Ballet de Luxe:
George Balanchine:
”Ballo dello Regina”
Dinna Bjørn & Nikolaj Hübbe:
”August 2.0”
Nikolaj Hübbe after Marius Petipa
”Raymonda Act Three”
When Merrill Ashley staged Balanchine´s ”Ballo dello Regina ”earlier this year, she participated in an audience presentation of the ballet and shared her experiences with working with Balanchine, who created “Ballo dello Regina” on her. She also shared Balanchine´s inspirations and ideas with the Copenhagen audience. She told us that Balanchine build the ballet on an Italian folktale of a young man who was giving the task of finding the most beautiful pearl in the world, and that the term “Regina” has a double meaning as both the Queen and the pearl. It was an important knowledge that changes the view of “Ballo dello Regina”. It is not just an abstract ballet. It must change how the dancers view and interpret their roles.
Merrill Ashley worked with three ballerinas, Principals Holly Dorger and Ida Praetorius and upcoming star Emma Riis-Kofoed, who was appointed Soloist this month. Principals Jonathan Chmelensky and Jón Axel Fransson shared the male cavalier roles. Chmelensky partnering Dorger and Riis-Kofoed.
Actually the two men also had leading roles in the two other ballets on the program, “Raymonda Act 3” and the Bournonville inspired “August 2.0.
Taking on the challenge of “Ballo dello Regina” must have been an enormous task for Emma Riis-Kofoed. Although she has conquered both Myrtha and the ballerina in “Etudes” earlier, this is her greatest challenge so far. Her approach was controlled and she was able to get through the whole ballet without running out of steam. Both Riis-Kofoed and Chmelensky focused on the steps and did not used the myth of the pearl in their interpretation, thereby keeping the ballet as a total abstract work.
With “Ballet de Luxe”, Nikolaj Hübbe drills his dancers in three important, but also very different ballets and styles. Following “Ballo dello Regina” the company is drilled through a modern take on Bournonville´s steps in Dinna Bjørn and Nikolaj Hübbe´s all male “August 2.0” and finishing with the third act of “Raymonda”.
The Strongest Card
However, the performance that really stays with you is Jón Axel Fransson´s allegro solo in “August 2.0” where he is more in the air than on the ground and still stays in total control. He is also as outstanding in “Ballo dello Regina” partnering Ida Praetorius. He keeps developing. Blessed with technical and acting skills as well as a great flair for comedy, there is no limits of what he can do. Still he has not yet has the opportunity to dance Siegfried in “Swan Lake” nor “James in “La Sylphide.” Hopefully, he will get these chances soon.
Photos:
1 & 2 Emma Riis-Kofoed & Jonathan Chmelensky in "Ballo Dello Regina" Photo by Henrik Stenberg Copyright(c) Royal Danish Ballet
3. Jón Axel Fransson by Camilla Winther Copyright(c) Royal Danish Ballet
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