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2012/2013 Mariinsky Ballet Season: General News, etc.


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Keenan Kampa's DQ is The worst Kitri ever, and such a disgrace and mistreatment of Mariinsky's stage and legacy. I've see all possible clips of her DQ and a DQ of Novikova (just days before) - the (nightmarish) night and bright day. She's not ready (and who knows if ever would be) for Mariinsky's stage. The good news is that Svetlana Ivanova is given a chance as Gizelle soon.

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Keenan Kampa's DQ is The worst Kitri ever, and such a disgrace and mistreatment of Mariinsky's stage and legacy. I've see all possible clips of her DQ and a DQ of Novikova (just days before) - the (nightmarish) night and bright day. She's not ready (and who knows if ever would be) for Mariinsky's stage. The good news is that Svetlana Ivanova is given a chance as Gizelle soon.

Remember, Somova has done this role quite a bit. Personally I'd rather watch Keenan Kampa. At least her fouttees didn't look like a fish flopping around on dry land gasping for breath, her feet point, she has turn out, her rib cage isn't out of alignment, etc etc.

I'm not saying I thought it was a brilliant attempt, or even a particularly good one. But it was her first, and to my eyes hardly the atrocity it is being made out to be. Certainly other people have polluted the shades of the Mariinsky long before her (to steal from P&P).

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to each his/her own. Even though i did not like mid-career Somova (she was more "vaganova-style" right after vaganova school), i'd take her.

" But it was her first, and to my eyes hardly the atrocity it is being made out to be" - as someone in a russian forum said, "let her be and be trained in any other place but Mariinsky", when there are many more much more talented (though neglected) balerina's. But what can i say, when there's an artistic genocide in Mariinsky ballet, and acid attacks in Moscow.

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The 'still photo' (freeze frame) in post #123 above -- Kampa in the coda, looking like Gomer Pyle in a Hoedown -- must be preserved for posterity as a marker capping-off the Fateev Era. Years from now, we will all be wondering "how the heck" this was allowed to happen.

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The 'still photo' (freeze frame) in post #123 above -- Kampa in the coda, looking like Gomer Pyle in a Hoedown -- must be preserved for posterity as a marker capping-off the Fateev Era. Years from now, we will all be wondering "how the heck" this was allowed to happen.

I want to laugh at your hoedown remark as it is funny, but really the fact that Kampa gets not just one, but two Kitris is a complete disgrace. She had a great Basilio, wonderful Mariinsky corps and soloists, the best coaches in the world ... every possible opportunity she could have to give a good performance and all she could produce was this travesty of Kitri. And this terrible performance is rewarded with another Kitri? Inexcusable.
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I feel sorry for Ms. Kampa. I have to wonder why the AD thinks she is ready for these roles? Obviously she wasn't cast in principal roles when she was at Boston Ballet. Mikko Nissinen clearly thought she needed more time in the corps and wasn't ready for major roles. This just strikes me as a stunt casting to garner more press. Look! We're casting an American! Buy tickets, Americans, you won't know the difference!

I never danced, but I've played sports. Some athletes burst out of the gate and their talent is so obvious that it's blinding and they are ready to perform at a very high level. Others need time and space to grow and mature before they are ready for the elite level. Ms. Kampa would have benefited from a slower trajectory. Of course the same could be said for Ms. Skorik and Ms. Somova.

How old is Daria Pavlenko? Could she make a move elsewhere? Maybe to the Mikhailovsky? Or abroad to La Scala or a similar company?

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I've wondered if the Kitri was just a part of Kampa's contract- ie she is contracted for X number of soloist/principal roles per season. She's only cast once during February (for the same again, hopefully better than last time) so it will be interesting to see if anything else comes of her this year. She is beautiful to look at and technically strong, but stylistically she is not ready for the Mariinsky stage. It is early in the season so we will see.

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I've wondered if the Kitri was just a part of Kampa's contract- ie she is contracted for X number of soloist/principal roles per season. ...

If so, it's odd to have her listed as corps, sitting in the corps ladies' dressing room, living in the tight corps de ballet 'hostel apartments.' Anybody who gets a contract with principal roles should be listed as 'Guest Soloist' at least.

True, she danced virtually no small solo parts in Boston, let alone larger solo roles. The Street Dancer in Boston's DonQ came a few days before her departure, which Nissinen knew about months before.

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Thank you for the Oxana Skorik video. From what I've seen going into 4 1/2 minutes (I'll come back to it later, as I'm somewhat busy) I think that she looks absolutely lovely and always has. I had the great pleasure of seeing her perform "Swan Lake" in October, 2012 (Costa Mesa) several times.

In Essence I think that she is Extremely Beautiful and in expression she can be mind-bogglingly exciting.

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I have seen Skorik Swan Lake in Orange county myself, and it was HORRIBLE (well, not as horrible as Ms. Kampa's Kitri)....

to cure it all, (I pray god that she's well and happy), i might have my magic potion of Lopatkina in Swan Lake in February

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I guess that folks can really see things differently sometimes, YID. I'm not sure what night you were there, but I think that you would agree that the audience response at the final curtain, especially at the last two of her performances with instant standing ovations, was quite impressive.

I would add that at last year's Mariinsky Festival she performed the famous lakeside duet from "Swan Lake" at the final night Gala and for me it was possibly the best performance of the entire Festival.

[Added comment. The official schedule for this year's Mariinsky Festival has just been posted. Some performances and some artists' names are still to be announced].

http://www.mariinsky...allet_fest_230/

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I guess that folks can really see things differently sometimes, YID. I'm not sure what night you were there, but I think that you would agree that the audience response at the final curtain, especially at the last two of her performances with instant standing ovations, was quite impressive.

I was there the Friday-Sunday - 4 performances, and I indeed participated in a standing ovation. But my standing ovation was to the Mariinsky CORPS - They stole the show. The last Sunday performance i watched from the far 3rd tier, to see the Corps, and not be distracted by the "soloists". So, i'd agree that there was Standing ovation (in my case it was to the troupe, and not the soloists). Out of casts i've seen - Kondaurova was the best swan. But to each his/her own

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YID wrote,

Out of the casts i've seen - Kondaurova was the best swan.

ITA with you: Kondaurova was the platinum, 5 star O/O of the Fall U.S. Tour and the corps was flawless.

The corps de ballet remains the saving grace of the company.

Re: Kampa

...I have to wonder why the AD thinks she is ready for these roles?

Obviously she wasn't cast in principal roles when she was at Boston Ballet. Mikko Nissinen clearly thought she needed more time in the corps and wasn't ready for major roles. This just strikes me as a stunt casting to garner more press.

Who knows what's going on in Fateev's mind?

How old is Daria Pavlenko?

She's 34.

Could she make a move elsewhere?

Maybe to the Mikhailovsky? Or abroad to La Scala or a similar company?

IMO, I think that if she had left in the early 2000s for another company, that would have been a good time for her to do so, or a year or two after she promoted to Principal Dancer.

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Oksana Skorik in the Kingdom of Shadows:

Skorik's weaknesses and off pointe moments have become such norm. Will she embody the "New Mariinsky Ballerina" concept...?

IMHO, I'd have to disagree—it seems like there's a real improvement. There are moments of weakness in the Bayadere, but they're outnumbered, to my mind, by moments of exceptional beauty. Her lines are incredible.

That GPC variation (famous, of course, for being fiendishly difficult) is also encouraging. See: going for the fourth pirouette at 0:45, see a regal port de bras, see those legs, feet, and turnout, and most importantly, see a much more confident dancer who no longer seems to be on the edge of tears. I never thought I'd be drinking the Skorik Kool-Aid, but I'm looking forward to what comes next.

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Overall I enjoyed the Paquita pas de deux. There were some mistakes, but it with partnering it is difficult to assign blame. The flubed turn in the beginning actually looks more like his issue than hers. Partners can be joint and severally liable for mistakes in these sitations.

The variation was nice too. And as far as msitakes being the norm, I've seen mistakes made by many Mariinsky ballerinas on youtube. I think one difference is that with modern techonology, we can watch and rewatch and overanalyze each mistake. Before when everything was live, mistakes were forgotten.

Now that practically every performance is on youtube, every single mistake ever made seems blown out of

proportion.

ETA:

I found the full video of the pdd here. She handled the turns in the coda nicely.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32dbS2WK-Es

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... moments of exceptional beauty. Her lines are incredible.

..., see a regal port de bras, see those legs, feet, and turnout...

I know this is me, but THAT is exactly the point. I can't bear ballerinas that are making spectators see ballet as an endless sequence of posing and placement, hence distracting them from the very esence of the art form: MOVEMENT-(including turns and jumps). I learned the beauty of the art from ballerinas with less than perfect lines-(usually rather stocky and muscled)- who were able to take absolute control over movement. Movement should be completely molded and conquered by the ballerina, ultimately winning the latter one, not the other way around. Skorik looks like a slave of it...always going thru it with great pain, seemingly wanting to cease it to luxuriate in her habitat...the motionless moments of beautiful posing. I'm not bying it. I feel cheated by her twisting of the concept.

Give me the Lepeshinskayas, Charins and Valdeses of ballet...give me the short, strong amazons who CAN do everything with no fear and greatness. I'll pass the rest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wr-kFQ04nE

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