Just over two months ago Richard Cragun, an astounding actor-dancer of great charisma and grace, sadly passed away. He was 67 years old. Here are some photos of Cragun with his long time partner Marcia Haydée in John Cranko’s ballet “The Taming of the Shrew”, one of their most famous collaborations.… continue reading
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Alicia Alonso, at 91 years of age, has made a stage comeback at the 23rd Havana International Ballet Festival.
Prensa Latina reported that the Cuban ballet legend danced Un retrato para el recuerdo (A portrait to remember) with two of her former partners: Lazaro Carreño and Jorge Vega.
The news service said,
Alonso was again an exceptional actress, inspiring ovations throughout her performance and standing ovations afterwards.
It was a surprise for the public to see her once again in the arms of dance partners as the number was not pre-announced, and a great way to kick off the Festival, which runs until November 7.… continue reading
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New York City Ballet is releasing a series of behind-the-scenes videos. Here the company’s Ballet Master in Chief, Peter Martins, talks proudly of his dancers and all the collaborators who make a performance happen, with backstage glimpses filmed by Nick Bentgen.
We are the largest ballet company in America; we dance more performances in the course of a year than any other ballet company earth; we have close to 200 ballets in our entire repertoire! That requires a tremendous amount of concentration from everybody… Somehow it is a fantastically smooth running machine.
A number of things separates the New York City Ballet, one of the most important things is that the music is always the predominant factor. So with everything we do, music is our guide. The New York City Ballet orchestra is tuned in to playing a repertory that most other symphony orchestras don’t play: they do Stravinsky, they do Schoenberg, they do Webern, so we don’t try and alter the music to accommodate ourselves, and consequently our dancers can dance probably faster than any other dancers in the world. The articulation of movements is so much more precise here than it is elsewhere.
Martins knows that his dancers work hard: morning, class; afternoon, rehearsals; evening, performances.… continue reading
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Stuttgart Ballet principal Evan McKie is the the latest dancer to complete the Gramilano Questionnaire and it will go online over the weekend. Here’s a heads up about his guest appearance with the National Ballet of Canada in the next few days.
Evan will be dancing the role for which he won Dance Europe Magazine’s “Critic’s Choice” two years ago: Albrecht. His Giselle is Canadian Ballet principal, Xiao Nan Yu. They will be dancing on December 7 and 9.
If you want to read more on this witty and intelligent artist then visit those Ballet Bag girls and read their in-depth interview here.… continue reading
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When did you start dancing?
In the womb.
Why did you start dancing?
I will probably never know the answer to that. I just know why I keep doing it.
Which dancer inspired you most as a child?
Rudolph, Pina, Kazuo Ohno, Gregory Hines, Erik Bruhn , Karen Kain, Evelyn Hart, Robert Tewsley, Lynn Seymour, Roberto Bolle, Shirley Maclaine, Ulyana Lopatkina, Margot Fonteyn, Anthony Dowell, Sylvie, Carla, Eva Evdokimova, Douglas Lee, Galina Mezentseva, Farukh Ruzimatov, William Forsythe, Dana Casperson, John Neumeier, Marcia, Wendy Whelan, Tina Turner, the cast of the Chorus Line movie, Mickey Mouse on that Steamboat…
Which dancer do you most admire?
I admire anyone who dances in this world.
What’s your favourite role?
Onegin, the Fool in Lady and the Fool, Lensky, Hamlet, Albrecht, Offertorium in MacMillan’s Requiem… I’ll give you more when I retire one day.
What role have you never played but would like to?
I like suffering in a role and for a role. I am not proud of that but it is what it is.
What’s your favourite ballet to watch?
Too many to count, but I dislike bad storytelling… I greatly value brilliant storytelling.
Who is your favourite choreographer?… continue reading
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In a revealing interview with the Italian Vanity Fair, Roberto Bolle opens up, and reveals parts of his psyche that he usually prefers to keep hidden in interviews.
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Luca Dini was asking the questions, and Bolle literally laid himself bare to photographer Marc Hom:
Dance has improved me as a person. I’ve always danced better on stage than during the rehearsals because of the contact with the public and the protection of inhabiting the ‘armour’ of a character which allows me to let go, to experience and communicate emotions, to not be restrained and timid as I am by nature.
It has been therapeutic; it has given me the possibility to express things that I still struggle to expose, and it’s a work in progress. I find it difficult to say no, or be critical, I’m afraid to hurt someone’s feelings, and I often suffer in silence in situations where I ought to fight back.
And then, in our family, we have a certain reserve in communicating our sentiments. The love is there, and it’s sincere, but sometimes things also need to be said. It’s difficult for me to say to my parents “I love you.” I know that they know it but to say it is important.
… continue reading
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Silvano Bussotti, known as Sylvano, is an Italian eccentric, some say genius, and the word ‘flamboyant’ appears in many articles about this modern Renaissance man. He is a composer, poet, set and costume designer, painter, journalist, actor, singer, theatre and film director and sometime bad boy of the arts. Internationally he is more known as a composer, and the Oxford Grove Music Encyclopaedia describes his music thus:
His music at once exults in and criticizes the decadence of modernism: his notation is often flamboyantly virtuoso in its graphic style and fiercely demanding to perform; his works tend to abound in cross-references, to each other and to his personal life, which would seem colourful; he mixes a sensuousness amounting to eroticism with an extreme artificiality.
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However it is Sylvano Bussotti’s theatre work (as a 3-in-1 package: director, set and costume designer) that concerns Vittoria Crespi Morbio’s new monograph for the Amici della Scala.
Sylvano Bussotti was born 1 October 1931 in Florence, and as a child became a prodigy on the violin. He went on to study at the city’s Conservatory from 1941 to 1948. At the same time he studied painting and applied the principles of aleatory (or “chance”) music, championed by John Cage and others, to the page he designed on as well as that he composed on.… [continue reading]
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After changes of cast, threatened strikes, exorbitant economic demands from chorus and dancers, and a cancelled first night, Sasha Waltz’s ballet Roméo et Juliette finally opened yesterday in Milan.
Let’s start at the beginning. A couple of months ago the Teatro alla Scala website announced:
Roberto Bolle decided that the rehearsal periods foreseen would not have been sufficient to allow him to immerse himself totally in a new style.
So Aurélie Dupont found that she had her familiar partner back as Hervé Moreau was signed up. The couple first danced the work, created on them for the Paris Opera Ballet, back in 2007. Bolle’s fans (i Bollerini) were reportedly trying to offload their tickets online immediately.
Then the chorus asked for a little extra in their wage packet as they were expected to wear a costume and memorize parts of the music, a bonus that would have cost the theatre 350,000 euros. La Scala’s management agreed to give a little extra to the sixteen chorus members who were required to do a few (hardly noticeable) movements, but this wasn’t enough. As the dancers also jumped on the bandwagon thinking that maybe they ought to have a little more cash for dancing on a platform with a steep rake, the theatre decided to cancel the opening on December 19 (which was, bizarrely, nine days before the scheduled second performance).… [continue reading]
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When did you start dancing?
I started age 15.
Why did you start dancing?
When I joined the Centro de Dança Rio it felt right, and I felt like I had found something that I had been looking for until then.. and I thought that to keep going would take me somewhere.
Which dancer inspired you most as a child?
My first idol in dance was Fernando Bujones.
What’s your favourite role?
John Cranko’s Onegin.
What role have you never played but would like to?
Armand in Asthon’s Marguerite and Armand.
Who is your favourite choreographer?
If there was a way to go back in time I would love to work with two people: Kenneth MacMillan and John Cranko.
Who is your favourite writer?
Khaled Hosseini.
Who is your favourite director?
Fernando Meirelles.
Who is your favourite actor?
That’s a difficult one… some actors I really like: Javier Bardem, Jeremy Irons, Alfred Molina, Marília Pêra, Al Pacino, Isabelle Huppert, Fernanda Montenegro…
Who is your favourite singer?
Juan Diego Florez.
What is your favourite book?
The Kite Runner.
What is your favourite film?
The Artist.
Which is your favourite city?
London/Rio.
What was your proudest moment?
Being able to have a nice house with my wife, and help my family and give back a bit of what they did for me back in Rio.
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Sergei Filin had been receiving intimidating phone calls for a while, and had had his tyres punctured and his email hacked, but the acid attack that has shocked the dance world is beyond all reasoning. While police are not ruling out a personal vendetta, it is almost certainly an attack by someone who wants him removed from his position as head of the prestigious Bolshoi Ballet.
Gennady Yanin, who was a previous frontrunner for the job, was dropped after a successful smear campaign about his homosexuality and some explicit internet photos. At the time, Anatoly Iksanov, general director of the Bolshoi Theatre, said,
There are some people in the theatre who would like to take the job of artistic director, and they must have played a role in this mean intrigue.
The Filin attack goes way beyond ‘mean intrigue’.
Nikolay Tsiskaridze, another contender for the job in 2011, lost out to Filin. Soon losing this opportunity he was also dismissed as a teacher at the Bolshoi school, apparently for having criticized the restoration of the legendary theatre, though the official version was that a working dancer couldn’t have enough time for teaching commitments.
Tsiskaridze was furious,
I’m absolutely sure that this step by the Bolshoi Theatre proceeds exclusively from the desire to take revenge and teach a lesson to others.
… [continue reading]
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When did you first go to the theatre?
To see Rigoletto at the Teatro Comunale in Florence in 1939, with Gino Becchi, Ferruccio Tagliavini, and the young Giulietta Simionato as Madelena.
Why did you want to work in the theatre?
In Florence we give out presents for the Epiphany. When I was six there was a wonderful gift for my brother, a model theatre, but I though “This is mine!” It was large, more than a metre wide with 32 different sets. We had to use it for firewood during the war.
Which performers do you remember most from your childhood?
Charlie Chaplin, Eduardo De Filippo, Titina De Filippo, and Jean-Louis Barrault.
Which performance do you remember most from your childhood?
Puss in Boots at Florence’s Teatro della Pergola, in which the 10-year-old Franco Zeffirelli played the Marquis of Carabas.
Which director do you most admire?
Peter Brook.
What theatrical piece that you directed are you most proud of?
The Italian première of Samuel Beckett’s Play (“Commedia”) in 1964, and the first staging of Isac Babel’s Maria; also a production of The Tempest at the Forte di Belvedere in Florence.
What theatre piece would you have liked to direct?
An unrealised dream was to create a ballet based on André Gide’s sublime book La symphonie pastorale with Carla Fracci and Erik Bruhn using, obviously, the music of Beethoven’s symphony, together with Lizst piano transcriptions.… [continue reading]
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When did you start dancing?
My first steps were taken in the summer of 1981, at the tender age of 11. My starting point was Disco Dancing lessons at Tom & Pat Lait’s Ballroom classes, and then in 1982 I started ballet/modern lessons with my local ballet teacher at the Linda Shipton School of Dancing.
Why did you start dancing?
I was sent to Disco Dancing lessons by my mum as I was very nervous and shy at family gatherings, parties etc. I understand that my mum thought it would be a very good idea to bring me out of myself and gain some confidence! I found I really enjoyed dancing and movement and got involved in a few school plays and musicals. I was spotted by a parent who had a daughter in a local theatre group called Co-op Juniors and she thought I had natural talent and that getting up on stage would be the best thing for me! Having auditioned and got into the group I then was sent to the Linda Shipton School of Dancing… the rest is history!
Which dancer inspired you most as a child?
As a child and teenager I was only interested in dance that was on the television and so I was inspired by all the amazing performances I saw on the various Royal Variety Performances and excerpts of West End shows which sometimes featured in light entertainment programmes. It wasn’t until I started ballet lessons that I started to watch videos of ‘real’ ballet performances.… [continue reading]
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A Nabucco or Norma with leather costumes wouldn’t raise an eyebrow, but a ballet? Boots and belts maybe, but tutus and frocks? This was the conceit behind The Cloak of the Dragon presented at Milan’s Teatro del Verme.
Linea Pelle, world leaders in leather goods, have sponsored this ballet which will be presented to coincide with their various trade fairs. Apart from providing an evening out for their clients and the fashion press, it also serves to demonstrate how diverse leather can be, in fact, many of these costumes were made not to look like leather at all.
To justify the use of this material they chose children’s stories: “3 tales danced in a magic tannery, animated by a beautiful queen”. The beautiful queen was Sabrina Brazzo, a prima ballerina at La Scala in Milan, and in this ad hoc company were various other La Scala dancers — Andrea Volpintesta, Antonella Albano, Maurizio Licitra — along with TV talent show winner Denny Lodi, and others. The surprising thing though, was how good the dancing was. While Massimiliano Volpini’s choreography hardly stretched them technically, there was lots of well-drilled ensemble work that at Milan’s opera house itself we sometimes only dream of!
The music was a listenable selection of Shoskakovic, Kachaturian, Poulenc, Bizet, and Liszt, and the leather costumes (ok, there were also touches of lace and tulle too) were designed by Erika Carretta.… [continue reading]
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After hanging up her pointe shoes in 2007, Alessandra Ferri has announced her return to the stage. At 49 she has decided to début in a new work, The Piano Upstairs, at the Spoleto Festival on 28 June.
When asked by Il Corriere della Sera if she missed the applause, she replied that yes, the applause to reward so much preparation was wonderful, but her return was down to other reasons. A new level of maturity as an artist and also on a personal level, combined with the realisation, in ‘retirement’, that she has been given a great gift, made her want to share it again with the public. This time, though, away from the familiar repertory characters, and looking ahead toward new creations.
The parallels with her colleague Sylvie Guillem are obvious, but Ferri identifies more with Mikhail Baryshnikov.
I often go to his Arts Center here in New York where I live, Misha is fantastic. Initially I was surprised at his decision to continue with his career. I remember, when he was still 38, that while we were rehearsing Giselle he said, “We mustn’t grow old on the stage.” I’m glad he changed his mind.
When asked if she would consider taking the helm at La Scala, she replied,
I don’t exclude anything in my future, but I don’t want to plan out my life.
… [continue reading]
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Bailiffs in St Petersburg have banned the director of the Mikhailovsky Theatre, Vladimir Kekhman, from leaving Russia, said Lenta.
Businessman Kekhman has debts exceeding 285 million rubles (7 million euros). The current restriction lasts until 12 August.
The Kekhman Group JFC imports fruits, but according to various estimates, the company’s debts range from 15.8 to 38.5 billion rubles. Kekhman himself was declared bankrupt in a London court at the end of 2012.
The Mikhailovsky Theatre, which he has directed since 2007, will continue with its programming.… [continue reading]
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The main curiosity surrounding the return to La Scala of Roland Petit’s ballet Notre-Dame de Paris was how cover-boy-ballerino Roberto Bolle could handle the role of the hunchback Quasimodo; as he said himself “it’s the first time I haven’t played il bello”.
Well, he comes out of it very well, maybe he’s not a dancer-actor like a Nicolas Le Riche, but he is convincing and executes the choreography superbly. But he was only one of four superb interpreters, and the dancer who stirred most curiosity amongst ballet fans was Natalia Osipova.
In this theatre she has only been seen in the role of Kitri, and the backstage buzz has been why a virtuoso like Osipova has been chosen this season to play both Esmeralda and Manon. Those of us who have seen her Sylphide and Juliet knew already that La Scala was making a smart move by bringing her to Milan’s opera house in a new repertory.
Her Esmeralda is a triumph. Her leaps and laser-sharp leg movements we can, for now, take for granted, but she can be extraordinarily delicate and sinuous in her movements, and demonstrated a beautiful fluid cambre as she was manipulated beneath the gaze of Frollo in their pas de deux.… [continue reading]
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Q&A
When did you start dancing?
I was probably about 7 years old.
Why did you start dancing?
Apparently I was energetic as a child — I have no idea where that’s gone now! My sister who’s 4 years older than I am, dragged me along. I kinda fell for it a little… but I fell for the girls more! I was the only boy there.
Which dancer inspired you most as a child?
I never really knew any ballet dancers as I wasn’t specialising in it at the time. But Michael Jackson was my favourite dancer at the time, and I was mesmerised by Fred Astaire and the Nicholas Brothers. I remember in the early 80’s when Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ was having its TV début. It was around midnight because of the content. My dad let me stay up and watch it, whilst he recorded it to VHS for me. I have a huge collection of tapes somewhere of all of his stuff. I blame my dad for giving me the ability to learn movements and steps off the screen. I think it’s how I became a fast learner. Remember, tape used to stretch in those days so I wanted to do it in as little time as possible.… [continue reading]
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Ivan Vasiliev, who has been suffering from back pains for a few days, was forced to bow out of his début at Teatro alla Scala in Milan at the last minute. He was already in make-up for his role as the Hunchback in Roland Petit’s Notre-Dame de Paris, when half-an-hour before curtain up he realised he couldn’t go on.
21-year-old Claudio Coviello who had danced the role at the matinée performance stepped in. As the announcement was made in the theatre wails arrived from all parts of the house with cries of “No!”. It is to young Coviello’s credit that the cries turned to cheers by the end of his first solo. His Esmeralda was rising young Italian star Petra Conti, who danced the role superbly, and her real life partner, Eris Nezha, played her stage suitor in apt heroic fashion.
Carla Fracci, who was in the theatre to witness Vasiliev’s performance, found herself watching Corviello who she has known since he was a boy. He was a student in the Rome Ballet School when she was the director of Rome Opera Ballet.
Natalia Osipova (Vasiliev’s real life partner) played Esmeralda in the first three performances of the run, with Roberto Bolle as her Quasimodo.… [continue reading]
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While it wasn’t exactly a case of ‘A Star is Born’, 21-year-old Claudio Coviello was certainly given a golden opportunity when Ivan Vasiliev couldn’t go on at La Scala last night.
Coviello had learnt the role of Quasimodo in Roland Petit’s Notre-Dame de Paris for just a single matinée performance. The evening spots were taken by Roberto Bolle, Massimo Murru and Ivan Vasiliev. Except for Murru this was début time for everybody.
Vasiliev, made-up and ready to take on the role for the first time, as well as making his first appearance at Milan’s famed opera house, was limbering up on stage half an hour before the curtain. Landing after a jump he felt pain in his back, and after quick consultations with specialists, it was decided that he couldn’t go on. Coviello, who had danced his unique scheduled performance that afternoon, and was hanging around to see Vasiliev in the role, was hurriedly ushered into make-up to prepare in the 25 minutes remaining before the start.
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There can’t be a worse feeling than hearing an audience cry out in disappointment when your name is read out as the star’s substitute, and the courage to go on and prove that the ticket was still worth the price is a talent in itself.… [continue reading]
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Ivan Vasiliev’s scheduled début with the ballet company at Milan’s La Scala, and also in the role of Quasimodo in Roland Petit’s ballet Notre-Dame de Paris, was delayed from Saturday due to a last minute injury. Yesterday, however, he went on and scored a success that a loggionista described as one of the supreme ballet evenings in the last forty years at Milan’s opera house. She compared the presence of Vasiliev with that of Nureyev: personalities that draw attention towards them, even when they are not dancing and the intended focus of the choreography. Such artists are indeed rare.
Italian blogger and balletomane Marino Palleschi commented,
At 24 years of age, is it possible to have understood all of Romanticism? And at 24 is it possible to have the artistic maturity to immerse oneself in a character and be able to communicate this to an audience? Yes, it’s possible, and he’s called Ivan Vasiliev.
Commentators piled superlatives up high. One audience member attributed Vasiliev’s ability to enter Quasimodo’s head as his being Russian, with a Dostoevskian approach in understanding character; another that while the magnificence of his dance was to be expected, it was the subtlety of how he communicated this wounded spirit with total believability that rendered his performance great; a third observed how perfectly he showed the bliss of entering in a pas de deux with his beloved Esmeralda when his deformity disappears, and for a moment he is free.… [continue reading]
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