Birdsall

I'd have to double check but I think the site actually says her rep with Mariinsky included those roles. But my goodness, she has only been under contract but a few months so....??? If they want to feature Kampa more prominently and insist on doing it in classics Kitri is so not the part for her, imho. She was much better suited for Dryad, Big Swans and even Mytha. Heck, Lilac would have been a better fit too if they absolutely must treat her as a leading ballerina of the company. I can not think of a full length classic she is ready for... yet. She is talented and surely has a bright future in the ballet world but I'd have her over at Het National if it were up to me. Or at the very least give her that type of rep as her showcase pieces. Yes, I agree. I think everyone is dumbfounded at the direction the Mariinsky administration is taking. It is a recurring issue that is discussed. I think there is a desire to be "international" but that means it will lose its special style. It is probably inevitable, but it is sad.

Maybe some of the things listed were done in Boston? Like you, Tara, I am surprised. I am just trying to find an explanation. I don't remember her being cast in any of the items you mention at the Mariinsky but have only been reading their site regularly in recent times. But I think she danced in Boston before joining the Mariinsky. Maybe you are right, and they are counting student performances. Kitri does seem like a big move for someone who just joined even if she did do some training at the Vaganova. It is almost like setting her up for huge criticism. You would think at this point she would be cast as the street dancer first and eventually let her try out a Kitri after lots of coaching. I guess Fateyev is determined to turn the Mariinsky into an "international" style ballet company and doesn't believe that the Vaganova/Mariinsky style needs to be preserved. It does seem that strange decisions keep being made.

By the way, Kolegova who danced Raymonda on Dec. 6 after Kondaurova on Dec. 5 did do the entrechats in the diagonal that Natalia and probably everyone loves so much (Natalia pointed out that Novikova did them)! Just wanted to let people know. There is a YouTube video of it. I suspect Kondaurova was a more regal Raymonda, but Kolegova was probably a more girlish and overall more experienced Raymonda. Both are wonderful if you sample the videos!

She is very regal. I suspected she would be best in the final variation.

I have heard about that version of the AK ballet. I have heard it was better than the Ratmansky version.

Apparently, this will also be filmed for showing in movie theaters later in the year. Birdsall Sat., Jan. 5 8pm Tampa, FL Youth America Grand Prix presents Ballet's Greatest Hits! Youth America Grand Prix returns to Tampa to relive the most breathtaking ballet performances of our time! Ballet’s Greatest Hits! features star dancers from Joffrey Ballet, New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Pacific Northwest Ballet and Mariinsky Ballet. For the first time ever, the gala performance will be broadcast in theaters nationally by Emerging Pictures. Don’t miss this unique chance to see the world’s top professional dance artists take the stage in one spectacular gala evening. “The Gala of Gala's!" raves Emma Manning, Dance Europe Magazine. All performances by principal dancers, including: Ekaterina Kondaurova, Mariinsky Ballet Daniel Ulbricht, New York City Ballet Ashley Bouder, New York City Ballet Maria Kochetkova, San Francisco Ballet Fabrice Calmels, Joffrey Ballet Marcelo Gomes, American Ballet Theatre Alicia Graf Mack, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Antonio Douthit, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Carla Körbes, Pacific Northwest Ballet Greta Hodgkinson, National Ballet of Canada Veronika Part, American Ballet Theatre Skylar Brandt, American Ballet Theatre Taras Domitrio, San Francisco Ballet David Hallberg, American Ballet Theatre Guillaume Cote, National Ballet of Canada

In Jupiter it was not in 3D at all even though the credits said it was. I guess theaters had the choice to make it 3D or not. Maybe I am on crack, but I did not see any distortion of the picture. It was like a regular movie for me. But I did say above that overall the 1994 video is much better. I feel the corps de ballet is THE star of the Mariinsky and the corps is in much better form in the previous recording. I have to say that I was relieved when it wasn't in 3-D at my parents' local movie theater. I do think 3-D is too gimmicky and distracting. Only good for cheesy movies like horror films, in my opinion. I don't think any serious film has ever been done in 3-D, or am I wrong? I think it is usually action films or horror films. People have an innate sense that it is sort of a contrived gimmick that works with trashy fun films but not serious art. But I could be wrong.

I was trying to think how the ballet could have told the Levin story alongside Anna's and I think too much of his story is so philosophical and would not lend itself to dancing. I do think that a couple of short scenes with Kitty and Levin should have been attempted in the ballet. They simply disappeared. Levin is basically the opposite of Anna and is more like the actual main character in a way. But I saw an operatic version of Anna Karenina in Miami several years ago and when I saw that I felt it tried to do too much. It tried to keep the Levin story in and as a result (in order to keep the opera fairly normal in length) you never felt you got to know the characters that well b/c it attempted to show scene after scene, and I never felt I knew the operatic Anna at all and had no feelings toward her (unlike in the book) and was so happy when she threw herself on the tracks b/c I knew it meant the opera was ending soon! LOL I think there was just one last scene with Levin and his family after that. I personally thought the opera tried to do too much and simply did not work at all. So when I heard the Ratmansky ballet concentrated mainly on Anna I thought that made more sense in the theatre (since Levin is so difficult to keep in and keep a movie or opera or ballet a normal length), but I found Ratmansky's ballet fairly boring. There were a few interesting moments but too many boring moments and then it ended so suddenly. I think the music didn't help. I really wanted to like the ballet, b/c I love the novel. Maybe this is a story that really only works well as a novel.

Sorry! I forgot about the link! I just read it and had a fit of laughing when I got to the part where the puppet (baby Aurora) was dubbed "The Exorcist Baby".....I might have to see THAT to believe it! Although I normally like traditional, I do enjoy certain crazy productions. The Copenhagen Ring is one of my favorite Ring productions and it is wild! So I might give this Sleeping Beauty a try if it comes out on dvd! Still laughing at the Exorcist Baby!

Same problem in opera, Cristian. Lyric Opera of Chicago had really silly phrases to describe each opera this season on its site (they seem to be removed now). I guess it was an attempt to make the operas sound "cool" and "relevant" to non-opera lovers. I really don't know what the thinking was. Just guessing. Marketing people are always trying to do this. I hate it too, but they are desperately trying to find what works to get people in the seats in a bad economy. They are not reaching out to someone who already loves the art form. They are trying to reach people who know nothing about it and might be tempted to try it. It is sad they are forced to resort to these tactics though.

Miami had a brief run of Nutcrackers in West Palm Beach for several seasons a number of years ago. There were scheduling problems, however. Ballet Florida's own very effective and popular million-dollar production rented the Kravis Center for almost three weeks right before Christmas. That meant that MCB got stuck with a few performance dates in late November, which did not sell well. After Ballet Florida folded, MCB brought the Balanchine version back for one or two seasons), but that too was early in the season. Ticket sales were disappointing, so the production has not returned.. For a couple of years, the Kravis has been presenting the Moscow Classical Ballet's touring Nutcracker right before Christmas. I've seen it once but will be passing on it in the future. I liked that Ballet Florida Nutcracker! One time when I went a guy proposed to one of the ballet dancers at the end and it made the front page of the Palm Beach Post. I wonder if that would make a front page today! LOL

Does anyone know the slant he's giving it? I know he made Swan Lake about the prince being gay and longing for a male swan. What is the new slant he has on Sleeping Beauty? Does anyone know?

Oh, that can't be a good sign. I had a hard enough time taking Vronsky seriously in the book. Yes, I think that actor was miscast. Dirac is right. I do not keep up with current actors, so I didn't know who any of them were except Jude Law. I knew the name Keira Knightly but had no idea who she was really. I literally stick to opera and ballet dvds on my computer!!! I watch movies occasionally but seldom know who anyone is (actors). So Knightly did not bother me. I haven't noticed her omni-presence that others mention. She seemed so pretty and elegant. I felt that the love she had for her son was not the traditional maternal love, but I also didn't think the novel's characterization of Anna's love for her son was exactly the normal type either. For me it seemed that she always wanted what she could not have (Vronsky and her son while not appreciating Karenin or her daughter that she had with Vronsky....basically not longing for the people she could have in her life, instead longing for those she can't have) which is actually a pretty normal human thing. I've seen this behavior in many friends. For me the biggest mistake the movie made was the "Gene Wilder" Vronsky, as Dirac names him. LOL

I have slight hyper extension in the elbows too, although it tends to occur when I put my shoulders on my back. Years of bad posture and hunching over caused rounded shoulders and shoulder blades having a very hard time going down the back. So when I did Pilates my teachers wanted my shoulders on the back and in order to do that I would end up with slightly hyper-extended elbows due to trying to open the shoulders and make them go in the opposite direction they are used to which in turn caused me to press the eyes of my elbows forward in an attempt to get shoulder blades on the back, so I know what you mean. I also taught Pilates for a short time to help a friend out who kept having people quit on her. I had pretty intense training and lots of practice working with people who volunteered to work with me as a trainee first. And then I worked on actual clients and I saw that most people who are hyper-extended reverted back to that hyper-extension the minute you took your eyes off them. I was constantly saying, "Put a micro bend in that knee!" (or elbow). I had a hard time following my own advice about the micro bend. I had one Pilates teacher refer to our regular way that we hold our bodies as our "default" like how the computer goes back to its default settings. I thought that was a good term to use. Some people's default is hyper-extension and training them out of it is practically an impossible task. It is not a simple matter of pointing it out to them and they correct it and then hold their arm or leg correctly from then on. They don't "feel" right with the micro bend in the knee or elbow. In fact, it feels unstable at times. With all that said I am no expert on hyper-extension or anything, so I never mean to sound like I have the answers. Just always giving people something to think about as a possibility.

Maybe the ad has the loopy cameras like Jewels, but I don't think the actual performance did (I think this was supposed to be in 3-D, but the movie theatre I went to did not do it in 3-D, but maybe that is why the ad looked loopy, but I think overall the 1994 version is a better overall performance. When the flowers dance and the men pick up the women in a line just with their forearms as they are clasping hands yesterday's movie had a guy center constantly looking shaky like he was either going to drop the two women on either side as he lifted his forearms or his arms were going to go out of joint. I am not putting him down. I would shake like that also, but in the 1994 video you see no shaking. There were other tiny moments like that throughout.

LOL You haven't seen anything yet! Wait till you see the Mariinsky's Chemiakin Nutcracker choreographed by Kiril Simonov! You will see black snowflakes and dead children singing! LOL You will long for the Vainonen version after that!!! I did think today's Nutcracker was less impressive than the 1994 video that has been available. There were some minor changes too. Pink wigs were gone and replaced with white wigs. The wizard appeared less. The boat that you see Masha and the Prince ride in 1994 is nowhere to be found. Also, I thought in 1994 Larissa Lezhnina performed the entire role from the beginning. Maybe I need to re-watch it. Today, a young girl played Masha until the Mouse King was killed. Then the Nutcracker and she were transformed into Shklyarov and Somova. I thought the Arabian dancers were overall weaker than in 1994 also.

Oh, I thought that he played Vronsky. Isn't Law too young to play Karenin...? I thought he looked old enough for the role. I did not picture Karenin to be old. I pictured him in my head to be middle-aged. Jude Law is probably a little too young, but somehow the make up and glasses and beard helped him look close to what I pictured Karenin to look like in my head.

No, Vronsky is Anna's lover. Jude Law played her husband. I thought he looked and acted the way I pictured Karenin to be. I did not picture Vronsky, however, to be blonde or the way he looked in the movie.

The horse race is even set in the opera house! You can't top that! LOL I absolutely loved this version of Anna Karenina. I have recently re-read the book in anticipation of the movie, and the movie is pretty faithful for the most part even if some of the dialogue is different and the movie adds sex scenes as well as having many of the scenes take place in a theatre. I feel like it adds to the artifice of the lifestyle that the upper classes had to live. Many of Levin's scenes are outside in contrast. Anna is compared with Frou Frou (the horse) more obviously than in the book. I think most of the choices the director made "got it right" as far as creating the right mood for the scenes. I was also surprised at how I enjoyed the postmodern aspect of the movie. The only thing I didn't feel was right was the actor who played Vronsky. I don't find him handsome at all. Maybe others do. That was not the Vronsky I pictured in my mind, but all the other characters looked and acted very close to how I pictured in my mind, which might be why I loved the film.

Okay, so I would like to explain why I was trying to play Devil's Advocate. Some people are tired about my postings about Somova, but I am trying to figure something out. I have two different friends, both of which are very, very knowledgeable about ballet. One hates Somova and one Loves Somova. So on this topic I was attempting to think out loud and figure out a compromise and why people are so divided, which is why I brought up the opera comparisons which is something I actually know about. I also gave the "hyper-extension" idea as something I wanted to put forth, since that was something I learned about while trained to teach Pilates. So that is why I went on and on. I am trying to make sense of how two opposing views by two knowledgeable people can exist side by side. Now please look at the video below and give your thoughts on this video below. It seems to contradict what some people say. I am just trying to get to the bottom of things. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y-bYicG2bU&feature=g-all

I loved it!

Correction: it is listed with Fathom Events, not Fandango!

I am visiting my parents in Jupiter, FL and just saw that a local movie theater will show the Mariinsky's Nutcracker today at 2 pm and 7:30 pm. I found it listed as a Fandango event and appears to be the same as the upcoming DVD release that Amazon lists (Dec. 18 release for the DVD) with Somova and Shklyarov. I didn't know that it would be shown at a movie theater so letting people know in case anyone has interest in it and wasn't aware about this (like me). Check your local theater listings.

I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but that standing knee looks much more hyper-extended than the average dancer. I know you are mainly pointing out the overall pose and how the lifted leg is not right, but the standing leg, to my eye, shows extreme hyper-extension.

The difference between a classroom and a forum is that in a classroom someone speaking has to be listened to. On a forum like this it is easy to skim or even scroll down and bypass a post if you're not interested in what the person has to say. Big difference, in my opinion.