Ballet Appreciation - Giselle

Giselle  
- a romantic ballet in two acts of one hour each.

Trust that you do not need any pre-reading or briefing, to appreciate this ballet.

吉賽爾

        “在第一場中，天真純樸的村婦吉賽爾（Giselle）愛上了一個她只知道名字叫萊斯（Loys）的男子。但事實上這名男子其實是個貴族，名叫阿爾博特（Albrecht），為了逃避訂婚妻子才喬裝成農民來到這村落的。及後吉賽爾發現了真相，她心碎得失去了常理，不久便死去。有人說她是由於心碎而死的，也有人認為她是瘋狂之下自殺而死的。 

        “到了第二場，森林中的很多棄婦的亡靈施法逼使來到森林的年輕男子跳舞，至死方休。一日阿爾博特來到吉賽爾的墓前，女鬼們欲對阿爾博特施以毒手之際，原來吉賽爾對阿爾博特的愛沒有因為她自身的死亡而消失，她的靈魂更一再跟女鬼糾纏，從而救回阿爾博特。到了日出時份，吉賽爾在快要跟女鬼們散去之前，向阿爾博特表白自己已原諒他的變節，二人締結愛盟。可惜二人已陰陽永隔，而吉賽爾亦成為了一個精靈。”

Source: Wiki

Ballet Appreciation Series (2014#10) - Alice's Adventures

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland  

Choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon
trailer

Queen of Hearts
Knave of Hearts pas de duex

Pig & Pepper

Mad Hatter's Tea Party
The Caterpillar

REMEMBER?

Walt Disney cartoon

(1h 25m)

@Central Park, NYC

Ballet Appreciation Series (2014#9) - Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid 
statue in Copenhagen, Denmark

Ballet - Choreography by John Neumeier

Ballet Appreciation Series (2014#8) - Kenneth MacMillan

Kenneth MacMillan 


(1) Mayerling  

Based on the Mayerling Incident (Jan 1889) where 30-year-old Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria-Hungary (married to Princess Stéphanie of Belgium) shot his 17-year-old beautiful lover Baroness Mary Vetsera, and then himself, in the hunting lodge at Mayerling, 30 miles away from Vienna. 

Trailer

WARNING: It contains adult and adultery contents:

  Clip 1

 Clip 2  

Episode:

Rudolf was buried in imperial garment, and among his Habsburg ancestors, who had ruled Austria for 600 years. His lover was buried, unnoticed and eventually, in a primitive coffin in an unknown  nunnery. 

(2) Concerto

 trailer.

Ballet Appreciation Series (2014#7) - Sylvia

Sylvia ballet uses music by Léo Delibes:

- A shepherd boy is in love with Sylvia (a chaste huntress nymph)
- An evil hunter stalks Sylvia and kidnaps her
- The god of love rescues Silvia for the shepherd
- Diana (goddess of the hunt and chastity) is angry of the love matter because it reminds her of her young love (another shepherd).

 Choreography by Fredrick Ashton 

Choreography by George Balanchine 

Choreography by John Neumeier 

Ballet Appreciation Series (2014#6) - Roland Petit

Roland Petit (1924-2011)
Coach introduced 3 ballets choreographed by Roland Petit.

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Carmen (1949) ballet is based Bizet's superb opera of the same name. 
Its music is also from the opera. 50 minutes long, not a full-length ballet. 

It is a love tragedy between wild Gypsy factory worker Carmen and naïve soldier Don José, in Seville of Spain. 
* Part 1

Falling for Carmen, José let her loose from jail, deserted the army, and committed smuggling... 
* Part 2 

Then, Carmen found a bull-fighter a more exciting lover... 
* Part 3 

I'd like Bizet's opera version more, though.

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Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977)

Roland Petit choreographed the Chaplin Dances (1991), based on his impressions of Charlie Chaplin in a number of silent movies. 

Later, Fuji TV made a 1-hour stage recording called Charlot ("Little Charles"), starring Tamiyo Kusakari and 60-year-old Luigi Bonino.

* Luigi Bonino  
* Tamiyo Kusakari - Her husband is the film director, meeting Petit and Chaplin's son in Japan.
* Charlie Chaplin himself 
* BGT

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Pique Dame / The Queen of Spades (2001) ballet, choreographed by Roland Petit, was introduced next. 

Only half-an-hour long, it adopted Tchaikovsky's opera of the same name, and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6.

It was about a desperate young man, who would try anything to acquire the superb gambling skills from an aged gambling queen. I'm not impressed. 

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Petit has many other better choreography masterpieces, such as 
* Bizet's L'Arlesienne (1974).
* Ravel's Bolero 

Ballet Appreciation Series (2014#5) - Camille

Coach introduced two ballets based on Camille (or Lady of the Camellias), an 1852 novel and play by Alexandre Dumas, fils. 

It was a well-known love story between spoony Armand (a young bourgeois) and glamorous Marguerite (a TB-ridden socialite kept by various lovers). 

Both suites are heavy with body languages and facial expressions, accompanied by simple piano music, just like mime

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Frederick Ashton (1906-88, British) choreographed the one-scene "Marguerite & Armand" (1963) ballet, which is accompanied by Liszt's piano music and lasts only 30 minutes -- a bit short.

 M first meets and charms A.

 M&A breaking up 

What's after the first 4.5 minutes is ritual.

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John Neumeier (1939-, American) choreographed the three-scene "Lady of the Camellias" (1978) suite, which is accompanied by Chopin's piano music and lasts 2 hours. As spoony as Armand, I was head over heels for Marguerite enacted by Sue Jin KANG. 

 Marguerite (Sue Jin KANG)

Two hours is long for those who urgently want to see what happens next to the romance, but right for those who enjoy ballet techniques show-off.

 Or, a full version

Neumeier was especially innovative by incorporating a few scenes of "Manon Lescaut", as play within play, in this suite.

Ballet Appreciation Series (2014#4) - Checkmate / Les Noces / Isadora Duncan

In the evening's triple bill, three female choreographers were introduced.

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Ninette de Valois (1898-2011, Irish) choreographed this Checkmate (1937) ballet, in which all dancers are dressed as red or black chess-pieces. The idea and music were by Arthur Bliss (1891-1975).

At the end, red loses and the red king is killed by having his waist-bone bent to break by staffs, according to medieval practice.

 to get a feel

The red horse is killed for being soft-hearted. 

If you insist on a full version: 

 full version

Not a romantic classical at all.

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Bronislava Nijinska (1891-1972, Soviet Russian) choreographed Stravinsky's Les Noces (The Wedding) music, to become a ballet with vocalists (dance cantata).

Soviet collectivism is apparent, because all dancers dressed in similar ethnic clothes, and did line dance (para para); the marrying couple on the contrary has low-profile roles in the background. 

 The Wedding 

Not the romantic and glamorous kind of ballet

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Isadora Duncan (1877-1927, American) was a pioneer in modern dancing, which emphasizes on self-expression, and does not intend to entertain. 

* She danced bare-footed, showing big toes on big feet. 
* She wore loose garment, not staying in ballerina shape. 
* She ran forth and back on stage, telling no stories. 
* Her best audience is ballerinas who have suffered from years of harsh training and practice.

Based on his impressions of her dancing, Frederick Aston (1904-1988, British) choreographed "Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan" (1975):

Please note that waltz here only means triple metre, and not Vienna waltz or that kind.

Ballet Appreciation Series (2014#3) - Onegin

Onegin (1965) ballet 
- choreographed by maestro John Cranko (1927-73)
- based on Pushkin's Russian poem story of the same name
- adopting Tchaikovsky's various music pieces (other than his Onegin opera) 

Audience needs not do homework before watching it, because the story is clearly told by means of dancing, body languages, and music -- just like a mime. Audience easily feels the poetic vision of love, depression and sadness, insanity and struggles of love.

As we watch only segments, here's an outline:

1. Tatiana's sister and the latter's fiance dance
2. Tatiana meets and falls for sophisticated Onegin [0:17]
3. Onegin rejects plain-looking Tatiana and tears up her love letter [0:36]
4. Onegin flirts with her sister [0:57] and then kills the fiance in a duel [1:08]; Onegin has to disappear for years
clip #1

Missing from the above video is: 
2A. In her sweet dream, Onegin loves her.

5. Tatiana got married to a prince who loves her [2:18]
6. Onegin returns and falls for Titiana, now a noble beauty [7:50]
7. Titiana rekindles her old flame and enjoys being courted by Onegin [10:50]
8. ... for a while 
clip #2

Highly recommend that you watch a full version, any version. 譚元元or曹舒慈of China also excel. Alert: you may need some tissues for your eyes.

Cranko founded the Stuttgart Ballet company in the German city, famous for making Mercedes and BMW. In 1973, on a flight across the Atlantic to Germany, he died young from over-sensitivity to a sleeping pill. Pity.

Comments by dancers

 

 

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譚元元：

 

Ballet Appreciation Series (2014#2) - Jewels

Jewels (1967) is a three act ballet, created for the New York City Ballet by co-founder and founding choreographer George Balanchine (1904-1983). 

It 
- is abstract ballet, or non-narrative (just dancing - with no stories to tell)
- has 3 movements: Emeralds, Rubies, and Diamonds.
Balanchine skilfully mixed old components to produce something new.

Movement 1 - "Emeralds

Dressed in GREEN, the dancers demonstrated 19th Century Romanticism and elegant French school, to Fauré's music from his "Pelléas et Mélisande" (1898) suite, and "Shylock" (1889) (Fr version of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.)

Movement 2 - "Rubies" 

Dressed in RED, the dancers exhibited lively and witty modern ballet, to Stravinsky's Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra (1929). 

Movement 3 - "Diamonds" 

Dressed in WHITE, the dancers exhibited glamour and dignitary grace of the Russian palace, to Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 3 (1875). 

Ballet Appreciation Series (2014#1) - Cinderella

Ballet Appreciation Series (2014)
... every Thursday evening, in the past 3 months, by Margaret Lau

The first evening class was on "Cinderella"
- music by Prokofiev (1891-1953)
- different choreographies by 3 British masters, each with innovative ideas...



The first master choreographer is Federick Aston (1904-1988).

Here, Cinderella in the kitchen,
where the huge portrait of her deceased mother is allowed.

Cinderella dancing with the prince at the ball. Cindy's "ugly step-sisters" were enacted by two cross-dressed men, including Ashton himself. 

The second master choreographer introduced is David Bintley (1957-), who took a more realistic approach.

Poor Cinderella is bare-footed, or wearing her mother's shoes. 

Her mother's portrait is small.

Her step-sisters are only underweight or overweight, but both clumsy at dancing. 

The clock (metronome) clicks
count-downs towards mid-night.

The third master choreographer introduced is Christopher Wheeldon (1973-). The prince and his commoner friend exchanged clothes before delivering party invitations to households with eligible girls. 

Cinderella's step-sisters are not ugly at all, but snobbishly escort away the faked prince without leaving an invitation to Cindy. Cindy says good-bye to the prince, in plain clothe, who tries to cheer her up.

  At the ball

... then the clock clicks towards mid-night ....