Jane Simpson Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 The Joyce Theatre has announced the casting for the RDB dancers' programme in January - it's reported here: http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Joyce-Theater-Announces-Casting-for-The-Royal-Danish-Ballet-Performances-113-18-20141215 The only thing that isn't clear is which Madge appears at which performance: in London, Sorella Englund will dance the Gudrun Bojesen cast and Sebastian Haynes with Susanne Grinder, but there's nothing to show they'll also arrange it like that in NY. Link to comment
Amour Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 I've heard very good things about Ida Praetorious but other than Marina Harss' NYT article and knowing about Alban Lensdorf, I'm totally unfamiliar with this company. Link to comment
JMcN Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 I'm seeing this group in London on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon. This all-Bournonville programme is really exciting to me. Gudrun Bojesen is magnificent and it is a super group of dancers that is coming. I would urge everyone to go and see them! Link to comment
sandik Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 I'm seeing this group in London on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon. This all-Bournonville programme is really exciting to me. Gudrun Bojesen is magnificent and it is a super group of dancers that is coming. I would urge everyone to go and see them! For those of us who cannot manage to see these performances, please do come back and report! Link to comment
Amour Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 I saw the RDB principals tonight and am trying to think of what to say. I have never seen the company and am not familiar with any of the dancers. I'm also not too familiar with Bournonville except that it involves quick, crisp footwork. The latter was pleasantly in abundance here. It was nice to see the men doing mainly beats or jumps landing in attitude derrière. In the U.S. And Russia the emphasis on big jumps and multiple turns has overshadowed beats and quick footwork. There is a kind of pleasant modesty to Bournonville; the women smile and keep their upper bodies rather still. Arabesques are restrained (90 degrees maximum) and of course La Sylphide comes from the same romantic tradition as Giselle. We saw excerpts from A Folk Tale, Flower Festival, Jockey Dance & La Sylphide Act 2 (with Sorella Englund as Madge, Gudrun Bojesen as the Sylph, and Ullrik Birkkjaer as Janes) Conservatoire Pas De Trois and Napoli Act 3. Birkkjaer was also listed as the organizer of the tour. My favorite was the jockey dance which was danced by Sebastian Haynes and Marcin Kupimski and consisted of little intricate step and then jumps I've slways called "Italians" (unlike a pas de chat, you jump on both feet and then raise them under you). The men were carrying riding crops and flicking them around and at each other. I also thought Gudrun Bojesen was quite captivating as the Sylph. And Napoli is a cheerful, sunny, work utilizing almost everyone in the company. I'm sorry I didn't see the company a few year ago when it came to the Koch. I find the use of pre-recorded music really takes a lot a way from the dance. The Joyce stage is also too small. I would have liked to have seen more of the company, some sets (or more interesting lighting) and live music. Other than that, my pleasure certainly outweighed the $35 cost of the ticket. Link to comment
Ashton Fan Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 If recorded music and a bare stage with the occasional attempt at atmospheric lighting is the price that you have to pay for a chance to see these dancers perform some of Bournonville's choreography then it is a price that is well worth paying. I saw them in London last weekend. I can honestly say that five minutes of this Bournonville programme gave me considerably more pleasure than several performances of Acosta's Don Quixote have done. It is such a pleasure to see a performance of the work of a nineteenth century choreographer where you can be fairly certain that what you are seeing on stage is something that the choreographer himself might recognise. The dancing does not involve as much travelling across the stage as we expect from the nineteenth century ballets with which we are most familiar but then it was created for a theatre with a small stage. There is none of the twentieth century flashiness that has found its way into so much of the Russian repertory worldwide.The dancing is elegant, clean, full of petite batterie,wonderfully buoyant with unprepared jumps and is the closest that any of us are going to get to the French style of the early nineteenth century.It is so refreshing to see dancers performing nineteenth century choreography with a real sense of style where nuance rather than flashiness is the order of the day. No one is going to mistake this troupe for acrobats or gymnasts. There is greater equality between male and female dancers than we are used to in nineteenth century ballets.Male dancing did not go into decline in Denmark as it did in elsewhere. Bournonville was still a performer, and a very fine one, when he took charge of the King's Theatre and he made roles for himself; when he stopped dancing he continued to make ballets where the the male and female element are of equal importance. Rather than exaggerate the differences in male and female dancing by concentrating on some steps and movements as being the preserve of the male dancer and others the preserve of the female it is the contrast of the effect of the same step performed by dancers of the opposite sex that Bournonville shows us time and time again in his choreography. Bournonville prepared a large number of ballets for preservation but very few of them survived in performance beyond the nineteen twenties presumably because they were considered old fashioned by those in charge of the company.We may have a distorted view of the range of his works because of those decisions but what is left is well worth seeing. even if some of it is fragmentary. This programme is a mixture of fragments and "bleeding chunks".All the pieces, with the exception of The Jockey Race which is a reconstruction, have a continuous performing history. I find it difficult to pick out highlights but as the first piece of Bournonville that I ever saw I am always pleased to get a chance to see Flower Festival at Genzano. It was wonderful to see Sorella Englund's Madge at close quarters in the cut down version of Act 2 of La Sylphide that was shown. Any opportunity to see Conservatoire is always welcome even if it is only a small part of it.The finale from Napoli shows Bournonville at his best, even if,as some suggest, Hans Beck had a hand in it, it is still a delight. As for not knowing the dancers. I have never let that stand in my way when it comes to this company. It really does not matter. Link to comment
abatt Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Sorry I missed you, Amour. (See you at BAM.) I enjoyed seeing these dancers and the Bournonville choreography. I definitely could not live on a steady ballet diet of Bournonville, but it was refreshing to see this style done with such expertise. (Amy Watson is injured/ill. Since I don't have my program I don't recall the name of her replacement.) The lightness and quick footwork of the lead male dancers was especially impressive. I thought we might see Peter Martins there, but he was not present. I wonder how the NYCB dancers will do with the Bournonville style during their All Danish program in the Spring. I spotted several NYCB dancers in the audience. Link to comment
Amour Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Sorry I missed you, Amour. (See you at BAM.) I enjoyed seeing these dancers and the Bournonville choreography. I definitely could not live on a steady ballet diet of Bournonville, but it was refreshing to see this style done with such expertise. (Amy Watson is injured/ill. Since I don't have my program I don't recall the name of her replacement.) The lightness and quick footwork of the lead male dancers was especially impressive. I thought we might see Peter Martins there, but he was not present. I wonder how the NYCB dancers will do with the Bournonville style during their All Danish program in the Spring. I spotted several NYCB dancers in the audience. Caroline Baldwin replaced Amy Watson. I, too, saw several NYCB dancers last night. But not Martins. Also, not Hubbe (maybe I just didn't see him?). See you tomorrow at BAM, abatt:) Link to comment
sandik Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 Luckily for us now, there are significant chunks of Bournonville available either on DVD or online, so that you can give yourself a little course on the style. I'd also recommend reading Croce and Siegel on the work -- they've both got a very clear descriptive style that really highlights the distinctive elements of the style. Link to comment
mimsyb Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 Just back from tonight's performance. Pure joy! Such elegance and style from all the dancers. Clear, clean, batterie. Gorgeous port de bras. Perfect fifths! Every dancer a stand out. No show offs. No "hey, look at how great I am". Just wonderful, refreshing ballet. How I long for the whole company to dance again (and soon!) in NYC. I was grinning from ear to ear, start to finish. MacKenzie and Willy Burman behind me. A few NYCB dancers also. Highly recommended, if there are still any seats available. Link to comment
Natalia Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 I, too, attended the Wednesday night program. It's always a joy to see this company performing their signature Bournonville repertoire. Ida Praetorius and Andreas Kaas (Flower Festival pdd) were standouts, as was the ultra-charismatic Sebastian Haynes in Jockey Dance. Oh heck, I loved them all. When I return to DC tomorrow and have the use of a full computer, I'll write detailed review. For now, suffice to say that the happiest news to report comes from the post-performance chat, in which the great RDB historian, Erik Aschengreen, revealed that the next Bournonville Festival is in the planning stages for 2018 in Copenhagen. I'm beginning to pack my bags! Link to comment
JMcN Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 I saw 2 performances in London last weekend and was transported to a world of delight! I think everyone above has given a good account of the overall programme. What I found interesting between the two performances was the fact that we saw the traditional La Sylphide on Friday evening and the new Sylphide on Saturday afternoon. I rather liked James black kilt and cap and the sylph costumes and would like to see the whole of the new production now. On Friday evening we were very privileged to see the sublime Gudrun Bojesen as the Sylph with Ulrik Birkkjaer as a spritely and passionate James and a magnificently scarey Sorella Englund. I did not know how this piece would come over with no sets and only 3 supporting sylphs but I was absolutely swept away on a sea of emotion! On Saturday afternoon we saw Suzanne Grinder, Gregory Dean and Sebastian Haynes. I have seen a man dance Madge before but never as a man (if you see what I mean). I thought all 3 were terrific and that Sebastian Haynes already has enormous stage presence for such a young man. Act 3 of Napoli is a total joy from start to finish. These were 2 glorious performances that I will treasure for a long time. A lot of the London ballet world was present at both the performances I attended. Although I didn't see him a friend told me that Kevin O'Hare was there on Friday evening. Fantastic news about the Festival being planned for 2018!!! Link to comment
Natalia Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 In addition to Aschengreen, performers Gudrun Bojesen, Sorella Englund and Ulrik Birkkjaer participated in the chat. Among other tidbits of information that came out: Bojesen agreed to dance Sylphide on this tour "only for Ulrik" (her James). She is set to retire after next season, due to the age-40 retirement mandate. The audience sighed a collective "awwww" when this was noted. The other 'retiring treasure' on this tour is Diana Cuni, who will retire at the end of the current season. Aschengreen divulged that the Royal Swedish Ballet will dance a reconstruction of Bournonville's complete final ballet, From Siberia to Moscow, next year. Aschengreen has just published a gorgeous coffee-table tome on the history of RDB dancers in America. It's being sold at the Joyce Theatre's shop for $50....cash only. Link to comment
sandik Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 For now, suffice to say that the happiest news to report comes from the post-performance chat, in which the great RDB historian, Erik Aschengreen, revealed that the next Bournonville Festival is in the planning stages for 2018 in Copenhagen. I'm beginning to pack my bags! That is indeed good news. Link to comment
Jane Simpson Posted January 18, 2015 Author Share Posted January 18, 2015 Did anyone see the new version of La Sylphide? And did Amy Watson recover from her injury in time to appear at the Joyce at all? Link to comment
Drew Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 Aschengreen divulged that the Royal Swedish Ballet will dance a reconstruction of Bournonville's complete final ballet, From Siberia to Moscow, next year. Thanks for report: From Siberia to Moscos is one of the Bournonville ballets that I am most curious about...Any indication how much they have to 'go on' other than libretto, music, and jockey dance...? Link to comment
canbelto Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 Did anyone see the new version of La Sylphide? And did Amy Watson recover from her injury in time to appear at the Joyce at all? I saw it this afternoon. We don;t see much of the changes except Madge is danced as a man dressed in a suit, and the whole thing ends with a passionate kiss between James and Madge. Sebastian Hayes is a remarkable dancer. Amy Watson was replaced for all performances. Link to comment
vipa Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 I was there this afternoon and left wishing that we had more opportunities to see Bournonville. The characteristic fast footwork, unexpected direction changes, delightful musical phrasing are a joy to behold. The dancers looked wonderful. I have one question for those who saw Englund do Madge. Did she have the traditional witch costume & make-up? I was wondering because when I saw that a man was doing it I expected it to be in drag but he wore a suit. It worked for me but I was wondering if the female version was more traditional. Link to comment
sandik Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 The company currently has two productions of the work, one of which premiered earlier this year. We discussed it at length in this thread, if you want to get a feeling for the different points of view. Link to comment
sandik Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 And here is the explanation, from Deborah Jowitt's review. "For two of the week’s performances at the Joyce, the witch, Madge, in La Sylphide, is being played by a man—not a man in travesty, as is the tradition, but a man in a frock coat (a mesmerist perhaps?). This is the latest version of the ballet staged by the RDB’s artistic director, Nikolaj Hübbe. Bournonville might approve of the complex psychology that Englund brings to the role of the witch. But the male dancer as an imperious warlock? (I’ve only seen a film clip) Or a hint that perhaps James has a secret not-so-heterosexual past." Link to comment
Jane Simpson Posted January 19, 2015 Author Share Posted January 19, 2015 Did anyone see the new version of La Sylphide? And did Amy Watson recover from her injury in time to appear at the Joyce at all? I saw it this afternoon. We don;t see much of the changes except Madge is danced as a man dressed in a suit, and the whole thing ends with a passionate kiss between James and Madge. Sebastian Hayes is a remarkable dancer. Amy Watson was replaced for all performances. Thank you - agree about Sebastian Haynes! Especially as he's only a few months out of his teens. Link to comment
Jane Simpson Posted January 19, 2015 Author Share Posted January 19, 2015 Aschengreen divulged that the Royal Swedish Ballet will dance a reconstruction of Bournonville's complete final ballet, From Siberia to Moscow, next year. Thanks for report: From Siberia to Moscos is one of the Bournonville ballets that I am most curious about...Any indication how much they have to 'go on' other than libretto, music, and jockey dance...? Frank Anderson and Dinna Bjørn made a reconstruction of the ballet for the State Ballet of Georgia a few years ago. Margaret Willis wrote a long article about it for the ballet.co magazine, including some details of what they had to work with and how it was done. Also there are a couple of clips - about 10 minutes in all - on YouTube, hard to find as they are titled 'Napoli': Link to comment
sandik Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Also there are a couple of clips - about 10 minutes in all - on YouTube, hard to find as they are titled 'Napoli': That would make things a bit tricky! Many thanks for the links! Link to comment
Jane Simpson Posted February 7, 2015 Author Share Posted February 7, 2015 The Joyce Theatre has put Erik Aschengreen's pre-performance talk on YouTube: Haven't had time to watch it through yet but I assume somewhere in there is the bit about a 2018 Festival! Link to comment
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