Sleeping Beauty
National Ballet of Canada
Unfortunately, National Ballet's Sleeping Beauty has closed at this point, but I thought it was worth reviewing anyway. It was quite different from anything I've ever seen before, so it's an interesting challenge to write about. I attended the matinee on Saturday, June 20th (the second to last performance), and the cast included Svetlana Lunkina as Princess Aurora and Francesco Gabriele Frola as Prince Florimund. I had a bit of a challenge identifying who was playing who (i.e. aside from the third variation, I have no idea who was playing the fairies) as I missed the announcement of who was filling in for who, so apologies if I misidentify anyone.
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| Svetlana Lunkina and Francisco Gabriele Frola (Ross Petty on Twitter) |
The production itself was alright. It felt a bit dated and dry at some point; you can certainly tell it is a classical ballet choreographed many years ago (this particular choreography was first performed at National Ballet in the 1970s). There was very much a stop-and-start feel to it - there would be a short dance, then bows, then another dance, bows - wash, rinse, repeat. The story of sleeping beauty itself is beautiful, but in this case, it seems more like a loose plot line used to explain why people are where they are. Essentially, the story was an excuse to have certain pieces of choreography set in certain places with certain emotions. The best dancing and choreography was in the third act, by which point most pre tense of a storyline had been abandoned.
The performances of the lead dancers, Lunkina and Frola, were alright. It's somewhat forgivable that they weren't perfect as they had little time to learn the role together (Lunkina was a last-minute replacement for injured Elena Lobsanova). Lunkina's technique is divine, she never faltered, her turns, jumps, etc. were on point - I'd expect nothing less from a Russian trained dancer (Bolshoi, nonetheless). The partnering with Frola felt somewhat awkward; en pointe, she was a good few inches taller than him, and their extensions didn't match very well. But it was nice enough. Frola doesn't have quite the finesse or feet of Guillaume Cote. The emotional execution wasn't there - he was just trying to get through the choreography. He was a nervous turner (though his third-act turns were more secure), but his jumps were exquisite. Such amazing height, beautiful flexibility, and he really covered the stage with his jumps. At one point, he actually ran out of stage. Frola definitely has a lot of potential; he just needs a bit more confidence in his abilities, and to really start performing his parts.
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| Artists of the Ballet (national ballet website) |
A few other performers I'd like to mention are Meghan Pugh and Christopher Stalzer, who danced the Pussycats. That PDD was charming, entertaining, and just fun to watch. A very cute duo who worked well together. I also thought the Corps were much stronger than I'd seen them in the past; one particular dancer (who is shorter than everyone else) is still very weak (low jumps, a beat behind everyone else) is still in there and still draws attention for the wrong reasons, but the rest of the dancers were beautifully in synch (I loved the scene with the Naiads).
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| Emma Hawes (ballet.co.uk) |
A review of Sleeping Beauty would be incomplete without mentioning the gorgeous Emma Hawes. I had seen all the attention she was getting in the Nutcracker, and thought she couldn't possibly be that good. I was wrong. I was so, so wrong. Hawes - in this performance, dancing the Third Fairy Variation and Princess Florine - is absolutely exquisite. I'd say a promotion to second soloist wasn't quite enough - I'd happily see her dance principle parts. Her technique is rock solid - pirouettes and balances were all held to their absolute limit (and then some), stunning extensions, beautiful flexibility - this girl has it all. She brought charm and entertainment to both of her parts, and was simply a joy to watch.
Another thing I'd like to mention is the costumes! Some were absolutely stunning - bluebird/Florine, the third fairy (orange), and the Lilac Fairy in particular. But others seemed very worn out and faded, and in need of updating. It became very easy to confuse characters because everyone's costumes looked exactly the same. Not the most creative costume design I've ever seen. Nevertheless, it served its purpose.
So, not the best production National Ballet had ever put on, but I did enjoy it very much and it is a classic worth seeing.
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