Nanarina

I have contacted the distributors of this new Fred Wiseman Documentary about The Paris Opera Ballet. They have informed me it will be realeased on DVD in approximatly six months time. The actual date will be published on their aite. I will post more details later.

This whole situation is a sad loss for any person with a love or interest in Ballet. YouTube is a very good vehicle to learn more about the varied repertoire from all over the world. I have spent a great deal of time looking at Dancers past and present, reserarching lost and new productions. Where else could I find this at my fingertips on line and with such a comprehensive collection. Of course I still wish to go to the live performances, and see different dancers, But I will still purchase DVD's.CD's Books and Magazines.

Why couldnt one of tne of these entities (say, the Balanchine Trust) actually license the rights to post certain videos or do it themselves? That way they could maintain a kind of quality control, as well as supporting the Brand. My personal concern in this matter is primarily with Balanchine. We are being deprived of historic -- and canonical -- performances. Without that, it will be difficult for people to examine closely just what made Balanchine's work so extraordinary. P.S. Am I right in thinking that there is a a consensus on BT that the intensity (obsessiveness?) of the Balanchine Trust's effort to control (i.e., monopolize) the image has reached a point where it is becoming counterproductive, even of their own stated goals. Speaking for myself, the answer to your question as far as I am concerned is SIMPLY YES.

Yes I am in the UK, and it does not seem to be such a high priority here the sense of Copyright, for example we do not have such stringent privacy regulations as they do in France. You only have to look at the content and numbers of "Gossip magazines". Going back to Ballet, the most protective element I would say with a British Choreographer would be late Sir Kenneth Mac Millan and the protector of his work is his wife Lady Debra.

So is my Daughter correct in what she is saying then please? I should not put them onto my YouTube (I am a member of the site) Playlists for my own private viewing? Gosh it does get confusing!! Thank you for the information.

Aurelie Dupont is usually a brilliant actress. one of the best in ballet today. Her acting is very understated.with subtile use of her eyes and facial expression But I have read it said about her Giselle before. So maybe it is not her best role. However, she is again usually extremely musical and lyrical with that fabulos technique. This has made her famous world wide as you know. I saw her live in Oneguine earlier this year, and I was not at all disapointed. She made you feel the pain she was suffering through her physical demeanour. It took 8 curtain calls before the audience would let the dancers go, with most of the applause for Aurelie. Her partner on this occasion was again was Nicholas Le Riche. She also dances with Herve Moreau with whom she seems to have a good rapport.

Thank you Bella12 and rg for your posts. I am really looking forward to seeing the film, if Sasha Waltz's Romeo and Juliette is featured hopefully it will be with Aurelie Dupont and Herve Moreau who premiererd it. If it is as good as his film about ABT then it will be worth travelling to see. I wonder if a DVD will be released as it is something you can enjoy watching for a long time.

I have just received my copy of this ordered from Amazon, and feel very disapointed on the quality of this DVD. Maybe I have got a bad disk? The filming of this production is very poor. To be honest it should never have been released, For most of the performance the dancers feet are cut off, even the Principles suffer the same fate. The lighting is so bad you cannot see the edges of the screen, with the court members shaded in blackness, so you cannot see them clearly. Every scene is not sufficiently lit. I feel like sending it back to Opus Arte with a letter of complaint, and request for a refund. When you see the Paris Opera Ballet, version it is superb, bright showing the costumes, scenery and dancers to full effect, it makes you realise how bad this item is. I am usually very pleased with the DVD's I purchase. I am sorry to say at £23.98 it is poor value for money.

Perhaps if we all stopped going to see Balanchine works (short term)worldwide, resulting in a loss of revenue to the Trust, (if they recieve financial rewards through performances) they would get the message of how we feel about their actions. Their over zealous protection is not very effective without an audience.

Thank you so much Bella 12, for posting details of the London showing of this film, leaving in Norfolk I would not have known about it in time to decide to go. Well I have now booked a seat for the 16th October to go and see it. As it is on at 13.30, I can get the train there and back quite easily. It is years since I went to the cinema. Just will have to find out where it is, and how to get there from Kings Cross Station.

October 2nd 2009, France 24 Culture, available on Satelite in the UK. I have just watched a itnterview on the Culture Spot, this evening giving details of a new documentary by the well known Film Maker Fred Wiseman about the Paris Opera Ballet. It is based on the same format as his earlier film about Ther American Ballet Theatre. Instead of direct dialogue with the performers he uses the sounds of the moment to bring the audience into the scene, and experience the life of the Company. A total of 117 hours of film was shot, which has been edited to produce the end product. I think this new work is to be released from the 6th October in Paris. Hopefully we will also gert the chance to see it in the UK, as we did the ABT documentary he made.

[i do not know how correct this information was, except my Daughter is always warning me about using clips from YouTube on Facebook and other situations, such as establishing Playlist on the site. I cannot help wondering if she is being extra protective, and scare mongering. As most clips have been illegally used/podted without application to the copyright holder. (She is an Author and is quite keyed up with copyright) However when she put in the term "Official Aurelie Dupont video's. when discussing the subject with me. Only professionally recorded items came up. Not privately filmed ones. (Which can still be in breach of copyright if shot from the auditorium.) She insists you can be prosecuted for using YouTube video's. But in that case why do they put links to share with other sites on their clips? Has anyone got further clearer information please?

They are srill waiting in the wings, the Stars of the Future, that have learnt from the famous Stars of the Past, ready to put their own interpretation on the roles we all love and appreciate.

Thank you Innopac, what a racket............ my computer nearly had melt down, when I played them all at once. I thought I was never going to be able to turn them all off. I hope you are not thinking of forming an orchestra!!!!!

Back to the subject of Vulgar. Not relating to a said Dancer or their behavyor, but to a ballet production, then I feel Roland Petit's Clavigo would certainly fit into this catergory. It is extremely explicit, a work one would only possibly see in Paris. All the same taken in the sense of artistry, whether you consider it is appropriate or not, it is certainly a ballet to be appreciated despite it's theme. The music is brilliant, and Petit's use of steps and unique choreography the scenery and costumes, plus of course Nicholas Le Riche, Claire Marie Osta and the other performers make it well worth watching the DVD if you can forgive the suggestive element.

Is it known who are these "Powers that be"., are they the company making or releasing the DVD/Video the clips are taken from. It seems nowadays that on many of the recently released DVD's they have a code which prevents any use of the product other than playing it on a home DVD player. You cannot even add it to your library on your Computers Media Player. Seems that the entertainment industry will go to great lengths to protect their copyright. This is very short sighted to me, as I often buy new DVD's I have seen previewed on YouTube or the media. Surely if the clips have been filmed by the people who subscribe to YouTube they cannot be touched. Unless of course it is the actual Company or dancers that have been filmed. In truth it is a breach of copyright to even film a live performance without permission. My daughter always instills in me, only use clipps that are searched using the term Official. ( i.e. Official Aurelie Dupont Sleeping Beauty) Whether this is true or not I do not know.

I was brought up to recognise that being "vulgar" was not acceptable, it was rude and lacking taste. In the general sense it meant not swearing speaking out of turn or acting in a non appropriate way. Such as in a sexual way or behaving provocatively. This can also as already mentioned be considered "Common". The opposite would be that someone was refined, polite, well mannered and showed respect for others. Therefore would not behave in a vulgar way. Dont show your underwear, ladies should sit with their legs closed, not wear very revealing tops and clothes. Men should be respectful not tell dirty jokes, swear when ladies are present. All these suggestions maybe seem very dated & old fashioned in this day and age. But putting the term into the Ballet perspective, is somewhat different. or is it? For a Dancer who is a great artist.with a remarkable technique, and whose performance's thrill the audience, with breath taking virtuosity, surely cannot be considered vulgar. Even if they are seen to be flirtatous and encouraging the audience to applaud thus taking risks to do so and show off their technique. But still I suppose in the Dance World as in life in general you can get people who appear to be vulgar in their dress and behavyor. Both off stage and on. I cannot help thinking sometimes the way an audience responds to a performance is over the top, and it would really annoy me to be sat within them. I think it is correct to applaud and call bravo, but screaming and the kind of carry on I have noticed for example in Cuban theatre's and maybe in Japan, where dancers are treated like pop stars seems is out of place. You can show your appreciation in a quieter more dignified manner, and the performers still realise you have enjoyed their performances. You can send flowers and if you are very keen and wish to, then you can meet the Dancers at the stage door and express your thanks. As long as you do not delay them too much so they can get home.

I think the others who have replied to you regarding the usage of Balanchine are certainly correct in suggesting that there is far more protection from The Balanchine Society for his works. Whereas Sir Frederick Ashton's work does not seem to have this requirement. The only ballet which has been protected as far as I know, is La Fille mal gardee, whoes rights were left to Alexander Grant by the choreographer. Having researched the ownership of ballet scenario's in the UK recently I dfiscovered the ownership and copyright are considered as a Major right and remain with the creator. Not as in music with a copyright society. In the case of Balanchine's Midsummers Night Dream, you would have to approach the society. There is another alternative though, John Neummeier a former American Dancer,who is still working and Director of The Hamburg Ballet. createsd his own Missummers Night Drean which you can find on YouTube under Le songe d'ete nuit with Aurelie Dupont & Jean Guilluamine Bart POB. Same musical score and quite a nice version. May be this information will help you.

Thank you for posting this report, I went to see the last performance wuth Aurelue Dupont, Nicholas Le Riche, Mathias Heymann and Matilde Frostey. It was brilliant, the cast had to take at least eight curtain calls before the audience would let them go. I met the Dancers at the stage door afterwards it was a very memorable evening.

Volcanohunter for posting this video, Bujones is superb as always. What a terrible shame and waste of a unique artistic talent both as a dancer and director due to his untimely death.

Bujones, yes, me too, so elegant every step placed with precision but technique and virtuiosity that sent a shiver down your spine.

I could not agree more. Vasiliev in The Stone Flower, Taranda, wonderful as Abderam in Raymonda, as it should be danced. instead of the namby pamby Nureyeev version, and Jean Guillamine Bart, the male solo in Act 3 Sleeping Beauty, Don "Q", and Diamonds looking very much in the style of a Balanchine dancer. But has he retired as you do not see him cast nowadays?

Interesting that you didn't like Nureyev and Fonteyn since they're hailed as two of the greatest dancers of the 20th century. I have Margot's Cinderella and I thought she was quite lovely. I also have her Sleeping Beauty and although she doesn't have high extensions or incredible elevation in her jump, she has such musicality, regal presence and lyricism that it makes her compelling in that role. I'd love to hear your opinions on this. I feel what you state about Margo is absolutely correct. What is more she matched Ruddi Nureyev's style because there was emotion between them, in life as well as on the stage. Also they were both trained in the Russian style . (Margot was taught by a famous teacher who her mother brought her to see from abroad where they were living. ) What they created on stage was very moving, she had the most expressive dark eyes, and held your attention with a simple gesture. Sometimes on film you are unable to experience the atmosphere in the theatre. They were treated like Pop Stars with people calling them back for numerous curtain calls, and when they finally got away, the stage door would be surrounded with fans waiting to get a glimpse of them.

What is the opinion of members about the style created by the Cuban School. comparison between various different dancers (past and present). What you like or dislike about it.

We can do that!! and sorry too for contribuiting to the subject. Guilty as charged. So back to Marianela... Hi Cubanmiamiboy I will start a new topic for The Cuban Style, but I do not know how to transfer our posts to it, do you? Sorry but I am more likely to wipe it all out.