21 replies to this topic

[Leigh Witchel]

Hello and welcome to Ballet Alert Local Foreigner!

Good luck on surveying uncharted territory.  Even though it's unfamiliar and you think you don't know enough, I think you'll be enchanted by Nutcracker and not just Ms. Alpieve.

If you look at our "Discovering Ballet" forum, it might give you some extra background and a place to talk to other ballet newcomers and ask some questions you were too shy to ask elsewhere.  And tell us about the performances in Almaty!

(Also ps - because we've got kids reading the board we try and keep language tame.  Thanks!)

[Marianna]

Hey Local Foreigner, welcome to Almaty!

I've lived in Almaty all the first 29 years of my life before i've moved to Canada in July 2003. I am a great fan of the Almaty Ballet and a close friend to some of the ballerinas and dancers. They are my precious friends whom I'm missing tremendously!!

I am glad that you are delighted with Leila Alpieva's talents - she is a indeed a brilliant, versatile and most hard-working ballerina and is always a true pleasure to watch. She has a great personality, too, one of the brightest and brilliantly talented young women I've met in my life.

So if you are serious about marrying her you better prepare those 500 camels (or 300 bred horses) that anyone who wants to marry a Kazakh beauty must present as a gift to her parents.   This ancient Kazakh tradition is called KALYM - sort of price that a husband-to-be pays to the bride's parents for taking her away from them. (just kiddin' you are not expected to do that anymore in Kazakhstan)

I can reassure you that besides the Nutcracker you are up for many more great ballets while you're in Almaty. I'll be very happy if you can keep us - those who are away from Almaty these days - posted on the recent ballet performances. Try to take your eyes sometimes off Leila and get a comprehensive picture of a whole ballet . However, I won't argue the notion that Leila herself is absolutely worth a whole ballet at times.

Enjoy your time in ALmaty and make sure to check out the mountains and ski resort!

Welcome to Almaty again

Marianna

Edited by Marianna, 05 November 2003 - 11:38 AM.

[Marianna]

Hi Local Foreigner in Almaty

That quote has really SHAKEN ME when I first found it in a book about the most prominent dancers of Russian ballet (XVIII - through late XX century)! I thought:  "WOW!! How did that ballerina who lived more than a century ago know EXACTLY why i became so addicted to ballet now - in the the very end of XX cent.!?????" I was horrified and mistified (one would love to imagine that people in the XIX-early XX cent. in Russia were free of problems and work-related stress   ). But then i realized that real values in our lives have remained the same since long B.C. and the values that ballet delivers have remained that steady castle of rock that will never be shaken by no changes that may be brought by this civilization.

I am glad that you have discovered WWW.GATOBABAI.KZ - i check it out every day, so you can look for notes by Odillia (yes, Almaty is a small place compare to Toronto or NYC, and I was about the only Marianna who was attending the ballets as often, and it was too easy to figure me out, so i took a nick Odillia The fact that the site has been created is fascinating, however it definitely requires LOTS of improvement and professional work there. I am so impressed by the Kirov-Mariinsky/Bolshoy site created by Marc Haegman - that is something folks in ALmaty should strive for.

THANKS FOR GREAT NEWS, TOO  - LEILA IS FINALLY DANCING SLEEPING BEAUTY!! I've brought her Sleeping Beauty CD from WashDC back in June 2001, so she finally has done this role. I am having a video tape of it ordered for me!!! You know, my boyfriend works in the Opera&Ballet theater as a sound engineer, so I ask him and his partner to video-tape my favorite ballets for me (so i am a lucky exclusive owner of the tapes with Swan Lake, Fountain of Bahchi-Sarai, and some others)

Speaking of the "FountainS of Tears"        It is not "fountainS" - it is one single fountain    The ballet synopsis is based on the poem by a great (my favorite) Russian poet of XIX cent. - Alexander Pushkin. The Fountain of Tears was built by Khan Ghirey as a memorial to a Polish Princess Maria (that will be our Leila) who was stubbed to death by the jealous Ghirey's senior wife Zarema (he owned a harem, you see   ). The fountain was built that way that the water was dripping like tears (vs. fountainig like other foutnains in ALmaty do) - Khan Ghirey's (nasty cheater!!!) tears over his lost Maria. Hope you've enjoyed that ballet!! I often hold back the tears during that scene when (the NASTY CHEATER!!) Khan Ghirey's servants bring a carriage with Maria up on stage and Zarema is stunned and shaken - when she sees that her beloved husband has yet another woman on his menu list (nasty cheater!!)

I am glad that you're enjoying mountains, ski resort AND snow in ALmaty. It hasn't snowed here in Toronto yet ( i don't complain!!   )

[Marianna]

AND a bit balated THANK-YOU for the invitation to the evening of ballet in my home town, dear Local Foreigner in Almaty, I am accepting with great pleasure - well in advance!

Enjoy La Sylphide, Nutcraker and indeed, that Sleeping Beauty!

A presto, Marianna

[djb]

Local Foreigner, thanks very much for that interesting information (and the photos) about Bakhchisaray.

[Marianna]

Privjet Local Foreigner in Almaty    

And another grande reverance to you (the first one went to djb for the profound knowledge of Russian phonetics) - and you were saying that you knew nothing about classical ballet! You've just told me something I didn't even know existed. IT IS ABSOLUTELY IMPRESSIVE!!!   BRAVO!!  

I did know that the "copyright" for the Fountain of Bahche-Sarai story didn't belong to Pushkin - just like it was with most of this poetry and prose, he was searching for fresh raw material for his next masterpiece(s) everywhere, then he'd found a jewel and "shaped and polished" it - to make a diamond of it. Well, his genious did.

But honestly, I didn't know that the place has actually exsited! WOW!! I thought it was some imaginary place where the story happened. SO THANK YOU EVER SO MUCH FOR THIS VIRTUAL TOUR!!

And, yes, I did bring that CD with Sleeping Beauty for Leila back in June 2001 (for some USD 30 - which is quite a lot, considering that you can buy classical music CD back in Almaty for $2 - $10), but she kept saying that this ballet is a real marathon for a soloist dancing the Beauty part, so she didn't really want to do it, etc., etc, (which was breaking my heart, of course. So, I'm delighted that she's finally found enough inner strength to go for it.

And THANK YOU for reminding me that it wasn't Leila who's performed Maria last week - HELLO!  :rolleyes: of course it was Kuralay. I even spoke on the phone to her about it - two weeks ago. My memory goes as i'm aging (just kidding   )

How was the Wife of Khan Ghirey - Zarema? It was supposed to be a premiere for a young ballerina, and I wasn't quite sure if she can actually do the role as impressive as the two others - about 10 years older than she - were doing it before her. I usually had to hold tears back during that famous scen when the Khan's servants bring Maria onstage and Zarema is shocked by her beloved husband's change in feelings towards her. ONE OF MY FAVORITE MOMENTS in that ballet!

And how was Vatzlav, by the way? Was that Alexey Safronov - a young cute kid with beautiful lines (nice long arms and legs) who sometimes doesn't want to bother performing most difficult moves neatly? Eh?   Tell me all about it - because i've been spending up to $300 Cdn PER MONTH on the phone - getting all the latest news from Kuralay and Dastan (another principal dancer of our ballet, he  is REALLY GOOD and HARD WORKING KID). NOW, THANK GOODNESS I have you there

And if you'd like to meet my boyfriend, then you can find him at the sound engineers room (or a booth to be precise), at the balcony level, just have some Russian speakers to find that room for you. His name is Alexander, shortly - Sasha, however he loves it when he's referred by his full name ALEXANDER. He speaks some English, so if you speak some Russian, you should be able to have some conversation between two of you. I will tell him that you will be looking for him (hmmm... i don't even know what your NAME is, though   ) But, I'm sure he'll recognize a young man from Europe! And you will be able to recognize him - he is a tall slim guy, in his 20's, with big blue eyes and a big charming smile. Looks left aside, he is quite a decent person, but sometimes can get TOO SHY (like some of those ballerinas and dancers). I hope when you catch him he won't be in his shy mood - that is the worst time by far to meet that Sasha-guy as you won't squeeze a word out him then   So, yes, next time you go to the Theater, make sure you ask for Alexander, the SOUND GUY (ZVUKOVIK in Russian)

And I'll be awaiting for more ballet news from Almaty from you!! THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL YOU HAVE WRITTEN HERE! IT IS DEEPLY APPRECIATED BY AN ALMATY BALLET ADMIRER, LIVING IN TORONTO!!

[Alexandra]

I didn't know Bakhchisaray was a real place either -- thank you (and welcome to Ballet Alert!)  The photographs are lovely

[Marianna]

I see a twist of intrigue here - first A LOCAL FOREIGNER appears IN ALMATY, after I left it just few months ago, who is followed by a SKYSHARK, who has known the LOCAL FOREIGNER for a gazillion years, and every one knows Leila.

NOW, WHO IS POSS???????????????????????????????????  :shrug:    :shrug:

[Alexandra]

Welcome to Ballet Alert!, Skyshark!

We try to loosen our rules a bit for non-English speakers and those who live outside the U.S., especially when we have only one or two posters from one country, but I think I need to say at this point that, unlike other sites, we're not a chat board, and we don't want the board to be used to exchange personal greetings, or messages.  We have a private messenger system for that -- you need to make 30 posts to be a full member and be able to use it.  

But we want the board to be used for discussions about ballet.  In this forum, on the company, or performances you've seen.  

Thanks!