National Ballet of Canada 2022-2023 season

[Raina]

June 16, Romeo and Juliet
Juliet Sara Mearns
Romeo Guillaume Côté
Mercutio Spencer Hack
Benvolio Noah Parets
Tybalt Josh Hall
Paris Peng-Fei Jiang

We went to see Sara Mearns and Guillaume Côté. Sara's dancing was technically accomplished. Her pirouettes are excellent, she jumps well, but she wasn't Juliet for me. Perhaps there was too little time to prepare the role. I waited in vain for "chemistry" between her and Guillaume, and it didn't happen. Guillaume was more emotional, whirling around her like a spinning top. It's difficult for me to formulate an impression. Everything was fine technically, but for me there was no meaning in the movements. 

I saw this ballet before with Svetlana Lunkina and Evan McKie. There was no comparison. Lunkina really can turn a sow's ear into a silk purse, she is very impressive even in a mediocre choreography.

It was clear that Sara was nervous. After the performance, Guillaume hugged and encouraged her. The audience applauded enthusiastically, but not for long. Someone on our ring booed.

Spencer Hack, Noah Parets and Josh Hall were really good. I liked nice lines and lite jumps of Peng-Fei Jiang in his little solo.

The orchestra didn't sound perfect for me. 

[volcanohunter]

On 6/7/2023 at 6:57 AM, Rosie2 said:

 I'd like him to have have danced his final shows with Heather Ogden

I think it's no secret that Côté and Ogden are no longer together.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CrGW4M1Lfag/

[volcanohunter]

The National Ballet of Canada announced a number of promotions today, and in a nutshell, they're all men, none of them is from Canada, and none trained at the National Ballet School.

Christopher Gerty has been promoted to principal dancer. Born in England, raised in Australia and trained in Australia, New Zealand and the United States (San Francisco), he joined the company in 2014.

Josh Hall has been promoted to second soloist. He was born and trained in the United States and prior to joining the company this season, he spent ten years at Hope Muir's previous company, Charlotte Ballet.

Peng-Fei Jiang has also been promoted to second soloist. He is Chinese, trained in China and New Zealand, and prior to joining the National Ballet of Canada in 2017, he danced with the Royal New Zealand Ballet and Hong Kong Ballet.

The third new second soloist is Larkin Miller, who is American and trained in New York. He joined the company as an apprentice in 2016.

Principal dancers Svetlana Lunkina and Harrison James received the David Tory Award for "their consummate professionalism, dedication to the company and exhibiting the many qualities that inspired the creation of the award."

Emma Ouellet and Albjon Gjorllaku received the Patron Award of Merit, awarded annually to two members of the corps de ballet.

With the retirements of Stephanie Hutchison, Alejandra Perez-Gomez and Rebekah Rimsay (none of whom is particularly advanced in age), I suppose that the rank of principal character artist, created in 1985 by Erik Bruhn, ceases to exist. I guess that from now on the company will follow the practice of smaller troupes and have character roles performed by ballet masters and mistresses (of which Hutchison will be one).

https://national.ballet.ca/Media-Room/News/Just-Announced/2023-24-Promotions-Christopher-Gerty-Promoted-to-P

I see in the long list of credits that Sara Mearns' appearances were "made possible by The Estate of Katherine Barber," which is ironic because Katherine loathed Ratmansky’s Romeo and Juliet. 

She used to say that each time she saw it, she liked it less and less. She did, however, admire Sara Mearns.

Edited June 19, 2023 by volcanohunter
link

[Raina]

Well-deserved promotions.  Alexander Skinner

[Blackcurrant]

The Ratmansky version of Romeo & Juliet had never made a good impression on me before, but the matinee yesterday was wonderful.

Genevieve Penn Nabity and Christopher Gerty were beautiful leads, well-matched in their long lines and the spontaneity with which their dancing was imbued.

Joshua Hall and Spencer Hack brought a terrific contrast in their enactments of masculinity to the parts of Tybalt and Mercutio, with Hall as a kind of seething pitbull (I think he's the first Tybalt I've seen since William Marrie to bring this level of potential for violence to the role) and Hack portraying Mercutio in an airy, blithely taunting turn that seemed specifically designed to completely get up Tybalt's nose. I've always thought of Paris as a kind of awkward overdressed softie whom the Capulets saw as more of the same, as a marriage match who would be reproducing themselves. However, Peng-Fei Jiang brought an assertiveness to the role that made me realize that Paris could be someone whose unique assets the Capulets desperately needed, and someone very well aware of his worth. Teagan Richmond-Taylor, as a youthful Friar Laurence who seemed to have a backstory of teenage friendship with Romeo, was memorably tormented--and his sandaled somehow memorably forlorn. In general, the dramatic strength and depth of intention in all the supporting parts made the performance sizzle. (Oh, and let me mention the charm and excellent timing of the carnival clowns, among whom I think I spotted Piotr Stanczyk having a great time!)

My main remaining kvetches about the Ratmansky version are these: the elder Capulets' ball costumes, all red and green and gold, make them look like Christmas trees, a thought that once thunk is impossible to unthink; the choreography in the scene after Juliet has drunk the poison is basically confusing filler; and the morning-after bedroom scene seemed like it had run out of ideas.

PS I might have some of the dancers' names wrong as there were a couple of substitutions.

[Helene]

4 hours ago, Blackcurrant said:

I've always thought of Paris as a kind of awkward overdressed softie whom the Capulets saw as more of the same, as a marriage match who would be reproducing themselves. However, Peng-Fei Jiang brought an assertiveness to the role that made me realize that Paris could be someone whose unique assets the Capulets desperately needed, and someone very well aware of his worth.

In the Maillot version that PNB performs, this is a standard characterization for him, and especially realized when Joshua Grant performed it.  But, in the Maillot, there is no Lord Capulet, so there was a void.

Your comment also made me think of Seth Orza as Tybalt in the Maillot  Orza's Tybalt was very clearly the head of the family, not just the heir in waiting hanging out with his friends and rumbling with the Montagues, especially when paired with Maria Chapman, whose Lady Capulet wasn't the self-sufficient dragon-lady that Ariana Lallone was.  Which would have made a potential powder keg of a power struggle, had Juliet married Paris.

[Blackcurrant]

That's fascinating, Helene! There should be an alternate reality version of R&J that explores that powder keg.

In the Cranko version, doesn't Lady C go a little mad when Tybalt dies, throwing herself on his corpse, loosing her hair, and all?  The Montagues are so bland by comparison.

[Xiaoyi]

June 22 eve Romeo and Juliet

Juliet Tirion Law

Romeo Naoya Ebbe

Mercutio Siphesihle November

Tybalt Peng-Fei Jiang

 

I went to see Tirion Law's Juliet partly because Lunkina was coaching her, partly because her petite size and girlish look made her a natural fit for the role. I was quite impressed in the first act by her lightness in lifts & jumps and beautiful back flexibility. The ballroom scene and balcony pdd were full of freshness and crush. However, the third act was disappointing as she did not show the character arc from a girl to a woman. The bedroom pdd was confusing presenting more attachment than sadness or passion. Like Heather Ogden, she went less emotive when doing the more challenging steps . 

Naoya Ebe's steps were fine and fluid, presenting a poetic and gentle Romeo. His partnering was very dependable although less effortless than Cote. 

Siphesihle November's  was the best Mercutio in this run. He was stellar in the comical acting and his reaction to fellow actors looked natural rather than dancing the choreography. His sword fights were intense and compelling with some spontaneous touch to his movement. (The other sword fights in this run all look very staged to me.)

[julia_rose]

Went to tonight's evening show with Genevieve Penn Nabity and Christopher Gerty, I agree with Blackcurrant they were both commendable leads! Genevieve brought a ton of youthful energy to Juliet, with nice lines. Really enjoyed Mercutio as well (I believe it was Jack Bertinshaw but I may not have caught the substitution properly). The Ratmansky production as a whole...yeah definitely not my favourite, dragged in a couple places and too much of it felt like filler. Glad I went for the $12 standing tickets on my broke recent grad budget haha, which honestly weren't bad! View was just fine and if you're in comfortable shoes it's definitely doable. 

[Rosie2]

In the old O'Keefe (or various names since) I remember standing at the back for many performances - I always wanted to see everyone do everything  in the big classical ballets, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty etc.  Young legs then.  Not sure how that would work in the Four Seasons Opera House, although for one of my R&J's a massive gent in front of me  totally blocked my view of the stage and I found a perch at the back on one of the high chairs.   Great view, if a little further back then I like.

I saw four R&J's this run and enjoyed all of them for various reasons.  Each was unique and I loved both the experience some dancers brought to their roles and  the freshness of others.  I read Paula Citran's review and she struck a note with me - we both finally gave in to our long held loyalty to Cranks's production and allowed this one to engage our soul.  I'll always love Cranko - after all it was my first R&J, I was young and the sight of all that black and gold with Franca sweeping  (as only Franca could sweep) across the stage totally bedazzled me.  Tennant was my Juliet - with that dark intense stare as she held Romeo in the last moments as the music brought me always to tears.   I was at her first performance and her last.    Her Juliet is eternally etched on my heart.

 

 

 

[Raina]

SWAN SONG is an immersive new CBC documentary series that brings viewers inside The National Ballet of Canada as the company mounts a legacy-defining new production of Swan Lake, directed by ballet icon Karen Kain as she bids farewell to the company she’s become synonymous with. At this special FFDN event, enjoy a sneak preview of SWAN SONG before the series premieres on CBC, including an artist chat on stage with the creative team, plus a live performance of excerpts from Swan Lake.

SWAN SONG follows Karen Kain and a group of dancers drawn from across the company’s ranks, weaving the ballet’s dramatic creation process with intimate scenes from the subjects’ personal lives, as they push toward one of the most significant opening nights in their company’s history. Enjoy an exclusive sneak preview during Fall for Dance North's 9th annual festival before the four-part series airs in November 2023 on CBC and CBC Gem.
 

An FFDN Special Event
Programme order:

Screening of SWAN SONG Episode 1

Artist Chat on stage with Karen Kain (Swan Lake Director/Choreographer), Jurgita Dronina (National Ballet Principal Dancer), Siphesihle November (National Ballet Principal Dancer), Arielle Miralles (National Ballet Corps de Ballet Member), Chelsea McMullan (SWAN SONG Director)

Live Performance, excerpts from Swan Lake, danced by the artists of The National Ballet of Canada.
Choreography by Karen Kain, Christopher Stowell and Robert Binet after Erik Bruhn, Lev Ivanov and Marius Petipa. Casting to be announced.

Total running time: Approx. 90 mins.

https://www.ffdnorth.com/swan-song?mc_cid=0544fa32e9&mc_eid=b4b2a30c60

 

 

[Blackcurrant]

Swan Song (100 minutes), directed by Chelsea McMullan, will be among the Gala Presentations at the Toronto International Film Festival: https://tiff.net/events/swan-song Right now only a 1-sentence description is given of the Gala Presentations, but usually by late August there's a longer description of all of the festival offerings.

For the festival, it's not listed as a series--maybe they're showing the entirety of it.