The Bournonville Schools: A New Look

Abstract

Erik Aschengreen: For this last panel today we have five people? not because we think it's more important than what has been done, but because a lot of people have been involved in what we are go ing to talk about and discuss with you. During the festival, the Royal Danish Theatre published their first DVD and I can tell you that that process is a difficult thing. What is on the DVD is the so-called Bournonville School. About fifteen years ago, Frank Andersen wanted to make a production, a complete production, of the Bournonville School. It should have been ready for the sec ond Bournonville Festival in 1992 and finally it was ready two days before the third started. But, it is always nice to be on time! It is there, published together with a new edition of Kirsten Ralov's 1979 notation of the school, originally in three different volumes: in Labanotation, where Kirsten Ralov had help from Ann Hutchinson Guest; in Benesh notation, with Sandra Caverly; and then the steps written in French terminology?and that is the only version that has been republished, and we're coming back to the difference between that version and the 1979 version, since we have several steps of the history. I have here the four people, together with Eva Kloborg for the actual dancing, who are responsible. Eva is doing rehearsals, so she couldn't be here, but with these four people I am sure there will be a lot to say. The DVD is built so that we have all the steps from all six classes: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and so on. We also have the barre, and it was very much discussed if there should be this barre, since what we call the Bournonville Barre is not appropriate for modern training, so there is a warning sign for people who see this barre.