Hello Gentlemen,
It's Asian Nicole. A ballet given over to the sort of rough, earthy sensuality and social realism that derives more from the world of verismo opera than the conventions of narrative dance, Manon dispenses with the mythical, the idealized and the allegorized and works instead with a story grounded in a specific historical context and with characters who are propelled by such ignoble but deeply human motivations as avarice and lust. His characters are complex and real, suffused in ambiguity, rather than purely symbolic.
As lovers of classical ballet, my ballet instructor and I, without question, went to see the National Ballet of Canada's magnificent production of Manon last night at the Four Seasons Centre, downtown, Toronto. .
Based on a the late 18th-century novel by Abbé Prévost, the story follows the fortunes of the eponymous courtesan, Manon, whose ill-fated love for the callow student des Grieux drives her from the Parisian demi-monde to the swamps of Louisiana. Manon is one of MacMillan’s – and modern ballet’s – most dramatically powerful works.
She’s been derided by critics as a “tart” and a “nasty little diamond digger,” yet the woman at the heart of British choreographer Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s steamy period melodrama, Manon, remains a character who bewitches audiences. It’s also a role coveted by ballerinas worldwide and within our own National Ballet of Canada.
First performed here by the National Ballet in 1996, Manon has returned to launch the company’s fall season. People can’t get enough of this fallen woman and her marshmallow-hearted beauty. As three-act story ballets go, few are more drenched in sex, greed and moral corruption than Manon.
The ovation that greeted Sonia Rodriguez and Guillaume Côté, was spontaneous and heartfelt; as was proper. They negotiated the fiendish technical challenges of MacMillan’s choreography with almost reckless physical abandon, whipping up a blistering emotional storm.
Sir Kenneth MacMillan was one of the great contrarians of 20th-century ballet. In many of his works he sought to introduce a naturalism – of theme and attitude – that he felt too many ballets ignored or shied away from. His famous 1974 work Manon is an especially fine example of this concern.
MacMillan’s Manon is now a 40-year-old classic, but successive generations of dancers breathe new life into it with every revival.
“MacMillan used all the modern dramatic techniques at his disposal to engage our emotions then filled his scenes with choreography that is a wonder to watch” — Toronto Star.
Thank you so much for taking me to see such a beautiful and graceful ballet show, my darling French ballet instructor.
After watching this show, I promised him that I would never stop improving my ballet dancing skills by following his instructions. :Eek:
One of VIP members of 'Asian Nicole Fan Club' advised me yesterday: Remember to treat your ballet instructor gently in your boudoir. He is getting a little older and is not as flexible as he used to be...
It's Asian Nicole. A ballet given over to the sort of rough, earthy sensuality and social realism that derives more from the world of verismo opera than the conventions of narrative dance, Manon dispenses with the mythical, the idealized and the allegorized and works instead with a story grounded in a specific historical context and with characters who are propelled by such ignoble but deeply human motivations as avarice and lust. His characters are complex and real, suffused in ambiguity, rather than purely symbolic.
As lovers of classical ballet, my ballet instructor and I, without question, went to see the National Ballet of Canada's magnificent production of Manon last night at the Four Seasons Centre, downtown, Toronto. .
Based on a the late 18th-century novel by Abbé Prévost, the story follows the fortunes of the eponymous courtesan, Manon, whose ill-fated love for the callow student des Grieux drives her from the Parisian demi-monde to the swamps of Louisiana. Manon is one of MacMillan’s – and modern ballet’s – most dramatically powerful works.
She’s been derided by critics as a “tart” and a “nasty little diamond digger,” yet the woman at the heart of British choreographer Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s steamy period melodrama, Manon, remains a character who bewitches audiences. It’s also a role coveted by ballerinas worldwide and within our own National Ballet of Canada.
First performed here by the National Ballet in 1996, Manon has returned to launch the company’s fall season. People can’t get enough of this fallen woman and her marshmallow-hearted beauty. As three-act story ballets go, few are more drenched in sex, greed and moral corruption than Manon.
The ovation that greeted Sonia Rodriguez and Guillaume Côté, was spontaneous and heartfelt; as was proper. They negotiated the fiendish technical challenges of MacMillan’s choreography with almost reckless physical abandon, whipping up a blistering emotional storm.
Sir Kenneth MacMillan was one of the great contrarians of 20th-century ballet. In many of his works he sought to introduce a naturalism – of theme and attitude – that he felt too many ballets ignored or shied away from. His famous 1974 work Manon is an especially fine example of this concern.
MacMillan’s Manon is now a 40-year-old classic, but successive generations of dancers breathe new life into it with every revival.
“MacMillan used all the modern dramatic techniques at his disposal to engage our emotions then filled his scenes with choreography that is a wonder to watch” — Toronto Star.
Thank you so much for taking me to see such a beautiful and graceful ballet show, my darling French ballet instructor.
After watching this show, I promised him that I would never stop improving my ballet dancing skills by following his instructions. :Eek:
One of VIP members of 'Asian Nicole Fan Club' advised me yesterday: Remember to treat your ballet instructor gently in your boudoir. He is getting a little older and is not as flexible as he used to be...
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