bingham Posted July 1, 2014 Author Share Posted July 1, 2014 I don't think Vikharev's reconstructed Raymonda makes sense in ABT, the costumes are dated and won't look good on modern day dancers, and there is always the "politically correctness" issue in this ballet.. What is the PC issue in Raymonda? Just curious. Link to comment
naomikage Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 The Saracen (=Arab) Knight Abherakhman depicted like evil or maniac with exaggerated makeup, and the crusader knight Jean de Brienne wins over him. Link to comment
abatt Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Essentially, Raymonda portrays Muslims as barbaric and evil. It portrays white European Crusaders as good. We've had this conversation before on this board, noting that many other ballets (Corsaire, Bayadere) also portray certain groups as either evil or stupid. Link to comment
Kristen Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Love the wish list from Mussel. Does anyone know why ABT remains in Luddite mode regarding DVD and live streaming ? Link to comment
MarzipanShepherdess Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 "I think it is a bit of both. Those ballets are probably technically challenging for her now (or rather, it is challenging for her to perform the classics up to her standard, as I can't imagine her ever omitting the hard stuff or marking the steps a la Kent/Cojocaru), but also that she doesn't like the ABT productions, so it's not worth the effort. I think there's a possibility she might do Ratmansky's SB, since they seem to have a good relationship, and she seems to like to do his ballets (she's dancing his "Psyche" this weekend at POB, then his "Cinderella" in London, and she did "Lost Illusions" at Bolshoi earlier this year). I guess it will depend how much he changes the traditional choreography. Also, I think she'd only do it if she can dance with Gomes. Ratmanksy has used Gomes as the male lead in the premiere of all his ballets for ABT ("On the Dnieper," "The Bright Stream," "Firebird," "Tempest," and arguably "Nutcracker" too). Would Ratmansky cast Vishneva & Gomes as the opening cast? My feeling is that Ratmansky might go for a "home-team" ballerina or an up-and-comer instead..." You've given me hope, thank you Batuschan! Link to comment
bingham Posted July 1, 2014 Author Share Posted July 1, 2014 The Saracen (=Arab) Knight Abherakhman depicted like evil or maniac with exaggerated makeup, and the crusader knight Jean de Brienne wins over him. Would the ballet work (and be acceptable )if the Saracen knight is portrayed as a romantic, misunderstood figure? Link to comment
abatt Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Saracen is a direct reference to Muslims. That was the term used to refer to Muslims during medieval times. You would have to entirely purge that word, and the basic underpinnings of the entire libretto, to make this ballet PC. Link to comment
ABT Fan Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 I'd love it if they brought back Othello. Link to comment
abatt Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Gomes would be great as Othello. Kent could still do Desdemona. Link to comment
Classic_Ballet Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Mussel's "crystal ball" has always been spot on.......this time it came with a lot of details and is SPECTACULAR. Thank you mussel for sharing the results !!! I am beyond happy to read that the company will have such an unbelievable 75th anniversary celebration. all are great news, restoring act4 score in SL !!! OMG, New SB, Paquita, Re-staging of Bayadere, Raymonda back !!!! amazingggg Part is a spectacular Raymonda, one of her best roles..I hope we can enjoy a few evenings of her next year, in the new SL, Bayadere, SB and Raymonda.....I think it could be an amazing season for her and for all her fans !!! Link to comment
abatt Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 I also recall liking Paloma in Raymonda, but it was so long ago. Link to comment
Classic_Ballet Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Yeah, I think Paloma was close to her prime at that time, i remember liking her too I would guess she would retire with SL, she has gotten good reviews in SB, although not sure if she would dance the new one i always thought she would retire with Don Q, it was definitely her signature role...but looks like its out of the equation now Link to comment
mussel Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 That's my day-dreaming list with a dash of reality. Be real, even if ABT got a big fat check from Koch, do you think ABT would have enough time to rehearse all those new productions? Mod, should I start another thread (not a wish list) for the line ups that shows up in my crystal ball? Link to comment
bingham Posted July 1, 2014 Author Share Posted July 1, 2014 That's my day-dreaming list with a dash of reality. Be real, even if ABT got a big fat check from Koch, do you think ABT would have enough time to rehearse all those new productions? Mod, should I start another thread (not a wish list) for the line ups that shows up in my crystal ball? Please do. but still would love to see Paquita and Raymonda in the 76th and 77th season. Link to comment
abatt Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 I'm not a moderator, but why not just post it here with an intro sentence that the predictions were derived from your handy dandy crystal ball. Link to comment
Helene Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 As always, highly educated guesses are fine, as long as their inspiration isn't unofficial news. PNB's Doug Fullington and musicologist Marian Smith, who were instrumental in staging PNB's "Giselle," are assisting Ratmansky on the Bavarian State Opera "Paquita": http://www.bayerische.staatsoper.de/922-ZG9tPWRvbTImZmxhZz0xJmlkPTMzODQmbD1lbiZ0ZXJtaW49MTQ3NTE-~spielplan~ballett~veranstaltungen~vorstellung.html Costumes are by Jerome Kaplan, which means gorgeous. No mention I can see on the Bayerisches Staatsballett site that it is a co-production, in German or English versions. When I asked about the possibility of this being done in Seattle, the answer was that it was far too expensive. Of course, "expensive" for PNB is probably the cleaning supplies budget for ABT. Link to comment
sandik Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 As always, highly educated guesses are fine, as long as their inspiration isn't unofficial news. PNB's Doug Fullington and musicologist Marian Smith, who were instrumental in staging PNB's "Giselle," are assisting Ratmansky on the Bavarian State Opera "Paquita": http://www.bayerische.staatsoper.de/922-ZG9tPWRvbTImZmxhZz0xJmlkPTMzODQmbD1lbiZ0ZXJtaW49MTQ3NTE-~spielplan~ballett~veranstaltungen~vorstellung.html Costumes are by Jerome Kaplan, which means gorgeous. No mention I can see on the Bayerisches Staatsballett site that it is a co-production, in German or English versions. When I asked about the possibility of this being done in Seattle, the answer was that it was far too expensive. Of course, "expensive" for PNB is probably the cleaning supplies budget for ABT. I would love to be a fly on the wall for those rehearsals! Link to comment
miliosr Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 It would be peculiar if ABT had two Othello-themed productions in its current repertory for two different venues: Limon's The Moor's Pavane for the State and the Lubovitch Othello for the Met. Link to comment
Kathleen O'Connell Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 My wish list for ABT's 2015 Met Season? That it takes place across the plaza. Seriously. I'd love it if NYCB & ABT could figure out how to share the theater formerly known as State between them. The Met is just lousy for dance. Link to comment
angelica Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 I'd love it if NYCB & ABT could figure out how to share the theater formerly known as State between them. The Met is just lousy for dance. I totally agree. Every seat at the Met is a compromise. Link to comment
Helene Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 I couldn't believe it when they moved from NYST to the Met. Link to comment
Mazurka Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Essentially, Raymonda portrays Muslims as barbaric and evil. It portrays white European Crusaders as good. We've had this conversation before on this board, noting that many other ballets (Corsaire, Bayadere) also portray certain groups as either evil or stupid. Are we going to expurgate the Chancon de Roland from Western Literature and delete references to the Siege of Vienna next? Seriously better to teach historical context than to throw out chunks of somebody elses culture AND history - in this case my culture. Perhaps this view can be held if one is born in the US which has never been invaded on a obliterating level by any other nation or peoples. Link to comment
Amour Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 No. Not for her retirement. Because there are very few roles Kent can still perform. The Merry Widow is an easy role that she can perform twice in one week. Why retire when you can go on dancing a handful of nights each season and making $187k per year? Why, indeed. Link to comment
Amour Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 The fall season will be at the Koch Theater (the former State Theater), after the NYCB season and before the Mikhailovsky season.Interesting. Has ABT ever performed at the Koch-State Theater before? I guess Mr. B is on the repertoire.With the demise of the NYC Opera, the Koch theater has become the world's best stage for dance. They performed at the Koch last fall (2013). I doubt they'll return to City Center when the Koch is a bigger stage with much better audience sight lines. Link to comment
Amour Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 I don't think Vikharev's reconstructed Raymonda makes sense in ABT, the costumes are dated and won't look good on modern day dancers, and there is always the "politically correctness" issue in this ballet.. What is the PC issue in Raymonda? Just curious. Also, in the Russian versions the kids come out in either black face or garbed in brown leotards, head to toe. Very insensitive racially. Link to comment
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