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Ondine

Ondine
Royal Ballet
Royal Opera House
London
29 November – 6 December, 2008

by Judith Cruikshank
copyright 2008 by Judith Cruikshank

Immediately before embarking on a long run of its dull and expensive “Nutcracker” (how is it that Peter Wright can produce such a sparkling version for the Birmingham Royal Ballet and such a bland, stodgy production for Covent Garden?) the Royal Ballet gave just four performances of Frederick Ashton's “Ondine”. This ballet was famously created as a showcase for Margot Fonteyn, and anyone who has seen photographs of the ballerina on holiday, frolicking in the sea, can easily see how suited she was to the role of a water nymph who falls in love with a mortal.

A Rare Royal Triple Bill

"Serenade," "L'Invitation au Voyage," "Theme and Variations"
Royal Ballet
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
London, England
October 28 - November 10, 2008

by Judith Cruickshank
copyright 2008 by Judith Cruickshank

Triple bills are something of a rarity at Covent Garden these days, when the repertory is based firmly around full length blockbusters which are assumed to be what will fill the house and also attract the new, younger audiences for which the management yearns. Personally, I suspect high ticket prices may have something to do with the lack of younger audiences, and reports of swathes of empty seats during the recent run of "Manon" would seem to undermine the view that full-evening works are all people want.

Either way, the mixed bill which opened on 28 October for a run of just five performances promised well; two Balanchine masterpieces and the revival of a ballet by an English choreographer, first given in 1982.

Beautifully Schooled, But..... the Mariinsky in London

Mariinsky Ballet
Apollo, Middle Duet, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, The Prodigal Son
Sadler's Wells Theatre,
London, England
13 -16 October, 2008

by Judith Cruickshank
copyright 2008 by Juditih Cruickshank

There was some surprise when earlier this year it was announced that the Kirov Ballet and Opera would be giving a short season at Sadler's Wells. Until now, the company had always appeared in London either at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden or at the London Coliseum, and the rebuilt Sadler's Wells, with its big stage and excellent sightlines, is still very much a people's theatre. But come the company did, now officially called the Mariinsky, bringing an all-Forsythe evening, and a mixed bill of ballet, plus a splendid production of Rimsky Korsakov's opera “The Tale of Tsar Saltan”. All were given just two performances.

The Australian Ballet

"Les Présages," "Rites"
The Australian Ballet
Sadler's Wells Theatre
London, England
7-11 October, 2008

by Judith Cruickshank
copyright 2008 by Judith Cruickshank

Nobody could accuse the Australian Ballet's artistic director David McAllister of timid programming for overseas tours. Sure, the company brought "Swan Lake" when it visited the London Coliseum a few years ago and it's also being shown in Manchester on this trip.

But we are not talking about the Petipa/Ivanov version currently being given by the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden. This is Graeme Murphy's radical re-working of both story and choreography. And for this fleeting visit to Sadler's Wells, McAllister chose to bring a historic revival and a work which draws on Australia's own ancient aboriginal culture.

Morphoses in London

Morphoses
Sadler's Wells Theatre
London
September 24 - 27, 2008

by Judith Cruikshank
copyright 2008 by Judith Cruikshank

Morphoses arrived for its second Sadler's Wells season with far less in the way of advance publicity and for a far shorter run; just two performances each of two programmes. At the time of the company's debut last year it struck me that expectations had been raised so high that had Christopher Wheeldon presented Pavlova and Nijinsky in a previously unseen Petipa masterpiece, flanked by beautifully danced and immaculately reconstructed lost works by Balanchine, many commentators would still have expressed disappointment.

A Very Different "Swan Lake" from China

Swan Lake
Guangdong Acrobatic troupe of China
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London
5 – 10 August, 2008

by Judith Cruickshank
copyright 2008 Judith Cruickshank

Sometimes, sitting though a performance of 'Swan Lake', nicely, correctly, respectfully, danced and totally unmemorable, I've thought to myself that I'd like it if something totally outrageous were to happen just to liven up the show. Well, 'Swan Lake' as performed by the Guangdong Acrobatic Troupe of China provides the spectator with outrageous in spades.

Mikhailovsky Ballet

"The Cavalry Halt," "Paquita" and divertissements
Mikhailovsky Ballet
London Coliseum
July 27, 2008

by Judith Cruickshank
copyright 2008 by Judith Cruickshank

If you have never heard of St Petersburg's  MikhailovskyTheatre, or its opera and ballet companies, don't worry. It used to be known as the Maly, but reverted to its original name when Vladimir Kekhman took over as general director investing millions of dollars of his own money and donations raised from friends and business contacts into the  building and the companies it houses.

Royal Ballet Mixed Bill

“Rushes”, “Serenade”, “Homage to the Queen”
23 April – 14 May 2008
Royal Ballet
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
London, England

by Judith Cruickshank
copyright 2008 by Judith Cruickshank

Nearly 30 years ago when he was director of the Berlin Ballet, Valery Panov created a full evening ballet based on Dostoevsky’s novel “The Idiot”.  Despite strong performers — Panov himself as Rogozin, the Kirov-trained Vladimir Gelvan in the title role and Eva Evdokimova as Nastasya — and some blindingly theatrical moments, the ballet failed to deliver much idea of the richness and complexity of Dostoevsky's plot and writing.

In his first creation for the Royal Ballet, the Danish choreographer Kim Brandstrup also claims “The Idiot” as his inspiration. But rather than the published novel he has turned to Dostoevsky’s early drafts in which the central figure combined the characteristics of both the saintly Prince Myshkin and the worldly anti-hero Rogozin.

Popular Hero

Carlos Acosta with guest artists from the Royal Ballet
Coliseum
London, England
31 March – 3 April, 2008

by Judith Cruickshank
copyright 2008 by Judith Cruickshank

It took Carlos Acosta to fill the London Coliseum. The third presentation in the Spring Dance season, “Carlos Acosta with guest artists from the Royal Ballet” was greeted with hardly an empty seat in sight. And to judge by overheard comments from the people around me, many of the audience were not regular ballet-goers but knew of Acosta through his appearances on television or had heard the radio serialisation of his autobiography.

Mixed Bag

"Electric Counterpoint," "Afternoon of a Faun," "Tzigane," "A Month in the Country"
Royal Ballet
Royal Opera House
London, England
4 -19 March, 2008

by Judith Cruickshank
copyright 2008 by Judith Cruickshank

It's hard to discern the thinking behind the recent mixed bill from the Royal Ballet except perhaps as an illustration of Dickie Buckle's famous description; “something for everyone to dislike”. Certainly this particular offering embraced a wide variety of styles and subjects.