European Ballet Grand Prix, February 9th, 2024 (Muth Theatre, Vienna)

Feb 14

Feb 14 European Ballet Grand Prix, February 9th, 2024 (Muth Theatre, Vienna)

How I love and admire perseverance and continuity.

Dr Simona Noja-Nebyla and Boris Nebyla should be praisingly mentioned in this context for their never-ending energy and power – and all this involved with a large quantity of love for what they are doing.

Just yesterday I had the pleasure of being invited to the Gala, which concludes the „European Ballet Grand Prix 2024" at the lovely Muth Theatre in Vienna. This is an international ballet competition for young dancers from all around the world.

I had my seat just beside dear Rainer Krenstetter , former Principal of the Miami City Ballet (See attitude's Interview from November 22nd, 2022 at (Just click on the social link below) who had been taking

part of the Grand Prix jury for three days (Note: the Gala consists of performances of the prize awarded Grand Prix performerss as well as of some guests) and could share with me a bit of an „insider point of view" during the performance.

I could not but think of the logistics involved while coordinating such an event: Participants from 37 countries (Mostly accompanied by chaperonage), Transfers from and to Airports, Train stations, etc. plus Hotels, Meals, Transfers to the Theatre, Organization of the Ballet Training, rehearsals etc.

Please note that we have not even mentioned the Artistic direction of the Gala which has to be made „al dente", depending on the results of the three days. Yes, preparing a Gala like this involves lots, really lots of work.

I cannot mention all the brilliant participants, but I need to make a special note about Federica Rotella from Italy. She has surprised us with a brilliantly performed modern solo called „Symphony" ( „Sinfonia", a very interesting and vibrant Choreography by Serena Rotuna) in which she not only showed stage presence combined with the gift of being to project her Artistry until the last rows of the hall but a very mature personality. After the performance, I met Miss Rotella very shortly with the director from ARTEDANZA, her chaperonage, and was surprised to meet such a young, really very young, girl of perhaps 13 or 14. Chapeau to such talents!

Being able to observe so many contemporary and modern pieces, I must add that „Symphony" stands out by being a work, that lightly differs from the actual “trend” and that goes against a certain prototype so present in other compositions. Yes. Nearly unanimously all „Contemporary " and/or „Modern" works, either in Opera Houses or smaller theatres, nowadays put the dancers into darker moods, either sad or suffering and mostly in the classic “victim role”. Just think of the quantity of the „darker" (this not only refers to moods but also includes sets, costumes and lights) choreographies, that we are mostly forced to endure when we witness more modern works at our Opera Houses. To be modern/contemporary does not mean to be a victim – that is why just a few choreographers are so successful, while others “bore us to death” repeating everything we have seen hundreds of times. Think of that.

Kleber Rebello (former Miami City Ballet, now Le Ballet de l'Opera du Capitole, Toulouse) performed the „Le Talisman Pas de deux", a piece frequently seen at Galas but that has very little to do with the original Ballet „Le Talisman" (Petipa & Riccardo Drigo, 1889, probably considered nowadays „politically incorrect" because of its setting in Old India). This pas de deux was „written" by Pyotr Gusev in 1955 and uses, musically, parts from „Le Talisman" but also from other Ballets.

Mr Rebello, a „blossom" of very good, precise Brazilian training has not only a very good stage presence but an attitude that appeals to audiences and can be described as „humble". When he is on stage, one has the feeling that he is not „showing off" but sharing „this joy" with the audience. I like that.

Momona Sakakibara and Shoma Ogasawara (Principals at the National Theatre Brno, NdB - Národní divadlo Brno) brought down the house with their rendition of the (at Galas much preferred) „Tchaikowsky pas de deux". A little trouble which was so masterly solved and not even noticed by the public, made those two dancers, whose careers I have been following for quite a while in Brno, much more „real" to me. I am not looking for performances that are just „technically perfect" to the last detail (At least not the way people think of technique nowadays) but „artistically real". Both succeeded beautifully in “just” that yesterday. Brilliantly!

An excellent „excursion" into dance, in the company of so many young, determined future dancers, thanks to Dr Simona Noja-Nebyla's and Boris Nebyla's „savoir-faire".

Ricardo Leitner

a t t i t u d e

February 10th, 2024