Effy

I am fully aware that I am not a fan of Johan Kobborg, and I therefore try to be as objective as I can, when I see his performances. I am very pleased that his career is doing so well in London, and I agree with people who claims that he is much better suited to RB than RDB. As so much of the repetoire in Denmark is legacy, it can be very difficult for a dancer, who do not exactly fit the types to get full recognition. As far as the Danish standards goes, Kobborg was forced into the demi caracter role, which he really is not. It has been much easier for dancers like Arne Villumsen, Ib Andersen, Nicolai Hubbe and even a foreign dancer like Lloyd Riggins to build a career here .It is not that he has been underpreciated in Denmark. He has danced a lot of leading roles, but he has never been as dominant and frequent star dancer as he is is with Royal ballet. it has more been like: we know he is good so we muust give him some parts. I my opinion they have failed in buying ballets that could use his potential. A ballet like Asstons Rhapsody would have been a great choice for Kobborg and Thomas Lund. He could so easyly have been a victim of the series of wrong ballet masters. Yes he was a favorite with Peter Schaufuss, but to dance leading roles in bad ballets is not really progressing a dancer. He has also lacked an equal partner i RDB, which he has now. I would say he has a more than equal partner in Alina C To me she is the revelation. He is good and she is great.

I am positive about seing new and young talents and also other companies than the top 5. But in order to tour a company should be able to bring either excellent dancers or interesting ballets. What was on show was 8 dancers who did not match each other very well and who was disadvantaged by sharing the stage with top dancers, which probably made them look worse than they were. And when you end up with a situation where you have Hubbe and Kobborg beating the tambourines and the SAs dancers killing the pas de six and solo I begin to feel like this anecdote where a famous violinst is pressured by a rich man to accompany the rich mans son, his pupil, at a concert. Unfamiliar with performing on the piano, he then ask his friend, a wellknown pianist to help him turn the sheets. The review read. A man we admire playing violin played the piano. A man we admire playing pano turned the sheets, and the man who should have turned the sheets played the violin! I feel that the star dancers(which was the name of the performance) could have spend their time and mine better. We could have had excepts from Manon, La Sylphide or Duo Consertante with Hubbe and Schandorff, We could even have had Yesterdays with Bendixen and Gad. Even an except from their Hamlet ballet would have been more interesting than the awful drum& Mozart piece and the underrehersed and underperformed Napoli III. I blame the Danish dancers and producer as much or perhaps more than the SA dancers. The should at least have so much respect for Bournonville to insist on a certain standard. A well danced Napoli III is always a joy andd they could have performed on level with the best parts of the programme.

There is some links, but allthoigh I can see how it can benefit the SA dancers to learn from the Royal Danish Ballet, I still question the need to tour, when there still is so little quality to show. Some of the women were ok, but the men were sub standard. They better stay at home and practise

Back from Aarhus, I hasten to bring my report. It was a night of superb dancing. It was a night of mediocre dancing. It was a night of masterpieces. It was a night of awfull choreography. It turned out to be a programme produced by Peter Bo Bendixen and build around a group of South African dancers, with financial support from a cultural exchange programme. How someone ever got the idea that by setting the SA dancers ,including a piece of awfull local choreography, in the middle of some of the best dancers of RDB, NYCB and Royal Ballet would benefit them or indeed the audience puzzles me. The evining began with a glorious Apollon with Hübbe, Schandorff, Gad and Cavallo. Although it was evident that Hubbe is losing power, he still possesses personality and a third dimention in his dancing paired with a good understanding of the part. Of the women, Schandorff was classes above the other two. Yes she does have the meatier part, but everything was done surperbly and she almost dominated Hubbe in the pas de deux. I question the decision of Cavallo and especially Gad to share the stag with Schandorff, as she so clearly out dances them. Gad in particular look far from her best. She had battled injuries, as shown in a tv special, and she is very dedicated and hard working, but at present she could hardly hold an arabesque. Next number was Don Q. with Kobborg and Alina C. She was fantastic and he was good, with out dazzling. He is a dancer, whom I have almost found it difficult to admire mostly due to lack of line. I have seen better from other Danish and international dancer, but she really managed to make a Kitri, that was neither vulgar nor external. Quite a feat. Second part started with the local SA ballet, danced to African drums, then Mozart, and then Mozart and African drum together. Although the piece only lasted 18 minutes, that cast had four full costume changes. Do not ask me to interpret the ballet. It was just awfull, and the dancers were bland and not very suited to each other. It was followed by Scandorff and Kenneth Greve in a pas de deux from In the Middle Somewhat Elevanted, Dynamic and very well danced. Alina C and Kobborg then did the pas de deux from MacMillan Romeo & Juliet. Again she was the better dancer and actor of them Producing any ballet gala in Denmark, it seems to be obligatory to end the programme with Napoli III act and also this programme. I wish they had not. The SA dancers were dancing the pas de six with Cavallo and Gad and one of them was also put in charge of second male solo. The girls were ok, The men awful. Thomas Lund did first male solo, but without his usual aplomb. Kenneth Greve, who may harbor a desire to dance Gennaro, tried energitically to fill the part. I am an ardent admirer of his, but it was evident that Gennaro neither suited his type or size (he stands almost two meter or 6.6). Hubbe and Kobborg was left to beat the tamborines and dance a small tarantella version. It was evident that the hope was to made some kind of fusion, but the result showed why a director, rather than dancers should take care of casting. Could we make a national request for a supplementary final ballet for mixed programmes in Denmark. I love Napoli III but I am so tired of seing thes mixmatched, underrehearsed versions. In all I felt the trip well spent, and it left me admiring more than before, opended my eyes on certain limitations.

If the present production of La Sylphide seems lighter it is because the dancers and Nicolai Hubbe has chosen to play the parts young and innocent, rather than dramatic and profound. To a certain degree it looks somewhat like Hubbe and Rose Gad danced the parts when they won the European competition for young dancers. When Hubbe himself last danced James it was the full hammer dramatic approach to the part, but I sense that his conception is that this interpretation would not suit Thomas Lund, whom he coached to a more lyrical interpretation. Regarding the dancing Hubbe has stessed the dramatic elements in the dancing. As you rightly point out there are the external and the internal Bournonville performers, but in spite of the full drama approach chosen by his own james, Hubbe is very much in the internal corner, with James like Kronstam, Villumsen and others. He is handicaped by not having the greatest madge of the all, Sorella Englund for his disposal, and he is left with a couple of madges who have yet to reach their final intrepretation of therole. On the dancing there are also two schools which you can call small and large. The small dancers include Dinna Bjørn, Lis Jeppesen, Henriette Muus etc. the large school includes Arne Villumsen, Ib Andersen, Mette-Ida Kirk, Silja Schandorff, Christina Olsson, Kenneth Greve, Nicolai Hubbe, Gudrun Bojesen, Mads Blangstrup etc The first group want to keep Bournonville in a very thight register. The latter expands and danced full out with more energy and line. Lis Jeppesen is external - small, which almost killed her Birthe. My preferance is for the combination Internal-large. There is also a third scool which can be descriped as "faking it" but do not get me started on that subject

Responses - Michelle Larsen left to join The Schaufuss ballet. I am not certain that she still dances. Re. Manon This is the first major role Rose Gad have done since returning from maternaty leave. She is good of certain parts,but she should have had the part, when Frank Andersen first considered the work. As the story goes he has scheduled a metting with MacMillan on the very day of his death. No she is a bit on the mature side, and as is the case with many of her parts, Schandorff does it better. Rose is dancing with Mads Blangstrup, who on paper should be our ideal de Grieux, but he is somewhat overwhelmed by the Dowell specialities in the solos. What it would really like is to see the younger ballerina Bojesen and Lindström as Manon, both espicially Lindström was great in Onegin. I never seen the poodles, but I am certain that the season is over as TIVOLI Friheden is only open during the summer season.

You can see excepts of the rehersals and snippets of a stage rehersal in costumes om www.kgl-teater-dk. Just press on the picture from La Sylphide and then press on triailer and choice your connection speed. The dancer are Thomas Lund and Gudrun Bojesen in practise cloths and Mads Blangstrup Rose Gad in costumes. If you go to the "presse" section you can also dowload high quality photos from this and other RDB-productions

I found a little note in Jyllands-Posten but do go to www.musikhusetaarhus.dk there is more information. You can also boy tickets online the max price is 310 DKK. There is a train going back to Copenhagen at 23.00 h, so it can be done as a one day trip.

I am attending a performance in Aarhus, our second largest city on monday with the followwing programme: Apollon: Hübbe, Schandorff, Gad, Cavallo Don Quicote Pas de Deux: Alina Cojacaru, Johan Kobborg Kopano? Ballet I never heard about with dancers I never heard about In the middle somewath elevated pas de deux, Schandorff, Greve Romeo & Juliet (MacMillan) Cojocaru, Kobborg Napoli Act Three: Thomas Lund, Schandorf, Cavalo,Gad, Greve Mads Blangstrup is also on the cast list but not assigned to any of the ballets (?)

The dancing look good and on a grander scale than the Dinna Björn production. However, Gudrun Bojesen did not have the grandest Sylphide grand jete I have ever seen. If the tempo was a bit more human, she could probably manage a better jump. It is pushing the boat a bit regarding a more "international" Bournonville style of dancing. Re. Melbye yes he has done decors for Frank Andersens La Sylphide in Stockholm and China before. We have seen the Chinise version in TIVOLI but it is harsh to judge any scenography on that stage. On the introduction he spoke as if he had done newer research on the subject. Given his status in Denmark I think he would have been chosen, no matter who was doing the production. He is rightly aclaimed for his Opera productions which have been sell-out for years. Several of the reviewers have noted that espciallyy the second act and some of his choices for act one is less than stellar. It is not a bad scenography (execp the backdrop for Act two) It is just too little of an improvement and in some respects less effective than the older poduction. You ended up loving that old battered decor

Regarding the decor. Michael Melbye was chosen probably not because he had worked with Frank previously, but because he is highly regarded for his scenography and directing of some of the most succesful opera productions at RDT. Michael Melbye originated as baryton and had an international career primarily as Papageno in The Magic Flyte. He was also a better actor than singer, and when he returned to Denmark he came to the conclusion that his voice had peaked and then reinvented himself as director and scenographer. His opera is very fine, his ballet productions less so. He have dressed Symphony in C, The TIVOLI Nutcracker and now La Sylphide. He has also been involed with make up design and was the make up artist behind Sorella Englunds Madge.

Sorry about attending late. The triple bill was chosen primarily to get the corps de ballet in motion and as such is fuctions well. The two first ballets gives ample opportunity for a number of younger dancers as they are full of mini solos and example. In the middle somewhat elevated brings on the stars, Schandorff, Kenneth Greve, Marie Pierre Greve, Caroline Cavallo, Andrew Bowman, Thomas Lund and they are marvelous. Neither of the two first ballet are any better than the average European ballets. In fact they are a bit worse, but as Frank Andersen stated, he has chosen this season to consist of ballets he have seem to avoid nasty surprises. Vers un page sage uses the same score as Peter Martins Fearful Symphony which is also in recent repetoire here but do not bring anything that the Martins ballet not allready had provided.

Do not get me wrong. Bojesen is a great sylph in the making and one of my favorate dancers. Her take on the role is very much what I expected it to be. I feel personally that her intrepretation would work better with say Mads Blangstrup as James. If the sylph is sweet and innocent she need a very passionate James for it to work. And a soft James needs a willful Sylph to drive the drama. A willful and erotic sylph can also work with a strong James. Here we are stock with a sweet sylph and a mellow James, so you do not reach the highest drama level. As often casting is everything. I think it may also work if (or when) Morten Eggert get the chance opposite Bojesen. They are very effective in the recent tripple bill. Effy has a solo (the Brenaa one). Regarding the mime sequence. Gurn returns and explains that he has seen a crazy James. full stop, I totally agree that Gurn as well as Madge should be able to see the Sylph. It also makes the previous scene whre Gurn collects Effy to show what James is up to, meaningless. Re. a decor for Etudes we are presently stock with a decor, that combines black velvet drapings with a few chandeliers and some awful pillars (they actually look somewhat like the original black decor for the 1948 periere). It cannot be a class room because the ballet evolve from the class room to the stage, but I am convinced that it must be possible to create something with more style and atmosphere. The original 1948 had a sort of fouer thing with busts on piedestalls if i remember corectly.

The Hübbe production of La Sylphide is most of all a step back to previous production values. He has scrapped all the little extras put in by Dinna Bjørn in the latest productions, mini solos examples, add. mime. Compared to the old Brenaa/Kronstamversion there is only one major change. In this production Gurn cannot see the sylph, which in my view lessens the impact of the final scene in act one. It is ok to loose the "falling on his bum - ha ha " element, but it makes a almost empty "line" for Gurn to deliver at a crucial point in the story. He is also driven up the tempo. This is surely the fastest La Sylhide there has even been. The dancing is spacious and it is wonderful to see a sylphide that is not forced to limit her movements, which was a very sad developement in the Bjørn version. I am not very satified with the scenography and costumes by Michael Melby. Somehow he has managed to dress James in the dullest colours, blu and dark green as opposed to very bright yeloows and reds for the corps. Adding also three Scoth pipers in full Trooping the colour gear is making a much to dominent feautures. The sylphs costume is to much like a ballgown and the fireplace is to big.It almost signal: Someone will use this exit. Unfortunately the scottish girls still looks like girls guides. The decor for act two is neither pretty nor alluring. The backdrop need much more attention. Is has an uncanny feel of a dolls theatre. Michael Melby has done some great decors for opera, but ballet do not look like his field. It is as he cannot get the scale right. In hinsight I would have preferred Mia Steengaad, who made a great Manon to do the decor. The premiere cast was Thomas Lund and Gudrun Bojesen with Lis Jeppesen as Madge. I think tha Hübbe could have casted himself to a bigger impact with Schandorff with either Kenneth Greve or Mads Blangstrup. Bojesen is lovely but also very naive sylph. Thomas Lund is well Thomas Lund. A great little dancer with the love and tecnique for Bournonvilll. an intelligent dancer, who understand what he is doing but without the looks and personally to portray a tormented, good looking soul. Which is exactuly what James be (and what we have been use to from our best James´s). He seem interested but not overwhelmed by the sylph and combined with Bojesens approach you get nice dancing but no tragic or existental drama. The last time i saw a debut as the sylph I cried. This time my eays stayed dry. The alternative cast may still produced tears and a clearer vision of what Hübbe wants. It may also be added that Lis Jeppesens choices for Madge is more personal than optimal. She has chosen to play the part with her own rather short cut hair as opposed to her balding gnom, produced last time. But as she cannot or will not use the opposites in the role like old -young, tall - short , weak -healthy it lack drama. Unfortunately Sorella Englund is no longer on the rooster and it is a grat loss. Morten Eggert was a capable Gurn, Tina Højlund a nice Effy, but "LaSylphide" needs a stellar trio on top, and we cannot call this more than a nice try. Following La Sylphide we got "Etudes" with a trio of our imported dancers Cavallo, Massot and Bowman, of which neither really managed to bring on that little bit of extra. The corps was fine but we could do with a new decor or rather a decor for this work.

Due to the employment rules of the Royal Danish Ballet a dancer may obtain extended leave. As the employment and pension terms are better than most other companies a dancer leaving for say, NYCB, will normally extend the leave as long ad possible as a safeguard. Peter Martins, Ib Andersen and Nicolai Hubbe were all on official leave from the RDB for 4 or 5 years. Julien Ringdahl returned to the company last year. etc. Adam Luders had already keft RDB when joining NYCB and Helgi Thomasson was never a member. I believe that Ask la Cour has formally left RBD for NYCB following a 6 month leave.

I understand that Kenneth Greve will also be dancing James. In addition to the mentioned Christina Olsson and Caroline Cavallo have also danced La Sylphide within recent productions. Gitte Lindström is casted in Etudes, but will first appear when fully recovered from an injury. Olsson and Cavallo and Bojesen may also be dancing in Etudes, which is also part of Silja Schandorffs repetoire

I think I should add that we still have some of the finest male dancers available in Copehagen Kenneth Greve, Mads Blangstrup and Thomas Lund can hold their own against anybody. Kenneth Greve is the classical Danseur Noble, Mads Blangstrup is the romantic poetic dancer and Thomas Lund the brilliant demi caracter dancer.

Specific to Carbro. When we say that NYCB has lost something, we compare to the standard three years ago and to what we could conclude based on the Hubbe concert group, who performed here last year. It may be that NYCB is no worse than they were 1 year ago - It may also be that they are great on the following night. The less than optimal stage conditions in TIVOLI may also be a factor. Injuries to dancer like Millepied is a factor, but the impression stands. NYCB is not what they were in their golden or even silver period. To me it looked a generation thing, but i must also conclude that dancers like Askegaard do not look like principal material.

Regarding the reception in Copenhagen, the reviews was more lukeworm than usually when NYCB is in town. They are very popular here, also with the critics, but this time only Erik Ashengreen goes into high gear. When my sister told a friend in a bus about her perception of the performance - another lady told her that she absolutely agreed with my sisters views that NYCB had not been up to standard. Yes the Danish audience and reviewers loves NYCB and normally go gaga - but then again they also goes gaga over Alvin Ailey! Royal Danish Ballet may often see themselves dismissed by audience and critics in relation to any guesting company. They have learned to accept this - but it is not always fair and I have seen better performances of the four ballets from tuesday by RDB. I am pleased to learn that the next performance were better, but I may also be that Martins hires Martins dancers rather than Balæanchine Dancers. Re. the casting. I believe that Kistler, Bourre annd Kovorski was the cast in Seranade on Tuesday

The Danish reviewers who are usually very Pro-NYCB is giving luke warm reviews and mentioning the lowered standard in the corps segments.

Thank you Mel. NYCB is a major company and like all companies goes though phases. some year they are better than others. It depends a lot on the dancer material, that is available and how it is used. I remember Arlene Croce once stating that Peter Martins only got casting right 50% of the time. And it is an important factor in developing dancers, that they get the right opportunities at the right times. Regarding my "own" company royal Danish Ballet. They have gone though periods where a succes rate of 50% in casting would have been a major step up. So by casting better a company can develop its quality both on the shorter and the longer perspectiv. It seem to me that NYCB do not have as many Grade A talented dancers as they had 20 years and even 10 years back, and it is beginning to show. The worst bit of casting was Nilas Martins in Symphony in C first movement, where he was nowhere near the elegance, style and partnering qualities needed for the part. unfortunately as he is the som of the ballet master in chief it is easy to assume a level of nepotism, but it may also be the fact that NYCB is uncommonly weak regarding leading men material and it shows. I think it is important for the fan to remember and communicate that standards use to be much higher. We do not need to feel bad about as long as we applaud when appauds are called for by good individual performances.

Living in Europe I only see NYCB every third year or so, when they visit Denmark as they are presently. My impression formed on yesterdays performance is that the corps have become significantly weeker since last I saw them, less unison and much less given the impression of one dancing body. Few choreographers make so wonderful use of a corps like Balanchine. When done right you do not register individual members of the corps, you see The corps. I hope they can retrive the look again, because it is a loss to the choreograhy

It was good to see NYCB in shape, but I must admit that I have seen them in better shape than on Tuesday evening in TIVOLI Copenhagen. They have gained a more human quality which was becoming in Seranade, but in other respects they are beginning to look like your average European or American company. It is obvious that dancers are no longer recrutted from merely one school so the unison is gone and the corp the ballet varies in sizes much more than a few years back. With a programme of Serenade, Agon, Thaikovsky Pas De Deux and Symphony in C, you cannot go wrong, but in general the casting was not up to standard and some of the older dancers seemed a bit miscast in the roles. Jennifer Ringer who was so wonderful when dancing with the Hübbe concert group last year, look very out of place in Symphony in C first movement with a very uninspired Nilas Martins as her partner. Maria Kowroski made much more an impression in the smallest ballerina part in Serenade than in Symphony in C second movement. Unfortunately Benjamin Millepied did not appear and there were few of the yuonger generation present in the casting. In Agon Wendy Whelan seemed to have lost her provocativly brilliant touch and "otherness". She just looked like any other dancer and was partnered by Jock Soto, who apperaed heavy and camp. Peter Boal was the only one who could substitute the steel power, he once had with a truly artistic performance. He alone of the older dancers was able to do that. The others which also includes Damien Woetzel in ThaikowskyPas De Deux and Darci Kistler in Serenade seems to be uable to do what dancers like Farrell, Martins and other NYCB royalities have done before; to be interesting when out of their physical prime. NYCB seems to caught in a generation gap. The older not able to cotinue delivering the goodies. The younger not ready yet. I went away still loving the ballets, but without the experience of having seen truly great dancing

Regarding the question of sets for Manon. The change is an artistic not a logistic change. As ballet master in Stockholm Frank Andersen produced the standard Manon, but found that the heavy settings and questions dwarfed the dancing. He then asked Lady MacMillans permission to change the decor, which she agreed and supported. The decor is considered a hit in Copenhagen. The costumes for act Two seems to be an eyesore for the UK critics, but the Danes rather like them (we have seen worse - much worse) Recarding the La Riche performance, I was impressed with him as a French not being to French and Schandoff performed beautifully, almost as good as she is with Kenneth Greve.

I may be wrong, but I have no recollection of ever visiting a Forsyth guest apperance, but it is likely that they should have been here. I think that Forsyth is not admired by all Danish ballet fans. We generally do not care for the Verfremdung that is part of his style and which was very apperant in France Dance. What I like about Forsyth is his dare to be inventive on a classical platform and his energy. He has also a lot of relevant comments about the wall-to-wall choreagraphy tha haunt a lot of European companies (the Kylian look-alikeballets)