scherzo

Random question: You know in the Don Quixote pd2 (and others) in the big fishdive from the high lift... Once the fishdive position is reached, the ballerina always does some sort of port de bras, side to side. Does this signify anything? I only ask because I recently saw one where it looked more meaningful than usual: kind of like (forgive rather odd wording) wafting exotic perfume, or perhaps gathering up flowers, or something. So, any meaning behind it?

Thankyou, I was getting a bit over-excited for a moment. Though good news about the new Cinderella and Petit! I love the POB because they put out so many DVDs. (Off-topic again: what is the Petit like?)

May I just take a moment to rave about Front Row Center? It is so great to see such great pictures every week, especially for someone who has no experience of American ballet companies/productions. And few ballet companies have many decent pictures on their sites anyway. So, hurrah! Very, very much appreciated. (Sorry, just needed to get that out of my system)

I've encountered this comment on the musical reference more than once, and no doubt Petipa intended Odile's port de bras to mirror Odette's in the window. But it's worth remembering that Tchaikovsky wrote this adagio for the first act, when neither Odette nor Odile were on the scene yet. I may seem musically obvious to us, but Tchaikovsky didn't conceive it that way. I didn't know that! I think I knew that Tchaikovsky's original adagio was too 'romantic' and I assumed that he then wrote up something new. Was the current adagio meant for the Act I pd3? Back on topic... This is from bart's post: I don't think that they shouldn't be allowed to do it, but they should really, really try to get the fouettes in, because they may be a trick but they are in the choreography and they are SUPER famous: original or not, it's what the audience expects. E.g. Margot Fonteyn apparently practised the Rose Adagio balances like crazy to make them work - dedication in order to give the audience what they want. Which is not to say that the fouettes are the most important thing in Swan Lake, of course! (Artistry, etc... ) Btw: I have only read about and never seen NYCB. I'm not picking on Sara Mearns' unsuccessful fouettes but use her only as an example: is it fairly unusual nowadays to be weak at fouettes? They seem to be such a standard Thing - does the SAB not place very much emphasis on training to dance the 'classics'? Or have I got a rather outdated/inaccurate idea? (I will do some searching but wanted to throw that in before I forget)

I notice that on the POB website, on the pages about Coppelia and Hommage a Lifar there are links to short video clips. Does this mean that these have been recorded for DVD or are they just archive recordings?

Now that I come to think about it, I'm kind of hazy on this bit. Does Rothbart cast an Evil Spell on the court, the Queen Mother and/or Siegfried? Or does Odile have to do most of the spadework herself, as it were, which is what the fouettes are in aid of?

I love the 32 fouettes! I've never really seen them as an extension of Odile's character: they're just exciting! The music builds up, you see Odile enter upstage, and then off she goes. Without them, the Black Swan pdd loses its climax, unless you happen to be able to pique and chainee as fast as those Soviets. After all, sometimes you just want a thrill, however hackneyed. However, I've not seen the fouettes done really well very often. Russian fouettes are kind of icky: too kick-y. I like doubles and triples, but it's awful to see ballerinas get over-ambitious and almost lose it mid-sequence, or make a horrible messy landing at the end. The French seem to have the most beautiful fouettes overall, with a lovely smooth whipping movement - but perhaps over-refined? A strong argument against having to have the fouettes is the 60s film of 'Swan Lake' with Fonteyn and Nureyev. Fonteyn just seemes to lose momentum at the end, which is really unfortunate as it's the only record of her Odile (that I know of). So I agree, if it's going to ruin a performance, don't do 'em! Best Odile fouettes ever seen: Alicia Alonso doing single, very fast fouettes on a checkerboard floor, staying within the same square. Off Topic: I've seen a Don Quixote pdd with Ekaterina Maximova where in the coda she does a series of single - single - double - turn in attitude devant all within four counts.

Assuming you mean the RB's new/old production: did you see it, and what did you (or anyone else) think??? I will post but not right now, no time.

Macmillan has come up quite a bit, he seems to have had Issues. Another that I haven't seen but have read about and seen pictures of is My Brother, My Sisters. Creepy, CREEPY stuff. I find Petrushka a bit unsettling. Everyone in it is so grotesque. And the decor for the dolls' cells is nightmare-ish (appropriately so, not in a bad way!).

Imaginative teacher! Does anyone think that Balanchine could have made anything of the 'Petite Suite', or is it a bit too frivolous?

Oh...it's still the best entertainment available! Aargh, I can't believe I wrote that!!! You know what I mean :blush:

papeetepatrick's comment about Macmillan's Mayerling is interesting. If you don't know, it is a complete mish mash of Liszt works for piano, orchestrated by John Lanchbery. I saw the ballet before I discovered Liszt properly, and now I find that whenever I come across one of the original piano pieces, I appreciate them even more precisely because they are so much better than the orchestrated, cut-up versions.

I am playing this as a piano duet at the moment. It is such beautiful, lush music and I wondered if any ballet had ever been made to it (the last movement is even called 'Ballet'!). Does anyone else think it would make a good ballet score (why/why not)? What sort of ballet could you envisage going with it?

These difficulties certainly must exist. But the thing is, sometimes I can't understand why people don't just do things straightforwardly. Basically, I'm thinking of the new/old RB Sleeping Beauty, whose major selling point was that it was a reconstruction of an historic production. But it was quite a free reconstruction. Messel's iconic designs were 'reimagined' or something by Peter Farmer, who may be a talented designer but seemed to feel obliged to assert himself artistically, updating for the 21st century. Result: designs that have been criticised for their insipid, pastel palette. Also, small choreographic details were changed, such as the pas de chats onto pointe by Violente. This must have been due to personal preference. I can identify with this: I would have changed the series of travelling developpe lifts in the Act III Wedding pd2 that replace the supported penchees. This desire to personalise productions must account for many changes in text. Another constraint appears to have been running time. Some of the court dances in Act II were cut. This may have been due to either theatre union rules regarding running time, or perhaps an assumption that the audience would be bored. Now that ballet is no longer the best entertainment available, I think that there is pressure to maintain the pace of a ballet's narrative, cutting non-essential episodes. Hence Swan Lakes minus pas de trois, Giselles minus Peasant pd2.

The Mariinsky's Swan Lake Odette/Odile: Uliana Lopatkina Siegfried: Danila Korsuntsev Rothbart: Ilya Kuznetsov Conductor: Valery Gergiev (!) This was a presentation of ‘extended highlights’ of the Mariinsky's Swan Lake, presented by Darcey Bussell (who is fast replacing Deborah Bull as the BBC’s resident ballet anchorman) who acted as narrator in between ‘highlights’. The Production Minuses: Happy ending!!! Ugh, ugh. And a Joker, who, though danced well by Andrei Ivanov, was extremely irritating. I had never seen the part which I think was the Valse Bluette in the last act: for me, it’s a nice idea but it really stuck out, the music not fitting in with the ballet at all IMO. Pluses: Pretty décor. No narrative jiggery-pokery, just straightforward dancing and storytelling. This must be the best Swan Lake around for broadcast, since it is quite conventional (no Swamp Monsters). Hooray! The Performance Ambivalent about Lopatkina. Minuses: Her Odette was a little too remote: she relied a little too much on lowered eyes and a furrowed brow, which created a character but was not emotionally involving. Also, I don't mean to be crude but her extreme thinness was really quite distracting sometimes, though her arms are wonderfully graceful. Finally, I prefer the Black Swan pd2 as a pd2, not a pd3. I always feel like swatting Rothbart at this point, to get rid of him. Pluses: In Act II, her dancing was very beautiful: really going through demi-pointe coming off pointe really makes a difference, giving a creamy legato quality. I had never noticed this quite so much before. The Act II Adagio was seriously Adagio. (Not quite sure how it ranks against Makarova's speed but must be quite close.) And she did pull it off! Also, her Odile wasn't evil-evil-evil all the time: she was actually quite likeable for a change! And strongly danced, of course. Her Odette and Odile were clearly differentiated, and she didn’t try to over-complicate things dramatically. As has been said, either you get Lopatkina or you don't, and I'm tending towards not getting her atm, though I can see why she is so admired. Korsuntsev: The Prince in this production is a bit of a dope. He has to look happy through Acts I and III, and pained/romantic in Acts II and IV. Or at least, that is how the BBC decided to cut the ballet. Perhaps they reduced the amount of Prince-acting that reached the screen. So Korsuntsev did what was required, and his dancing was OK if a little clunky. Kuznetsov: Poor Rothbart, he has such an embarrassing death: to be honest I’d rather Odette and Siegfried died so he could just fall down dead instead of having his (rather small) wings being ripped off. Rothbart had many energetic leaps to do, but an unfortunate comedic element was introduced because he was always leaping around in the background behind Odette/Siegfried, framed between them, and they didn't seem to be taking much notice of him! But Kuznetsov has a lot of charisma, and was a great evil presence. The rest of it The Mariinsky really produced an all-star cast for this performance, and it was interesting to see dancers who are promoted on tours (Obraztsova, Somova) doing corps/coryphée roles. Therefore we had Ekaterina Osmolkina, Irina Golub and Anton Korsakov in the pas de trois. Surprisingly, not very striking: Golub was quite neutral, Korsuntsev looked a bit bored to be honest. Only Osmolkina was lively and lovely. Obraztsova was amongst the cygnets; Osmolkina, Somova, Tkachenko and Tereshkina were the big swans. Quite a line-up! Gergiev's tempos seemed quite reasonable, and considerate of the dancers esp. when ending variations, which sometimes broke the flow of the music but mainly gave a refreshing together-ness of dancers and orchestra. The camerawork was interesting, with quite a few stage-level shots right up amongst the dancers. And it was rarely disruptive or awkward, with (as far as I can remember) few partials ! Biggest disappointment: cuts were quite extensive, missing chunks out of all acts, with a final running time of only 90 minutes. Unfortunately they left in the Neapolitan Dance which was frankly leaden. What with all the hyperbole surrounding Lopatkina and the Mariinsky Swan Lake (considered by some as ‘the ultimate’) I was perhaps unfairly expecting something incredibly – incredible. Of course, magic would have been lost in the transfer from stage to screen, and the cuts didn’t help. As it is, it was very enjoyable but seemed slightly underwhelming from such a top-flight company.

Don't worry, I will! It's quite a while off, I think I'm going on the 21st Feb. I thought I'd start researching early: everyone on this board is so knowledgeable!

Sorry, made a bit of a boob with this post.

Thankyou, Helene. I will see if I can find a copy of the Balanchine Celebration(s).

I am at school in Manchester in the UK. I used to do ballet myself, but gave up when I came to secondary school (tut tut - but it is an all-boys school! ). I don't actually see that much ballet live: once or twice a year I get down to London (in the school holidays of course!) and see the Royal Ballet, and if other companies come to Manchester I see some of those too. A rather starry example: we saw the Bolshoi last year in Spartacus! Anyway, I have been reading these message boards for at least a year now, and the many, many discussions on this board are so interesting that I couldn't resist joining to have a go myself. I'm basically here to learn. PS As you can see, I tend to go on and on a lot.

Oh, duh! Sorry, brain wasn't working. I have changed the post.

Wow, thankyou everyone for your responses! I have to say, when I heard about the programme, after my initial 'yay!!!!' response I thought that an all black-and-white, Balanchine-Stravinsky programme might be a bit......same-y (not in a bad way). But reading this thread, the ballets all sound really different, it'll be interesting to see the different things that came out of the Balanchine-Stravinsky partnership. Kathleen, I did know about the 'contest' meaning but not about the piece's Renaissance influences. That's very interesting, and quite unexpected: definitely something to look out for. (Sorry Dale, I don't know how to label your quote.) I have seen the Nonesuch recording of SVC, and I did 'get' these two qualities, partly because of Von Aroldingen's power and the fact that Martins towered over Mazzo. Is it usual to cast short/tall in the second pd2? I am very intrigued now about Symphony in Three Movements: Balanchine Girls as space-age Wilis could only be a good thing! So is it another big corps number, with lead couples? Leigh, I promise I will write a review (however ignorant). I understand that you are not exactly enamored of British Balanchine style. Have you ever seen the BRB in Balanchine?

In February I will be going to see Birmingham Royal Ballet in a triple bill of 'Agon', 'Stravinsky Violin Concerto' and 'Symphony in Three Movements'. Yay! All-Balanchine, all-Stravinsky. Does anyone have any tips on what to look out for, highlights, how they should be performed etc? Or, just for discussion's sake, does anyone have any views on or favourite moments in these three ballets?

This is my first post on Ballettalk!!! Hurrah. I’ve been following this discussion since it began, and have only just de-lurked and registered. So this post will be pretty long, and if I repeat what’s already been said…Bear with me. (Btw I’m a relative newbie to Balanchine, we don’t have the same Balanchine culture in Britain, and so I might commit Balanchine-sacrilege but really mean no offence!) Anyway. Onto the DVD! The Decor It was mostly beautiful. The Emeralds bodices and tiaras were quite unflattering (esp. to Pujol) but the projection and the layered skirts were GAW-geous. I also thought the men’s stripy arms were quite stylish. I thought the Rubies ruffles fitted the mood, and again the projection was rather delicious. Least favourite, in fact, was Diamonds: the tutus (esp. Letestu’s) were too stiff and wide, and under the top layer, they had the same texture as crinkle-cut crisps. But these are unfair, small quibbles: of course, the overall stage picture was beautiful throughout. Emeralds The music for Emeralds is completely ravishing and must be heaven to dance to: in fact I personally would have to actively keep myself from getting carried away and, perhaps, end up like the POB on this video. Pujol’s ‘oddly demented expression’ (love that phrase, bart!) was slightly distracting, but she really poured herself into her dance. Osta perhaps caught the intended, mysterious atmosphere better, but then stood out in comparison (esp. in the finale: unfortunate close-up) and looked a bit flat, and even sulky. The contrast between ‘young lovers’ and ‘older lovers’ was there in the two pd2s (authentic or not) which I found effective, making the ‘walking pd2’ appear all the more pensive and beautiful (though was the walking a little off?). Ganio and Belarbi didn’t have much to do except look handsome, which they did (supermodel-worthiness apparently being a prerequisite for a job in the POB). The pas de trois was appropriately sprightly, and the two finales were well done. I love the quiet end: it’s such a brilliant idea. Rubies I love this section: it’s so fun (the ‘high-five’ is great!). For me, the fun still came across despite the slightly over-sophisticated approach. Also, the ‘ballet is woman’ thing (that was Balanchine, right?) was most obvious here (in this performance at least) because Dupont seemed so dignified and technically awesome as well, in contrast to Carbone who was happy and bouncy, seemingly trying to attract her attention. I wasn’t especially struck by Gillot: she danced really well but didn’t click with me, for some reason. She also suffered from her tiara, which really was quite unflattering. Diamonds Re: Letestu, her interpretation may not have been authentic but I found it more intriguing than Farrell’s more ‘goddess-like’ version. That’s not to say I preferred it, but I didn’t dislike it: to me (atm, at least!) each is perfectly acceptable in its own way. I guess the difference is that Martins was ‘in love’ with Farrell, while Letestu/Bart were ‘in love’ with each other. (I know that’s simplistic, but you get the idea.) Their emoting really brought out the romanticism of the Tchaikovsky, and in the end I found it very moving. Maybe I’m biased: I love the music and the choreography. The kiss on the hand was impulsive and heartfelt rather than tribute, even seemingly catching Letestu by surprise. So, a more intensely romantic reading overall, vs the more restrained ye perhaps more powerful Farrell/Martins. Re: the rest of Diamonds, I’m not over-keen on the choreography for the first movement: the two soloists are fine, but there are far too many ‘waltz steps’ (sorry, I don’t know its proper name) for my taste. However, the two and later four soloists were great. Bart’s hair was a little odd, but hey, he danced really well. Hmm, Letestu was I think a little overambitious in playing with phrasing during her solo passages in the third movement (of the ballet, not the symphony) and she looked a bit behind the music sometimes. But she moved beautifully anyway. The finale is so exciting, and it was lively and exhilarating, a great end to the performance. Overall ranking Favourite: Emeralds 2nd: Rubies 3rd: Diamonds (a little bit blah) So, although it wasn’t a completely perfect performance, which is probably best described as ‘alternative’, I think we are lucky to have to have such an effective alternative.