Birdsall

I like the reconstruction for the knowledge it affords us. But I have to admit that I also love the now "traditional" version of Bayadere as well. It is hard for me to choose both ways. My wish is that the Mariinsky had filmed the reconstructions of Sleeping Beauty and Bayadere so there is a nice clear high definition copy for everyone to purchase and have access to and that they would perform these versions on special occasions but also maintain the "traditional" versions as well. After all, they continue to play both versions of Nutcracker that they do (the Soviet one and the Chemiakin version). So why not do the same with the other ballets? By the way, thanks for asking about my injuries. I am much better. It will take time!

I have always viewed the "Scarf Duet" as more of a solo variation, to tell you the truth. She is really the only one dancing and he is just pretty much standing there helping only with the scarf and not really much help to her (although that could be debated, I suppose, since he provides tension on the scarf), and then he leaves with the scarf, and she finishes. So even though I know people refer to it as a scarf duet, I have always personally viewed it as her variation.

Amy, Shirinkina danced Amor in the Mariinsky Festival Don Quixote in 2007 with Osipova/Sarafanov in her first season.

The worst part about Marchuk's costume was the "X" on her midriff. What was that supposed to be or mean? I think her costume was the worst costume on the stage, but the Indian drummers also had hats that reminded me of the New Wave rock group Devo. There were just a lot of weird costumes. But still seeing 3 Bayaderes back to back at the Mariinsky was wonderful. I can't really complain. It was nice to see 32 shades instead of 24 (ABT).....and I love the Nikiya and the Slave scene which is a Soviet interpolation. I think when the reconstruction first appeared they left out the Golden Idol (because that was also a Soviet interpolation), and people were really upset by that, b/c they have come to love the Golden Idol. I do too.

Some of the costumes were different, but even seeing the July 12 (Kolegova danced; Gergiev conducted) and comparing with July 13 and 14 (Tereshkina; Gruzin conducted) there were differences between Nikiya's costumes. I think Tereshkina wore the traditional Nikiya costumes. Kolegova wore ones I never saw that include a type of tight pants/leggings with the skirt. I will have to go back and re-watch the reconstruction to see if these are the same. Some of the new costumes were nice but some were awful. The Indian who charms the snake right before the Kingdom of the Shades had a turban that looked more like a sombrero and a friend said from higher up it looked like a fried egg on top of his head, b/c there was a yellow circle in the middle of the white turban. I have to say that I much prefer Nikiya's maroon (traditional) costume during her death scene. That is what Tereshkina wore.

Tonight was the Igor Zelensky Gala that consisted of Fokine's Scheherazade and Roland Petit's Carmen. I had never seen Scheherazade live, just on video and I always found it sort of boring to tell you the truth, but I found it very exciting in person! Polina Semionova, who danced Zobeide, is a terrific dancer who I have seen as Nikiya at ABT, but I have to say I don't think she really fits into the Mariinsky 's style. The 3 Vaganova trained Odalisques (Viktoria Brilyova, Alisa Sodoleva, and Xenia Dubrovina) showed how it is done at the Mariinsky with their rubber spines and ultra flowing arms which make the sensual and sexual nature of this ballet even more sexy. I think Semionova is excellent and acted well, but she is obviously a "guest" and is not from the same schooling. Since the legato upper body is what drives me to ecstasy at the Mariinsky I have to say I couldn't take my eyes off the Odalisques whenever they were on stage. Igor Zelensky did a great job as Zobeide's slave. You can tell he is not a 20 year old dancer, but he still gives his all. I think he showed why he is worthy of a gala, although I think he showed some hesitation in the Carmen piece. When he did a side plank and walked his legs around it was not quite smooth, but that is a minor quibble. He was very passionate and acted well in both ballets. Diana Vishneva joined him as Carmen in the second ballet, and she did well. She seems to stick to modern works in St. Petersburg and tends to avoid the classical ballets (mainly doing those at ABT). Mariinsky lovers that I know tend to think she knows she has too much competition at the Mariinsky in the classical roles whereas in NY she is hailed as one of the best. Whatever the case she brings a lot of modern stuff to the Mariinsky and rarely does the classics anymore in SP, and it seems like Russian audiences like to see modern ballets out of curiosity. I heard the loudest applause this trip for In the Night and this Carmen ballet. I think an American like myself loves the Russians in the classical ballets and think their training is totally wasted on modern works, but I know dancers love to branch out and the audiences here seem to love modern works. We all want what others have! Anyway, I thought this Carmen was going to turn into The Diana Vishneva Show also featuring Igor Zelensky in small print, but she was more committed than she sometimes is (as opposed to mugging). And she was sweet during her curtain calls with Zelensky. She did seem to care about this work and gave her all to it. Carmen featured dancers from the Novosibirsk Ballet (Zelensky is director there ), and they gave their all too. Most looked fairly petite including the males. I am not sure which Carmen is better. Petit 's or Alonso's. Both have very modern elements. Neither is one I crave to see again but if someone gave me a ticket I might go depending on who is dancing. Overall, a nice evening. A nice gala night to end my trip. I fly home to Florida tomorrow morning! 11 shows in 11 days! With 2 fractured ribs no less! But it was worth it!

Just checked each program and according to the July 13 and July 14 programs it was the exact same cast. The cameraman told someone else in my box that they are making a DVD although last night was also broadcast so he may or may not know for sure. I asked him if he was filming War and Peace at M-2 today and he said he wasn't but his company was filming it.

When I get back to my hotel I will double check. All the principals were the same, Manu was same, 3 shades same. Any difference may have been minor roles. But I will check after my walk along the English Quay.

And that is why it was surprising he was a no show last night since it was supposedly broadcast...

Tonight's (July 14) Bayadere was the same cast as last night, and everyone did pretty much the same. Gergiev was listed online and in the program I bought, but the audience waited for 30 minutes (Bayadere had a 7pm start time but tonight it started around 7:30pm). Boris Gruzin ended up coming out to conduct. So Gergiev conducted the July 12 performance with Kolegova, but Gruzin conducted the two Tereshkina performances even though Gergiev was listed for one. Cameras were filming tonight like the other two nights. So all 3 nights were filmed: one with Kolegova and 2 with Tereshkina. Gergiev only conducted Kolegova. Will be interesting to see what the credits on a possible DVD will be. One little mishap was that the Indian drummer dropped his drum after throwing it in the air. I forgot to mention that yesterday when the curtain opened for Kingdom of the Shades a panel that represents the Himalayan mountains was late being lowered into place and the backstage hand made sure it was placed correctly...that was in full view from where I sat. Oksana Marchuk is getting better at balancing the water pot on her head. She took her hands away more often. I think she would be perfect for La Sylphide. Everyone was like how I wrote yesterday. Same cast, same great performances. No need to write the same thing again.

The problem is that the notations are supposedly only certain parts and the rest has to be guessed. Lacotte makes up and totally creates most of his "reconstructions" from what I understand. I have enjoyed his work on DVD (Pharoah's Daughter, Ondine, La Sylphide, Marco Spada), but they are probably nothing like the original ballets. Much is guesswork and a lot of creativity. Everything I've read about the notations says that the Harvard Collection really only gives some of the picture and was intended to be used by people who were familiar with the works so gaps could be filled. Essentially, a reconstruction could be more "wrong" than what was passed down foot to foot and changed over the years!

Do you know why he doesn't seem to promote Vaganova grads?

Yes, I knew Gonchar came from elsewhere, and you are right that I shouldn't expect someone to suddenly change her style. But I would have preferred a Vaganova trained Sylph. Shirinkina comes from Perm so she is not Vaganova trained but somehow has the fluttery, flowing arms that I love.

I love the idea of reconstructions, but if you look at just the prologue of Sleeping Beauty, for example, the entrance of the fairies is totally different. They walk on with male attendants baring gifts in the reconstruction. No magic. In the Sergeyev version they enter on pointe and do so much GORGEOUS dancing that fits the music so well. It brought tears to my eyes when I saw the fairies enter in the Sergeyev version in the gorgeous Mariinsky Theatre. It was like Heaven opened up and let angels out! I think there is always a push/pull between "authentic" and "tradition" (changes over time which become tradition). You have this in opera too. Cecilia Bartoli recently recorded and also performed Norma. This is sacrilege for longtime opera lovers for a mezzo instead of a dramatic soprano to sing the role. She claims the originator really had a mezzo voice if you examine Giuditta Pastas roles, and that might be the case but tradition requires a dramatic soprano. Then, you also have a history and tradition of cutting operas, especially baroque operas, cuts that were sometimes approved by the composer, sometimes not. There was a time when it was sacrilege to embellish Mozart's arias, but now singers often do. Some conductors demand more rubato even if the score doesn't indicate it. There is no black and white. And there are always arguments or debates about what is or is not correct. What is very hard to do is go against tradition (changes that happened and became tradition) and suddenly rewind the clock and present things exactly as if we lived in the 19th century and erase the changes over time. The changes happened (whether those changes are good or bad are up to the individual), and it is impossible to pretend those changes didn't happen, especially when several generations grew up with the changes and fell in love with those versions.

Tereshkina is always a sure bet that you will get a good performance, and I think she is often partnered with Shklyarov. I think it is a good partnership b/c they are both strong dancers who could overshadow a partner who isn't strong.

The cameras were filming tonight again. I told the cameraman in my box to make sure to include legs and arms as much as possible, but I think it went in one ear and out the other! Tonight Tereshkina was a very good Nikiya even thrilling with some unassisted balances. I am not sure how tall she is but she has a petite look, so I think she is not everyone's ideal Nikiya (I sense most people want tall, long limbs in this role ), but you can always count on her to give a good or even great performance that is solid, and she always has flowing Vaganova arms that I love. When you see Tereshkina on the playbill it usually means you will see a good or great performance with no huge mistakes. And that is what tonight's performance was like. A very good night at the Mariinsky. Shklyarov reminded me what a great male dancer is like. Yesterday I gave Askerov credit b/c he was better than usual, but then tonight Shklyarov blew Askerov away. His back bending cambres are amazing! You can 't believe he didn't just break his back!!! Anastasia Matvienko seems really good at turns, and after last night's Chernobyl disaster...I mean Chebykina disaster, it was nice to see a Gamzatti who actually danced to the music!!! Petushkova was electric again as the Indian girl. I never liked her until I saw her in this role . Marchuk was sweet as pie in the Manu dance again. Kimin Kim wowed us with his Golden Idol...such leaps! Batoeva, Ivannikova , and Stepanova reprised the 3 shades. I think all 3 are on the rise!

Naomikage, that might explain why the Mariinsky sometimes lists a new role as a debut and sometimes doesn't. I know some dancers guest and so their debut at the Mariinsky is not actually a debut in the role, just at the Mariinsky.

Thanks, Sasark! My ribs are feeling better but I am also resting a lot during the day. Mathilde K., it was shocking to see Chebykina dancing the way she did. I suspected she was not Vaganova trained. I know everyone asks this, but what is wrong with Fateyev????

Last night's Bayadere had a few surprises. Many costumes were different from previous times. For example, Nikiya had legging type pants under her skirt in Act 1 & 2. At first I thought Kolegova had forgotten to take her leggings off, but then I realized it was part of the costume. Also, the children playing African slaves were no where to be found during the Golden Idol dance. Instead girls dressed like the D'jampe dancers in Act 1 (with veils tied to their legs) accompanied the Golden Idol. This has been a source of controversy here on BA so many will be happy about that. Cameras were set up all over because they were taping it. A cameraman was in my box and many chairs had been removed. Another costume change was in the Manu dance. The sweet Oksana Marchuk wore a red and white striped skirt and a blue top with white at the mid-section of her torso and the white part had a big X....I don't remember this being the costume. It looked almost like an American flag. I am a huge fan of Anastasia Kolegova because she is such a solid ballerina. The only complaint people have is that she doesn't act much. Last night she put more emotion into Nikiya than I expected. However , sometimes I thought her interpretive choices to be a bit off. For example, she was dripping with haughtiness when she entered as if she had zero respect for the priest and held him in contempt. Maybe she was trying to imply he has been harassing her for a long time. Overall, I thought she was wonderful despite acting issues. She is a ballerina who gets better and better each time she plays a role, and I am pretty sure this was her debut as Nikiya, although the program did not list it as a debut. Timur Askerov was more "on" than I have ever seen him. Not only have his dancing skills improved but he also had more passion than he usually does. I thought he was boring as Armand but he must love dancing Solor b/c he was more animated. Redzhepmyrat Abdyev applauded and bravo-ed him loudly in the coach's box next to the box I was in. I was shocked by Yekaterina Chebykina as Gamzatti. She seemed to never dance in time to the music, her arms are stiff which is totally unlike the other Mariinsky dancers, and she just looked like an amateur when compared to the others. When the two men lift Gamzatti up as she's standing up, as they came downstage with her, Chebykina's pelvis began to totally come forward and for a split second it looked like the men would drop her which caused huge gasps from the coaches' box. I mean they all gasped at the same time. I am sure everyone in the theatre heard them. But luckily the men set her down without dropping her! Maybe it was seeing it live but I felt everyone dancing the Indian drum dance were on fire! Anastasia Petushkova never impressed me before, but she was great in this energetic dance! I mentioned above that Oksana Marchuk was sweet in the Manu dance. Fillip Stepin was a terrific Golden Idol. He has the body for such an almost naked dance like that! Batoeva, Ivannikova, and Stepanova were the 3 shades, and all did an amazing job! Gergiev conducted. The thing I love about the Mariinsky's Bayadere is the Nikiya and Slave dance. I believe it is a Soviet interpolation, but it is so lovely. I also love the 32 shades (instead of 24 at ABT)! The scene is set in the Himalayas.

Thank you, Mathilde K. for the compliment! Another ballerina with doll-like qualities is Oksana Marchuk. A friend pointed her out to me a couple of years ago. Her smile lights up the room! You can't help smiling when she comes on stage. She is still in the corps, but I hope she will be promoted to Coryphee soon. Her manu dance was delightful last night! I think unlike Shirinkina she may be able to do more rolls even though she is also doll-like. I suspect you know her. You can't miss her smile!

I like Shirinkina overall, but I think she is very limited in the roles she can play. In my mind she would be great as the Sylph, Masha, and various fairies in Sleeping Beauty but not sure what else I would want to see her in. She's like a delicate little doll and even though she could actually get through big roles, I am not sure anyone longs to see her in those major roles.

Being half Japanese I can complain about the Japanese in the Alexandrinsky Theatre's audience: lots of talking and picture taking with flashes!!!! At one point in the middle of performers dancing someone who was an administrator of either the ballet company or tour group got up and walked in front of the first row and chastised and shook his finger at a group of women who had been using flash photography! To their credit and professionalism the dancers kept right on dancing through this crazy scene!!!! LOL

Thanks for the info, Mathilde K.! I am glad the Yacobsen Ballet is considered worth attending since I felt that way too! Tonight I saw La Sylphide with an Effie who should have played the Sylph and a sylph who should have been a character dancer maybe Madge. I hate to be harsh but to me Nadezhda Gonchar does not seem like a Mariinsky dancer. From the waist down she is technically good which would make her decent for any other ballet company in the world, but from the waist up she is stiff and not flowing and fluttery like most in the company. Almost every corps member would have played a better flowing sylph and her lack of legato arms would be a little more hard to notice maybe in the corps. Although maybe she would stick out more placed with a corps that dances with the same style. I think the Sylph is the total opposite type role for her. Maria Adzhamova played Effie, and she had the legato arms I love. I think she is labelled a "character dancer" at the Mariinsky but I feel she would have been an incredible sylph. David Zaleyev made a great debut as James. He did really well in his first big role. Despite his petite frame he acted very masculine so I could buy him as a guy wanting to cheat and throw an old beggar woman out. I had a great time despite a miscast Sylph (my opinion, of course). Maria Shirinkina was initially announced and her petite size and fluttery, legato arms would have made her a great Sylph. Despite not being Vaganova trained Shirinkina seems to have the upper body of someone who is Vaganova trained. But even a miscast night at the Mariinsky can be enjoyable. After last night's bright flashy Bolshoi Theatre that almost requires sunglasses it is nice to return to the soft glow of the Mariinsky! This is my opinion once again. I know some people would disagree. I am praying the soft glow will not be replaced with bright flashiness when the Mariinsky is renovated.

Yesterday I took the bullet train from St. Petersburg to Moscow and saw Onegin and returned to SP on a sleeping train. I have seen the premiere cast of the Bolshoi's Onegin (but not actually in person), and a friend had told me the cast I was getting in person was not the best. But I still enjoyed it very much as a first in person Bolshoi experience. Onegin: Denis Rodkin Lensky: Artemiy Belyakov Tatiana: Anastasia Goryacheva Olga: MariaVinogradova Rodkin was miles behind Lantratov in his interpretation as well as actual dancing. To me he did not command the stage as well and did not express his inner angst in his first solo (Lantratov makes the most of putting the back of his hand to his forehead). However, his reactions to Lensky slapping him with the glove was very good! Goryacheva was sympathetic as Tatiana but just not quite as moving as Olga Smirnova. Maria Vinogradova made an excellent Olga. This role is easy to overdo and seem too silly but she did not overdo it. Overall a nice night at the Bolshoi even though the casting was not first tier. The Bolshoi looks like a brand new (newly built ) theatre on the inside...sparkling, shiny, modern conveniences like handicapped elevator. The outside still shows signs of being a historic theatre but the inside is so clean and new looking. But a little too bright. I am hoping the Mariinsky will not be this new looking after renovation because it has a warm glow about it that I love .

On July 8 and 9 I saw the triple bill: Chopiniana, In the Night, and Ashton's Marguerite and Armand (premiere at the Mariinsky). Seeing Chopiniana by the Mariinsky is like witnessing a fairytale kingdom. Those fluttery flowing arms with the corps in sync was so gorgeous. I would say I liked the second night best with Kolegova showing a very delightful and happy main sylph. Her balances were astonishing, and her happy sylph just made it a joy to watch. Ostreikovskaya was a more moody main sylph the first night. However, Xander Parish was better on the first night than Yaroslavl Pushkov who looked like he had a hard time lifting Kolegova. In the Night is not my favorite ballet but the audience treated it like it was a masterpiece. I enjoyed all 3 couples both nights. This work has a very modern feel to it, yet it is grounded in ballet, so I suspect Russians crave these new works. I will say that Lopatkina (as the fighting woman) found a way to make the flailing arms work better than most. Usually it is ugly. She also blew Skorik's interpretation the night before out of the water. And that brings me to Marguerite and Armand. The first night Lopatkina lived and breathed the main role timing her coughs and staggering on pointe perfectly to the music. Tereshkina who is a more extroverted performer was good but wasn't quite as "on"....both ballerinas were technically wonderful but you really forgot you were watching a ballet with Lopatkina because she was so smooth and alive in her acting. Shklyarov (on the second night partnering Tereshkina) was much better than Askerov. So if you wanted a more well matched couple , the second night was better, but if you wanted an amazing performance by a ballerina with a partner who totally faded into the woodwork then the first night was better.