Ballets: Raymonda/Raymonda Variations...

[ABTBluebird]

Hi! I feel kind of embarrassed asking this question because it seems like I should know it...

 

But I have recently been confused about the connection between the traditional Raymonda ballet and Balanchine's Raymonda variations. I always thought the two were completely separate, and I confess I have never seen the traditional Raymonda ballet in its entirety. But recently I have been watching a lot of youtube, and there are several clips of Russian dancers dancing to the Raymonda Variations music, but it isn't Balanchine choreography. Does the music from Raymonda Variations come from the traditional Raymonda ballet? But it's just the variations, so that's why Balanchine called it Raymonda Variations??

 

Miriam

[Mel Johnson]

It's been a very long time since I saw "Raymonda Variations" (original title "Valse and Variations"), but what I recall is that Balanchine took the Valse, pas de deux and variations from the first act of Raymonda and reset them on his own terms. The Raymondas performed by other companies have passed through other hands and have had different things happen to the choreography, under the "used car doctrine" - it really helps to know who had the thing before you, and what they did to it!

[Balletlover96]

Recently my studio just performed the "raymonda variations"!! They were not blanching, but I asked him what the difference is and he said companies use fluff choreography to make it their own!! Thought it was interesting and loved performing the duet in my stuidos performance!!

[Clara 76]

"blanching"?????? They were not boiling vegetables very quickly????

[quill]

Gotta love autocomplete.

[Balletlover96]

Im sorry I meant to say they were not Balanchine's varriations! They were tweeked by my trainer to fit the music and the ques!

[Clara 76]

Hahahaha!!!! It's ok. I got a good laugh anyway.

 

Now for another one- did you mean cues as in musical cues or stage cues?

[Balletlover96]

Cues in the music and stage cues both! It was like mostly the steps that were a little differnt and not so much the music andlights on stage!