dirac Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 A review of San Francisco Ballet's opening night gala by Heather Desaulniers for DanceTabs. Quote Spellbound delivered in every regard – opulent grandeur, terrific people watching and above all, marvelous dance. Broken into two acts, the program of excerpts and pas de deux was a beautifully curated sampler. There were preview glimpses of the upcoming season, world premieres, classic throwbacks and contemporary compositions. Yes, the occasion served as a kickoff for the next five months of programming, but it was also a poignant love letter to SFB’s artists, to the choreographic voices it seeks and to its dedicated fans. Link to comment
dirac Posted January 21, 2020 Author Share Posted January 21, 2020 A review of English National Ballet by David Dougill in The Sunday Times. Quote English National Ballet scarcely had a chance to draw breath after a long run of Christmas Nutcrackers at the Coliseum before the company plunged into the rollicking exoticism of that earlier 19th-century spectacular Le Corsaire. It’s a ballet that makes up for its thinness of plot with visual attractions, vigour, fun and a feast of dancing, in which ENB, now celebrating its 70th anniversary, scores highly. Is anyone actually offended by the subject matter of this old ballet? It’s about piracy, slavery and sex trafficking in the Ottoman empire of long ago, loosely based on Byron’s 1814 poem The Corsair, but with characters, narrative and approach much tweaked. Tamara Rojo, ENB’s director, who commissioned this production in 2013, feels it necessary, for this revival............... Review by Bidisha in The Observer. Quote It takes a strong performer to carve themselves out of this spectacle. Francesco Gabriele Frola as Conrad, though technically adept, is somehow too fine and prissy, too effortful and conscientious to really nail it as a pirate hero. The steely Erina Takahashi invests Medora with wonderful tonality: from a fearful victim to a tender and delighted lover in the second act’s famous pas d’action – a curious balletic threesome between Conrad, his servant and Medora – which segues into a lovely, prolonged pre-coital duet. Link to comment
dirac Posted January 21, 2020 Author Share Posted January 21, 2020 A review of ENB's 70th anniversary celebration by Vikki Jane Vile for Broadway World. Quote An unquestionable highlight was Fernanda Oliveira and Junor Souza in an understated pas de deux from Three Preludes. It's a classical piece, Ben Stevenson's choreography rich in purity and requiring accomplished composure. Junor Souza was an impressively solid partner to Oliveira from across the ballet barre. Lead Principal Oliveira rarely receives recognition or opening night glory, but here she was an unflappable and eloquent force, repeatedly hitting picture-perfect positions. Graham Watts' review for Bachtrack. Quote The dance was inevitably accompanied by plenty of film, produced and directed by Dominic Best, including a poignant reminder of the many contributors to the company’s success who have not survived to participate in this 70th anniversary. Thankfully, two of the founding members of London Festival Ballet (English National Ballet’s original name) – Anita Landa and Pamela Hart – were able to join the company on stage to commemorate this important milestone in its history. The filmed segments were neatly interposed with sixteen danced divertissements in Act 1: frankly, this was more than enough dance for a whole gala but the transitions between pieces were so slick that the momentum carried the programme along: if ever there was a case of never mind the quantity feel the quality, then this was it. Link to comment
dirac Posted January 21, 2020 Author Share Posted January 21, 2020 Ballett Zürich celebrates William Forsythe. Quote Approximate Sonata (1996, revised 2016), featured four pas de deux, each, its own constellation. Again, a single printed word, “Ja” (yes), this time against the dark, far wall, was the only set decoration. Stephen Galloway’s costumes were essentially ballet studio gear in neon colours, and Willems' music was hard to pinpoint as a genre, but includes electronic beats, rising and lowering pipe scales, and occasional sequences that might nicely accompany a short horror film. That the dancers all broke out in a kind of studio chatter before the curtain went down was refreshing; it suggested we were the lucky party with unmitigated access to a session that not just anybody gets to see. Link to comment
dirac Posted January 21, 2020 Author Share Posted January 21, 2020 A review of the Royal Ballet in "Onegin" by Mark Pullinger for Bachtrack. Quote Osipova is the Tatiana of one’s dreams, exquisitely danced, passionate, nothing held back. The ballet opens with Tatiana lying on the ground, engrossed in a book. The expressions on Osipova’s face tell their own story, eyes wide, lip quivering as she almost mouths the words, brushing off Olga’s interruptions. Here is Tatiana the dreamer, a hopeless romantic, already head-over-heels in love… with a character in a novel. And all this is before Osipova has danced a single step. Photo gallery Link to comment
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