Maria Alexandrova

[Nikia]

Inga, Thank you for the articles.

...the Muscovite missile

Ha-ha! Don't know about the missile, but she definitely has that unmistakable Bolshoi style.

I wonder if those who accept her prefer that style in general as appose to those who are looking for more refined features of Mariinsky way of dancing. But then, again, I remember Svetlana Lunkina from the 2000 tour and liked her better. Hope to see her again with the touring Bolshoi.

[Inga]

I don’t think in Moscow is opposition between “bright” Moscow style and “refined’ style of Kirov. Uliana Lopatkina and Diana Vishneva is very popular in Moscow. I have a friend who is fan of both Alexandrova and Vishneva. As for Svetlana Lunkina, she became mother last winter and supposed to return onstage this season. She is very gifted but she was weak technically. Giselle, her first big role, remain her most prominent achievement.

[jose manuel]

I agree

[carbro]

Just a warning: My SpywareDoctor^tm just identified two Trojan-Keyloggers from yandex.ru. I can't think of another Russian site I've visited where I might have picked them up in the 24 hours since Spyware Doctor last scanned.

Didn't mean to be a party pooper.

But I do love that video bit of Alexandrova and Tsiskaridze in Symphony in C.

[Mashinka]

Alexandrova danced The Bright Stream on Saturday, the Bolshoi's last night in London, and was moved to visible tears at the thunderous reception she and the other dancers received.

She is a dancer who just gets better and better and is massively popular with the London ballet goers. My one regret was that she didn't dance the first night of the new Le Corsaire as critical opinion was a little mixed about the work, but had the critics gone to the second night they would have seen a far more vibrant performance.

[drb]

Last Tuesday the Russian-sponsored American Cable TV network Russia Today ran a special on Masha's 10th anniversary at the Bolshoi Theater. In addition to dance footage from age 4 to the present, there are backstage views of the Bolshoi, and one gets to meet her husband, a painter. Nearly half an hour long, it may now be seen online (English voice-over):

http://russiatoday.com/documentary/release/1378/video

[Lidewij]

Thank you for that, drb!

I like her very much, and in july I'm finally going to see her live.

[Pamela Moberg]

Inspired by this thread about Maria Alexandrova I got out my DVD collection and found what I was looking for.

In 1995 in Lausanne Switzerland she took part in the EBU ballet competition. Very rare indeed for Russians to compete there.

She did a variation from Coppelia in a horribly sugury pink costume, but she was good, and remember she was only 16 then.

Her second variation was from La Bayadere, equally good.

I have a very faint recollection of at that time I was yelling "Here is the winner". Not so... And the Swedish commentator made rather sneering remarks about her - in my view totally unfounded. 1st prize that year went to Ruth Miro and Jesus Pastor from Spain, Nadja Sellerup from Sweden got 2nd prize and Jeroen Hofmans from Belgium 3rd. Masha was totally ignored to my great consternation, I really thought she was good and well deserving.

Now that she has hit the big times, it is wonderful to have this DVD of her as a youngster. Just hope to see her live one day!

[Marc Haegeman]

Inspired by this thread about Maria Alexandrova I got out my DVD collection and found what I was looking for.

In 1995 in Lausanne Switzerland she took part in the EBU ballet competition. Very rare indeed for Russians to compete there.

She did a variation from Coppelia in a horribly sugury pink costume, but she was good, and remember she was only 16 then.

Her second variation was from La Bayadere, equally good.

I have a very faint recollection of at that time I was yelling "Here is the winner". Not so... And the Swedish commentator made rather sneering remarks about her - in my view totally unfounded. 1st prize that year went to Ruth Miro and Jesus Pastor from Spain, Nadja Sellerup from Sweden got 2nd prize and Jeroen Hofmans from Belgium 3rd. Masha was totally ignored to my great consternation, I really thought she was good and well deserving.

Now that she has hit the big times, it is wonderful to have this DVD of her as a youngster. Just hope to see her live one day!

Exactly, I made that very same rediscovery a few years ago when I was transferring my VHS tapes to DVD. She was ignored allright, but then again, these competitions.... Alexandrova would strike back two years later with a gold medal at the Moscow Competition.

Here's her personal website, different from the one mentioned above, which was only a fan site.

[drb]

July 20, 1978

Happy Birthday, dear Masha!

(by the way, the Russia Today TV special, above, is still online)

[Sacto1654]

Speaking of our dear "Masha," I just saw online pictures of her at a signing in Japan just a few days ago as part of the Bolshoi's current tour of the country. You can see these pictures on this web site:

http://bolshoi-ballet.seesaa.net/category/4430960-1.html

It's small wonder why I almost didn't recognize her at all! Alexandrova has drastically changed her hairdo and if it weren't for her giveaway eyes you would have thought she was a completely different person.

[Marc Haegeman]

European fans of Maria Alexandrova took note that she will guest with the Paris Opera Ballet as Raymonda, December 27 and 30.

Ruslan Skvortsov is her Jean de Brienne.

[leonid17]

I'm curious to know how Bolshoi followers view Maria Alexandrova. She's very popular in America, and one of the most frequently asked questions about the current company is "why is Alexandrova not a principal?" I think we like her straightforward style and her technical power. I'm quite a fan of hers. I've seen both a Gamzatti and a Kitri that I liked very much -- beautiful turns, but more than that, she can build a role and change its dynamics. Her coldness worked very well as Gamzatti.

I'm curious to know how this dancer is regarded in Russia? And for personal opinions, too, of course.

I thought that Maria Alexandrova was the only true classical ballerina (not a term I use lightly) with real authority in the Bolshoi on their last visit to London. There were others dancers who performed with technical authority who are principals.

Natalia Osipova was a star (not a ballerina) in the making and the only great artist in the company was Yuliana Malkasyants who is a legend in her lifetime.

I do not know why Alexandrova is not a principal, most serious minded ballet goers in London I spoke to think her superior to the exaggerations of Svetlana Zakharova.

[Marc Haegeman]

I'm curious to know how Bolshoi followers view Maria Alexandrova. She's very popular in America, and one of the most frequently asked questions about the current company is "why is Alexandrova not a principal?" I think we like her straightforward style and her technical power. I'm quite a fan of hers. I've seen both a Gamzatti and a Kitri that I liked very much -- beautiful turns, but more than that, she can build a role and change its dynamics. Her coldness worked very well as Gamzatti.

I'm curious to know how this dancer is regarded in Russia? And for personal opinions, too, of course.

I thought that Maria Alexandrova was the only true classical ballerina (not a term I use lightly) with real authority in the Bolshoi on their last visit to London. There were others dancers who performed with technical authority who are principals.

Natalia Osipova was a star (not a ballerina) in the making and the only great artist in the company was Yuliana Malkasyants who is a legend in her lifetime.

I do not know why Alexandrova is not a principal, most serious minded ballet goers in London I spoke to think her superior to the exaggerations of Svetlana Zakharova.

But Alexandrova is a principal, acclaimed, awarded and doing fine, Leonid . (Alexei Ratmansky promoted her on stage in June 2004.)

[leonid17]

I'm curious to know how Bolshoi followers view Maria Alexandrova. She's very popular in America, and one of the most frequently asked questions about the current company is "why is Alexandrova not a principal?" I think we like her straightforward style and her technical power. I'm quite a fan of hers. I've seen both a Gamzatti and a Kitri that I liked very much -- beautiful turns, but more than that, she can build a role and change its dynamics. Her coldness worked very well as Gamzatti.

I'm curious to know how this dancer is regarded in Russia? And for personal opinions, too, of course.

I thought that Maria Alexandrova was the only true classical ballerina (not a term I use lightly) with real authority in the Bolshoi on their last visit to London. There were others dancers who performed with technical authority who are principals.

Natalia Osipova was a star (not a ballerina) in the making and the only great artist in the company was Yuliana Malkasyants who is a legend in her lifetime.

I do not know why Alexandrova is not a principal, most serious minded ballet goers in London I spoke to think her superior to the exaggerations of Svetlana Zakharova.

But Alexandrova is a principal, acclaimed, awarded and doing fine, Leonid . (Alexei Ratmansky promoted her on stage in June 2004.)

I must say I never concern myself regarding the company status of a Russian dancer, as the politics that exist within the Bolshoi and Kirov have always in my long experience of watching both companies, determined their careers. I should of course realised Alexandrova was a principal but like most of us, I judge a dancers status by my own standards and that is why I consider Yuliana Malkasyants to be more important as a representative of what was once great in the company, above most of the other Bolshoi dancers. As you know Marc I have an independent view on most things to do with classical ballet.

Best regards.

[Sacto1654]

But Alexandrova is a principal, acclaimed, awarded and doing fine, Leonid . (Alexei Ratmansky promoted her on stage in June 2004.)

And with her new hairdo, no longer a Sandra Bullock impersonator.

[Marc Haegeman]

I'm curious to know how Bolshoi followers view Maria Alexandrova. She's very popular in America, and one of the most frequently asked questions about the current company is "why is Alexandrova not a principal?" I think we like her straightforward style and her technical power. I'm quite a fan of hers. I've seen both a Gamzatti and a Kitri that I liked very much -- beautiful turns, but more than that, she can build a role and change its dynamics. Her coldness worked very well as Gamzatti.

I'm curious to know how this dancer is regarded in Russia? And for personal opinions, too, of course.

I thought that Maria Alexandrova was the only true classical ballerina (not a term I use lightly) with real authority in the Bolshoi on their last visit to London. There were others dancers who performed with technical authority who are principals.

Natalia Osipova was a star (not a ballerina) in the making and the only great artist in the company was Yuliana Malkasyants who is a legend in her lifetime.

I do not know why Alexandrova is not a principal, most serious minded ballet goers in London I spoke to think her superior to the exaggerations of Svetlana Zakharova.

But Alexandrova is a principal, acclaimed, awarded and doing fine, Leonid . (Alexei Ratmansky promoted her on stage in June 2004.)

I must say I never concern myself regarding the company status of a Russian dancer, as the politics that exist within the Bolshoi and Kirov have always in my long experience of watching both companies, determined their careers. I should of course realised Alexandrova was a principal but like most of us, I judge a dancers status by my own standards and that is why I consider Yuliana Malkasyants to be more important as a representative of what was once great in the company, above most of the other Bolshoi dancers. As you know Marc I have an independent view on most things to do with classical ballet.

Best regards.

Point taken, Leonid. But this board is being read and it's better not to cause any confusion regarding simple facts. After all, you reacted to a post of 5 years ago and as you know politics can and do change in that time, even in Russia .

[leonid17]

Point taken, Leonid. But this board is being read and it's better not to cause any confusion regarding simple facts. After all, you reacted to a post of 5 years ago and as you know politics can and do change in that time, even in Russia .

Thanks Marc. It must have been a "senior moment" or tired eyes mis-reading the post date.

[sasark]

I just saw Alexandrova last night at the Bolshoi, in "Sleeping Beauty," so I thought I'd wake up this long-slumbering thread.

This was my first time seeing Alexandrova. In the interest of being totally honest, I'll admit that I wasn't sure how to feel about her having been cast. Since her injury, I've been reading mixed reviews. Also, I had really been hoping for Krysanova (who ended up dancing the previous night, sigh). However, I tried to keep an open mind.

During the First Act, I was a little disappointed. I thought that Alexandrova lacked the lightness and playfulness that these charming scenes requires. One small example: when Aurora throws the roses down at her parents' feet, I think that the gesture should seem spontaneous and joyous (to correspond with the rise in the music). However, in Alexandrova's interpretation, it looked like she'd just remembered, "oh, I'm supposed to drop the flowers now." I also felt that her movement, throughout much of the sequences with the four princes, was choppy. Perhaps less important, to me, her broad smile looked pasted-on, and I was distracted by (not her fault) her strange-looking wig. On the positive side, one thing that I did like was her arabesque. The position she managed was divine -- I wish every Aurora could pull it off.

In the Second Act, which generally is not my favorite in this ballet, I thought she was much better. In the Second Act, Aurora isn't a 16-year-old but rather an elegant vision, so maybe that character was more accessible to Alexandrova. It looked that way to me, anyway. She had great poise throughout the act and overall I thought she seemed more musical than she had previously. I was again struck by her ability to assume very classical positions. She made me like this this part of the ballet more than I usually do.

The Third Act for me was somewhere in between. She was fine here, but it was the Second Act that I'd like to see again if I had a choice.

So, in all, on the basis of this one night, Alexandrova was not my favorite Aurora (and this was not not my favorite Sleeping Beauty production), but there were plenty of things to like.

[Drew]

Thanks for this report. I recently watched some youtube video of a very recent Alexandrova performance of the Pas Des Eventails in the Burlaka/Ratmansky Corsaire and, though I remain a bit of a video skeptic, I found her ravishing in it. Really special. The performance was full of the details and musicality that only a genuine ballerina can bring to choreography. (I saw her in this production of Corsaire live some years ago and loved it too, but that was pre-injury.)

[Buddy]

I saw her perform Gamzatti (La Bayadere) at the Bolshoi (first time there, a real treat!) in April. I hadn't seen her in quite awhile. I think that with many 'maturing' dancers their strength is their artistry versus their technical prowess. Her artistry, in this case her characterisation, was Outstanding! I felt somewhat the same with an Odette/Odile (Swan Lake) that I saw her do maybe seven years ago. From my viewing experience, for this at least, as with other similar 'maturing' artists, she should be prized.

I did see her as Raymonda with the Paris Opera Ballet about five years ago and thought that she was almost Magical with everything that she did.

[Deflope]

When I was teaching English in Moscow, I had the opportunity to frequently attend performances at the Bolshoi. I could get decent tickets for about 1000 rubles back then (about 33 dollars in the 2003 exchange rate). For me, Alexandrova along with Allash and Lunkina were the stars (Zakharova hadn't joined yet). Alexandrova just had this stage presence that you just couldn't look away.

[Buddy]

When I was teaching English in Moscow, I had the opportunity to frequently attend performances at the Bolshoi. I could get decent tickets for about 1000 rubles back then (about 33 dollars in the 2003 exchange rate). For me, Alexandrova along with Allash and Lunkina were the stars (Zakharova hadn't joined yet). Alexandrova just had this stage presence that you just couldn't look away.

In regard to Maria Alexandrova, that’s been my feeling to one degree or another, Deflope. Back then this can be seen somewhat, along with excellent technical prowess, on the first Pharaoh’s Daughter dvd featuring Svetlana Zakharova as Aspicia. I’m glad that you got to experience all those fine performances.

To digress slightly, in the ‘maturing’ dancers’ increased artistry department, Maria Allash was very fine for two nights as Gamzatti in April. And since you also mentioned Svetlana Lunkina, who I thought was the Bolshoi’s most gracefully dreamlike ballerina, Anna Nikulina, who performed Nikiya (La Bayadere) last month, has many of these wonderful qualities.

[Stecyk]

I believe Maria Alexandrova has announced her retirement. Although I don't read Russia, I used Facebook's translate feature to interpret her message with her picture. She's a beautiful person and dancer.

 

If I am mistaken, I look forward to being corrected.

 

Actually, there is an English portion of her message that I skipped.

 

Quote

My dear beloved colleagues and spectators I want to say heartfelt THANK YOU to all of you for this amazing story we shared together in Bolshoi. But this great part of my life is over. I took the decision to turn this page. Artist’s place is on stage, the rest is just an illusion and unnecessary soul-devastating dither. I thank my professors N.L. Semizorova and V.S. Lagunov for all attention, talent, respect and love for our profession that they taught me until last minutes and last note that was played tonight!!!! I thank greatly my beloved and unforgettable Tatiana Nikolaevna Golikova, who’s part will always live in me and with me! Life goes on, and I have many interesting and important adventures ahead of me! I wish you all luck and patience! Always yours Masha Alexandrova

 

Edited February 2, 2017 by Stecyk
Added English portion

[Drew]

I'm rather stricken by this news. She is a wonderful Bolshoi ballerina and very recent youtube video decidedly gives the impression of a ballerina still giving top tier, not to say extraordinary performances. (And looking more recovered from her achilles heel injury than she did when the company was in NY a couple of years ago). I don't know what it costs her to dance like that of course!  I wonder if there is a final or 'farewell' performance scheduled...the translated statement makes it sound as if she is done.

 

The ballerina/ballerino role she created in Ratmansky's Bright Stream alone gives her a place in Bolshoi ballet history I should think!

 

I hope great things await her.