Don Q Fan Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 Very sad news. RIP Liam. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 Terrible news, hard to believe. I'm not a great fan of many modern choreographers, but some of his work was stunning. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 Such a shocking and sad news. I really love his Swan Lake, it's the first ever to move me. The way he rehearsed that Swan Lake, the way he explained the choreography to the dancers was brilliant. What a loss of life and talent. My deepest condolences to his family and friends 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 Shocking news in the truest sense. I cannot I'm sure adequately imagine how his family and friends must be feeling at this point. My heart pours out to them. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 Truly awful news. Sim asks that comments focus on Liam Scarlett’s work and artistic legacy. Opening night of Liam Scarlett’s new production of Swan Lake was unforgettable - rapturous applause and a triumph for all involved. I recall Liam Scarlett acknowledging that ovation for him and his sense of pride and achievement. The various Insights heralding the new Swan Lake production showed a man of great intelligence and perception and his dancing in demonstrating what he was looking for from his dancers was extraordinary - so expressive and crystal clear. My wife and I loved much of Liam Scarlett’s work. I think Sweet Violets was the first ballet we saw - shocking in many respects but he seemed very much in the Kenneth Macmillan mode, both in terms of drama/narrative and in being so responsive to the music. And what good choices he made in selecting the music for his ballets. I know Frankenstein received mixed reviews but we thought it gripping, an astonishing piece of theatre. We occasionally saw him in Covent Garden and were pleased to have the chance to say how much we enjoyed his choreography. We had tickets for Symphonic Dances and were very much looking forward to the opening night. Sadly that was not to be. I was hoping to see its revival but, as we know, that was cancelled. I was not as impressed with Age of Anxiety, in part because I was not greatly taken with the characters, although it benefitted from its cinema relay and the close attention paid by the camera. The last Liam Scarlett ballets I saw were Cunning Little Vixen, with the Royal Ballet School, and Asphodel Meadows, both utterly delightful. Liam Scarlett was a hugely talented choreographer, fully at home in both abstract and narrative ballets. I felt his choreography really flowed, enabling his dancers to express themselves naturally, in the long established Royal Ballet tradition. I’m sure there were many technical demands but I always thought the dancers looked in their element, using their technique to deliver character and dance that invariably touched the soul. It’s good to see the support for Liam on social media from his many friends and colleagues. I do hope his work will live on and that when Swan Lake is revived, the Royal Ballet properly acknowledges his creative genius. 24 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Newcombe Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 On 17/04/2021 at 13:37, FionaE said: Tomorrow evening Münich ballet will be live-streaming FREE their Paradigma triple bill which includes Liam’s ‘With a Chance of Rain’ 7.30pm Münich time on Staatsoper.tv The stream is FREE and one time only, no video-on-demand. It is part of the digital ballet festival week 17-25 April from the Bavarian State Ballet. https://www.staatsoper.de/en/staatsballett/digital-ballet-festival-week-2021.html Bravo Bavarian State Ballet! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 Enjoyed much of the Stattsballet piece ... originally done for ABT - although I did not see it then .... It was wonderful to see how many of the dancers participating have moved on from their time when at ENB. Think No Man's Land for ENB will be one of the standout Scarlett pieces for me. It really was so meaningfully haunting. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaM Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 The last pdd in particular was so moving ... performed by Ksenia Ryzhkova and Emilio Pavan. Both create mood so well. Classy performers. It was my second viewing, as I had watched the original stream back in January. It improved ... as all good choreography does.. you see more, appreciate more with multiple viewings. Liam’s choreography highlights Rachmaninov’s musical dynamics so well and it is so wonderful to see classical dancing for both male and female dancers, not only partnering. Lovely humorous touches too. A fitting tribute as the last piece to get staged personally by Liam anywhere. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 The Royal Opera House website is now carrying an extended statement from Kevin O'Hare: https://www.roh.org.uk/news/remembering-liam-scarlett 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 The obituary in the Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2021/apr/19/liam-scarlett-obituary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 Some of this makes me feel very uncomfortable. I rather wish many of the obituaries and articles, social media comments and so on, which comment very freely on matters not really in the public domain, stating 'facts' and opining on things they surely can't know the truth about, and which must be causing horrible pain to Scarlett's partner, friends and family, had followed the rules so clearly and wisely laid down by Sim at the head of this thread. Maybe there will come a time to discuss it but the time is not now. So Mods, feel free to delete this comment..... 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmhopton Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 Yes, I hate the way all the 'tributes' to Liam's wonderful choreographic talent have started with comments that have nothing to do with his choreography. I am going to remember Liam by his great talent and the way he enhanced the repertoire of the RB and any other companies he chose to work with. He is the only modern choreographer at the RB (until Valentino Zucchetti) I would happily pay money to see and know I was going to enjoy the performance and his undoubted talent in creating it. I don't even especially like Swan Lake but I really enjoyed his version and think it is a great gift to the RB and I'm so pleased we'll be able to see it for many years to come. It will be his greatest and most fitting legacy and surely the way he would want to be remembered and people would want to remember him. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannette Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 On 18/04/2021 at 18:12, Bruce Wall said: Enjoyed much of the Stattsballet piece ... originally done for ABT - although I did not see it then .... I saw the ABT premiere in person & the Munich rendition on film (in January & again yesterday). The initial pdd in the ABT version was cruder (more “hands-on” and “bouncy”) and performed with rather vulgar facial expressions by James Whiteside and Misty Copeland. None of that apparent with the Munich pair. Choreographers often rework things, Scarlett no different. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aruna S Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 The Guardian's obituary mentions that he'd created a Midsummer Night's Dream for Queensland Ballet. I'd love to see that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted April 20, 2021 Author Share Posted April 20, 2021 Once again, may I please refer everyone to my initial post. There is much discussion and speculation about this tragic event on social media. However, we don't want that to spill over onto this forum. We can't imagine how awful this must be for Liam's family and those who were close to him. We are therefore maintaining this thread as a respectful place to post comments about his work and legacy, not speculation (either direct or via posting links to other people's speculation). For speculation and discussion thereof, we would ask you to go to other social media. Thank you. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 1 hour ago, Aruna S said: The Guardian's obituary mentions that he'd created a Midsummer Night's Dream for Queensland Ballet. I'd love to see that. It was a shared production with RNZB who actually premiered it a few years ago. From doing the Links I can remember that it got excellent reviews. I would hope they will continue to revive the work. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted April 20, 2021 Author Share Posted April 20, 2021 10 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said: It was a shared production with RNZB who actually premiered it a few years ago. From doing the Links I can remember that it got excellent reviews. I would hope they will continue to revive the work. RNZB have confirmed that they will be performing it this Christmas. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 28 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said: It was a shared production with RNZB who actually premiered it a few years ago. From doing the Links I can remember that it got excellent reviews. I would hope they will continue to revive the work. There was some sort of RNZB stream relating to it early on in the pandemic, I remember. I know I liked what I saw. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ballet448 Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 I saw the RNZB production and it is indeed charming. While it had some flaws (mainly being over-long), I was impressed by how assured and above all how musical the choreography was - the passages for the fairies were scintillating and the slapstick scenes were genuinely funny. I was also impressed by No Man's Land, which I found deeply moving. Choreographers as gifted as this - especially in their musicality - are so rare and so precious. It's dreadfully sad for those who love ballet that his life should have ended so soon - but of course far, far worse for those who loved him. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Macmillan Posted May 3, 2021 Share Posted May 3, 2021 With a bit of thinking time now past, a very considered piece by Dr Laura Cappelle: https://www.dancemagazine.com/liam-scarlett-cancel-culture-2652839315.html?rebelltitem=4#rebelltitem4 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ingrid Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 30 minutes ago, Ian Macmillan said: With a bit of thinking time now past, a very considered piece by Dr Laura Cappelle: https://www.dancemagazine.com/liam-scarlett-cancel-culture-2652839315.html?rebelltitem=4#rebelltitem4 Good article. I feel like I can’t properly put into words my sentiments about Liam’s passing. I certainly extend my condolences to his family and friends. The loss of any friend and/or relative is always something incredibly tough to deal with, especially someone as young as Liam. About the article, I’m gonna be brief. The mindset that cancel culture is responsible for what happened is to honestly disregard the fact that a investigation happened. And people spoke up. But also the many other variables that leads someone to a situation like the one that happened. I know this from experience in my own family. Thats about as far as I’m going to be talking about this subject here on the forum. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaM Posted May 6, 2021 Share Posted May 6, 2021 On 04/05/2021 at 00:33, Ian Macmillan said: With a bit of thinking time now past, a very considered piece by Dr Laura Cappelle: https://www.dancemagazine.com/liam-scarlett-cancel-culture-2652839315.html?rebelltitem=4#rebelltitem4 Thank you for sharing this. It covers my concerns for all parties, as well as this from the final paragraph that troubles me ... If a mistake or a failing is never even acknowledged, what path is there to rehabilitation? What's left instead is a limbo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BalletcoForum Moderators Posted May 8, 2021 Share Posted May 8, 2021 A post in this thread has been hidden for containing speculation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pas de Quatre Posted May 8, 2021 Share Posted May 8, 2021 Moderators, if you dislike one sentence of my post it can be edited out. The rest is factual history. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BalletcoForum Moderators Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 13 hours ago, Pas de Quatre said: Moderators, if you dislike one sentence of my post it can be edited out. The rest is factual history. Posters sign up to the AUP when they join. The hidden post was determined to have breached AUP (and it was more than one sentence that was seen to be of concern). We also note that the post was reported by another member as inappropriate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 Do posts reported by others automatically get removed because somebody else disapproves or is it discussed whether this should happen or not first? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BalletcoForum Moderators Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 Posts are hidden temporarily if they are reported or if a moderator considers there is a potential breach of AUP. The post is then discussed by the moderators collectively (this can take some time depending on availability, bearing in mind that the moderators are volunteers and a number of them work full time). Once a conclusion is reached, the post is either reinstated or remains hidden. The moderators will usually advise on the thread when a post has been hidden but, on rare occasions, this does not happen promptly due to logistical reasons. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pas de Quatre Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 On 06/05/2021 at 17:12, FionaE said: Thank you for sharing this. It covers my concerns for all parties, as well as this from the final paragraph that troubles me ... If a mistake or a failing is never even acknowledged, what path is there to rehabilitation? What's left instead is a limbo This is what troubles me too. It applies to organisations as well as individuals. In my hidden post I referred to the fact that Liam Scarlett was more than a mere "employee", he was a product of RB training from JA through White Lodge, Upper School and into RB company. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 I did agree with a lot of what you said originally pas de Quatre when I saw the original post. A dancing friend of mine who writes dancing articles and reviews has written a very erudite and moving piece about this and some of it very much along your lines. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 I’d just like to add that from the Forum point of view and this thread in particular it may be just too soon to go into too much depth about it all. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BalletcoForum Moderators Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 This thread is being locked while it is under consideration by Moderators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted May 9, 2021 Author Share Posted May 9, 2021 As I mentioned in my very first post...the Moderators do not want the forum to become a place of speculation and guesswork when it comes to this tragic event. The only true fact of the matter is that very few people know what happened and why; all kinds of factors were involved. Because no-one knows for sure (and even if they did) we wanted to keep this area as a tribute to Liam's works and legacy. Speculation and blame are unhelpful and indeed hurtful. We must all remember that many people read this forum, even if they never post up. Some of those people may well be close to people or events, and no doubt they have all been hurt enough. For that reason, we have decided to lock this thread. 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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