Ballet de Luxe
First Act
Pas de deux from August Bournonville’s The Flower Festival in Genzano
Pas de deux from August Bournonville’s William Tell
Ballabile from August Bournonville’s Napoli
Second Act
Pas de deux from Arthur Saint-Léon’s Coppélia
Pas de deux from Marius Petipa’s Swan Lake
George Balanchine’s Tchaikovsky pas de deux
Pas de deux from John Neumeier’s Romeo and Juliet
Third Act
George Balanchine: Theme and Variations
Royal Danish Ballet
The Old Stage
March 22, 2017
With “Ballet de Luxe” Royal Danish Ballet introduce a new format, never used before in the standard repertoire. A sort of gala, playing 6 times starring the local Principals and Soloists. I cannot quite make out the reason for this initiative. Is it to present a cost-effective production in a season full of expensive high lights like “Alice”, “Giselle” and “Jewels” or to create more opportunities for dancers.
It the aim to take care of a least a little bit of Bournonville in an almost Bournonville-free season, or are Nikolaj Hübbe creating an opportunity to get some Balanchine experience into the dancers before taking on the big challenge of “Jewels”? If is the last listed reason, then the programme must be granted a great success. It was a joy to watch the RDB corps excel in “Theme and Variations”. They are definitely ready for “Jewels”.
Regarding the leads, Caroline Baldwin and Jonathan Chmelensky, second cast last season are both strong dancers. However they still fail to create the full magic of the Pas de Deux.
Chmelensky tends to press his technique to higher jumps than was is strictly necessary or needed. Baldwin fails to produce any response to a partner. A natural adagio dancer, she struggles when the tempo is fast.
One could had wished for the brilliant first cast, J’aime Crandall and Jon Axel Fransson, from last season, but that would have left Romeo without a Juliet and “William Tell” without its leading man. However, they will dance it on the second night.
This demonstrate exactly the problem with this multistory programme. A role or two for every major star, but likely not necessary the role, the dancer needs.
The company’s prima ballerina, Ida Praetorius is dancing in both casts. Last night she dazzled in the Black Swan pas de Deux with Marcin Kupinski. For the next performance, she will repeat her outstanding Juliet, which she has performed regularly over the last years, including the annual tour to the provinces, two years in a row. It would be so much more interesting for her and the audience, to see her in “Theme and Variations” and “Thaikovsky Pas De Deux”. She has danced both roles on tours and galas as far as China and Korea. It would have been a treat for the local audience.
However, as Praetorius and Crandall are the only Juliet’s in the house, they lose the competition for some really new and challenging opportunities.
This evening “Thaikovsky Pas de Deux” was danced by our beloved – and not really – prodigal son, Alban Lendorf, returned to his mother company, following a period with his other home ABT.
He partnered Principal Holly Jean Dorger, an alumnus of American Ballet School, to create an interesting match of a Dane building an American career and an American taking on the Danish tradition.
However, the pas de deux was defined more by their different dancing styles than by common ground. Where Lendorf ‘s dancing steams from the center of the body, Dorger’s is all in the extremities. She kicks, she waves, she goes for the biggest movement and the highest pace. It may look impressive, but she misses the softer tones that is a vital part of the Pas de Deux.
Charm School
The second act also included a charming interpretation of the otherwise meagre “Coppélia” Pas de Deux.
Soloist and heartthrob, Andreas Kaas was very impressive and managed to make the pas de deux better than it is. He partnered the equally charming Silvia Selvini, the only member of the ps the ballet in a solo role.
Because it was so well danced, it compensated for not being interesting choreography.
Audience favorite, “Romeo & Juliet” was the only non-classical item on the menu. The Balcony Scene was well danced by J´aime Crandall and especially Gregory Dean.
Bournonville at a Standstill
The first part of the evening was dedicated to Bournonville. As mentioned earlier, this season has save a rather unimpressive “La Conservatoire” performed in training gear at “Dance2go” been void of the founding fathers work.
The segment consisted of “Flower Festival in Genzano”, “William Tell” Pas de Deux and the Balabile from “Napoli” as the finale. While Jon Axel Fransson and Kizzy Matiakis managed a fine “William Tell” although with some overacting, the Flower Festival bombed.
Sebastian Haynes could not get hold of the intricate steps. Casting veteran ballerina, Amy Watson in the bounciest Bournonville Pas de Deux, seemed a strange move. But she worked as hard as possible to sell it to the audience.
During the segment, it became clear to me that what we are missing are this generation’s take on Bournonville. Almost all Bournonville productions the last five season has been subject to some sort of experimentation.
Our brilliant young generation has not yet had the chance to put their mark on Bournonville. They have been cast to little. Ida Praetorius has not yet even tried “The Sylph” and “Hilda” in a Folks Tale. In this program she is actually the only in-house educated female dancer with a lead. Surely there are more homegrown talent to nurture and show of.
Class of 1979
Looking back, I can still remember the freshness and virtuoso brought to the old master by the 1979 generation who made the festival so great. Interviewing some of them later, they feel that they got the success that belonged to their predecessors. The group led by Arne Villumsen, Ib Andersen, Mette-ida Kirk, Lis Jeppesen and others were not that well-schooled in Bournonville.
Instead they had been taught mainly the Russian style by famed teacher Vera Volkova. Their speed, elegance and charm made everyone fall in love with the old master and the company.
When the next generation took on the 1992 festival, Bournonville had got a lid on and the leg movements brought back to what was then considered correct Bournonville. In spite of natural Bournonville dancers like Nikolaj Hübbe, Lloyd Riggins, Alexander Kølpin and Rose Gad Poulsen, it was a more tamed look.
For the last festival in 2005, the company had the benefit of dedicated Bournonville dancers like Gudrun Bojesen, Thomas Lund, Gitte Lindstrøm, Mads Blangstrup, Tina Højlund and especially Diana Cuni, who could combine all elements in the style.
Let Bournonville Loose
Whether there will be a festival or not, RDB needs to focus on the founding father and create an imprint on what Bournonville means to the company today and how it should be danced.
Neither Nikolaj Hübbe nor Anne Marie Vessel, who are staging what little Bournonville is put on have managed to create a coherent style and look. Hübbe has gone from careful reconstructions to loud and big productions. Vessel keeps the 1992 approach. I would have preferred a rerun of Hübbe and Thomas Lund’s “Bournonville Variations “for 12 men from 2010, instead of what we got.
With the current quality of the company it should be an easy task to get this generations interpretation of Bournonville. It only needs more focus and productions, which dares to believe in the original material.
Photos by Costin Radu (Copyright(c) Royal Danish Ballet
- Ensemble from "Theme and Variations"
- Alban Lendorf
- Ida Praetorius and Marcin Kupinski in Swan Lake
- Jáime Crandall and Gregory Dean in "Romeo & Juliet"
- Balabile from "Napoli"
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