One of my favorite dancers (alas, only on video) has been Darcy Bussell. I notice, however, that there has been relatively little serious discussion of her dancing on Ballet Talk. The BT "search" function turns up very few references to Bussell, compared to large numbers of Russian ballerinas.

Even in the general press recently, you are more likely to find general (always positive) references to her popularity in Britain, or to being Britain's "most beloved ballerina," rather than detailed appraisals of her work.

I sometimes wonder: am I crazy to love looking at this dancer as much as I do?

What explains Bussell's relative invisibility on this Board? And -- more important -- what do BT members thing about her dancing, stage presence, the trajectory of her career, her repertoire, her partnerships, or anything else you can think of?

Bart - I think the disproportion could be for logistical reasons - she doesn't tour all that much anymore, does she? Did she go to DC with the Royal? If she's traveling less (she has children) the only people to report on her are those that see her in London.

For me, Darcy Bussell's guest appearances with NYCB, particularly in Agon, linger in memory as among the most exciting performances at the NY State Theater after the banishment of Suzanne Farrell, the Elusive Muse herself. I don't miss a lack of "serious" discussion on Ballet Talk about Bussell (be careful what you wish for, I say), because there is no lack of internet fan activity, including an official web site and another that bills itself as "a shrine to Mistress Darcy Bussell." There is one serious matter I would like cleared up, however. Her name is usually spelled Darcy. But on her official site it's Darcey.

Hi Farrell Fan

Can I clear up your serious matter? Darcey does spell her name with an 'e' and always has.

As Farrell Fan noted above, Bussell performed the pas de deux from Agon during the 1993 Balanchine Festival, later released on VHS and DVD. This is the one Bussell performance that is widely known to American audiences.

Thank you very much, Shirley.

Bart,

I really like Bussell too. I first saw her two years ago in the Ashton 100 that was incorporated into the Lincoln Center Festival. She did a pdd from Birthday Offering and I was very struck by the beauty of her dancing.
But since then I haven't noticed her here in NYC except for her two appearances at the YAGP gala last April.
I would have picked something different than the last pdd from Manon but I was grateful for a chance to see her again.

I'm hoping she uses her looser arrangement with the RB will allow her to do more guest appearances before she quits (I think she's 37).

Maybe her "low profile" on this country is due to the not so frequest appearances and her not very exotic persona.

I hope she comes back and does a guest appearance her in the US.

Also, it would be nice if the BBC telecast of Sylvia with Bussell and Bolle gets released on DVD.

And Leigh, I don't think she was part of the RB visit to DC unless I missed her name in one of the mixed programs. She wasn't in any of the Beauties .


Richard

No problem. I know 'Darcey' is often spelt without the 'e' but Ms Bussell spells it with an 'e'. Her mum's unusual choice of spelling by all accounts.

Perhaps Londoners (the ones who populate dance forums anyway) feel there's not a huge amount to say that hasn't already been said given that she's been performing with the RB since (guessing) 1989 and especially now that her performances have been getting fewer each season what with family time off and now her guest artist status.

It is true she has and still does have the status here, among the general public, as the 'face of the RB' if not 'face of British Ballet' - in fact from comments I've often heard at the ROH on ballet nights (whether or not she's performing that night) it seems that some (I would call them 'occassional ballet goers') regard her as the *only* dancer who really counts at the RB! .... the one they will book to see by default.

The truth is the standard of the female dancers at the RB at the moment is absolutely awesome - and with so many new and not-so-new dancers here to get exited about maybe that's why people are not writing about Darcey so much these days.

But she is still much loved in the UK and rightly so - I personally love to see her dance here still and I think she has a special and unique quality onstage which is absolutly captivating. Most recently I saw her again in MacMillan's 'Requiem' ... absolutely sublime ......

I generally prefer her to see her in non-dramatic roles but having said that, compared to other dancers, she often seems able to add huge dramatic meaning to some of the more abstract ballets. Does that make any sense?! Well, I know what I mean at least! :rolleyes:

There are few seasoned balletgoers in London that admire Darcey Bussell that much and for various reasons. The main reason is that they feel Miss Bussel despite her beauty( some describe her as a toothy schoolgirl), has added no depth to her performances over the years. Her technique has been seen as weak in turns( I have seen her very good in turns). I see her as quite glamourous and she has despite nerves on occasion shows tremendous attack, high elevation in grand jete and a crowd pleasing panache. I thought her first night performance in the reconstructed Sylvia was both entertaining and enjoyable although her epaulement let her down. Although the most famous Royal Ballet dancer since Margot Fonteyn she lost ground in the company when she was off with her baby Phoebe and Alina Cojocaru and Tamara Rojo established themselves with audience and critics in a way that Miss Bussell never did. With a family and business interest and perhaps other fish to fry she is now only a guest artist with the RB. Odette/Odile, Aurora, Giselle and Natalia Petrovna are beyond her reach but I admired her as Nikiya and Gamzatti. Where she goes from now I am not sure. She is a media celebrity and in an interview she is quoted as saying, "... the Royal Ballet is not me." Many thought, myself included that Miss Bussel was perfect for NYC and was not really a classical ballet dancer.

Thanks for the responses so far. I'm sorry about the spelling error. It seems someone has corrected the topic title. Thanks.

So many people use the term "beautiful" to describe her dancing. I wish I had the knowledge to figure out just WHAT goes into creating this impression of beauty.

Is it relatead to her personality? Technique? Line? Precise placement? Wonderful legs? All of the above? Is there some Cecchetti quality or influence at play? (I should add that I also loved Fonteyn and return to her often on video.)

I have gotten a lot of joy from many great female dancers who are quite different in style and presentation from Busssell: Verdy, Hayden, Thesmar, Guillem, Zakharova, McBridge, Farrell, Whelen (whom I only saw when she was young), Ananiashvili, Ferri, Vishneva (a new discovery for me) plus some of the fine young dancers at Miami City Ballet whom I see most often today.

But I know that if you put the top 20 ballerinas in the world on stage with bags over their heads and simple leotards or tutus on their bodies, and asked them to dance, I could tell you which one was Busssell almost without pause. That would be the dancer my eye would most return to during the course of what would definitely be a strange and beautiful dance.

As an American who has seen Busell only three or four times in person and on two videos, I'm certainly no expert on her or her impact on the RB. But she strikes me as the dancer who moved the RB from one era to the next. Her high extensions and bold attack were so uncharacteristic of the previous generation, yet she maintained that calm, strong center indicative of Cecchetti training and not much seen in non-British (-style) trained dancers.

I wonder to what degree Sylvie Guillem's presence at RB influenced Darcey. We will probably never know, but there can be no doubt that Guillem broke (and continues to break) barriers. She probably also expanded the range of perceived possibilities among youngsters then training.

I agree with leonid's take on her overall impression. When the curtain rose on her in Prince of the Pagodas in New York, my (non-balleto) companion gasped "She's beautiful!" In face and form, I fully agree.

Many balletos expect their favorites to devote 100% of their time and thinking to the perfection of their art. I will never be convinced that that produces interesting performers -- at least not over the course of a career or in a range of roles. I congratulate Ms. Bussell on the choices she's made. I'd have liked to have seen more of her, but I wish her well as she continues to branch out and away.

Whenever people start talking about "the Russian Back", I always think about Darcey Bussell's dancing and wonder why.

Londoners will have a chance to see Darcey Bussell and Igor Zelensky in a program at Sadler's Wells from 28 November-2 December 2006:

http://www.sadlerswells.com/whats_on/2006_2007/darcey.asp

I'm still pursuing a conclusion about my mixed feelings (sometimes close to puzzlement) about Bussell's extraordinary dancing. Recently, I came across this July 1997 on-line review of the Royal's Prince of the Pagodas, by Leigh. The analysis seems remarkably on target. (Underlining is mine.)

Hello, I love Darcey just as much, and agree with you comments. I have been lucky enough to see her perform on stage at the opera house 3 times in the last eight years, and she is magnificent! I love to watch tall ballerinas, beacuse they have to work so much harder to fit in intricate steps etc., There really is a pleasing athleticism about Darcey's dancing, which is hard to locate in others sometimes. Possibly Zenaida Yanowsky and Leanne Benjamin, but she will always be my top dancer!

Thanks for that, skylark. I hope you'll also say hello and tell us something about your love of ballet on the 'Welcome" forum, and that you'll enjoy and be a part of our forums, from Britain and all over.

just caught up with htis thread--

that's a fascinating quote from Leigh Witchell's review, Bart -- could you give a link to the whole thing? I'd love to read it.

Leigh is all over the net!

Try --->this.

It's odd, but my on-line version of the article looks different from yours, carbro. Same text, though.

Here's a set of links to a group of really fascinating articles by Leigh, circa 10 years ago. Any one of them could be a fruitful starting point for great Ballet Talk discussions.

http://members.aol.com/lwitchel/dance.htm

Wow. It's weird to read that stuff 10 years later. For the record I'd say my opinion has developed on English Ballet since then.

http://www.leighwitchel.com/blog/archives/...on_viewing.html

And I hope my writing has as well.

I hadn't replied so far because I was obeying the aphorism "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." Darcey Bussell's dancing leaves me a bit cold, and I acknowledge that this response is highly subjective.

I saw two Royal Ballet performances fifteen years ago when I was quite young. One of Lesley Collier's final performances as Giselle made a great impression on me; she earned the label "ballerina" in my mind. And I now know that this role was not in her natural emploi. I saw Bussell in the Nutcracker and remember that I didn't like it. Looking back at videos, I see a certain stiffness in her shoulders. Are they a bit high? Is it a question of breathing? I don't know if anyone else sees this. Her legs are lovely but I do not see a complete line (same with Paloma Herrera). This is not a dig at the Cecchetti/Royal Ballet style, but what I see as a peculiarity of hers, for there are many dancers I love with the same training.

And in terms of "perfume": I feel that Bussell is extremely ill-served appearing with Asylmuratova in the Bayadere video, though I know there are those who feel the opposite. Not only are their characters not in sympathy, their styles are not—I find Darcey prosaic and Altynai otherworldy. (She is one of my top favorites; I know she has her own technical weaknesses but they happen not to distract or bother me.) I also feel Terekhova made a stronger (fire-breathing, space-eating) impression as Gamzatti in another video.

Slightly OT, but related to the main mission of the board:

Alice Roosevelt Longworth, Teddy Roosevelt's wild child daughter, embroidered a sofa pillow that said, "If you haven't got anything nice to say about anybody, then come right over here and sit by me, dear." We can do this, and thus far on this thread negatives have been couched in the right kind of voice, without rancor and meanness. Keep up the good work.

I want to echo this. One of the things about Ballet Talk that most attracted me when I first stumbled upon it was the high level of discourse -- even when people disagree. It shows respect for each other and for the art.

Beck_hen, even though I am a fan of Bussell, you're points are so well observed that I had to admit, as I read them, that they explain some of my reservations about what I have seen.

I'm here to learn. So this was something I really appreciated. Thanks.

My major viewings of Darcey Bussell were over ten years ago with the Royal Ballet in MacMillans "Prince of the Pagodas" and in Ashton's "Cinderella" and with the NYCB in the Balanchine "Swan Lake" and "Midsummers Night Dream" and I think "Symphony in C". What is interesting is that Anna Kisselgoff found her initial appearances with the Royal Ballet promising but slightly off-putting. She felt that Bussell was not in the Royal tradition of understated, elegant, musical dancing with a lot of emphasis on facial expression and mime. She saw more athleticism, greater use of extensions and sharper phrasing and less dramatic involvement and facial expression in the young Darcey. Bussell danced "bigger" than the previous generations and in fact was probably taller. Kisselgoff liked the sharp footwork and clarity and openness of Bussell's style. She noticed a tightness in the upper body around the shoulders in contrast to the port de bras and epaulement of the older generations. She still liked her but felt that she reflected a more contemporary sensibility and didn't follow in the tradition of Markova, Fonteyn and Sibley.

However, Darcey despite her longer, leggy body and broader, bigger dance style has always had a kind of reserved, coltish girlishness about her stage persona. The smile is kind of "I want you to like me" and not "I am the star and you need only look here". This modest girlish persona was perfect for Cinderella and probably Aurora but perhaps not as effective in diva roles like Odette/Odile and Kitri and both Bayadere roles.

When Darcey Bussell danced Balanchine with the NYCB (I think she danced "Agon" and a few other ballets around 1993 to 1995 as a guest) the critics lined up to praise her, no reservations. I think her long leggy body, understated style, laid-back stage personality and sharp-edged contemporary athleticism mixed with precision and musicality was a perfect fit. I remember she had glamor that wasn't "pushy" or flamboyant and brought some needed lyricism and grace that only the other Darci, Darci Kistler, could match back then. Bussell seemed technically strong but not hitting you over the head with her technique which was subsumed into the choreography.

I don't think many of us have gotten to see how Darcey matured at the Royal because she was injured or pregnant during a few of the U.S. visits which have gotten less frequent in the last eight years or so. I would be curious to know what she did with a role like Giselle or the MacMillan Juliet and Manon. Those are roles that a ballerina can grow up with. I know that her technical ability suffered a bit after the birth of her daughter.

I recently watched her performance of Balanchine's "Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux" with Zoltan Solymosi on a Kultur VHS of a "Tchaikovsky Gala" (which oddly includes Rachmaninoff, Rimsky-Korsakov and Puccini music!) at Covent Garden which combined international opera soloists and members of the Royal Ballet (including Lesley Collier, Teddy Kumakawa, Viviana Durante, Bruce Sansom, Adam Cooper, Leanne Benjamin, Irek Mukhamedhov and others) doing various Tchaikovsky pas de deuxs from Petipa to MacMillan interspersed between various operatic vocal excerpts. Bussell seems at her best here - bringing a fresh, Spring-like exuberance and clean, elegant joy to the choreography. The upper body flows nicely and she seems fully engaged with the material. Lots of beautiful moments connected by lovely, flowing phrasing.

She is a dancer I want to get another chance to see. Her small appearance in "The Awakening Pas de Deux" during the Ashton festival made me feel I had missed something very special over the years including her Aurora and her Sylvia and much more. I hope she gets to New York a few times before she hangs up her slippers. I was hoping maybe ABT would offer her a contract to do her Sylvia and maybe a Giselle and Juliet in New York but with Vishneva their quota of international star ballerinas is full.

Faux Pas

Unfortunately, the only time I saw Bussell perform live was early in her career and at the time I found her dancing a little bit gauche. Her Lilac Fairy compared unfavourably with Maria Almeida's Aurora, much in the same way that her Gamzatti on video seemed crass when compared to Asylmuratova's Nikiya. (I agree with beck hen there.)

But like FauxPas I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to see Bussell as her career developed. She's obviously extremely gifted, and I'm sure that choreographers and the Royal Ballet's management found ways to put her talents to excellent use.

volcanohunter, I'd LOVE to hear about Almeida's Aurora (sorry for the OT).

I only started watching the RB about 3-4 years ago.... and unfortunately, despite her stellar technique, Bussell is just not one who grabs me somehow. She was, however, stellar in Raymonda Act III, and I have liked her in some neoclassical work.

I finally felt that I 'got' her at the last performance of the season, before she became a guest artist, dancing in Winter Dreams with Bolle. Here, we didnt' just see the steps done technically brilliantly, but art - words in motion. Brilliant stuff.

And then I left frustrated - thinking that if she could do that.... why I only ever saw it once.

Marvellous choice of words. We've all seen lots of the latter type. The contrast is, indeed, one of the things that makes Bussell so fascinating.

Next week Darcey Bussell will be appearing in a series of performances with Igor Zelensky at Sadlers Wells and today The Independent features her on the cover of its arts supplement (Arts and Books Review) Here is the link:

http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/theatre...icle2008024.ece

There are strong hints that Ms B. will actually be retiring from the RB in June next year, but she's had quite a good season this year and was outstanding in Violin Concerto and The Four Temperaments. I tend to avoid her in the classics as they are not her forte, but in the modern and neo classical rep she was and is excellent.

The opening anecdote about an overheard conversation on a train is uncannily similar to something I overheard on a train whilst going into work a few months ago. Apparently the man I overheard talking has a pal in the ROH box office and he was relating how after a TV appearance on a talk show, the box office was swamped with requests for tickets to see Bussell in what had up till then been an undersold programme. He was telling the story to illustrate the power of television, but it gives some idea of how famous Bussell has become over the years thanks to a persistent PR campaign on her behalf by the ROH.

I absolutely agree with Mashinka as to Miss Bussell really being a neo-classical ballet dancer and it was voiced by a number of ballet lovers in London shortly after her joining the RB that the best company for her was NYCB.

I have continued to watch her in the classical ballet repertoire in the hope that this highly talented dancer would make the grade. I never disliked her in the classics but felt that with a teacher of abilty at the early stage of her career she might been happier in the classic repertoire and given more successful performances.

In a triple bill at the ROH recently I felt that she had at last understood her body and used her undoubted skills brilliantly. I am sorry to hear that she may be leaving the RB as she is the only famous dancer in the company, whilst Alina Cojcaru is probably the most most admired along with Rojo and Nunez.

It's a fun interview -- she has a distinct personality, actually SOUNDS kinda NYCB, a little like Tanaquil Leclerc -- well, just a little, but it's frank and as you'd expect rather athletic, the energy is right up front. She even talks happily about liking having competition. I was glad to read it.

Really nice interview. I was interested to find that, when asked what she considered to be her biggest success, she responded:
Bussell's celebrity in the UK seems to come from many things. One, certainly, is that, although she never dilutes the quality of her work and her art, she is willing to make fun of her image. TV appearanceson "Vicar of Dibley," "Kumars at No. 42," etc., (mentioned on on other threads on BT) helped create the image, apparently genuine, of a very warm, natural and accessible kind of star.

Wow, this is an interview that dirac posted and it sounds very different from the Bussell interviews I've seen of the past. She seems very disenchanted with dance and ballet.

I suppose that with her imminent retirement in sight she feels she can be more honest in her opinions.

The remarks about the physical deterioration made unpleasant reading, but its no more than I've heard from a number of dance professionals concerned about the injury rates among classical dancers obliged to dance a variety of styles that ultimately take their toll on the body.

I thought this was the most disturbing quote:

I was also put in mind of Fonteyn's remark to the effect that if there was a real understanding of the pain involved, the only people watching ballet would be those who liked bullfighting.

I was also struck by her comment that she became a dancer because she could do it well and couldn't do much else (in her youth, at any rate).

Bussell's career and marriage have opened up a lot of doors for her -- new experiences, exposure to new kinds of people, etc. Perhaps she is also speaking from a desire, after so many years of focusing almost exclusively on the act of dancing, to experience a different kind of challenge in her work life.

Darcey Bussell also says...

"I think children are interested in dance, partly because of Billy Elliot and partly because if you go into any school playground, loads of kids are doing street dancing."

"Everyone Loves Music, Loves To Move. It Is Joyous To Do That."

(I added the capital letters).

I don't find this quote disturbing, but refreshingly frank. Performing arts schools are turning out more dancers, musicians, actors, etc. than can ever be gainfully employed, and they will come into a society that will undervalue and misunderstand them. Every child seriously considering going into the arts and their parents ought to have a talk like this from the school representatives before they make their decisions.

--Andre

I also found this, as Andre Yew said, refreshingly frank--and without sounding the least bit sour. And it does seem that one way or another (guest appearances, tap dancing with her daughters, or bully pulpits)) dance is a going to remain a big part of her life for a long time.

Maybe disturbing was the wrong word. I just think that it's surprising that after such a long glorious career Bussell doesn't seem particularly happy with her career choice. It sounds like she started dancing because she wasnt good at anything else, and that she remained a dancer because of determination and lack of options, rather than love of the art.
I know ballet is a terribly demanding career, but Bussell seems to have been blessed and led a charmed life. Unlike, say, Suzanne Farrell, she didn't have moments when her entire career was in jeopardy, and she's married to a banker and has two lovely kids. Yet she still doesn't sound particularly happy about being a dancer.

Yes, she is blessed. Last year she and her husband sold there house in the range of 2-3 million pounds. British papers must have a thing for ballerinas & their houses. Another one I remember was Leanne Benjamin, who talked about how many times she & her hubby have bought houses(one at a time). Though I gather that sort of thing is common in London.

To be honest, I read a lot of interviews with dancers that sound like they are "cursed" with their talent or grouse about the hours, injuries, pay etc. Diana V. and Agnes Oakes come to mind.

I have recently discovered Darcey Bussell's rendering of the Agon pas de deux, on the Balanchine Celebration tape, and I found her absolutely gorgeous in it - with such a pure line and a technique that seemed suited to Balanchine. It actually made me change my mind about her - I had only seen her in the Sylvia telecast from last year where she is not at her best IMO (she doesn't seem at ease in this kind of classical piece).

I did a research on the Board's archives and noticed that some people had actually hated her Agon... Would anyone feeling that way care to explain why ? I've never seen it done by a NYCB dancer, and I'm wondering in which ways she might have been "wrong" - especially as the POB will dance Agon in February, and I'm looking forward to see how they envision the piece (and how different it may be from NYCB).

That would probably be me. I didn't *hate* it, but as far as I'm concerned, she did it wrong.

One of the most important things in the pas de deux is that the woman, as Balanchine said to Arthur Mitchell, is like a doll. The man moves her into position. Bussell didn't allow the man (Lindsay Fischer) to manipulate her and kept trying to balance on her own. She didn't let him do his job. To my taste, the other Darci (Kistler) did a much more interesting Agon.

I hated it. If felt that she tried the gymnastic approach: how high can my extensions go, and her thrusts were rooted in the thighs, rather than the pelvis, probably because her turnout looks limited. I saw it live, never having seen her before and very much looking forward to it, and was horribly disappointed. I thought she was miscast in what is probably the central role in the Balanchine canon.

I know the British think Bussell's a Balanchine dancer. This mystifies me. She's way too vertical in her lines to be one. I've seen her do Agon, Symphony in C and Sanguinic in 4Ts. Sanguinic suits her best, but even there, she's too vertical.

This is very interesting... Why is being vertical wrong for Balanchine ? As a total outsider (I'm French and the POB does little Balanchine these days), I've felt on the contrary that verticality was part of the style displayed in ballets such as Agon or Rubies (maybe not the best examples, but the first ones I thought of). Maybe we should start a new thread on that question ?

I'd say that in Balanchine there's an acute awareness of the vertical axis, but the body itself is constantly being pushed off that axis. For example, in the opening sequence of Rubies, the dancers begin in a vertical position but they immediately begin to tilt forward and backward in relationship to the vertical axis: the pelvis is thrust forward and the torso tilts back, then the pelvis is tilted back and the spine leans forward, and so on and so forth.

I saw Darcy Bussell in the whole live, real Agon, as did Leigh, not the shorter version at the centennial, and though she is not an orthodox Balanchine dancer, something about her concentration and slightly behind the beat approach made her stand out. Especially in the group of several dancers getting their various jabbing movements in. In performance, she was far more arresting than she is in on tape.

I was also fascinated with her concentration and enunciation in Symphony in C.

I have always loved this typical Balanchine movement which is most often described as 'jazzy'. But this movement, for most of us, was our entrance into this world---and it's completely involuntary on the part of the mother. Isn't this a more subtle form of Graham's 'contract and release'?