Paquita

I was there on opening night for the gala, but as a volunteer, so I was only able to watch a bit on a TV screen. I saw the part with the dragon puppet (with the children from NBS), and it looked good. I'll be seeing it next wednesday, and going to Jewels this friday.

A ticket order for Midsummer Night's Dream has been placed! Thanks everyone for helping me choose. I also think it's a better choice for non-dancers, because Swan Lake has become such a cliche outside the dance world. Thanks again, I'm looking forward to the performance!

I'm planning a very short visit to NYC on June 28, and I'm trying to decide if I should go see NYCB's Midsummer Night's Dream or ABT's Swan Lake. I will be taking 3 people that aren't really ballet fans, but both ballets seem fairly novice-friendly. From posters here, McKenzie's Swan Lake sounds extremely problematic! But it is going to be Nina Ananiashvili and Julio Bocca dancing that night... I haven't seen either of them live before, and would really like to. I'm interested to see Balanchine's Midsummer Night's Dream too though, since I've only seen Ashton's before. Which performance would anyone recommend?

There is a 1 page article on NBoC's new ballet "Tristan and Isolde", with a picture of Greta Hodgkinson and Chris Body (who will dance on opening night this friday) in the May issue of Elle (the Canadian edition). There is also a small picture of Alessandra Ferri as Juliet in the May issue of Bazaar.

My studio also has an open house where family and friends can come watch. I mostly enjoy it because class can get so routine, and sometimes you can forget that even tendu excersizes should be danced not just done. It's nice to have an audience as a reminder of the dancer's purpose to perform. As a teacher, I like it when the parents visit (well, usually) so they can see for themselves how their child is doing. Most parents think that their child is a future prima ballerina and the rest of the class is holding them back, which is almost always not true! (Funnily, the parents of the most talented kids often don't realize how much potential they have!). Plus, the young dancers always try their best on these days, and are on their best behaviour! The NBoC invited subscribers to watch company class on-stage, and it is free of charge. Most of the principals and soloists seem oblivious to the presence of an audience, but many of the corps dancers take the opportunity to show off their stuff.

The department of continuing education at the University of Toronto is offering a course/ lecture series called "The History of Dance: Inside the National Ballet of Canada" (see http://learn.utoronto.ca) next season. I think these types of programs are great for the public. However, this particular course is quite expensive for $300 for 5 sessions...

I was volunteering at the NBoC open house 2 weeks ago and got to see a few of the costumes for Tristan and Isolde. The dresses for the maidens are so simple and gorgeous. The overlay for the child's costume (shown on the site) is made of silk, very sheer and delicate. That dragon is huge! It looks like it will be a very interesting work, and everyone in the company seems pretty excited about it. The only Alleyne ballet that I have seen is Septet, which premiered in the All Stravinsky program a few years ago and has been performed again since then. The first time I saw it, I thought the choreography was fluid and coherent, but I found it a bit repetitive. The second time, I liked it more. Septet was a plotless ballet though. It seems his last ballet "Faerie Queen", also a story ballet, was a (relative) success. As for the dancers, I read in Flare that Chan Hon Goh will be dancing Isolde. Rex Harrington will also dance a leading role, but I'm not sure if it's Tristan. That's about all I know right now.

I saw "My Neighbor Totoro" too. It was a huge hit in Japan, they have all kinds of Totoro merchandise! Another one I saw was "Kiki's Delivery Service". Oh yes, when I said Miyazaki's last film, I should have said before "Spirited Away". He aparently said that "Princess Mononoke" would be his final film, but later changed his mind. It seems to me to be the most serious and epic of his films, but I have only seen 4 of them, so I don't know. It took a great amount of work and money to do and for studio ghibi, it was a big risk. But it turned out to be a success. In Toronto as well, "Spirited Away" is more popular. Glad to hear it did well in France too!

I also liked "Far from Heaven". Although the little girl receiving pointe shoes for Christmas (which came with ribbons pre-sewn!) was unrealistic! I found Julianne Moore's role here very similar to the one she plays in "The Hours". I am partially cynical about the degree of which artistic merit is considered in the Oscars vs. studio money. However, I was pleasantly surprised this year and found most of the awards very fair. I was so happy for Almodovar's screenplay winning the Oscar! "Talk to Her" was the best foreign film I saw this year (and I saw quite a few!) and only Almodovar could make a plot so bizarre and turn it into something meaningful. Actually, compared to some of his other films, these characters weren't that eccentric. I just rented "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" and "Live Flesh"... I was also happy for Adrien Brody. He was exceptional in "The Pianist". Estelle, I saw "Spirited Away" last fall. I agree that it is a beautiful masterpiece. Miyazaki is a master of animation and his films transcend all the stereotypes linked to the medium and genre of "cartoons". Having visited Japan myself, I always get nostalgic when I watch his films. Was "Spirited Away" very popular in France? I read the French edition of the magazine Premiere, and noticed several articles on it. In Canada it did not sell very well, but it is back in theatres this week! Very odd since it was first release in October. Also interesting is how the title has been translated. I understand that in France it was called "Le Voyage de Chihiro", but in the original Japanese it is "Sen to Chihiro" (Sen and Chihiro), and of course over here it's "Spirited Away". Btw, I think you might like his last film too, "Princess Mononoke". I saw it in the film festival and Miyazaki was there himself!! In France, I assume that you get the original Japanese version with sub-titles? Here, they are usually dubbed in English. But at the last film festival people demanded to see the original and so they had to add an extra screening! Though it didn't receive much attention, I really enjoyed "Adaptation". I liked it more than "Being John Malkovich". It's hillarious in a sarcastic way and made for great post-movie discussion too with my sister who is studying film theory. I think you get more out of it if you know film theory because they poke fun at it quite a bit. My sister loved it. Has anyone seen "Nowhere in Africa"? The only best foreign film nominee that I've seen is "El Crimen del Padre Amaro", which was okay.

I saw the same cast 2 years ago. I must agree that Xiao Nan Yu was absolutely beautiful, especially as Odette.

There are two Paris Opera Ballet videos by V.I.E.W. called "7 ballets" and "6 ballet". I forget which one has Grand Pas Classique on it, but it is one of those two. The ballerina is Sylvie Guillem, and the choreography has lots of high developes and balances for her to show off her super-flexability! The ballet is choreographed by Victor Gsovsky.

Thanks for the info, BB! I thought it was Richard Gere, but I figured I was confusing it with his role in Chicago (or maybe I was subconsciously in denial! I was not really impressed with his singing/dancing in that film). With a star like Jennifer Lopez, there's no way that it will stay true to the original. It'll be interesting to see how it turns out. I'm also picturing a "Wedding Planner"-type romantic comedy.

It's in English and Portuguese. Very nice site! http://www.mgomes.com

Sorry for the mix up! I meant English-language. I forget which actor was supposed to star in it, but I remember it was an American. It will probably be very different indeed!

Sonia danced Odette/Odile last time. I'm not sure who her partner was.

There's also Tango (Spanish) and Assasination Tango (Directed by and starring Robert Duvall. I don't think it's been released yet, but I saw it at the Toronto Film Fest). Bilbobaggins, I think the one you're thinking of is Shall We Dance. Great movie. I heard somewhere that they are thinking of doing an English remake. I forget who was supposed to star in it...

I see Cote being promoted very soon. He has been performing lead roles in almost everything, and proving himself able in them all. When there's a good male dancer, he's usually promoted very quickly. From what I've seen, it tends to be a bit slower for the female dancers. What did you think of Ogden's Juliet? Acting plays a big role there... Both Ogden and Cote are extremely popular with the audience, because they are young, promising, home-grown, and also seem to be genuinely nice people. The standing ovations show that the audience wants to encourage and support them. I know a lot of us are hoping that the NBoC will find a new great partnership in them (a la gold dust twins- kain and augustyn). The crowd went wild for them at the Erik Bruhn Prize, although the dancers from ABT and the Stuttgart were clearly of a higher calibre.

Heather will probably not be made a principal so soon. Xiao Nan Yu and Guillaume Cote have risen very quickly, but that is quite rare. Most dancers have to stick it out in the corps for a few years before being promoted. Odgen is a fantastic dancer and definately one to watch, but IMO she is not ready for the dramatic repertoire- i.e. Giselle, Onegin, etc. But then again, I never saw her Juliet. Many factors go into deciding who gets promoted. I'd say the biggest factor is how useful the dancer is to the company. A useful dancer is versatile and can be given many different roles- modern and classical, (s)he is reliable and consistent and someone that audiences like.

Saveta, thanks for your honest review! I think you've accurately identified one of Kudelka's biggest problems, wanting to be avant-garde but knowing that it doesn't sell. I'm not against "re-makes" either (I found Mathew Bourne's Swan Lake interesting on different levels). But the half-way approach just seems to compromise everything. I was recently at the NBoC archives and was able to watch a video of Erik Bruhn's version. Seeing it made me a little more forgiving of Kudelka's attempt to revamp the ballet. I can see why he felt that NBoC needed a new Swan Lake. Bruhn's version looks dated, there is less bravura dancing, and the whole evil Queen instead of Rothbart thing is dripping with Freudian implications that to me, are unnecessary and distracting. Both version portray women in a fairly negative light. As for the gang-rape scene, there has been debate about that. I personally found that scene suggestive, but of course nothing is explicitly shown and some argue that it's just a dance. I agree that Odgen was a bit cold, making her a good Odile but a distant Odette. With young dancers, it often takes a while for the dramatic ability to catch up to the technical skills which they concentrate on so much in their training. I think that with experience, Ogden will become a more convincing actress.

Congratulations to Heather! That is great news. About the star system, it can sometimes help financially, if there is a recognized dancer who appears in the news that gets non-ballet goers interested in the ballet. The star system seems to work well at ABT, but NBoC could never have that many "stars" of such high calibre. I think NYCB's system works well because of their more mixed repetory. Company's that frequently put on full-length classics tend to nurture "stars" a bit more, I think.

In this version, the role of Benno has a fair bit of dancing in it.

I'd be interested in seeing Gala Performance. Unfortunately, I never made it to the CBC museum. I think when Celia Franca started the company, some of the first ballets she aquired were by Tudor. It would be nice if they would revive some of them, I'm sure "The Leaves are Fading" would be popular with audiences and the dancers. Torontonians lean towards classical pieces, so character ballets like Judegement don't seem to sell as well. But Leaves is very classical, and I've been dying to see the entire thing. (Only seen excerpts from ABT and Kirov).

Ocassionally promotions are made in the middle of the year (i.e. Jamie Tapper's and Xiao Nan Yu's promotions to 1st soloist). The chances of Tapper or Persson coming back are slim, but maybe they could make a few guest appearances? Onegin perhaps? I got the impression that neither was extremely enthusiastic about Kudelka's works (or directorship?), and that they wanted to join the Royal because of its repertoire. I was also interested in Kudelka's words on avoiding "stars". I think he has done very well in giving opportunities to young dancers. He casts dancers according to their readiness and not their rank. For example, he gave Tina Periera a lead in Monotones I when she was just a Tier 1 apprentice (and I'm not sure, but I think it was opening night too!). He has given so many great roles to Cote and Ogden that they have almost become stars in their own right. I'm not sure about the general public, but in the dance world they are definately a hot topic. Other than Rex Harrington, I'd say that Chan Hon Goh, Greta Hodgkinson, and Xiao Nan Yu have the "star-status" that can sell tickets. creativejuice, what ballets have you seen Laura Bolton in? I haven't really seen a lot of her. I think Julie Hay, Tina Periera, and Jillian Vanstone are very promising- as to whether they will be promoted is anyone's guess. Estelle, I saw Jean-Sebastien Colau as Benno recently. He gave a solid performance, and I'd be interested in seeing more of him in the future.

My studio is part of the Russian Ballet Society, we switched from CDTA (Canadian Dance Teachers Association) last year. For exams, the teacher is allowed to choreograph their own combinations as long as they include the designated steps (and there are lots! the exams are generally very extensive).

NAPOLI / SPECTRE DE LA ROSE / JUDGEMENT OF PARIS / ELITE SYNCOPATIONS I found this one of NBoC’s most interesting mixed programs, spanning many periods and styles of ballet history as well as the company’s. All four of the ballets had not been seen in Toronto for several years prior (that I am aware of!). Both Napoli and Elite Syncopations would have been suiting endings to the program, with their carefree and joyful characters. But as Saveta mentioned, Kudelka likes to go in chronological order when it comes to mixed programs! I liked Napoli, and always enjoy the Flower Festival pdd when it’s well done (I’ll never forget seeing Jamie Tapper and Johan Kobborg). On Saturday night it was danced by Jillian Vanstone and Keiichi Hirano. It was nice to see a corps member in a leading role, and I think Vanstone is definitely a dancer to watch. Of the corps, she is one of the most technically able performers and an asset to the company in difficult choreography. I remember watching her at an on-stage class, doing quadruple and quintuple pirouettes en pointe one after another! No such displays in Napoli, but her confidence on stage is refreshing and lets one really sit back and enjoy the performance. Her footwork was light and her upper body carriage neat and refined. Hirano is a very likeable dancer. His style is easy-going and natural, and his happiness is always infectious- causing us to forgive the small flaws in his dancing (there were only a few, such as the occasional not fully pointed foot or off landing). He also has good stamina which is important in a piece like this. I’m not sure if he’s ready yet to tackle the classical prince roles that Antonijevic and Cote are doing, but he’s definitely improving and developing his stage personality quite well. Vanstone and Hirano are not made for each other, but they performed well together, seemed to trust each other. I appreciated their attention to detail, in each gaze and tilt of the head. It makes so much of a difference. In the pas de six, Martine Lamy was truly wonderful- a standout performance. Of all the dancers in Napoli, she seemed the most comfortable with the Bournonville vocabulary, calm and at ease. I found that she was able to project her expression and that she was in general very warm and giving. The other dancers were a bit tight and sometimes not together. Footwork was overall very good, but upper body makes all the difference. When the arms were too angular, it offset the balance and gave a strained appearance. Julie Hay was lovely in her variation though. In the Tarantella, Piotyr Stanczyk gave a buoyant variation, a sort of reprise of his Colas a few months back. Daisuke Ohno danced his variation more like a character role (he is cast in a lot of those), muscling his way through some of the steps. Dong Hyun Seo also seemed to lack the refinement of technique and epaulment necessary for Napoli. I was excited to see Le Spectre de la Rose live for the first time (I saw a video of Baryshnikov before). I am fascinated with anything of the Ballets Russes era, so it was a treat to see this ballet back at the Hummingbird. The mood and aesthetic of the ballet is so different from those of other periods. Some may say that it is a very dated ballet, and I suppose it is, but that’s also what makes it interesting. No one would every create a ballet like that, with a costume like that today! There really isn’t much dancing for the girl here, but Rebekah Rimsay did a nice job with what she got, capturing the dream-like quality just right. Aleksandar Antonijevic was the rose, and as Leigh mentioned, a very self absorbed one at that! I thought his port de bras were lovely though, very soft and romantic. That costume is really something… Few men other than Nijinsky could pull it off, IMO. Like the Mozartiana gigue costume, I’m sure it can feel a bit silly on, and I must applaud anyone who has the guts to wear it! Once again, he displayed his signature smooth technique and soft landings. Judgement of Paris was another ballet I was looking forward to seeing. I didn’t know what to expect, having only seen 1 picture. Calling it a “ballet” is a bit misleading, but there are several other works that fall under that category too, so I guess we should be open-minded towards the classification! Lorna Geddes, Jennifer Fournier, and Victoria Bertram were hilarious as the “goddesses”! These are 3 incredibly comical and talented women. The costumes (especially the gigantic yellow bow on Venus’ behind), ghastly make-up (bright red blush, heavy eyeshadow, clown lips), and props (a fan, hoops, a boa) were funny on their own and the vulgar wit and characterization by the dancers were even more over the top! I was interested in seeing a Tudor ballet, because we don’t get to see his work a lot here, and from what I saw of The Leaves are Fading, he is a very expressive choreographer. Well this was a completely different side of Tudor! This ballet had me laughing the whole way through, and few ballets make me laugh at all! I would have put it before Le Spectre de la Rose in the program though. Having Judgement and Syncopations back to back was a bit too much fluff. Elite Syncopations is a fantastic ballet that leaves you in a great mood afterwards. The music is catchy, the costumes are crazy, and the dancers always seem to have a good time too. The stage looked a lot more open, and I agree, it was neat to see all the musicians up there (especially Ormsby Wilkins on the piano, in costume). This ballet is also a very different side of MacMillan, when compared to R&J, Manon, etc. I really enjoyed Solitaire last season, so I’m not surprised that I liked Syncopations. It’s a lot of fun to watch, and MacMillan had a great imagination. Stylistically speaking, I thought the company looked most at home here. All the dancers let loose and went all out (even Richard Landry was a little less serious than he usually is). Tanya Howard relished in the chance to be a flirty tart, and has the most amazing feet! Chris Body was surprisingly comical in the Hot-House Rag. Stacey Shiori Minagawa’s musical interpretation was also a delight, and showed strong control in her extensions. Julie Hay and Daisuke Ohno garnered the most applause and laughs in the Alaskan Rag. Anytime you pair the tallest and the shortest, the results are comic (ok, well maybe it is taken seriously sometimes in pairs skating). After their bows, she picked him up and walked off the stage! But, the show belonged to Rex and Greta (Rex was a last-minute substitute for Geon van der Wyst) in the leads. Rex was as charismatic as ever and Greta was all brazen finesse. At the curtain calls, Rex came out carrying Greta upside down over his head- to thunderous applause. Ever the show-stopper he will remain. Despite the program’s potential to appeal to a wider audience with such fun pieces, it didn’t appear to sell very well, which is a shame. Elite Syncopations is a great ballet for the company, Napoli cures the winter blahs, seeing the senior dancers in comic roles in Judgement of Paris is a rare opportunity, and from my observation, Spectre de la Rose is not performed very often here or elsewhere.