dirac Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 Reviews of the Royal Ballet in "Onegin." The Financial Times Quote Vadim Muntagirov, sublime as Lensky in 2015, had been scheduled to switch to the ballet’s Byronic anti-hero in the current revival but a shock announcement two weeks before curtain up revealed that Reece Clarke would dance in his place, partnering Natalia Osipova. Clarke, newly promoted to first soloist for the occasion, made his debut on Saturday evening and gave a performance of unexpected power and subtlety. Onegins don’t have to be tall, dark or handsome — the great Johan Kobborg excelled in the role — but those qualities definitely help us make sense of Tatiana’s infatuation with the Darcy-esque stranger who shatters her cosy, provincial world. Clarke’s princely height (six foot three in his slippered feet), elegant line and sardonic left eyebrow establish the character before he has danced a step: the embodiment of Romantic agony. Broadway World Quote For those lucky enough to dance the central roles (many debuts follow in this run) there is a lot to explore and unpick. A successful interpretation requires great emotional intelligence and experience to translate the complexities on stage, and it's something Clarke has not quite mastered yet, although he is firmly on his way. The Times Quote John Cranko’s adaptation of Alexander Pushkin’s famous verse-novel about unrequited love in 1820s Russia is a dramatic — and problematic — crowd-pleaser. Created for the Stuttgart Ballet in 1965 (but definitively revamped two years later), this full-length production is itself somewhat hard to love. The feelings it arouses in its main characters are certainly strong and potentially deep, but if the audience is unable to surrender completely to their emotional arc the experience of watching it can be frustrating. Link to comment
dirac Posted January 21, 2020 Author Share Posted January 21, 2020 More reviews of the Royal in "Onegin." The Stage Quote Tailored in black, Reece Clarke’s ramrod-straight Onegin is a portrait of diffident, Mr Rochester-like hauteur, barely acknowledging Tatiana despite her attraction to him. His height and spiky, angular movements suggest a man whose pride has curdled into arrogant disdain. The Independent Quote Matthew Ball dances Lensky with taut elegance and a touch of Byronic anger. Francesca Hayward’s Olga is naive rather than skittish: flirting with Onegin, she’s swept up by a love of dancing, caught in the moment. Gary Avis is tender and thoughtful as Tatiana’s husband, Prince Gremin. The Evening Standard Quote Pre-publicity photos of Reece Clarke as Onegin already had balletomanes swooning: the 24-year-old is pretty much a Byronic Mr Darcy made flesh. No acting was required here: it’s clear to see why Tatiana would have her head turned. But remarkably for someone tackling the role for the first time – Clarke was promoted to First Soloist just over a week ago – he displayed no hint of nerves, and his reading is already one of nuance, an Onegin who tugs at the heart strings even as his superciliousness repels us. Link to comment
dirac Posted January 21, 2020 Author Share Posted January 21, 2020 An interview with Thiago Soares. Quote “Kevin said very nicely: ‘You have a few years left and performances to come, but have you thought about your next steps?’ Slowly I started to think about what else I would do.” These are the tough truths that every ballet dancer must grapple with as they grow older: “The reality is that my time here has been finishing slowly. I can perform, I’m all right, I can do good shows, but not in everything.” Link to comment
dirac Posted January 21, 2020 Author Share Posted January 21, 2020 The New Orleans Ballet Association presents its annual Evening of Stars. Quote Notable performers include Russian-born Maria Kochetkova who has performed with the Royal Ballet and English National Ballet in London as well as the San Francisco Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. Brazilian-born Victor Luiz has performed with Ballet of Rio de Janeiro, the English National Ballet and San Francisco Ballet. Related. Quote The stunning evening will be filled with dances from renowned classical works such as Le Corsaire, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Raymonda and Flower Festival of Genzano as well as sophisticated contemporary works performed by a leading all-star cast. Performances will feature international ballet superstars Maria Kochetkova and Victor Luiz, National Ballet of Canada’s esteemed principal dancers Heather Ogden and Guillaume Côté, The Joffrey Ballet’s Victoria Jaiani and Temur Suluashvili, Jiyong Chae and Derek Dunn from the Boston Ballet, Nayara Lopes and Sterling Baca of Pennsylvania Ballet, Glen Alen Sims of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and more. Link to comment
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