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“Four Temperaments” (“The Four Temperaments” / “The Chairman Dances” / “Frank Bridge Variations” / Full Frontal” / extra: “After the Rain”)

Dutch National Ballet
Dutch National Opera & Ballet
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
September 17, 2023 (matinee)

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2023 by Ilona Landgraf

1. F.Eimers and J.Spunda, “The Four Temperaments” by G.Balanchine, Dutch National Ballet 2023 © M.Haegeman 2. J.Xuan and D.Ramos, “The Four Temperaments” by G.Balanchine, Dutch National Ballet 2023 © M.Haegeman 3. M.Makhateli and V.Caixeta, “The Four Temperaments” by G.Balanchine, Dutch National Ballet 2023 © M.Haegeman It’s unclear whether the Dutch National Ballet’s new mixed bill “Four Temperaments” took its title from one of the pieces – George Balanchine’s “The Four Temperaments” – or alludes to the different personalities of all choreographers involved. Next to Balanchine are the company’s artistic director Ted Brandsen, doyen Hans van Manen, and the Spaniard Juanjo Arqués, a regular contributor to the repertory. Let’s disclose later, why Christopher Wheeldon’s “After the Rain” was added as an extra to the matinee.

Balanchine’s “The Four Temperaments” relates to the Hippocratic medical concept of humourism that four bodily fluids (blood, yellow bile, black bile, and mucus) affect human personality traits and behaviors. Depending on which fluid dominates, an individual is melancholic, sanguine, phlegmatic, or choleric. For what would become his first piece for Ballet Society (the predecessor of New York City Ballet) in 1946, Balanchine commissioned a half-hour score by Paul Hindemith.
5. Y.Zhang and D.R.Silva, “The Four Temperaments” by G.Balanchine, Dutch National Ballet 2023 © M.Haegeman 4. J.Xuan and D.Ramos, “The Four Temperaments” by G.Balanchine, Dutch National Ballet 2023 © M.Haegeman Edwin Denby (1903 – 1983), a renowned US dance critic, described it as “exceptionally powerful thick-flowing.” Altogether, the ballet fascinated him: “It is full of Beckmesserish dance jokes, classic steps turned inside-out and upside-down, retimed, reproportioned, rerouted […]” and full of “every kind of oddity of device or accent,” he wrote in 1952. Denby praised Balanchine’s wealth of ideas – ideas which, though innovative, stayed faithful to classicism. “The Four Temperaments” became a major success.
I was less impressed. What was cutting-edge almost eighty years ago, looks affected today. What was once bold and funny, has become a series of weird (and at times cringy) posturing. Through the perspective of dance history the piece might be interesting to watch, but it’s hardly worthwhile entertainment to whet the audience’s appetite for the new season. Especially not, if some dancers haven’t yet taken to Balanchine’s style like ducks to water. The female corps often looked awkward, spoiling the fine performances of the soloists.
Young Gyo Choi pranced like a big cat through the melancholic variation; Riho Sakamoto, as sanguine as self-absorbed, did what pleased her (I’m not sure whether she recognized that it was Timothy van Poucke who followed her every whim). The arms of Davi Ramos – whose determined gaze defied the phlegm of his role – plowed through the air as if fishing for magic, and as the choleric, the tall and classy Floor Eimers was the most Balanchinesque of all.

6. R.Valdez, K.Hilli, E.Mardegan, L.Bertho, S.Quintyn, B.Kuperus, D.Bai, M.Kumar, R.Valdez, and G.Torrijos, “The Chairman Dances” by T.Brandsen, Dutch National Ballet 2023 © M.Haegeman 7. R.Valdez and ensemble, “The Chairman Dances” by T.Brandsen, Dutch National Ballet 2023 © M.Haegeman Brandsen’s “The Chairman Dances” should have premiered one year ago, but was postponed due to the war in Ukraine. Though the fighting continues, Brandsen decided to bring his ballet on stage this season. The twelve-minute piece has an urging score taken from an operatic composition by John Adams. Its vibes recall ballroom dancing, but also include eerie and weirdly stumbling passages. Of the eighteen dancers in total, both men and women wear long white tulle skirts and white corsages made of multiple layers of fabric (design by François-Noël Cherpin) which blur the distinction between the sexes. The movement qualities of men and women are largely indistinguishable as well, except that the lifting work is still done by the men.
9. D.Bai, R.Catalan, M.Kumar, S.Baaij, D.R.Silva, K.Yamamoto, R.Valdez, J.Spunda, and G.Torrijos, “The Chairman Dances” by T.Brandsen, Dutch National Ballet 2023 © M.Haegeman8. D.R.Silva, K.Hilli, and ensemble, “The Chairman Dances” by T.Brandsen, Dutch National Ballet 2023 © M.Haegeman Brandsen presents a coherent unity that conglomerates and disperses in quick succession. A women-only sequence reminded me of the Wilis in “Giselle”, but for the main part I couldn’t help but think of Hans van Manen. Swaggering steps, hands placed on the thighs, defiant glances, arms held upwards in a V – that’s van Manen’s handwriting.

10. O.Smirnova and V.Caixeta, “Frank Bridge Variations” by H.van Manen, Dutch National Ballet 2023 © M.Haegeman 11. Q.Liu and Y.G.Choi, “Frank Bridge Variations” by H.van Manen, Dutch National Ballet 2023 © M.Haegeman His “Frank Bridge Variations” (2005), shown right after “The Chairman Dances”, made the similarities obvious. Perhaps that’s because van Manen is in the company’s DNA. Every step, every gesture had clarity and punch. Instantly, the air sizzled with tension. Victor Caixeta, flush with adrenaline, buzzed like an angry hornet after Olga Smirnova had sauntered off and Young Gyo Choi (partnering Qian Liu) again proved an inexhaustible dynamo, his legs slicing through the air like a hot knife through butter.
But “Frank Bridge Variations” also has a somber part. It’s Funeral March isn’t meant to be uplifting and definitely wasn’t. I’ve never experienced it like this, but it sucked away the energy.

13. G.Potskhishvili and R.Sakamoto, “Full Frontal” by J.Arqués, Dutch National Ballet 2023 © M.Haegeman 12. C.Walmsley, N.Agvanean, Y.G.Choi, and G.Potskhishvili, “Full Frontal” by J.Arqués, Dutch National Ballet 2023 © M.Haegeman Things turned thoroughly bleak in the last piece, Arqués’s new creation “Full Frontal”. The ear-piercing thunder that prompted the curtain to rise bode ill, and the gray box-like space it revealed intensified my apprehension. Accompanied by rhythmic string music highlighted with electronics (Michael Gordon’s Weather One) four women and five men sprinted across the stage, chased one another, practiced acrobatic duets, or enjoyed themselves in unrelated solos. One man fought against an invisible threat, another against the power games of a ruthless business top dog. Riho Sakamoto depicted an overwrought rebel who, though disoriented and worn out, couldn’t stop revolting. I tend to believe that Giorgi Potskhisvili, who at times covered her desperate eyes, never leaving her side, protected rather than manipulated her.
14. S.Yamada, C.Walmsley, N.Agvanean, G.Potskhishvili, N.Tonoli, and R.Sakamoto, “Full Frontal” by J.Arqués, Dutch National Ballet 2023 © M.Haegeman 15. A.Maldini, C.Walmsley, N.Tonoli, and S.Yamada, “Full Frontal” by J.Arqués, Dutch National Ballet 2023 © M.Haegeman The misery climaxed when long metal bars dropped onto the stage like a collapsing construction. As an aftermath, they left the dancers stretched out on the ground as if dead, their bulging chests hinting at decay. White fog covered them like a death blanket. This was the moment the black suited Young Gyo Choi (for the third time a core figure) intervened. Stepping onto the scene from his observer’s post in the rear, one wave of his hand opened the blanket of fog. Everyone recovered and resumed the previous routine. Improvement wasn’t within sight.

18. J.Stout and A.Ol, “After the Rain” by C.Wheeldon, Dutch National Ballet 2023, © N.Tonoli 17. J.Stout and A.Ol, “After the Rain” by C.Wheeldon, Dutch National Ballet 2023, © N.Tonoli16. J.Stout and A.Ol, “After the Rain” by C.Wheeldon, Dutch National Ballet 2023, © N.TonoliThe matinee would have been dispiriting, hadn’t there been a surprise: James Stout, a principal dancer of the company, retired from the stage after sixteen years with Dutch National Ballet. He chose to rehearse a new piece for his farewell, Christopher Wheeldon’s intimate pas de deux “After the Rain”. The ease and naturalness with which Stout partnered Anna Ol attested to Brandsen’s laudation: “All the ballerinas wanted to dance with James.” Showered with heartfelt applause, Stout had to fight his emotions. Witnessing a career culminate like this made the matinee precious after all.

Links: Website of the Dutch National Ballet
“Four Temperaments” – trailer
Four Temperaments” – behind the scenes (video)
A Tribute to James Stout (video)
Photos: (Some photos show a different cast from an earlier performance.)
: 1. Floor Eimers and Jan Spunda, “The Four Temperaments” by George Balanchine, Dutch National Ballet 2023 © Marc Haegeman
2. Jessica Xuan and Davi Ramos, “The Four Temperaments” by George Balanchine, Dutch National Ballet 2023 © Marc Haegeman
3. Maia Makhateli and Victor Caixeta, The Four Temperaments” by George Balanchine, Dutch National Ballet 2023 © Marc Haegeman
4. Jessica Xuan and Davi Ramos, The Four Temperaments” by George Balanchine, Dutch National Ballet 2023 © Marc Haegeman
5. YuanYuan Zhang and Daniel Robert Silva, The Four Temperaments” by George Balanchine, Dutch National Ballet 2023 © Marc Haegeman
6. Rafael Valdez, Kira Hilli, Emma Mardegan, Luiza Bertho, Sandra Quintyn, Beatriz Kuperus, Dingkai Bai, Manu Kumar, Rafael Valdez, and Guillermo Torrijos, “The Chairman Dances” by Ted Brandsen, Dutch National Ballet 2023 © Marc Haegeman
7. Rafael Valdez and ensemble, “The Chairman Dances” by Ted Brandsen, Dutch National Ballet 2023 © Marc Haegeman
8. Daniel Robert Silva, Kira Hilli, and ensemble, “The Chairman Dances” by Ted Brandsen, Dutch National Ballet 2023 © Marc Haegeman
9. Dingkai Bai, Rémy Catalan, Manu Kumar, Sander Baaij, Daniel Robert Silva, Koyo Yamamoto, Rafael Valdez, Jan Spunda, and Guillermo Torrijos, “The Chairman Dances” by Ted Brandsen, Dutch National Ballet 2023 © Marc Haegeman
10. Olga Smirnova and Victor Caixeta, “Frank Bridge Variations” by Hans van Manen, Dutch National Ballet 2023 © Marc Haegeman
11. Qian Liu and Young Gyu Choi, “Frank Bridge Variations” by Hans van Manen, Dutch National Ballet 2023 © Marc Haegeman
12. Conor Walmsley, Naira Agvanean, Young Gyu Choi, and Giorgi Potskhishvili, “Full Frontal” by Juanjo Arqués, Dutch National Ballet 2023 © Marc Haegeman
13. Giorgi Potskhishvili and Riho Sakamoto, Full Frontal” by Juanjo Arqués, Dutch National Ballet 2023 © Marc Haegeman
14. Sho Yamada, Conor Walmsley, Naira Agvanean, Giorgi Potskhishvili, Nina Tonoli, and Riho Sakamoto, Full Frontal” by Juanjo Arqués, Dutch National Ballet 2023 © Marc Haegeman
15. Arianna Maldini, Conor Walmsley, Nina Tonoli, and Sho Yamada, Full Frontal” by Juanjo Arqués, Dutch National Ballet 2023 © Marc Haegeman
16. James Stout and Anna Ol, “After the Rain” by Christopher Wheeldon, Dutch National Ballet 2023, © Nina Tonoli
17. James Stout and Anna Ol, “After the Rain” by Christopher Wheeldon, Dutch National Ballet 2023, © Nina Tonoli
18. James Stout and Anna Ol, “After the Rain” by Christopher Wheeldon, Dutch National Ballet 2023, © Nina Tonoli
Editing: Samuel Snodgrass

More, Please!

“Suite en blanc” / “Windgames”
Ballet Estable del Teatro Colón
Teatro Colón
Buenos Aires, Argentina
August 06, 2023 (livestream)

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2023 by Ilona Landgraf

1. Ensemble, “Suite en blanc” by S.Lifar, Ballet Estable del Teatro Colón 2023 © A.Colombaroli Recently, the Teatro Colón has expanded its online program which gives me hope to watch the company more often. This Sunday, the premiere of a new double bill was streamed live. It comprised Serge Lifar’s “Suite en blanc” (1943) and Patrick de Bana’s “Windgames” (2013). (more…)

Respectable

“Ballet Matinee”
John Cranko School
Stuttgart State Opera
Stuttgart, Germany
July 23, 2023

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2023 by Ilona Landgraf

1. R.Suginohara, W.Tohara, and A.Jensen; “The Nutcracker” by M.Petipa, L.Ivanov, and V.Vainonen, John Cranko School 2023 © R.Novitzky / Stuttgart BalletStuttgart’s John Cranko School presented its work to the public in two matinees this July, both hosted by the Stuttgart State Opera. I chose to see the second one, which – as part of the annual Ballet in the Park program – was also streamed live to an outdoor audience in the Schlossgarten Park right in front of the opera house. Only upon arrival I learned that nearly half of the program was identical to what the school had presented in nearby Ludwigsburg this March.

As in Ludwigsburg, the students first showed an excerpt of the second act of “The Nutcracker” (Petipa, Ivanov, and Vainonen’s choreography). This time Alice McArthur danced the Sugar Plum Fairy, and in the role of her cavalier was again Joshua Nunamaker. Both are among this year’s graduates and exemplify what I observed throughout the matinee: Cranko School students deliver precise positions, clean lines, strong jumps, clear accentuation, solid balances, and – above all – they are fearless. Not a single student failed to rise to the occasion (I admired, above all, Keisuke Miyazaki in his “Swan Lake” variation and Alexei Orohovsky in a variation from “Paquita”). (more…)

Fissures

“Jewels”
The Australian Ballet
Arts Centre Melbourne / State Theatre
Melbourne, Australia
July 06, 2023 (livestream)

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2023 by Ilona Landgraf

1. D.Hedditch, K.Sonnekus, and L.Kiyoto-Ward, “Jewels” by G.Balanchine, The Australian Ballet 2023 © R.Lantry David Hallberg, artistic director of the Australian Ballet, has a knack for presenting his company in a complimentary light. Of the many troupes which streamed their performances live during the pandemic, only the Australians have maintained and enhanced this practice. The most recent livestream proved their ability to produce a compelling digital program. Livinia Nixon, who gave her debut as presenter alongside the ever-smiling Hallberg, kept me glued to the screen during the intervals, offering a steady flow of interesting interviews and behind-the-scenes clips. Each of them revealed the warmth and camaraderie within the company that has so often been mentioned in previous livestreams.

Celebrating their sixtieth anniversary this season, the company presented a sparkling new acquisition – Balanchine’s “Jewels” (1967) complete with Barbara Karinska’s sumptuous original costumes. One year of painstaking handicraft was spent on the latter’s recreation, requiring many volunteering hands and two months to sew and glue more than 29.500 beads, crystals, and pearls to dresses, tops, and tiaras. (more…)

Jam-Packed

“Hungarian National Ballet Institute Exam 2023”
Hungarian National Ballet Institute
Eiffel Art Studios
Budapest, Hungary
June 24, 2023 (matinee)

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2023 by Ilona Landgraf

1. Spanish dance (advanced 1st group and grade I), “Hungarian National Ballet Institute Exam 2023”, Hungarian National Ballet Institute 2023 © T.Nánási / Hungarian State Opera Everyone seemed in a flurry ahead of the Hungarian National Ballet Institute’s end-of-the-year exam. Groups of last-minute guests queued at the ticket stall, impatient for picking up their tickets. Staff members scanned the computer for bookings which miraculously had disappeared (mine included); one mother nervously waved for someone to deliver a packet of dance tights to her daughter backstage. The show started ten minutes late and – due to a packed program – lasted twenty minutes longer.

No less than thirty-eight pieces were presented in the two-part gala by – if correctly counted at curtain call – sixty-seven students in total. That only nine of them were male, substantiates Balanchine’s famous statement that “Ballet is woman”. (more…)

What to Choose for a Party

“Ildikó Pongor 70 Ballet Gala”
Hungarian National Ballet
Hungarian State Opera
Budapest, Hungary
June 24, 2023

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2023 by Ilona Landgraf

1. I.Pongor, “Ildikó Pongor 70 Ballet Gala”, Hungarian National Ballet 2023 © A.Nagy / Hungarian State Opera One month after the Iván Nagy Ballet Gala, the Hungarian State Opera hosted another festive ballet evening – a birthday gala in honor of Ildikó Pongor, veteran artist of the company, who turned seventy earlier this June. Pongor spent almost her entire professional life at the Hungarian National Ballet, first as a dancer, then as artistic director, ballet master, and co-choreographer. She also worked internationally in Vienna and Stockholm, among others.
The brief compilation of archival videos and photos that opened the gala made it clear within seconds: Pongor has an effervescent energy whose positivity is infectious, even on celluloid. Regrettably, I don’t speak Hungarian and was unable to follow the round of talks. Her colleagues, Mária Aradi, Katalin Csarnóy, and Imre Dózsa, shared memories about Pongor’s career; the humor that sparkled in Pongor’s eyes while listening indicated that she was pleased. (more…)

Prix Benois Laureates 2023

Prix Benois de la Danse
Bolshoi Theatre (Historic Stage)
Moscow, Russia
June 21, 2023

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2023 by Ilona Landgraf

Yesterday evening, this year’s laureates of the Prix Benois were announced on the Historic Stage of the Bolshoi Theatre.

1. J.Ryu, C.Kerche, and Q.Yunting, Prix Benois de la Danse, Bolshoi Theatre 2023 © Bolshoi Theatre / B.Annadurdyev2. M.Kang, Prix Benois de la Danse, Bolshoi Theatre 2023 © Bolshoi Theatre / B.AnnadurdyevQiu Yunting (National Ballet of China) and Misun Kang (Universal Ballet, South Korea) share the prize for the best female dancer. Yunting was nominated for her performance of Tatiana in John Cranko’s “Onegin”, Kang for her interpretation of the Widow in Bingxian Liu’s “Mirinaegil”. Hugo Marchand (Paris Opera Ballet) was awarded the prize for the best male dancer. He didn’t attend the ceremony. Vyacheslav Samodurov won the prize for the best choreography for “Dancemania” – a creation for the Bolshoi Ballet.

Mikhail Lavrovsky, People’s Artist of the USSR, was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. (more…)

Dancer Nominees for the Prix Benois 2023

Prix Benois de la Danse
Bolshoi Theatre
Moscow, Russia
June 17, 2023

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2023 by Ilona Landgraf

Eleven dancers from five nations are nominated for this year’s Prix Benois. Of the six women and five men, one dances in South-Korea, four in Russia, and two each in China, France, and Kazakhstan. This Tuesday the laureates will be announced in an award ceremony at the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow.

Here’s a short overview on the nominees:
1. M.Elchibayeva, Kazakh National Opera and Ballet Theatre after Abay © Kazakh National Opera and Ballet Theatre after Abay 2. M.Elchibayeva, Kazakh National Opera and Ballet Theatre after Abay © Kazakh National Opera and Ballet Theatre after AbayMalika Elchibayeva, leading soloist of the Kazakh National Opera and Ballet Theatre after Abay in Almaty, Kazakhstan, is nominated for her performance as Queen Shamkhat in “Frescoes” by Zaurbek Raibayev. Gulzhan Tutkibayeva, artistic director of the company, describes Elchibayeva as having “an outstanding appearance, beautiful texture, a professional school, and acting skills. For 5 years in the theater, Elchibayeva has performed almost all the leading parts of the ballet repertoire. In the role of the Queen Shamkhat she is organic, expressive, and managed to fully convey the idea of the ballet master Raibaev.” (more…)

Choreographer Nominees for the Prix Benois 2023

Prix Benois de la Danse
Li Jun / Maša Kolar / Wayne McGregor / Vyacheslav Samodurov
Bolshoi Theatre
Moscow, Russia
June 15, 2023

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2023 by Ilona Landgraf

On June 20th, the Bolshoi Theatre hosts the annual Prix Benois ceremony, followed by a gala on June 21st. Prizes will be awarded for the best choreographer, and the best female and male dancers. Mikhail Lavrovsky will be honored for his lifetime achievement.

Four choreographers are competing this year:
1. “Where to Pour All My Love?” by L.Jun, National Ballet of China © National Ballet of China 2. “Where to Pour All My Love?” by L.Jun, National Ballet of China © National Ballet of ChinaLi Jun, dancer-choreographer of the National Ballet of China, is nominated for “Where to Pour All My Love?”, a twenty-minute piece set to music by Zhao Jiping. It premiered at the company’s 12th ballet workshop in April 2022. Jun’s source of inspiration was the Chinese multi-episode TV drama “Da Zhai Men” (Grand Mansion Gate) which traces the history of a Beijing-based family from the late Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911) to World War II. “Where to Pour All My Love?” focuses on Bai Yuting – one member of this family – whose love for Peking Opera gets out of control. (more…)

Mighty

“Ivan the Terrible”
Bolshoi Ballet
Bolshoi Theatre (Historic Stage)
Moscow, Russia
June 06, 2023

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2023 by Ilona Landgraf

1. E.Obraztsova (Anastasia) and I.Vasiliev (Ivan the Terrible), “Ivan the Terrible” by Y.Grigorovich, Bolshoi Ballet 2023 © Bolshoi Ballet / D.Yusupov For Yuri Grigorovich’s “Ivan the Terrible” at the Bolshoi Ballet I needed some preparation. The biography by the late Ruslan Skrynnikov (1931 – 2009), a research professor at St. Petersburg State University and a leading historian of early modern Russia, seemed useful. Although it was instructive, the reading was tedious. Skrynnikov is a painstaking sociopolitical analyst, an expert in imparting the cruelty of medieval life, but I learned little about the person Ivan the Terrible (1530 – 1584). Interestingly, his nickname terrible results from a misleading translation of the actual epithet Грозный (grozny) which – according the Russian lexicographer Vladimir Dal (1801 – 1872) – can be translated as “courageous, magnificent, magisterial and keeping enemies in fear, but people in obedience”. A “tsar who managed to keep everything under control” – that’s how ballet legend Ivan Vasiliev (who’s regularly performed the role) describes Ivan the Terrible in an interview (subtitled in English and very much worth seeing), adding that “when you bear responsibility for such a huge country, you cannot lose control.” (more…)

The Very Essence

Swan Lake”
Ballet of the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Music Theatre
Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Music Theatre
Moscow, Russia

June 05, 2023

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2023 by Ilona Landgraf

1. M.Drodzdova (Odile) and V.Tedeev (Prince Siegfried), “Swan Lake” by V.Burmeister and L.Ivanov, Ballet of the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Music Theatre 1974 © Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Music Theatre 2. M.Drodzdova (Odette), “Swan Lake” by V.Burmeister and L.Ivanov, Ballet of the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Music Theatre © Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Music Theatre 3. O.Kardash, K.Ryzhkova, M.Drodzdova, and K.Shevtsova; “Swan Lake” by V.Burmeister and L.Ivanov, Ballet of the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Music Theatre 2023 © Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Music Theatre When I arrived at the Stanislavsky Theatre’s royal blue auditorium for Vladimir Burmeister’s 1953 version of “Swan Lake” I had no clue what was awaiting me. No one had told me that this performance wasn’t a regular one, but dedicated to Margarita Drodzdova, People’s Artist of the USSR, who spent almost her entire career at the Stanislavsky Ballet. A leading ballerina, many roles were tailored especially to her. After her farewell from the stage in 1987, Drodzdova continued to work as a teacher, passing her knowledge to future generations of dancers.

On the occasion of Drodzdova’s 75th birthday on May 7th, the Stanislavsky Ballet honored her with a special “Swan Lake” that featured three of her coachees in the roles of Odette and Odile. (more…)

Invincible

“The Flames of Paris”
Bolshoi Ballet
Bolshoi Theatre (New Stage)
Moscow, Russia
June 04, 2023 (matinee)

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2023 by Ilona Landgraf

1. E.Kokoreva (Jeanne), V.Lantratov (Philippe), and ensemble; “The Flames of Paris” by V.Vainonen, Bolshoi Ballet 2023 © Bolshoi Ballet / E.Fetisova “A highly unlikely work” – commented the late Clement Crisp in his Financial Times review about “The Flames of Paris”, which the Bolshoi Ballet performed at the Royal Opera House as part of their 2016 London tour. He argued that the dramatic scheme was papery and the chief roles were predictable.
I checked myself, watching the 85th performance of the latest production at the Bolshoi Ballet’s home base in Moscow.

“The Flames of Paris”, first staged in 1932 at the Kirov Theater in Leningrad (today’s Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg) is about how French revolutionaries turned politics and society upside down. Its rousing score by Boris Asafiev draws on music by Lully and Rameau, including the Marseillaise, and climaxes in the powerful revolutionary song “Ça ira”. In 2008, the Bolshoi Ballet’s then artistic director Alexey Ratmansky restored and revised Vasily Vainonen’s original choreography. Nikolai Volkov’s and Vladimir Dmitriev’s libretto, initially spanning four acts, was condensed to two acts. It tells the story of the revolutionaries’ march to Paris and their storming of the Bastille in July 1789. Oblivious to the people’s fury, the monarchy and its representatives continue to debauch in festivities (including a court ballet) at Versailles, but eventually apprehend the looming danger. Puppets of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette are already mangled by the crowd, soon to seize the palace. (more…)

Loyal Friendship

“Cipollino”
Armenian National Ballet
Armenian National Opera and Ballet Theatre
Yerevan, Armenia
June 03, 2023

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2023 by Ilona Landgraf

1. G.Sargsyan (Cipollino) and A.Zakaryan (Signor Tomato), “Cipollino” by H.Mayorov, Armenian National Ballet 2023 © Armenian National Ballet“Cipollino” (Little Onion) sounds like a ballet made in Italy. Though inspired by the Italian children’s story “Il romanzo di Cipollino”, by Gianni Rodani (1920 – 1980), the ballet came into life miles away in Kiev. Henrich Mayorov (1936 – 2022), a Russian-Ukranian choreographer, turned the fairy tale into a two-act ballet to which Karen Khachaturian contributed a catchy score. Since its premiere in 1974, “Cipollino” has become a fixture of many eastern companies. I watched it in Yerevan, the home base of the Armenian National Ballet which I visited for the first time.

Where there is a little onion, adult onions aren’t far away. In fact, “Cipollino” employs an entire onion family – mother Cipolla (Mariam Aslanyan), father Cipollone (Artur Karchikyan), their daughter Cipolette (Marina Baghdasaryan), and their plucky son Cipollino (Gor Sargsyan) – plus a bountiful harvest of fruit and vegetables. Among them are the young, dauntless Little Radish (Tatevik Grigoryan), the lonely Count Cherry (Milton Kirakosyan), and the beguiling Magnolia (Nare Markosyan). The violin-playing Professor Pear (Vahe Babajanyan) belongs to the town’s folk, as does the homeless Godfather Pumpkin (Davit Kghbelyan), who’s busy assembling brick stones for constructing his own shelter. (more…)

A Farewell and a Fresh Start

“Pavilion of Armids” / “Hungarian Dances” / “Sextus Propertius”
Ural Opera Ballet
Yekaterinburg State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre
Yekaterinburg, Russia
April 14, 2023 (video)

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2023 by Ilona Landgraf

1. A.Lazarev (Museum attendant), “Pavilion of Armids” by M.Petrov, Ural Opera Ballet 2023 © I.Mohnatkin / Ural Opera BalletPerseverance pays off. A few weeks after the premiere of the Ural Opera Ballet’s new triple bill in mid-April I finally got access to its recording. Three Russian choreographers contributed to the program: the Maryinsky Ballet’s dancer-choreographer Maxim Petrov, the artistic director of the Perm Opera Ballet Anton Pimonov, and the Yekaterinburg company’s own artistic director Vyacheslav Samodurov.

Petrov chose to reinterpret Michel Fokine’s “Le Pavillon d’Armide” – one of the ballets that manifested the Ballet Russes’ legendary tour to Paris in May 1909. Its libretto by Alexandre Benois (which is based on Théophile Gauthier’s novel “Omphale”) tells of the sorceress Armida who descends at night from a magic tapestry in a marquis’s garden pavilion to bewitch an aristocrat. Petrov relocated the action to a modern-day museum and swapped the tapestry for a wall-sized modern field painting, evoking the work of Mark Rothko (set design by Aliona Pikalova). Instead of an aristocrat, Armida (Anna Domke) beguiles (or rather befools) a young, bored museum attendant (Alexandr Merkushev). Petrov didn’t stint on satire when portraying Armida’s maneuvers, reinstating the humor Benois had deleted when adapting Gautier’s “Omphale”. (more…)

An Insidious Cultural Erosion

“La fille mal gardée”
Ballet of the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma
Teatro Costanzi
Rome, Italy
May 06, 2023 (matinee and evening performance)

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2023 by Ilona Landgraf

1. D.Simkin (Colas) and R.Bianchi (Lise), “La fille mal gardée” by F.Ashton, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma 2023 © F.Sansoni / Teatro dell’Opera di Roma Two performances of Frederick Ashton’s hilarious “La fille mal gardée” in sunny Rome – doesn’t that sound irresistible? Laughter is inevitable when Lise, the wayward peasant’s daughter, mischievously arranges tête-à-têtes with her lover Colas. That’s how I’ve experienced “La fille mal gardée” previously.
This time, though, the laughter stuck in my throat. Too much did the overexcited quirks of Lise’s mother Simone – a role traditionally danced in drag – remind me of reality. A reality that – at least in some of the western countries – has been shaped by the LGBTQ+ community’s persistent effort to be celebrated within mainstream culture. Bearing in mind some of their avid advocates (the transgender model Dylan Mulvaney, for example, or the drag queen Joshua Kelley who recently was appointed the US Navy’s first digital ambassador), I don’t find Simone funny anymore. And worse, the moment a sense of reality sneaks into Ashton’s village folk, the characterization of Alain (Simone’s favorite son-in-law) as the village idiot becomes unbearable too. Though of marriageable age, he clings to his wealthy father’s coat-tails like an infant. Lise disdains him; the village youth laughs down at him – and so do we. But isn’t he actually the victim of nasty bullying? (more…)