69 replies to this topic

[mumwang]

Yes the youtube film was made at a rehearsal. The photos on Stanislav Belyaevsky's facebook on the graduation performance were also taken at the rehearsal.

Shapran is not featured as the lead in LHH in those photos either so i'm wondering when and where she danced the role that lead to Stupinikov's comment? Thanks

[Lidewij]

And another video of these performances has appeared. This time the entire performance of June 19th:

http://www.youtube.c...bed/aDxTj-UrYDM


edited to add: my personal favourite is the girl that dances the first Paquita variation The second dancer's build reminds me more of Alina Somova so I think that must be Somova Jr.? So the girl I like is Ksenia Shevtsova?
I would like to know for sure, so please help me out if you know

[Helene]

Many thanks for the link, Lidewij!

Here is a direct version of the link; if you double click on the __________ above the video, you'll get full YouTube controls:


I, too, hope someone can ID the dancers.

[alexaa1a]

The YouTube video states June 20, 2011. Looking at the Mariinsky website for the month of June, 2011, http://www.mariinsky...ar=2011&month=6 , the only ballet performed on that day had these 4 leading ballerinas, Alina Somova, Viktoria Tereshkina, Ekaterina Osmolkina and Ekaterina Kondaurova. None of those two girls are any of these 4 ballerinas. If you look at that web address listed above, Vaganova performed on the 18th, 19th and 26th. Based on the ballets in the video, this was the second performance on June 19. Going from left to right on Helene's still from the video, they are Alexandra Somova, Alina's sister and a 2011 graduate from Ludmila Kovaleva's graduating class,which included Kristina Shapran and Olga Smirnova; Daniil Lopatin, who graduates this year and is a student of Gennadi Selyutsky and finally Ksenia Shevtsova, who graduates this year from Irina Sitnikova's graduating class.

[vrsfanatic]

Thank you for the information on the dancers. I kept wishing you would say it was not from Vaganova Academy at all! I still have not been able to get past the 1st piece. Hopefully it gets better.

[alexaa1a]

Thank you for the information on the dancers. I kept wishing you would say it was not from Vaganova Academy at all! I still have not been able to get past the 1st piece. Hopefully it gets better.

The first piece is the underwater kingdom scene from Little Humped Back Horse, restaged by Yuri Burlaka, ex Bolshoi artistic director.

[trieste]

The girl in roughly 38:00-43:00 is delightful. Any idea who she is? Or what the piece is for that matter...

Edit: oops, answered my own question. Ekaterina Ulitina, Vienna Waltz I think. She has lovely feet and...moxie! I found a few other clips of her, but I'm not sure she's attached to any company.

[Natalia]

Alexandra Somova, in her own words, said that she is dancing now for Mariinsky Ballet.
She was hired by a company in St Petersburg, and the best company.

Never was on the roster of the MT. However, she was recently appointed to the corps of Moscow's Stanislavsky Ballet, as of the start of the 2012/13 season, so 'congrats' to her!

Main reason why I was posting:
A DVD of one of the 2011 Vaganova Academy Graduation concerts was just released on Japanese DVD, under the Sinshokan label. (Maybe the 3rd concert because the diverts portion includes Bluebird pdd & Corsaire pas d'esclave wtih Zhiganshina, etc...although I see that it also has Paquita pas de trois, which appeared on another concert...so maybe this is a 'best of the concerts' compilation?) Regardless, this was the class that included Olga Smirnova and Kristina Shapran, among other dancers of note.

It can easily be purchased online via Lawson's.
If you're not in Japan, it can only be viewed with a multi-region, multi-system DVD player (as explained on other threads, in the films sub-forum).
http://www.hmv.co.jp...asp?sku=5137475

[Natalia]

Received the delightful Japanese DVD of the 2011 Vaganova Graduations this weekend. I can now confirm that it contains the Little Humpbacked Horse Underwater Scene and the Bayadere 'Shades' from the 3rd (final) performance + the middle 'Divertissements' from a mix of the three performances (e.g., Shevtsova did not really dance Spirit Ball 10 minutes after dancing Paquita pas de trois, as is presented on this DVD!). Appropriately enough, selections were made to include the performances of the two Japanese men who were prominently featured in solos (Takano & Takatoshi). Numbers and casting seen in the DVD:

Part I: LHH Underwater Scene (Burlaka-after-Gorsky/Pugni & Drigo)

Water Goddess - Elizaveta Kaukina (dancing no less that 3 variations!)
Water God - Nikita Nazarov
Two Corals - Yulia Kobatova & Anastasia Asaben
Ocean & Two Pearls pas de trois - Yonen Takano, Arina Varentseva & Ksenia Ananieva

Part II: Divertissements

Grand Waltz (Larionov/Gliere) - ensemble of jr and mid-level students
The Letter (Keikhel/Richer) - Irina Tolschichikova[
Between Us (Lationov/Walter) - Tatyana Goriushkina/Gianlucca Sermattei
Intermezzo (Baranova/Puccini) - Kristina Shapran/Sergei Strelkov
Paquita Pas de Trois (Petipa/Minkus) - Ksenia Shevtsova, Alexandra Somova & Danil' Lopatin (the 2nd female solo - Somova - was omitted; all else there)
Corsaire Pas d'Esclave (Petipa.various composers) - Ksenia Zhiganshina/Matiyama Takatoshi WOW!!! THIS ALONE WORTH PRICE OF DVD!!!
Spirit Ball (Briantsev/Chopin) - Ksenia Shevtsova/Danil Starkov
Sleeping Beauty Bluebirds pdd (Petipa/Tchaikovsky) - Ekaterina Bondarenko/Artyom Sorochan

Part III: Bayadere 'Kingdon of Shades' (100% complete)

Nikiya - Olga Smirnova (amazing - hard to believe that this was 'just a student' - even more polished than student Lopatkina in her 1991 graduation in this role...and even Vishneva in her 1995 graduation, also in this role) ANOTHER REASON TO HAVE THIS DVD!
Solor - Sergei Strelkov
Shades - Elizaveta Kaukina, Yulia Kobatova and Alexandra Somova

I cannot recommend this DVD highly enough. Even if you've seen the shaky YouTube versions of these performances hunched over your computers, you must luxuriate in this HD-filmed edition, seen on the big flat-sceen on the wall of your den or living room, sitting in a comfy chair, champagne at the ready!

[Tiara]

Alexandra Somova, in her own words, said that she is dancing now for Mariinsky Ballet.
She was hired by a company in St Petersburg, and the best company.

Never was on the roster of the MT. However, she was recently appointed to the corps of Moscow's Stanislavsky Ballet, as of the start of the 2012/13 season, so 'congrats' to her!

Main reason why I was posting:
A DVD of one of the 2011 Vaganova Academy Graduation concerts was just released on Japanese DVD, under the Sinshokan label. (Maybe the 3rd concert because the diverts portion includes Bluebird pdd & Corsaire pas d'esclave wtih Zhiganshina, etc...although I see that it also has Paquita pas de trois, which appeared on another concert...so maybe this is a 'best of the concerts' compilation?) Regardless, this was the class that included Olga Smirnova and Kristina Shapran, among other dancers of note.

It can easily be purchased online via Lawson's.
If you're not in Japan, it can only be viewed with a multi-region, multi-system DVD player (as explained on other threads, in the films sub-forum).
http://www.hmv.co.jp...asp?sku=5137475

Strange. I thought Sasha was definitely in Mariinsky Ballet corps at one time? Of course, she is not on the roster now, so difficult to prove if someone has left, but I certainly thought she was. Certainly her VK profile shows several photographs of her in the premiere of the Mariinsky My Fair Lady! Here is one of them:

http://vk.com/id28992786?z=photo28992786_278672559%2Falbum28992786_00%2Frev

[Natalia]

AlexaaA1/Tiara, I have several friends who attended My Fair Lady premiere but none of them dance with the Mariinsky (except maybe in dreams).

As for 'proof,' Cygnet cited all of the company rosters that she checked with narry a trace of the 'Junior' Somova, throughout last season. [Several of us checked periodically, in fact.] Of course, the best news is that she found a job with the Stanislavsky this season, along with some fellow-grads from the class of 2011 or friends from the class of 2012, e.g., Shapran (now a very famous soloist!), Shevtsova, Sorochan and Nazarov.

It's fascinating how the students featured in this DVD are now dancing 'all over the map'! The ones most expected to dance with the Mariinsky are elsewhere.

[Tiara]

AlexaaA1/Tiara, I have several friends who attended My Fair Lady premiere but none of them dance with the Mariinsky (except maybe in dreams).

As for 'proof,' Cygnet cited all of the company rosters that she checked with narry a trace of the 'Junior' Somova, throughout last season. [Several of us checked periodically, in fact.] Of course, the best news is that she found a job with the Stanislavsky this season, along with some fellow-grads from the class of 2011 or friends from the class of 2012, e.g., Shapran (now a very famous soloist!), Shevtsova, Sorochan and Nazarov.

It's fascinating how the students featured in this DVD are now dancing 'all over the map'! The ones most expected to dance with the Mariinsky are elsewhere.

Well, come to think of it, back in December/January when I was in SPb, I remember I saw her arriving early for company class every day, so she was definitely in MT then.

[Fraildove]

Just because a dancer takes class with a company does not automatically mean they are members of said company. When I was dancing professionally, I often took class with a company if I was in town. This included the Mariinsky when they toured nearby. I don't personally know if Sasha was ever employed by MT, but given her sister's status and her Vaganova Grad status it is within reason that she took class with the compang to maintain technique while trying to secure a position elsewhere. I highly doubt that she would have been left off the roster with the last name Somova if she had indeed been an employ. Just my perspective.

[alexaa1a]

Just because a dancer takes class with a company does not automatically mean they are members of said company. When I was dancing professionally, I often took class with a company if I was in town. This included the Mariinsky when they toured nearby. I don't personally know if Sasha was ever employed by MT, but given her sister's status and her Vaganova Grad status it is within reason that she took class with the compang to maintain technique while trying to secure a position elsewhere. I highly doubt that she would have been left off the roster with the last name Somova if she had indeed been an employ. Just my perspective.

Back in October 2011 when I read BA reports that Somova was not hired, I asked a friend of Sasha to get confirmation that Sasha was dancing for Mariinsky. Sasha told my friend that she definitely was in Mariinsky. I came to Mariinsky the following month and several other months during the season. Not only did I see Sasha take class, but also rehearse. She also left many minutes after almost every performance and the photo that Tiara posted from Sasha's Russian facebook type account, was her backstage with one of her My Fair Lady costumes and only Mariinsky dancers were dancing, not outsiders.. These are additional photos in her My Fair Lady costumes, plus the one Tiara showed before.
.http://vk.com/id28992786?z=photo28992786_278666756%2Fphotos28992786 the boy is definitely a Mariinsky dancer
.http://vk.com/id28992786?z=photo28992786_278666993%2Fphotos28992786
http://vk.com/id2899.../photos28992786 clearly backstage at Mariinsky
http://vk.com/id2899.../photos28992786
http://vk.com/id2899.../photos28992786
http://vk.com/id2899.../photos28992786 on the Mariinsky stage
http://vk.com/id2899.../photos28992786 this is not a stage photo, but very nice

[Natalia]

Absolutely, fraildove! I'm sure that Big Sis gave her that 'backstage pass' until she landed job at the Stan in Moscow.

I also know that it is an outright lie to claim on one's Facebook (or Russian equivalents like Friends.ru, Kontakte, etc.) that one is employed by a certain company when one is not. That's almost as bad as those guys (and gals?) who claim to be U.S. Army war veterans but never were...some even caught manufacturing their own Purple Heart medals.