Manon – 04/05, 12/05 and 23/05/2011

Manon is my absolute favourite ballet; to me this is a perfect meld of plot, choreography and music - Macmillan at his absolute best.

It tells the story of young girl Manon Lescaut, who journeys over the course of the three acts from being on the point of entering a convent, through falling in love and eloping with the young student Des Grieux, then being tempted and manipulated into leaving him for the wealth and splendour offered by rich Parisian Monsieur G.M, and then once again returning to Des Grieux and consequently being deported accused of being a prostitute. No mean feat for the ballerina dancing Manon to traverse, but providing a rich plot – love, drama, sex, violence and despair – for the audience to get their teeth into. The plight of Manon in Parisian society, partly her own ondoing, partly the gross exploitation of women in general, can leave few unmoved.

However, the reason that this is such a firm favourite for me and for many others is the love story, between Manon and Des Grieux. The various pas de deux between Manon and Des Grieux are, when danced well, utterly exhilarating. You should be on the edge of your seat, feeling every heart beat, every leap, every turn as though you are on stage dancing with them. Macmillan cleverly establishes the choreographic staples of the whole ballet in the first two pas de deuxs – just after they have met and then back at Des Grieux’s lodgings. In subsequent dances between Manon and Monsieur G.M, Lescaut (Manon’s brother) and his mistress, we see echoes of the steps set up in the first love dances of Manon and Des Grieux. This works two ways – firstly to suggest that there are elements of the relationship between Manon and Des Grieux in the relationships of the other characters (and vice versa), but also to remind you of those first pas de deux, of the eagerness and exhilaration of Manon and Des Grieux in their newfound love. Hence as we see Manon hurling herself into what can only be a downward spiral, we are ever reminded of what she has left behind, and to what we know she will ultimately return, leading to her downfall. The references back to those initial dances are never stronger than in the climactic final dance, in the Louisiana Swamp – similar steps danced more desperately, more exhilaratingly, the music similarly ramped up for this spectacular heartrending finale. I remember the very first time I saw Manon, when the curtain went down, I was almost as devastated that they had stopped dancing as I was at the story!

I could go on for hours about the wonders of those pas de deux, but really anyone who hasn’t seen it, should. The RB are doing an extended run of Manon, through into the autumn, so there are plenty of opportunities! The rest of the ballet balances out the intensity of those pas de deux with comedy (a particular highlight being the ‘drunk’ pas de deux between Lescaut and his Mistress in Act II), large group numbers, and a wonderful attention to detail in the depth of the staging.

As for the performances this time round – on the 23rd Federico Bonelli won my heart as Des Grieux, his solos utterly beautiful – with well controlled extensions and lovely lines, he conveyed a romantic sincerity in his initial wooing of Manon and a heartbreaking sadness in his Act II solo. Laura Morera was giving it all and the kitchen sink as his Manon, in the final dance literally throwing herself almost to the floor before Bonelli could catch her at one point. A wonderful performance from this pair. Equally impressive were Tamara Rojo and Carlos Acostas, in the pas de deux anyway, if not in Acostas's solos. When Rojo is on stage you simply cannot take your eyes off her. Utterly stunning, and this duo seemed slightly more comfortable with the choreography than Bonelli and Morera, which gave them space to develop the roles yet further. The first performance by Acostas that I have rated so highly since his La Fille Mal Gardee with Marianela Nunez. Sadly Nunez was not up to her usual standards as Manon (04/05) partnered by Nehemiah Kish, but as (I think) they are both relatively new to this role and to dancing with other, I'm hoping they may warm up to it.

That’s enough raving from me. This is an utter feast of a ballet. I don’t think I will ever tire of watching it!

Swan Lake, The Royal Ballet 07/03/2011

Swan Lake is probably the first production that comes into most people's minds when you talk about ballet. And all the more so this year, after the success of the film Black Swan. So it was a bit of a shame that the Royal Ballet gave what was a fairly mediocre performance of this classic.



In fairness, I was always going to be disappointed, for two main reasons: firstly, the last Swan Lake I saw, in October 2008 (Nunez and Soares) was utterly sublime - I was completely enchanted by the end; and secondly, Carlos Acosta was dancing Siegfried, and the undeservedly exuberant response he always gets from the crowd is quite frankly irritating.

The production is a seasoned one, so I won't dwell too much here - I don't think there are too many faults, given that when danced well this Swan Lake is magical. The problem on this occasion was scrappiness. In the first act, timing was an issue both on and under the stage; not the finest night in the pit, and made more conspicuous by the fame of the music. The Pas de Trois struggled, and while Laura Morera strived valiantly even she seemed to lack some of her usual spriteliness. Acosta was his usual smug self, although I should at least credit him with being the best thing on the stage by a country mile in this act. Fortunately, things picked up markedly in Act two, with the advent of Tamara Rojo. Some stunning balances, and really lovely lines. The corps responded and were much more together, and the pas de deux was quite spell-binding - a hint of enchantment here perhaps.

In Act Three, the national dances were done reasonably well, but again were a bit scrappy. A highlight was the neopolitan dance (Yuhui Choe and Ludovic Ondivela), which never fails to get the audience laughing. The transition between white and black swan is challenging, particularly given Tchaikovsky gives very little musical assistance, and Rojo failed to convince me as Odile, and really came across as Odette in a black tutu. Her dancing was impeccable however, showing up Acosta by quite some margin (as the man next to me on my way out put it: 'she was excellent, but he was distinctly average...[and] he needs to pull his socks up"). The dancing in the final act was fine, again the corps much better as swans (although as the attendants, Laura McCulloch's grand jetes looked clumsy next to Natalie Harrison's much more graceful movement). However, with the lack of preparation in the previous acts for the frenzied emotions, the music overpowered the dancing, and there was very little sense of the chilling magic that should be evident by this point.

An average performance of what can be an amazing ballet. Perhaps I'm turning into a grumpy old woman though, as the rapturous applause from the audience suggested that they enjoyed themselves well enough. Tamara Rojo carried this one on her own as far as I'm concerned, but let's hope the rest of the company improve for the rest of the run.