4 replies to this topic

[Marianna]

I am on a quest for details of how Alma-Ata State Ballet has come to existence in Kazakhstan back in 1940's - to make my story more precise and interesting. Will be speaking to all the people that I can meet with - those who were there time-wise as close to WHEN IT WAS HAPPENING (in 1940's-1950's) as possible. (THANK goodness that they are still with us and that they are willing share all they know with us!)

In the meanwhile I would like to list the current repertoire of the Almaty State Ballet:

1) Swan Lake (chor. by Petipa, Ivanov)
2) Giselle
3) La Sylphide
4) Don Quixote
5) Le Corsaire
6) Sleeping Beauty
7) Serenade (chor. by Balanchine)
8) Les Sylphides (Chopinienne)
9) Fountain of Bahce-Sarai
10) Nutcracker
11) Spartacus (chor. by Grigorovich)
12) Francesca Da Rimini (one-part ballet)
13) Grand pas from PAQUITA
14) Moore's Pavana (chor. by Lemon) (one of my favorite one-part pieces!)

15) They are planning to bring on our stage ballet Raymonda - in April 2003. All excited about it!

16) (not my favorite at all!) Ballet Juno&Avos' - Soviet equivalent of "Jesus Christ Superstar" rock-opera. Was created back in mid 1980's. Think rock-music AND classic choreography moves- incomprehendable.



Besides the ballets per se, our dancers do the 'ballet parts' in the operas which are staged here (those operas that I've seen myself):
1) Ovgeny Onegin
2) Aida
3) Der Fliedermauss (
4) The Tsar's Bride
5) Kazakh opera ABAI - one of my absolute favorites, there will be a separate part on this most beautiful piece!
6) Kazakh opera Kyz Jibeck (Silk-hair Beauty)
7) Faust (that final scene)

Hope it was interesting. More to follow!

A presto, Marianna

PS I have photographs, taken backstage after performances - those will follow after I have enough articles posted here. Can't wait to share those photos with you!


PPS Someone who is related to ballet in professional ways, probably, can clearly see some bits of amateur style in the way I do my articles about ballet I've fell in love with ballet only three years ago and the more I learn about the subject of my admiration, the more I realize how many more things are there for me to learn - there is truly no end to that, and no way of getting it perfectly complete or completely perfect. The good news is that I'm learning as much as I can and I'm trying to perfect my knowledge daily. I'm trying to stay in touch with professionals whenever it is possible - it is such an incredibly great feeling, when someone of those 'goddesses' and 'gods' of ballet here share what they know with me!!!! Bless their heart!
MA

[Leigh Witchel]

Marianna,

Thank you so much for sharing this with us, and good luck with your work!

It's hard for the isolated BalletAlertniks, and we apologize, because the rest of us haven't seen the performance we discuss them less.  The same thing happens to poor Jasper in Munich, but if you both didn't tell us what was happening in either city, we'd never know.  So please keep it up.  Your passion is wonderful, and I know you will be rewarded for your historical efforts as well.  I have participated in projects like that, it's incredibly satisfying.

Jeannie?  Are you out there?  Have you been to Almaty?

[Marianna]

Dear Leigh and everyone,
thank you for your interest in my post. And a SPECIAL THANK YOU! - to Leigh for her words of support and inspiration! I will continue my "project" with even bigger drive and satisfaction from it.

Last night I spoke to one of the ballerinas with whom I am SOO lucky to have become friends (it is like becoming a friend with an angel - it feels like it to me, truly! . We went together through the list of the ballets I provided in my previous post. It turned out I've missed a couple on my list. There are two more ballets I should have mentioned:

# 15 on the list must have been the Sleeping Beauty (I must've missed this one because they don't have it as often as the other ones).

#16 Serenade (chor. by Balanchin, music by Tchaikovsky).

Both are beautiful (and very well known) ballets and absolutely must be mentioned on my list!

Next threads, I'm planning to post, are going to have short reviews of the lead dancers of the Almaty State Ballet; as well as the "crying lists" of mine - our Kazakhstani ballet dancers who'd left for Russia, Europe, USA - to perform or teach classic dance there (i will always be crying in my heart over those "lost stars").

A presto, Marianna

PS Leigh, you've mentioned someone (Jeannie) who might have visited Almaty. If Jeannie is someone who may be visiting here in the future, I'll be more than happy to meet her and take her around Almaty - to the theater, AND to our most beautiful mountains (which some folks compare to Switzerland  

[Leigh Witchel]

Hi Marianna!

You can often find Jeannie posting in the Kirov/Mariinsky and Bolshoi forums, and she is Discussion Leader for the competition forums.

Also, it's no big deal, as my name is frankly confusing (doubly so to non-native english speakers), but last time I checked, I was still a guy

[Marianna]

Hi Leigh! And nice to meet you!

Thanks for letting me know right away what the real facts of life are ( I mean the gender of the person behind that a bit uneasy to interpret name )

Also, thanks for refering me where I could find Jeannie. I guess, if she writes about Mariinsky from St. Petersburg, it will be unlikely she'd come visit us in Almaty (it is about 6-hour flight). However, if she happens to do so - I'll be more than happy to be here guide here!

Cheers, Marianna