MinkusPugni

The whole thing or just a suite? Choreographer?

I really didn't like the Bolshoi version - it disappointed me as I was very excited to see it and had high expectations. It's not all that bad but the dancers (surprisingly) aren't technically great and the film is quite old but not as old as some that I have seen and isn't very good quality. I have two ballets from the sixties that are much better quality than this. If you've never seen Raymonda before, I suggest you don't buy this as it will give you a bad perception on the masterpiece that is Raymonda.

Fiona Tonkin is Australian and I believe she's the best dancer an Australian stage has ever seen. She's an excellent dancer. Unfortunately, I have only had the opportunity of seeing her in Sleeping Beauty and La Fille mal Gardee as she is before my time (she's not dead, just retired). Has anybody else seen Fiona Tonkin?

Two questions: For people that don't do ballet, what is it that draws you to performances of classical ballet? For people that do do ballet, what is it that makes you love ballet? What do you love most about performing, etc.?

For me, the dances for the corps de ballet are the most important aspect of the balelt. That and the music! That's why I love ballets such as Swan Lake, Coppelia and of course Serenade. Variations are the second most important thing: I love them! My favourite corps dances would have to be: 1. Waltz of the Hours from Coppelia 2. Mazurka from Coppelia 3. Flute Dance from La Fille mal Gardee 4. The Scene where the swans are "floating" across the water (doing pose temps leves in a pattern like the entrance of the shades) from Swan Lake 5. The Dance of the Swans from Act IV of Swan Lake 6. Scene Dansante from Prologue of Sleeping Beauty 7. The Whole of Serenade 8. The Nymph Scene from Act II of Sleeping Beauty

Sylphide, I train at a private school in Australia. We are the only school in Australia to do the Vaganova method. I have been at the Australian Ballet School and the teaching there is much worse than my school where we have two prestigious teachers, one of which was a famous dancer with the Kirov Ballet. Yes, we differ from Vaganova in that there are different amounts of students in each class, we aren't all the same age, we've all been learning for different amounts of time and most likely will learn longer than eight years but the actual technique and teaching that we do is Vaganova.

I have read the whole of it and loved ever second of it!

Some of you will remember, I'm going to enter a choreography competition next year and my entry was going to be "La Neige Blanc" with music from many different ballets and an opera. Well, I have been told that it is too hard to obtain the copyrights for such an extensive piece choice so I have changed what my ballet is going to be. I will use sections from Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake arranged by myself for piano. The reason I am arranging it for piano is so that I can get the tempos that I want and I can cut certain sections out of the music as I do have a time limit. The setting is a very dark forest at night. I am not sure whether the girls are going to be fairies or dryads but they will be either one. The music goes: 1. Panorama (Sleeping Beauty - Act II) 2. Scene Dansante (Sleeping Beauty - Prologue) 3. La Fee Or (Sleeping Beauty - Act III) 4. La Fee Argent (Sleeping Beauty - Act III) 5. La Fee Sapphir (Sleeping Beauty - Act III) 6. Black Swan Pas de Deux Variation II (The real one - not the Drigo one - Swan Lake) 7. Black Swan Pas de Deux Variation I (Swan Lake - Act III/I) 8. Pas de Six Variation III (Swan Lake - Act III) 9. Pas de Six Variation IV (Swan Lake - Act III) 10. Miettes qui Tombent (Sleeping Beauty - Prologue) 11. Coulantes. Fleur de Farine (Sleeping Beauty - Prologue) 12. Scene: Sortie des Invites et Waltz (Swan Lake - Act III) The Panorama and Scene Dansante are dances for all the dryads/fairies. Numbers 3-11 are variations for the dryads/fairies and 12 will be used for the coda. I think I will use proper recordings for the Panorama and Scene Dansante and the rest will be arranged for piano. What do you think about this one?

What significance do the black swans in Act IV hold? I believe it to be really stupid seeing as the Black Swan in Act III represents evil. What are the choreographers' reasons for putting them in?

Doug, thanks so much for the suggestion of the book. I will most certainly buy it. Solor, thanks HEAPS for all that info! Yes, I heard that story about that mysterious pas de deux but I also read somewhere that the ballerina (Anna Sobeshanskaya) wanted a pas de deux for the black swan in the third act (though as stated, not then the black swan) so she went to Tchaikovsky first (with the collaboration of Petipa) but midway, the project was scrapped and it was decided that the pas de deux from the first act would be used. Tchaikovsky had written all the pieces but all were in piano-score form. The only one orchestrated was the second variation. I'm not sure which one to believe!? I have to say that I much prefer the original score to Drigo's. Of course some of it had to be changed - such as Siegfried's Black Swan variation (though I believe it only needed to be reorchestrated and not cut - a longer variation is a better one) but I believe many of the changes are unnecessary and in some cases inappropriate. I believe the changes to the ending of both Swan pas de deuxs are inappropriate. The B theme of the white swan pas de deux could be repeated and this is a good idea but Drigo's addition of the violin runs are completely unlike Tchaikovsky and sound strange - the same for the black swan pas de deux. It could have easily stopped while the violin is doing the trills and there are two pizzicato notes but Drigo decided to add runs which sound so odd! I also MUCH prefer the original Black Swan variation than the Drigo one. The Drigo one sounds like a solo for Odette who is helpless and soft - whereas Odile is strong, buoyant, shows off and is cunning. The original variation, in my opinion, would show Odile's difference in character from Odette's better than Drigo's variation. If I was rechoreographing this ballet, I would try to use as much of the original score as possible.

"Chopiniana" is "Les Sylphides" just not the one most companies perform today. It is Fokine's original one but he redid it to show us what we see today.

Yes the "Finger Fairy" variation is the Fee Violente (Violent Fairy - 5th Variation).

I love all the Sleeping Beauty Fairies! And I also love all the Odalisque variations! You have some great choices there.

Bart, a variation comes after a "Pas de..." or a "Grand Pas...." or something similar where there are a certain number of people who all perform variations after the main dance (sometimes including an introduction) and then perform a coda at the end of the variations which finishes the pas. (eg. a "Pas de Deux" / "Pas de Trois" / "Pas de Quatre" etc, "Grand Pas" / "Grand Pas Classique", etc) A "Pas Seul" or solo is a solo that comes for the entertainment of people or another reason that isn't linked to any other dances. For example, "Dawn" and "Prayer" from Coppelia or Giselle's act I Pas Seul.

I already posted this but I'm not sure where it went! What are your favourite variations from ballets? Give me a top-five. Mine are: 1. Sapphire Fairy from Act III of Sleeping Beauty 2. Male Black Swan Variation from Act III of Swan Lake 3. Fourth Variation (Second Last) from the Pas de Six of Act III of Swan Lake 4. Miettes Fairy from Prologue of Sleeping Beauty 5. Nikiya's Variation from Act I of La Bayadere

Just because they are the same choreographer, doesn't mean they are exactly the same. I believe the Pas de Quatre is completely different from Giselle. Plus the two acts of Giselle are also completely different so there is quite a lot of variety. I think that a mixed programme that includes a full-length ballet should always be of the same choreographer. For example, the Australian Ballet just performed La Sylphide and selections from Bournonville ballets were curtain-raisers (Le Conservatoire Pas de Trois, Flower Festival Pas de Deux). This was good because you could see other aspects of the choreographer's work.

This time, I don't want to know your overall favourite ballet. What is your favourite individual piece from a ballet? This should be interesting! Give me your top five. Mine would be: 1. Sapphire Fairy Variation from Act III of Sleeping Beauty 2. Dance of the Swans from Act IV of Swan Lake 3. Waltz of the Snow Flakes from Nutcracker 4. Waltz of the Hours from Coppelia 5. Panorama from Act II of Sleeping Beauty

Although I think it is unnecessary, if it does have a curtain-raiser it should be something of Perrot's like the Pas de Quatre.

Sorry, I didn't know where else to put this but what are your favourite variations in classical ballets? Mine would have to be: 1. The Sapphire Fairy from Act III of the Sleeping Beauty 2. Male Black Swan variation from Act III of Swan Lake (English Version) 3. Second Last Variation from the Pas de Six of Act III of Swan Lake 4. Raymonda's Scarf Variation Act I 5. Kitri's Variation from Act I of Don Quixote (Barishnikov's Version) What are yours?!

That "Pas de Fleche" caption refers to the entire scene. It is a hunting scene where arrows are a big part. Much like the "Jardin Animee" from Corsaire is also called the "Pas de Fleurs".

There are two versions of La Fille mal Gardee: the original one which used old French Folk Tunes for the music and is very old (I'm not sure if this one is still even performed) and then there's Ashton's one which is performed by the Royal Ballet, the Australian Ballet and I'm sure many others.

The whole of the Black Swan is supposed to be in act one.

At the top of my list DEFINATELY serenade. The choreography is just genious. No other choreographer could imitate it.

When I first heard the original score I thought exactly the same thing until I realised there were only three fanfares before the full waltz so... I only agree with some of the changes Drigo made which were to get better results from the lovely Tchaikovsky score but he made (I know... under instruction) many pointless ones. I do agree with replacing the original pas de six intro music with the waltz and changing the orchestration of the male black swan variation (NOT cutting it up though). There are some other ones I agree with too but many I disagree with. Does anyone have a full list of Drigo's changes to the score?

Yes there is a recording of Onegin - John Cranko's ballet. It is entitled "Onegin" but the cover is misleading as it seems to be of two people singing indicating the opera but when you look closely the girl has a pointe shoe on! It is in conjunction with the Stuttgart Ballet, the orchestra is Staatsorchester Stuttgart the conductor is James Tuggle. The label is either "Animato" or "Bauer Studios" I'm not quite sure which one as it isn't clear. I haven't listened to the whole thing yeah so I'm not sure how good it is. It's available at the Royal Opera House Shop... that's all I know. Hope it helps