Azulynn

I'd second drb : the Bolshoi would be my number one as well. Their summer season in London last year was extraordinary - the joy they show while dancing is totally infectious. And what a roster of extraordinary dancers : Maria Alexandrova, Svetlana Lunkina, Natalia Osipova, Svetlana Zakharova, Sergei Filin, Denis Matvienko, etc... Watching them was such a rewarding experience, and I'd definitely travel again to see more of this company. The Paris Opera Ballet remains my "home team" though. It makes quite a difference when you follow closely the dancers and get to know them - some can get on your nerves, some will make you forget about their shortcomings after a while - and you get the excitement of wondering who will be promoted next, what the next season's repertoire will be like... I still think the company is having an off period, but it has much to do with artistic direction. Wonderful dancers keep coming in from the school, and things could improve very quickly. The Kirov is of course another top 5 company, but I can't say I'm crazy about the hyperextension hype which now seems to rule in Petersburg. But again, with such dancers as Lopatkina, Pavlenko or the young and wonderful Evgenia Obraztsova, you can't go totally wrong... I haven't seen NYCB and the Danes so can't comment.

Best of luck to Mr. Mortier in New York City - he is forced to retire in France, having attained the age limit set by the State for his position. His successor, Nicolas Joël (from Toulouse's Capitole), was announced a few months ago. But I believe Mortier will not be missed - he's received heavy criticism for his productions over the last few years. If only he could take Brigitte Lefèvre, POB's artistic director, with him...

Natalie, Dorothée Gilbert is currently injured. Otherwise she would have been dancing Kitri. It's such a shame she can't, since the part fits her perfectly...

I just noticed that information in an interview with Tamara Rojo published by The Telegraph : she intends to found another ballet company in Spain in "3, 4 or 5 years", which would be "the right one". Source : You'll believe this swan can fly Isn't it weird that Spain shall end up with two ballet companies in the end ? Too bad there seems to be a kind of competition between the projects, instead of having everyone work together to build a world-class company.

Based on her performances in Paris, I have a hard time picturing her in Swan Lake. Can she really manage it technically at all ? She was so insecure in Symphonie Concertante and Bayadère that I wondered if she was still suffering from her injury. There was something constrained about her - you can tell she is Kirov-trained, but she doesn't seem to compare to her Russian colleagues right now (Lopatkina, Pavlenko, etc). Her expression (half-closed eyes, as if not entirely present to what she's doing) got annoying, since the dancing didn't quite match the diva look... So what makes her Odette/Odile so special ? I'm looking forward to Buddy's comments on her upcoming performance !

And casting for the run is on the POB website : See here Among the most interesting news : Myriam Ould-Braham and Nolwenn Daniel make debuts as Kitri, and Matthias Heymann has been given one performance as Basilio (his first big part). Jérémie Bélingard is also new to the role I believe. Finally, Denis Matvienko will be guesting for two performances, partnering Aurélie Dupont.

These are archive recordings, Scherzo. None of these evenings have been recorded for DVD. Proust ou Les intermittences du coeur (Petit) and Cinderella will be recorded this spring though.

A review has finally come our way... But from England, in The Independant : American Ballet Theatre, Theatre du Chatelet, Paris (thanks to Mme. Hermine who posted the link) I think it pretty much sums up the disappointment of the opening night. Since then, things have really improved though - the Murphy/Abrera/Hallberg/Stiefel cast gave us an electrifying, exhilarating performance of In the upper room. The Green Table looked very good yesterday, but Herman Cornejo totally stole the show in Le spectre de la rose. More later, if I have time !

Beware : the booklet that comes with the DVD contains mistakes in the names of the dancers featured. Mélanie Hurel was replaced by Dorothée Gilbert in the pas de trois (second variation), and consequently Fanny Fiat took Dorothée Gilbert's part in the Act III Czardas. I cannot believe no one checked that - these replacements were known at least a week prior to the performances. And the credits at the end of the DVD don't even list the soloists. A shame. Anyone has seen it ? I'm curious at to what people thought of the POB in Nureyev's Swan Lake.

What was written on the French boards may seem harsh indeed, and it's always easier to criticize a company one is not familiar with (we're more forgiving with the dancers we love and have been watching for years, after all...). But that opening night Bayadère with Paloma Herrera and Angel Corella was most disappointing, and unexpectedly so, because I was really looking forward to discovering the company. The corps looked anxious and plain in a repertoire which asks for otherworldliness. Paloma Herrera looked ill-suited to Nikiya - there was no sense of the story, the style and, again, the required otherworldliness. Her expression was mostly bland and, if she can pull it off technically, she looked very stiff. Angel Corella, the only man, was perhaps the most rewarding individual on stage, and his dancing was very impressive. The three Shades never managed to dance together when asked to. Stella Abrera stood out for her grace and musicality (as she did later in Fancy Free). I was expecting with great anticipation Veronika Part's performance, but was sadly disappointed ; is she still having trouble with her recent injury ? Her technique was nowhere near what it was during her Kirov years - even her turnout was awkward... I'll be seeing her in Symphonie Concertante on Friday, and hopefully she'll do better - jet lag might have had to do with all those mishaps anyway. Dark Elegies was fine but I'm not a fan of this piece, although it was given a touching performance by Julie Kent, Jared Matthews and the other dancers. Fancy Free fortunately ended the evening on a real high. ABT seems much more comfortable in this repertoire - it's not that it should stick to it, volcanohunter, on the contrary, but I found it much more rewarding to watch... José Manuel Carreno and Herman Cornejo in particular looked fantastic. I'm going two more times, and I'll try to report back.

Has anyone heard something about the Paris tour casting ? I cannot understand why it hasn't been posted on ABT's website while casting for the London season has been up for a month and even the MET season in June/July has preliminary casting. A shame, especially as I don't think it's sold out and people might want to get extra tickets when they see the casts.

I found the comparison between the Kirov-trained Svetlana Zakharova and the other Bolshoi ballerinas most interesting last summer in London. I had never seen Ms. Zakharova perform live before, and I was of course expecting it with great excitement, especially in Swan Lake ; but in the end I found myself drawn to the other Odette/Odile I saw, the wonderful Maria Alexandrova, who was really giving a personal interpretation of the role. She brought lovely, telling details to the part. Ms. Zakharova seems to go for the easiest take on a role, the most "international" if I may say so, but she is just not a great actress - it showed again in Cinderella, IMO. I still have no idea how she really sees these parts, although she looked beautiful in both. Ms. Zakharova has been celebrated for her technique, but although it is quite extraordinary, she isn't perfect in every area. Her jumps are poor compared to many Bolshoi dancers', for instance. Every dancer has his or her weaknesses and often compensates for it by bringing something special to whatever he/she dances - artistry. I suppose it's hard to even think you need to "compensate" for something by going further when you're one of the most celebrated dancers in the world, and so young. It pleases the audience, as she says. I hope the "competition" Cygnet was talking about will ultimately push her further as an artist, but from her interviews, it doesn't seem on good track. And for now, I'd see Natalia Osipova or Maria Alexandrova any time over her...

Three performances were filmed with the same cast, including two performances in a row (20th and 21st), which might account for Pujol's tiredness and lack of flow on the 21st - it wasn't very wise since she's just come back from maternity leave and probably hasn't rebuilt all her stamina. It was obvious she wasn't at her best at that performance, which is a shame. Obviously, the problems which occurred the 21st do not show on the video (but strangely enough, others were kept while they weren't there on the 21st, which makes me hope for some editing before the release).

What you wrote really makes me think, Bee, and I wanted to add something... I think you're spot on about Aurélie Dupont - one really needs to look at her dancing, first and foremost, because most often it says it all. It's all so musical, so well thought, that it makes sense. Strangely enough, I find it very satisfying (and more than that) in some works, and not in others. Her Giselle Act II is amazing - in the same way, I love her performance on the Sleeping Beauty DVD, because the choreography is all there, crystal clear and wonderfully phrased. The steps themselves seem to say it all in these two ballets (Aurora's variations really define her character for me, and Aurélie Dupont gives them full meaning) - another example is Lifar's Mirages, where Dupont's variation moved me to tears in October. IMO Giselle Act I is different - the steps themselves don't seem to contain everything that can be expected from the dancer. Giselle doesn't actually dance much in that act - that's perhaps why Dupont doesn't work for me as well as she does elsewhere. Just my opinion, of course, but this is a very interesting topic.

Thanks for your comments, bee and volcanohunter - I hadn't thought about that. I can understand your delight, volcanohunter (Dupont's dancing never stops pleasing me whatever she does, she has the most wonderful arms along with a technique that leaves one in awe), and it seems she did better and better as the run progressed. My problem was that she didn't look noble when I saw her, she looked coquettish, very self-aware of her charm, which prevented her from looking "simple", but she is building her interpretation after all, and she was perhaps trying something there... This is really a slight criticism, since, as I said, her dancing is unsurpassed right now at the POB - but emotion, warmth and the ability to draw in an entire audience at any time might well be what will make her one of the unforgettable Prima Ballerinas of our time. I watched the Giselle broadcast with Pujol/Le Riche two days ago, and I'm sorry to say whoever is responsible for the filming hasn't done a very good job. Many small mistakes from the soloists have been kept, much to my amazement (Gillot's wobbles in the arabesques the beginning of the second act, while she did them perfectly fine at the performance I saw ; same thing for Laëtitia Pujol during the balances of the second act). And the filming is quite dreadful (shots either close-up or very far from the stage, as if taken from the amphitheatre, which flattens everything). Let's hope some serious editing will be done before the DVD release. It made me think again how outstanding Aurélie Dupont is dancing-wise right now among her colleagues...

This year's run of Giselle hasn't disappointed, although fans will always find some casting decisions questionnable. All in all, I rather enjoyed all the performances I saw. In the title role, Mélanie Hurel and Laëtitia Pujol did an especially wonderful job, I thought. Mélanie Hurel may not have the most amazing technique, but this is not what matters most in Giselle for me, and actually her rather humble demeanor on stage is perfect for the part. She doesn't do tricks - on the contrary, she is extremely sincere, and really portrays the shy peasant falling in love. She and Matthieu Ganio were wonderful together, with lovely details - M. Ganio seems more and more in command on stage, while taking great care of his partner. They both seemed to be telling a story from beginning to end. Mélanie Hurel, in the second act, remains very human, while Aurélie Dupont for instance portrays a ghostly Giselle. Her interpretation felt right - some gestures made more sense that way, and it carried an emotion that made this part of the ballet all the more powerful. Aurélie Dupont is a wonder in Giselle. Her technique is absolutely unbelievable - in the second act, her balances, her footwork have to be seen to be believed. She skims very lightly above the ground, as if weightless. She is undoubtedly one of the greatest ghosts in the ballet world right now , and yet somehow I felt she could be incomparably better if she put her greatest effort into acting. But it's true I saw her with Nicolas Le Riche, who was replacing Laurent Hilaire and Manuel Legris (both got injured), and they just don't seem to work as a partnership. In the first act, she was just too coquettish for my taste, very much a star playing a peasant but who knows she's a star. But her white act is truly wonderful (partnering issues aside - I think that's why she was off the music at some point) - unlike Ms. Hurel and Pujol, who keep on acting, the emotion seems to pour from the utter perfection of her dancing and the otherworldly forms she creates on stage. I may not have been entirely partial to her Giselle when I saw her, but all the praise she gets is more than deserved, and I hear she did much better acting-wise with Manuel Legris, her usual partner. Laëtitia Pujol, who was recorded for a future DVD release, may well have struck the best balance between sincere acting and dancing. Unfortunately, I saw her in her last recorded performance, while she had just had another one the previous day and hadn't danced in a year before this run - I think this accounts for the technical problems she encountered (she fell off pointe twice during the diagonal of ballonnés in the first act), since she is known as a very strong technician. Despite that, I enjoyed very much her portrayal. As a peasant, she lit up the stage with joy and the same sincerity Mélanie Hurel had shown. They share a very "common" stage persona (and it's not a criticism at all), which has nothing to do with tricks. Ms. Pujol's sweet demeanor makes one smile and feel sympathy for the character. Her mad scene is therefore all the most poignant : she stares at us like a wild animal, with extremely expressive eyes, and one feels really swept up into the drama. Her humaneness in the second act is very moving - she keeps on telling a story, which really helps building a coherent whole with Albrecht and Myrtha. Nicolas Le Riche was great with her as Albrecht, displaying expressive dancing and amazing jumps. As Myrtha, Laura Hecquet's debut was most promising. She belongs to an "emploi" which is not so well represented in the company today : a tall dancer, I think of her as a natural for the "Queen" roles (Myrtha, Queen of the Dryads, Odette). Her breakthrough performance was at last year's Young Dancers program, where she essayed the lead in Balanchine's Diamonds pas de deux. She made a lasting impression with her perfect classicism and serene demeanor, and has since been moving on to soloist roles. Her Myrtha only confirmed she is a great hope, although she cannot yet fully grasp Marie-Agnès Gillot's authority. Her dancing is utterly pure and classical, with fine lines. She defined very clearly the crescendo her character seems to go through at the beginning of the second act, from the quietness of her bourrés on to the authority of her grands jetés. She pulled off particularly well the manège of jetés that comes after the diagonal, remaining strongly on top of the music instead of being drowned by it (I find it especially difficult, since the music is so authoritative at that point, while the steps do not have the same immediate impact as the always impressive big jumps). Marie-Agnès Gillot was of course very impressive, and remains the strongest Myrtha of the company, with impressive jumps. Her nuanced acting gives more depth to the character. I still somehow feel the lack of classical roles shows in her dancing - I do not really enjoy her arms and fingers, which can look at times unelegant. She has the authority of an Etoile in this part though, and it makes a difference. Samuel Murez, a last-minute substitution for Yann Bridard, did incredibly well as Hilarion. His acting has wonderful details, and it worked perfectly with Mélanie Hurel and Matthieu Ganio, who were both responding to him. I discovered afterwards that he was only just quadrille in the company... Well done to him. Stéphane Phavorin and Wilfried Romoli also gave well-defined readings of the part, but more on the brutish side (especially M. Romoli), with a somewhat muted love for Giselle. In the peasant pas de deux, Emmanuel Thibault and Myriam Ould-Braham were about as good as it can get. His jumps elicited spontaneous applause, while her delicacy is perfectly suited to the part. What's more, they both acted ; from the moment they step on stage, they're with their friends, taking delight in being part of the celebrations, and in the pas de deux itself they truly seem in love with each other, making eye contact whenever it is possible. What a shame they haven't been given a performance in the leading roles... Aubane Philbert, in another cast, made a fine debut alongside Mallory Gaudion, but she's too green to be given heavy responsabilities I think. She was notably shaky in all the turns, and her back and neck are stiff (a frequent flaw at the POB, unfortunately), but her technique is already very good. Let her grow up and work in depth on her current shortcomings, and she could be a very good soloist, for what she can already pull out at 18 bids well for the future. Mallory Gaudion did well, but Matthias Heymann (also with Aubane Philbert) showed great promise that was confirmed by the internal competition a few days later. His ballon and footwork are extremely good. His acting is still on the muted side, but we'll hear of him soon. The corps did very well, although divided between Coppélia (where it doesn't look as good...) and Giselle. The lines were sharp, and the second act looked wonderful at all performances. A minor flaw would be the part where the Wilis cross twice in arabesque, very slowly, and which was a bit too noisy. It looked jumped instead of just skimmed above the floor, but the view from the amphitheatre might be responsible for that... Other than that the level was very high at all performances, and I feel sorry the POB does not do more classical productions, since even with them being so far apart, the dancers manage to pull it off wonderfully - what would it be if the company took real care of its repertoire and provided the roles dancers like Myriam Ould-Braham or Marie-Agnès Gillot need on a regular basis ? (would anyone maybe care to change the name of the thread to just POB Giselle ? It doesn't really fit anymore... )

I agree with you, volcanohunter, it's pure nonsense. I guess the company now pays the price for having promoted to étoile dancers who are very prone to injuries, and therefore not very reliable. Benjamin Pech has often been injured (in October, and then now again). Hervé Moreau gets injured just as easily (in December and June last year, which messed up the casting of Swan Lake and Lady of the Camellias - and for Giselle again, forcing Nicolas Le Riche to step up and dance many performances). It puts a lot of strain on the other principals. Matthieu Ganio is still young and has already undergone surgery, if I recollect well - it's worrying to see what he ends up doing this month, while he was supposed to dance but a single Giselle...

It would definitely be Obraztsova/Fadeyev for me too. Evgenia Obraztsova is absolutely perfect for the part of Juliet - she is small, but she projects and she can truly act. Besides, she's made this role her own over the past few years. Among the current crop of young dancers at the Kirov, she would be my pick. It is a debut for Olesya Novikova so it might not be as polished, but I'm sure she'll do well, and Igor Kolb is a wonderful dancer. Then there's Maya Dumchenko, of course, apparently with the risk she might not show up...

I pretty much agree with everything Cygneblanc said. Thanks to her for summing it up. I just wanted to add that I think Ms. Pagliero did not steal her promotion IMO, even though she was not the best dancer of the competition last week. She's a strong, beautiful dancer and did a nice Esmeralda, as stated - besides, I think it says a lot that she is now recognized, while those who didn't come out of the POB school usually struggle to be promoted and even to be considered, no matter how good they are. She will be just fine at the "coryphée" level, I think, after years of being a quadrille. That her and Sara Kora Dayanova (also previously a "surnuméraire") have been promoted this year is a fine way to recognize how much they add to the company, even if they're not meant to be future étoiles. Ms. Dayanova's Shadow from Les Mirages, by the way, was extremely moving. There's a sense of perfect classicism about her dancing, a taste and sensitivity that make her the very example of the POB style IMO. I agree with you, obviously (who didn't ?) : Eléonore Guérineau is a gorgeous dancer and was way above everyone else. What she does at such a young age is absolutely mesmerizing - not only is she technically perfect, but she is very feminine (which is not that common at the POB). Her lines just flow... I can't wait to see how she grows.

Jean-Guillaume Bart is certainly not a man to despise the classics. I think it has much to do with health problems (see the interview in Italian - if I remember correctly, he explains how he would often get injured, and how it led him to think a great deal about technique and what should be done to prevent injuries). It probably has something to do also with training and then dancing all those extremely difficult Noureyev ballets. Beware : he's still one of the best classicists around. I've just seen him as Coppélius in Coppélia, and he was just terrific : soft landings, a beautiful line, the French school at his best - but I think he just can't deal anymore with long runs of demanding ballets with lots of partnering involved. See what Darcey Bussell stated recently - maybe he doesn't want to get surgery and go through huge pain as could be the case if he went on... We're still lucky to have him in everything he dances, and I can't wait to see his Apollo in February.

The women's promotions are also on the website : * Sujets > Mademoiselle Sarah Kora Dayanova (22 ans) > Mademoiselle Marie-Solène Boulet (29 ans) * Coryphées > Mademoiselle Ludmila Pagliero (23 ans) > Mademoiselle Daphnée Gestin (25 ans) Well-deserved for Ms. Dayanova and Pagliero, who danced superbly. Ms. Dayanova gave a truly amazing account of the Shadow from Les Mirages (Lifar). I feel disappointed though for the lovely Eléonore Guérineau, the strongest quadrille IMO - but it's true she's still very young (it was her first competition). She definitely has a wonderful career ahead of her. More later if I have time ;)

Grissi, there's virtually no chance at all the casting will be known in January. We'll be lucky if Don Quixote's is already up... I would advise you, if you know anyone in Paris, to ask them to get tickets for you directly at the box-office when the tickets go on sale (some time in March) - by then casting should be up, and you can pick the performance. If that's not possible, well... There's not much to be done. ;-) Last time around Agnès Letestu got the opening night of Cinderella and Aurélie Dupont the second performance, but that doesn't mean it will happen again this time.

Casting is as follows for the DVD : GISELLE Laëtitia Pujol ALBRECHT Nicolas Le Riche HILARION Wilfried Romoli QUEEN OF THE WILLIS Marie-Agnès Gillot PEASANT PAS DE DEUX Myriam Ould-Braham / Emmanuel Thibault TWO WILLIS Emilie Cozette/ Laura Hecquet I guess it will be released at the end of 2007, or in 2008, if it takes as much time as asual.

This is very interesting... Why is being vertical wrong for Balanchine ? As a total outsider (I'm French and the POB does little Balanchine these days), I've felt on the contrary that verticality was part of the style displayed in ballets such as Agon or Rubies (maybe not the best examples, but the first ones I thought of). Maybe we should start a new thread on that question ?

I have recently discovered Darcey Bussell's rendering of the Agon pas de deux, on the Balanchine Celebration tape, and I found her absolutely gorgeous in it - with such a pure line and a technique that seemed suited to Balanchine. It actually made me change my mind about her - I had only seen her in the Sylvia telecast from last year where she is not at her best IMO (she doesn't seem at ease in this kind of classical piece). I did a research on the Board's archives and noticed that some people had actually hated her Agon... Would anyone feeling that way care to explain why ? I've never seen it done by a NYCB dancer, and I'm wondering in which ways she might have been "wrong" - especially as the POB will dance Agon in February, and I'm looking forward to see how they envision the piece (and how different it may be from NYCB).