views. Thanks!

>>(and actually, Balanchine fan that I am, I think I'd be happy about *any* new Balanchine work added to the repertory...) I totally, whole-heartedly agree with you on this. Interesting on another point you made - that often they do not restage some of the acquired works - hmmm I can only say that POB's programming has indeed looked peculiar at times..... In any case one of the worst dissappointments for the next season, for me, is lack of Balanchine (only one is scheduled, I seem to remember? It's not enough!). This season POB's dancers showed off beautifully what they could do with Balanchine's works - personally I feel it wouldn't hurt any one if they continued the efforts...... what a shame!

Estelle, sorry I totally misunderstood what you had said in the original post..... I thought you found some of the POB's "Balanchine works" less interesting than "Who Cares". It makes far more sense to me that you did actually made a comparison with other choreographers' works.... Incidentally did you like their "Liebeslieder Walzer"? I just LOVED them - it was absolutely breath-takingly beautiful, and I thought the ballet well suited to the style and individuality of POB. Personally I wouldn't mind watching this piece *every* season as long as they still keep hold of Hilaire and Legris...... I also took it wrong for the other one (my, it really wasn't my day!), reckoning that you wanted to see some of Balanchine works axed ("to end") from the repertoire - but apparently that's not what you meant...... sorry!

I'm afraid that we still have a much too idealistic view of this matter. It's really not about "having interest in contributing to promote the form of art by sharing their great assets with a wider audience" - it's foremost about money. Why not - I'd rather discuss about "ideals" than to be a wise man and keep my mouth shut without any attempt.... I mean, if us ballet fans did not bother to make our own wish-list on must-have "dream" ballet videos, who would? I'm totally ignorant on the background of the commercial side, but one interesting point is that whenever I browse through current ballet video catalogues, I cannot help but feel that even when they venture to release non-profit making ballet videos they are not always careful in selection. Often choice of works/choreographies for certain companies/dancers seems wrong, or not convincing enough to stimulate (even a ballet fan's) appetite - I guess there must be a room for some improvements in this department. Another myth is that while there's no doubt that a ballet video wouldn't make a block-buster, does releasing a new video or two cost a ballet company dear - could it cause a financial disaster? I wonder if there really is no hope at all for ballet companies to make a profit out of this video business........

rq, thanks v much for taking time to post this! Looks like a very interesting documentary they filmed here - what a shame it's no longer accessible to us (as far as I'm aware, it's not commercially available - is it?) ........ Mark, when you stress that "the POB is doing real great with filming in the last years", is it based on a relative comparison with other major ballet companies? If so, yes, I'd admit they were indeed doing a good job compared to, for example, companies M or B of Russia. (Considering a prestigeous place they've held in the ballet world, their neglect in this filming business is simply outrageous; it's as if they've not had a slightest interest in contributing to promote the form of art by sharing their great assets with a wider audience.) Didn't NYCB used to have the video series called "Balanchine Library"? (I'm not sure if they are still available.) It does sound like a very appealing idea to me - having POB Library, Mariinsky Library, etc. (But then I may just be day-dreaming....) Françoise, thanks for the detailed info. on upcoming filming projects. Personally I'd trade DVDs of all of these works with a single DVD featuring Platel in the lead role (and in the classics of course)!

Estelle, Thanks for the info. on Audric Bézard. I'll keep an eye on him - he should be pretty good having been chosen as a participating member by Legris! >>......and while it's perhaps not among Balanchine's major works, it's surely far more interesting that many recent additions to the repertory, and also it would be great to end some Balanchine programs... I've got to ask you more about this! Which recent additions have you found less interesing than Who Cares? Also what Balanchine programs do you think "would be great to end"?

A wonderful news came in! It's been announced that Elisabeth Platel will join Legris' Japan tour this summer! She's due to dance Neumeier's "Magnificato" with Yann Saïz, in Programme <A>. Due to an injury Hervé Moreau has pulled entirely from the tour; in his stead Audric Bésard (who?) will dance part of the roles Herve was originally casted. The Opera's newest etoile, Mathieu Ganio, will now dance an extra role - Esmeralda pdd with Aurélie Dupont.

rq, there's indeed a video/dvd nearer to what you described which has been sold in Japan for many years. It's titled "Une Etoile pour l'Exemple", directed by D. Delouche, Mme Chauvire coaching the then rising stars of POB: Guillem, Loudière, Pietragalla, etc. But in the detailed description Platel's name is not listed - perhaps what you had seen was a slightly different version from this? (I myself have not seen the video so cannot confirm the descriptions are correct or not.) For those who are interested, here's a link to a Japanese retailer's website (although it's only in Japanese I'm afraid): http://www.fairynet.co.jp/www/on-shop/html/av/dv980706.html Fortunately they have left for us many a documentary films in which we are able to see Platel dancing for rehearsals/real things alike, making comments. In particular in their wonderful "Dancer's Dream" series she is featured in more episodes than anybody else as a "Nureyev's muse" (that's how Mme Lefèvre described her, I seem to recall). But this is not the same thing for seeing her in an entire full-lengh ballet, I must say (although I'm immensely grateful to her appearance as the second role in "La Bayadère" - it's better than nothing at all!). Sadly no one can disregard commercial aspects of this ballet video business, but what about moral obligations? Too strong a word, perhaps, but particularly in her case I cannot but feel that people responsible for the decisions should think really hard on what's genuinely worth filiming and being left for future audience. In a decade or so people would know her only by name; some might have more luck than others to catch a glimpse of her in those documentary films - but it's never enough, and I'd call this a tragedy........