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La Bayadere


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There were some excellent casts presented for these Bayaderes. Despite that fact, ticket sales were not stellar for any of the performances I attended The best sold was probably the Sat evening show w. Cojocaru. The opening night Vishneva/Gomes sold, but definitely not a sell out either.

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While at least five different La Bayadere casts looked really interesting to me, I had to choose one, both because of budgetary reasons and the fact that---unlike in years past---I no longer have the patience to be subjected to that trite music and the silly plot multiple times in one week. It came down to Wednesday vs Thursday, and I chose Thursday because I'll still have an opportunity to watch Smirnova in July, whereas watching Tereshkina and Shklyarov is not in the cards any time soon.

I've seen them multiple times before---both together and with other partners---but the most lingering impression is their inspired portrayal of the leads in Ratmansky's Little Humpbacked Horse during Mariinsky's 2011 Lincoln Center Festival appearances. A particularly enjoyable memory about Tereshkina from that and other performances is her ability to make astonishing technical feats an integral part of dancing, to toss them off as if nothing happened---with no flashiness at all, so that an uninitiated viewer might not even realize that something unique is occurring. (The only other ballerina that evoked a similar feeling in recent times is Sara Mearns.) True to form, Tereshkina's dancing on Thursday night was incredible---one amazing episode was discussed earlier in this thread, but there were many more (do I remember correctly that she did a series of triple pirouettes in the Shades act where usually doubles are done?) I kept thinking that the virtuosity and musicality of her dancing were a better drama than the story of Nikiya. Yet I was not moved in the same way I've been moved when watching this role performed by Asylmuratova or Cojocaru. While Tereshkina's great acting skills were evident in Little Humpbacked Horse, it seemed difficult for her to identify with the story of La Bayadere---but who could blame her? I wish Tereshkina could guest in Ratmansky's ballets, the Balanchine repertory (Theme and Variations, Duo Concertant), or, better yet, across the plaza. Barring that, one hopes for another Mariinsky tour with repertory from the 20th and 21st centuries.

Shklyarov was very enjoyable as well. Soaring elevation, ballon, beautiful line, pliant back, solid partnering. The fake beard and moustache were a good touch, because without them he looks 16. He seemed a little tense during the betrothal scene, but that may have actually worked well because it's logical for Solor to feel out of sorts during those proceedings.

I really loved the corps. Their dancing in the Shades act, especially the delicate movement of the upper bodies and the arms, was pure poetry.

If memory serves, there were five curtain calls: the curtain went up twice, and then the dancers appeared in front of the lowered curtain three more times. The last of these occurred after the lights went on, which is very unusual for the Met. In my experience, the lights being switched on is typically taken as the signal to stop clapping and go home. Not this time---the applause continued until the dancers came out one more time.

One thing I was confused about is the fact that Yuri Fateyev participated in the coaching here in New York, according to the following photo from Isabella Boylston: http://instagram.com/p/ojvc1VHG_I/

Doesn't he have a company to run, with a full schedule of different ballets almost daily? Didn't an important festival start at the Mariinsky on Thursday? It seems odd to me that he would abandon the ship to go to New York in order to coach one of his charges for two performances.

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Perhaps it was a picture taken a while ago when Isabella was in Russia, Ilya? The same time she was being coached in "Giselle" at the Maryinsky?

BTW: on Thursday I realized what happened with Shklyarov on Monday. Shklyarov got confused on Monday and crossed downstage right when he should have been upstage center with Gamzatti. (Was he doing the Maryinsky staging?) He realized that at that moment he was supposed to be partnering Gamzatti upstage and had a panic attack. He ran hysterically upstage ignoring in his panic that a corps ballerina was bourreeing in front of him and mowed into her.

Nothing like that happened on Thursday.

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No, Isabella's picture was recent because I saw Fateyev in the audience (orchestra seating) on Thursday. I hope he saw Olga on Wednesday so he knows how his mishandling of the Mariinsky led her to join the Bolshoi!

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about "The fake beard and moustache were a good touch, because without them he looks 16" about Shklyarov - they were real, at the stage door one could witness it. As well as Fateev, Makarova etc.

PS: and they were (including Polina) so humble and human in interaction with the fans

I am glad we had a chance to see 3 Vaganova graduates on the ABT stage last week. Instead of showering them with compliments, i'd just say that i took my friends to see them (presenting them with tickets ;-)) - i wanted my friends to have a double treat. and they got it.

I can't echo your comments about "corps de ballet"* in the shades or other scenes. I am just spoiled by Mariinsky's impecable corpse dancing.

*thank you Aurora for pointing to my typo

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about "The fake beard and moustache were a good touch, because without them he looks 16" about Shklyarov - they were real, at the stage door one could witness it. As well as Fateev, Makarova etc.

PS: and they were (including Polina) so humble and human in interaction with the fans

I am glad we had a chance to see 3 Vaganova graduates on the ABT stage last week. Instead of showering them with compliments, i'd just say that i took my friends to see them (presenting them with tickets ;-)) - i wanted my friends to have a double treat. and they got it.

I can't echo your comments about corpse in the shades or other scenes. I am just spoiled by Mariinsky's impecable corpse dancing.

corpse dancing? please tell me you are talking about the dancing of the corps de ballet. Not being snarky. Really confused (and slightly disturbed).

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about "The fake beard and moustache were a good touch, because without them he looks 16" about Shklyarov - they were real, at the stage door one could witness it.

Yes, you are correct, my mistake. Judging from his instagram they were left over from the recent Legend of Love performances. Real is even better than fake! :-)

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I agree with the above - this is the first time that I have seen Shklyarov dance with Tereshkina where he actually looked older than her.

I attended three of the performances. I attended Vishneva/Gomes/Murphy, Smirnova/Muntagirov/Seo, and Tereshkina/Shklyarov/Boylston.

Of the three, my favorite was the first. Diana and Marcelo usually spill their guts on stage and they more than delivered at the opening Bayadere performance. When the veil was lifted off of Diana's face, I knew that Diana was not seeing the audience of the Met. She was looking at the Himalayas in the distance and she created a magical spell from her opening pose. The opening pas de deux between her and Marcelo was passionate and much more erotic than it has been in the past. Marcelo as always was the perfect partner - he is probably the best Solor I have ever seen. Gillian Murphy was technically superb in the engagement party and in her solo in the last act (were those triple or quadruple pirouettes she was doing?). And Diana was just Diana at her best - no one uses their back like her to create passion and excitement. And whether as a temple dancer, a woman betrayed, or a Shade - always in character.

The Smirnova/Muntagirov/Seo performance left me with mixed emotions. Olga Smirnova was lovely as Nikiya. She has not fully developed the role, yet her dancing by itself was beautiful. There was not the passion between her and Vadim that there was between Diana and Marcelo. Vadim was very good in his solos - he was the surprise for me. Hee Seo is not the technical dancer that Gillian Murphy is, yet she acted the part of the proud and spoiled princess very well. I was happy that I went to this performance, yet of the three, this was my least favorite.

The Tereshkina/Shklyarov/Boylston performance left me in awe. Tereshkina's Nikiya was a marvel - I also was in awe of her beautiful dancing, yet I was not moved the way that I was by Diana. Shklyarov was just smashing - every time that I see him dance, he seems to grow as a dancer and an artist. This time, I was amazed by the command of the stage that he has aquired. I am sorry to say that I was disappointed in Boylston's Gamzatti. She looked a little lost up there surrounded by the two Mariinsky superstars.

I love this ballet. I splurged and saw the three performances. I hope that Smirnova, Muntagirov, Tereshkina, and Shklyarov will come back and dance at ABT again.

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When the Bolshoi performed "La Bayadere" in Berkeley in 2009, the Shades I saw were Kaptsova, Tikhomova, Goryacheva, and Kobaridze. When I saw ABT do the ballet in the mid-80's, the Shadows were Browne, Spazzo, Stallings, Katerndal, and Jaffee.

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