Photo Special 2020: A Masked Ball - n 284/b the international DANCE magazine - BALLET2000
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ENGLISH
edition
n° 284/b • the international DANCE magazine
Photo Special 2020:
A Masked Ball
n° 284/b • special digital issue • free distribution
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Editor-in-chief
Alfio Agostini
Contributors/writers
Erik Aschengreen
the international dance magazine
Leonetta Bentivoglio ENGLISH Edition
Donatella Bertozzi
Valeria Crippa
Clement Crisp
Gerald Dowler
Marinella Guatterini
Elisa Guzzo Vaccarino
Marc Haegeman
Anna Kisselgoff
Dieudonné Korolakina
Kevin Ng
Jean Pierre Pastori On the cover,
Martine Planells Ayaka Fujii, Roger Cuadrado,
Czech National Ballet:
Olga Rozanova
“Mask Duet”, c. Douglas Lee
Roger Salas
(ph. S. Gherciu)
Sonia Schoonejans see page 25
René Sirvin
Lilo Weber
Editorial assistant
Cristiano Merlo
Translations
Simonetta Allder
Cristiano Merlo
Editorial services, design, web
Luca Ruzza
Advertising Photos for a virtual summer as we look ahead
pub@ballet2000.com
PR & Advertising dept
Anne-Marie Fourcade The last published issue of BALLET2000 was N. 284, dated February 2020. What we had predicted
mob. ph. +33.6.99.55.96.52 in that issue’s editorial was disproved shortly afterwards when all activities, also in the performing
amfourcade@ballet2000.com arts and dance world, shut down altogether.
Later, as we informed readers, the crisis resulting from the measures we are all familiar with, com-
Subscriptions pelled BALLET2000 to temporarily suspend its regular publication roster. We will come back to our
service@ballet2000.com readers and the free world of dance in issue N. 285 planned for October (as always to be published
as both a paper and digital magazine).
n° 284/b - Photo Special 2020
Subscribers can rest assured that they will again continue receiving the number of issues included in
their subscriptions as soon as publication resumes.
In the meantime, here is our Photo Special 2020 which had already been planned but which is being
published as a digital version only, sent free of charge to all subscribers, theatres, companies and
dance professionals. It constitutes a clear sign of continuity and presence on our part and also by our
regular advertisers.
Thanks to a selection of over 70 significant photographs, accompanied by brief comments, this
Photo Special 2020 aims at rendering the strange atmosphere of the current period made up of
cancellations, postponements, expectations, virtual dance, dance at a distance, or even live dance
with physical “distancing” – performed with passion, indeed sometimes even with eagerness, but
BALLET 2000 under extremely special conditions, mostly to be viewed at home on our monitors. We are provid-
B.P. 1283 – 06005 Nice cedex 01 – F ing photos of some of the shows which actually managed to get performed on stage before the
lockdown and of others that were ready and scheduled but will be performed in theatres at future
tél. (+33) 09.82.29.82.84
dates, once they reopen as everyone hopes. Our attention is, as always, on the protagonists, art-
ists, interpreters and choreographers.
Éditions Ballet 2000 Sarl – France
A.A.
ISSN 2493-3880 (English Edition)
Commission Paritaire P.A.P. 0723K91919
Distribution : Messageries Lyonnaises de
Presse, 76 rue de Reuilly, 75012 Paris During this period in which we look ahead to the recommencement of activities but still have
Imprimé en France/Printed in France by time to pause and reflect, BALLET2000 wishes to offer its readers, artists, students, spectators
Imprimerie Trulli - 06140 Vence and dance lovers
free access to the digital version of its magazines of the past 5 years; the issues can be
www.ballet2000.com downloaded from the homepage at
e-mail: info@ballet2000.com www.ballet2000.com
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Above: the promotional
Waiting for Papaioannou photo of Dimitris
Papaioannou’s new
The prestigious and longstanding Festival d’Avignon (France) has also had to cancel its 2020 edition. The scheduled creation
dance section (which every year presents a few, but important, events) had prominently featured a new creation by (ph. J. Mommert)
Dimitris Papaioannou, the Greek choreographer who has become one of the leading lights on the international
contemporary dance scene (see BALLET2000’s issue N. 274, now downloadable for free from our website
www.ballet2000.com). The show was also expected in Athens and then on tour, but the current situation means we Below: an image of the
will have to wait for it in other places and on dates to be confirmed. Little or nothing is known about the title and audition/workshop
inspiration of Papaioannou’s new work, which was announced simply with this photo. for the new creation
(ph. J. Mommert)
4
Dorothée Gilbert,
Dorothée Gilbert is Giselle Mathieu Ganio –
Paris Opéra Ballet:
“Giselle”
Serge Lifar, the last star of Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes and ruler of the Paris Opéra for decades, used to say that
(ph. Y. Kellerman)
Giselle is the most perfect of ballets. Since its creation at the Paris Opéra in 1841 with Carlotta Grisi in the title role,
there have been a succession of famous Giselles in this ballet which is always eagerly awaited by Parisian and international
audiences alike.
Étoile Dorothée Gilbert took the role at the Opéra last February before the theatre shut down. It could be remarked
that her interpretation in the first act was somewhat hazy; but she was magnificent in the lyrical second “white act”.
With bandeaux in her hair and perfect arabesques penchées, Gilbert was moving and lithe. One could also remark that
her partner Mathieu Ganio lacked dramaticity somewhat in the first act; while Valentine Colasante, in the role of
Myrtha, the Queen of the Wilis, was as determined and detached as the role demands. One therefore had to wait until
the second act for the Opéra dancers to shine with starlight.
The show can be watched online until August on the Paris Opéra website.
M.P.
5
Bigonzetti for
Octavio de la Roza
Octavio de la Roza (the Argentine dancer who
was the last of Maurice Béjart’s discoveries)
and his partner, Italian dancer Camilla Colella, have
been in Switzerland with their group for years. But
on this occasion they have placed themselves in the
hands of Mauro Bigonzetti who, in turn, has transformed
them into interpreters of his Carmen: a danced and acted
duet in which they displayed their strong personalities.
Recently presented at the Salle Paderewsky in Lausanne,
the work is well structured, alternating between moments
of calm and other intense ones, with original movements that
never sink into the banal.
Bigonzetti drew the subject from the novella by Prosper
Mèrimée that inspired Bizet’s opera. Extracts from the original
text (recited, however, in Spanish), divide the action up rather
than explain it. The colour red dialogues with the black, chairs
suffice to suggest a bull and bullfighting. But these references
are discreet and nuanced. And the music? De la Roza himself
Octavio de la Roza, composed it, in a pop style which also reveals gypsy influence.
Camilla Colella: It conjures up a moods and sustains the action, in perfect
“Carmen”, harmony with the choreography and staging.
c. Mauro Bigonzetti J.P.P.
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William Forsythe
70-year-old William Forsythe (ph. M. Zazzo)
returns to pure dance
There is no end to surprises with an unstoppable ex-
perimenter like William Forsythe. The year of his 70th
birthday – on 30 December 2019 – more or less coin-
cided with the birth, at the Sadlers Wells Theatre, of his
magnificent A Quiet Evening of Dance. We reviewed it
in BALLET2000 as it marked his special return to ballet,
alongside his fellow dancers – namely Roderick George,
Brigel Gjoka, Brigel Gjoka, Ayman Harper, Jill Johnson,
Brit Rodemund, Parvaneh Scharafali, Riley Watts, Ander
Zabala, as well as hip hop champion Rauf ‘RubberLegz’
Yasit. The group emerged under the aegis of the Art
Factory London, and we don’t believe that in the future
the great choreographer will do without it, even Riley Watts,
though he has relocated to Vermont (USA) and Parvaneh Scharafali:
established a relationship with Boston Ballet. “A Quiet Evening of
Nor will he cease to display his Dance”, c. William
“choreographic objects” in museums Forsythe (ph. B. Cooper)
around the world, the purpose of
which is to show how and why
choreographic thought can exist,
even in the absence of the
body.
M.G.
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Nicola del Freo
as Eros in“Sylvia”, La Scala, new
c. Manuel Legris
( Brescia/Amisano)
management,
well-known
talents
La Scala Ballet Milan
awaits the resumption of
its stage performances, as
well as a forthcoming
changeover of its artistic
director – on top of the
myriad uncertainties that
are currently common to
all other companies too.
The contract of Frédéric
Olivieri, who led the
company and school for
several years (albeit with
interruptions, such as the
short period during which
the directorship was
entrusted to Mauro
Bigonzetti), expires in
November. However, the
theatre’s new intendant,
Frenchman Dominique
Meyer, who is already
formally in office,
wanted changes in the
artistic team. For the
ballet company, his
choice fell on Manuel
Legris, a former shining
étoile of the Paris Opera
who later took the reins
at the Vienna Opera
Ballet; thus, Legris has
thus already proved his
mettle as a collaborator
of Meyer (the latter
having served as
intendant of the great
Austrian theatre).
Olivieri leave La Scala
Ballet in good shape, as
Legris has already
ascertained having
recently restaged his ver-
sion of Sylvia for them;
several talents shone in
that ballet, and again in
performances prior to the
shutdown which
consisted in three pieces
by Hans Van Manen and
two by Roland Petit.
Among the outstanding
performers were Martina
Arduino, Nicoletta
Manni, Nicola Del Freo
(acclaimed in Le Jeune
homme et la Mort by
Roland Petit), Claudio
Coviello and the young
virtuoso Mattia
Semperboni.
A.A.
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Jirí Kylián Sabine
Kupferberg
What is Kylián up to?
Jirí Kylián is working on a new project, Sehnsucht, inspired by the cycle of life; he’s penning the text, devising the
set – with a door (birth), a table (life), a window (death) – and will be showcasing the dramatic face and acting voice
of his muse Sabine Kupferberg, seen both live at her present age and, at the same time, at a younger age on video – an
obvious paradox of inexorability of time. There is much poetry in the German composite word which constitutes the
title: it refers to desire, the longing to experiment, nostalgia, melancholy. In fact, Sehnsucht encapsulates the many
nuances of the romantic soul which yearns to explore the microcosm of every human being and the macrocosm of the
universe, light/darkness, positive/negative. For Kylián: “The dream drug against mal de vivre”.
E.G.V.
Preparatory model of Jirí Kylián’s latest project, “Sehn-Sucht”
1011
La Ribot with the Lion at the Venice Biennale La Ribot
(ph. P. Zamora)
The Venice Biennale Danza 2020 Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement was awarded to La Ribot, a Catalan
performer known for her “collections” of solos entitled Piezas distinguidas, which she has in the past performed at
the Tate Gallery in London, the Théâtre de la Ville and Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Reina Sofia Museum in
Madrid, as well as at many festivals. In Venice La Ribot is presenting Panoramix which comprises 34 short pieces
from La Ribot’s Piezas distinguidas composed between 1993 and 2003, and Another Distinguée, a new collection
from 2016. Drawing on various media – movement, drawing, colour, collage, manipulation, installations – fragmentation
becomes a great story.
Meanwhile, the Biennale announces that its 14th Festival of Contemporary Dance is postponed to 13-25 October.
For the fourth year running Canadian choreographer Marie Chouinard is responsible for the Biennale’s Dance Sector
which will be presenting 19 choreographers who have created 23 different works, including 7 creations, as well as
meetings and films, in various venues around Venice, from the Arsenale to Ca’ Giustinian and the Teatro Goldoni.
The choreographers invited have been chosen from generations active since the 1980s to the present day; in addition
to La Ribot and Claudia Castellucci (who has been awarded the Silver Lion), they include Catalan Maria Campos and
Lebanese Guy Nader, Frenchman Noah Soulier, Belgian Lisbeth Gruwez, Basque Jone San Martín, and Italians Marco
d’Agostin, Claudia Catarzi, Silvia Gribaudi and Chiara Bersani. A leading light of contemporary French choreography, “Panoramix”,
Olivier Dubois. will present a solo show made up of fragments from his (over) 60 creations. c. La Ribot
E.G.V. (ph. M. Vason)
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Hasta siempre Alicia, though Cuba cancels its festival Poster for Alicia
Alonso’s centenary
In July, the Ballet Nacional de Cuba resumed their classes in the rehearsal room at their Vedado headquarters in Havana,
after passing all the necessary health checks. On Facebook In recent months many company dancers having been posting
words, photos and videos of their pièces de résistance, as well as of dances expressing patience and dedication to their art.
The biennial International Ballet Festival, founded 60 years ago and scheduled for autumn 2020 in theatres around the
Cuban capital as a tribute to the great “mother” of the Cuban Ballet Alicia Alonso (who died in 2019), has been
postponed to 2022 owing to travel restrictions and government precautions. Nevertheless, the birthday of the ballerina/
choreographer/director known as “La Assoluta” will be celebrated on 21 December. In June 1945 Alicia Alonso danced
Giselle in Cuba for the first time, marking the beginning of a long personal, social, political and cultural history that,
thanks to her imprinting, produced a unique ballet phenomenon on the Caribbean’s Isla Grande.
While respecting the legacy she has inherited, Viensay Valdés, a devout pupil of Alonso who officially took office on Ballet National de
1st January this year as the new director of the BNC, is working diligently in new directions – both vis-à-vis her own Cuba:
training (she is still a shining star of the company) and programming for her “family” of the special Cuban “escuela” “Gottschalk
as they move towards the resumption of live dancing onstage. Symphony”,
E.G.V. c. Alicia Alonso
16Sergio Bernal in “Zapateado”, costume designed by Roberto Capucci (ph. A. Sambuchi)
Ravenna Festival is a fact
This is how the director of this major festival of music, theatre and dance effectively put
it: “The Italy of music doesn’t give up: Ravenna Festival is happening; in compliance
with safety regulations it is adapting and will be offering a new programme with live
performances” from 21 June to 30 July. The main stage of this XXXI edition was in the
open-air at Rocca Brancaleone. The festival’s evening of dance, “Solos and Duos”, was
curated by Daniele Cipriani, a featured several international artists including Silvia Azzoni
and Alexandre Ryabko (Hamburg Ballet), Sergio Bernal (formerly with the Ballet Nacional
de España), Hugo Marchand (Opéra de Paris), Matteo Miccini (Stuttgart Ballet), Iana
Salenko and Marian Walter (Staatsballett Berlin).
A.A.
17Grishko’s African Dream
Child
Photos of a Nigerian boy dancing barefoot
in the rain have gone viral on the web. Nikolay
Grishko, founder and owner of the famous
Russian brand of dancewear, sold all over the
world, said he was so touched that he wanted
to help in the training and future of little
Anthony, an 11-year-old student of the
Lagos Dance Academy; Anthony will thus
be supported by Grishko’s “Live your
Dream” project. His “godfather” will be
Grishko’s celebrity endorser Fernando
Montaño, a soloist of The Royal Ballet of
London.
Anthony
Mmesoma Madu
Choreography and migrants
The migrant theme is one of the most popular among performing artists, and several choreographers have taken it up.
After Akram Khan’s recent Outwitting The Devil, comes the turn of Israeli Arkadi Zaides, a former dancer of the
Batsheva Ensemble. Zaides’ politically-committed creativity adopts a documentary approach similar to that recently
adopted that Rachid Ouramdane co-director (alongside Yoann Bourgeois) of the Centre Chorégraphique National de
Grenoble, France. And it is in fact for the CCN in Grenoble that Zaides is preparing his creation Necropolis, which
will be presented (when possible) in Paris and is expected at the RomaEuropa Festival in November. The idea for
this show came to the choreographer when he became aware, from a UN report, of the large number of migrants who
have died trying to reach Europe. “Necropolis”,
S.S. c. Arkadi Zaides
18Viviana Durante: “Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan”, c. Frederick Ashton (ph. D. Scheinmann)
Viviana Durante celebrates Isadora in London
London audiences haven’t forgotten Isadora Duncan, now a legend of early 20th-century
free dance. Nor have they, in more recent times, forgotten Italian dancer Viviana Durante
who was a principal with The Royal Ballet for many years where she danced all the
dramatic roles of the English repertoire. Today, at age 53, Durante is the director of the
English National Ballet School but has also put together a group of dancers of her own to
pay homage to fascinating and dramatic figure of Isadora. The show, a triptych of
choreographies inspired by Isadora (one by Frederick Ashton, a solo attributed to Duncan
herself. plus a creation by Joy Alpuerto Ritter), was performed in February at the Barbican
in London; on that occasion Durante, having been unable to dance on account of an injury,
passed the role to former ENB dancer Begoña Cao.
A.A.
1920
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Prometheus, Beethoven… and Capucci at Spoleto and Nervi Two costume fittings
for “Le Creature di
Prometeo” with
Three extremely different names for a creation entitled Le creature di Prometeo / Le creature di Capucci (“The Crea- their respective
tures of Prometheus / The Creatures of Capucci “) to the sole ballet score composed by Beethoven in the year sketches.
marking the 250th anniversary of his birth. An all-male cast (dancers of the Daniele Cipriani Company are joined by Above: Filippo
artists of various stripe, including dancers Luca Giaccio, Damiano Ottavio Bigi of the Tanztheater Wupperthal, Riccardo Pieroni with
Battaglia of Alvin Ailey’s company, wearing 15 costumes specially-designed by haute-couture wizard Roberto Capucci, Roberto Capucci
will perform “choreographic movements” by Simona Bucci, as the Orchestra of the Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova (ph. M. Danza)
plays the score. Curated by Daniele Cipriani, the show (a jointly produced by the Genoese theatre and the Spoleto below: Capucci
Festival) will be premiered at Spoleto on 28 August with a preview at the Nervi Festival on 1 August. Capucci’s first with Flavio Marullo
encounter with dance was quite recent, namely when he created two costumes, one of which for Spanish dance Sergio (ph. M. Danza)
Bernal, for the Les Étoiles gala in Rome. These new costumes will be reminiscent of the spectacular courtly masques
of the Renaissance, with a parade of otherworldly creatures who appear, vanish and come together on stage during
the finale. Social distancing will be guaranteed by the costumes’ puffs, ruffs, ribbons, feathers, masks and carapaces.
S.A.
22Giselle is reborn in Spain Giada Rossi –
Compañia Nacional
de Danza: “Giselle”
The Compañía Nacional de Danza de España, Madrid, under the new artistic directorship of 44-year-old (ph. A. Muriel)
Joaquín De Luz (who trained with Víctor Ullate, later becoming a principal with New York City Ballet) has
announced his projects for forthcoming season. The first major production, scheduled to debut at the Teatro
de La Zarzuela in Madrid, will be a new version of Giselle based on the original but with some parts of the
choreography re-adapted by De Luz himself, assisted by two Cuban dancers: María Cristina Álvarez, former
principal dancer of the National Ballet of Cuba, and Joan Boada, principal of San Francisco Ballet. Álvarez,
who in her day was an acclaimed Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis, will stage the difficult second act, while Boada
has been entrusted with the first. De Luz has moved the setting from medieval Germany to 19th-century
rural Spain. The cast will include Italian dancer Giada Rossi (Giselle), Belgian Daan Veervoort (Hilarion) and
Cuban Yanier Gómez (Albrecht)
R.S.
23Lou Beyne, Francesco Mariottini – Les Ballets De MonteCarlo: “Cendrillon”, c. Jean-Christophe Maillot (ph. A. Blangero)
Ballets de Monte-Carlo, one of the first to make a comeback
The members of the company directed by Jean-Christophe Maillot are among the first dancers in Europe to put
their pointe shoes back on and tread the stage live again. They will be dancing Altro Canto (created by Maillot in
2006) and Vers un pays sage (1995, one of the French choreographer’s more personal pieces) at the Grimaldi Forum,
Monte-Carlo from 15 to 17 October. Later, from 11 December until the end of year festivities, a series of choreographies all
by Maillot including a creation, Opus 60 (perhaps for his 60th birthday), to be performed together with Dov’è la luna (a
creation from many years ago, to music by Scriabin) and three of his “classics”: Cendrillon, Roméo et Juliette and Lac).
Jaeyong An, Daniele Delvecchio, George Oliveira – Les Ballets De MonteCarlo: “Cendrillon”, c. Jean-Christophe Maillot (ph. A. Blangero)
24Prague, the masked radicals
The Czech National Ballet (this is the new name of what used to be the company of the National Theatre of Prague)
directed by Filip Barankiewicz deserves to be featured here – as well as on the cover – not only because it is an
excellent classically-based troupe whose repertoire ranges from the traditional to the contemporary), nor because it
has put on more shows than other theatres during this period (in fact it closed down, like all the others, from mid-
March until dates ‘to be confirmed’, fruit of wishful feeling rather than of certainty), but because it seems to have
taken on board literally, not only in the rehearsal studios, the obligation that has become a symbol of this calamitous
and unprecedented era: the mask. So, taking advantage of the ‘cue’, in its virtual “gala” entitled Dance Through It
(streamed online on 12 April) which featured works by various choreographers, from Mauro Bigonzetti to Eric Gauthier,
Douglas Lee and others, but above all a video of rehearsals in the theatre and class, the dancers all wear the infamous
mask as a new component of their costumes; or perhaps, of themselves...
A.A.
Radka Zvonarová, Adam Zvonar – Czech National Ballet: “Vertigo”, c. Mauro Bigonzetti (ph. S. Gherciu)
25Elisabet Ros –
Béjart Ballet
BBL, a kick-off with Boléro Lausanne:
Gil Roman, director of the Béjart Ballet Lausanne, made it clear early on, at the end of March, that the “Boléro”,
company’s 2019/20 season was over and that all its shows planned until the summer were cancelled, as were c. Maurice
its international tours. Only postponed, however. At the moment their return to the stage is scheduled for Béjart
September with a show consisting of two titles by Maurice Béjart: Brel et Barbara (2001) and the famous (ph. F. Paolini)
Boléro (1961).
Béjart Ballet
Lausanne:
“Brel et Barbara”,
c. Maurice Béjart
(ph. D. Philispart)
26Is Polunin turning over a new leaf?
He really is one of the most brilliant classical dancers on the scene today,
a worthy heir to the school (and perhaps even the temperament) of the
great Russian dancers of history; but we must admit that 30-year-old
Sergei Polunin has become a world ballet star on account also of the
intemperance on which he has built up an identity that is even more
alluring to his fans than the personality he displays on stage. Shady
character, sex appeal, maybe drugs (so it has been whispered), tattoos,
unexpected behaviour (capriciously quitting The Royal Ballet when
he was 22), questionable (if not bizarre) political and moral statements
– in short plenty of juicy and spicy ingredients for quite a “charac-
ter” offstage. A stage on which he recently appeared, in London,
as the dark Rasputin. In the meantime, however, he has started a
family and become a father. Could it be that, at least during lockdown, the
enfant terrible has put on a pair of slippers?
A.A.
Above: Sergei Polunin with his son (S. Pistel)
Below, in “Rasputin” , c. Yuka Oishi (ph. L. Vantusso)
2728
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Godani and his people are back on stage together Dresden
Frankfurt Dance
Company:
The Dresden-Frankfurt Dance Company directed by Italian choreographer Jacopo Godani returned to live activity
“Selflessness”,
at the end of June with Selflessness, a complex and formal “collective dance” show/performance experiment
c. Jacopo Godani
conceived and directed by Godani himself, which made its debut in the Hellerau Europäisches Zentrum der
(ph. D. Mentzos)
Künste in Hellerau (Germany), the company’s second headquarters, where a special audience seating system
was set up according to the present regulations allowing spectators to walk around the platforms where the
dancers were performing. Godani insists on defining this work as an “artistic installation”, rather than a chore-
ography in the strict sense of the word, emphasising that the performers had total freedom to create and ex-
press themselves during the lockdown.
The company has confirmed that on November 21 they will presenting the scheduled show with three choreog-
raphies by Rafael Bonachela, Marco Goecke and William Forsythe.
R.S.
30Virna Toppi – Bayerisches
Virna Toppi from Milan to Munich Staatsballett: “Nutcracker”,
c. John Neumeier (ph. S. Gherciu)
Last year Virna Toppi, a principal at La Scala, where she emerged after studying at
the company’s ballet school, decided to temporarily leave the Milanese theatre
and accept a proposal from Igor Zelensky, director of the Bayerisches
Staatsballett (Bavarian State Ballet) to move to Munich and join the
German troupe. The Munich-based company has been making
marvellous progress under Zelensky’s leadership over the last four
years, extending its repertoire and welcoming into the fold dancers
who have already proved themselves on the international
scene. Virna Toppi lost no time in shining in this new
milieu and took many of the repertoire’s principal
roles. Recently, before the lockdown, she was
acclaimed in The Lady of the Camellias and
The Nutcracker by John Neumeier, as well
as in Roland Petit’s Coppélia where she
danced beside the world’s new male
ballet superstar Sergei Polunin.
31Also Lisbon celebrates Van Manen Companhia
Nacional de
Just before the country’s theatres closed down, Portugal’s national company (Companhia Nacional de Bailado) Bailado, Lisboa:
performed a show in Lisbon, and Oporto dedicated to the doyen of modern European choreography, Hans Van “In the Future”,
Manen. The troupe, currently directed by Sofia Campos, was founded in 1977 and is now a fairly large and versatile c. Hans Van
ensemble that ranges from classical to contemporary choreography. Manen
(ph. Hugo David)
Lisbon’s company in
“Short Cut”,
c. Hans Van Manen
(ph. Hugo David)
32Mikhailovsky, what happens after La Bayadère?
Angelina
As of 18 March the Mikhailovsky Ballet Theatre of St Petersburg, the Russian city’s second-largest company Vorontsova, Ivan
after the famous Mariinsky, cancelled all its shows until further (unspecified) notice. A choreographic version of La Zaytsev –
Bayadère by Nacho Duato (the company’s director) “after the original by Marius Petipa” was one of the last productions Mikhailovsky Ballet:
staged before the lockdown. “La Bayadère”,
c. Nacho Duato
33Olga Pericet:
Olga Pericet, flamenco in Paris “La espina que
quiso ser flor o la
Of the eight shows of the Biennale d’Art Flamenco at the Théâtre de Chaillot in Paris, the one we most remember flor que soño con
was by bailaora and choreographer of contemporary flamenco, Olga Pericet (45 anni) who is 45 years old and comes ser bailaora”
from Cordova, Spain; the title of the work is La espina que quiso ser flor o la flor que soño con ser bailaora (“The (ph. P. Villalta)
Thorn that wanted to be a flower and the flower that dreamt of being a dancer”). A long title, but Pericet is a sensational
dancer who deploys all of her training: Escuela Bolera, contemporary dance and pure diehard flamenco, including the
bata de cola (the long, wide traditional skirt). With her flaming red hair, Olga Pericet wows us with her cambrés and
displays the same passion that we imagine must have driven the great Carmen Amaya (1874-1930) who, like her,
used to dance wearing men’s clothes. The show goes on a bit, but solicits no shortage of applause at the end.
M.P.
Galván’s Love the Magician,
a solo
Spanish choreographer and performer Israel Galván presented
in Madrid his solo version of Manuel de Falla’s El Amor
brujo (“Love the Magician”), in which he dances accompanied
only by a pianist and a cantaor. Galván is an associate artist
of the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris and this show is a co-
production with the Maison de la Musique in Nanterre, the
Teatro della Pergola in Florence and other European institutions.
It should be noted that the premiere in July inaugurated the
“Madrid en Danza” Festival directed by dancer and
choreographer Aida Gómez at the Teatro del Canal which
was the first public theatre in Spain to open regularly after
the lockdown with one of its scheduled events.
R.S.
Israel Galván: “El Amor brujo”
(ph. R. Rios)
34Ballet Apparel and Shoes
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subscribe to BALLET2000 on www.danzashop.com
(32,00 euros, 7 issues)35plus a bonus issue, free of chargeJoffrey Ballet, from modern to classical
The iconic Joffrey Ballet of Chicago is one of the leading American companies that have had to cancel or postpone
shows scheduled for this season. It was founded as a modern company in New York in 1956 by choreographers
Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino and afterwards, according to an unusual reverse process, the company opened up Edson Barbosa,
to classical ballet. Thus, Russian choreographer Yuri Possokhov’s Don Quixote which was supposed to debut at the Yuka Iwai –
beginning of the season has been postponed; the season will however close, as scheduled, in April 2021 with the Joffrey Ballet:
Chicago premiere of The Little Mermaid, a ballet created by John Neumeier at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen “Don Quichotte”,
in 2005 and already included in the repertoires of several companies around the world. c. Yuri Possokhov
(ph. C. Mann)
3637
Elena Yevseyeva –
The people’s Mariinsky Mariinsky Ballet:
“Shurale”, c. Leonid
When we say the Mariinsky Ballet of St. Petersburg, we think of the great classics danced with unparalleled Jacobson (ph. V.
purity and splendour. But the noble theatre also preserves a Soviet Era tradition of its own. In the course of the last Baranovsky)
season we saw an unusual ballet which will probably return in the coming years to the delight of St. Petersburg
family audiences who are very familiar with it – unlike the rest of the world which is probably unaware of its existence.
The title is Shurale (the name of a forest sprite), the music is by Farid Yarullin, and the choreography was created in
1945 (followed by a second version at the Kirov 5 years later) by the great choreographer Leonid Jacobson; a “modern”
author in his times, but who for Shurale complied with the request that he produce a popular show with monsters
and heroes, simple love stories and a myriad of genuine folk dances, interspersed with a few nice, lyrical, classically- Above box:
based pas de deux. With a spectacular fireworks finale. Ancient history today, but a must. Alexander Sergeyev
A.A. in the title role
38Margot, Alina and Marguerite
Some English critics have compared her to Margot Fonteyn, the great
ballerina who was the symbol of the English ballet. In recent years
The Royal Ballet of London entrusted to its then principal dancer
Alina Cojocaru (now a guest of several other companies) several
roles that used to be danced by the late ballerina whose 100th
birthday was remembered last year. One of these was the
lead role in Frederick Ashton’s Marguerite and Armand,
a British ballet classic which used to be danced by
Fonteyn with a young Rudolf Nureyev; last
February 39-year-old Romanian Cojocaru
danced the role again, but at the Sadler’s Wells
Theatre.
Alina Cojocaru:
“Marguerite et
Armand”,
c. Frederick
Ashton (ph. M.
Norman)
3940
41
Maria Yakovleva,
Manuel Legris, goodbye to Vienna Kimin Kim – Vienna
Opera Ballet: “Le
Manuel Legris has concluded his final season at the helm of the Vienna State Opera Ballet in spite of the fact that Corsaire”,
the theatre’s new management had proposed an extension of his contract. In fact, Legris has accepted the directorship c. Manuel Legris
of the Ballet Company of La Scala, Milan. During his ten years in Vienna, the former Paris Opéra étoile has succeeded (ph. A. Taylor)
in considerably raising the level of ballet in the Austrian capital. The first task he took in hand was that of making
the ensemble consistent and raising it to a high degree of technical excellence; this allowed it to move from ballets like
The Sleeping Beauty to others by William Forsythe or Nacho Duato. Later, Legris set about transmitting a demanding
repertoire, that of the Nureyev versions of the classics with which he is very familiar, having danced them many
times: Raymonda, Swan Lake (according to the choreography created by Nureyev in Vienna in 1964) and The Nutcracker.
During the last phase of his tenure, Legri began recreating his own versions of old ballets; after Le Corsaire he turned
to Sylvia (which has recently also been taken into the repertoire at La Scala).
S.S.
42Hong Kong Ballet, China dancing
These days, China is somewhat out of favour in the Western world. And not all dance-lovers know that the
great country, and in particular its Hong Kong appendix (formerly under British rule and now the cause of a Two promotional
host of political problems), have a considerable ballet activity. The Hong Kong Ballet directed by American photos of Hong
Septime Webre, an excellent classically-based company with a wide-ranging repertoire, has recently celebrated Kong Ballet;
its 40th anniversary. And now? The Hong Kong Ballet has been doing what almost all major companies have below: Zhang
been doing, dedicating itself to a hkballet@home project, obviously with online activities, and preparing for Xuening, Forrest
all the new creations and tours that have had to be postponed. Viruses and its relations with the central Rain Oliveros,
power willing. Ashleigh Bennett
A.A. (ph: D. Alexander)
43Luiza Yuk, Vinícius Vieira –
Linga, São Paolo Companhia de Dança: “Céu Cinzento”,
dancers sing, c. Clébio Oliveira (ph. J. Hilal)
choristers
dance
Merging a dance group
and a choir? This is what
the Linga dance Project,
the company directed by
Katarzyna Gdaniec and
Marco Cantalupo, and
the Vocal Academy of
Suisse Romande, a
renowned chamber choir
did recently at Pully (near
Lausanne, Switzerland).
A real fusion, because the
singers integrate with the
dancers and all move
together. The sound base
for this creation, entitled
Sottovoce, consists in
electronic music by
Mathias Delplanque
suited to the movements, often in unison, of the ten dancers. Music by Greek composer Georges Aperghis and songs Linga Company:
from the Nordic vocal tradition accompany this original show, in which the musical dimension gets the better of the “Sottovoce”,
choreography. On the other hand, one cannot ask the choristers what is expected of the dancers. c. Katarzyna Gdaniec et
J.P.P. Marco Cantalupo
(ph. G. Batardon)
4445
Bolshoi, the enchained titan
The great theatre of the Russian capital was obviously heavily affected by the health measures and
had to cancel all its programmes in Moscow from 17 March to 30 June, as well as its planned
tours. With regard to ballet activity, still in July only soloists were allowed to enter the theatre
for class, in small groups. As we go to print there is no talk of forthcoming performances
on stage. The gala celebrating the 80th birthday of Vladimir Vasiliev, the hero of Russian
ballet adored by the public, was scheduled in April but has been postponed until
November.
Among the Bolshoi Ballet’s latest productions before the crisis set in were a
new Giselle, according to the choreographic version by Alexei Ratmansky,
the by-now ubiquitous and hyperactive Russian choreographer, and The
Winter’s Tale by English choreographer Christopher Weeldon, another
former golden boy of international choreography.
In the large company directed by Makhar Vaziev, with several
principal dancers and ballerinas, and a host of soloists, various
young revelations are currently coming to the fore, as is
continuously the case. On the male side, the rising star
could be Artemiy Belyakov (who is also a
choreographer – his first creation for the Bolshoi
was supposed to debut in March); while among
the young female dancers, a lot of bets are
on Olga Marchenkova.
A.A.
Olga Smirnova, Denis Savin
– Bolshoi Ballet, Moscow:
“The Winter’s Tale”,
c. Christopher
Wheeldon
(ph. D.
Yusupov)
46Olga Smirnova, Artemy Belyakov –
Bolshoi Ballet, Moscow: “Giselle”,
c. Alexei Ratmansky
(ph. D. Yusupov)
47Stuttgart’s new choreographer
During the lockdown also the Stuttgart Ballet (directed today by Tamas Detrich ) produced a virtual project,
stuttgartballet@home, which, among other things, broadcast the troupe’s latest stage production, Messenger, to music
by contemporary Czech composer Ondøej Adámek. It was shot during the February 22nd premiere in Stuttgart, just
in time before closedown. The choreography is by Louis Stiens, a young German choreographer who is also a company
soloist.
The same show also featured a creation by Martin Schläpfer (the established Swiss choreographer who directs the
Düsseldorf ballet company) and one by Douglas Lee, an Englishman, a former dancer in Stuttgart and now a free-
lance choreographer.
Elisa Badenes, Jason Reilly – Stuttgart Ballet: “Messenger”, c. Louis Stiens
48German Dance Prize for
Friedemann Vogel
The Stuttgart Ballet’s best known dancer these
days is undoubtedly Friedemann Vogel who
guests with companies and in theatres all over
the world and partners some of today’s
most famous ballerinas. He has been
awarded the “German Dance Prize
2020” which will be handed to him
next October during a gala evening
at the Aalto Theater in Essen.
Friedemann
Vogel
(ph. R.
Novitzky)
4950
51
Limon Dance Company: “The Unsung”, c. José Limon (ph. S. Pisano)
Limón, 75-year-old
message
Last February New York-based Limón Dance
Company named for its founder José Limón,
one of the pioneers of modern American
choreography, celebrated its 75th birthday.
Its current director Dante Puleio, has stated:
“José Limón’s work has been a force around
the world for 75 years. He built a dance
company after WWII. He created hope when
there was none, he created art that speaks to
generation after generation. It is our respon-
sibility to carry that message of hope and com-
munity forward with risk and artistry.”
José Limón, Betty Jones, Lucas
Hoving, Pauline Koner :
“The Moor’s Pavane”, 1951
52Martha Matinees
Almost all major companies in Europe, America and elsewhere
have attempted to fill this period of void with video dance
projects. Readers will easily be able to find them online.
Of special interest is the “Martha Matinée” streaming
by the Martha Graham Dance Company of New
York which consists in extraordinary period
footage on the company and its legendary
founder. In the meantime, MGDC dancers
are offering (as a figure of speech, $10
per lesson) Graham technique classes
online.
PeiJu Chien-Pott, Ben
Schultz: “Cave of
the Heart”,
c. Martha
Graham (ph.
H. Nash)
53Ksenia Ovsyanick, Vahe Martirosyan – Ballet de l’Opéra de Berlin: “Onegin”, c. John Cranko (ph. Y. Revazov)
In Berlin, ballet is retracing its steps...
As has been regularly reported by BALLET2000 the Berlin Opera Ballet (Staatsballett Berlin) has been undergoing
a crisis for some time, since 2018 when the institutions of the German capital decided to transform this important
and large, international-style company with a classical and modern repertoire, into a contemporary ensemble
directed by Sasha Waltz, leading light of the German Tanztheater. The absurdity was tempered by the presence
of a co-director, Johannes Öhman, who has a more formal training; however, the situation was unsustainable
and has momentarily been resolved thanks to the resignation of Waltz who will leave at the end of 2020. In the
meantime, the company’s programming has gone back on its steps, announcing a 2020/21 season, regulations
permitting, with some novelties and several revivals of its repertoire, including John Cranko’s Onegin (as from
December).
A.A.
54Kukai Dantza:
Lyon: the Biennale postponed until 2021 while La Maison bounces back “Oskara”,
c. Marcos Morau
One of the most important contemporary dance festivals in Europe, the Lyon Dance Biennale scheduled for this
coming September, has been postponed until May/June 2021 due to the health emergency. The future Biennale has
announced Angelin Preljocaj’s Swan Lake and Dimitris Papaioannou’s 2020 creation.
But the activity of La Maison de la Danse de Lyon which – together with the Biennale – is directed by French
choreographer Dominique Hervieu, kicks off again in September and October with projects open to the public and
later, from November onwards, with proper shows; the first will be the Ballet du Rhin in Chaplin, followed by 33
other offerings covering the whole season until next spring. Of note are appearances by Jerôme Bel, Juval Pick,
Peeping Tom, José Montalvo and the Ballet du Capitole. Malandain Ballet
The Lyon Biennale and BALLET2000 are more or less the same age, with almost 40 years to their names. There will Biarritz: “Sirènes”
be plenty of opportunities to report on events in Lyon, once BALLET2000 also resumes its regular publications c. Martin
which have now (but only temporarily) been suspended. Harriague
A.A. (ph. O. Houeix)
55B. du Rhin
shuts down
with Virginia,
opens up with
Charlie
The Ballet du Rhin (with its
triple headquarters in
Mulhouse, Strasbourg and
Colmar, France) was able to
stage its most recent
production at the beginning
of February, shortly before
the lockdown: Yours,
Virginia, a creation by
Israeli choreographer Gil
Harush inspired by English
author Virginia Woolf. The
work that Ballet du Rhin is
going to offer next November
at the Maison de la Danse
in Lyon is also inspired by
a famous name, one that has
been used extensively by
dance authors: Chaplin by
Céline Nunige, Marin Delavaud : “Chaplin”, c. Mario Schröder (ph. A. Poupeney) German choreographer
Mario Schröder.
Ballet du Rhin: “Yours, Virginia”, c. Gil Harush (ph. A. Poupeney)
56Dorothée Gilbert,
The Paris Opéra to reopen in November Mathias Heymann –
Paris Opéra Ballet:
Due to the crisis, the Paris Opéra cancelled 160 performances of ballets, opera and concerts from March onwards. “La Bayadère”,
Whilst we don’t yet know when the older of the Opéra’s two venues, the Palais Garnier, is going to reopen, it has c. Rudolf Nureyev
been announced that the spacious Bastille Opéra will welcome the public to a concert on 23 November. Later, until (ph. L. Shao)
the end of the year, there are to be two operas (La Traviata and Carmen) and a revival of the ‘house’ version of La
Bayadère by Rudolf Nureyev.
57Salad keeps
fresh for 2021
Also one of the leading dance festivals
in the United States, the Dance Salad
Festival Houston, has had to cancel its
2020 edition which had been announced –
including by BALLET2000 – for the month
of April. Or rather, it has had to postpone
it to early April 2021, thus also celebrating
its 25th anniversary. Its artistic director,
Nancy Henderek, will try to keep much
of the programme that had been planned
for this year and which prominently
featured the Dresden Ballet in The Four
Seasons by David Dawson, the Hofesh
Shechter Company, Ballet Flanders,
Australia’s Sydney Dance Company and
France’s Laboration Art Company in a
creation by Laura Arend.
Sangeun Lee, Gareth Haw
– Semperoper Ballet
Dresden : “The Four
Seasons”, c. David
Dawson (ph. I. Whalen)
5859
ABT and
Greek
scholar
Ratmansky
American Ballet
Theatre’s last new
production before
theatres closed down in
the USA was a creation
by its “resident choreog-
rapher Alexei Ratmansky
who however works all
over the world. It was his
first full evening work for
ABT entitled Love and
Rage and it is expected
to be reprised in future
seasons. To music of
Aram Khachaturian,
Ratmansky was bizarrely
inspired by a late-
Hellenistic literary work
known only to experi-
enced Greek scholars,
Chaereas and Callirhoe,
an adventurous and
complicated love story
inhabited by pirates and
mythological gods.
The new ballet debuted
on March 5 in Costa
Mesa. Naturally, the
shows scheduled later in
New York were
cancelled, as has ABT’s
entire Autumn Season.
A.A.
Above: American Ballet
Theatre:“Of Love and
Rage”,
c. Alexei Ratmansky (ph.
G. Schiavone)
Left: Catherine Hurlin,
Aran Bell – ABT:
“Of Love and Rage”
(ph. E. Baiano)
60Vendetta for Tulsa
The Oklahoma-based Tulsa Ballet (USA) directed by Marcello
Angelini had announced that May was to bring a new production
with a self-explanatory title: Vendetta, a Mafia Story – a
re-imagining by choreographer Annabelle López Ochoa
of Romeo and Juliet in an Italo-American mafia setting.
Having naturally been cancelled on account of the
usual health restrictions, the premiere has been
postponed until October.
Tulsa Ballet: “Vendetta,
a Mafia Story”, c.
Annabelle López
Ochoa (ph. J.
Charles)
6162
63
Joaquín de Luz:
Joaquín de Luz stays onstage “A Suite of
Dances”,
The Festival Internacional de Música y Danza de Granada which lasts until August, has also had to change its c. Jerôme
programme due to the imposed restrictions. An appearance by the Malandain Ballet Biarritz was cancelled and a Robbins
surprise opening show will instead feature the Compañía Nacional de Danza in Madrid with its new director Joaquín (P. Kolnik)
de Luz dancing once again. De Luz had originally stated that he was going to concentrate on his role as director but
now he has let himself be led by current circumstances to the magnificent open-air stage in the Generalife, at the
Alhambra in Granada. He will be dancing one of his ‘fortes”, A Suite Of Dances. The piece, created by Jerome Robbins
for Mikhail Baryshnikov in 1994, is a long choreographic solo to music by Bach performed live by a cellist on stage.
De Luz, a longtime principal dancer of New York City Ballet, learned the piece directly from Baryshnikov and has
danced it successfully in New York and Paris. A joint creation for the CND dancers by De Luz himself, Pino Alosa
and Mar Aguiló completes the evening’s offerings.
R.S.
Joaquin de Luz in the
Gardens of the
Generalife where the
Granada Festival is
held (ph. L. León)
64Kira Hilli, Manu
HNB’s social-distancing tutus Kumar – Het
Nationale Ballet:
Het Nationale Ballet, the Dutch National Ballet based in Amsterdam, has taken the social distancing regulations very “Safe Distance
seriously (or maybe not?) and has devised, in collaboration with a well-known Dutch brand of casual and sportswear, tutus Ballet”, c. Remi
that have a diameter of 3 metres and are hence able to keep partners at a safe distance of at least a metre and a half. The Wörtmeyer
dancers walked to the theatre in these tutus through the streets of Amsterdam, among the city’s inhabitants, and once there, (ph. L. Weitjes)
performed a specially-commissioned choreography by Australian Remi Wörtmeyer, company dancer, in the empty theatre.
The video was shared online and can be found by typing “HNB Safe Distance Ballet” in your search engine.
A.A.
6566
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67Miami Festival: virtual.... ma non
troppo
The International Ballet Festival of Miami (USA), which was
supposed to celebrate its 25th anniversary this year, has had to
postpone its live performances until 2021. During the lockdown,
the “White House of Ballet” (photo above) where the school and
company of the Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami are located, has
kept up its classes and other activities via the internet, under the
direction of Eriberto Jiménez. The latter is the artistic heir of Pedro
Pablo Peña, a key figure of ballet in Florida who founded the school
thirty years ago, followed by the Festival, the company and the
Creation Art Center of Miami.
Jiménez, together with Cuban pianist and composer Isaac Rodríguez,
has now created a piece entitled Together about the experience of
the daily virtual dance class, developing an abstract choreography,
“intimist, with great body and stylist control of solitary
Andy Souza, the brilliant young Cuban dancer recently acquired by the performance”. After this virtual experience, disseminated over the
Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami internet, the Cuban Classical Ballet is preparing to return to the
live stage at the end of August.
R.S.
Above: Julio Bocca
and left the Zoom
screenshot of the
Zoom master Julio Bocca #artistasencasa video
presentated by the
Argentinian 53-year-old Julio Bocca, one of the great classical dancers of his generation – popular all the world over famous dancer
(and especially in Latin America) having guested for years with the top international companies and later with his
own – has also devoted himself to teaching over the internet from his home-studio in Buenos Aires.
68Marcelino Sambé
dances against racism
The Royal Ballet of London has promoted
a video conceived and performed by
Marcelino Sambé, one of the company’s
most prominent dancers. The title, and
inspiration, is I can’t breathe, the
exclamation that has inflamed antiracists
all around the world, having been the last
words spoken by George Floyd, the young
African-American killed last May by
police in Minneapolis, USA. For his
intense solo, which can be seen on The
Royal Opera House’s FB page, Sambé
has used Tom Yorke’s music for film
Suspiria.
Marcelino Sambé
(ph. Jenny Brough for
Attitude magazine)
69Cali Festival, Colombians in the world
In Colombia ballet has a name: Gloria Castro, a passionate enterprising
figure, who over 50 years has created a school, a company and a
festival in the city of Cali. This year, naturally, the Festival
Internacional de Ballet de Cali had to reduce its live offerings and
focus on an “virtual international experimental project” from the end
of August to 5 September, which will feature, among others, a show
with 10 pairs of dancers, the best Colombians around the world
with their partners, as well as other artists active in Argentina, Brazil,
Mexico, Cuba and Spain. The protagonist, however, will be the
IncolBallet company founded by Castro who recently handed the
reins over to her former student Oscar Chacón, the most famous
Colombian dancer in the world, having for many years been a leading
light of the Béjart Ballet Lausanne.
R.S.
Gloria Castro takes a curtain call during one of her recent festivals
Kateryna Shalkina and Oscar Chacón in a creation by Chacón himself, “Opus d’amour” (ph L. Pagés)
7071
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