CriticalDance Forum

Choreographer enlarges a tradition
BY SUZANNE JOUBERT for Business Day (South Africa)

FIRST danced in 1870, only fragments remain of Arthur Saint Leon's original choreography of Coppelia.

However, the character dances he introduced have influenced and inspired modern-day choreographers. Jean-Paul Comelin is one who has used the array of traditional dance in the ballet and enlarged on them to present not only the dancers at their most versatile, but also to provide a colourful fusion of nationalities. The costumes and stylised dances are testament to the inclusive approach he uses in this particular production.

click for more

<small>[ 11-14-2002, 03:04: Message edited by: Stuart Sweeney ]</small>

New 'Fire Bird' tries a jungle beat
By JIE JIE for The China Daily

After its sensational performances at the Fourth Shanghai International Arts Festival, the Cape Town City Ballet from South Africa is bringing its dance show to Beijing on Friday.
The programme at the Beizhan Theatre will reflect the diverse nature of the company's repertoire and the flexibility of its dancers.

The highlight is "Fire Bird" choreographed by Christopher Kindo, one of the most promising young choreographers in South Africa.

Set to music by Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971), one of the greatest Russian composers whose works encompass styles as diverse as Romanticism, Neoclassicism and Serialism, "Fire Bird," which was first staged by Sergei Diaghilev's Ballet Russe in 1910 in Paris with choreography by Michael Fokine, is one of the landmarks of the early 20th century in both dance and music.

The story of "Fire Bird" draws upon two Russian fairy tales, "Prince Ivan Tsarevich" and "The Bird of Light and the Grey Wolf," incorporating the story of the evil enchanter Kastchei, whose soul was contained in an egg.

click for more

Cape Town City Ballet
Reviewed by Margaret Willis for Dance Magazine

Jean-Paul Comelin's The Sleeping Beauty, which he has created for Cape Town City Ballet, is a complex mix of fairy tale and reality. Like a Russian Faberge egg, the splendor of the nineteenth-century ballet is encased in an intricate and detailed shell—a scenario that aims to make the ballet pertinent to twenty-first century newcomers. Filled with visual delights and elegant images, this new look flits constantly through time barriers, switching from a modern ballet studio to nineteenth-century performance, from historical costuming to contemporary dress, from fairies and fantasy to film crews and clapper boards.

Comelin's version hangs on a cobwebbed connection of three Auroras, signifying the past, present, and future. In the story-within-a-story, the pivotal figure is Madame C, a former ballerina and the great-great niece of Carlotta Brianza, who created the role of Aurora in Petipa's original 1890 production.

click for more

Vivienne's ballet dream comes true
By Terri-Liza Fortein for Cape Argus

A sparkling white tutu, new soft-toed shoes, bright lights, cameras and a star-studded cast - these fairytale ingredients brought happiness to a little girl who is fighting for her life.

Bubbly Vivienne Klein, 10, who is being treated at Tygerberg Hospital for a life-threatening disease, has always dreamt of becoming a professional ballerina. And on Friday, Reach for a Dream and the Cape Town City Ballet put their heads together to realise that dream.

An unsuspecting Vivienne, attending a performance of Swan Lake at Artscape, was presented with her own ballet ensemble by City Ballet's marketing manager, Alison Foat, and was whisked off on a tour of the backstage area.

click for more

Into the record books:
MORE

A preview of an upcoming performance, with guest stars from ENB and NBT:

<a href=http://www.news24.com/Regional_Papers/Components/Category_Article_Text_Template/0,,303_1575426~E,00.html target=_blank>Ballet show celebrates highlights of 70 years</a>
Helderberg