For the Sake of the Children

Christopher Wheeldon:

"The Sleeping Beauty"

The Royal Danish Ballet 

November 30 - December 2, 2013

 

Re-visiting the Wheeldon creation made for RDB two Christmas ago makes one aware of  how much the company has developed since. But one also gets somewhat annoyed by the realisation that the premise for the production, making a family friendly Christmas performance, limits how far RDB can take "The Beauty".

Since the first outing the already shortened ballet have been cut even more, and thereby not only limiting the opportunities for the strong upcoming dancers to gain experience but the  process of making everything digestible contradict every aim of going for the highest level of excellence.

The financial crunch has led to tighter budgets at the RDB and numbers of dancers and productions has been cut, but as the company is obligated to do a number of family oriented outreach productions, it is the arts driven productions which carries the full load of the cuts. And that is not fair on the company. To ad even more injury, the company now faces competition. TIVOLI  has launched their own production of "The Nutcracker" to attract the all important family audience. The TIVOLI Nutcracker is artistically no competition for the RDB. We are talking about a production on an unsuitable stage, with recorded music, with a drummed up ensemble and a poor storyline but family Christmas entertainment has little need for artistic excellence, and TIVOLI holds a strong PR card by signing the Danish Queen as designer for the production. It is a delicate matter when the public financed Queen participates in a commercial enterprise geared to compete with the state owned ensemble. The competition may hurt the RDB at the box office but the major loss could be that novice audience, bought in to TIVOLI on the appeal of the Queen may never venture to the real thing after seing the meagre production.

A Tale of Two Sisters

Wheeldon's "Beauty" trys hard to live up to the family labelling by focusing on the  good/bad sister relationship between Carabosse and Lilac fairy . The latter isa no dancing role in this production. A workable plot but also an opportunity missed for a stellar performance. The Lilac solo was kept in a divertissements two years ago, but this has now been axed to make a smother and shorter performance.

In 2010 the solo was danced by the young American dancer Caroline Baldwin, who for the first time showed her qualities. This run she has advanced to Aurora and made a promising debut as a bubbly and charming princess.

There are five casts listed and so far I have managed to catch three of them. Originally the production was made on Gudrun Bojesen and Alban Lendorf, but Bojesen, who also danced Aurora in Helgi Tomasson's version, has never danced the new version in performace and is also sitting this round out. Never the less her imprint is present, not only in the decor that include lots of mock up pictures of Bojesen as Aurora, but one can still see how the production cater for Bojesen's unique qualities.

This makes the challenge bigger for the other Auroras, Amy Watson and J'aime Crandall, who cannot bring the needed magic to the covered role. Tall Watson and tiny Crandall are both tecnhically profilic dancers, but does not have the style nor the charm to create belivable Auroras. Watson is partnered by the strong and secure, but not very engaging, Gregory Dean and  Crandall is once more paired with the dynamic incredible skilled Alban Lendorf.

Keeping Up

Lendorf's present level of classical dancing  is sharpened by his recent turn in "La Bayadère" and is in a class of itss own. It must be a bit frustating for his peers, but maybe Dean and Ulrik Birkkjær, the Florimund to Baldwin, should try to strenghten their skills in some of the areas, where Lendorf does not rule absolute. A pas de deux consist of more than jumps and turns, so they should consider going  for the fuller picture.  

All male solo dancers  are  on duty in the Rose Adagio and here one can enjoy the skills and presense of Mads Blangstrup, who gives a lesson of what a good male partner can bring to the table. His performance should inspire Lendorf's competitors. 

Willingly caught in a Time Bubble

Jerome Kaplan has dressed and overdressed the dancers in the adagio and elsewhere. He is so committed to the 17th century Versailles style, that the production skips the 100 year hyatis and stay in the same style all the way through. Some of his costumes and decor are beautiful, other are downright comical and whether it was his or Wheeldon's decision to put the fairies in flimsy  long chiffon a la greque style, it was the wrong desision and cloud an otherwise fine ensemble. These girls have earned the right to tutus (and their partners to some pants).   

 

Sharing the Opportunities

This week first year dancers Ida Prætorius and Andreas Kaas won the Erik Bruhn competiton. Danish dancers have won before, but not both awards simultaiously, so it is a great achivement by two talented dancers, allready doing soloist roles. The award underline the fact that the RDB is bursting with talent. Seven girls are cast for title role in "La Bayadère" or "Sleeping Beauty" and more candidates are waiting in the wings. Dancers like Hilary Gusswiler, Caroline Baldwin and Jón Axel Fransson are doing principal work as corps dancers and dancers like Prætorius and  Stephanie Chen Gundorph Møller does leading roles as aspirants. To develop these and other high achivers like Holly Jean Dorger and Jonathan Chmelensky, Hübbe needs not only more productions but also less obligations to provide easy reads versions to bring in the masses. Allow quality to match quality and let TIVOLI handle the lovest determinator. My expectations is that RDB will not loose revenue by going a more artistic route.     

Photo credits:

Henrik Stenberg  (c)  Royal Danish Ballet

1. Amy Watson as Auora and Eva Kloborg as Carabosse

2. Caroline Baldwin as one of the fairies

3.  Alban Lendorf and j'aime Crandall as Florimund and Aurora

4. Eva Kloborg as Carabosse with Attendants

5. Holly Jean Dorger and Jonathan Chmelensky

 

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