Last year, for the Balanchine centennial, Alexandra invited people to nominate their choice for the one ballet of Balanchine's that they would choose if they were told that only one of his ballets was going to survive into the next century. We got a lot of interesting answers.

Since we're still in the Ashton centennial year (his 100th birthday was in September), it seems only right to play the same game with him.

If you were told that 100 years from now, there would be only one ballet of Ashton's around, which would it be? You can use whatever criteria you want. You might choose your favorite ballet, or maybe the one that you think is most representative of his oeuvre, seeing as how that would be all the poor deprived balletgoers of the 22nd century will have to know him by. Or you can employ some other logic.

If you haven't seen that many -- or even any -- of his works, don't let that stop you. Base your answer on what you've come to know of Ashton's work.

Who's gonna start?

I will. La Fille Mal Gardee. Funny, yet tasteful; sweet, but not sappy; and it's just my favorite ballet of his that I've seen.

One of the Monotones, not sure which though.

Strangely enough, Two Pigeons. That absolutely broke my heart when I saw it.

I'm conflicted. Monotones (one and two!), Scenes de Ballet, or Symphonic Variations. I can't decide...

Looking at this, I realize that none of these are narrative. Hmmm.

I haven't seen them all...but of the ballets I have seen, I love "A Month in the Country". Years ago, in my youth, "Ondine" made a huge impression upon me...but, maybe it was Dame Margot Fonteyn that created that magic for me....I wish that I had seen "Two Pigeons".

For a time capsule, "Cinderella," because it's such a beautiful example of a 20th century three-act classical ballet. For me, his "Romeo and Juliet," but only if I got to pick the stager

Two Pigeons broke my heart, too. Saw it for the first time over the summer and it was the first ballet in 20 years that made me weep. It was a guilty pleasure - soppy & sentimental, you saw each move coming but had no defense when they got there! What a master Ashton was at manipulating emotions, but if I could only chose one of his ballets this would not be it. I still have powerful memories of Marguerite & Armond with Fonteyn & Nureyev - there are some blissful moments there, and 2 images that I still remember so vividly - Nureyev dashing in with the cape flowing behind him and Fonteyn's bourees after Armond threw the money at her - truly heart breaking, but still not the one ballet I'd save above all others, especially not without F&N. Fille is a good choice, it is one of the sunniest ballets I've seen. Wonderful use of the pastoral setting without getting too cutesy. Much as I love Fille I think my choice comes down to Symphonic Variations & Monotones (ok, I'll cheat here & consider Monotones I & II to be one ballet). Symphonic Variations is such a perfect distillation of joy and serenity, but I haven't seen a "perfect" production. I've only seen ABT's version and I've never been totally happy with their casting so I can only imagine what it might be like if all the roles were cast to my liking! I'd really love to see the RB or BRB before making up my mind but...I think I have to choose Monotones. Monotones I & II are such a perfect pair, to me the slight oriental feel of Monotones I really sets the scene for the austere geometry of II. When done right Monotones II is absolute perfection - music, dance, mathematics all reduced to a single image of 3 perfect beings moving in perfect harmony with the universe. I don't necessarily think that it is most representative of his oeuvre, but I think it is so perfect, it's the one I couldn't bear to think of as being lost. Even a hundred years from now, I think it would represent the 20th century psyche well, revealing our belief in the Apollonian values of reason & harmony

Enigma Variations

Another vote for La Fille Mal Gardee. It has all the Ashton charm and humour, together with some of his most lovely choreography.

I, too, would choose A Month in the Country.

La Fille Mal Gardee
Joe

The Dream---because I think this surpasses the Balanchine version--but, more on topic, it shows the elegance and panache of the man.

It keeps changing, but on last night's performance (Roberta Marquez, Ivan Putrov, Alistair Marriot, Giacomo Ciriaci, David Drew), La Fille Mal Gardee. The choreography is so beautiful, and it just makes me so happy!

Enigma. So there will always be an England, so beautiful, so moving.

La fille mal gardee. It's so lovely and funny.

There is another ballet by Ashton which is about a couple being married the housekeeper tries to stop it somehow.

Does anyone know what it's called.

Thanks.

If I were selfish, Scenes de Ballet, because for me it was the Rosetta Stone that helped me to at least begin to understand what Ashton was attempting. It's not a bad choice for history either.

Cinderella

Monotones

La Fille Mal Gardee because it's such a wonderful one to bring children to...

A Month in the Country

This is an intriguing puzzle. Does anyone have a suggestion?

There's a housekeeper and a mismatched young couple in "A Wedding Bouquet," but the housekeeper doesn't try to stop the wedding. I can't think of anything that exactly matches the description.

La Fille.

Thanks for resuscitating this thread, Charming_Lise.

Monotones II

Giannina

Giannina, you could keep Monotones II and get Monotones I as a freebie!

I want to see them all before I commit to one.

It sounds early to me -- maybe The Lord of Burleigh?

I don't think I've ever seen Monotones I scheduled. I'd see it if I got a chance, but most say II is better. It's hard to beat perfection. Thanks for the freebie none the less.

Giannina

This is hard -- it's between the white Monotones and Fille for me. Opposite ends of hte spectrum -- Monotones almost completely moonlit, and Fille almost completely sunny.

But Fille wins -- since it also has a sense of the uncanny, brought in mostly by Alain, the holy fool, and also by the incredible inventiveness that lurks around every corner. One amazing idea after another -- and NOTHING ever goes on too long. And such an incredible wicked but still gentle sense of the thingsthat happen behind your back, the things other people can see about you that you can't see yourself, but (in htis ballet) they don't use it against you. And the tiny roles that can be made wonderful: I once saw Eric Hoisington make the notary into an dazzling piece of stagecraft. And David Bintley was the greatest Widow Simone I ever saw, better than Holden -- ridng in the cart on the way to the picnic, he looked back and forth from Lise to Alain, Lise, Alalin, pointing that huge nose of his at the one and then at the other, and you knew already that that mother was not going to let her daughter marry an idiot, no matter how rich he was.

Symphonic Variations

Scenes de Ballet.

It is also strange that none of the major US companies (as far as i know) staged it.Any reasons??

You have so much experience watching English ballet, Rebeccadb, that I'd love to hear your reasons for selecting this particular ballet. Also: are there any performances and/or interpreters that you particularly love?