Olga Smirnova

[FireDancer]

1 hour ago, Helene said:

I honestly don't remember.  It was a pretty awful production.  I'd liked him in other ballets when NBoC toured.  

Cool, thanks for the reply!

[volcanohunter]

1 hour ago, AB'sMom said:

Odette doesn’t die in this production, but Siegfried drowns at the end.

This became a kind of trend in the 1960s, possibly beginning with Cranko, who said something along the lines of Siegfried is a tragic hero and must be vanquished. Nureyev and Bruhn followed suit.

Edited April 4, 2023 by volcanohunter

[BalletPerfection1]

Luckily the version of the Dutch National Ballet is much better than the Grigorovich version. Especially the fourth act is very nice the Van Dantzig version, definitely my favorite part of the ballet. 

I have been a fan of Smirnova since she graduated from Vaganova, so the news last year she joined the Dutch national ballet, was something i was so happy about. I have been able to have seen her in every big classic (Raymonda, Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake) she has danced so far at DNB and she is incredible. 😃

Edited April 5, 2023 by BalletPerfection1

[Buddy]

There’s little new that I’ve been able to find. She will be performing Raymonda at the Dutch National Ballet, Amsterdam, with Victor Caixeta several times this month. Nice to see them together, like old times. Wish I could be there.

Since she left Russia she has also participated in other ballet ‘directions.’ Her intent is to broaden her range. I think that in the ‘right type’ of work that she will exhibit this with remarkable ability. I still have the hope that she will find Her Own new voice with which she could be outstanding. I’ve never seen her on stage give a performance that I didn’t think was excellent, but these were all classic works, ones that for me hold the most interest, still, from all that she’s done to date.

Thus I’m glad to see the announcement of the Raymondas. In addition, she remains probably as close to great Russian ballet as we’re going to get for awhile. I really look forward to seeing her again, if only for that reason, but hopefully for much more as well.

(This is an old New York Times article from April 2022 that I missed, that sums up relatively well all that happened up to that date. It’s maybe a nice refresher.)

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/15/arts/olga-smirnova-ballet-bolshoi-ukraine-war.html

[Buddy]

So I keep wondering what’s going on today with possibly the most interesting and one of the most talented ballerinas in the world at this moment ?  There’s nothing posted at her site since December about future performances.

She’s probably the ballerina that I most want to see, that I could have a chance to see. Although I’ve noticed no definitive changes in her approach, I still consider her the one ballet dancer that’s the most likely to present a significant development in/of the art form. The one thing that’s been primary in the performances of her’s that I’ve attended is that she’s always outstanding.

The only new information that I’ve found is that she was working with Wayne McGregor at the Dutch National Ballet in January. This is from the interview that follows. She also mentions William Forsythe working with the company, but I’ve seen no mention of her performing his work. I’d really like to see her doing works by these two, but what would be most exciting to me, as I’ve often said, would be for her to create a newer identity, completely her own.

The following video is from January 18 and has only audio content. There’s nothing really new except for the mention of Wayne McGregor. Still, it’s a nice summary of some of her thoughts and happenings.   

An interview with Olga Smirnova | Why Dance Matters

Royal Academy of Dance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLak7u3Xm20

A few of her thoughts:

Because of videos you need to be perfect at all times.

On stage she never thinks about the technical aspects. She’s only focused on her character.

Once on stage she’s never nervous.

Immediately starting work after leaving Russia saved her emotionally. After only three weeks with the Royal Dutch Ballet she performed Raymonda. She says that the company will always will be her home.

She says that through her coach Larissa Lezhnina, former First Soloist at the Mariinsky, she hopes to help preserve the Saint Petersburg’s ballet style and tradition.

Dance is an art. “Art helps us find inspiration to exist.”

Added:

Again, a look back at something slightly different and very lovely.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cis1zRjI8UP/?hl=en

 

Edited February 6 by Buddy
last sentence added and "Added"

[volcanohunter]

Smirnova is not dancing the lead in Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's Frida this month, but on 18 February she is performing at the Dance for Ukraine gala at the London Paladium.

https://lwtheatres.co.uk/whats-on/dance-for-ukraine-in-aid-of-the-arts-in-ukraine/

And on 17 March she is scheduled to appear at the Ballet Icons Gala at the London Coliseum, although the casting for that gala is notoriously "fluid."

https://balleticonsgala.com/ 

[Buddy]

5 hours ago, volcanohunter said:

Smirnova is not dancing the lead in Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's Frida this month, but on 18 February she is performing at the Dance for Ukraine gala at the London Paladium.

https://lwtheatres.co.uk/whats-on/dance-for-ukraine-in-aid-of-the-arts-in-ukraine/

And on 17 March she is scheduled to appear at the Ballet Icons Gala at the London Coliseum, although the casting for that gala is notoriously "fluid."

https://balleticonsgala.com/ 

Thank you, Volcanohunter.

It was at the “Galina Ulanova 100th Anniversary - Russian Ballet Icons” performances at the London Coliseum, 2011 where I first saw her. I believe that she was still a student, but I thought that she was really quite special.

 

Edited February 7 by Buddy
spelling correction