Hi,

Could any of the experts here kindly tell me the technical steps of the first male sequence in the Flower Festival of Genzano?. It starts at about 0:30 of the youtube recording of Cojocaru/Kobborg (I think I'm supposed not to post the link) and lasts until 1:00.

If someone could pair the timing with the name of the steps, I'd very much appreciate. I've looked at the ABT dictionary for help, but I'm not always able to make the correspondence.

I find this duet amazing (I have it at home with Nureyev/Tallchief with a breathtaking Nureyev at 24, on DVD).

Thanks.

You'll need to post the link. The youtube vid I find has her dancing at 0:30. He does start dancing at 0:40, though, ending at 1:11. If that's the section you mean, there are a lot of steps packed in there! Any step in particular that you can't ID? Perhaps you can describe it a bit?

Moderator's note:
The prohibition against YouTube links was from an earlier era -- the olden days, before many ballet companies and video companies started using the site to post their own videos -- from a time when the majority of the ballet postings were illegal and YouTube monitored them laxly, if at all.

This is a new age.

We accept links to YouTube now. Please do post it, JerryS, so we can all be on the same page.

And welcome to BalletTalk!

The youtube link is:

Cojocaru and Kobborg in FF
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B31LC_htB4E

Indeed, he starts at 0:40.

For now, I am interested in the names of his steps at:

0:41-44 he jumps ahead coming diagonally from our left towards the right, twice, I think

0:48 he jumps ahead with his left arm high above his head; grande jette en avance?

0:52-54 he jumps vertically with his right knee very high, seems from a seconde, left/support leg straight in the air under him

0:58 he moves to his right with small steps which seem entrechats to me, but what is the name of the whole movement, are those chasses too?

1:07 which pirouette is that?

Thanks.

0:41-44 - He does a grande sissonne en avant followed by a quick ballonné with the left leg and then steps into a grand jeté en avant

0:48 - Another grande sissonne en avant

0:52-54 - Double rond de jambe en l'air sauté

0:58 - Glissade, entrechat-cinq, glissade, jeté battu (if you want to get really specific, it is glissade derrière de coté sans changée, but that is quite a mouthful!)

1:07 - Pirouette en dehors

Jerry, he begins with a small assemble over, then springs forward in a sissonne change in attitude croise, and landing does a small ballone, and steps into a quick preparation for grand jete in attitude, from which he does a petite jete battu onto the other foot, and two more petite jetes battus, changing feet, and then a small assemble over and the sequence recommences and is repeated exactly except that it closes with assemble simple closing back.

The new phrase begins with a sissonne into a double rond de jambe, from which he steps close to himself and does a big jete passe that runs quickly into several quick petite jetes battus, thence he glissades to the side upstage on the diagonal, does entrechat-cinq, and another glissade, whence he springs up into entrechat trois and changes his facing, thence glissades backwards on the new diagonal, where he does entrechat-cinq and a couple of jetes battus, a little emboite into coupe-front, and thence throws his leg up a la seconde for a preparation for a pirouette en dehors, and finishes in fifth position with a big flourishing gesture towards his partner.

It's a brilliant performance, with the characteristic Danish modesty and sweetly engaging head positions that somehow soften and tone down all hte sharpness in the legs -- his footwork is very clean and fast, and indeed some of the small steps are so quick I had to look hard to see which foot was in front. Entrechats with odd numbers end on one foot, and all of them in this dance do land on one foot.

The main characteristic of this dance is the clever alternation between steps which begin with a spring (sissonnes, entrechats) and those which begin with a brush (jete, glissade, assemble) -- this produces the fascinating laciness of the very quick steps -- and of course, the careful placing of BIG steps like the big plants in a garden, few and far between. the very big steps come at the beginning and end of the dance, with the only other big steps at the beginning of the second phrase. A long pirouette counts as a big step even though it does not leave the ground.

This was fun, kind of like diagramming a sentence. Thanks for asking.

It's also remarkable as well that the dancer can cover almost as much ground with small steps, like glissade, as he can with the grand jete -- it pumps air into the variation -- and that the jete passe at the beginning of the new phrase, though it is big and high, does NOT travel at all. And in fact, some of his glissades are WELL traveled, they are almost jetes fermes.

Many thanks, Hans! I had to watch the steps at 58" five or six times before I could see the individual steps.

Edited to add: I like this performance by Gudrun Bojesen and Mads Blangstrup very much, particularly her energy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cujlie2WLr4...feature=related

Warning: the recording isn't very good.

Thank you all.

Now I really need to study:-)

BTW, I've compared many of the recordings at youtube with the 1962 Nureyev/Tallchief performance in the NBC Bell Telephone series (available on DVD in his series with Erik Bruhn) and I honestly don't think they can touch that. I'd recommend that DVD to anyone just for this duet, in which Nureyev is absolutely great.

Nureyev at 24 has a charm, sleek body (he got a bit heavier later), speed and height which are amazing, IMHO.

The fact that he benefitted from Bruhn's help (which he had to replace on that night), both based on their relationship and the fact that this was a Danish work, might have counted for a lot in terms of the refinement and his deportment. Also, there's a special communication between Nureyev and Tallchief and the fact that they two had (another!) relationship at the time (if one reads Kavanagh's book one really sees everything as a menage a trois, at least for a short time) might have contributed to some of the radiance they have on this film/recording towards each other.

Other interesting couples, in the same piece, at youtube, are:

The great Yuri Soloviev and Alla Sizova (wonder about the year?)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr25NoQtWRE
Sizova seems to have been great too, great body, very graceful. First time I see her in a recording.

From the new Kirov, Obraztsova and Sarafanov:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fYLtrOIfPk
A little light for my taste, Sarafanov, but great dancing.

From these mentioned in this thread, I like most Sizova from the females (and the diaphanous skirt helps putting her to advantage; also great arm work, perfect, refined, thin, body) and Nureyev in men, followed closely by Soloviev.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B31LC_htB4E

> 0:52-54 - Double rond de jambe en l'air sauté

Thanks to you both, Hans and Paul.

One thing I don't understand is where the term "rond" comes from for this one en l'air saute, as I don't see the circular motion which I see in the
Rond de jambe a terre en dedans
at the ABT dictionary.

I remember when this was first broadcast: I was anxious to see Bruhn and when it was announced that he would not be dancing and the substitute would be this Noorv... Nyerv... Nivry... person, I was so annoyed I wanted to skip the whole thing. Fortunately, my mother pointed out that, after all, he was Russian and you never know, he might not be so bad... I've always thought that Tallchief looked a little uncomfortable (btw, have you seen The Art of Maria Tallchief DVD?), but Nureyev was a revelation at the time. I have since learned to pronounce his name.

Sorry for the digression.

>0:41-44 - He does a grande sissonne en avant followed by a quick ballonné with the left leg and then steps into a grand jeté en avant

Did I correctly identify another grande jete en avant at 0:49
in
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B31LC_htB4E
?

So, the question for me is:
How does one quickly separate between grand sissonne en avant and grand jete en avant?

Thanks.

Thank you, Peggy, for sharing this personal memento with us. When I looked first at Maria Tallchief in this piece I wasn't too impressed. She doesn't have, perhaps, what I believe could be called a perfect ballet body (a bit generous on the hip side) and those teeth may be ... well a little on the too-expressive side. However, after comparing her with Cojocaru, Sizova, and the others mentioned in this thread, and looking back at the DVD, she radiates a special something in that piece, a special warmth, which surpasses some of them (perhaps it's the honest feeling for her partner?), and with Nureyev, as a couple, is in a winning position. It might be this warmth that endeared her to ballet lovers, I don't know, I don't have a longue acquaintance with her art in particular.

a sissonne is a spring from two feet, while a jete is a jump from two feet that begins by brushing the floor with the working leg -- they both travel forward, in both cases the front leg is like a javelin, but in the sissonne the feet spring into place, the legs rise simultaneously, while in the jete the front leg brushes the floor in its rise and initiates the jump, leaving the floor before the other one pushes off....

It is a bit difficult to explain, and I don't have my ballet dictionaries with me at the moment, but basically the dancer raises his/her leg to 45º or 90º and moves the working foot in toward the supporting knee and back out again with the working toe tracing an oval shape in the air. It can be a bit difficult to see the "rond" from directly front sometimes.



A very basic definition is that a sissonne is a jump that starts from two feet and lands on one, while a jeté is a jump that starts on one foot and lands on the other. So when he does sissonne, he starts in 5th position and finishes on his front leg with his back leg raised behind him (although in this case he has to bring it down quickly for the ballonné) and in the grand jeté, he brushes the front leg forward and jumps off the back leg onto the front leg (soaring beautifully through the air in between, of course!). I hope this helps.

Tallchief was a fabulous dancer of a very different type from that which Flower Festial calls for. She can DO FF, but the action is too emphatic, and her arabesque is too Nijinska-esque. The eagerness is right, andthe connection with Nureyev is lovely....

You should see Tallchief in Balanchine -- Orfeo, or Firebird, to see how that intensity brings thremendous things into focus.

An ideal dancer for Flower Festival would be Rose Gad or Lis Jeppesen or Mette-Ida Kirk. Cojocaru is in fact not right -- her arabesques go too high, the rebound from the jumps is not cushy enough, andhte mystery of the lacy steps done SO close to the ground is not fascinating enough.

Gentlemen, Paul and Hans,

Your great definitions, together with the ABT dictionary files, in slowmo, have clarified for me the issue of
grand jete vs. grand sissonne:-)

Thanks a lot.

BTW, the grand jete at the ABT dictionary site is executed by Vladimir Malakhov. He looks great in it.

You're writing great, Paul, and are clearly putting feel into it.
Keep it going. This is the commentary we need in this art.
I hope that from time to time you're able to publish your opinions on a for-fee basis.

Appreciated.

Danish National Treasure
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xg9mLvIkvr8&NR=1

Thomas Lund and Gudrun Bojesun in FF at the inauguration of the new theater in Copenhagen...

They're so proud of these dancers, it brings tears to my eyes.

Great indeed.

She's definitely one of the best in the role, long lines, extension, great musicality. For once, the orchestra didn't run too fast through the female parts, as in Cojocaru's, who didn't have enough stress in some of the points, IMHO.

Another work from Bournonville, the "William Tell Pas de Deux". The piece is fiendishly difficult, given the amount of times the dancers cannot use their arms, but must hold them folded and parallel to the floor. I particularly love Diana Cuni's passe releve sequence starting at 1'30", and I love everything that Thomas Lund does.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHJmD37hqaw...feature=related

At the very end, the first bows are to the Royal Box.

Thanks for mentioning the name of that step and the timing, Helene.

Again, back to our moutons/muttons:-)

In FF:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B31LC_htB4E
what are the technical names for the steps at:
3:43, seems a sissonne en place
3:48-49, that looks like a jump/saut
4:05 what kind of pirouette is that?
5:43 what kind of saut-pirouette is that, on two legs?
6:11, is that a developpe?

Thanks.

3:43 - Yes, that is a sissonne
3:49 - Fouetté sauté en dedans
4:05 - Pirouette en dedans
5:43 - Double tour en l'air
6:11 - Pirouette terminé en écarté devant

3:43: a sissonne (that leads him to the fouette, below)
3:48-49: fouette en l'air (other term? grand fouette? dancers usually just call this fouette for short, and it's never confused with fouettes (as in fouette turns))--unlike the related tour jete, this one keeps you on the same leg.
4:05 pirouette en dedans
5:43 double tour
6:11 develope a la seconde, out of a pirouette

Edited to add: listen to Hans, whose post came after mine--he's far more precise.

I just watched the Bojesen/Blangstrup performance that Helene linked to earlier in this thread (Bojesen is delightful--that soft port de bras combined with the speedy legs!) and noticed that Blangstrup does not do pirouette terminé en écarté devant in his 2nd variation but rather, from 4th, he does a quick little turn in plié and then a battement fondu at 90º in écarté devant.

but can't resist.

I love Bojesen's performance, too. As Hans noted, the quick, light feet and soft arms, but also her musicality and charm, all values I expect from a Bournonville work, are vividly displayed here.

Thank you, gentlemen.

Any way to describe the particular position of the legs (I imagine several varieties are possible for
each?):

3:49 - Fouetté sauté en dedans: how to say his working leg is fully extended and pretty high from the hip?
4:05 - Pirouette en dedans: how to describe this particular flexion in his working knee, or alternately, the particular position of the working leg?
5:43 - Double tour en l'air: how to describe that the legs are straight, parallel and vertical (are all the tours executed this way? I doubt, but I don't know.)?

Thanks.

In terms of arms, even better is Sizova from those in this thread, IMHO, but her and Soloviev are at a terrible disantantage because of the quality of the tape, but I would encourage anyone to muster the patience and to strain their eyes:-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr25NoQtWRE

She's expressing a certain ethereality that none of the others have, perhaps because of the diaphanous dress.

Great mis-en-scene, the stage is quite small though, and crowded. That doesn't work in their favor. But that crowd is acting great, they seem to have been well stimulated for the occasion:-)

It's fascinating to compare these videos, and I thank those who have to linked them.

Even the first 30 seconds of the women's part you can see striking differences. After her opening string of jetes, etc., to stage left, the ballerina switches direction and does a cross-over turn, then briefly jumpting and landing in fondu arabesque , at which point the torso and head tilted. This occurs twice. That particular tilt of the torso, and especially of the head, head is something I associate only with Bournonville.

Bojesun has the Bournonville tilt. Cojocaru makes a good try, but doesn't quite get it. Sizova doesn't try.

bart, you're right It's the smallest thing in the world, those little tilts, but it's there from childhood in Danes and a dead giveaway in anyone else.

In each of these, he is essentially doing the standard form of the step, so I don't really see a need to specify, except perhaps to say that the fouetté sauté en dedans is croisé. He does the pirouette in retiré position, which is standard, and the tour en l'air in 5th position, also standard. One would generally only specify if there were a deviation from these--for example if the fouetté were at 45º instead of 90º, or if the pirouette were to be done in cou-de-pied instead of retiré position.

and the HANDS -- the line of that arabesque has not only that tilt of the head but a very particular position for the fingers, curling slightly up, like wing tips of a bird landing

Thank you, Hans.

I'm not sure we're talking about the same torso and head tilt, but watch Soloviev at about 1:15-1:29:

The great Yuri Soloviev and Alla Sizova (wonder about the year?)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr25NoQtWRE

Now, that's a tilt! Call it a bell tolling!

Kobborg, a Dane, is doing much less. Nureyev, just a bit less.

Also, how about Soloviev at 1:16-1:19! (Double ronde de jambe saute, I believe. Peaking at 1:18). Now, that's what I would call high! Nureyev is even higher with the working leg and higher than the hip, I think!

I believe the tilt they are referring to occurs at 1:51 and 1:53 of the Bojesen/Blangstrup video. Perhaps my favourite moments of that video are from there through 1:58, when she opens her arms and beams out radiantly at the audience.

Sizova and Soloviev are two of my favourite artists, but it seems to me that Mariinsky and Bolshoi dancers frequently have trouble with Bournonville's style, particularly how soft and understated it is. Taken on its own terms, though, I think the Sizova/Soloviev performance is beautiful, even with the choreographic alterations.

Edited to add: there is a similar step in this video of Evdokimova http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fN7ZTbfmoZE...feature=related at 1:10, 1:14, and 1:18.

There's a special slowness in Tallchief's interpretation which is especially enchanting. I think she asked the orchestra to tempo it down a bit. She really takes her time to enjoy it all. She was towards the end of her career (she retired just three years later, in 1965, I've just learned).

BTW, asking the costume specialists here, I'm curious about what Kobborg's wearing in period language:
cravat/neckerchief/bandanna, shirt, knee-long breeches, belt/cammerbund (doubt that?), white hoses/socks (tights today?)
were/are these the right words?

Just want to thank everyone for this thread -- I love the Danes, and thought I'd watched most of what there was on Youtube, and here is a whole new treasure chest! I will have to save this for after work!!

Hi:

Cojocaru and Kobborg in FF
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B31LC_htB4E

How does one call the high lateral cross-over stepping which Kobborg does at 7:21-7:22?

Thanks

That is a pas de chat.

Thank you, Hans, I was indeed looking for a video with this step:-)