51 replies to this topic

[Natalia]

Amy Reusch, on Jan 23 2008, 11:16 AM, said:

OH... I see it was Petukhov who choreographed that bizarre Romeo & Juliet that came through a few years ago.  I hope it's the traditional Giselle that they're touring?  Has this tour touched down in the US anywhere yet?

Quick answers:

Yes, the bizarre R&J featuring Queen Mab. I remember. Luckily, it's not the hallmark-production of the company. Petukhov should stick to directing those wonderful dancers.

Their GISELLE is indeed very traditional (as are their other 19th-C classics)

Yes, they have touched-down in the US one week ago in South Bend (Indiana?). There's a review in the South Bend Tribune of their Jan. 20 '08 triple-bill performance, which included -- hold onto your hat -- Yakobsen's masterpiece 'Rodin Sculptures' set of miniatures. So they are doing some Yakobsen on this tour; just not where you & I live. Ugh....

[Amy Reusch]

Looks like there have been issues at other venues:

http://www.azstarnet...etro/224821.php

Quote

"The U of A artists series is prestigious and you trust what they say," she said. "I just feel inside that they are as much surprised as I am."
The confusion extended to the Arizona Daily Star, which previewed the ballet on Friday and reported on the St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre. The story misstated several facts, including that renowned ballerina Irina Kolesnikova would be the featured dancer.

[wildaboutballet]

Clearly there is confusion which surely is easy to avoid if the company uses its own name   However, what is absolutely clear is that it is not Konstantin Tachkin's St Petersburg Ballet Theatre which is performing this tour nor is it Irina Kolesnikova who is dancing

Amy Reusch, on Jan 18 2008, 11:39 PM, said:

I was curious to find some info for an upcoming performance at University of Connecticut so that I could encourage some of my students to go.  

Here is the billing:  http://www.jorgensen....php?eventID=41

Quote

GISELLE
St. Petersburg Ballet
March 27, 2008
8:00 pm

Direct from the birthplace of classical Russian ballet, the St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre is one of the most distinguished companies in Russia. With its stunning prima ballerina, this jewel of a company will perform one of the most famous and enduring of the romantic ballets. A tragic tale of innocence and betrayed love, the doomed passion of Giselle and Albrecht is reflected in the ethereal choreography and hauntingly beautiful score by Adolphe Adam.

And here is what one finds at the St. Petersburg Ballet Site http://www.spbt.ru/?...;last_rnd_id=11

Quote

SPBT IS NOT TOURING AMERICAN COLLEGES OR AMERICAN ARTS CENTRES
  
SPBT is not touring American colleges or American arts centres. Since October 2007 many letters are coming to our website from the USA asking us to provide more information about a forthcoming tour that SPBT (St Petersburg Ballet Theatre) is performing in America from October until spring 2008. The most repeated question is whether Irina Kolesnikova is participating in the tour.American visitors tell us they see advertising for the tour and cannot find any confirmation on our own website that Irina is touring USA. Nor can they find any confirmation on our website that SPBT is touring the USA.So many letters are coming to us every week that we are forced to make an official statement here on this site:

and a little later in the same press release:

Quote

Advertised as touring in American colleges and small arts centres with taped music is a company that has no connection whatsoever with Konstantin Tachkin’s St Petersburg Ballet Theatre – brand SPBT.

The official name of the Russian company from St Petersburg advertised as touring the USA is St. Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theater of Leonid Yakobson. Under this name they perform in the city of St Petersburg and we have no idea why they are presenting themselves in America as the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre.

There is this website for Saint Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theater of Leonid Yakobson: http://rus-ballet.co...tic-jizel-1.htm
but it's a little vague.

I'm guessing the performance will be about the quality of the other Russian companies that have come through on these 1-night stand university tours... I feel for the dancers, the tours seem to be 1-night stand after 1-night stand all across the US with a handful of longer runs (3 days?) on the outskirts of large cities like NYC.

But I wonder that there isn't something of a scandal going on here with the company using another company's name.

Too bad they don't seem to be performing any of Yakobson's work.  I'm curious to see that.

[Natalia]

wildaboutballet, on Feb 18 2008, 06:25 AM, said:

....clear is that it is not Konstantin Tachkin's St Petersburg Ballet Theatre which is performing this tour nor is it Irina Kolesnikova who is dancing ....

Right. The troupe that is performing in the US is an older and more respected (in Russia) company than is the much-newer Tatchkin-Kolesnikova enterprise.

[Ostrich]

If the Jacobson company is the older one, then who is actually using whose name? If I'm right the only difference in name is that Tatchkin's company is know as the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre and the Jacobson company as the St Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theatre. Isn't Tatchkin's company "riding" on the older companies name (ironically it seems to be working the other way now, with Irina Kolesnikova's fame boosting the Jacobson company!)?

[wildaboutballet]

Then  I must make this point again (especially for Natalia) If this Yacobson "troupe is older and more respected (in Russia)"  why do they not use their own name ??      
I agree with Ostrich - it does seems to be working the other way now, with Irina Kolesnikova's fame boosting the Jacobson company!

They should use their own name and this would stop those many letters going to the Irina Kolesnikova website  and she would have time to improve on her sensational techique

[Natalia]

wildaboutballet, on Feb 20 2008, 12:53 PM, said:

Then  I must make this point again (especially for Natalia) If this Yacobson "troupe is older and more respected (in Russia)"  why do they not use their own name ??      ....

Oh, I am so honored!

That has always been their name, wild, with exception that it was originally (sinc e the mid-60s) the  "Leningrad State Academic Ballet Theater" when the city was Leningrad. As soon as the city became St. Petersburg, then it replaced likewise in the title. That was prior to Tatchkine's company existing.

So, wildaboutballet, are you suggesting that they go back to Leningrad State Academic Ballet Theater? Maybe they can tour with a Hammer & Sickle?

[wildaboutballet]

OK i will write this again (in English ! )    
Yacobson ....if their name is St Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theatre ...why are they using the name Konstantin Tachkin's St Petersburg Ballet Theatre as reported much of the US Press

[Mel Johnson]

Maybe they should just throw caution to the winds and rename themselves Robert Benchley's time-honored "Utica Drop Forge and Tool Co."  I don't care which of them does it, just so somebody finds a name that gives a little more clarity as to identity.

[Natalia]

wildaboutballet, on Feb 21 2008, 07:25 AM, said:

...St Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theatre ...why are they using the name Konstantin Tachkin's St Petersburg Ballet Theatre as reported much of the US Press

"Tatchkin's" is not in the name of the St. Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theater, wild.

Love your idea, Mel.   Personally, I think that the Tatchkin troupe should be, well, "Tatchkin Ballet" or "Ballet Tatchkin"!

I'll be seeing the 'non-Tatchkin troupe' performing GISELLE in Rockville, Maryland, on March 12. As I've seen the very fine DVD of the Tatchkin troupe in this ballet, I should be able to make a good comparison of the two companies and their respective productions of the classic, step-by-step (so to speak). Will do so in this forum after I see the "non-Tatchkin" GISELLE.

[canbelto]

I think the main way to know which ballet company you're getting is: if Irina Kolsenikova (or Mrs. Tatchkin) isn't splashed all over the posters and promotional material, it's not the Tatchkin troupe.

[Natalia]

Here is what Tatchkin's troupe is known as back home:  Imperial Russian Ballet Theater

Look at the names of companies & venues on the following list -- 3rd company down in the 1st column, also identitied as "Tatchkin Ballet" at Fontanka Embankment no. 65:

http://www.rustrip.com/index.html?sid=[sid]&lang=eng&page=all_stores

[wildaboutballet]

canbelto, on Feb 21 2008, 02:22 PM, said:

I think the main way to know which ballet company you're getting is: if Irina Kolsenikova (or Mrs. Tatchkin) isn't splashed all over the posters and promotional material, it's not the Tatchkin troupe.

An interesting point of view Canbelto, but as Konstantin Tachkin's St Petersburg Ballet Theatre has been in theUK on tour with posters of different principals of the company (depending on ballet titles being performed) this is not the answer !

[wildaboutballet]

Natalia, on Feb 21 2008, 08:38 AM, said:

wildaboutballet, on Feb 21 2008, 07:25 AM, said:

...St Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theatre ...why are they using the name Konstantin Tachkin's St Petersburg Ballet Theatre as reported much of the US Press

"Tatchkin's" is not in the name of the St. Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theater, wild.

Love your idea, Mel.   Personally, I think that the Tatchkin troupe should be, well, "Tatchkin Ballet" or "Ballet Tatchkin"!

I'll be seeing the 'non-Tatchkin troupe' performing GISELLE in Rockville, Maryland, on March 12. As I've seen the very fine DVD of the Tatchkin troupe in this ballet, I should be able to make a good comparison of the two companies and their respective productions of the classic, step-by-step (so to speak). Will do so in this forum after I see the "non-Tatchkin" GISELLE.

You are absolutely right - Tachkin's is not name of St Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theatre - but the press are saying something different !   see following (especially The Company and The Prima Ballerina !

Russian troupe to bring 'Giselle' to life
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 02.08.2008

The St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre brings its rendition of "Giselle" to Centennial Hall on Saturday. The two-act, two-scene work is considered a classic and is a must-see for fans of the art. The last time Tucson saw a professional "Giselle" performed was in 2004, when Ballet Tucson played out Act II alongside "Dracula" at its 2004-05 season opener. The UApresents show begins at 8 p.m., and tickets are $27-$67 through the Centennial Hall box office, 621-3341.

● The ballet: "Giselle" is right up there with "The Nutcracker" and "Swan Lake" as one of the most popular ballets in existence. Created by Théophile Gautier with help from writer Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Adolphe Adam, "Giselle" was conceived as an homage to ballerina Carlotta Grisi and premiered at the Paris Opéra in 1841. The production was such a success with critics and audiences that a style of hat and fabric were named in its honor.

● The company: The St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre brings a fresh perspective to the dance world. The privately funded touring company was founded in 1994 by Konstantin Tachkin and already has made repeated trips to points around the globe including Great Britain, Japan, South Africa and the United States. The troupe boasts more than 70 dancers, many of them fresh faces recruited straight from Russian dance academies.

● The prima ballerina: The Ballet Theatre is bringing principal dancer Irina Kolesnikova with them. A two-time reject from the Kirov (Mariinsky Theatre) and Musorgsky Theatre and a verbal punching bag for dance professor Elvira Kokorina during her time at the Vaganova Ballet Academy according to Dance Magazine, Kolesnikova has received much acclaim during her time with St. Petersburg. She won a silver medal at Perm's "Arabesque 2002" and a silver at Japan's International and Modern Dance competition in 2005. She also was nominated for best female dancer at London's National Dance Awards after a performance at Royal Albert Hall.

[Natalia]

wildaboutballet, on Feb 22 2008, 08:32 AM, said:

[...... A two-time reject from the Kirov (Mariinsky Theatre) and Musorgsky Theatre and a verbal punching bag for dance professor Elvira Kokorina during her time at the Vaganova Ballet Academy ....

Well at least this is absolutely right. I wonder how many New Yorkers remember  Kolesnikova during the January 1998 visit of the Vaganova Academy to the Brooklyn Academy of Music, in a joint concert with the SAB? Kolesnikova was cast in the "Frescoes Pas de Quatre" from StLeon/Pugni's Little Humpbacked Horse.  Nice quartet but hardly the stuff of "Prima Ballerina Assoluta." The female stars of that Vaganova tour included Irina Golub (lead graduate of '98, invited to Kirov-Mariinsky), Irina Perren (another top grad of '98, invited to join Maly-Moussorgsky as principal), Alesya Boyko (who went to the Bolshoi, not Kirov), Ekaterina Osmolkina (star of the class of '99) and Tatyana Tkachenko (star grad of '00).  Among the star men of the Class of '98 were Anton Korsakov and Mikhail Ilyn (now w/ ABT). I even remember little V. Schklyarov -- now the rising classical male of the Mariinsky -- as the boy in the Nutcracker Pas de Trois, in that concert. I barely remember Kolesnikova & would have not remembered had I not gone back to my programme of that night. This puts things into proper perspective, IMO.