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Ratmansky's Paquita


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Alexei Ratmansky's staging of Paquita premieres at the Bavarian State Ballet on December 13. So far there's relatively little information about the run: no casting, and the company has posted only a brief video on Facebook of a rehearsal of the long mime scene. But the company's web site does include dress rehearsal photos, if you scroll down the page.

https://www.staatsoper.de/en/staatsballett/productioninfo/paquita/

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I'm sorry this isn't to your taste -- it reminds me very much of the Giselle designs that Kaplan made for Pacific Northwest Ballet's production of Giselle. He took his text from the period of the ballet's premiere, combining the theatrical style of the time with period visual art. Between that and the reconstructed choreographic text, it's a wonderful view of what the ballet might have looked like at its creation. I get the sense that might be what's happening here -- I'm really looking forward to the January 11 livestream.

The thing that struck me here, in the clip from the last act, is the kids on the balcony above the main action -- it reminded me of the bridge in Napoli, with the "village" watching the party. A number of years ago I wrote about Doug F's reconstruction of Jardin Animee, and was thinking hard about the small kinesphere in Petipa's choreography. Alexandra put her finger right on the connection I was missing when she reminded me that Bournonville had absorbed the same French influences that Petipa had, and had transferred it pretty intact to the Danish theater -- what I was seeing in the reconstruction was a reflection of that style.

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I'm sorry this isn't to your taste -- it reminds me very much of the Giselle designs that Kaplan made for Pacific Northwest Ballet's production of Giselle. He took his text from the period of the ballet's premiere, combining the theatrical style of the time with period visual art. Between that and the reconstructed choreographic text, it's a wonderful view of what the ballet might have looked like at its creation. I get the sense that might be what's happening here -- I'm really looking forward to the January 11 livestream.The thing that struck me here, in the clip from the last act, is the kids on the balcony above the main action -- it reminded me of the bridge in Napoli, with the "village" watching the party. A number of years ago I wrote about Doug F's reconstruction of Jardin Animee, and was thinking hard about the small kinesphere in Petipa's choreography. Alexandra put her finger right on the connection I was missing when she reminded me that Bournonville had absorbed the same French influences that Petipa had, and had transferred it pretty intact to the Danish theater -- what I was seeing in the reconstruction was a reflection of that style.

Just look at the day-glo rags on the gypsy dresses. Then compare to the subtle class of Lacotte's POB gypsies. Ditto a comparison of the two sets of Corsaire costumes in one year: Bolshoi-Burlaka vs Bavarian-Fullington.

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Just look at the day-glo rags on the gypsy dresses. Then compare to the subtle class of Lacotte's POB gypsies. Ditto a comparison of the two sets of Corsaire costumes in one year: Bolshoi-Burlaka vs Bavarian-Fullington.

I don't know the POB version well enough to recall -- who designed it?

Since theatrical costumes are designed to be seen in a specific, controlled context, I'll have to wait and see the performance.

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I don't know the POB version well enough to recall -- who designed it?

Since theatrical costumes are designed to be seen in a specific, controlled context, I'll have to wait and see the performance.

Lacotte designed the POB Paquita costumes, which are indeed very beautiful.

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The company posted a trailer on this production.

"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi89XbWLeaI"

Why do they make the stage look so small and crowded? Maybe, it looks small only in YouTube-Trailer PAQUITA? BTW, from 2:45 it seems that the dancer even couldn't expand legs to do his Jetés in full.

The recording of POB's Paquita shown on Russian TV (РОССИЯ К) is sitting just next to Munich's Trailer PAQUITA on YouTube. That stage is huge! However, POB's tutu in Grand Pas looks dirty.

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Perhaps we ought to begin a separate thread about the live webstream, but the Bavarian State Ballet has posted casting.


Paquita - Daria Sukhorukova
Lucien d'Hervilly - Matej Urban
Inigo - Norbert Graf Cyril Pierre
Count d'Hervilly - Peter Jolesch
Countess - Elaine Underwood
Don Lopez de Mendoza - Cyril Pierre Norbert Graf
Doña Serafina - Emma Barrowman

As for the stream link itself, I find this one works well for me.

http://streaming.staatsoper.de

The stream takes place Sunday, January 11 at 18.00 CET, which translates into 12 noon Eastern and 9 am Pacific. Be warned that streams from the Bavarian State Opera and Ballet are not available for viewing afterward. It's live or never, so clear your schedules accordingly.

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I was surprised to find Delibes' Sylvia was used for Lucien's solo in the Grand Pas. Was it in the original staging? And there're no 32 fouettes that's in Lacotte's staging for POB or Makarova's for ABT, so I assume the fouettes were added later?

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Does Lacotte's staging include a full 32 fouettés? That would be anachronistic for a divertissement first staged in 1881.

I must say, after this I'm going to have a hard time returning to Lacotte's staging, and any Kirov-based grand pas, for that matter. There have always been elements of quasi-Petipa "Spanish" style that I have found puzzling. With those stripped away, many aspects of the choreography make more sense to me now.

While it was not the most stupendous performance I could have imagined (Cyril Pierre's Inigo excepted), I loved the production itself. DVD, please!

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Two very minor details:

(1) The use of music in Act I for a male variation that is familiar from contemporary productions of Don Quixote. I'll have to check DQ programs to see if it is credited. (Both scores are by Minkus, of course, so it works in both.)

(2) The crying baby late in Act II to a quiet variation. I was surprised it (and its caretaker) did not quickly exit the theater but hung around for quite some time! I guess these disruptions are not unique to U.S. theaters.

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You probably noticed that the National Theater has continental seating. If the crying child was on the orchestra level, making an exit from there wouldn't have been that easy. This particular performance was also aimed at families, with discounted tickets and a special pre-show introduction for children.

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