Maria Mosina to retire at end of 2016-17 season

[California]

Her many devoted fans (including me) have been dreading this, but Maria Mosina has announced that she will retire at the end of the 2016-17 season:

 

http://www.denverpost.com/2016/09/16/famed-colorado-ballet-dancer-maria-mosina-retires/

 

As most of you have never seen her, a few clips:

 

Don Quixote, Act I & III (partnered by Igor Vassine):

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

 

Nutcracker (Grigorovitch lift at 1:22) (with Alexei Tyukov);

 

Sleeping Beauty - Rose Adagio:

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

 

Sleeping Beauty - wedding pas de deux (partnered by Alexei Tyukov): 

 

Edited September 20, 2016 by California

[YouOverThere]

I wonder if I would get any disagreement from anyone in Denver if I claimed that Maria Mosina was the most talented performer ever to be a member of a Denver-based performing arts organization.

 

Her retirement certainly will present a challenge for the CB. Especially since the other leading ladies, Sharon Wehner and Chandra Kuykendall, are both nearing the ends of their careers (Wehner joined the CB in 1996 and Kuykendall in 1997). I would hate to see the CB, which currently is better than would be expected in a city of Denver's size, suffer a dramatic dropoff in quality.

Edited October 11, 2016 by YouOverThere

[California]

I had the distinct pleasure of seeing Maria in Swan Lake last Friday with Alexei Tyukov. Just exquisite. Fortunately, he has not announced retirement plans, so I hope he's around for at least a few more years. This has been an amazing partnership that I have enjoyed seeing at every opportunity since moving to Denver five years ago. (Let me add: toward the end of the Black Swan PdD, they turned an overhead lift into a one-armed lift. You could hear the audience gasp. I will miss those surprises!)

 

I have high hopes for Dana Benton, recently promoted to principal. She is often partnered by Yosvani Ramos, a great addition to the company (formerly of ENB and Australian), although Yosvani did Swan Lake with Sharon last weekend (and both were very much worth seeing). I hope Dana is partnered with Alexei next year.

 

But I certainly agree with you that Maria is irreplaceable in so many ways.

Edited October 11, 2016 by California

[California]

Now that casting for the weekend is public (posted at the theater): 

Saturday, October 15-eve: Sharon Wehner and Yosvani Ramos

Sunday, October 16-matinee: Dana Benton and Alexei Tyukov

 

This will be Dana's debut in the role and with the best partner in the company. I am really looking forward to it. It's almost sold out, but I'd recommend it for anybody in driving distance of Denver this weekend. Maria is not dancing this weekend and next weekend's casting has not been announced. She had foot surgery last summer (as reported in the news stories about her retirement), so it's possible they're saving her in her last season.

 

Friday night: the main treat for me was Francisco Estevez as Benno. He has dramatically improved from last season. Higher, faster, cleaner. He's a soloist and I can see the company's future there, too. Chandra Kuykendall was Odette. After a sensational unsupported arabesque in the Black Swan PdD that went on forever, she fell apart in the fouettes, doing only 12 and then shifting to pique turns. 

Edited October 15, 2016 by California

[YouOverThere]

Chandra Kuykendall also struggled a little with the fouettes last Saturday. Which was unfortunate since the rest of her performance was very good. So it's not surprising that she decided to play it safe.

 

Sharon Wehner during the Sunday matinee nailed the fouettes - the first time that I've seen a ballerina hit all 32 during a performance of the entire ballet.

[California]

5 minutes ago, YouOverThere said:

Sharon Wehner during the Sunday matinee nailed the fouettes - the first time that I've seen a ballerina hit all 32 during a performance of the entire ballet.

Sharon also nailed them at the Saturday matinee last weekend -- all the more amazing since she did two matinees last weekend! I have a hunch she'll do fine Saturday night.

Here she is at the August 2016 Arvada outdoor performance - she's smart to stay with singles and just do 32 nice clean fouettes. (Her partner there is Yosvani Ramos.) And she's 40 years old!

 

[California]

Dana Benton had a dream debut this afternoon in Swan Lake. Technique, interpretation -- it was all quite wonderful. I'm glad she was partnered by such an experienced, seasoned Siegfried, Alexei Tyukov, who usually partners Maria Mosina. Dana seemed to take chances that she might not have taken otherwise. She has a killer bouree and her beating steps are hummingbird-blur-fast. She stayed with singles on the fouettes and made it to 29. The audience was almost too enthusiastic, applauding at all sorts of places where it's not expected. 

 

Let me also single out Tracy Jones, a corps member who joined the company just a few years ago after dancing with Corella/Barcelona. She's doing several roles in this production of Swan Lake - the pas de trois, big swan, Czardas, Spanish. (The corps and soloists do earn their keep in a big production like this!) She has a presence that stands out no matter the role and is fully invested throughout. 

Edited October 16, 2016 by California

[California]

Only three of us on this board have apparently ever seen Maria and Alexei in the theater, but here's a nice little video clip of their final bows in Swan Lake, ending the run, Sunday afternoon: