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"1963: Yesterday" (John Neumeier), "Nomade" (Tim Rushton), "The Wish" (Stanton Welch, "Napoli Act III" (August Bournonville)"
The Royal Danish Ballet
Grønnegaarden
Copenhagen July 17 -23 2006

by Eva Kistrup
copyright ©2006, Eva Kistrup

Had I not read Frank Andersen's programme notes, I would probably have written a review that merely discussed the value of each item on the menu and mused about the pros and cons of outdoor summer performances. I might even have touched the subject of how far a company should go to attract a new audience. But I did read the notes, in which Andersen promises "an exiting programme with popular pieces by some of best choreographers in the World danced by some of the best dancers in the World."

I suppose the sentence is true due to the inclusion of Bournonville's "Napoli" danced by the Royal Ballet, but he does use the plural, so is he actually holding the view that John Neumeier, Tim Rushton and Stanton Welch are "some of the best choreographers in the World"? Or is he simply on a marketing mission? Let us take a closer look at the evidence.

John Neumeier's "1963: Yesterday" is a good example of the principles that have kept John Neumeier in business for 40 years: The talent to mix high brow art often of the camp variety with broadline pop culture. In "1963: Yesterday," a piece de occasion for the Royal Danish Ballet's 250 years jubilee in 1998, Neumeier mixes Bournonville with the Beatles in a musing over the fact that he discovered both when he studied with Vera Volkova in Copenhagen in 1963. An inspired pastiche at best, but world class? Silja Schandorff danced the Sylph-heroine with style and panache. She was partnered this time by young principal Kristoffer Sakurai, who has taken over from the original cast Peter Bo Bendixen, but you kept seeing Bendixen in the steps. He has always been a brilliant Neumeier dancer, and Neumeier's cranky style suits Bendixen, whose own technique has always been more personal than classical. Frank Andersen has for many seasons relied on Neumeier to reproduce the magic of his 1974 smash hit "Romeo & Juliet." We have had a high number of handed down and original ballets, but he has never been able to reach the height of "Romeo and Juliet" (a success probably depending more on inspired casting than on choreography).

There is no doubt that Tim Rushton is far the best choreographer to emerge in the Danish ballet for a long time, but that is not a difficult accolade to win as the field is very narrow. "Nomade" is a good example of his strengths: a quasy-modern style with religious and heavy overtones. This time a small cast led by the brilliant duo Tina Højlund and Mads Blangstrup, dressed in the trouserskirt that has been a mainstay of semi-modern ballets since Hans van Manen's "Gross Fugue." In that ballet, the dancers were supposed to represent an aboriginal tribe, constantly moving, constantly struggling. The best thing about "Nomade" is that it is pretty short, otherwise if be inexcusable dull. Whereas Højlund sells the ballet, Blangstrup transcends it as he did recently in Rushton's "Requiem." He oozes meaning, style and dramatic presence. Here we get close to world class in his dancing, but it breaks the intention of the ballet which is not supposed to be a star turn. And why can't Tim Rushton be what he is — an interesting, local choreographer. Why must Frank Andersen elevate him to World class?

If it is a stretch to call Neumeier and Rushton world class it is an outright joke to include Stanton Welch at the top. He is the sort of choreographer who uses classical ballet steps to produce emotional junk. "The Wish" is about a couple splitting up. The music is popular pieces by Cauteloube. The effect is zero, even though Caroline Cavallo and Jean Lucien Massot were as hardworking a couple as you would ever meet on a stage. "The Wish" is a ballet which cannot really survive in an outdoor setting. The clear light disrobes the ballet of every mystique. Without professional lighting there is absolutely nothing to cheer about.

But thank god for good old Bournonville. Surely "Napoli Act III" would save the night? Yes and no. There is no denying that "Napoli Act III" is world class choreography but unfortunately RDB has developed a practise of dividing the solos among as many dancers as they can possibly, and that destroys the structure and elegance of the piece. Also, probably in an attempt to democratize the opportunities. the male solos are no longer cast in line with the long-term company practice where the solos were assigned only to top notch dancers. They are now shared widely, starving the audience of top virtuoso performances and starving the dancers of really familiarising themselves with the solos. Instead of three very different male variations we get the solos performed alike, and by dancers who do not have full control of the steps, nor at a high virtuoso level in pirouettes and jumps. Dramatically we cannot identify Gennaro and Terasina, as these variations are shared among several dancers. And I must also question whether any RDB performance of this kind should end with "Napoli Act III" since there does not seem to be a focus on maintaining the highest standard in the piece.

Do not get me wrong. I do think it is an excellent idea to strive to be world class, but if this is to be more than a marketing device, it is necessary to identify what is needed for the company to reach and maintain the highest level. For the dancers, "world class" means the possibility to dance the roles that would develop each dancer's talent. An example: in this programme ballerina Gudrun Bojesen was relegated to an Abdallah girl (in the trio called "the piglets" by the dancers). For the company it is necessary to dance a repertoire carefully selected to develop company style, virtuosity and dramatic challenge. With that in mind The Grønnegaard programme was a total waste of time, and the ballets seem to have been chosen as the easiest way to fill an evening with as little effort as possible. Indeed, the demanding ballet "Polacca" by Anna Lærkesen was dropped, probably because it needs a certain amount of rehearsal time and virtuosos for it to work. But what is the point of lowering the barre that much? I remember other outdoor performances with the company that have been joyful and interesting, and a lot of those were actually produced by Frank Andersen and the Bournonville Group, a group of talented dancers wanting to show their interpretations of Bournonville and others. It is not the format but the lack of ideas and simple effort that is affronting. Copenhagen is the only town of the tour for which this programme carries a ticket price. When touring the provinces the programme will be shown for free. Does the company feel that they cannot charge for this programme? If that is the case, the company should take a good look at its priorities and produce quality and dedication, rather than keep lowering the barre. To tie the term "world class" to this meagre effort makes a mockery of the audience and the company. To me, The Royal Danish Ballet at its best is a world class company, but please start performing as one rather than claiming it. This is too important to squander.

Photo, by Henrik Stenberg, of Silja Schandorff and Kirstofer Sakurai.

Volume 4, No. 28
July 24, 2006
copyright ©2006 Eva Kistrup
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