National Ballet of Canada Romeo & Juliet reviews March 2013

Michael Crabb, Toronto Star
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/stage/2013/03/13/alexei_ratmansky_gives_national_ballet_of_canada_a_romeo_and_juliet_with_soul_review.html
"Whether it’s a ravishing romantic pas de deux full of soaring lifts or a geometrically complex ensemble number with dancers heading every which way in brilliantly resolving patterns, Ratmansky’s Romeo and Juliet is a choreographic delight, rich in detail, subtle in its musicality and always dramatically expressive...Romeo is one of Côté’s finest roles and the more he dances Ratmansky’s version, the more he discovers in its expressive possibilities.."

Paula Citron, Globe and Mail
"Aging finely, Ratmansky’s vision for Romeo and Juliet works on every level."

Dana Glassman, National Post
http://arts.nationalpost.com/2013/03/14/dance-review-the-national-ballets-romeo-and-juliet-jetes-it-up-a-notch-with-energetic-new-production/ 

"Yet this company of chiselled-bodied dancers makes it all look easy, and the demanding moves never steal focus from the tragic story. ..
Guillaume Côté delivers an unbridled and honest performance as Romeo, and proves to be a great partner for Lobsanova. Every lift, particularly in the bedroom pas de deux, is executed with smooth tenderness.
And the supporting characters also impress. Jiří Jelinek is magnetic as the temperamental bad-boy Tybalt. Piotr Stanczyk oozes charisma as Romeo’s goofy and affable friend Mercutio." 

John Coulbourn, Toronto Sun 
"principal amongst those wonderful side trips would be Piotr Stanczyk's scene-stealing take on the tempestuous Mercutio, who, paired with an almost equally charming Benvolio, danced by Robert Stephen, embodies the spirit of youthful exuberance and joy"

Gary Smith, Hamilton Spectator
"I still don’t think Alexei Ratmansky’s Romeo and Juliet is half as good as John Cranko’s more deeply felt version.
Of all the Romeo and Juliet ballets I’ve seen, Ratmansky’s is the least romantic, the least visually seductive.
There’s too much busy choreography that gets in the way of emotion. Half the time the performers’ feet don’t seem attached to their heads and hearts...Piotr Stanczyk, one of the National Ballet’s most visceral dancers, works to make Mercutio more than a comic buffoon. Jiri Jelinek’s masterful performance as Tybalt foams with vicious venom."

Denise Sum, Dance View Times
"Lobsanova has really grown into this role and looked better than ever here. Her movement does not just speak, but cries and whispers, such is the nuance and sensitivity she conveys through her dancing."

Madalina Hubert, Epoch Times
(interview with Brendan Saye and Chelsy Meiss)

Ottawa Citizen

Ballet review: Ratmansky’s love of speed and virtuosity in full display in Romeo and Juliet

January 31, 2013

OTTAWA — In Alexei Ratmansky’s version of Romeo and Juliet...hearts of the title hero and heroine. Ratmansky choreographed this new R&J for...NBC repertoire since the 1960s — Ratmansky’s ultra-caffeinated version must...

Taking risks with Romeo and Juliet

January 29, 2013

...laser-cut choreography by Alexei Ratmansky, artist-in-residence of the American...artistic director Karen Kain commissioned Ratmansky to create a new Romeo and Juliet for the company...was met with standing ovations.“( Ratmansky’s) aesthetic, steeped in the Russian...

 

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