Jump to content
This Site Uses Cookies. If You Want to Disable Cookies, Please See Your Browser Documentation. ×

Ballet in Olympic Opening Cerems


Recommended Posts

Very beautiful opening cerems for the Sochi Winter Olympics. Lots of dance and ballet, including a 'Natasha's Ball (War & Peace) Ballet' set in 18th-C St. Petersburg, starring Svetlana Zakharova, Danil' Korsuntsev, and BOTH famous Vasilievs - Vladimir and Ivan. Also, Vishneva featured in a modern take on Swan Lake, wearing her 'Beauty in Motion' costume with the long beads and a hoop. (I did not quite 'get' it but the music was Swan Lake.)

Did anybody catch the name of the choreographer(s) for the various ballet portions?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am so happy to be seeing (and hearing) so much ballet and ballet music in the opening ceremonies. No matter what else one has to say about the politics of this Olympics, there has never been a more satisfying opening. No horrible rock music, no pop culture of the West, just the enduring popular culture of ballet and beautiful music in Europe.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

George Tsypin's work for the opening ceremony reflected in large ways some of the design scheme he provided for Ratmansky's SHOSTAKOVICH TRILOGY last spring at ABT.

likewise, the beaded collar/aureole Moses Pendleton first devised for his troupe, Momix, and then reworked for Diana Vishneva's "Beauty in Motion" bill, was used to multiple effect(s) for the Swan Lake/dove-of-peace moment featuring Vishenva in Sochi.

the commentators mentioned Tsypin but not Pendleton.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

George Tsypin's work for the opening ceremony reflected in large ways some of the design scheme he provided for Ratmansky's SHOSTAKOVICH TRILOGY last spring at ABT.

I was wondering about the relationship between this and the Ratmansky, but hadn't looked up the references yet -- many thanks rg!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am so happy to be seeing (and hearing) so much ballet and ballet music in the opening ceremonies. No matter what else one has to say about the politics of this Olympics, there has never been a more satisfying opening. No horrible rock music, no pop culture of the West, just the enduring popular culture of ballet and beautiful music in Europe.

I agree - I have been watching the Olympics since 1976 and I would say this was probably the best Opening Ceremonies ever.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought those designs in the opening ceremony looked very much like the designs from the Ratmansky triology. Thanks for clarifying about the designer.

By the way, I have been watching the Team figure skating championship today on an alternate NBC channel and noticed that after Yulia Lipinskaya skated her long program for the team, they panned out to the audience. I'm almost certain I saw Sergei Filin in the stands cheering.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very beautiful opening cerems for the Sochi Winter Olympics. Lots of dance and ballet, including a 'Natasha's Ball (War & Peace) Ballet' set in 18th-C St. Petersburg, starring Svetlana Zakharova, Danil' Korsuntsev, and BOTH famous Vasilievs - Vladimir and Ivan. Also, Vishneva featured in a modern take on Swan Lake, wearing her 'Beauty in Motion' costume with the long beads and a hoop. (I did not quite 'get' it but the music was Swan Lake.)

Did anybody catch the name of the choreographer(s) for the various ballet portions?

Thank you very much for identifying all the dancers, Natalia! I recognized Diana, thought it was Danil and Ivan. Something about Svetlana's hair made me unsure if it was her, and I didn't know Vladimir.

Very pleased with how much ballet, opera, and classical music was part of the opening ceremony. A fitting and beautiful moment having The Firebird playing during the lighting of the Olympic Flame.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A fitting and beautiful moment having The Firebird playing during the lighting of the Olympic Flame.

I've always thought that section of the score works best for long, processional stuff. I've seen it work really well during a grand defile, and it was an excellent choice here as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't see the opening ceremonies. Did Vishneva perform Pendleton's "Dove of Peace" or was she just using the bead skirt costume and dancing to different choreography and music? If the latter, perhaps that's why Moses Pendleton's name wasn't mentioned.

I also looked at photos of some of those costumes that mimic the bead skirt. I could be wrong, but they don't look like they're made of beads, but of some kind of rope. I'm just curious because I know that prop very well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Vishneva's choreography at the Opening Ceremony looked identical to what she did at Beauty in Motion, except that it was set to Swan Lake music. Also, there were a lot more dancers performing with her.

I had no idea of any connection between Beauty in Motion and the Opening Ceremonies until reading this thread. I watched the section with Vishneva thinking it made for a lovely enough image for an Olympic opening ceremonies (the dancers...the dove...Vishneva twirling at the center) but that the creators hardly needed one of the world's great ballerinas for it. I'm a little disconcerted to learn it's actually one of her featured specialty numbers....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had no idea of any connection between Beauty in Motion and the Opening Ceremonies until reading this thread. I watched the section with Vishneva thinking it made for a lovely enough image for an Olympic opening ceremonies (the dancers...the dove...Vishneva twirling at the center) but that the creators hardly needed one of the world's great ballerinas for it. I'm a little disconcerted to learn it's actually one of her featured specialty numbers....

I have a feeling that when she works with this specialty costume in the context of a dance concert, rather than a mass movement choir, she's doing something quite different.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...