Eva Kistrup

Quality Time

Silja Schandorff & Nikolaj Hübbe:

”Giselle”

Royal Danish Ballet

The Old Stage

October 29, 2016

 

Compared to his productions of”Napoli”, “A Folk´s Tale”, “La Sylphide” and “Swan Lake”, Nikolaj Hübbe, together with co-director Silja Schandorff is taking the conservative route with the new production of “Giselle”. There is no time travel, nor any gender change, and the décor and costumes, although bold, stays close to the norm. The focus is where it should be and the result is a brilliant production carried by the youngest and brightest stars of Royal Danish Ballet.

Killing My Darlings

 

Tue Biering, Marie Rosendahl Chemnitz

and Corpus:

”Sleeping Beauty Must Die”

A-Salen

Royal Theatre

October 28, 2016

 

 

The day before Royal Danish Ballet out roll a new and fairly traditional production of “Giselle” with all the trimmings, the in-house company Corpus do their best – or worse – in an attempt to kill “Sleeping Beauty”.

It is not a pretty sight, nor was it meant to be. A production that achieved very little in the core disciplines of ballet, theatre, entertainment or provocation.

High Hopes

 

Astrid Elbo entered the ballet school on the same day as Ida Praetorius and Andreas Kaas. While her two friends seems to get their pick of the fruity roles, Astrid Elbo must build her resume on what is available. That has given Astrid Elbo a broad experience in character roles, modern dance and luckily an array of classical divertissements that confirms that she is destined for the bigger roles. However, this year has opened a new door to fame for her.

In Demand

Along with many feminist sayings like “ A Woman without a Man is like a Fish without a Bicycle” one could probably ad that becoming a principal dancer at 35 is an unlikely as the announcement of a female Pope.

Yet it happened to Kizzy Matiakis, the English dancer, who has made Royal Danish Ballet her home since 2003:

 “ As a young dancer – like any other dancer – I have had my dream roles, and although a lot of them never happened, I was happy and satisfied in my career, hoping that at 35, I would be able to continue, keep some of my roles, and maybe still be selected for new productions.

 I had absolutely no expectations of a promotion. The company has a large group of very talented young dancers with impeccable technique, some already soloists and principals. Everything pointed at a generation change over the next seasons.”

 

The Keeper of the Flame

 

Royal Danish Ballet made every effort to impress for beloved Prima Ballerina Gudrun Bojesen's farewell performance. Through live and video performances, the company celebrated the unique ballerina's many contributions to the company, her strong viewpoints on company repertoire and her dedication to the Bournonville heritage. It became a night where miracles happened, but also a night that strongly showed where RDB should be heading and which roads should not be travelled.

Odette vs Odile

 

 

Silja Schandorff & Nikolaj Hübbe:

”Swan Lake”

Royal Danish Ballet

October 7 & 8

The Opera Stage

The two lasts casts of this seasons run of “Swan Lake” has now taken their place on the Opera stage. And they placed themselves in complete opposite corners on how to interpret the roles. One could almost call it a battle between Odette and Odile. In the end, the victory went to the right competitor. However, as in most parts of life it is not merely a black or white matter.

Breaking News - Kizzy Matiakis promoted to Principal Dancer at RDB

Following her debut as Odette/Odile in RDB’s production of “Swan Lake”.Kizzy Matiakis, was appointed Principal Dancer at the RDB by Artistic Director Nikolaj Hübbe.

It was a surprise announcement, as RDB normally appoints principals in their mid-twenties and Kizzy Matiakis, who is born in 1981, will get a comparatively short run as the retirement age is 40. The English dancer was educated at Central School of Ballet and joined RDB in 2003 following employment at the Swedish Royal Ballet. In 2008 she was appointed soloist at RDB.

She has danced a broad repertoire of classical and modern ballets, including Christopher Wheeldon’s “Sleeping Beauty”. Last season Natalia Horecna created the main role in “The Death That Best Preserves” on her.

This is the third Principal appointment at RDB in 2016. Earlier this year Holly Jean Dorger and Ida Praetorius were made principals. J'ime Crandall, Amy Watson and Susanne Grinder, all in the same age bracket as Matiakis, fill out the group of female principal dancers in the company.

Photo Copyright(c) Royal Danish Ballet