canbelto Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 I've been watching the Glory of the Kirov videotape and was most impressed with the wonderful excerpt with Irina Kolpakova and her husband Vladinen Semenov. She has such a beautiful, pure style. There is something so elegant and classical about her -- I was awestruck. And then I realized that there arent many videos of her. I saw the Sleeping Beauty but that was made in 1983, and she's frankly past her prime there. Are there any complete videos from her made maybe in the 1960s or 1970s? Link to comment
stinger784 Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 I know exactly how you feel. Everyday when I go to work at Ballet Internationale and she is rehearsing me, I am so surprised still at the fact that her por de bras is as magnificent as it was on the video. As far as videos go, I can not help you there. All I can tell you is that she and her husband will be celebrating a milestone anniversary this Sunday and that they are both inspirations to me. Link to comment
Marc Haegeman Posted October 26, 2005 Share Posted October 26, 2005 I've been watching the Glory of the Kirov videotape and was most impressed with the wonderful excerpt with Irina Kolpakova and her husband Vladinen Semenov. She has such a beautiful, pure style. There is something so elegant and classical about her -- I was awestruck. And then I realized that there arent many videos of her. I saw the Sleeping Beauty but that was made in 1983, and she's frankly past her prime there. Are there any complete videos from her made maybe in the 1960s or 1970s? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> No doubt there is a lot of material of Kolpakova, but the thing is that it is not commercially available. There was an earlier "Sleeping Beauty" with her and Yuri Soloviev (so predating 1977), and there was an indispensable "Raymonda" broadcast from the late 70s and a "Chopiniana" from the same era. Russian TV also broadcast a "La Sylphide" with her and Berezhnoi filmed at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Stinger, why don't you ask her yourself, since you see her everyday Link to comment
stinger784 Posted October 26, 2005 Share Posted October 26, 2005 Ok I just asked her what other videos she would be on. She said there is a Raymonda, Chopinana and one called (sorry if I butcher the spelling) "Baryshna (?) and Hooligan". The last one was made for the cinema I'm guessing how Spartacus with Vassiliev was made. She said there may be others but that is all she knew off the top of her head. Hope this helps... ~Ian~ www.ianpoulis.com Link to comment
sylphide Posted October 26, 2005 Share Posted October 26, 2005 Ian, you are SOO Lucky to be in contact with her. Boy do I envy you! Link to comment
stinger784 Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 Believe it or not she is just as normal a human being as you or I. She is a very sweet woman and really does care. Vlad is equally as cool and an excellent teacher. Link to comment
canbelto Posted October 27, 2005 Author Share Posted October 27, 2005 I wonder if it's in the Russian culture for ballerinas (and dancers) to "give back" very generously to younger students. It seems as if so many of them work tirelessly as teachers, and engender enormous love from their students. I am reminded of Rita Streich saying that she had to turn away from Elisabeth Schwarzkopf when Schwarzkopf said, "Why give away our secrets?" In the opera world, unfortunately this attitude seems very common -- in a book called Rasponi's Last Prima Donnas many of the ladies say they'd rather starve than teach. Anyway I just think it's wonderful that a living legend like Irina Kolpakova generously imparts her knowledge and expertise to so many young people. Link to comment
drb Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 Happy 75th Birthday to Irina Kolpakova! Actually her birthday was on May 22nd and was noted in both the Russian and Russian-American media. Called the Crystal Ballerina, this student of Vaganova (1951) was, according to tvkultura, among the greatest of Auroras, Nutcracker's most romantic Masha, a great Sylphide, and created the Grigorovich roles of Katherine in Stone Flower and Shirin in Legend of Love. She was known for her high jump and the exact perfection of her pirouette. Ms. Kolpakova also appeared in much new choreography, including a one-performance-only version of Romeo and Juliet wearing a swimsuit: the ballet was banned for being "too erotic." The article includes a photo of her in La Sylphide and a video: http://www.tvkultura.ru/news.html?id=230110&cid=178 Nina Alovert, writing in the current issue of the Brooklyn-based Russian Bazaar, gives a more detailed appreciation of Ms. Kolpakova's career, both in Russia, and since Mikhail Baryshnikov invited her to America in 1989. She refers to the ballerina's commitment to the classics, to the extent that she would even seek out former ballerinas who still remembered original variations, as for example in Raymonda, and would perform these versions rather than the ones that had been altered by Dudinskaya. Yet, "despite the strict commitment to classical dance, Kolpakova has always sought to participate in the new, that appeared in her time in the Russian ballet world, dancing modern choreography with perfect purity of form and style." The article also includes a photo of the dancer/teacher by Ms. Alovert: http://www.russian-bazaar.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=12597 For a view of Ms. Kolpakova as teacher, YouTube now has a five-part 50 minute video of her teaching Aurora to Larissa Lezhnina (about 20 years ago, but superbly clear and sharp). Just enter Kolpakova Lezhnina. Link to comment
Charming_Lise Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 I wonder if it's in the Russian culture for ballerinas (and dancers) to "give back" very generously to younger students. It seems as if so many of them work tirelessly as teachers, and engender enormous love from their students. I am reminded of Rita Streich saying that she had to turn away from Elisabeth Schwarzkopf when Schwarzkopf said, "Why give away our secrets?" In the opera world, unfortunately this attitude seems very common -- in a book called Rasponi's Last Prima Donnas many of the ladies say they'd rather starve than teach. Anyway I just think it's wonderful that a living legend like Irina Kolpakova generously imparts her knowledge and expertise to so many young people. I agree. It seems to a wonderful part of the Russian tradition that a dancer is able to impart their experience on younger dancers in such a way. A sort of carrying on of thoughts, emotions and experiences in which a dancer can use to put their own signature stamp on the role. Link to comment
carbro Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 Happy 75th Birthday to Irina Kolpakova! No. I refuse to believe it. People that age look either very "done" (a la Joan Rivers) or 20 years older than Mme. K does. Happy birthday. Link to comment
YID Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Happy 75th Birthday to Irina Kolpakova! No. I refuse to believe it. People that age look either very "done" (a la Joan Rivers) or 20 years older than Mme. K does. Happy birthday. I just finished watching 1972-3 recording of Sleeping Beauty with Kolpakova, and today searched to figure out how young she was - WOW- she was 49 dancing Aurora. I am stunned. Yep, she didn't dance or look as a 20-year, but not 50.... still impressed. Bravo... Link to comment
Lidewij Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 I came across this on Youtube; it seems to be filmed quite a long time ago, and it is wonderful. Link to comment
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