ABT 2013 Sleeping Beauty at the Met

[onxmyxtoes]

I have enjoyed seeing other dancers, particularly Stearns, partner Part so well, but this performance made me realize how much I miss the special chemistry she has with Gomes. He performs the lifts so effortlessly and allows her to pose perfectly in the air (which is something that can become distorted with other partners).

I dream of another Part/Gomes Swan Lake, especially now that both of them are clearly at the height of their artistic powers...

It's pretty much magic with Gomes and practically anyone he partners. He is such a gift to ABT, and I am glad that he hasn't run off to too many guest roles outside of ABT so he can lead as a model example for the other male dancers in the company.

[ord7916]

This may be a silly question, as I'm not terribly familiar with SB: Aurora appears in Act I, at the end of which she pricks her finger and falls asleep for a hundred years. The next time I recall seeing her is when she is awakened by Prince Desire at the end of Act II. However, I am reading everyone discussing the vision scene and the sleep scene. Does she actually dance in those scenes? I thought Desire was dancing with the Lilac Fairy.

[rg]

the reason Act 2 is known as The Vision is b/c Aurora is shown to Desire by Lilac as a vision, an illusive phantom, all of which leads him to accompany Lilac in her barque to the sleeping wood where the vision he's been shown is asleep.

to that end Aurora, in a differently colored costume, usually something more pale and/or ghostly, dances the adagio and solo that Tchaikovsky and Petipa planned for the ballerina at this point in their ballet.

after appearing as if conjured by Lilac, Aurora dances another pas d'action, with Desire, which includes a variation and coda, all variously framed by the ensemble of nymphs who also amplify the scene.

what follows is another short 'scene' and then the usually much cut panorama that accompanies the river voyage to the sleeping castle. Bonynge's Decca recording has the panorama lasting 3 min. and 14 sec.

[ord7916]

Thanks for your reply. I guess I totally missed that.

[MRR]

I have enjoyed seeing other dancers, particularly Stearns, partner Part so well, but this performance made me realize how much I miss the special chemistry she has with Gomes. He performs the lifts so effortlessly and allows her to pose perfectly in the air (which is something that can become distorted with other partners).

I dream of another Part/Gomes Swan Lake, especially now that both of them are clearly at the height of their artistic powers...

It's pretty much magic with Gomes and practically anyone he partners. He is such a gift to ABT, and I am glad that he hasn't run off to too many guest roles outside of ABT so he can lead as a model example for the other male dancers in the company.

Absolutely. It seems like every ballerina dances her best when partnered by Gomes.

[puppytreats]

Is the story different when it uses Prince Florimund as opposed to Prince Desire, or are they supposed to be the same character?

[rg]

Aurora's prince in traditional stagings of THE SLEEPING BEAUTY is named either Florimund or Desire depending on the production.

in general, stagings with an English pedigree tend to use Florimund, Robin Cousins "SLEEPING BEAUTY, an Ice Spectacular" used this name as well. One Kirov Ballet video of SLEEPING BEAUTY with Asylmuratova and Zaklinsky also uses the name for Zaklinsky's prince.

NYPL listings for stagings by Andre Eglevsky show the use of Florimund, as well, ditto one by Fernando Bujones.

in general however, Russian-lineage productions tend to use Desire, which is what Petipa and Tchaikovsky called their prince.

[RUKen]

Is the story different when it uses Prince Florimund as opposed to Prince Desire, or are they supposed to be the same character?

You forgot Prince Charming. It seems that the Lilac Fairy brought a parade of princes to the dormant princess.

(I have nothing to add to rg's response, which was posted as I was replying.)

[mussel]

Prince Charming is a character in Cinderella, although he appears in the 3rd act divertissement, he has nothing to with Aurora.

[rg]

also re: Florimund vs. Désiré [just found my accent options], for his production of THE SLEEPING BEAUTY Rudolf Nureyev chose Florimund over Désiré, perhaps due to his interim years working with the Royal Ballet.

in Louis XV Bourbon France, the dauphin, who would become Louis XVI was known as "Louis le Désiré."

[puppytreats]

So it is like Maria, Masha, and Clara in "Nutcracker"?

Are Blue Bird's feet supposed to flex and not point during the beats, like the jesters' in Act II of "Sylvia"? Or did the dancer that I saw just have floppy, unpointed feet?

[mussel]

Masha is Russian nickname for Maria, like Billy is a nickname for William. I don't recall anyone used Clara beside Balanchine's Nutcracker.

[silvermash]

Masha is Russian nickname for Maria, like Billy is a nickname for William. I don't recall anyone used Clara beside Balanchine's Nutcracker.

Nureyev used Clara as well in his Nutcracker

[Rose1186]

Off topic, but just further on this... She is called Clara in Baryshnikov's Nutcracker (I think I watched this video 200 times when I was little) and Ratmansky's is Clara as well!! Also, I remember the name being Marie (not Maria) in other versions, but obviously possible that all of the above have been used!

[rg]

Though the Balanchine catalog of works doesn't seem to note it, sometime after the 1954 premiere of his production of THE NUTCRACKER he reverted to Marie for the name of his little heroine from Clara, which he used initially.

Clara is used in the Petipa/Tchaikovsky plan for the first production of THE NUTCRACKER.

Hoffmann's herione is named Marie; Clara is the name of one of Marie's dolls in Hoffmann's Nutcracker-source tale.

[cubanmiamiboy]

The heroine's name and last name has varied as follows:

Hoffmann= Marie Stahlbaum

Dumas= Marie Silberhaus

Vsevolozhsky= Clara Silberhaus

[kfw]

Though the Balanchine catalog of works doesn't seem to note it, sometime after the 1954 premiere of his production of THE NUTCRACKER he reverted to Marie for the name of his little heroine from Clara, which he used initially.

She was still Clara in the 1958 Playhouse 90 broadcast of NYCB's Nutcracker.

[rg]

indeed. re: Playhouse 90.

perhaps the change came with Ter-Arutunian's design scheme for the New York State Theater in '64?

if mem. serves, Marie has been in place at least since my first look at the production in 1970.

[kfw]

indeed. re: Playhouse 90.

perhaps the change came with Ter-Arutunian's design scheme for the New York State Theater in '64?

Repertory in Review seems to indicate that the change occurred then. In regards to the changes when the company moved to the larger stage, Reynolds mentions

a new ending in which the Little Princess (now named Mary) and the Nutcracker Prince exit to the sky in a Christmas sleigh . . .

But "Mary"? The "Little Princess" as a title, not an Act Two designation?

[rg]

one would have to check programs, i suppose, or the clear memories of those who were around in those days, but I recall people around NYCB involved with the preparation of the child dancers for their roles referring to Marie as "Little Mary" - perhaps that was a nickname for those in the company.

indeed, on checking a recent NYCB program, while in act one the names Marie and Fritz are used as is "His Nephew [The Nutcracker]" in cast list, for act two the same characters are called The Little Princess and The Little Prince.

i know of no name per se given to the nephew in any traditional staging of THE NUTCRACKER.

by the end of the 1892 libretto, The Nutcracker is referred to as Prince Nutcracker.

[Helene]

Marie wears a little crown. Maybe that's where "princess" comes from.

[kfw]

Thanks, rg!

[onxmyxtoes]

So it is like Maria, Masha, and Clara in "Nutcracker"?

Are Blue Bird's feet supposed to flex and not point during the beats, like the jesters' in Act II of "Sylvia"? Or did the dancer that I saw just have floppy, unpointed feet?

I think they're supposed to point!!

[Marga]

one would have to check programs, i suppose, or the clear memories of those who were around in those days,

I was around and remember "Clara" until the mid-sixties when I was surprised to read in the program one December that her name was now "Marie". It seems to have been ascertained that this change occurred along with the move to the State Theater from City Center. I also remember how astonishing it was to see that sleigh rise to the rafters the first time! Until then, I had loved the "off to sea in a walnut shell" version and looked forward to it.

With the need to fill the larger stage, the second act tableau also became more lush and jaw-droppingly awesome.

When I attended decades later (living in Canada made it impossible to keep up the yearly tradition) I was dismayed to find the clock in the center of the room when Drosselmeyer sat atop it. I think it should have remained in the corner of the room. Even as a child I knew to look to the corner when the time came. It's too much "in your face" now, I think. I do like the SPF's being pulled in arabesque along the floor after she steps on the 'invisible' platform. That's a wonderful visual effect!

btw, The crown Marie wears is the one the Nutcracker Prince cut off of the Mouse King's head!

Edited to add: Sorry to prolong the Nutcracker talk. I just realized this is supposed to be the 2013 SB thread!

Edited July 12, 2013 by Marga

[Birdsall]

one would have to check programs, i suppose, or the clear memories of those who were around in those days, but I recall people around NYCB involved with the preparation of the child dancers for their roles referring to Marie as "Little Mary" - perhaps that was a nickname for those in the company.

indeed, on checking a recent NYCB program, while in act one the names Marie and Fritz are used as is "His Nephew [The Nutcracker]" in cast list, for act two the same characters are called The Little Princess and The Little Prince.

i know of no name per se given to the nephew in any traditional staging of THE NUTCRACKER.

by the end of the 1892 libretto, The Nutcracker is referred to as Prince Nutcracker.

A friend told me that when he performed from 1963-1965, everyone at NYCB called her Clara, but he has the NYCB Nutcracker booklet which is big from around 1965 and the girl is called Mary, so this friend said your guess is very good that maybe it was changed with the design in 1964.