The Ballet Bag

Five Ballet Books

Emilia & Linda — Sun, 12 May 2013 11:51:30 +0000

In the spotlight, five recent ballet and dance book releases that will make great summer reads or that are perfect for your Amazon wishlists:

Sadler’s Wells Dance House by Sarah Crompton

With plenty of photos of some of Sadler’s Wells’s most successful productions from the last few years (Sylvie Guillem fans are in for a treat), the book charts the transformation of this “once cradle of British ballet” into an international powerhouse of contemporary dance and commemorates Sadler’s 15th anniversary. From the days of the Vic-Wells Ballet and classical dance to hip hop, from popular successes to the more controversial productions, Sarah Crompton brings to life the story of a theatre that has shaped the course of dance in the 21^st century.

Further reading: Sarah talks about her new book in this recent interview at Dance Tabs.

Nijinsky: A Life by Lucy Moore

In the first full-length biography of Nijinsky for over 40 years, drawing on his diaries for the first time, historian and writer Lucy Moore introduces this troubled genius and the world around him to a new generation, providing insight into the creative processes and personal relationships of one of the great cultural figures of the 20th century. Moore examines Nijinsky’s turbulent relationship with the powerful impresario Sergei Diaghilev, which propelled him to stardom with the Ballets Russes and the subsequent rupture of their professional and personal association, when Nijinsky escaped Diaghilev’s control by eloping with a starstruck young follower of the company. Unable to work, Nijinsky’s world would fall apart. A real life filled with romance, exoticism, scandal and tragedy.

Daria Klimentová – Agony and Ecstasy: My Life In Dance by Daria Klimentová and Graham Watts

A biography of ENB principal Daria Klimentová, whose performances in Swan Lake at the Royal Albert Hall were the subject of a behind-the-scenes BBC Documentary entitled “Agony and Ecstasy”. The book charts her early years training as a young member of the Czech Olympic Gymnastics Squad to her current partnership with young ENB principal, Vadim Muntagirov. Daria’s book also follows her family life and career as a professional photographer who has exhibited her work widely and includes a foreword by her current boss, Tamara Rojo.

Dancers: Behind the Scenes at the Royal Ballet by Andrej Uspenski

Andrej Uspenski’s collection of photographs show the daily life of dancers at the Royal Ballet. Andrej’s unique access as a first artist with the company has enabled him to take captivating images from behind the scenes and to sneak a peek at live performance from the wings. All beautifully packaged in hardcover edition.

Ballet by Henry Leutwyler

Henry Leutwyler has been photographing New York City Ballet dancers for the company’s latest promotional campaigns. In early 2012 he was granted full access at NYCB and spent a month recording the dancers’s day-to-day activities with his 35 mm Leica. With images that look like paintings, the book captures the beauty of the art form, on and off-stage.

The Royal Ballet’s La Bayadère: A Photo Gallery

alicepennefather — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:58:47 +0000

Taken during the Royal Ballet’s current revival of La Bayadère, Alice Pennefather’s latest photo gallery shows Hikaru Kobayashi as Nikiya, Nehemiah Kish as Solor and Yuhui Choe as Gamzatti.

(Click on thumbnails to enlarge & see as slideshow)

All Photos: © Alice Pennefather, courtesy of ROH

About Alice Pennefather:

With a twin brother flying high as a star of the Royal Ballet, Alice’s creative talents lie in image making. After studying photography at Falmouth College of Arts, she spent 6 years travelling and working abroad, focusing on scuba diving and filming underwater. She has recently returned to London and rediscovered her love of everything Ballet. Alice now works as a freelance photographer, and is a regular at the Royal Ballet General Rehearsals – photographing for us here at The Ballet Bag.

You can see more of Alice’s work at Alice Pennefather – Dance Photography.

Curiosity is Key: Sebastian Goffin Creates in Munich

wschuster — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:04:12 +0000

From Munich, our collaborator Wiebke catches up with The Royal Ballet School-trained Sebastian Goffin, who is presenting a new work, Astres Errants, this Sunday 28 April at The Bavarian State Ballet II / Junior Company matinee program, part of Ballet Festival Week 2013.

Having seen a lovely piece (Papillon) by Seb at Bob Lockyer’s 80^th Birthday Gala in London, we were very keen to find out the latest about the young dancer and choreographer, currently an apprentice with Bayerisches Staatsballett.

Wiebke Schuster: How did you come about choreographing Astres Errants?

Sebastian Goffin: I was given a brief to create a non-narrative ballet to a piece of music with a lot of orchestration. I found this piece by John Lord called Boom of the Tingling Strings which I responded to right away. The idea for the title (meaning wandering stars in French) came from the music because it is constantly changing and evolving. I started to create for four soloists – two girls and two boys – but once I saw that the music was 14 minutes long, I knew I needed to add a corps de ballet!

When thinking about the essence of the piece, I didn’t find myself in any particular place or time. I didn’t want to create something completely abstract either. It is about people passing through, travelling beside one another, together, as the music changes. That’s my narrative – it doesn’t need to be visible to the audience, but it needed to be clear in my head and to the dancers, so that everything has meaning. Every step becomes valuable to me when it is filled with purpose. Even though my ideas might change slightly in the process, I try to always stick with what I initially set out to explore.

WS: When it came to auditioning for your first professional job last year, was your interest in choreography already strong? Maybe even a deciding factor when choosing the “right fit” of a company?

SG: When I auditioned for the Junior Company of the Bavarian State Ballet, I had just started to work on Papillon, a piece for Bob Lockyer’s 80^th Birthday Gala at the Place. He had asked five choreographers/directors to choreograph, or commission someone to create new work for his birthday celebrations. At that time, the Royal Ballet was incredibly busy with the revival of a full-length and two new works. Monica Mason had seen my work at the Ursula Moreton Choreographic Awards. I was in my third year at the Royal Ballet Upper School, where your primary focus is auditioning – you’re not working creatively a lot. So after a performance of Manon, Monica Mason put a call over the intercom backstage, asking me to ring her. I rang, thinking I was in some sort of trouble… Instead, she asked me if I wanted to choreograph a piece for the Gala. My jaw hit the floor!

I asked our director here in Munich if there was an opportunity for me to work choreographically, to experiment in a workshop-like setting, with his company. I wasn’t expecting it to be so soon, the answer was positive so I decided to join BSB II though things got very busy quickly. Come January, we had a little time off, so I was able to sneak in studio time with some of the dancers. I really wanted to go out of my comfort zone and push myself by using a larger cast this time around. Ivan Liška, our director, came to watch a rehearsal one day and was impressed with how advanced in the process the piece was – it was already 7 minutes long and quite polished at that time, so he decided to put it into the Junior Company Matinee program on the main stage during Ballet Festival Week 2013.

WS: What are the challenges faced by young choreographers to gain more experience?

SG: I think it is mainly about building up a reputation, a portfolio where directors can put trust and resources into your work. Building these relationships takes time. It’s a funding issue most of the time too: commissioning someone “new” is a big risk on a big stage when selling seats is the main goal. Not every company is lucky enough to be able to offer young choreographers studio space to experiment even on a smaller scale. Draft Works at the ROH Linbury Studio Theatre for example is a format set up by Wayne McGregor that allows dancers in The Royal Ballet Company a flexible platform for short ideas or longer choreographic essays with a completely open brief. The New York Choreographic Institute is another similar format. I would love to participate in one of their sessions someday!

Time is another issue: working might well mean asking your friends and colleagues to stay after hours… and a challenge I experience personally is to balance choreographing with life as a dancer. The normal rehearsal and performance schedule is demanding as it is. Sometimes one role starts to take over: either you become such a fantastic dancer and get promoted quickly, or you are in demand as a choreographer.

WS: If you had to choose, what would it be?

SG: When I was younger I wanted to dance Romeo and roles of similar caliber. As I grew up, it became more and more apparent that I wasn’t principal dancer material. I am still hoping to do soloist parts though. When I began to choreograph, I started to be recognized more and I realized I enjoyed putting things on as much as I enjoyed performing myself, if not more. The adrenalin rush of watching your work on stage became increasingly thrilling. Choreography is at the forefront of my mind, but I want to gain more experience performing still. You need to know your craft well: know how to choreograph for both women and men, how to build up the necessary stamina dancers need, to make it through a demanding piece of choreography. You need to know what is possible and what is not. It’s a scary thing to think about, being so young, I guess you have to see where life takes you and run with it.

WS: How supportive is the dancer community in Munich?

SG: Generally very supportive! It is a tricky situation, transitioning from a colleague and friend to leading a rehearsal. It is very awkward at first. Some people are your friends, some are not and some are definitely not. You learn from experience how to handle that well. You always have to prove yourself first – once the ice is broken people start to really engage in the process. I experimented a bit with at school. When it was time to start, I found myself very much still in classmate mode and that’s how the dancers looked at me. Then, I started coming to the studio on the dot or a tiny bit late which immediately changed the mood to alertness. This year, I really wanted to push myself to come in with less material prepared, to choreograph more on the spot, using the dancers’s bodies in front of me as inspiration. But that is difficult with a big group of dancers in the room because people get impatient standing around with nothing to do. When I worked with the two soloists for Astres Errants, I would come in with literally nothing prepared except for the musical highlights I wanted to explore – maybe with one or two ideas for lifts. We would try things out together and adjust, compromise or start anew. I really enjoyed the exchange – the fact that when there is mutual trust, choreographing can be a dialogue between you and your dancers.

WS: What experiences do you enjoy the most in the process of choreographing?

SG: I’ll tell you what I don’t like: choosing costumes! I haven’t reached a point in my career where I have the luxury of working with a costume designer to execute a made to measure vision! It is hard to choose from existing costumes danced in other people’s works. It is one of the most stressful things for me personally, especially with only a few weeks to go and 12 people to dress!

What I love is being in the studio. I enjoy working on the details. We’re just at the point now in the central pas de deux where Jonah (Cook) and Nicha (Rodboon) are starting to play with the choreography, to make it their own. I was discussing the narrative and feeling with Nicha the other day and I said: “Don’t try to Swan Lakeify it”, that’s a different kind of narrative drama – Astres Errants is more abstract, not set in a certain time period or place, with only with a white cyclorama and black wings, so my job is to cue them to remember their “normal” behavior: a normal look, to be less affectionate maybe.

I enjoy working on the lighting too. That part of the process I was always very interested in. While still in school, I did some work experience with the stage management of the Royal Ballet where I was able to watch Christopher Wheeldon’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” come together before my eyes! I find it so important to know what’s available to you as a choreographer and how to communicate it well, because there are often myriad options. This knowledge really speeds up the process too. From a young age, I was always curious as to how things worked.

WS: Are you gaining exposure to different choreographers over here?

SG: I was very lucky that my parents sparked my interest in different art forms from an early age by taking me to see plays, operas, concerts etc. Here in Munich, I try to go to the opera as much as I can. I recently went to see the Ring Cycle which had some interesting choreography, in the beginning of the third Act of Die Walkure in particular. The repertory in the company here is so vast. There is some Ashton and MacMillan, which I know well and then there is Neumeier, Cranko and Kylián which I don’t know so well. I am exposed to a great variety of different choreographic voices.

The other day, someone just put on music after class and started to choreograph. I loved that! It is not about competition, but creativity. When that creativity is encouraged, that’s inspiring to me!

About the Author:

Wiebke Schuster currently lives in Munich. She completed her Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Dance Theatre and studied Arts Administration at the Limón Dance Company in New York. She is a regular contributor to the Bavarian State Ballet Blog. Follow her on Twitter @wiebela

Nicolas Le Riche: Apropos of Roland Petit & Le Jeune Homme

Emilia & Linda — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 09:04:37 +0000

Paris Opera Ballet étoile Nicolas Le Riche is currently in London for guest performances with ENB in Roland Petit’s Le Jeune Homme et la Mort opposite Tamara Rojo (they appear tonight and tomorrow matinee). We could not pass up the opportunity to chat to Nicolas about the much-missed Petit, with whom he worked closely on many occasions. Translated from our conversation in French, here are some insights on how he works in the studio to flesh out all the complexities of Le Jeune Homme:

Photo: © David Jenson

On guesting with English National Ballet

It’s the first time I guest with ENB. I am very happy. It’s a real encounter, although there are dancers I already knew from here and there. It has to be said that my direct experience with the company will be limited however, due to the intimate nature of Le Jeune Homme et La Mort. But that gives me the opportunity to get to know Tamara better. We have known each other for about 15 years and yet, we never had the opportunity to dance together until now.

On Le Jeune Homme

Le Jeune Homme et la Mort is a piece that I am very familiar with, having danced it many times before. But it’s very enriching to be paired up with someone like Tamara, who’s discovering it for the first time and who is in search of her character, exploring it, because that has an impact on what I do, this piece is pure dialogue.

On Roland Petit’s style and influences

Le Jeune Homme is in the territory of realism with a dash of cubism, given that Roland was heavily influenced by Picasso, they moved in the same circles and worked together – for instance, it was Picasso who created the front cloth for Petit’s Le Rendez-vous.

Petit was also inspired by Cocteau, of course. Consider what Cocteau wrote for the scenario of Le Jeune Homme:

‘In a studio a young man awaits. Enter a young girl, agent of his distress. He throws himself at her, she rejects him, he pleads with her, she insults him, ridicules him and leaves. He hangs himself and the room vanishes, only the rope remains. Through the roof death arrives in a ballgown. Death removes her mask and we see the young girl. She places the mask on her victim’s face and together they flee towards the rooftop.’

As you can see, it’s short, concise and very powerful, a bit spooky too and it leaves a lot for audiences to interpret. This is what I have always liked about Petit’s works: they are powerful pieces on the themes of life, death, love, despair and they deeply affect their interpreters. At the end you feel like you have completed a journey. It is what I love about his work.

On working with Tamara Rojo

It makes me think of – if you excuse the analogy – a boxing match. First we circle each other, looking, discovering and then we engage, trying to understand how the other person works. What is so wonderful about the medium of dance is that one needs very few words: everything happens during rehearsal. I dedicate myself fully to this process, to understanding my partner and I have the impression that so does Tamara. To understand not only my partner’s approach to the character, but also the physical expression: how she moves, how fast, how her feet touch the ground. I am very attentive to all these sensations, these details, because it’s a very delicate process. It’s also very human: two people trying to connect through their differences, not trying to change the other, but trying to anticipate the other’s actions and learn how to respond. Here I often think of Fred Astaire, the way he connected with his partners was magical.

On character building & sources of inspiration

I have many sources of inspiration, many images that come to me. In this ballet for instance, I take care not to walk ‘too grounded’, not to let my heels touch the ground, fleet like a feline in movement. I think of myriad references and to show you how broad they can be: there’s a moment where the young girl moves towards the table to light a cigarette, she uses it as a tool to manipulate the young man, who moves around entranced, as if in a daze. This part of the ballet always makes me think of the camerawork of Gus Van Sant, particularly in Last Days, the glide of his steadicam while Michael Pitt’s character Blake walks, his back towards us. There are actually several parallels that can be drawn between Le Jeune Homme and Last Days. Another is the long shot when Blake curls into a ball in pain before falling to the ground. So my references are quite diverse, at times naturalistic or cinematographic.

I also look to literature and paintings to make artistic connections. I have always been interested in artists who are struck by something and I find that it is very important to take that approach, to have that depth of feeling in ballets like Jeune Homme. Petit himself used to say that choreography needs to be constantly reinvented. Of course the steps do not change, but he always hoped that individual interpretations would convince audiences that a work had been newly minted.

On retiring from Paris Opera Ballet next year

I don’t have any specific plans. I feel very free at the moment. It’s a great sensation during the good days, a bit daunting on the bad days! Up to now I have been supported by a structure that has given me security, yet it’s a system that I have had to report to. So once I leave, I expect to feel very free and open. And in that spirit, I am prepared to consider all the different possibilities that come my way.

Further reading: From Darkness to Light, our article for English National Ballet’s website (to open, click on link & then on menu item on the left)

Le Jeune Homme et La Mort is part of English National Ballet’s Ecstasy and Death programme, currently on at the Coliseum until 21 April 2013. Nicolas Le Riche dances with Tamara Rojo tonight and tomorrow (matinee).

For tickets and further information, visit ENO’s website, follow English National Ballet on Twitter @ENBallet or like the company on Facebook.

In the Studio & On Stage: An Alice in Wonderland Photo Gallery

alicepennefather — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:26:45 +0000

With Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland about to close its third successful run at the Royal Opera House, we feature below Alice Pennefather’s second gallery set dedicated to Wheeldon’s colourful ballet, including snaps of leads Beatriz Stix-Brunell and Rupert Pennefather in the studio:

(Click on thumbnails to enlarge & see as slideshow)

All Photos: © Alice Pennefather, courtesy of ROH

About Alice Pennefather:

You can see more of Alice’s work at Alice Pennefather – Dance Photography.

The Mikhailovsky In London: An Interview with Mikhail Messerer

Emilia & Linda — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 13:56:28 +0000

The Mikhailovsky Ballet kicks off its London residency this week. In its third appearance at the Coliseum (where it previously performed in 2008 and 2010) and with an impressive roster of principal dancers that includes Natalia Osipova, Ivan Vasiliev and Leonid Sarafanov, as well as guest artists Polina Semionova and Denis Matvienko, the Mikhailovsky is ready to show us ballets by modern choreographer Nacho Duato, as well as classics like Giselle, Don Quixote, and Laurencia.

Ahead of the company’s first Giselle tomorrow, we spoke to Principal Guest Ballet Master Mikhail Messerer, who was born into a legendary dancing family and is considered one of the world’s finest ballet teachers:

TBB: We are very much looking forward to this visit. We could not help but notice the company is bringing back its production of Giselle. Why stage it here a third time?

Mikhail Messerer: Giselle had such a good reception on the previous two visits, both from the audience and from the critics. In the theatre we like this production very much, I like it very much myself. This time, we are bringing Giselle with some great dancers. They have danced it in St. Petersburg to great success and I’m sure they will be showing their best for the British audiences.

TBB: The company dances classics like Giselle and Laurencia, but also ballets by Duato. How important is to strike a balance between classical and contemporary at the Mikhailovsky?

MM: I believe today no ballet company can do only academic/classical repertory because we all live in the global world, and we cannot just close our eyes and pretend that contemporary trends are not here. They are here with us. The wider spectrum of repertory our dancers have, the better, and our audiences also love watching contemporary and modern ballet in addition to their love for the classics.

TBB: You have been with the company for many years and have seen it progress. You were there before Duato became AD and he is soon to leave for the Staatsballett in Berlin. How do you see the Mikhailovsky moving forward?

MM: We were very fortunate to have such a good working relationship with Nacho Duato. He created a number of pieces for the company, he also staged for us some of his old works and the Russian audiences loved most of the contemporary works that were performed. Theatre tickets are sold out whether we perform 19th century classics, 20th century works or Duato’s repertory. Our house is always full. If you are in St. Petersburg, it is actually easier to get tickets for the Mariinsky, than for the Mikhailovsky: it is virtually impossible to get tickets for our ballet performances.

TBB: And now that Duato is leaving?

MM: We will keep our eyes open wide. We are still committed to performing modern repertory and we will take good care of the classical productions. We need to be careful because we work in the same city as the great Mariinsky and in no way does the Mikhailovsky need to copy the Mariinsky repertory. We have stagings that do justice to our company and that meet audiences’ expectations, with plenty of tourists coming to St. Petersburg to watch us. We are going to keep the level of the company high and the ballets interesting for the audiences.

TBB: You have many famous guest artists regularly performing with the Mikhailovsky. How does that work?

MM: Yes, many guests performed Nacho Duato’s The Sleeping Beauty. Svetlana Zakharova from the Bolshoi Ballet danced Beauty, Natalia Osipova also danced it, Olesya Novikova, just to name a few. Nacho Duato himself rehearsed them. When those stars come to perform a ballet that I have staged or that I am looking after, say Swan Lake which Natasha [Osipova] danced for the first time ever in her life at the Mikhailovsky, and for which I coached her, or Polina Semionova who has come and danced Giselle and Swan Lake many many times since 2010, when she started guesting with the Mikhailovsky, I try to spend as much time as I can with those dancers. But more importantly, we have many good coaches and great teachers who work with our Principal dancers and Principal guest stars.

TBB: You are a highly sought-after teacher. Are you still guest teaching elsewhere?

MM: Indeed. Last year I went to American Ballet Theatre several times, perhaps half a dozen times. It is always very difficult to find the time, last season was virtually impossible for me: I had to go to Rome where I staged my version of Don Quixote in December. That premiered on the 22nd, before Christmas, and it took me away from the Mikhailovsky for a month.

TBB: How do you manage to divide your time?

MM: Well between two cities is difficult. I have my family in London, my beautiful wife and children who are in school in Britain. I really have to split myself in two for my work and my family life, and if I go somewhere to teach it is an additional complication, but I try to manage. I will probably go to ABT again later this season. I also went to Kiev this season and I staged Asaf Messerer’s Class Concert for the Kiev State Ballet directed by Denis Matvienko. Class Concert is a very difficult piece for any company and I had to spend a month there. But I enjoy teaching and the Kiev Ballet is a good company to work with. I try to be with my family whenever possible. Either they come to visit me in Russia – for instance when my children have holidays in Britain – or I try to come on weekends.

TBB: What are the biggest challenges dancers face these days? As a teacher, how do you help them overcome those?

MM: In the classical repertory there is a downside due the fact that all information is now available to dancers. There is YouTube and you have American dancers watching Russian dancers, Russian watching American, English dancers watch Chinese and so on. And by doing that, being coached – in a way – by “Mr. YouTube”, they are not always getting the best out of their colleagues. They do get some good pointers, but they also get some things wrong and my duty as a teacher is to direct them, so that the wrong stuff is cleared out of the way.

TBB: You and your family have witnessed many turning episodes in the history of ballet. In your view, how do such recent events as the attack on Sergei Filin impact on the image of Russian ballet?

MM: It is a very difficult question. We are too near the event to be able to judge, but I think we will able to judge it better in a while. I have no right to speak for other companies, but at the Mikhailovsky we are a modest company, I keep saying that we don’t have the problems that larger Russian companies have. We don’t have petitions by dancers to the Russian president or attacks on our artistic staff, so we don’t have that problem.

TBB: What are your expectations about the company’s third London season?

MM: I wish that we show ourselves in our best. And that London audiences will be happy with our performances!

Photo Credits: © Mikhailovsky Theatre

The Mikhailovsky Ballet performs at the London Coliseum, 26 March – 13 April 2013. For more information and booking, visit the ENO Website.

Birmingham Royal Ballet Presents Aladdin

Emilia & Linda — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 13:01:51 +0000

Birmingham Royal Ballet’s new Aladdin has its London premiere this evening. The newest family-friendly ballet to hit town, David Bintley’s new production aims to attract audiences of all ages by working with a well-known story, high production values, catchy tunes and the full company on display. A co-production with Houston Ballet, Aladdin has designs by Dick Bird and costumes by Sue Blane. The formula has proven very successful at The Royal Ballet/National Ballet of Canada, with Christopher Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (currently in its third revival) and more recently at Dutch National Ballet/San Francisco Ballet with another Wheeldon, a restaging of Cinderella.

Aladdin was originally choreographed in 2008 for the National Ballet of Japan, after Bintley fell in love with Carl Davis‘s score. Given that dancers in Japan are better know for their technical fireworks than for understated drama, Bintley decided to make Aladdin “a real dance show”, with plenty of divertissements and big numbers for the leads. He has now reworked his original version, adapting it for Birmingham Royal Ballet’s touring needs.

BRB has documented the making of the ballet in a wonderful blog, “Creating Aladdin”. Ahead of tonight’s performance, we also have below a selection of images of Bintley’s latest three-act extravaganza.

Click on each photo to see the caption:

And more here:

Photo Credits: © Bill Cooper

Watch the Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlgCu0s-CiA

Birmingham Royal Ballet performs Aladdin at the London Coliseum, 20-24 March 2013. For more information and booking, visit the English National Opera or Birmingham Royal Ballet websites or follow on Twitter @BRB

Coppélia

GermaineCheng — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 20:30:25 +0000

Is this ballet for you?

Go if: You like John Hughes’s rom-com meets troubled teenager movies à la Sixteen Candles and Weird Science.

Skip if: You prefer ballets with a stronger male role. The poor Franz doesn’t have much dancing to do until his big variation in the last act.

Dream Cast: With her great technique and perfect comic timing, Natalia Osipova is a feisty, funny and utterly adorable Swanilda.

Natalia Osipova as Swanilda - Photo: © Damir Yusupov / Bolshoi Theatre

Background, Arthur Saint-Léon & Petipa

Coppélia is one of the most frequently performed and well-loved comic ballets. It was first choreographed at the end of the Romantic era and is considered to be a precursor to the “Classical era” (think Petipa) which then followed.

As George Balanchine put it, “Just as Giselle is ballet’s great tragedy, so Coppélia is its great comedy.” The ballet is an obvious deviation from Romantic ballets, which featured ethereal figures like sylphs and wilis, long tulle dresses for costumes (later known as Romantic tutus), and tragic endings. In contrast, Coppélia featured human characters (that is, apart from Dr. Coppélius’s dolls), and ended with the central characters, Swanilda and Franz, in blissful matrimony.

Following the success of La Source (1866), the collaborative effort between librettist Charles Nuitter and choreographer Arthur Saint-Léon, the Paris Opera director Émile Perrin asked them to reprise the partnership, appointing Léo Delibes to compose the music. Nuitter worked on the libretto for Coppélia, adapting E.T.A. Hoffmann’s dark tale of Der Sandmann (1815) to focus on the more lighthearted aspects of the story.

In early productions of Coppélia, women en travesti (or in disguise) would play the role of Franz, a tradition that continued at the Paris Opera until the 50s. For this reason, music had not been written for a male variation and there was no Act III pas de deux, which would only be incorporated once the score was rearranged for Marius Petipa’s production in 1884. Incidentally, Petipa’s production would mark the start of a trend towards a conclusive Grand Pas de Deux (adagio, male and female variations plus a coda), as seen in most classical ballets that followed.

Singapore Dance Theatre's production of Coppélia - Photo: © SDT

Coppélia was also the first ballet to feature national dances: the Czárdás (Hungarian) and the Mazurka (Polish) from Act I. Both Saint-Léon and Delibes were folklore aficionados, and the trend at the time of expressing nationalism through the arts are reasons for their mutual agreement to include these. Coppélia premiered in Paris on May 25, 1870, starring Giuseppina Bozacchi as Swanilda, Eugenie Fiocre as Franz and Francois-Edouard Dauty as Dr. Coppélius. Its initial success was interrupted by the outbreak of war, but it subsequently was presented more than 500 times, becoming the most performed ballet at the Paris Opera.

Just three months after the premiere of Coppélia, Saint-Léon died of a heart attack. The Paris Opera was left without its leading choreographer, and the shift of ballet supremacy to Russia was then wholly apparent, with the defection of dancers and other creative talents. In 1884, Marius Petipa restaged Coppélia in St. Petersburg, and ten years later, Enrico Cecchetti and Lev Ivanov would also revise it.

Other Notable Versions:

Ninette de Valois (The Royal Ballet)

Coppélia was first staged for the Royal Ballet in 1933 by Nicholas Sergeyev after the Ivanov/Cecchetti revision of the ballet. On that occasion, Dame Ninette performed the role of Swanilda. The Royal Ballet now performs a staging by de Valois from 1954, based on the Russian versions of Coppélia, with designs by Osbert Lancaster.

Patrice Bart (Paris Opera Ballet)

In 1996, Bart, a former Étoile (principal dancer) who worked very closely with Rudolf Nureyev (during his latter years with the Paris Opera Ballet), was commissioned to create a new Coppélia for the company. This production is inspired by the Hoffmann tale and attempts to give the characters psychological depth. Most significantly, Bart reintroduced the character of Professor Spalanzani: a mechanic in service of Dr Coppélius, and his sinister alter ego. He also used additional music from Delibes’ operas Le roi l’a dit and Lakmé, and chose to conclude his version with a love duet for Swanilda and Franz, instead of a Grand Pas de Deux.

George Balanchine/Alexandra Danilova (New York City Ballet)

The Balanchine/Danilova Coppélia is the most widely performed version in the United States. Alexandra Danilova had been a celebrated Swanilda herself, and both had performed the ballet in St. Petersburg and on tour with the Ballet Russes. Their 1974 production retains the Nuitter plotline in the first two acts, but reimagines Act III as an extravagant pageant of balletic celebration.

Marius Petipa/Enrico Cecchetti/Sergei Vikharev (the Bolshoi Ballet)

In 2009 Sergei Vikharev reconstructed Coppélia for the Bolshoi using old Mariinsky records of the 1894 Petipa/Cecchetti version, based on the Stepanov notation system. This version features a large ensemble of 24 dancers in the “Dance of the Hours” (Act III) and exquisitely refurbished designs. This version was staged in London in 2010 as part of the Bolshoi’s summer tour.

Story

Act I

Dr. Coppélius is an eccentric toymaker. He has built a life-sized doll, Coppélia, and daydreams of her coming to life. Franz, a young villager betrothed to Swanilda, is unaware that Coppélia, who sits at Dr. Coppélius’ window, is only a doll and finds himself attracted to her beauty.

In the village square, celebrations are underway as the burgomaster presents a new bell to mark the following day’s harvest festival, when Franz and Swanilda will tie the knot. The couple bicker and quarrel, but Swanilda shakes an ear of corn to test Franz’s faithfulness, and the couple make up by the evening. Following a run-in with some mischievous youths on his way out, Dr. Coppélius drops the key to his house. Swanilda and her girlfriends pick it up and decide to venture in to meet Coppélia.

Act II

Entering Dr. Coppélius’s house, Swanilda and her friends find out that Coppélia is nothing but one of the mysterious toymaker’s creations. Dr. Coppélius soon returns and drives out all the intruders, but Swanilda remains trapped. She sees Franz climb in through the window, hoping to meet Coppélia too. But he is intercepted by Dr. Coppélius and is made to drink till he passes out.

Dr Coppélius takes the opportunity to cast a spell, seeking to give life to Coppélia by transferring Franz’s life force to the doll. He is overjoyed when she comes to life, not knowing that Swanilda – who has been following all his actions – has taken her place. Franz regains his consciousness, and soon all is revealed. Swanilda forgives Franz and they run out, leaving the dismayed Dr. Coppélius alone with his toys.

Act III

The villagers gather to celebrate the harvest, as well as the wedding of Swanilda and Franz. Dr. Coppélius is upset and bitter, and threatens to take revenge for the intrusion to his home, but he is pacified by the burgomaster who gives him a purse of gold. The festivities continue into the night, with the “Dance of the Hours” and the wedding Pas de Deux.

Videos

The Royal Ballet with Leanne Benjamin as Swanilda and Carlos Acosta as Franz
Artists of the Bolshoi Ballet dance the Act I Mazurka
Natalia Osipova and Vyacheslav Lopatin in the Act III Grand Pas de Deux
Natalia Osipova performs Swanilda’s Act III variation
Vyacheslav Lopatin performs Franz’s Act III variation
Irina Shapchits and Mikhail Zavialov in the Mariinsky’s Coppélia
Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Mara Vinson rehearses the Balanchine/Danilova Coppélia
San Francisco Ballet’s production of the Balanchine/Danilova Coppélia
Dorothée Gilbert as Swanilda in Paris Opera Ballet’s Coppélia

Music

Léo Delibes, then aged 30, was assigned to work on the score for Coppélia, together with Nuitter and Saint-Léon. This was his first full-length ballet and is considered to be a great leap forward in the development of ballet music. Each of the characters is identified by a leitmotif : Coppélia’s enigmatic tones and Dr. Coppélius’ sinister undercurrent of vibrating strings, with the music clearly indicating the bustling village square in contrast to Dr. Coppélius’ dark house.

Delibes was a folklore aficionado and was familiar with Eastern European dance music. He was said to be influenced by the Polish composer Stanislaw Moniuszko, whose use of melody and rhythm was largely based on national folkloric music. This led Delibes to include a Polish Mazurka in Act I, now one of the ballet’s most iconic passages. In addition, Delibes included Czárdás (Hungarian), and short Spanish and Scottish vignettes for Swanilda in Act II.

A quintessential Spotify / iPod playlist should include:

Act I (I) Prélude et Mazurka
Act I (II) Valse Lente (Andante)
Act I (IV) Mazurka
Act I (VII) Czárdás
Act II (XIV) Scène
Act II (XV) Scène
Act II (XVI) Bolero
Act II (XVII) Gigue
Act III (XXIII) Valse des Heures
Act III (XXX) Danse de Fête
Act III (XXXI) Galop Final

Mini Biography

Choreography: Arthur Saint-Léon
Libretto: Charles Nuitter
Music: Léo Delibes
Original Cast: Giuseppina Bozacchi as Swanilda, Eugenie Fiocre as Franz and Francois-Edouard Dauty as Dr. Coppélius
Premiere: 25 May 1870, Paris Opera Ballet.

Sources and Further Information

Ballet Met Notes for Coppélia by Gerard Charles. August, 2001
Ballet Met Notes on Arthur Saint-Léon, February 2001
Recreating Lost Instants in a Reconstructed Ballet – Bolshoi Ballet Review by Alistair Macaulay. New York Times, 30 May 2012
Automaton for the People – Royal Ballet Review by Luke Jennings. The Observer, 22 October 2006
DVD insert for the Paris Opera Ballet Coppélia. Opus Arte, 2011.
Wikipedia Entry for Coppélia
Wikipedia Entry for Léo Delibes

About the Author:

Germaine Cheng is a freelance dance artist and writer, who graduated from Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance in London. Prior to that, she trained at the Crestar School of Dance and Singapore Ballet Academy, and has performed with the Singapore Dance Theatre and the Washington Ballet. She was mentored by leading UK dance critics at “Resolution! Review” and was a regular contributor to londondance.com and English National Ballet’s Dance is the Word blog.

Follow on Twitter @GermaineCheng

Alexei Ratmansky: Greatest Hits & Photo Gallery

Emilia & Linda — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 14:57:50 +0000

We have a new guest post up on the Royal Opera House blog, with snippets of five of Alexei Ratmansky’s coolest ballets:

24 Preludes, part of the Royal Ballet’s current mixed programme that includes George Balanchine’s Apollo and Christopher Wheeldon’s Aeternum, offers audiences the opportunity to experience Alexei Ratmansky’s first work for a UK company. Much lauded for revitalizing classical ballet and infusing it with his unique brand of inventiveness and rich cross-cultural references, the Russian choreographer makes ballets that often reveal new sides to his dancers. His works are very much in demand around the world and regularly staged in Russia, Europe, Asia, Australia, and the US.

Ratmansky started experimenting with choreography at a young age at the Moscow Choreographic Institute (the school of the Bolshoi). His dancing career would take him to the Ukraine, Canada and Denmark, where he was exposed to works by such diverse choreographers as Bournonville, Balanchine, Neumeier and Tudor, who would later influence and inform his choreographic style.

During his time as Artistic Director of the Bolshoi Ballet, Ratmansky set about re-staging historic works and revisiting ballet scores by composers like Shostakovich and Prokofiev. As American Ballet Theatre’s current Artist in Residence, he has created critically acclaimed versions of classic Russian ballets The Nutcracker and The Firebird. Known for his fresh take on dance comedies, dramas and even ‘dramedies’ (as in his most recent work for the Royal Danish Ballet, The Golden Cockerel), Ratmansky is also well-versed in plotless works, having created, in this commission for the Royal Ballet, a ‘ballet of mood’ set to orchestrated Chopin pieces for a cast of eight dancers.

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To illustrate the choreographer’s diverse range, we also selected clips of some of our favourite Ratmansky works. Hop over to the Royal Opera House blog to check them out, while over here you can take a look at Alice Pennefather’s gorgeous images of the current Apollo, 24 Preludes and Aeternum mixed bill:

(Click on thumbnails to enlarge & see as slideshow)

About Alice Pennefather:

You can see more of Alice’s work at Alice Pennefather – Dance Photography.

A Comforting Gala: the Royal Ballet in Rio de Janeiro

Guest — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 13:12:38 +0000

We are delighted to feature below a guest blog by ballet enthusiast and Professor of Culture & Communication Nelida Ferraz, who attended the Royal Opera House Gala in Rio de Janeiro’s Theatro Municipal last week.

Last week, audiences at Rio de Janeiro’s Theatro Municipal were reassured of the city’s resurging cultural landscape in a brief 3-day residency from principal dancers of the Royal Ballet. They were joined on this tour by the young artists from the ROH’s Jette Parker program, with the British conductor Dominic Grier doing his best with the theatre’s ailing local orchestra. The theatre had previously partnered up with artists of the Royal Ballet in 2011 – on that occasion a smaller group led by Thiago Soares – but this time the project was slightly more ambitious: to showcase the company’s international repertory and style, to inspire local young dancers and singers, and to foster a renewed interest in these two art forms, which are crying out for more incentive in Brazil.

Audiences were given the opportunity to reconnect with locally-bred talent, ex-Theatro Municipal dancers Roberta Marquez and Thiago Soares, and to welcome their Royal Ballet colleagues Marianela Nuñez, Leanne Benjamin, Sarah Lamb, Edward Watson and Steven McRae. Even though the programme alternated opera extracts (sadly not on par with the quality of the ballet performances on display) with dancing, the latter dominated the evening in all senses. Alongside traditional gala showstoppers like The Sleeping Beauty wedding pas de deux (danced by the fizzy pairing of Marquez and McRae) and the Black Swan pas de deux (Nuñez and Soares pulling all the stops), we were treated to a contemporary selection of works that included Wheeldon’s After the Rain and Wayne McGregor’s Qualia, as well as extracts from two MacMillan ballets: Manon’s bedroom pas de deux (Edward Watson and Sarah Lamb) and Requiem (the Pie Jesu, admirably danced by Leanne Benjamin).

This was a perfect gala mix as it exposed local audiences, who are used to more traditional fare like Don Quixote and The Nutcracker, to the variety of styles performed internationally. The audience let it show how much they approved, responding with enthusiastic applause for the dancers. The collective feeling was that the dancers left us wanting more – and what a shame the balcony scene from Romeo & Juliet had to be scrapped last minute due to an indisposed McRae – with the public speculating when the full company would finally return (seemingly, 2015). After all, their last visit “au grand complet” was in 1972, back in the days Margot Fonteyn was still the company’s leading Aurora.