Birdsall

I spent about 25 years going all over seeing operas after my sister died. It was my crazy meds. When I was jobless for 3 years ballet became my new crazy meds. I have mostly gone cold turkey on opera, although I saw Nina Stemme's Isolde in NY this season. My last big opera trip had been the SF Opera's Ring Cycle in 2011 with Nina Stemme, and so when I saw she was doing Isolde at the Met I had to go. She's one of the few that would make me take a trip. It didn't hurt that NYCBallet was also doing Jewels at the same time, so I also saw some ballet. So, yes, a big ex-opera fan (and keep trying to get enthused by it again).....the one good thing is that ballet tends to be cheaper and it is much easier to buy great seats to ballets after paying opera prices for years. It feels like a bargain. Even Parterre Box at the Met is a bargain when it is ballet. Forget it when it comes to opera!!!!!

Swan Lake gets performed in both the historic and M-2 theatres. Same with other classical ballets, but for some unknown reason Sleeping Beauty seems to be permanently moved to M-2. I think it was sometime in late 2013 when they started performing Sleeping Beauty at M-2, and it has never returned to the historic theatre ever since. At the Mariinsky the non-principals are often the most exciting dancers to see, in my opinion. Also, three First Soloists who I think should be Principals are used as fill-ins, it seems. They are Novikova, Osmolkina, and Kolegova. They have plenty of dancing opportunities but seem to be treated like people to use when the stars are not available but all three are gorgeous dancers and all three have the beautiful Vaganova upper body and arms......I think Novikova's arms are the most flowing in the entire company. To me they are the real deal. I could watch them every night. And there are great dancers below them as well. So I have always bought tickets without knowing the casting and just gone to everything I bought for even if I wasn't fond of the dancer. Yes, Mariinsky tickets are much cheaper than Bolshoi, and I tend to prefer the Mariinsky (Vaganova style) dancers. Seeing the "best" is subjective. Often it is true that the famous "names" are dancing at a certain level that you are usually guaranteed a "good" performance. However, dancers you are unfamiliar with can be amazing too, and the famous dancers are sometimes guilty of phoning in a performance (doing all the steps but not really present in the mind). I was a long time opera lover, and this is true of opera too. Some of the best performances I have seen were by singers who were not famous. Some famous opera stars I saw gave very mediocre performances. Stars draw in audiences and start to ride on their famous reputations and some of them stop working on their interpretations of roles because they are adored and worshipped whenever they appear, so there is no longer an inner drive to perfect your interpretation. I saw a soloist at ABT Cassandra Trenary in Ratmansky's Sleeping Beauty last summer, and she was a complete delight even though I did not know anything about her dancing until then. She has since gotten lots of buzz due to that performance. She was better than the more seasoned stars in that same run. So don't think you have to go see the most famous stars. They are human and can disappoint like anyone.

For Stepanova fans great news...the Bolshoi website lists her as Raymonda on Dec. 18!

mnacenani, like you I love the Russian companies, although I also enjoy NYCB lately. I think if you go to performances of different styles you stop expecting, for example, Jewels to look like Swan Lake. But I will always love what Drew describes as the "languorous grandeur" of the Russians (assuming Drew was referring to them). The Mariinsky used to have the moving panorama during Sleeping Beauty, but not anymore. I think it goes for a few seconds (maybe not even that). For the full panorama you have to go to the old Kirov videos. Not sure when they cut it out from performances, but I wish they would restore it. However, they still perform the beautiful violin solo like you say. Everything stops, the lights go down except on the orchestra, and the orchestra pit is raised up to showcase the violinist and then lowered back down when it is finished. I love that they include this, because it is so moving to me. Unfortunately, Sleeping Beauty seems to have been moved permanently to the M-2 theatre. I have noticed it is always programmed at the new theatre and never at the historical theatre. Not sure why it seems to only get performed there. I was lucky enough to see it at the historic theatre back in 2013 (and shortly after it was transferred to the M-2) and seeing the fairies come out to the Lilac Fairy's music brought tears to my eyes. Such a beautiful sight to behold (that gorgeous theatre with the warm glow and the fairies coming onto the stage)......and seeing the Vaganova children dancing with the same style as the adult dancers later during the waltz........so amazing......

They looked the part which helps...

They always have an insert (one sheet) that they hand out with the actual program (can't remember if they do this in Miami) that lists casting. It is always a separate paper they hand out with the program booklet. I assume they do this so if there are last minute changes they can still use the booklets but prepare a new paper insert. The paper for last night says Kravis Center and Saturday, Nov. 12 8pm and the cast with some asterisks. And at the bottom of this page it says the asterisk means "role debut." I'm not arguing, and I believe you that they performed in Miami and the picture you sent but just surprised they made such a mistake. To me a role debut seems like a big deal so they should try not to make that mistake.

I believed you when you said it but was explaining why I had originally called it their role debut. It is strange MCB labeled it that way in their program.

The casting paper inserted into the program indicated it was their role debuts (asterisk that then said it was a role debut), but I guess that was a mistake or it meant the entire run (Miami to WPB) included their debut or maybe it meant their debut at the Kravis. Very strange.

Wow! What a difference tonight!!! I fell in love with Giselle all over again! Jennifer Lauren and Kleber Rebello made their role debuts as Giselle and Albrecht, and, in my opinion, they were sensational! Lauren had such a sweet and delicate stage presence along with musicality. She did the ballones without problem going farther than any MCB Giselle I have seen (this is the third run I have attended....over the years they have done it every few years)...she didn't go the entire length of the stage like Tereshkina or Somova tend to do at the Mariinsky, but she went far enough and even alternated the position of the working leg the way some Giselles do. There were very minor quibbles in the performance (like her high extension a la seconds in Act 2 was not very a la seconde...more like toward the audience), but her sweet and delicate demeanor made her an absolute joy to watch in the role. Those who know me know I love flowing arms, and Lauren had enough flow to satisfy me! Kleber Rebello's flowing arms could probably rival any Mariinsky ballerina, yet he still has this masculine energy that he exudes which is no small feat. To keep beautiful, flowing arms yet make the dancing and character masculine is difficult but he does this fabulously. He is my favorite male at Miami City Ballet. And I think I counted 30 or 31 entrechats sixes by him in Act 2 which was thrilling. Last night Krenstetter did the brises voles instead. Renato Penteado was an aggressive Hilarion (I mean that in a good way). Great acting. Ashley Knox and Simon Ito were both great in the peasant pas de deux, even if she had to put her foot down after the first pirouette where her arm links with Ito. She kept it up in the second one. Jordan-Elizabeth Long did well as Myrthe again. Her penchees were better if not perfect but her bourees are beautiful and otherworldly. Ashley Knox returned in Act 2 as Zulme and repeated her terrific renverses like last night. Nathalia Arja was a delicate Moyna. I think Arja should get a debut as Giselle the next time they do Giselle (probably in three years). Anyway I felt under the weather today and almost skipped the show but took a nap and made it to the performance and I am glad I did. I felt like, "This is what Giselle is all about!" The acting was great and the dancing was lovely. So glad I went tonight!

I saw MCB's Giselle last night at the Kravis Center. In my opinion, Rainer Krenstetter's two tone hair has got to go! I have always thought bright blond hair on top of dark short hair looks cheap. So many barflies from my younger days dyed their hair that way. Not a fan of that look at all. It doesn't look like the hairdo of an aristocrat to me. Enjoyed his dancing very much, but the dye job was so distracting, in my opinion. During her ballones, Simone Messmer traveled maybe 3 feet and stopped and continued to beat her working leg while staying in one place for most of the music. I had read above that she had trouble in Miami, so I was hoping she would do them better last night. To me it looked like she was having trouble staying up on pointe (she stayed up but looked shaky) so after hopping a few feet she stayed put, I assume, out of fear she would come down off pointe if she continued to move. At the Mariinsky Tereshkina and Somova travel an entire diagonal across the stage from upstage to downstage and must make larger hops to make it across the entire stage by the time the music stops. It makes it such a thrilling moment in the ballet even if it is not a must that the ballerina go that far. But last night was disappointing in that one moment. Messmer has thick legs and strikes me as a very earthy dancer. In Act 1 her arms were stiff, but she made more flowing movements with them in Act 2, so maybe it was an interpretive choice. Her earthiness in Act 1 made me think I would not like her Act 2, but she won me over for the most part in the second act. She was a very human willi to me though as opposed to an otherworldly being. Her acting was decent if not astounding. I think she could become a good Giselle eventually. I would like to see higher jumps during Act 2's jumping entrechats. She barely got off the ground. Nathalia Arja in the peasant pas de deux had the flowing arms I like, great elevation...this pdd made me want to see her as Giselle. I think she would be fabulous. Renan Cerdeiro partnered her well and was exciting in his solo making some interesting beats at times. Jordan-Elizabeth Long as Myrthe was tentative at first especially in her penchees, but was surprisingly good when the music got faster. She looks very tall so I would think she would excel at the slower movements and have trouble with fast footwork but it was the opposite. Her bourees were nice and buttery. Ashley Knox did some great renverses as Zulme! The leg stayed high the whole way around. Love seeing that! I sort of agree with some posters above that some of the details I mention in this layman's review do not necessarily make or break an entire performance, but they are details we look forward to....I think last night was a decent Giselle but not heartbreaking. Even at ABT or the Mariinsky or the Bolshoi there can be minor flubs, so I think this was not a bad performance at all, rather a decent one that can be improved upon.

Okay, just being careful not to get moderated.

For Yulia Stepanova fans I just posted a snippet of an interview that Kultura magazine had with Vaziev and he mentions her. I posted it in "Writings on Ballet" because I think that is where we are supposed to, but I think all her fans would like to know about it.

In a new long interview with the Russian periodical Kultura, Vaziev was explicitly asked about his support for two Petersburg ballerinas, Smirnova and Stepanova Kultura: It has been noted that you have been supporting Olga Smirnova and, in my opinion, she deserves it. And recently, you promoted to the highest status of prima ballerina the soloist Yulia Stepanova, providing her with an opportunity to jump a step (in fact two) in the hierarchy of ranks.They are both from Petersburg. A coincidence? Vaziev: Olga Smirnova is a separate case, you are right. Yulia Stepanova performed remarkably in London, for me she is clearly a prima ballerina. And “Petersburg” has nothing to do with it. The Russian text for reference: Культура: Замечено, что Вы протежируете Ольге Смирновой, и, на мой взгляд, она того заслуживает. А недавно провели в высший статус балерины солистку Юлию Степанову, дав ей возможность перешагнуть через ступеньку в иерархии рангов. Они обе петербурженки. Совпадение? Вазиев: Ольга Смирнова — отдельный случай, тут вы правы. Юля Степанова замечательно станцевала в Лондоне, она для меня явно балерина. И Петербург здесь ни при чем.” the source: http://portal-kultura.ru/articles/person/141180-makhar-vaziev-urin-byl-so-mnoy-absolyutno-chesten/

I meant to post while in NY but was slightly under the weather. It was fun to see friends and acquaintances that I have met on previous trips, or online and even in DC previously. I enjoyed the All Stravinsky Black and White program on Thursday. Symphony in Three Movements is one of my favorite "modern" Balanchine ballets. The two Jewels I saw (Saturday and Sunday matinees) were interesting to compare and contrast. There were pros and cons to both, but it was nice seeing Reichlen's tall girl in Rubies and Diamonds! I also caught Nina Stemme in Tristan und Isolde at the Met (despite losing most interest in opera I love Nina Stemme and a chance to see her Isolde was a big incentive for this trip).....I joke that Tristan und Isolde is a 5 hour opera where nothing happens and Tristan's death is a killer (by that time you are ready for it to be over)......most artists suffer for their art.....Wagner wanted the audience to suffer too.....LOL......basically, they drink a love potion and 5 hours later die as one with the universe.......glorious music.......wonderful time, but glad it is over!!!!!!!! ........and I have seen people say that Swan Lake and Raymonda are long.....wait till they see Tristan und Isolde or the Ring Cycle.......oy vey!!!!!! .........I can sit through Swan Lake or Raymonda with broken ribs and zoned out on vicodin (and this has happened) with no trouble!!!!! They are SHORT to me. I also saw Diane Lane in The Cherry Orchard. Loved seeing this actress play a grande dame type personality........she's around my age, and I have watched her over the years go from child actress to sex kitten to serious adult actress and now a very commanding stage presence that can carry a show with a voice very similar to Kathleen Turner.......

By the way Program 4 no longer lists the Tharp piece. It has been replaced on the website and in new brochures with Divertimento No. 15. So Program 4 will be Divertimento No. 15, Arden Court, and Who Cares?

I was there and agree with Canbelto! It is rare to hear even a decent Isolde and Nina Stemme is very good with just very minor issues almost not worth mentioning because she is great in the bulk of the role. In her Liebestod I would have loved a stronger "Welt-Atems..." (forte) and longer held "Lust" (piano....last word).....but that is being picky when most of the role was sung excellently, in my opinion. Pape was terrific also. He showed how it is done. The production is a bit "wacky," but I sort of liked it. It created action as much as you can in this opera I joke is "a 5 hour opera where nothing happens!"

I agree with Drew. I think the Mariinsky's Sergeyev version creates a beautiful "mood" in the lakeside scenes that is unmatched. Simply stunning. And there is NOTHING like seeing it in the historic Mariinsky Theatre. You feel like you have died and gone to Heaven. The happy ending doesn't bother me as much as it bothers others, because I consider the ending where they jump in the lake and re-unite in Heaven as a happy ending as well. I don't see much difference, and I love how Odette and Siegfried re-live their love and actually quote the love duet choreography in slightly different ways. This may not be in the notations but it is so lovely. I am also not bothered by the Jester like most people. What's not to like about a bouncy guy dancing impressively? The first lakeside scene in the Mariinsky's version is worth the whole thing, in my opinion. I play that scene every few days in the various Mariinsky videos I have. I am not a fan of the ABT version....everything is so Disney-esque to me......to me it is Swan Lake for the suburban middle class Soccer Mom and her kids. It is not elegant at all to me. I keep expecting Donald Duck to come out and wave to the audience.

http://www.dansesaveclaplume.com/pas-de-deux/358869-rencontre-avec-youlia-stepanova-la-nouvelle-etoile-aux-yeux-demeraude-du-bolchoi/ If you don't read french you can copy and paste into Google Translate. I suspect this is the first of many interviews she will give.

Terrific news!!! A lot of ballet professionals were in her corner! So glad for her!!!

Here's a great review of the Bolshoi's London tour: http://beckmessersquill.com/2016/08/15/bolshoi-ballet-reflections-stepanova-rodkin-zakharova-smirnova-london-august-2016/ Mark Pullinger "is Classical Music and Opera Editor at Bachtrack. A keen operagoer, with a particular passion for Verdi, he can often be found propping up the Stalls Circle at the ROH. He also reviews concerts, with a particular love for Russian music. Mark reviews for Gramophone, Opera and Sinfini, blogs at Beckmesser's Quill, and is a member of The Critics' Circle." If you don't want to read the whole article, here is an excerpt: In Swan Lake, she was making her Bolshoi debut, having performed it here with the Mariinsky two years ago. Her Odette was emotionally involved, vulnerable and feather-light, with exquisite arabesques, while her Odile was seductive, with tidy fouettés and precise attack. In Corsaire, Stepanova exhibited great musicality and, although not flawless, her Medora played to her strength of meringue-light delicacy and charm – which seems, to me, unusual for the company’s style. The Vaganova Academy trained dancer moved to the Bolshoi in 2015 as a Soloist, but promotion surely beckons, especially after Makhar Vaziev has entrusted her with such high profile London performances. Stepanova was strongly partnered by Rodkin in both Corsaire and Swan Lake. He’s strong and athletic, but seemed constrained by the limited size of the Covent Garden stage, reining in his grands jetés en tournant, and his acting – especially as Siegfried – was a bit of a blank canvas, consisting of only one puzzled expression, as if he was trying to remember if he’d left the gas on. Both performances of Swan Lake I caught were very strongly danced by the principals. Up close from Row B of the Stalls, it was impossible not to marvel at Svetlana Zakharova – a regal swan, with sinewy arms and the most graceful fingers, and an icily dark Odile. Artemy Belyakov was also a terrific ‘Evil Genius’ (a very Austin Powers title!) with less mime and more dancing than the Royal Ballet’s von Rothbart.

Okay, I forgot. The reviewer that SF Cleo and I posted was by someone who has written for Grammophon, so I assume it is okay to post his review of the Bolshoi London tour in the Writings on Ballet forum even though everyone reading this particular thread probably want to read it, but it is the rule, and they can easily go to Writings on Ballet. Rules and rules. In education we are told not to inundate kids with rules and have just a few, because otherwise they forget all of them, and I think adults are the same. But that is fine. Rules are rules. Also, I was recently involved in a UX (User Experience) study to improve libraries, and the researcher who was consulting us said he actually went around libraries and took down all the posted rules and people actually started acting better.

This is sort of related, but I work at a magnet school for the arts that is an elementary school, and the Alvin Ailey company was appearing in town and our arts director was able to get a former Ailey dancer/now instructor come teach elementary kids some basic movement steps (a very basic "Master Class" for total beginners). So they do a lot of work with education. This was a one shot deal but I thought it was worth mentioning.

I had not noticed Popov's name and pic taken off. That is a shame. I really liked him.

A friend told me this in case anyone else is wondering about the choreography: The Dryads scene choreography in Bolshois Don Quixote is due to Gorsky in the redaction of Fadeechev the younger. A superior choreographic text used at Mariinsky is due to Gorsky as well.

It could depend on whether the Mariinsky's DQ or the Bolshoi's DQ is based more on Petipa or Gorsky. Petipa originally choreographed DQ but most versions come from Gorsky's version so one company might be more faithful to Gorsky and one might be a combination of Petipa and Gorsky. Just a wild guess.