Paris Opéra Ballet - Giselle May 2024

[alison]

For a start, tennis matches aren't subject to copyright ...

 

You may think differently if you encounter the beer-fuelled spectators - I won't call them fans, as it sounds as though that may be a misnomer.

[San Perregrino]

40 minutes ago, alison said:

For a start, tennis matches aren't subject to copyright ...

 

You may think differently if you encounter the beer-fuelled spectators - I won't call them fans, as it sounds as though that may be a misnomer.

Sorry, I don’t understand what you’re trying to say? 

[Emeralds]

3 hours ago, Sim said:

Last night at NB R&J a chap sitting in front of me was filming the Dance of the Knights from start to finish.  I was in the 2nd circle and there wasn’t an usher nearby to tell or take any action.  

Sorry it wouldn't make sense to "like" this - I feel annoyed and appalled on your behalf, Sim! 

 

But on a slightly more positive note, waiting patiently but eagerly-no rush- to read your reactions and@Jan McNulty's reactions plus photos +/- video (if possible) to last night's performance....  😀 (Would have booked that show had it not been for a clashing commitment). 

Edited June 2 by Emeralds

[Emeralds]

Oh wait- just seen your post now, @Sim....ignore my second paragraph! 

[TurningPointe]

On 26/05/2024 at 08:37, Silver Capricorn said:

Yes, I was there.  It was an unforgettable evening.  Marianela Nuñez formed a great partnership with Hugo Marchand and they were rewarded with a standing ovation by the Parisian crowd.  The Paris production of Giselle is one of the most beautiful, and in conjunction with such amazing actors and a great female corp de ballet, the result is breathtaking (and Hugo's 30 entrechat six is just the icing on the cake😃).

I was at the Paris Opera for their second performance on Monday, 27th May.  It was a memorable, unforgettable, one-in-a lifetime event.  I am so happy that I was able to be there to see this.  Both Marianela Nuñez and Hugo Marchand had huge (20 mins) standing ovations at the end of the performance.  Something unusual at the Paris Opera unless a dancer is being promoted or retiring.

 

Marianela and Hugo were supported by exquisitely prepared corps de ballet and soloists from the Paris Opera Ballet.  Valentine Colasante (an Etoile of the Paris Opera Ballet) performed the role of Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis, that evening.  Her ‘icy’ performance contrasted with Marianela’s forgiveness and ‘love beyond the grave’ for her Albrecht.  Indeed, Marianela and Hugo formed a spectacular partnership together.  Their chemistry and synchronicity were moving and took your breath away. They moved as one.  This degree of congruency was particularly surprising given that they have not danced together previously, and they are coming from very different ballet schools.  

 

Marianela was spectacular.  Her acting a young teenage girl was totally credible (she is 42), and her technique solid.  Her ‘mad scene’ was excellent.  The second act was very emotive.  You did not want it to end, really.  Hugo Marchand is the ‘whole package’ (I say it very respectfully and hope that I am allowed to say that).  He has shown to be a very generous and kind, supportive, partner of his ballerinas.  You sense that when you watch them dance together, in the little details, the looks, smiles and complicity developed during rehearsals.  Hugo possesses a beautifully strong technique, with robust partnering skills.  Those combined with a convincing and deep acting ability (he also played Crown Prince Rudolph in ‘Mayerling’ last year at the Paris Opera, a role that requires all of those attributes) made him the star that he is. In addition, Hugo has a very strong stage presence. I do hope that with Kevin O’Hare in Paris during the first show, he may have thoughts of some guest appearances for him during the 2024/25 Royal Ballet Season at Covent Garden.  I appreciate that the Royal Ballet is already top heavy when it comes to Principal Dancers but Roberto Bolle danced a couple of shows this season, so for some exceptional dancers this may be possible.

 

On that note, ‘Onegin’ is a ballet danced at the Paris Opera Ballet, and also in Covent Garden….that could be a possibility.  Alternatively, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ by MacMillan could be another possible ballet for him.  The Paris Opera Ballet dances Nureyev’s version and this could be an opportunity for Hugo Marchand to experience the MacMillan version, dance with Marianela again, enchant the audiences at the Royal Opera House, and for Covent Garden management to have unbelievable curtain calls, and completely sold out houses. 

Edited June 2 by TurningPointe

[TurningPointe]

On 26/05/2024 at 09:20, Silver Capricorn said:

I don't find anything vulgar about it.  Hugo has such charisma that even if he just sat on the stage for 2 hours, the audience will go crazy, so he really doesn't need to prove anything.  Me and everyone enjoyed the show.  I also don't mind, for example, 32 fuettes in Swan Lake.

People are entitled to their own opinions and I accept that.  

 

To me, however, like the 32 fouettes’ of Don Quixote, Black Swan, and other pas de deuxs…for a male dancer to be able to do high, clean, 30 entrechat six…. towards the end of a two-act ballet on stage (rather than in the studio)…is the epitome of athleticism!  

 

@Silver Capricorn you brought a smile to my face with your comment…..I completely agree with you.

Edited June 2 by TurningPointe

[MAB]

I feel uncomfortable with the use of the word athleticism in a discussion about ballet, it is supposed to be art, not sport.

[TurningPointe]

1 hour ago, MAB said:

I feel uncomfortable with the use of the word athleticism in a discussion about ballet, it is supposed to be art, not sport.

I understand and respect what you are saying, and agree with you that ballet is not a sport.  It was not my intention to make you (or anybody else) feel uncomfortable.

 

I just wanted to clarify that whilst ‘athletics’ is related to human competitive sports, ‘athleticism’ is a quality connected with the combination of strength, flexibility, agility, power, speed, endurance, mobility, and aerobic capacity.  All of those qualities can be seen in today’s professional ballet dancers, in addition to their ability to convey a story, and their artistry.

 

Ballet technique has evolved throughout the centuries, and in particular during the 20th Century, and it continues to evolve.  What do we call ‘evolution’ of the ballet technique is something to be examined critically. Ballerinas that worked with Sir Frederick Ashton will share that he did not like legs to be lifted beyond 45-90 degrees maximum. Some considered Sylvie Guillem’s high extensions ‘rude’, others just ‘loved’ that capability.  Dancers of the past have been quoted saying that they would have loved to have that physical capability themselves. Having said that, in ballet, physical capability without the ability to tell the story, to connect and communicate with the audience, without artistry - simply becomes gymnastics, it does not work. 

 

Ballet is the most physically demanding of the performing art forms, and in the past 20 years the art form has borrowed a lot of knowledge, experience, and field research from sports sciences.  Why?  Because there is an undeniable overlap between the two.  It also happens that sports sciences is much more advanced than ballet in the study and prevention of injuries, rehabilitation, psychology (e.g.: perfectionism, eating disorders, identity, career transitioning) to name a few. The Monica Mason Healthcare Suite at the ROH, and their multidisciplinary team that in its majority come directly from the field of sports were not in place before 2010.  The largest ballet companies around the world have a team of specialists working with and supporting their ballet dancers. The majority of them come from the world of sports sciences. 

 

I completely agree that ballet is not a sport.  However, in today’s modern ballet companies, for a dancer to be able to move smoothly between doing ‘Beauty’,  ‘Giselle’, ‘Blake Works’, and ‘Infra’, they have to maintain a level of fitness equivalent to that of an elite athlete.  Ballet is learning from sports sciences for the benefit of current and future generations of vocational students and professional dancers. A lot still needs to be done for these wonderful artists, but we need to start somewhere.

 

[Mora]

10 hours ago, TurningPointe said:

(...) In addition, Hugo has a very strong stage presence. I do hope that with Kevin O’Hare in Paris during the first show, he may have thoughts of some guest appearances for him during the 2024/25 Royal Ballet Season at Covent Garden.  I appreciate that the Royal Ballet is already top heavy when it comes to Principal Dancers but Roberto Bolle danced a couple of shows this season, so for some exceptional dancers this may be possible.

 

On that note, ‘Onegin’ is a ballet danced at the Paris Opera Ballet, and also in Covent Garden….that could be a possibility.  Alternatively, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ by MacMillan could be another possible ballet for him.  The Paris Opera Ballet dances Nureyev’s version and this could be an opportunity for Hugo Marchand to experience the MacMillan version, dance with Marianela again, enchant the audiences at the Royal Opera House, and for Covent Garden management to have unbelievable curtain calls, and completely sold out houses. 

I quite agree. In fact, I was wondering if MN and RB will be dancing RJ the next season, considering that the two of them know MacMillan's choreography and  both ballets will be celebrating their 60th anniversary.
Nevertheless, I do believe that Hugo Marchand may be an interesting partner in Onegin. 

[bridiem]

9 hours ago, TurningPointe said:

Ballet is the most physically demanding of the performing art forms, and in the past 20 years the art form has borrowed a lot of knowledge, experience, and field research from sports sciences.  Why?  Because there is an undeniable overlap between the two.  It also happens that sports sciences is much more advanced than ballet in the study and prevention of injuries, rehabilitation, psychology (e.g.: perfectionism, eating disorders, identity, career transitioning) to name a few. The Monica Mason Healthcare Suite at the ROH, and their multidisciplinary team that in its majority come directly from the field of sports were not in place before 2010.  The largest ballet companies around the world have a team of specialists working with and supporting their ballet dancers. The majority of them come from the world of sports sciences. 

 

I completely agree that ballet is not a sport.  However, in today’s modern ballet companies, for a dancer to be able to move smoothly between doing ‘Beauty’,  ‘Giselle’, ‘Blake Works’, and ‘Infra’, they have to maintain a level of fitness equivalent to that of an elite athlete.  Ballet is learning from sports sciences for the benefit of current and future generations of vocational students and professional dancers. A lot still needs to be done for these wonderful artists, but we need to start somewhere.

 

But even with all this additional knowledge and help, it seems to me (though this is NOT scientific!) that dancers nowadays get injured more often and more seriously than used to be the case. And perhaps especially those who do move between classical work and extreme contemporary choreography. Perhaps these wonderful artists deserve more respect in terms of what is actually being asked of them.

[San Perregrino]

I’ve always thought of today’s dancers as elite athletes. Some of the best athletes and sportspeople take ballet class.

It’s a compliment as far as I am concerned. 

Edited June 3 by San Perregrino

[TurningPointe]

@bridiem Thank you for your reflections.  I completely agree that these wonderful artists deserve more respect in terms of what is being asked of them, and this will include not just the care dispensed by the respective healthcare units (if they are lucky enough to have one attached to their company) but also in terms of dancers’ headcount, how programmes are constructed, the management of performance and rehearsal schedules (incl. recovery and resting time) and so on.

 

In this respect, ballet dancers in the UK are represented by a union (Equity) and would like to think that together with Ballet Management and Staff (in the respective ballet companies) they think of these things.  Of course, we have to be realistic: professional ballet dancers working in ballet companies are, at the end of the day, employees working under a contract of employment.  Of course, they are a particular type of employees, artists, but employees nevertheless. Running a professional ballet company must be incredibly difficult, and I do not envy that job.  Having been a successful ballet dancer also does not always equal being a good artistic director and having the vision and the people and trade union management skills required to direct a company.  Hence companies tend to have an Artistic Director or a Director of Dance, and a Company Director or Manager working side by side.  Titles and structures will, naturally, vary slightly but that’s generally what one finds at the very top. There are a number of aspects about running a professional ballet company that are likely to be similar in essence to running any other medium-size company, such as: budgets, funding, headcount, casting/promotion(s), performance management, managing exits, selling full houses, etc.  The nature of the business is very different, but the finances still have to work for the company to be a going concern. It is all a delicate and difficult balance to be maintained.

 

Regarding frequency and quantity of injuries, comparing past and present - in the context of an occupation (ballet) that due to a variety of reasons (i.e.: culture, lack of sole definition of what exactly constitutes ‘an injury’, teamwork, etc.) tends to under-reports injuries…this is really challenging.  Academic research shows that a lot of dancers’ injuries were in the past, and still are, under-reported.  In addition, what has significantly changed (say) between the 1970-80s and today are the expectations of what professional dancers should regularly deliver and do technique-wise.  This, together with the expectation of constant straddling between classical, neo-classical, and contemporary pieces that pull the dancers’ bodies in very different directions. Overall, if we just take  % wise, I cannot say that I have seen a reduction of injuries in the UK, and that the number of (overall) injuries per year remains high in the studies recently produced.  Having said that, the circumstances have changed in that dancers today take more physical risks than in the past.  Interestingly, most injuries tend to take place off stage (in class, or rehearsals, when dancers are exploring new boundaries). These studies recommend management to review dancers’ headcount, performance and rehearsal schedules, recovery and resting time, how the season and the programmes are constructed, etc. in addition to the existing healthcare support. 

 

Another aspect that has changed quite significantly are the advances in surgical expertise, its degree of sophistication, and rehabilitation.  In the past, a dancer that tore their ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and their meniscus would have had to undergo open knee surgery and hope to be able to re-establish full mobility to the affected joint, never mind returning to dancing on pointe.  Many dancing careers have been disrupted (and not reported) due to this in the past.  Dancers had to face similar situations with their injured or disrupted Achilles, hips, back, neck, shoulders, etc. Today, dancers can undergo arthroscopic surgery, have the ACL reconstructed, if they are under a certain age and is appropriate, they could also have a meniscus implantation followed by full rehab planned for them.  What I am trying to articulate is that is not so straight-forward to compare the past with today’s situation in this specific sense, but I totally hear you.

Edited June 3 by TurningPointe

[San Perregrino]

@TurningPointe that’s all very interesting information thank you. Injuries can happen anywhere anytime but I have wondered more than once if regular, if not constant international travel ‘away’ to dance as guests with other companies or in galas puts extra strain and demands on dancers bodies and might have a negative impact on their ‘home’ performances and/or make the dancers more susceptible to injury. 
And indeed whether the ‘home’ employer can say ‘no’ to these external engagements if it is felt they might be detrimental.

Edited June 3 by San Perregrino

[MAB]

The old touring company was on the road constantly and had virtually  no injury problems, likewise touring companies of today.  Perhaps it is long periods off stage that are part of the problem.

[alison]

BRB seems to have had quite a few injuries this year ... but I do wonder if it's the "stop-go" approach which does have an effect.

[Jan McNulty]

9 hours ago, MAB said:

The old touring company was on the road constantly and had virtually  no injury problems, likewise touring companies of today.  Perhaps it is long periods off stage that are part of the problem.

 

 

I remember David Morse (BRB) was interviewed for Friends many years ago in Bradford.  He stood in at the last minute for someone else and we never wanted him to stop.  One of the things he said was that the touring company did not suffer injuries in the way that they do these days and he attributed that to the constant touring.