Hi,

I just found my way to the site, and found absolutely nobody here! This part of the site has been dead for more than a year! Where are you all?

Cathy

Excellent question, Cathy, but we're glad you're here.

So, why don't you tell us what's been going on in Amsterdam lately? Interesting new productions? Young dancers to keep an eye on? Downright balletic disasters?

And whether or not you have anything to post, you might want to swing by our Welcome page and tell us a bit about yourself and how you found yourself here.

Welcome, Cathy, to BalletTalk!

Thank you Carbro!
I feel much more welcome now!
My first post was like walking into a room, finding it empty, and asking a question in the silence anyway...


So what shall I say about everything going on here...
A few months ago they just blew me away with a new production: an adaption of Mozart's Don Giovanni!
It was beautiful, exciting and SEXY!
I hope they'll keep it in their repertoire, and preferably even take it abroad so you can all see it!

Then in March/April they celebrated some ballet "pioneers" with Balanchine's Symphony in C, a poignant new choreography by Hans van Manen called Frank Bridge Variations (to the music of Britten's Variations on the theme of Frank Bridge), and William Forsythe's The Second Detail.
I don't know how much recognition Van Manen gets overseas, but I think he's fantastic. His choreographies bring such a rare, powerful physicality to ballet! This one was beautiful and rather dark, with grasping grim atmosphere (but sort of happy end, even though it wasn't "a story" as such) that truly made it an experience to watch.

After that, part of the company went to Canada doing several choreographies including Carmen, and the other part toured the Netherlands with "Feest". Unfortunately I wasn't in the opportunity to visit either one.

And next is "Ballet Now", showing (in their own words) the current "state of ballet". I will go see it next week, so I can't say anything about that yet.
It's sad though, because it marks the departure of two fantastic, experienced principals: Jahn Magnus Johansen and Nathalie Caris.

So I guess that's all the latest.

But I don't understand, the counter says over 60 people viewed my message, but nobody replied. So appearently none of you live in Amsterdam or ever visit the Dutch National Ballet? Then who are you all? Was my subject description confusing (so you found out only after reading it that it didn't apply to you), or are you just curious about Amsterdam, or the Dutch National Ballet, or what? Don't be shy, let me know!
If there's anything you want to ask, just post it. I might not know it either, but maybe I do.
And if anyone's seen "Feest" or the Canada show (surely they weren't performing for empty theatres there?), please tell me about it!

Cathy

Hi, Cathy! Thanks for catching us up on what's going on in Amsterdam. I haven't seen much of Van Manen's choreography lately. Not many American companies perform his works (unfortunately, in my opinion, as he's one of the few contemporary neoclassical choreographer!). Tell us about the Don Giovanni. Who was the choreographer? What was it like and why did it blow you away?

You asked why 60 people had read your post but no one replied -- a lot more people read this (and almost every other message board) than register, much less post. Why is one of the great mysteries of cyberlife But it means that people are interested. We don't have a lot of people who see the company regularly -- although as you can see by the list of topics, there are a few people who do (I hope Herman Stevens sees this) But there are a lot of people who are very interested in what's going on, so you may not have a lot of people to talk to (at least right now) but you will definitely have readers!

Please feel free to take part in other discussions, as well. Threads on Anything Goes, or Aesthetic Issues, etc. often touch on issues of interest to people anywhere, and always benefit from having a fresh viewpoint.

I'd also like to hear the answer to this.

About the company in general: Dutch National Ballet's version of Sleeping Beauty (Peter Wright staging, with Sofiane Sylve) is in tape in the US. And it's a stunner -- beautifully danced, staged, and costumed. I was very impressed with the style and technique of all involved.

I've also seen snippets of shorter works from DNB on Classical Arts Showcase on TV, but honestly did not register the name of the choreographer. The company is definitely worth looking for.

Hi!

A very quick response from me:



To all of you out there: it takes about 50 seconds to register, and you don't need to supply any information you don't want to supply!
So don't be afraid, register and let us hear your voice!

To Alexandra and Bart: thanks for stopping by this otherwise rather lonesome thread...



Yes it is!

I'll probably go see Ballet Now tomorrow!

Cathy

Hi Cathy !
Here is a Belgian balletomane with a weak spot for Dutch National Not that I have seen them often, but they've surely impressed me.
I know this place is quiet now, but there are some others around like Marc and Herman who know a lot about the company !

[Moderator's beanie on]

Small correction, Cathy. Actually, the registration procedure changed right after you joined, and in addition to locations, we now require real names, but only the administrators have access to that info.

[Mod's beanie off]

Your enthusiasm is contagious!

I walk in the place and security measures are increased!

But potential posters shouldn't hesitate because of this, the rest of us can't see your "real" data anyway, and it's nice when you think about it, the board will be even safer this way!

Viviane: Thanks so much for stopping by and posting a message! I was just reading the Flanders thread, how very nice to "meet" you!

Cathy

I just got back from Ballet Now.
Tonight was Jahn Magnus Johansen's last performance! ;(
Krzysztof Pastor made a special solo for him, which Jahn danced at the very end of the evening, right after he'd already given us the most touching performance of The Grey Area I've ever seen...!
It was very sad but very, very beautiful!
It literally brought tears to my eyes...
We're SO gonna miss him...

Seems to be a big year for retirements! Having just seen two such in recent weeks, I know how sad and sentimental these can be.

What music was used, Cathy?

J.S Bach's cello-suite nr. 6 was used for "Solo for Jahn".
Yesterday was Nathalie Caris' last performance.
She did Wayne Eagling's "Duet" with Altin Alexandros Kaftira. It was beautiful, but I think it was less emotional than Jahn's last performance. Don't know why. Maybe because this choreography wasn't written for this occasion specifically and did therefore not embody the "dramatic premises" of celebrating a beautiful career and leaving it behind. Or maybe I was just in a different mood...

By the way the season has ended now (for most companies I guess), and it will be a long long time before DNB performs in Amsterdam again.
They will take part in Edinburgh Festival in September and Dansersfonds '79's Balletgala in October.
I think the first "regular" performance here in the Muziektheater isn't until November!

Cathy

Cathy,
My wife and I will be in Amsterdam around Nov 20-25. Wiill the
new season have begun by then, do you thiink?

Ed Bock

According to the Dutch National Ballet Calendar, there will be two performances of the "Lines 2" program while you're in Amsterdam:

http://www.het-nationale-ballet.nl/index.p...r=2005&month=11

Continuum - Wheeldon
Who Cares? - Balanchine
Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux -- Balanchine
TBA

I saw their performance in Montreal and a nice evening it was. I enjoyed the Schumann pieces very much but the corps de ballet in Pastor's work looked underreheased. I found Brenson's Carmen much more refined and in tune with Schedrin's arrangement than Alonso's, and its emotional build-up made me forget Petit's as well (except for the intermède), and as the next pas
de deux ended, I wished for the tradition of encores that disappeared, I would have clapped to see it again and again. Overall talented and very expressive dancers (strong male dancers) in well-defined roles, and Ms. de Jongh's lines, exquisite walking and lightness in dancing was delighting.

Glad you enjoyed the program, Mireille.

I was a little surprised, reading one or two Canadian reviews, how little the reviewers seemed to care for Van Manen's Schumann Pieces which I would regard as the strongest part of the program.

No big deal, but Carmen's choreographer's name is spelled Brandsen rather than "Brenson". He's the HNB's AD, and, boy, do I wish he was on a plane tonight to have a chat with Alexandra Ansanelli right now - there's a big gaping hole in the company where Sofiane Sylve used to be. (But this is just a wish, no speculation.)

ooPS: only now I see this is page2 of a thread I hadn't noticed before. Sorry, Cathy, for not responding before.

I thought Nathalie Caris's farewell performance (Sym in C 2nd mvt plus the Tristan & Isolde piece) was quite emotional; perhaps it's just that the Eagling / Wagner piece is, in itself, not a terribly emotive piece. However Caris had had such a terrific last lap the past year facing the end. It was heartbreaking to realize this was it.

Thank you Herman for correcting me. I checked my program and the Schumann pieces was performed that evening by Cédric Ygnace. In their repertory, to they perform the part with the difficult arabesque on plié and relevé that Dowell does?

The good news for you, Mireille, is that one of the Dutch National's best male dancers, Gael Lambiotte (for whom the Van Manen Schumann Pieces were revived), has joined the Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal.

Some Americans may be familiar with Lambiotte as the prince in the Dutch Sleeping Beauty DVD.

Apparently the good news for the Dutch would be that Sofiane Sylve intends to do quite a bunch of guest appearances in Amsterdam this year.

I hope that he will be performing in Kader Belarbi's La bête et la belle in October with the Grands. I will keep you posted on the performance.

In the little piece they did on Sylve in the Sleeping Beauty DVD extras, she said that Amsterdam felt like home. It's great thing for audiences in Amsterdam that she feels that way!

Oh my gosh the E-mail notification must not be working, all this talk going on here (finally! ) and I didn't even know about it!

Anyway, Ed: sorry I didn't respond, I didn't read the thread.
But I hope Helene's post got you interested?
The fourth choreography will be Balanchine's Square Dance, which I think they haven't done before.
Mireille: Thank you for telling us about the Montreal performance!!!


Actually she's not just doing guest appearences, she's officially a DNB principal again!
According to the DNB website:

I wonder how that's gonna work out, as far as I know it's a first in Ballet history.



It is!
(She's been here since she was only 16, so it does make sense...)

"...However from the start of the 2005 | 2006 Season the Dutch National Ballet will be sharing her with this American company.
I wonder how that's gonna work out, as far as I know it's a first in Ballet history... "

...not to worry, Nina Ananiashvili was effectively Prima Ballerina of both the Bolshoi and ABT for years, so it can be done! So, please don't keep La Sylve at DNB, let's share, she's desparately needed at NYCB too! She's brought the Grande Ballerina style back to NYCB. I'd opine that she's America's Prima right now (although if Diana Vishneva's statement that she'll return to ABT May-July pans out, and if Ashley Bouder continues to grow, it may be as part of a Triumverate).

HNB performs September-November -- they're currently touring the Netherlands with an all-Balanchine program -- before the NYCB season starts and during the March/April break, as well as overlapping part of the NYCB. Sylve can be one busy dancer if she chooses to do so.