Permit me to use the titel from the Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein musical South Pasific, as titel for this critic of the ballet galla at Theatre Champs Elysees, there is being shown this weekend. With the titel The Stars of the 21th Century: LES ETOILES DU 21e SIECLE.
That was what we experienced. A collection of allready established stars and some dancers with the real coming stars qualitees.
The titel of the programme is good.
Fifteen good young dancers, some of them even extremely good, showing wonderful highlights from the classical ballet reperoire with choreograpyes by Marius Petipa (four), Michail Fokine and Georg Balanchine, in addition to modern ballets choreographed by William Forsythe, Alberto Alonso (from Carmen), Dwigt Rhoden, Guo Li, and a wonderful piece "La Prisonniere" by Roland Petit.
JIAO YANG and LU MENG, China
It all opened very fresh with two 19 years old male soloists from Liaoning Ballet of China, who to a piece that sounded like some of the first part of a pianoconcerto in western style but with chinese insporation in the themes by Xian Xing Hai. Elegante powerful jumping and lifts, from two good looking handsome young tall chinese boys, who have the power, and all the best posibilities to be celebre soloists.
VIENGSAY VALDES, Cuba
The excitement of Carmen, in the arrangement by - for only strings and percussions were well performed and showes this excellent danseuse from one of hers many sides.
POLINA SEMIONOVA, Berlin
and
ALEXEI TYUKOV, Indianapolis
Here we came to the first of the big highlights from the classical repertoire, pas de deux from Le Corsaire choreography by Marius Petipa. Music by Riccardo Drigo. Both the dancers where quite good, but we had the feeling that they could have needed more rehersals together on stage, the rhytmic was not entirely perfect for the ballerina. But in the solos Tyukov was safe, and showed good jumps and wonderful pioruettes. Semionova was in her solos showing how excellent a ballerina she is. Polina Semionova is in this occasion celebrating her 19 years since she first time was dancing at the Theatre des Champs Elysees.
ALEXANDRA ANSANELLI
and
CHARLES ASKEGARD, New York
The Prince and the Princess entered the stage, with big safety on the stage and to each other, his maskulinity and hers leight ekvilibristic performing and russian (?) elegance.
I was feeling that this was the swan princess. Tchaikovskijs, for me unknown music was a bite quiet, but the choreographer Georg Balanchine has given the beautiful dancers a wonderful piece to perform, named DIAMONDS, and it was a highlight in the 3 hours and 15 minutes long performance.
DESMOND RICHARDSON, USA
With a negro spiritual acoompagnement, we got a good contemporary dancebreak, wwhich suited the dancer an his style extremely well, choreographed by Dwigt Rhoden. Music: Montage. This was absolutely first class contemporary dancing.
After that came the first part of this performances high light:
LUCIA LACARRA and CYRIL PIERRE, Munich
These two brilliant dancers where the highlight of the first part of the performance, it was then we were feeling that this would be an evening that we would remember for a long time. The pas de dux from the second act of the Swanlake in Petipas choreography is well known to many, with the wonderful music by Peter Tchaikovskij, and here, performed with new tiny details, was extremely well performed. The two brilliant dancers know each other well,(?) and they were trustfull to each other. Cyril Pierre was obserwant and it must have been a wonderfull feeling to have him as a partner. Such a partner is not easy to find.
ANASTASIA MESKOVA and DMITRI GUDANOV, Moscow
From Esmeralda choreographed by Marius Petipa , with Ludwig Minkus music' These two stars from Bolshoi were ending the first part of the performance. They had a good opening, but during the first part of it, they were being a bit nervouse, for a very short time, who was making that they loosed the concentration, but, they were finding the concentration again and finished splendid with high beautiful jumps. The balances were beautiful, but it took a little too long time to find the balance points, and tyhe audience could feel that.
After a break it was back again, and then the Dance firework started:
RAFAEL AMARGO, Spain (?)
This excellent Flamenco dancer with his group maked a firework , called: SIGUIRILLA, out of there part of the performance, so that in the verye end even the violinist and the singing womens (small and bigger) were dancing. That was an exiting starting up for the second part, and showed the audience, that there are many kinds of ballet - in this case the improvised one, it showed that every one can dance some thing, if they want, and this became quite folkloristic.
VIENGSAY VALDES, Cuba,
and
GIUSEPPE PICONA, Vienna
The Black Swan pas de deux from the Swan Lake by Marius Petipa and music by Tchaikovskij was a high light, here we experienced the high quality of this outstanding primaballerian, that we in the first part had seen dancing Carmen. This was aboslutely a deangerouse furious and demanding black swan, taht I wouldnt like to meet a dark night by the swan lake. In her pirouttes it was like a whole carousel, in tempo, I was counting at least 38 pirouettes standing on one palce, That was fantastic. Giusepe Picone was performing the highest airy long breathtaking jumps in the performance. Superb.
MESKOVA AND GUDANOV, Bolshoi
One of the very highlights in the performance and with the links back to the beginning of the 20th century to Nijinsky and Dhiaghilevs time with Dhiaghilevs Ballet Russe a Paris, was what these two beautiful stars from Bolshoi were showing us. Le Spectre de la Rose with Choreography by Michail Fokine ( when it was created he was balletmaster and choreographer by Sergei Dhiaghilev) and Carl Maria von Webers beautifull, wellknown music.
Dmitri Gudanovs jumping in and leaving with a long jump originaly through an invisibel window was only the start and ending of a breathtaking experience, that also the audience greatly appreciated.
And here is the link to an early periode in the ballet history, ahere the male dancers not only should assist the ballerinas, but also self perform. Dmitri Gudanov did that very good, and you belived in that Anastasia Meskova in the beginning was dancing as she were at sleep.
After that we again wieved ANSANELLI AND ASKEGAARD, from New York City Ballet in their second Georg Balanchine choreography this evening, and this one also to a strange mix of music by Tchaikovskij, which started with something completely unknown to me, and then became familar, I wonder if this was from Cinderella, in the solos.
By the way, working extremely well for the dancers, which many solos was excellent. They too showed the right way of not take too long applaus between the different solos, so that the audience not was loosing the thread through the number.
After that it was time for The two guests from The Vienna Opera Ballet:
SIMONA NOJA AND GIUSEPPE PICONE, Vienna
In an interesting choreography by William Forsythe to music that I didnt know from before, by Gavin Bryars, the ballet piece was called Slingerland. Interesting, contrasting to the rest of the programme, and with virtuose jumps by the ballerina to the arms of the cavallier. However, still it was good, I was sittimng missing a thread in it. It couldnt find out what the choreographer was trying to tell us. Perhaps he didnt want to tell anything, just was using the music to give us movements, then it was repeating to much of the same movements.
The evening finished with the, to me, absolutely highlight. Roland Petits choreography to a pice with the name "LA PRISONNIERE'to the two dancers:
LUCIA LACARRA and CYRIL PIERRE, from the ballett at the State Opera in Munich. This was wonderfull, about a girl, ? in prison, where hers lover is coming taking her out fro a dance and delivering her back again . That was the enchanting high light of the evening danced by two outstanding artists, who were responsible for the two highlights in the first and the second part of the perfromance. After that, applause, flowers, and a finale defile to the Polonaise music from Tchaikovskijs opera Eugen Onegin, choreographed by the Ballet Gallas artistic director Nadia Veselova-Tencer. A splendid evening.
The whole performance was 1/2 hour too long, but that was only because of too much applause, next year it will be a help to lower the curtain between the numbers, to help teh dancers to come of stage.
What I am missing very much in the programme. Composers name are mentioned. Nowhere is mentioned the works we are hearing on tape or CD, nowhere is mentioned who is performing, and nowhere are mentioned who have maked the costumes. After so many years in the Ballett Galla business, the production firm should know that this "come il faut". To the artists,it is wrong, and to the audinece, who may be want to know what they are hearing or seeing, it is extremely wrong. Do that better next year!!!
Henning Hoholt, hoeholthus@c2i.net
Theatre des Champs Elysees, Paris
Watch also our rewiev of other events at
The
Theatre des Champs Elysees, Paris
Read our critic of the concert with Orchestre National de France
at
Theatre des Champs Elysees,
with programme by Wagner, Bruckner and with
Deborah Voigt singing Tannhauser and Tristan and Isolde.
Conducted by
Kurt Masur
