bridiem
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Prix Benois Nominations & Winners, 2018
bridiem replied to Angela's topic in Ballet / Dance news & information
Exactly - where there is a clear conflict of interests, it should be declared and the mechanism for dealing with it outlined. (I'm not talking about any particular individual/s here - it's a general and I would have thought obvious point if the prizes are to have any credibility.) -
That's partly why I don't like the idea of this competition (though I admit I have occasionally voted in it!). Dancers in the same company shouldn't be pitted against each other in this way, even in a spirit of good nature (which I hope exists).
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Performances in the U.S.A.
bridiem replied to Ivy Lin's topic in Performances seen & general discussions
Yes; all being a 'professional' critic means is that you have managed to get someone to pay you for what you write. You then become subject to their constraints in terms of length, style, etc, so you can no longer write as freely. And you have to go to performances you may not otherwise choose to attend. 'Amateur' writers may be just as good as/knowledgeable as paid critics - they just don't get paid for it. And many critics clearly don't have huge depth of technical knowledge - like everyone else, they have mainly learned (we hope) by watching, reading and absorbing. The only thing that matters is the quality of the writing, not whether or not someone has been paid to write it. -
Sergei Polunin - news and discussions - cont'd
bridiem replied to Amelia's topic in Ballet / Dance news & information
Yes - see my post further up. But also previous comments re the length and rigour of dancers' training, the shortness of their careers, and the exceptional level of talent required. I realise that if society doesn't really value dancers (as it clearly doesn't really value many other jobs, for reasons I fail to understand), that will be reflected in their pay. I personally do value them and so would like to see them being better paid. But that's not really the point - I just understand why Polunin might feel that dancers don't earn enough. -
Sergei Polunin - news and discussions - cont'd
bridiem replied to Amelia's topic in Ballet / Dance news & information
I completely agree with you, Sharon. A lot of what I think are the most important jobs are amongst the least well paid (and vice versa). But I can understand why Polunin would be frustrated at the situation in respect of dancers. -
Sergei Polunin - news and discussions - cont'd
bridiem replied to Amelia's topic in Ballet / Dance news & information
They also by the nature of the job work late into the evening (in a very physical occupation) and so it's not good if they then have a long journey home or have unsatisfactory/insecure accommodation. And by the mere fact that they are working as professional dancers, they must be incredibly talented (even at the 'lowest' level). So I also empathize with him in this respect. -
Thanks for your very interesting thoughts, JohnS. I agree very much about the multi tasking, especially given the number of dancers yesterday evening who had also been heavily involved in the matinée. I think that your proposed change to the ending, though not fundamental enough for my preferences, would certainly be an improvement on the current one. (One of the moments I do miss from the former production was towards the end of Act 4, when Odette and Siegfried together confronted Rothbart as if to say 'No! You will not win! We will vanquish you!' to the most powerful, dramatic music. I really yearn for that clear, decisive act of self-sacrifice on both their parts.)
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Interesting comments, Saodan. I would say that the role of the man in classical ballet changed a long time ago and that being only an understated support to the ballerina is no longer enough. I don't think that being neat, tidy and assured is enough to carry a principal role in a major company (just about any of the men in the RB could do the role if that was all that was required). I personally don't like dancers who are what I would call showy; but I need to see why they are there.
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I often forget that we aren't actually watching the swans! We only see the maidens, who are swan-like to indicate their terrible situation/the spell under which they are living. In fact, the synopsis for the new production encourages that confusion - for the last act, it says 'the swans anxiously await Odette's return' and that she is 'doomed to remain a swan forever'. In fact she's doomed to remain under the spell forever, not to remain a swan forever. The only time we see her (or anyone else!) as a swan is when she glides off stage at the end of Act 2. (Though even the maidens seem to pretty well under Rothbart's control, it has to be said. They don't seem to be able to go off shopping or getting their hair done or other such maidenly pastimes.)
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I was very frustrated by the matinée performance yesterday, because I thought that Naghdi danced beautifully but from Kish I got nothing at all. I found him bland, pallid, unconvincing and technically underpowered, and there was absolutely no chemistry between them. So Naghdi was effectively performing in a vacuum, which was a terrible shame. She gave it her all (and in the fouettés almost more than her all! Though the ambition was admirable). Gary Avis was a compelling Rothbart. I thought as others have commented that the pas de troix dancers were poorly matched. Ella and Gasparini are so much shorter than Heap that it did none of them any favours. The evening performance was stunning, with Osipova on full throttle right from the outset - tremendously expressive and exciting. I thought that Matthew Ball danced beautifully and seemed to be stunned by what he was experiencing/witnessing (with good reason!). I hope that in future performances he will develop a more detailed characterisation, in so far as this production allows. Avis again an evil and charismatic Rothbart. And Campbell superb as Benno (I kept wondering why on earth this beautiful dancer hasn't been cast as Siegfried).
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I like the enlarged role for Benno, but I think the fact that on opening night Muntagirov was Siegfried meant that I didn't feel his role was diminished - Muntagirov is so compelling and danced so brilliantly that he commanded automatic attention. But in subsequent performances I have found it to be a problem. Benno is far more prominent than Siegfried in Act 1, which must be a bit confusing for newcomers to the ballet and does mean that Siegfried takes ages to come into any sort of prominence. I don't find the role of Rothbart problematic. I think that by deceiving Siegfried, and his mother, Rothbart has been confirmed in his evil power and so his hold over the court, and is now in a position to grab the crown. (In spite of the more realistic elements, this is still a fairy tale after all.) I find the end of Act 3 absolutely thrilling. I completely agree about the end - beautifully expressed. This production is never going to be as moving as it should be without the resolution dictated by the music.
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ENB Coliseum Sleeping Beauty Casting 2018
bridiem replied to Bluebird's topic in Ballet / Dance news & information
??? Is this really all there is to say of it??- 49 replies
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There's a lot I'll miss about the old production. In spite of its problems, I grew very fond of it over the years and it packed a huge emotional punch. So thank you to Anthony Dowell et al who have received too much criticism recently in the run up to the new production. (I don't mean on this forum but in the press generally.)