Maya Plisetskaya Gala - Covent Garden

[betty boop]

Hi

The gala last night was a most spectacular affair and enjoyed by all that watched it.

Does anyone have news on the male dancer who sustained a nasty looking knee injury while performing. It hurts us all to see anyone giving their ¨all¨ to entertain

us, only to receive such an undeserved and tragic ending to their performance.

He was jumping to incredible heights and we all hope (the covent garden audience) that he will make a full recovery.

These elite dancers really should be paid a lot more than they are, but if you love to perform I suppose these risks are taken by them. Still, they really should be paid a sensible wage to cover such eventualities.

Sorry to go on, but it did ruin an otherwise brilliant evening.

We love you Maya.

betty boop

Not sure of his name - still learning about the dancers.

Edited February 13, 2006 by betty boop

[ami1436]

It was Ivan Putrov, Royal Ballet Principal. He and Roberta Marquez (also RB principal) were dancing the Giselle Act II pdd. I saw him do this just last Wednesday - I'm so impressed with him this season, he's really come into his own and his acting is getting better. Still needs work, but really improving, helped in large part, I think, by Marquez.

In any case, he also danced the role the day before at the matinee. But he was really pulling out all the stops last night, going for broke. He had just started his variation and was jumping significantly higher than usual (in my eyes). Out of the second double cabriole he didn't seem to be over his landing leg and fell forward -sideways onto his knee. It was a really, really nasty spill.

There has been lots of talk as to how he is, but nothing official. What is official though is that this is their week off - so at least he gets some built-in rest. I'm assuming they'd wait until after that to see if there needs to be any casting changes.

He was injured at this time last year too - right before debuts in Rhapsody and Fille - this year he has a debut as Romeo coming up. Let's wish him well!

On the whole, however, I found the evening to be a very mixed bag. What did you think, betty boop?

[betty boop]

Hi ami1436

He certainly was jumping high (Ivan Putrov) before the incident - we all wish him well and a speedy comeback, although the injury did look rather nasty as you said.

I had to leave rather reluctantly before the the end in order to catch the last train back to York, but all the dancers performed well. I am never critical of these elite performers as I have the highest respect for the effort and the hard work that they put in.

The Dying Swan performance featuring Irma Nioradze was incredible as was the Don Quixote pas de deux with Galina Stepanenko and Andei Uvarov.

How did Maya get on with her finale - wishing her all the best, feel rather guilty not being there at the end to witness her masterclass.

The Royal Ballet is very international now, but still maintains its own unique English style which is classical ballet at its best.

Edited February 14, 2006 by betty boop

[coda]

Quote:

"The Dying Swan performance featuring Irma Nioradze was incredible as was the Don Quixote pas de deux with Galina Stepanenko and Andei Uvarov."

The was no Don Q. pdd in this gala.

Uvarov was unwell in Moscow, so Stepanenko has stayed there too.

The Part 1 of the concert ended with Tarantella by Balanchine.

[ami1436]

Coda is right, and the Tarantella was danced by RB's Sarah Lamb and Samadurov (sp?).

I'm afraid I must respectfully disagree Nioradze as well. I tend not to post too many thoughts here because as someone who aspired to dance professionally when I was younger, and who did not follow that, and then only recently really began watching professional performances in earnest - well... I'm by no means an expert and probably closer to the side of gushing fan of most dancers. There is very little that I find myself seriously taking issue with.

However, I'm afraid (and apologies if I offend anyone), that I most actively disliked Nioradze. While her arms in Dying Swan were interesting - they approached more of contortionism than anything else - very different from the fluidity and vulnerability one sees in the clips of Plisetskaya in this role. And Nioradze in Corsaire was frightful - her arms are in such an angular, collapsed position when she turns that it's frightful, and her fouettes - the gesturing leg ended in the most floppy, practically flexed foot that I've ever seen on a professional stage. The foot combined with the arms was too much for me. Nonetheless, she still stopped the coda for umpteen bows after the fouettes. While I usually dislike the practise of stopping the music for prolonged bows (especially breaking the coda up) - there may be times when it is acceptable (?) - but they should hopefully be a response to applause, not the cause of it.

Okay, grump session over. Back to your regularly scheduled programming....

P.S. My favourite thing of the night was the video clip of Maya playing... jacks? Or with butterflies? I have no idea what it was, but it was absolutely magical - even 'just' on video. If anyone knows anything about this piece, I'd love to hear more about it!

[betty boop]

Hello again

Still trying to pick up on the various dances. I assumed that the dancer in the light coloured uniform was portraying Don Quixote especially as the dance involves a lot of twirls from his partner (please feel free to correct me on the correct phrase).

They did switch the billling around a bit with Sarah Lamb appearing before the interval so it was a bit confusing for a novice like myself.

Anyway the evening was thoughly enjoyable and I am sure Clement Crisp would undoubtedly allow me to write a review for him in the FT when he goes on his hol's.

[ami1436]

Hi again!

Well, glad my tirade didn't upset you!

Unfortunately, they completely cut out Don Q. Maybe you are thinking of the Snow White pdd? Do you have a programme? If so, everything went according to plan *except* they omitted Don Q, and move Tarantella to its place. Too bad there were no announcements.

Actually, perhaps I should post the programme as it actually happened, also for the benefit of those who weren't there! Will do this when I get home tonight.

If you were speaking of Snow White, well yes, Tamara Rojo is known for her turning. And those chaines - wow.

Ami

[Mashinka]

P.S. My favourite thing of the night was the video clip of Maya playing... jacks?  Or with butterflies?  I have no idea what it was, but it was absolutely magical - even 'just' on video.  If anyone knows anything about this piece, I'd love to hear more about it!

Its Isadora Duncan choreographed by Maurice Bejart and performed with a group of children. From my standing place in the stalls circle I could only catch the Schumann music not much of the actual film, but it was a magical piece performed all over Europe (though not the UK), that perhaps brought out a tender side of Plisetskaya that was contrary to her usual roles.

I got the impression that Nioradze was trying to copy the style of Plisetskaya's Dying Swan rather than dancing in her usual style, as she doesn't usually perform this with the exaggerated arm movements. Perhaps it didn't work for you simply because it was an impersonation?

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To Betty Boop, the Don Quixote pas de deux is recognizable by its pseudo-Spanish posings. The costumes are usually variations on red and black for both dancers and there are a lot of fouettes.

[ami1436]

Its Isadora Duncan choreographed by Maurice Bejart and performed with a group of children.  From my standing place in the stalls circle I could only catch the Schumann music not much of the actual film, but it was a magical piece performed all over Europe (though not the UK), that perhaps brought out a tender side of Plisetskaya that was contrary to her usual roles.

I got the impression that Nioradze was trying to copy the style of Plisetskaya's Dying Swan rather than dancing in her usual style, as she doesn't usually perform this with the exaggerated arm movements.  Perhaps it didn't work for you simply because it was an impersonation?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for the information Mashinka. Do you know if there is a commercially-available recording of Plisetskaya in Isadora? I think you're right, it brought out a softer, sweeter quality in her.

I'm afraid that I feel that if Nioradze was trying to imitate Plisetskaya, it was a poor imitation. To me, it appeared nothing like the recording I've seen of this. And again, it lacked fluidity and the strong vulnerability of Plisetskaya's dying swan. Further, my issues with Nioradze were only cemented by her performance in Corsaire, I'm afraid. There, it wasn't an issue of interpretation, but actual technique. (And I now feel very bad for saying so... )

[chrisk217]

In Dominique Delouche's film Maia you can see Plisetskaya in 1999 do the part you describe in the studio, wearing everyday chothes. Bejart comments that this piece ("the dance of the knucklebones") is a choreography he learned from Lisa Duncan one of Isadora's spiritual daughters, and comes from Isadora herself.

[Mashinka]

In Dominique Delouche's film Maia you can see Plisetskaya in 1999 do the part you describe in the studio, wearing everyday chothes. Bejart comments that this piece ("the dance of the knucklebones") is a choreography he learned from Lisa Duncan one of Isadora's spiritual daughters, and comes from Isadora herself.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for this information; I was about to reply to Ami1436 that I wasn't aware a recording was available. Last night I replayed my video of Plisetskaya in Death of the Rose and have to say that Lopatkina danced it infinitely better on Sunday.

Regarding Nioradze, she wasn't on top form I'll admit, but she wasn't that bad surely? For me the really terrible dancing of the evening came from Jose Martin in the Snow White pas de deux: In all the years I've been watching ballet I've rarely seen a professional dancer with such awful feet.