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You lot may laugh .... but Sky (in the UK at least) is broadcasting that same NUTCRACKER by the ubiquitous Mr. G next week with Vasiliev (V that is not I - [although I[van] danced the Nutcracker Prince with the Bolshoi last Xmas] and [the much missed] Maximova, a lady whose legs were seeming steel.).

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You lot may laugh .... but Sky (in the UK at least) is broadcasting that same NUTCRACKER by the ubiquitous Mr. G next week with Vasiliev (V that is not I - [although I[van] danced the Nutcracker Prince with the Bolshoi last Xmas] and [the much missed] Maximova, a lady whose legs were seeming steel.).

Anything looks great with Vasiliev (V.) and Maximova. Actually all I remember from seeing that particular video of Nutcracker over ten years ago is...well...just how great I thought they were. I can't remember what I thought of the production. Watching dancers that wonderful, I doubt I cared.

I have heard the theories about Rodkin's recent prominence in the company (mentioned above by Volcanohunter) but actually don't know that I altogether need theories to explain to me why he is being featured/cast a lot, since I found him quite charismatic as Espada in Don Quixote when I saw the Bolshoi live this past summer...though I guess one would expect two live filmcasts in a row to be the kind of casting reserved for established stars. (I'm afraid that Nikulina's prominence in the company does just plain baffle me. I allow that perhaps I just don't 'get' her...)

I don't think either Rodkin or Nikulina belong in the same category as V. Vasiliev and Maximova.

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Anything looks great with Vasiliev (V.) and Maximova.

That's exactly what I meant when I wrote that "almost no dancers in the world" could persuade me to watch it. (At least for money.)

I think it is rather extraordinary to cast Rodkin in the broadcast of a ballet he has not danced before and many others have. That seems quite risky. I don't think Rodkin is without talent, though his stage persona sticks in my craw. He's big and strong, but I do think he lacks something in fine technique. But then generally Grigorovich ballets don't require fine technique. One of the complaints lodged regularly against the company toward the end of his tenure was that its dancers were lacking in execution and refinement, presumably because they spent most of their time thumping around as his gladiators or bell ringers, with no fifth positions in sight.

There are many people who don't "get" Nikulina. The prevailing theory about her is that physically, with her large, dark features and very long arms complete with broken wrists, she reminds Grigorovich of his deceased wife. It's often posited as the "only possible" explanation. In any case, Grigorovich adores her and has already filmed her as Juliet, Phrygia and Shirin. Marie is next, no doubt to be followed by Anastasia and, eventually, Rita and Katerina, if the Bolshoi ever revives The Stone Flower.

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There are many people who don't "get" Nikulina. The prevailing theory about her is that physically, with her large, dark features and very long arms complete with broken wrists, she reminds Grigorovich of his deceased wife. It's often posited as the "only possible" explanation. In any case, Grigorovich adores her and has already filmed her as Juliet, Phrygia and Shirin. Marie is next, no doubt to be followed by Anastasia and, eventually, Rita and Katerina, if the Bolshoi ever revives The Stone Flower.

That is interesting to me (even if just speculation), for the one thing I do very much enjoy in Nikulina's dancing is her beautiful bouree, and a beautiful bouree happens to be my one vivid memory of Bessmertnova's dancing.

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I don't think anyone means it as an insult. I only wish Nikulina danced more like Bessmertnova.

My foremost objection to Nikulina is that she carries so much tension in her neck that her dancing never looks easy. I think she is also a poor actress, hampered by an immobile face. I suppose I would describe her as "coltish," because she's got long, thin and very pliable limbs that don't seem to extend from her center. Sometimes the movement quality she produces is nice, and sometimes it isn't. She can look gawky, her footwork is usually flaccid, and I never get a sense of the energy of her movement extending past her extremities. I don't think any of this applied to Bessmertnova.

I'm being more negative than I would like to be. Grigorovich's casting choices are sometimes baffling to me, but there are many Bolshoi dancers whom I admire unequivocally. I suppose I wish they were the ones appearing in this season's Grigorovich Fest. It would make the ballets more palatable to me.

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It may also be a glitch, but, currently, on the Bolshoi "Swan Lake" page casting tab, they only have direct links to performances on the 23rd and 24th. You have to click the link for all performances to see casting for the 25th, which remains (as of now) Zakharova and Rodkin.

If they update the site, we West Coast people who see it in tape delay at 1pm, should be able to know before heading out to the theater.

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Predictably, Ivan the Terrible is scheduled to star Mikhail Lobukhin, Anna Nikulina and Denis Rodkin.

http://www.bolshoi.ru/en/performances/576/roles/#20150419180000

I realize this is a moot point for audiences in the United States, since it won't be screened there, but in truth they won't be missing anything.

No, we're absolutely getting it, some cinemas on April 19, others later. I'm seeing it on April 21. If anyone has already seen it, please post your thoughts!

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