Kenneth Greve & Peter Langdal:
The Nutcracker"
Royal Danish Ballet
December 2008
John Neumeier
"Romeo & Juliet"
Royal Danish Ballet
January 2009
"The Leth Box"
Royal Danish Ballet & NYCB on Film
Nikolaj Hübbe is trying to develop the young dancers of the Royal Danish Ballet to handle the mantle, but not every ballet in the inherited repertoire help him to reach his goal.This winter's productions of "The Nutcracker" and "Romeo & Juliet" demonstrate the challenges but the dancers are developing and a blast from the past gives the young dancers a unique opportunity to emulate the qualities of yesteryear.
The Dream that turned into a Nightmare
As a new ballet master, Nikolaj Hübbe inherited a number of Frank Andersen’s productions and decisions. That cannot be helped, but the consequences are strongly felt when the company is dancing productions like the Greve/Langdal “Nutcracker”, which only can be described as a total waste of valuable company time and resources.
This production of “The Nutcracker” was mounted to appeal to a family audience. And in order to make the production reach a broader demographic choreographer Kenneth Greve was matched or rather mismatched with theatre director Peter Langdal, well-known for jazzing up the classics with tricks and bravado. So one end of the production is a pseudo mix of Balanchine meets Flemming Flindt and the other end is a newcomers first ideas like “let us show that dancers are real people who are performing and lets go for the crudest form of performance and make second act into a circus ”. It does not work, and it does not even work where a mediocre “Nutcracker” could have worked as valuable training for younger dancers.
And the younger dancers need opportunities. The fall season has been rich in big 3 acts ballet, but unfortunately most of these ballet have few soloists opportunities, so the younger dancers have had few opportunities to dance substantial parts except Phesant pas de deux in Giselle.
For the premiere Yao Wei danced the Pas de Deux with Marcin Kapinski, and that proved to be her best partnership yet. Marcin Kupinski is a strong partner with a soaring jump and the pair suited each others line and style. The other of the four leading couples I catched, Gudrun Bojesen and Mads Blangstrup was less faithful toward Kenneth Greve' choreography and rendered a more traditional take on the pas de deux.
But even this strong pairings could not save the ballet. In the first act finale it becomes clear that this productions identify the nightmare with the family Christmas gathering. A gloomy outset on a family oriented production which great failure is that it does not believe in the core value of the work or in the tradition of classical ballet.
Romeo & Juliet & Juliet
John Neumeier´s “Romeo & Juliet” has delivered ample opportunities for young dancers since the premiere in 1974. The myth about this production is the myth of the young dancers taking the leads and become overnight sensations. I would not go so far on the two casts presented so far, save stating that all four dancers presented their best work so far.
First out was Christina Michanek and Sebastian Kloborg(left), the latter a newly appointed soloist. Kloborg had his debut in the part a few years back and has grown in dramatic presence and partnering skills. Christina Michanek has likewise a strong presence and very touching in her acting, but she is significantly taller than the dancer on whom the role was choreographed on (Marianne Kruse, a Danish dancer in Neumeier's company) . This created the challenge to match the shapes and impressions created by the choreographer. Neumeier works in this ballet with high lifts and a sort of fish dives, and it is difficult to achieve the effects with a tall ballerina. Instead of star crossed lovers the couple resembles more a ship setting the top sails in various key moments, but both dancers demonstrated that they will play key roles in the company's future.
The other couple Femke Mølbach Slot and Ulrik Birkkjær had different challenges. Birkkjær is undoubtedly a stronger technical dancer than Sebastian Kloborg, but he is not the owner of many facial expressions and he is challenged by the partnering. Not that he is a bad partner, but his Juliet Femke Mølbach Slot does not have the strength to help him by keeping her posture unaided in the lifts. It was the same situation when she danced the part a few years ago with Mads Blangstrup as Romeo, but he was able to carry the pas de deux alone. This time around Blangstrup is Tybalt, and a very fine and strong Tybalt, but he is sorely missed as Romeo, a role he has dominated in a decade. But as stated above the myth of this ballet is to cast young.
The pivotal part as Mercutio is shared between Morten Eggert and Tim Matiakis with Eggert as the stronger bid. Matiakis tends to make Mercutio to much of a commedia del arte figure. Gitte Lindstøm shares the part of Lady Capulet with Gurdun Bojesen, who succeed in her first bitchy role.
For the pivotal role of the nurse, the production included a real surprise. Mette-Ida Kirk, the first and greatest Juliet of the Danish production made a come back to the company after more than ten years in retirement. As a lyrical adagio ballerina I have never suspected to see her play the character part of the nurse, neither have I expected her to make a return to performing. Mette-Ida Kirk made the nurse sweet, funny and touching in her devotion to her protegee, but most importantly she showed the dancers and the audience how to use face, posture and hands to create a character ad she also showed how to stay in character even when watching the dancing from backstage.
Those who would like to see or relive Mette-Ida Kirk as a young Bournonville ballerina can order the newly published installment of "The Jørgen Leth Collections" The Film Portraits no. 22-29. The collection covers the full work of Jørgen Leth, Danish Poet and film maker. In 1978 he made "Peter Martins a Dancer, a portrait of Peter Martins and NYCB and the year after he directed "Dancing Bournonville" a movie made in relation to the first Bournonville festival. The center piece of the film is Hans Brenaa teaching Mette-Ida Kirk and Ib Andersen the Pas de Deux from "Kermes in Brüges", brilliantly captured. The box also includes "Steps on Silence" which is outtake of the Peter Martins film. For an US audience the two NYCB films shows the company and Martins, Farrell and Ashley at the height of their career. The Bournonville movie shows the great last Volkova generation in full strength and includes cameos of Henning Kronstam, Eric Bruhn, Fredbjørn Bjørnsson and Kirsten Ralov. The film opens with the youngest children leraning "La Conservatoire" and behind Christina Olsson and Nilas Martins in front two rookie boy are trying to emulate their steps, the future solo dancers Alexander Kølpin and a very young Nikolaj Hübbe. In another box in the series "Notes about Love" which includes small segments of "La Sylphide" with Kirk and Villumsen as well as an Anna Karenina segment with Linda Hindberg and Lars Damsgaard.
Speaking of the dancer of yesteryear's, Palle Jacobsen, the first cast Paris in 1974 died the day before the re-premiere from a long illness. Jacobsen started as a pupil at the Royal Ballet School but did not make in to company, but joined as a solo dancer following an international career. He partnered Kirsten Simone, Anna Lærkesen and Mette Hønningen in Swan Lake and the classical repertoire and later danced prominent character parts. He continued as a teacher at the shool and the re-premiere of Romeo & Juliet was dedicated to his memory.
So in many ways the performance tied the strings to the first production of "Romeo & Juliet". It is a welcome change to the last years where it seems like that the company did not celebrate its more recent history. Tying the strings makes it possible for the young dancers to learn the skills and ethics of their recent predeccesors. Hübbe has always spoken with admiration for this great generation and I hope he will continue to bring in the dancers as inspiration for the new generation. It will only help them to become better dancers and performers.
Photos: Henrik Stenberg & Per Morten Abrahamsen Copyright (c) Royal Danish Theater
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