Latest news with #Neumeier
Korea Herald
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Neumeier's ‘Camellias' to bloom again in Seoul as its ‘best version yet'
Drama ballet that earned Kang Sue-jin her Benois de la Danse premieres in May Legendary choreographer John Neumeier's 'The Lady of the Camellias,' with which ballerina Kang Sue-jin became the first Asian dancer to win the Benois de la Danse award in 1999, will take the stage at the Seoul Arts Center, May 7-11. Neumeier and Kang, artistic director of The Korean National Ballet, have come together to create 'the best possible version of this ballet that we can see right now.' 'Ballet is an art of life,' said Neumeier during a press conference held Tuesday at the Seoul Arts Center. 'I have never imagined I would just revive a work. I must recreate a work for it to have value, for it to have life. Without a living (element), it becomes some kind of moving museum.' Based on Alexandre Dumas fils' 1848 novel of the same title, the ballet tells the tragic love story of Marguerite, a courtesan, and Armand Duval, a young bourgeois, set in 19th-century Paris. Premiered in 1978 for the Stuttgart Ballet, Neumeier's 'The Lady of Camellias' sought to break away from traditional narrative ballet structures. 'At that time, I was searching for a new kind of full-length ballet, one that was different from 19th-century works. (The novel) has a sense of overlapping realities, visions and points of view — similar to the technique of modern cinema.' The production by the KNB marks the first time a full-length version of the ballet will be performed by an Asian company. And its arrival in Korea holds particular significance for Kang. ''The Lady of the Camellias' is very special to me. It expresses love, sacrifice and the deep emotions of human nature through the language of ballet,' she said. 'I have truly loved this work, and as artistic director, I have poured my heart into bringing it to the (Korean) stage. I am happy to pass on this ballet, which I have cherished, to the next generation of dancers.' A former principal dancer with the Stuttgart Ballet, Kang has long been immersed in Neumeier's world. During a rehearsal, she stepped in to demonstrate scenes alongside her longtime stage partner Marijn Rademaker. 'During this process, I was surprised to find that the movements and emotions of this piece are still alive in my body, my mind and my heart,' she said. 'It felt as if the moments I once danced on stage were returning to life.' Neumeier praised the commitment of Kang and her company. 'The Korean National Ballet has given complete cooperation, complete understanding and complete desire to realize this work as the best it can be,' he said. His collaboration with the company began last year with 'The Little Mermaid.' That earlier experience, he said, was essential groundwork, because this ballet not only depends on the two main characters but rather on a balance between all of the 10 characters of the piece — all of whom must be technically and emotionally on the same level. 'It was important for me, in working with the Korean National Ballet, to have an experience before 'The Lady of the Camellias.' So that I would be able to know this company better, be able to judge a balance within a cast.' Each rehearsal, for him, is a process of discovery. 'I always find something new — some detail, some truth — which I try to give to the dancers,' he said. 'I am alive, which means every hour, every minute I work with dancers, I discover new truths. I couldn't possibly explain them all to you. There's nothing extraordinary about it, but for me, dance is the living shape of emotion. There is a constant sense of learning and discovering.'
Korea Herald
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Neumeier's 'Lady of the Camellias' to make Seoul premiere with Korean National Ballet
Drama ballet that earned Kang Sue-jin's Benois de la Danse arrives in May The Korean National Ballet will present the Korean premiere of John Neumeier's dramatic ballet "Lady of the Camellias" at the Seoul Arts Center's Opera House from May 7 to 11. "Lady of the Camellias" is Neumeier's adaptation of Alexandre Dumas fils' 1848 novel of the same title. The ballet, which follows the tragic love story of Marguerite Gautier, a Parisian courtesan stricken with tuberculosis, and Armand Duval, a young bourgeois, was first performed by the Stuttgart Ballet in 1978. Known for its poignant portrayal of love and fate, this masterpiece holds special significance for KNB's artistic director Kang Sue-jin. During her career as a dancer with the Stuttgart Ballet, Kang's performance in "Lady of the Camellias" earned her the prestigious Benois de la Danse award in 1999, making her the first Asian recipient of the honor. A distinctive feature of the ballet is its live piano accompaniment on stage, with a score centered around Frederic Chopin's music. The production includes an array of Chopin's evocative and romantic compositions, such as nocturnes, ballads, mazurkas and polonaises, with his piano concertos heightening key emotional moments. One of the ballet's most iconic elements is the three pas de deux between Marguerite and Armand, each symbolizing a different stage of their relationship. The color of Marguerite's dress in each duet reflects the development of their love story. The purple pas de deux, set to Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2, captures the moment Marguerite and Armand first fall in love. The white pas de deux, performed to Piano Sonata No. 3 (Largo), portrays their passionate and joyous love. The black pas de deux, set to Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 23, conveys the intensity of their reunion after separation, portraying emotions of love, betrayal and misunderstanding through dramatic choreography. "Lady of the Camellias" marks KNB's second collaboration with Neumeier, following last year's production of "The Little Mermaid." The company credits Kang's deep understanding of Neumeier's choreographic style — gained from her time at the Stuttgart Ballet — as instrumental in preparing for this production. Neumeier himself will visit Korea twice to oversee casting and personally guide the dancers. The Korean National Ballet will also bring back Neumeier's "The Little Mermaid" for a second run in August.
The Guardian
22-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The Australian Ballet: Nijinsky review - riveting, defiant portrait of madness ain't pretty
Ballet often seems burdened by cultural associations that are hard to shake: it's thought of as overly reliant on formalism and tradition; it has to be pretty above everything else, even if the result is slightly prudish; its power and athleticism are subsumed under mountains of tulle. Of course, none of this is necessarily true. Case in point: John Neumeier's riveting, heart-rending narrative ballet about the life and torment of Vaslav Nijinsky, which is as far from pretty as ballet can be. Nijinsky was, before Nureyev, the most famous and beloved male dancer of the 20th century, a key figure in the Ballet Russes and the lover of that company's impresario, Sergei Diaghilev. He achieved some stunning professional highs – and a fair share of onstage controversy – but his career was terminated prematurely by schizophrenia. He spent the remainder of his life in and out of institutions. Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads In telling this tragic story, Neumeier eschews the kind of literalism that stymied Christopher Wheeldon's recent ballet, Oscar. In that work, the biographical details of Oscar Wilde's life were laid out chronologically, resulting in a staid, join-the-dots narrative arc. Here, the facts and pivotal moments of Nijinsky's career are presented in disjointed, hallucinogenic slivers; there is a haunted quality to the work, a kind of swirling hysteria. It opens at the Suvretta House in St Moritz where Nijinsky gives his final, improvised solo performance to a collection of bemused hotel guests, and where his mental decline becomes inescapable. As the crowd gathers, frivolous and glib, Nijinsky (Callum Linnane) enters, imperial if slightly dazed. He begins to dance, and immediately we are captivated by two contrasting qualities: his poise, that regal characteristic which earned him the moniker of the 'god of dance'; and the instability of his anxiety, expressed by footwork that seems involuntary, disconnected to his thought processes. Soon various embodiments of the parts he once danced appear before him – from Harlequin (Marcus Morelli) and the faun (Jake Mangakahia) to Petruschka (Brodie James) – along with an increasing number of lovers and family members. The hotel ingeniously breaks apart like a fissure in space-time, and memory kaleidoscopes in increasingly fraught visions. Solos become pas de deux which become pas de trois and quartre; a layering of relationships is mirrored by the layering of bodies on top of each other. Much of Neumeier's choreography here is highly charged and psychosexual, playing overtly with themes of dominance and submission. It's also defiantly queer. If the first act is fragmentary and febrile, the second sees Nijinsky descend further inside his mind. Biographical detail is completely abstracted as images of war collide with memories of the stage, and familial relationships – notably with his equally mentally ill brother, Stanislav (Elijah Trevitt, in a performance of great urgency and vulnerability) and achingly committed wife, Romola (Grace Carroll, noble and resigned) – come under growing strain. If madness in ballet has become a trope – from Giselle and the Red Shoes through to Black Swan – then Neumeier manages to thread a genuinely poignant, respectful portrait of the artist pushed to breaking point. The ostentatious gestures of distress – a hand repeatedly bashed against the skull or a foot suddenly turned out at right angles – may signify mental disorder but they also feel credible and psychologically authentic. Even the cliche of the Byronic artist sacrificed on the pyre of creativity feels appropriate and earned. Nijinsky is a ballet that largely plays out among the principals and featured dancers; there's a distinct impression that Neumeier could have done away with the corps altogether. He creates several scenes of powerful and arresting group work, but it's the individuals who shine. Maxim Zenin is a haughty but steadfast Diaghilev, and Jake Mangakahia draws out the deep sensuality of both the Golden Slave and the faun. Jill Ogai is magnificent as Nijinsky's sister Bronislava, and Morelli's Spectre of the Rose is vividly sexual and suggestive. Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion Of course, we would be nowhere without a Nijinsky who could conjure the fire and elan of the premier danseur himself. While Linnane doesn't have the lifts that made Nijinsky's reputation, he more than compensates with an intensity of purpose and emotional range that brings Hamlet to mind. His hooded features – those recessed, owl-like eyes and ghostly pallor – can shift from a sunny litheness to a brooding melancholy, and his slippage into psychosis has a grandeur that never stoops to bathos or melodrama. Linnane's is a singular talent at the height of its power. Jonathan Lo conducts the Australian Ballet orchestra with great control and warmth, from the stately restraint in Chopin's prelude in C minor to the rich intricacies of Rimsky-Korsakov. Neumeier's musical selection is wonderfully evocative of the history of ballet, and he channels Diaghilev in his approach to the gesamkunstwerk, or total work of art. His often sparse lighting, the precision of his costumes, the asymmetry in the mise-en-scene, all combine to thrilling effect. Australian Ballet have only mounted Nijinsky once before, in 2016. If the zeitgeist has moved away from the lionisation of tortured male artists who suck the vigour from their life partners, Neumeier's work still retains the power to shock and move us. Ballet can often seem like an act of suppression, intrinsically coy, but here it is searing and passionate, an act of defiant majesty. The god of the dance would surely approve. Nijinsky runs at the Regent Theatre, Melbourne, until 1 March; and at Sydney Opera House from 4-22 April
