Natalia

Sorry, Leigh. I did this with best intentions.

I will ask around, tonight!! Right now, the site on which the new theater will be built (opposite the old Mariinsky, across the Kryukov Canal) is occupied by a bowling alley. Bowling -- especially something called çosmic bowling'with laser lights - is all the rage here. No, I have not tried it. ;) I'm sure that the new theater will be an improvement on whatever goes on there.

2003 MARIINSKY INTERNATIONAL BALLET FESTIVAL Mariinsky Theater – St. Petersburg, Russia February 25, 2003 Kirov-Mariinsky Ballet JEWELS Full-evening ballet, in three sections, by George Balanchine (created 1967 for New York City Ballet) I. Emeralds (mus. Faure) Lead pas de deux soloists - Laetitia Pujol/Karl Paquette (Paris Opera Ballet guests) “Walking” pas de deux soloists – Eleonora Abbagnato/Yann Bridard (Paris Opera Ballet) Pas de Trois – Yana Selina/Xenia Ostreikovskaya/Anton Korsakov (Kirov) II. Rubies (Stravinsky) Pas de Deux soloists – Wendy Whelan/Jock Soto (New York City Ballet) “Tall Girl” soloist – Maria Kowroski (New York City Ballet) Demi-Solo Men – Maxim Khrebtov/Vassily Scherbakov/Anton Pimonov/Anton Lukovkin (Kirov) III. Diamonds (Tchaikovsky) 2nd movement Pas de Deux Soloists – Daria Pavlenko/Danila Korsuntsev (Kirov) Two Demi-solo girls, 1st movement – Yana Serebriakova/Xenia Ostreikovskaya (Kirov) Additional Demi-soloists, 3rd and 4th movements – Ekaterina Osmolkina/Victoria Teryoshkina; Denis Firsov/Sergei Salikov/Dmitry Pykhachov/Alexander Klimov (all Kirov) Balanchine intended each of the three sections of this ballet as a tribute to one of the three great ballet troupes with which he was associated – the Kirov-Mariinsky (Diamonds), his own New York City Ballet (Rubies), and the Paris Opera Ballet (Emeralds). Tonight’s performance was billed as “Jewels International”, due to the guest soloists from France and the USA in the first two sections. It was a triumph, living up to most expectations; however, the highest accolades went to a member of the ‘home team.’ Cutting to the Quick…THE BIG PICTURE: Daria Pavlenko finally had the opportunity to show-off her true artistry in a memorable rendition of “Diamonds.” She was appropriately icy in the pas de deux, then warm and radiant in her solo appearances in the 3rd and 4th movements. Pavlenko radiated magnificence that could be felt all the way to the highest row in the upper balconies! Finally, finally – hurrah!! The modulation in character between icy and sunny, coupled with beautiful classical (no over-extended) positions , is what makes Pavlenko’s rendition of this role distinctive from those of the two other Kirov ballerinas who I’ve seen in this role, in the past – Uliana Lopatkina and Svetlana Zakharova. [For the record, Pavlenko has much improved since the first time I saw her in the role, in Washington, DC, February 2002.] She received, by far, the wildest cheers & ‘bravos’ accorded any soloist tonight, although the foreign guests, in the other two sections, were also received warmly by this audience. Maria Kowroski, as the ‘tall girl’ in Rubies, seemed to capture hearts of many audience members, especially for her dancing in the 1st movement and overall glamorous persona. Everyone is highly anticipating her Odette/Odile in ‘Swan Lake’ this Saturday night! Among the POB soloists, Eleonora Abbagnato was accorded ‘bravos’ for her initial waltzing solo (Sicilienne) in Emeralds. EMERALDS: It was appropriate that the lead soloists in tonight’s special performance would be French. The four soloists tonight were understated, elegant. As the lead female, Laetitia Pujol evoked the charm and perfume of the Romantic Ballet with her sunny countenance…maybe a bit too constantly sunny, as she is always ‘ooing and aahhing’ every movement. But the Kirov’s own Zhanna Ayupova, in past performances, does almost the same thing, so this audience is used to the ‘oohh and aahh approach’! Her partner, tall and sandy-haired Karl Paquette, balanced Pujol’s smiles with a straight-laced elegance. With her long, slim torso, aristocratic features, and aloof beauty, Eleonora Abbagnato was perfection in the waltzing ‘Sicilienne’ solo, eliciting ‘bravos’ from the audience. In the Walking Pas de Deux, she ran into problems during the final walk across the stage, when she and partner Yann Bridard bumped into each other, breaking the magical spell. Anton Korsakov displayed high, brisk entrechats in the trio. The corps ladies were fine, if emoting a bit too much; then again, they were echoing the sunnyness of the POB’s own principal, so all is OK, I suppose. RUBIES: The three wonderful soloists from NYCB showed the Mariinsky audience how this is done – RAW and with abandon; not ‘pretty’…as the dainty corps ladies were dancing, behind the soloists. It took a while for the audience to get it. But they were fascinated and appreciative. Wendy Whelan unfurled her long and muscular limbs to powerful effect and Jock Soto brought zippiness and excitement to the lead male role. They were really ‘into it’ and having a blast, which translated across the footlights to us! The 3rd (final) movement of this ballet saw a couple of crazy mishaps among the NYCB dancers, though. First, Maria Kowroski slipped and fell on her derriere as she was running out of the wings onto the stage & into her first position for the 3rd movement. The audience let out a collective ‘oooooh’! But she was OK, got up, and danced brilliantly. Later, well into the 3rd movement, Jock Soto crashed into the downstage/audience-left wing – a wooden panel painted to resemble a fancy curtain – as he was exiting from the scene with the four demi soloists, in which he twirls very quickly. BOOM!! He hit it HARD and we all thought that he was badly hurt but, thank goodness, he came out to dance the final few bars of music with the ensemble. DIAMONDS: Tonight’s performance of ‘Diamonds’ was a true regal tribute to Petipa & Tsarist Russia that Balanchine intended! At the start of the 4th movement, as the corps de ballet entered the stage to the strains of a Polonaise, my peripheral vision caught sight of the golden filigreed adornments on the royal boxes bordering the stage, and chills went down my spine. Suddenly it all made sense, what Balanchine had in mind. One has not seen ‘Diamonds’ until one sees it in this setting! Finally, as I cited above, this ballet was an unqualified triumph for the ballerina Daria Pavlenko. She was every bit of an aloof Suzanne Farrell in the pas de deux, then a heartwarming Margot Fonteyn in the 3rd and 4th movements. [Yes – I know that Fonteyn never danced this role, but Pavlenko’s warmth, joy and musicality made me think of Fonteyn in the film of the ‘Sleeping Beauty Rose Adagio,’ such was the effect.] As Pavlenko’s cavalier, the tall and handsome Danila Korsuntsev was the icing on the cake! The orchestra gained a rich sound -- better than ever, during this festival -- under the baton of guest conductor Gianandrea Noseda of Italy. In sum, another great night at the ballet! Jeannie Szoradi St. Petersburg, Russia

Viviane - I'm with you...please read my review of the Cojocaru/Koborg 'Giselle'! After the absurdity of Sunday's 'Tsiskaridze and the Bayadere,' last night's 'Giselle' was a balm.

Calling all Royal Ballet fans! You can be very proud indeed of Alina Cojocaru & Johan Kobborg's performances in 'Giselle'at the 3rd Mariinsky Festival, in St. Petersburg. The local audience went nuts for them. The comments during intermission were full of praise for the 'looks'and technique of both dancers. I stopped counting at about 10 curtain calls & had to leave, but they were still screaming 'bravo!' inside the theater as I was crossing Theater Square. My review is up, on the Kirov-Mariinsky forum.

NO7, I saw Tsiskaridze w/ Nioradze in 'Scheherazade,'at last year's festival. He was fantastic and appropriately flamboyant then. He is wonderful in ballets that are tailor-made for him, like Petit's 'Pique Dame' at the Bolshoi or the hero in Lacotte's revision of 'Doch Faraona. And you can imagine what he makes of Petit's Quasimodo in 'Notre-Dame de Paris''? I haven't reviewed that one yet but he manages to upstage Svetlana Lunkina with his ape-like movements and grotesque -- almost hilarious -- make-up and hair. Wait 'til all of you see it, someday... I remember when, in Washington, DC, he stole the spotlight as Mercutio in the Lavrovsky 'Romeo & Juliet'. It was his one role on that tour and he made the most of it, come hell or high water. LOL!!

I have a favor to ask someone who might be registered on the ballet.co.uk site. Could you please post a link to this review? I think that our friends in Great Britain would be very happy and proud to read how their Royal Ballet principals danced, and were received, in St. Petersburg. Unfortunatley, I've been away from ballet.co.uk for quite some time & have forgotten my password, etc. Thank you!

vrsfanatic - You are right about that 15-minute trolley ride. Alas, the erotic nightclub, Rossi's Place, is still across the street from the entrance to the academy. Ilya Kuznetsov is definitely on the roster, as (I believe) First Soloist. He was scheduled to dance Hans in GISELLE last night but, instead, was allowed to be a guest at a festival in Yugoslavia, instead. He will be back for one of the mixed-bill galas here, later this week.

WARNING! THIS IS ONE OF THE HAPPIEST REVIEWS I'VE EVER WRITTEN! **** 2003 MARIINSKY INTERNATIONAL BALLET FESTIVAL Mariinsky Theater – St. Petersburg, Russia February 24, 2003 Kirov-Mariinsky Ballet GISELLE Giselle – Alina Cojocaru (Royal Ballet, London) Albrecht – Johan Kobborg (Royal Ballet, London) Hans – Islom Baimuratov Myrta, Queen of the Willis – Tatyana Amosova Following two less-than-stellar evenings, the 3rd Mariinsky International Ballet Festival was back on-track last night, with a performance of Perrot/Coralli’s ‘Giselle’ that ranks among the very finest I have seen in thirty-some years of regular ballet-going around the world. Any fears that guest artists cannot assimilate into the Kirov-Mariinsky Ballet were happily dispelled with the stellar performances of the Royal Ballet pair – the petite Romanian beauty, Alina Cojocaru, in the title role; and Denmark’s handsome & fleet-footed Johan Kobborg as Albrecht. I am not exaggerating when I write that the audience went absolutely wild with appreciation for them, yelling ‘bravo’ many times, throughout the performance, then according them rare multiple-curtain-calls after the ballet. I have no doubt that this pair will be invited back to dance in Russia many times, as they have precisely the qualities of understated elegance, facial beauty, clear miming abilities and divine technique that the ‘locals’ adore. People in the upper galleries were already yelling ‘bravo’ soon after Cojocaru emerged from the tiny cottage and danced her first sequence of steps (including the ballottes) with Kobborg. The audience was bursting to give them a sustained applause even then! The evening just built-up from there. Whoever said that the Mariinsky audience is cold? Simply, they know ballet and they have definite preferences in ‘types’ of dancers. For their ‘types,’ the applause & yelling are generous. Cojocaru & Kobborg scored the Big One last night!! OK, now that I have described the emotions in the theater, on to the details. Alina Cojocaru is an exquisite dancer of porcelain-like delicacy. Gorgeous youthful face, pale complexion, dark hair, frail arms and tapering fingers, rounded instep on beautiful feet – quite simply, THE perfect look for a Giselle, in my opinion! And what technique. (It is for nothing that she won a top prize in the 1997 Moscow Int’l Ballet Competition and Prix de Lausanne.) Her sobresaut jumps, during her Act II pas de deux solo, were the airiest I’ve ever seen…and elicited audible sighs among the audience in the midst of the sequence!!! (I loved this audience!) Cojocaru’s acting emphasizes the sweetness and innocence of the little peasant girl who is in love for the first time. Her interpretation is intelligent, understated, rich in original detail; for example, during the Act I peasant dance with her friends, this Giselle goes over to Albrecht and shyly asks him to join them in the dance…he doesn’t know (he is really a nobleman in disguise, after all)…so Cojocaru’s Giselle mimes ‘Oh, don’t be afraid; let me teach you how to do this step…’ Past Giselles seem to simply go over to Albrecht, grab his hand, and he already knows the steps. Similarly, I loved Cojocaru’s diagonal of ‘blowing kisses’ to Albrecht, in which each handing of a kiss was unique & not a mechanical ‘Blow kiss – extend arm/blow kiss-extend arm’ that we usually see. And Kobborg was just as subtly playful (non-mechanical) as she. Cojocaru’s Act I solo was beautifully rendered; creamy-smooth pirouettes with just the tiniest hesitation after one of the double-attitude turns, followed by a charming diagonal on pointe broken by some dancey steps in the middle (she did not do the entire diagonal on pointe, as Russians are used to, but it did not matter). The mad scene was understated, yet emotional, bringing tears to many viewers eyes. Again, there were many unique touches to Cojocaru’s rendition; for example, during the sequence when she runs around the stage and seems to be ‘feeling the walls’ around her, she runs into & THROUGH a group of villagers. The final run & collapse into the arms of Albrecht brought loud gasps from the audience, in the risky manner that Cojocaru flung herself onto him, extended her arm upward, then collapsed onto the floor in the hardest, most convincing manner I have ever seem. Audience members around me thought that she had hurt herself..she went BOOM onto the floor. In the Act II moonlit-graveside scene of the Willis, Cojocaru’s Giselle was truly a ghost, with some of the most feathery-light pas de bourees on pointe I’ve seen. Every second of the famous pas de deux was exquisite because Cojocaru is so light, in addition to being in command of her technique. Kobborg was able to lift her as if she were a feather, in face-down/parallel-to-floor positions, with nary a sign of strain. At the end of the adagio of the pas de deux, during the low-lifts across the stage, it seems as if Kobborg was barely lifting Cojocaru but, rather, as if she were propelling herself. I could go on & on. It was one of those magical performances. I’ve seen so many fine Giselle – Alonso, Makarova, Kent, Ferri, Vishnyova, Assylmuratova, Khabibulina (at Maly) – but, IMO, Alina Cojocaru tops them all, considering both Acts I and II. Johan Kobborg was no less triumphant. This elegant dancer has fulfilled the early promise that many of us saw in him, when he won the 1994 Grand Prix – not just a gold medal! – at the Jackson Int’l Ballet Competition. Besides his subtle acting (the flirtations with Giselle) & loving partnering, I will always remember last night’s incredible series of high entrechats-huit during the coda of the Act II pas de deux. My God – they went on forever – each leap seemed higher & higher than the last one – the audience went bonkers halfway through those entrechats! To have these fabulous star performances framed by the Kirov-Mariinsky corps de ballet was the icing on the cake. The Wilis moved as one – the finest corps de ballet on earth. The Act Peasant Pas de Deux was cutely rendered by Elena Sheshina and Vasily Sherbakov, who, himself, displayed some amazing ballon in his second solo. Islom Baimuratov was menacing and cut a fine figure as Hans, the poor huntsman who is also wooing Giselle. Alexandra Gronskaya is a beautiful and haughty Batilda, the noblewoman who is the true fiancé of Albrecht (although she is about one foot taller than Johan Kobborg…so Kobborg should have stuck with Giselle all the way!). In Act II, Tatyana Amosova, a blonde amazon, certainly had the look of Myrta – Queen of the Willis – if not quite the technique (lowish jumps). (Alas, I have memories of Tatyana Terekhova of earlier Kirov days, and Martine Van Hamel of ABT in this role, both of whom could jump like the devil.) However, I was most impressed with the amplitude in the dancing of Ekaterina Osmolkina and Xenia Ostreikovskaya as, respectively, Moyna and Zulma. All in all, it was a magical night, one that sets the bar high for the six remaining evenings of this festival. And, good heavens, I must get to London to see more of the Cojocaru/Kobborg. They are everything that I dream of in ballet dancers…the ultimate!! Jeannie Szoradi St. Petersburg, Russia

Thanks, Marc. But my point is that this was one heck of an ODD night, atypical of any 'Bayadere'performed anywhere else, at any other theater. I would have prefered to compare Pavlenko-with-usual-partner against Vishnyova/Fadeyev. Vishnyova had the chance to dance with a Solor who complemented her temperament and style. Pavlenko did not stand a chance with NT. At least NYCB's Maria Kowroski will get to dance with, IMO, a partner who can complement her Odette/Odile...Danila Korsuntsev.

While perusing the just-published 2003 Mariinsky Ballet Festival souvenir programme, I compared the latest Kirov Dancers Roster with that of the 2002 Festival (which mirrors that found on the Mariinsky internet site). Wow - lots of recent changes, such as: Principals - Altynai Assylmuratova is gone among women, as is Sergei Vikharev (the Petipa-reconstructions stager) among the men. No promotions of female soloists to principal level; however, both Igor Kolb and Andrian Fadeyev have been made Principals. Congratulations to both!! First Soloists - Veronika Part is back as a First Soloist!! Promoted to First Soloist, from Second Soloist, are Daria Pavlenko and Natalia Sologub. Andrei Batalov is still on the roster. Leonid Sarafanov, hired as 2nd Soloist one-half year ago, is now listed as First Soloist. Second Soloists - Promoted to 2nd soloist, from Coryphee level, are Ekaterina Osmolkina and Xenia Ostreikovskaya among women, and Vasily Scherbakov among men. Coryphee - promoted from Corps de Ballet are a number of dancers, including Viktoria Teryoshkina and Tatyana Tkachenko among the women, Igor Popov among men...there are others Principal Character Dancers - I notice that Yelena Sherstnyova is gone, after many, many years are THE grand-dame of character/national dances. I wonder if either she or Assylmuratova received farewell evenings to honor the many years of distinguished service to the theater? I will surely miss both of them.

2003 MARIINSKY INTERNATIONAL BALLET FESTIVAL Mariinsky Theater – St. Petersburg, Russia February 23, 2003 Kirov-Mariinsky Ballet LA BAYADERE Nikiya – Daria Pavlenko Gamzatti – Ekaterina Osmolkina Solor – Nikolai Tsiskaridze (Bolshoi Ballet) Tonight’s performance of Marius Petipa’s 1900 version of ‘La Bayadere’, with a change in the casting of the three principal roles, allowed interesting comparisons with the dancers who performed those roles at the opening, last Friday. However, this was a very different sort of performance because of the unique personalities of the leading performers. Whereas, on Friday, we experienced the story of this ballet, and the love between Nikiya and Solor, tonight we were sitting in the audience watching a star and analyzing his expressions and interactions with others on the stage. Same wonderful corps de ballet – same excellent soloists – but a totally different sort of evening. The audience was every bit as enthusiastic as that on the opening night, mainly due to the appearance of Nikolai Tsiskaridze of Moscow’s Bolshoi Theater, who has an enormous following here. I’ll get to Daria Pavlenko’s Nikiya soon…but she was so overpowered by the Tsiskaridze Personna that we must deal with him first. In a way, Pavlenko, triumphed simply by overcoming the challenge of being paired with a Solor whose flamboyant temperament is at odds with the restrained elegance of this tsarist-era production. Now, I am on record as a long-time admirer of the Tsiskaridze Personna…but in Bolshoi, not Kirov-Mariinsky, productions. From the moment of his walk-in entrance in Act I, he was like a fish out of water. One could tell that he was struggling to rein-in his temperament. There is so much mime in this Petipa-Era version, and so little in the Bolshoi-Grigorovich version, that one can understand why he was not ‘getting it.’ For example, when: • The Rajah unveils his daughter, Gamzatti, Tsiskaridze’s Solor did a little jump, and mouthed “oooh!” • Atop the elephant, as it crossed the stage during the Act II/sc ii procession, Tsiskaridze could not just stay sitting on the beast; he had to lift his arm in florid fashion as he disappeared into the palm trees…waving at his fan club, perhaps? • At the end of Act III, when his attendants show him his wedding apparel, Tsiskaridze flings himself onto his opium-den couch & hides his head among pillows The audience around me was snickering lightly at these, and many other similar, “NT Moments” tonight. This production’s Solor cannot show-off his jumping technique until Act III’s ‘Kingdom of the Shades’ scene. We cheered his amazing past-180-degree split-jetes…then he made a mess of his double-tours, doing them, but landing every one sloppily. His Act IV Pas d’Action solo fared much better, with soaring cabrioles. Pavlenko may be a sprig of woman but, watching Tsiskaridze struggling to hold her aloft in a Swan Lift, you would think that she weighs a ton. [You could see her counting the seconds until she could get off his shoulder alive!] In the end, one must commend Tsiskaridze, an established ‘superstar’ of Russian ballet, for taking a chance with a foreign style, in which even his manner of walking – with heavy-ish steps – was at odds with the Petersburg style…especially ‘Petersburg 1900.’ Daria Pavlenko is a lovely dancer with an exotic face that brought gasps of admiration from the audience when the High Brahmin lifted her veil during her entrance-scene. With her dark features and long earrings, she looked so much like the late Inna Zubkovskaya, it was truly eerie. I can see huge improvements in Pavlenko’s rendering of Nikiya, compared to the unfortunate premiere outing, in this role, in May 2002. Her acting was elegant, carefully rendered, but still on one level – icy cold. (Isn’t Nikiya supposed to have some charm, enough to have both the High Brahmin and Solor go gah-gah for her?). At this stage in her career, Pavlenko lacks the subtle emotions and physical powers of Vishnyova. Most of her solos were performed slightly behind the beat of the music…jetes were low…arabesques in the Act II dance with vina (lute) were barely held…the coda with the basket was performed in ‘low-key manner’ with barely a swivel of the hips, which is such an essential feature of this dance…yet the total-picture is one of a true artist in the making. Like Tsiskaridze, Pavlenko improved her technique as the night went on, with a spot-on solo in the Shades Scene, including a series of clean finishes in the pirouettes as she holds onto the white silk scarf held aloft by Solor. That was nice indeed…and we even saw a glimmer of a charming smile on her face as she took her bows, following that solo! In fairness to Daria Palenko, her icy emotions, even in the Act I flirtations with Solor, probably had something to do with the partner assigned to her. I bet that, if paired with a Jose-Manuel Carreno or Ethan Stiefel some day, her Nikiya could truly ‘melt’ and fall in love! Then we would be able to lose ourselves in the story and enjoy Pavlenko’s artistry to the fullest. As Gamzatti, Ekaterina Osmolkina was fine in her Act IV dancing solo and the coda with 32 fouettes…although these traveled a bit across the stage. This production’s Gamzatti is mostly a mime role and, here, she was not quite up to the clarity and distinction of Friday night’s Elvira Tarasova. All other solo and demi-solo roles tonight were ‘repeats’ from last Friday and these were all fantastic, from the High Brahmin to the kiddies in the Lotus Dance of Act IV! Let it be noted that, with the exception of Tsiskaridze’s claque, the evening’s biggest ‘bravos’ went to the Infernal Dance, once again performed with gusto by Galina Rakhmanova, Islom Baimuratov and the tom-tom-drum boys. Jeannie Szoradi St. Petersburg, Russia

Marc, I don't wish to be cruel towards NDT but, between Petipa-era ballets and a modern dance, I have a certain preference. ;) I wish NDT well, though. I hope that all works out for them.

Well, I know for sure that Agnes Letestu & Jose Martinez are here, as they are staying very, very close to where I have my flat...but, bien sur, I will keep the address to myself. What? Is Thibault coming? Could I be so lucky??? Some of you may remember how I admired him in Paquita pas de trois, Robbins 'Four Seasons'etc . Legris is definitely scheduled for the final gala, in the works cited by Marc but someone in the press office told me that he is injured. The biggest news of the day is that, apparently, Nederlands Dans Theater may not come at all - not even to the gala for 'Bella Figura', as their costumes/set have not received the proper paperwork from Russian customs!!! So there may be even more 'divertissements'for the final gala?

2003 MARIINSKY INTERNATIONAL BALLET FESTIVAL Mariinsky Theater – St. Petersburg, Russia February 22, 2003 Kirov-Mariinsky Ballet CINDERELLA Cinderella – Natalia Sologub Prince – Andrei Merkuriev Stepmother – Irma Nioradze Stepsister Khudishka – Viktoria Teryoshkina Stepsister Kubishka – Elena Sheshina The sunshine went into hibernation on Saturday, the second day of the ten-day festival. That did not seem to dampen the spirits of the audience, who entered the auditorium of the Mariinsky Theater to gaze upon a shockingly modern front curtain. Tonight, the flouncy blue-and-gold curtain by Golovin was replaced by a black-and-white depiction of New York City skyscrapers, thus portending an unusual night of dance from this usually ultra-traditional ballet company. Alexei Ratmansky’s “Cinderella,” to the familiar Sergei Prokofiev score, premiered exactly one year ago. Anybody who read what I wrote back then knows that this was far from my favorite ballet. But I come with open mind, hoping for improvements. I am happy to report some rays of hope. Not many – some. This is a stark, minimalist production designed by Ilya Utkin and Yevgeny Monakhov, with lighting by Gleb Filshtinsky. The main set consists of two tall metallic staircases on wheels, to the left and to the right, from which many of the ballet’s characters emerge and exit. These tall towers remind us of dingy fire-escape staircases in typical New York City apartments. They flank an open ‘dance space’ that is, strangely, blocked by two long, thin metal columns near the middle of the stage – which made me fear for dancers who might bump into them. Those two columns support a huge metallic wheel that, during the ballroom scene, flips up to resemble a chandelier with flickering candles. The only backdrops are very simple ‘flats’ depicting a coffered corridor for the ballroom and a row of tall cedar trees for the love scene/pas de deux. The mostly-ineffective costumes, by Elena Markovskaya, range from grotesque-silly hot pink/black for the stepsisters (one of the sisters wearing padding to make her appear chubby), to shades of orange and red for ballroom ladies, to stark white for the prince…still resembling a milkman or the Ajax Man with a little white bow tie. Cinderella wore dingy grey in the apartment and white tulle/gold-sequined bodiced romantic tutu at the ball -- this costume being a HUGE improvement on the boring white sheath worn by Diana Vishnyova at the premiere last year. On this second viewing, the production still looks and feels like an uncentered hodge-podge, lacking a unifying theme and vision. What is this? Where are we – New York, the Loire Valley, a 1920s speak-easy? Pick your pick – the wild variety of costuming and backdrops makes me wonder if the various creative talents in this production ever spoke to each other during the creative process, let alone agree on a ‘look.’ Perhaps all that matters is to have a ‘Moderne Look’ that can shock the babushkas in the 3rd-Tier seats and make them long for Marius Petipa? Throw whatever crap on the stage that looks different, cheap, anti-luxurious, anti-Mariinsky, anti-Petersburg? Create a couple of beautiful pas de deux in the midst of banal, flippant choreography for the secondary characters and the corps de ballet? Rather than shock us, the end result is BO-RING, despite some fantastic dancing. So on to the dancing. With her slender-twig frame, red mop-top hair, and pale complexion, Natalia Sologub is a ragamuffin of a Cinderella. Thus, she was absolutely effective in portraying the pathos of a mistreated daughter, making the encounter with the prince magical. She is every bit, if not more, pliant and sinewy in movement than was Vishnyova in the role. Solugub is, to me, the most modern, anti-Petipa of Kirov-Mariinsky ballerinas. She moves as if possessing no bones – a dancing Gumby Doll – and is keenly sensitive to music. [These same qualities make her wonderful in the new ‘Nutcracker,’ which we’ll see later this week.] It’s too bad that so much of Ratmansky’s choreography is more dopey than serious, e.g., as the clock strikes midnight and Cinders runs away from the ball, she does ‘slow-motion-running’ movements facing the audience. Hardee-har-har. Andrei Merkuriev overcame the ridiculous snow-white milkman costume by the power of his dancing and sincere acting as a romantic hero. His personality shines to the highest row of the auditorium. Like Sologub, he is a dancer who can MOVE…and barely miss hitting the two pesky columns in the middle of the stage! As the conceited Stepmother with an orange hair bob, Irma Nioradze pushed the comedy over-the-top so that the laughs were missed. I far preferred Yulia Makhalina’s slightly-subtler rendition last year. What a waste of a fine ballerina’s talent is this role! The two stepsisters fared slightly better, especially Viktoria Teryoshkina as the tall and slender one, in a funny ballroom solo in which the pointe of one of her slippers seems stuck to the stage. As the Dance-Teaching Pair, Ti En Riu and Alexei Semenov were among the saving graces of Act I. They were truly comical due to their understated aloofness and torso-thrusting movements, as they tried to teach a few steps to the three nasties. In this version, the Fairy Stepmother is a matronly bag-lady, a change of character for the usually-glamorous Elena Bazhenova. The ‘Fairies of the Four Seasons’ are, in this version, not the usual dainty ballerinas but hunky men in two-piece, brightly-colored spandex outfits and wild wigs. Each fairy is accompanied by a retinue of daffy ballerinas, e.g., Fairy Winter comes with eight girls in stiff-platter tutus with little cotton snowballs on the edges of the skirts. All four Fairies were fine, with tall and sinewy Ivan Popov particularly effective as Winter. Act III featured two ‘stops’ on the Prince’s travels around the world, in search of the girl who lost her slipper at the ball: first, to a female bordello then…to an all-male-prostitute hang-out. Hardee-har-har. Two of the Kirov-Mariinsky’s most talented character dancers, Anna Sysoeva (a 2001 graduate with a Veronika Part figure) and Islom Baimuratov, went through the banal movements as best they could. One looks forward to the return to normalcy in tomorrow night’s ‘La Bayadere.’ Jeannie Szoradi St. Petersburg, Russia

p.s. - It was a lot of fun to spot VIPs in the audience...not just Tsiskaridze..also a number of world-class figure skaters, including European champ pair skater Oksana Totmianina, who won the Mariinsky Fashion Parade, hands-down, with a bright-red spaghetti-strapped gown that fit her like a glove! It was also great to see many of the foreign guest artists already here, e.g., the POB dancers Letestu & Martinez, choreographer Pierre Lacotte, and Royal Ballet star Alina Cojocaru...whose Giselle is highly anticipated at this festival. Heck, this is so much fun!!!

Yes, NO7, Mr. Putin hands out these awards every so often but it is still a rather big honor....a carry-over from the Soviet days, when Orders of Lenin & such were pinned on the chests of People's Heroes! There are two levels of award - Honored (or 'Merited') Artist of the Russian Federation and, an even higher achievement - People's Artist, which goes to the Assylmuratovas of this world. IMO, it is kind-of nice to live in a country where artists and scientists are held in the highest esteem by the majority of the population...even if salaries do not mirror the esteem.

2003 MARIINSKY INTERNATIONAL BALLET FESTIVAL Mariinsky Theater – St. Petersburg, Russia February 21, 2003 Kirov-Mariinsky Ballet LA BAYADERE (revival of 1900 production) Nikiya – Diana Vishnyova Gamzatti – Elvira Tarasova Solor – Andrian Fadeyev High Brahmin – Vladimir Ponomaryov The city of St. Petersburg bathed itself in the sunshine of an early spring day to welcome attendees to the opening of the third annual Mariinsky International Ballet Festival. Anticipation was high as the standing-room-only audience poured into the aquamarine-colored theater that can be considered the world’s grandest temple of ballet. The festival commenced in spectacular fashion with Marius Petipa’s four-act (and four hour) ballet, La Bayadere, in the 1900 version, restaged in May 2002 by Sergei Vikharev. As the love struck temple dancer, Nikiya, Diana Vishnyova was exquisite, both physically and emotionally. Her portrayal strikes the perfect balance between goddess-like, ideal technique and raw, earthy emotion. Vishnyova is the Callas of the Dance! I could hear her legs ‘sing’ in the initial pas de deux ‘adagio’ of the Shades Scene, to the accompaniment of a weeping violin. Similarly, her jetes during Solor’s initial Dream Scene were imbued with emotion, via perfect musical timing and thrust. (I have never witnessed ‘emotional jetes’ before!) This is a carefully thought-out portrayal rich in detail. For example, her complex characterization of Nikiya showed sparks of love for the High Brahmin during the Ritual of Fire, that I’ve never noticed in other ballerinas. Then during the Act II/sc. Ii death scene, after having been bitten by the asp, and being offered an antidote by the High Brahmin, Vishnyova’s Nikiya does not do the usual mechanical tossing of the vial; instead, she takes her time gazing at Solor and allows her hands to slowly open, with the effect that the vial evaporates from her hands. Natural – no histrionics. Technically, this ballerina is at her peak. The ‘Shades scene’ solo with the scarf featured silken-smooth pirouettes in both directions. In the coda of that scene, Vishnyova whipped-off a fiery string of pique turns (choosing to revert to the Soviet choreography, rather than the 1900 steps danced by Pavlenko and Zakharova in this production). Was Vishnyova perfect? No – I wish that she would not thrust out her torso in an inelegant arch and, instead, revert to the straight slim line that made her May 1995 Vaganova Academy graduation performance of Nikiya so memorable for me. Elvira Tarasova’s portrayal of the haughty Indian princess, Gamzatti, is one of the great delights of the Mariinsky stage. This is a mostly-mimed role with a major classical-dance segment near the end of the ballet. Tarasova both sparkled in the classical dancing – the Act 4 pas d’action – and was crystal-clear in her mime. Her famous solo (the 1947 Petr Gusev version) was danced cleanly and the 32 fouettes in the coda were spot-on, eliciting ‘bravos’ from the appreciative audience. Tonight’s Solor, Andrian Fadeyev, is a dancer of noble bearing who possesses a fine technique. His manege of double tours en l’air around the stage in the Shades scene was high and powerful, if not as effortless as those of a Baryshnikov or Kolb. To his credit, Fadeyev has transformed himself into a larger – more muscular – dancer, making him more effective in the princely roles. His partnering was steady , his presence made more impact than in years past. He is a blonde Nordic prince – the Pride of Russia! The spirit of Felix Kchessinsky lives on in Vladimir Ponomaryov. What more can I say about his portrayal of the High Brahmin that I haven’t written elsewhere? I wish I had an extra pair of eyes so that I could lock my gaze on his silent presence, in the periphery of the stage, whenever other soloists are acting…he is riveting in the nuances of his gestures. As Nikiya dances her sad solo with the vina (lute), his subtle movements tell the whole story. After his argument with Gamzatti’s father, the weight of his steps across the stage could cause a tidal wave on the Neva. Beautiful Elena Bazhenova erases all memories of matronly portrayals of Aya. This is one glamorous sneaky servant! Recent-graduate & Vaganova Prix silver medalist, Yevgenia Obratsova, was charming as Manu, the girl who balances a water-jug on her head. Galina Rakhmanova and Islom Baimuratov personified the sheer ‘Joy of Dance’ as the lead couple in the rousing Infernal Dance (a.k.a. ‘Tom-Tom Dance’) of Act II. As a drum-tossing soloist in the same dance, Vasily Scherbakov was a bit too classically restrained… a Bluebird with a drum? The three solo shades in Act III were quite good, with the first of these, Irina Golub, as the stand-out, with a final diagonal of rising-and-falling First Arabesques, in which the lifted leg never wavered, remaining perfectly still and parallel to the stage. Brava! As the 2nd shade, Viktoria Teryoshkina displayed long and secure balances…and she had no choice but to do so, given the morbid, uneven tempo of the conductor. [she did everything but remain suspended in the air with her cabrioles, as she waited for the beat!] Third shade, the recently-promoted Xenia Ostreikovaksya, shined in the middle section of her solo with smooth transitions from a-la-second to efface arabesques…but Michele Wiles of ABT remains my benchmark for the difficult first section of this solo (the developes into pirouettes). The corps de ballet ladies were sheer perfection in the Kingdom of the Shades scene – 32 beautiful Victorian Gibson-Girl shades moving as one. I was equally impressed by the corps in other scenes, e.g., the melancholic way in which the ‘fan girls’ sit down as Nikiya begins her lamenting solo with the vina. This is what makes the Kirov corps so great – they don’t ‘just-sit-down’ because the soloist is dancing and the spotlight is not on them; rather, each and every person on the stage remains in character and mirrors the mood of what is happening by the footlights. Last but not least, some words of praise for the children of the Vaganova Academy in the Lotus Dance in Act IV. The future of the Mariinsky Ballet is ensured, in the nascent artistry and beauty of these children! The smallest girls may be only 10 or 11 years old but, already, they display the aristocratic elegance and deportment of any Mariinsky corps lady…the swan necks, elegantly-held arms & hands, use of eyes, gorgeous feet, musicality, ultra-femininity…and nary a ‘Look Ma - I’m Dancing!’ grin among them. The Mariinsky Theater Orchestra played richly despite hesitant conducting from Mikhail Sinkevich. This production has settled nicely since I attended its premiere during last summer’s White Nights Festival, and subsequent performances during the July 2002 Metropolitan Opera tour. The original 1900 sets – marvelously painted flats found in the theater’s attic a couple of years ago – are now better lit so that they do not look so faded. The elephant is grander (with more feathers) than in May 2002 but the overstuffed tiger is still a hoot! A sure sign that the Golden Idol solo will never return is the fact that ‘he’ is now but a plaster statue carried across the stage on a canopied pillow by four bearers. On the other hand, a huge improvement on the May 2002 premiere of this production is the more effective final scene, with a properly-collapsing temple, lightning and dry-ice mist, leading to an emotional Apotheosis as Nikiya’s shade retrieves the soul of her beloved and bears him to heaven. Bayadere will be repeated on Sunday, February 23, with different principal casting, including Bolshoi principal and superstar Nikolai Tsiskaridze, who was sat a couple of rows in front of me at this performance, soaking in the details of this glorious production. - Jeannie Szoradi St. Petersburg, Russia

I have to chuckle about the casting of Friday's Solor, Marc. Didn't Stiefel replace Manuel Legris? And didn't Legris replace the originally-announced Igor Kolb, when the festival casting first came out? At this stage, I'll know who dances Solor when the curtain goes up day-after-tomorrow. ;) I mean - it could end up being Jock Soto as Solor?

I see that Elvira Tarasova, Irina Zhelonkina & Viktor Baranov have just been honored with the title 'Merited Artist of Russia'. Congratulations to these three true classicists! The info is on the Kirov-Mariinsky web site's main page.

I'm starting this thread in hopes that someone else in StP may be able to attend this next week. I'm planning on going to only the short programs (afternoon of Feb 28), as I'm attending the Mariinsky Ballet Festival on all evenings. With the short programs, at least I'll get to see every skater, in every discipline, 'live' once. Sasha Cohen skates 'Malaguena' for her SP...my all-time favorite Sasha-Program. I hope that she can concentrate through all her elements, including footwork. Come to think of it, I sure hope that the foreign skaters will have time to attend a ballet performance or two, before the competition. I bet that they would love it. I've spotted Pluschenko & other famous Russian skaters at the ballet several times, in the past. **** p.s. - I was unable to attend this event when I was in StP, due to packed ballet festival schedule, going on at same time. Yeah...but I saw the ABC team (incl infamous Dick Button) and several skaters at the airport the day after the competition ended...ha-ha! On to Worlds.

Thanks for that info, Susanna. I would not have imagined! Jeez, now I feel truly sorry for American TV-viewers...really shortchanged when it comes to commercial-free Olympic-class skating on the tube. But they get Dick Button's comments. The only change from what I wrote above is that, in the Men's finals, Takeshi Honda of Japan rose to first place with an all-time-great performance of three (or was it four?) quads, bumping one of the Chinese men to 2nd. Final standings for the men were Japan-China-China. So it was a great showing for Asia, after all.

The ISU's 'Four Continents' championship -- for Olympic-eligible skaters from every place on earth except Europe -- is going on this week, in Beijing. Below is a link to the USFSA's reports on this. www.usfsa.org/events_results/results/200203/fourcontinents/results.htm?did=251060 In a nutshell, this has been a rather disappointing championship for the North Am. contingent (USA/Canada/Mex) & spectacular for Asia. CHINA swept the Pairs, with the World Champs earning gold. JAPAN swept the ladies, even without one of their top ladies for Worlds (Yoshie Onda). And it's China-Japan-China in the top three spots, heading into tomorrow's Men's finals. The one bright spot for NAm was in Ice Dancing, where Canada won gold (Bourne/Kratz) and USA took silver & bronze (but a bit of a disappointment for US champs Lang/Tchernichev, falling behind their compatriots, Belbin/Agosto). So now, with the Euros & Four CC's behind us (almost), we should have a very good idea of the possible placements at Worlds 2003 in Washington, DC...that is, the 'unofficial pre-determined placement' in the minds of some judges. ;) - Jeannie Four CC's competition is not shown in Europe. Anybody who has been watching the telecasts in North Am. is welcomed to chime in with reports. [edited in the hopes of making the link clickable, A.T.]

Programming details are coming in from the Mariinsky press office, slowly but surely. I received this today, regarding the "Evening of Historic Ballets" on February 26. This one promises to be one of the more fascinating nights in this festival. Makhalina dancing Elssler's 'Cachucha' and a rarely-seen masterpiece of character dancing -- Lev Ivanov's 'Hungarian Rhapsody' from Act IV of "Little Humpbacked Horse" staged by Irina Gensler. Yum-yum!! ************ Wed, 26 Feb 2003, 19:00 Themes and variations of classical ballet Variations on a Romantic Theme Variations on a Folklore Theme Variations on a Spanish Theme: Agnes Letestu, Jean-Guillaume Bart (Opera de Paris) Conductor: Boris Gruzin DETAILS: I. VARIATIONS ON A ROMANTIC THEME PAS DE QUATRE Music by Cesare Pugni Choreography by Anton Doline (1936) after Jules Perrot (1845) TBA PAS DE DEUX from LA PAPILLON Music by Jacques Offenbach Choreography by Pierre Lacotte (1976) after Marie Taglioni (1860) Zhanna Ayupova, Igor Kolb (Mariinsky Ballet) FANNY ELSSLER'S CACHUCHA from DIABLE BOITEUX Traditional Andalucian music Choreography by Pierre Lacotte (1979) after Jean Coralli (1836) Yulia Makhalina (Mariinsky Ballet) PAS DE DEUX from FLOWER FESTIVAL IN GENZANO Music by E. Helsted and H.S.Paulli Choreography by August Bournonville (1858) TBA PAS DE SIX from LA VIVANDIERE Music by Cesare Pugni Choreography by Pierre Lacotte (1979) after Saint-Leon (1843) Irina Golub, Anton Korsakov and artists of the Mariinsky Ballet II. VARIATIONS ON A SLAVIC THEME THE BALLAD OF THE EAR OF WHEAT and VARIATIONS ON A SLAVIC THEME from COPPELIA Music by Leo Delibes Choreography by Marius Petipa (1884) after Saint-Leon Reconstruction by Sergey Vikharev Yekaterina Osmolkina, Andrey Merkuriev and artists of the Mariinsky Ballet HUNGARIAN RHAPSODY from THE LITTLE HUNCHBACKED HORSE Music by Ferenc Liszt Choreography by Lev Ivanov (1900) Renewal: Irina Gensler Polina Rassadina, Lira Khuslamova, Islom Baimuradov, Artem Yachmennikov and artists of the Mariinsky Ballet III. VARIATIONS ON A SPANISH THEME GRAND PAS from PAQUITA Music by Ludwig Minkus Choreography by Marius Petipa (1881) Adwiser of the Renewal: Pyotr Gusev and Lidia Tyuntina Agnes Letestu, Jean-Guillaume Bart (Opera de Paris), Natalia Sologub, Daria Pavlenko, Elena Sheshina, Irina Golub, Sofia Gumerova, artists of the Mariinsky Ballet and Student of the Academy of The Russian Ballet (Vaganova Academy)

Thank you for the wonderful reviews, Roma! I, too, am taken aback by certain audiences, on certain nights. I adore Pavlenko, too...but I have noticed a particular coolness from 'local' audiences towards her. Ditto, of all people, the delightful Ayupova -- my God, I'll never forget a 'Raymonda' that she danced in 1995 which was barely applauded. I felt like clobbering the people around me & screaming 'Applaud, you idiots!'! Yet they scream to the rafters whenever Vishnyova dances. Or a 'Farouk Night' back when he was at his apogee. Zakharova is an interesting case. She seems applauded & cheered more by the folks in parterre (usually 90% foreign 'cause parterre costs a lot) than in the upper ryads....where I usually sit, in what I call 'Babushka Row'...uppermost tier, sides. Those babushki are the toughest critics; it's quite an experience to be seated among them.