• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Gramilano logo 2023

- dance, opera, photography...

  • HOME
  • POPULAR POSTS
    • DANCE
    • MUSIC & OPERA
    • PHOTOGRAPHY
  • QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
    • DANCERS
    • SINGERS
  • MY PHOTOS
  • CONTACT

István Simon on the Semperoper Ballett dancing William Forsythe at the Palais Garnier, Paris

3 January 2017 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

In the Middle Somewhat Elevated with Zarina Stahnke, photo by Ian Whalen
In the Middle Somewhat Elevated with Zarina Stahnke, photo by Ian Whalen

William Forsythe's In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated was created for the Paris Opera Ballet who have performed it at home and abroad since 1987. The piece entered the repertoire of Dresden's Semperoper Ballett in 2006 and now they are about to invade the Palais Garnier and perform it on the stage it was created for; the first guest company to do so.

The Semperoper Ballett will be dancing it from 4 – 8 January as part of the five-part ballet Impressing the Czar which Forsythe created in 1988 for the Frankfurt Ballet, where In the Middle is the second piece presented to impress the Czar. The title refers to Czar Alexander III's cool assessment of Tchaikovsky and Petipa's Sleeping Beauty, after having watched the final dress rehearsal. Tchaikovsky wrote in his diary:

Rehearsal of the ballet with the Tsar present. “Very nice!!!” His majesty treated me very haughtily. God bless him.

I asked Semperoper principal István Simon what connection his company has with Forsythe:

The directors and dancers of Semperoper Ballett are following the philosophy of art and dance represented by Forsythe: creativity, artistic freedom and strong individuals' cooperation. No clichés but experimenting every day. There are many of his pieces in our repertoire and he often works personally with us.

Semperoper Ballett,Impressing the Czar, photo by Ian Whalen 2
Semperoper Ballett,Impressing the Czar, photo by Ian Whalen

Simon's favourite Forsythe works that he dances are The Second Detail and Enemy in the Figure.

His ideas about the dynamics and phrasings are very special and his movements are very complex. However, there is also a lot of passion in his choreography. To be passionate, but precise, yet at the same time attaining the feeling of endless suspension in Forsythe's movements; that is the biggest challenge for me.

Hungarian István Simon, started as a coryphée with the company in 2007, working his way up the ranks to become a principal dancer in 2013 and is proud of his Dresden company.

If I take responsibility, I get freedom on every level. That is exceptional in the ballet world.

The last of the four soloists in the original ITMSE cast to retire from the stage was Sylvie Guillem, a year ago. The others were Isabelle Guérin, Laurent Hilaire, and Manuel Legris. Quite a lineup, though as Forsythe ‘specialists' the Dresden group are sure certain to provide exciting dancing too. Writing about ITMSE, The New York Times's Roslyn Sulcas wrote,

The Dresden dancers… perfectly conjure the wary gazes turned upon one another, the prickly intimacy, the burning quest for center stage… The relationship between the formal elements of that technique and the way it is extended and elaborated here is entirely understood by the Semperoper ensemble, which has benefited from frequent coaching by Mr. Forsythe and is directed by Aaron S. Watkin, who danced with Mr. Forsythe's company… The dancers inform the dancing with a musical sensibility and a physical refinement that does them honor.

Semperoper Ballett, Impressing the Czar, photo by Ian Whalen
Semperoper Ballett, Impressing the Czar, photo by Ian Whalen

Semperoper Ballett, Impressing the Czar, 4 – 8 January, Palais Garnier, Paris

 

Impressing the Czar has five sections: Potemkin's Signature – In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated – La Maison de Mezzo Prezzo – Bongo Bongo Nageela – and Mr. Pnut Goes to the Big Top.

Graham Spicer version
Gramilano( Editor )

Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.

His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.

Related

Filed Under: dance, news Tagged With: István Simon, Manuel Legris, Paris Opera Ballet, Sleeping Beauty, Sylvie Guillem, Tchaikovsky, William Forsythe

Reader Interactions

Post a comment...Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

SUBSCRIBE

Gramilano newsletter 2019

CATEGORIES

FOLLOW

  • 21,200 Subscribers
  • 22,866 Followers
  • 235k Followers
  • 602 Subscribers
  • 3,473 Followers
  • 20,023 Followers

NEWS

[Review] Eun-Me Ahn’s ‘Dragons – “Like a large plate of tasteless food”

A final bow for Russell Janzen: From Danseur Noble to creating Contemporary Ballet

World premiere of film of Kenneth MacMillan’s Sea of Troubles

Matthew Bourne’s Edward Scissorhands embarks on six-month UK tour

The Royal Ballet celebrates Bronislava Nijinska in free livestream

Phoenix Dance Theatre appoints Marcus Jarrell Willis as new artistic director

Prison cancels opera about violent gangster and gay composer Ivor Novello

Scottish Ballet’s Twice-Born double bill in rehearsal

SlowDancing/NYCB – hyper slow-motion films of New York City Ballet dancers in NYC

There’s a new Nutcracker in town – Drew McOnie’s vision will open at the Tuff Nutt Jazz Club

POPULAR DANCE POSTS

Ratmansky’s Sleeping Beauty in Milan casts its magic spell  

Walter Venditti: the 84-year-old ballet teacher who keeps Milan on its toes

At La Scala: Tamara Rojo and Claudio Coviello in a winning Don Quixote

roberto bolle fashionisto

Roberto Bolle: dancers need a perfect body, a great face, and passion

Yasmine Naghdi in rehearsal for Tarantella, The Royal Ballet © 2017 ROH. Photograph by Bill Cooper

[Interview] The Royal Ballet’s Yasmine Naghdi: a time to reflect

Baryshnikov and Bob Wilson take on Nijinsky in Milan: Letter to a Man

Julian MacKay as photohraphed by NYC Dance Project

Julian MacKay – the teenage American ballet dancer making waves in Russia

Anna Rose O'Sullivan after her début as Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, photo by Marcelino Sambé

Anna Rose O’Sullivan – meeting the Royal Ballet’s newest star

Men in Motion’s magic under the Tuscan sky

18-year-old Julian MacKay becomes a soloist with the Mikhailovsky Ballet

More Posts from this Category

FEATURED POSTS

António Casalinho, photo by Nikita Alba crop

António Casalinho – Introducing the 17-year-old Portuguese Dancer

Joyce DiDonato answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Singers’ Edition

Vittorio Grigolo’s new women’s shoes and a song for Hillary Clinton

How to stage a ballet… Maina Gielgud explains

Coppélia with Vadim Muntagirov and Marianela Nunez, photo by Bill Cooper ROH

Interview: The Royal Ballet’s Ballet Master, Christopher Carr, on mounting Coppélia, the company’s dancers and technique

Romeo and Juliet with Sergei Polunin

Sergei Polunin on sex change, his new girlfriend, and manning up

Thomas Hampson by Jiyang Chen

Thomas Hampson answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Singers’ Edition

franco fagioli © thibault stipal, 2014

Franco Fagioli answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Singers’ Edition

Dancers' injuries illustration

Dance injuries from the ballet dancer’s point of view: top stars share their experiences

Luca Pisaroni as Leporello in Don Giovanni at Glyndebourne   photo by Bill Cooper

In conversation with Luca Pisaroni: back to Milan with his La Scala debut

GRAMILANO

Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan, aka ‘Gramilano’. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times. He wrote the ‘Danza in Italia’ column for Dancing Times magazine.

Since 2022, Gramilano is pleased to welcome guest authors: Alisa Alekseeva, Paul Arrowsmith, Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel, Jonathan Gray, Marina Harss, Matthew Paluch, Jann Parry, Graham Watts, and Deborah Weiss.

Referred-to-by

SEARCH

Related

Copyright © 2023 · Gramilano · All rights reserved

about me · contact me · privacy and cookies

Would you like to receive an email
whenever we publish a new post?

SUBSCRIBE