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Interesting comments about Dupont, Azulynn. I too saw her Giselle with Le Riche (their third performance together). I have to say that her Act I really worked for me. I liked that there was just a hint of the princess in her peasant -- why else would Albrecht single her out?

Overall, I thought hers was an impressively constructed, finely detailed, fully articulated reading of the part. True, she "danced" the character (and how!) more than she "acted" it, so in a way her Giselle was less accessible, maybe even a bit cold. But I found it quite exhilarating when midway through Act I I figured out that I was supposed to really look at her dancing -- while really listening to the music -- to get her, like I would if I were watching an abstract ballet. Within this framework, her Act II made perfect sense. Whether or not this is how one should approach/view a work like Giselle, I don't really know. But it certainly made for an enlightening evening.

I saw Pujol as well (her first with Le Riche). No technical problems on the night that I can recall. Quite different qualities than Dupont's - more heightened verismo, emotionally more immediate...warmer. While Dupont seems to want you to derive the meaning (and emotion) purely from the dance, Pujol helps you along with more familiar (i.e., actorly) cues. Not that she overacted--well, maybe a bit too much mugging at times. A convincing performance nonetheless.

Hello!

I also got my copy from amazon.co.uk. It's NTSC, ALL REGIONS.

Hope this clraifies things.

I'll tell you later this week, when I should receive the DVD I ordered from amazon.co.uk.

Looking forward to reading your review!

I would say Emeralds--by a nose--but I might change my mind after repeated viewings.

I thought all the soloists did well. I particularly enjoyed Pujol in Emeralds, though her close ups were a little distracting; Dupont (with Carbone) and Gillot in Rubies; and Bart in Diamonds.

Hello Everyone!

I received my copy of this DVD today and have just finished watching it. I really, really liked the choreography

I've never seen a live performance of this work nor any other filmed version so I am curious to know what others who have seen this DVD thought of the production/performances.

Many thanks in advance!

Thanks for your kind words, bart.

My pleasure

I'm a bit surprised at the choice of "colors" for that program: while white clearly is associated to "Suite en blanc", and one can understand the "red" for "Boléro", it's not clear to me why blue should be associated to "L'Arlésienne"...

It's not clear to me either but that's how the program was packaged in the press. Perhaps the daubs of blue in the Van Gogh backdrop? Or perhaps because Frederi does spend most of the ballet feeling...blue?

Thanks a lot, Estelle, for providing some historical context.

Too bad POB doesn't do much Lifar these days. Wasn't he a former company director and the man responsible for the Defile in its present form?

I suspect that it can easily look dated...

Yes, dated. That's the word. It was. Quite.

I'm trying to imagine Sylvie Guillem in it. Frankly, I don't see how she could have improved on Gillot, who could match her hyperextension for hyperextension and who has charisma in spades. It was about as good a performance as one could expect from a classically trained dancer. Perhaps the piece needed a different breed of interpreter altogether?

I saw it once with Manuel Legris and found him absolutely mesmerizing from the beginning to the end (but well, I admit being a Legris fan and have seldom been disappointed by him) but the corps de ballet choreography isn't very interesting in my opinion, and with a less exceptional dancer than Legris I guess that it can become a bit boring.

I'm a Manuel Legris fan, too. I was bitterly disappointed that he had to pull out of L'Arlesienne at the last minute due to injury. But in fairness to Pech, he looked to be totally in his element. During the evening performance especially, he and Osta made the most of what there was, dancing and acting with exceptional lucidity.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is that I can be enthralled by extraordinary dancers without thinking much of what they're being asked to dance.

Hello everyone!

I saw both matinee and evening performances of the POB in Beijing on the 17th. On the whole, I was very pleased with the dancing but quite disappointed with the choice of works presented. All French choreography (well, Lifar is half-French) evoking the colors of the French flag--Suite en Blanc (white), L'Arlesienne (blue), and Bolero (red).

Suite en Blanc was the highlight for me. I thought it was the work that best showcased the company--near perfect positions, beautiful line, clean, crisp, unshowy dancing. While the opening pas de trois (La Sieste) was a bit out of sync both times, the rest were, by and large, finely rendered. Two dancers in particular seemed a cut above the rest: the premiere danseuse Melanie Hurel in the Pas de Cing and the etoile Aurelie Dupont in the Adage, with Karl Paquette, and in La Flute. In what looked to me like fiendishly difficult and exposed choreography, both effortlessly drew shapes in space. Moreau (replacing the injured Jose Martinez) was also impressive in the Mazurka, fluid and elegant, though at the evening performance he seemed to tire towards the end. With her long, limpid arms and warm presence, Emilie Cozette in La Cigarette (likewise replacing an injured etoile, Agnes Letestu) was a hit with the matinee crowd.

I know that Petit and Bejart are considered pillars of French dance, if not the rest of the world, but I have to say I just don't get it. Is Bolero considered a major work? Is L'Arlesienne?

I'm sure it's just me.

If the 45 minutes that was Suite en Blanc felt like four, the 38 minutes of L'Arlesienne felt like an eternity. I thought it had a certain charm in parts, and the final solo by Frederi was certainly dramatic, but it was much too long, and much, much too hokey. Benjamin Pech danced his heart out. Isabelle Ciaravola (mat) and Clairemarie Osta (eve) were both convincing actresses, with Osta being the more articulate dancer. The corps de ballet looked like they were enjoying themselves.

Ravel's music is so familiar that I suppose I was hoping the choreography would let me hear it in a different way. Alas, there was just a lot of pelvic thrusting and very little actual dancing. It's a real pity that they brought a dancer of the calibre of Marie-Agnes Gillot all the way to China only to have her rock on the balls of her feet, swing her hips, do a few splits, and show us how high she can jump. Don't get me wrong, she did it with admirable focus and conviction--a star turn if I ever saw one!--as did the twenty-odd bare-chested men on stage with her. It just all seemed a little, well, less then what these dancers are due. The un-dynamic playing of the Orchestra of the National Ballet of China, under Vello Pahn, didn't help much.

All three works were warmly received especially during the evening performance. In general, the audience--predominantly Chinese but with lots of expats as well with their very young (and noisy) children in tow--were decorously appreciative. No standing ovations. Some "bravos" (actually, more like "whoas") at the expected moments--Dupont's perfectly centered, whiplash-quick pirouettes and soaring jetes, Moreau's cat-like barrel turns, and of course, Pech's desperate dive through a window. Sustained clapping and cheering at the end of each piece.

Oh, and this was the first time I'd ever seen people eating popcorn at the ballet. How about that!?!

This is my first ever attempt at a ballet review so...caveat emptor

Cheers!

This is wonderful news indeed! I was in Beijing last week and had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Pech's Frederi. Congratulations to him

Dupont/Legris it is then :blush: But truthfully, I'm so excited to finally be going to see the company, it doesn't matter who's dancing!

Thanks again, cygneblanc. I really appreciate your help and advice.

Thanks so much, cygneblanc! I will start looking for a Good Samaritan in Paris to place a phone order for me. If unsuccessful, then I will do as you suggest and try my luck at the box office as soon as I arrive.

I've only ever seen the POB on DVD so I'm quite eager to see them live. I'm particularly curious to see how such classically trained dancers will engage these very un-classical works--especially the Browns and the Forsythe.

I might also be able to catch a Sleeping Beauty or two, time and funds permitting. Which pairing would you recommend I see--Osta/Ganio, Dupont/Legris, or Gillot/Bolle? (I know casts can change from one moment to the next but just in case the Lilac Fairy is smiling down on me... :blush: )

Thanks again!

Hello, everyone!

I was wanting to go to the opening of POB's Brown/Forsythe/Lancelot program on 17 December but tickets to this particular performance are not being offered on the Opera website. I would really appreciate some advice on how to proceed. (BTW, I won't be in Paris until really close to the performance date so an online transaction would be the most convenient for me).

Many thanks in advance!

Thank you, Francoise, for your review. Its seems to have been a thoroughly enjoyable evening. I wish I could have been there!

Hello! Did anyone go to the Dupont-Acosta performance/s? Any thoughts on that partnership? Thanks!

Another review of New York City Ballet's spring season opener, from The Dance Insider, with excellent praise for Dupont and Legris' Sonatine performance.

Interpreters: Etoiles Join City Ballet to Fete Balanchine