Manon, choreographed by Sir Kenneth MacMilan, was his second three-act ballet as artistic director of the Royal Ballet. He based his scenario on the 1731 novel by the Abbé Prévost, L’Histoire du Chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut. MacMilan had chosen Antoinette Sibley as Manon and Anthony Dowell as Des Grieux, giving them both a copy of Prévost’s novel to read in preparation for their roles. Continue reading
Tag: Anthony Dowell
10/25/16 O&A NYC INSPIRATIONAL TUESDAY: Sylvie Guillem- Mademoiselle Non (1993)
Sylvie Guillem joined the corps de ballet of the Paris Opera at age fifteen. A dance superstar whose breathtaking technique ranks her beside the likes of Nureyev and Baryshnikov the program centers on film of Guillem rehearsing and performing a range of pieces, both contemporary and classical, which display her astonishing virtuosity. Continue reading
6/26/15 O&A Shall We Dance Friday: Monotones II- Frederick Ashton
In Monotones II Frederick Ashton distilled the exquisite tranquility of Erik Satie’s Trois Gymnopédies. Ashton displayed some of his most modernist choreography danced by the Royal Ballet. Monotones II was created first and given its premiere at the Royal Opera House on March 24, 1965 with Vyvyan Lorraine, Anthony Dowell, and Robert Mead. Satie’s delicate music, coupled with Ashton’s beautiful choreography, is wonderfully haunting.
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