Eva Kistrup

Getting into Pictures

June 24, 2018

 

Liam Scarlett has had a very busy spring season. In top of creating “Queen of Spades” for Royal Danish Ballet, he has also created a new “Swan Lake” for Royal Ballet, UK. Last weekend, I viewed the later in a cinema showing. Regarding the outstanding “Queen of Spades”, I will have to wait more than a year to see it again. 

Some  years ago there was made an agreement between the Royal Theatre and DR, Danish State Television of transmissions of ballets, opera and plays to television and selected cinemas. It has given the Danish ballet audience “Napoli”, “Swan Lake”, “Romeo & Juliet” and “Giselle”. As the deal is currently under negotiaton there has been no ballet transmissions this season, and we still not know whether the transmission will be back. The few cinema events have also been cancelled.   

 

 

The Classical Virtues

 

 

Royal Danish Ballet’s Summer Tour

Silkeborg

June 12, 2018

 

Giving little– and wrongly presented and produced -  Bournonville made Nikolaj Hübbe´s festival fell flats on its face. However, seeing the annual summer tour´s performance in the beautiful Silkeborg, the Danish answer to “The Lake District” showed that the old school values of the Danish repertoire is still standing strong. The big surprise was that Nikolaj Hübbe is listed as one of the directors of the tour programme.

The White Lady

 

 

 

 

Susanne Grinder retires

June 10, 2018

 

When Royal Danish Ballerina Susanne Grinder retired secretly at the end of this season, her friend and colleague  Principal Kizzy Matiakis created an exhibition of all Susanne Grinder´s costumes on the wardrobe floors. An outstanding feat to celebrate a great career and a reminder of all the beauty and quality Susanne Grinder has brought to the audience, her colleagues and friends.

Looking Good on Paper

 

 

 

 

Festival Gala

Royal Danish Ballet & Guests

June 9, 2018

The Old Stage

 

A festival must end with a gala. I remember a gala in Copenhagen many years ago where the gala consisted of international guests dancing all the famed Pas de Deux while the RDB stars did the 3.act of “Napoli”. Well at least we have moved on to an era where the RDB dancers can be allowed to take on the international classics themselves.

However, international classics demand international dancers. Therefore, Nikolaj Hübbe brought in a team of dignitaries from La Scala, Paris Opera, New York City Ballet, Bolshoi and Royal Ballet, UK each to partner a Danish star in an international classic Pas de Deux, with links to their home company.

Breaking News - Royal Danish ballet wins the major Dance Awards at the Reumert Prize

  

 

June 9, 2008

 

jon Axel Fransson won the award as best dancer for his roles as  Valmont in Cathy Marston 's creation "Liason´s Dangeroux" and "Queen of Spades". 

Liam Scarlets "Queen of Spades" won as best dance performance of the year. 

This is a great win for The Royal Danish Ballet, as both "Liason´s Dangerous" and "Queen of Spades "  are created on the company and uses the strong dramatic talent in the company.

Ida Praetorius was also like Jon Axel Fransson  nominated for the second time, this time for her performance as Liza in "Queen of Spades".

 

 

Photos:

1. Jon Axel Fransson & Ida Praetorius in "Liason´s Dangeroux" by Costin Radu

2. Ida Praetorius & Andreas Kaas in "Queen of Spades" by Henrik Stenberg

Copyright(c) Royal Danish Ballet

 

 

 

Putting Novelty ahead of Quality

 

 

 

 

 

 

"New Tones"

Oliver Starpov:

DREAMS REWIND"

 

Alexxandro Sousa Perreira:

"INDIVIDUAL"

 

Sebastian Kloborg:

"MELOPOEIA"

 

Akram Khan:

Vertical Road

 

June 8th, 2018

 

In some ways, Nikolaj Hübbe must be excused. As he made an early transfer to NYCB, he has been spared the many publicity-seeking adventures of his predecessors. He is not the first RDB director to get the idea on creating ballets on contemporary rock music, played on stage by popular bands. There is more than one hiccup in the plan. However, the biggest difficulty should be easy to spot. Putting the bands on stage, you compromises the dancers’ room to perform.

Fighting for Bournonville

 

 

I
nterview with Erik Aschengreen

May 30, 2015

 

Erik Aschengreen is the first Dane to have a doctorate in Ballet. He is also the founder of the first Danish university course in dance. He has written several books on Danish and International ballet, including a big biography on Harald Lander. He has reviewed ballet for decades and is the go to person for media and television when the need an expert comment. Erik Aschengreen Is now retired from the University. However, his engagement in ballet and especially Bournonville is as strong as ever.

In relation to the upcoming Festival, he is involved in not one, but two film projects, which will be shown in relation to the festival.

Although the festival present an amount of Bournonville, it is not officially named as a Bournonville Festival. It does appears 13 years since the last Bournonville Festival  in 2005, which in its turn was 13 years later than the second Bournonville Festival in 1992, that followed 13 years after the first glorious festival in 1979.

”I have very fond memories of the first festival. Especially when Hans Brenaa´s production of ”The Kermes in Bruges” totally charmed the international panel of ballet experts. That production really sold Bournonville to the international scene. It also had an outstanding cast, led by Ib Andersen and Mette-Ida Kirk as the young lovers supported by fine cameos by Kirsten Simone, Niels Kehlet, Anne Marie Vessel and Dinna Bjørn,” Erik Aschengreen remembers.

 

Pas de Quatre

 

Four RDB Dancers is appointed soloists

 

June 3, 2018

 

At the Brunch & Ballet School on stage yesterday, Nikolaj Hübbe made what appeared to be a casual remark, which proved to be the announcement of four new soloists appointments. It was not unexpected, as the group of female soloists had grown very slim. It was suspected that Dane Astrid Elbo and Argentinian Wilma Giglio would get a promotion soon, following there strong developments. Italian Silvia Selvini and Korean/Canadian Ji Min Hong was more of a surprise.

The Right Level

 

 

 

 

Silja Schandorff & Nikolaj Hübbe:

“Swan Lake”

June 3, 2018

Royal Danish Ballet

 The Opera Stage

 

As I have reviewed all casts of Silja Schandorff and Nikolaj Hübbe’s “Swan Lake” this is probably the 10^th time I will be discussing this production. Luckily, it is worth it. So reader, do stay with me one more time.

Now in its third year and its eight Odette/Odile and seventh Siegfried it remains in very good shape. However, one thing is still slightly bothering about the castings. We have good pairings but not outstanding pairings. This have been the production, who seems to avoid the established and successful choices.

I believe it has a lot to do with the original decision to go out with six casts in the premiere season. Some of the dancers were still very young, so it did make a lot of sense then of pairing experience with upcoming talent. Still, it looks like the pattern is still followed.

The only performance in the festival is given to J’aime Crandall, who danced the premiere with Alban Lendorf, and newly minted principal Andreas Kaas.

Taking Care of Bournonville - or Not

 

 

“Breakfast with Bournonville”

“Bournonville on film”

“Bournonvilleana”

 

June 2, 2018

The Royal Ballet

The Old Stage/ A/salen

 

For a Bournonville lover yesterday presented the highest and the lowest points. It all began so well. Two of our best Bournonville dancers, the stars from the 2005 festival, Gudrun Bojesen & Thomas Lund showed how they are teaching Bournonville to the students of the RDB Ballet School. It was manna from heaven to see how they are passing on the heritage to the young students.

The students gets a weekly class on Bournonville and as importantly, they are also taught the mimes. It was a special moment when Gudrun Bojesen´s young students took on the mime scenes from “The Life Guards of Amager”.

That specific Bournonville ballet has not been performed since the 2005 festival. The exquisite Pas de Trois would get one outing on the Bournonvilleana performance the same night. However, it is very lightly that the full ballet will not be performed for another 13 years. Still it matters to Gudrun Bojesen and Thomas Lund. They are fighting to preserve and pas on our national heritage. They are the true heroes. Because Bournonville does matter.