Eva Kistrup

Hübbe's Bournonville - Bournonville's Hübbe

August Bournonville/ Nikolaj Hübbe:

"A Folk's Tale"

Royal Danish Ballet

January 19, 2012

Nikolaj Hübbe's production of  "A Folk's Tale"  is his third production of a major Bournonville work. He started from the top with his aclaimed 2004 production of "La Sylphide" followed in  2009 by "Napoli"  and " A Folk's Tale" in spring 2011. All three productions are danced this season ("Napoli" although only in Paris) so it could be a good time to evaluate what Hübbe does for for Bournonville and vice versa.

Cost savings at Royal Danish Ballet leaves eigtht dancers without a job

As the Royal Theatre has to cut 83 jobs, eight dancers are fired. Three dancers retires. It is not known yet what consequences the cost saving exercise will have for the large apprentice group knocking on the door.

Interview with Gudrun Bojesen

A Modern Romantic Ballerina

Gudrun Bojesen is now the leading Danish ballerina, but is no longer identified primarily as a Bournonville dancer. The lasts seasons have seen her develop into a dramatic ballerina with a strong grip on the audience. But Gudrun Bojesen’s ambition is as much turned to the modern dance scene as to the classical repertoire. This interview was made in relation to the 2011 US tour. Since then Gudrun Bojesen has continiued to move and impress the audience and is now preparing the title role in John Neumeier's "Lady of Camille"  

Tunnel Vision

George Balanchine:

"The Nutcracker"

Royal Danish Ballet

December 3 2011

First two casts

For some odd reason the ballet have been singled out among the Royal Theatre's ensembles to carry the obligation of catering for the family audience. Not only does the season include Thomas Lund's childrens ballet on a popular Danish television character and Esther Lee Wilkinson's youth oriented "The Neglected Spring". The obligation also includes producing a Christmas run of family oriented productions. Last year it was Christopher Wheeldon's "Sleeping Beauty". The year's December's repertoire consist of 16 performances of "The Nutcracker". Financially it make sense. The season is sold out in advance with no marketing support. Artistically, bending and boxing classical ballets to fit two daily matinees comes with a price tag.

Other Dances - Other Dancers

"The Robbins Programme" &

"Dancing for Unicef"

Royal Danish Ballet

November 2011

When "Other Dances" was premiered earlier this month I was not impressed with the choreography and wrote it of as a piece de occasion. What I realise now is that there is real value in the choreography and it can be brought out by the right dancers, in this case the teaming of Thomas Lund and Alexandra LoSardo who reinvented the work before our eyes.

The Entertainer

Jerome Robbins:

"The Concert"

"The Cage"

"Other Dances"

"West Side Story Suite"

Royal Danish Ballet

October 29 and 31 2011

Arlene Croce once wrote that Roland Petit was the greatest name in Ballet Entertainment, and then added: He is also the only name in Ballet Entertainment. A great joke but not true. Based on merit, ticket sales and quality levels the title of the greatest name in that category must go to Jerome Robbins. He is also one of the greatest name in ballet. And the only regret I have regarding Nikolaj Hübbe's choice of works for this programme is that the ballet side of Robbins is underrepresented. Maybe to avoid this specific pun, Hübbe has named his programme "Broadway - for one night" but never the less a better combination of works could have made a better case for both the Broadway angle and for Robbins as the master choreographer Hübbe rightly admire and prioritize in the RDB repertoire.

Class of 2011

Esther Lee Wilkinson

"The Neglected Spring"

Royal Danish Ballet

October 26 2011

The present aspirant class of RDB is probably the biggest class for several generations. Many of the students, most notably Ida Prætorius have already had featured roles or done significant corps assignments. For the previous two seasons an annual production based on aspirants and first years dancers have performed on the smaller Drama House stage and done some touring to schools. There is a double agenda for these projects, to build a younger audience and to kick start the young dancers stage experience. 

This year's project also managed to present probably the greatest choreographer talent from the company ranks.

The Other Stuff

Angelin Preljocaj:

An then a Thousand Years of Peace

at the Royal Danish Theatre

Royal Danish Ballet's repertoire

October 2011

With this season two opening programmes "The Lesson/La Sylphide" and  "Virtuoso Steps", Royal Danish Ballet caters for the refined and dedicated balletomanes. It is ballet performance on a very high level. But as a state company RDB has other commitments at well and that is taken care of in the next programmes.

The commitment includes making a ballet performance for younger children, another for teenagers and students and present guest performances by other European companies, make something for the Opera stage and do a family-oriented Christmas show. For these commitments Nikolaj Hübbe - recently prolonged as ballet master for five more years- has juggled the dwindling budget and his high ambitions and selected to feed the young children with Thomas Lund's "Teddy goes dancing" from a few seasons ago. For the student audience Esther Lee Wilkinsson will make a ballet version of a popular Danish novel with Hübbe himself in the role of harsh teacher professor Blomme. The opera stage will get a high dose of Jerome Robbins ballets and the Christmas family audience gets the luxury of the Balanchine "Nutcracker".

Hübbe may agree to these commitments but he also use them to push the case for good choreography. His argument is. " If we have to do "The Nutcracker" we will do the best available".   

Inspired

"Bournonville Fantasi" by Thomas Lund

"Donizetti Variations" by George Balanchine

"Etudes" by Harald Lander

Royal Danish Ballet

September 30, October 1, 2011

 

We all live in financial times and the Royal Danish Ballet is subjected to cuts in numbers of productions and performances. That put special demands on the Ballet Master because the limit for mistakes get smaller. With fever opportunities the hit rate must be higher. With this programme named "Virtuoso Steps" Nikolaj Hübbe shows his high quality levels and his skills in selecting appropriate works for the company and it stars.

"Virtuoso Steps" is just was it says: A wonder of great choreography brought to life by the brilliant corps and soloists of RDB.

Grand & Bland

Flemming Flindt:

"The Lesson"

August Bournonville:

"La Sylphide"

Royal Danish Ballet

September 24 2011

"The Lesson" will probably be the only Flindt ballet that will stay in RDB's future repertoire and "La Sylphide" is the ballet that will never leave the same repertoire. But although "La Sylphide" cannot be kicked out, production values should not be jeopardized and it should be performed with passion, commitment and interpretation. Yesterdays performance showed how a strong performance ad longevity to "The Lesson" Whereas "La Sylphide" came across as bland and where James most suprisingly could be overshadowed by Gurn.