Natalia

Quick note to thank everyone who has been relaying information on this IBC (including the wonderful photos on the other thread!). I'm in 'overseas work status' this week & can barely squeeze time for quick peek at my favorite ballet board. I'm grateful that we have other 'Jackson Followers' out there!!

I like "ingenue" a lot, Calliope. I'm all for it.

I don't recall the name , Calliope, but I *do* recall seeing Darci Kister in this role ca-1992/93 & the effect was definitely diferent. Kistler was (is) a million times more elegant than the 'cheerleaders.' [There are several in today's NYCB - not just this one.] Sorry to rant about this - I know that they all work hard & try their best - but I can only think of the recent Parma-Verdi Festival telecast (seen in Europe - I saw it) in which Martins cast several of these 'pudgy blonde cheerleader types' (sorry - just a gut reaction) and I don't remember such seemingly-inelegant & immature-looking dancers being given principal roles back when I used to follow NYCB in earnest. THEN, on top of all that, I have months of looking at Russian-Vaganova-trained dancers in my mind & can quickly pick-up on sloppy upper bodies. [Yes - I know my prejudices & am first to offer 'mea Culpa!' But I also have years of following & admiring NYCB, as do many of you.] YET the Jeni Ringers & Maria Kowroskis of this world can certainly fit into a 'Tsars Ball' - they are so elegant. They are miles ahead of the 'cheerleaders'!

I'm copying this from the 'Diamond project Poll' at the top of this thread. This is a more appropriate spot for my little rant-and-rave! ********* I finally got around to watching the videocassette of the PBS special, which Mom kindly made for me while I was in Russia. Judging from what I saw on TV...it's THUMBS DOWN all the way! ('Red Angels' & 'Mercurial Maneouvers' saved the night but, still...) Thank God for Jenifer Ringer. Thank God for Peter Boal. But what-the-heck was with that pudgy blonde in the first number...sorry, I have a problem with baby ballerini-cheerleader-with-'heehaw smile' types. Not the type of dancer who I envision at a Tsar's Ball. Ballet is derived from royalty - kings & tsars, isn't it? Basic elegance is the hallmark of ballet & all that we love, isn't it? Excuse me. You have no idea how looking at that cheerleader affected me. I'll take a second look at that video soon & perhaps I'll change my mind. - Jeannie

Colleen wrote: Michele Wiles as Medora was a revelation, both in her dancing and acting. ********** No surprise to those of us who have known & followed Wiles for a long, L-O-N-G time at Kirov Academy, Varna IBC & beyond. She has the true Petipa-Kirov style (read that: noble elegance) running through her veins, it has always appeared. Thanks for the full account of the performance, Colleen! It seems to have been a winner, in all respects & by all soloists. - Jeannie

I finally got around to watching the videocassette of the PBS special, which Mom kindly made for me while I was in Russia. Judging from what I saw on TV...it's THUMBS DOWN all the way! ('Red Angels' & 'Mercurial Maneouvers' saved the night but, still...) Thank God for Jenifer Ringer. Thank God for Peter Boal. But what-the-heck was with that pudgy blonde in the first number...sorry, I have a problem with baby ballerini-cheerleader-with-'heehaw smile' types. Not the type who I envision at a Tsar's Ball. Ballet is derived from royalty - kings & tsars. Basic elegance is the hallmark of ballet & all that we love, isn't it? Excuse me. You have no idea how looking at that cheerleader affected me. I'll take a second look at that video soon & perhaps I'll change my mind. - Jeannie

The link below takes you to a list of all competitors who have made it on to the finals (Round III). NO SURPRISES - all of my pre-announced favorites, who came to Jackson for actual competition, have breezed through...Chinese, Bostonians, Kirov Academy faves...and Emi Hariyama of Japan. You'll need Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) on your computer, so as to see this. If you don't have it, it can be downloaded for free via a number of internet sources. http://usaibc.com/pdf/Round3CompetitorsRelease.pdf - Jeannie

The Vaganova Prix is underway. Here's a preview article from St Petersburg Times. Jury chairman is Natalia Makarova; Altynai Assylmuratova is the deputy. I've been to this competition twice (95 & 98) and it is usually dominated by Vaganova Academy recent-grads. It was won in '98 by Mikhail Ilyn...a huge favorite for a medal in Jackson this year. Other winners in past have included Uliana Lopatkina, Maya Dumchenko, Andrian Fadeev, etc. http://www.sptimes.ru/archive/times/779/fe...ures/a_6709.htm

Thanks, kirovgal! Please ask Maw & Paw to e-mail me, after a nice apology...you have an important service to perform, in the name of Art, through use of that computer! ;) Cheers, Jeannie

Hello, Xin Xin & Helen. Thanks for visiting. Excellent points on all sides. Thanks for the input/feedback! I had forgotten that Mme Dai was born in Trinidad/Tobago in the Caribbean...not so far from my own Puerto Rico, in fact, and she became the founding mother of Chinese ballet! The point made about the Ballet Nacional de Cuba & its excellence in the grand scheme of ballet, makes me wonder further: how can American Ballet Theater -- so representative of this hemisphere's melting pot -- continue to hire/promote/foster the dancing of such non-Europeans as, say, Paloma Herrera & Hernan Cornejo (Argentina), Stella Abrera (Philippines), Xiomara Reyes (Cuba), Renata Pavam (Brazil), etc, etc.? Do these dancers *truly* capture the essence of ballet, both inside & outside? The Royal Ballet of the UK has quite a few non-Europeans in its ranks, too, at last count. Do *those* non-European soloists capture the essence of ballet? - Jeannie

Here is an easier-to-access list of the dancers who advanced to Round II, which begins tomorrow & continues through Sunday. http://www.clarionledger.com/news/0206/20/...0/wdancers.html ALL of the 'pre-competition faves' who we've listed -- and who we know to be attending -- have made it. Congratulations to all!!!

I'm on a deadline right now so here's the short answer. Ballet has enormous appeal to Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Filipino & other Asian peoples. It has really 'clicked' with their sense of visual beauty. Regarding the special case of the PRChina, their tradition in ballet is one of the newest on earth...but very strong. The Oxford Dictionary of Ballet & Dance will provide you with all the nitty-gritty details but, in essense, state-sponsored Chinese ballet began in the late 40s/early 50s with the help of the very best consultants & pedagogues from the Soviet Union...Pyotr Gusev - how can it get any better???!!! The standard Western rep had to give way to revolutionary-Chinese dramballets during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s ('Red Detachment of Women', 'White-haired Girl' etc. stem from that era). Since the early 80s (after the end of the Cult Rev), the rep reverted to the Western classics. Since then, Chinese dancers have competed & done very well at the major IBCs. They compete for gold - nothing more, nothing less! It's almost a continuation of their 'Olympic fighting spirit'! I toured China -- east to west, north to south -- last year & was so very impressed by the high level of their dancers & the high amount of western-style ballet seen on national TV...not just the Shanghai IBC (complete with a panel of five or six 'color commentators' making detailed comments on each & every dancer, tearing apart/analyzing variations)....but every Sunday morning CCTV has a program spotlighting amateur dance groups fromall over the country, including ballet, acrobatics, tap, folk...but huge emphasis on ballet. Ballet & other forms of western dance are very ingrained into the culture of China. While I was there, a new pre-prof'l school was inaugurated in the NE (Manchuria area), a 'sister-academy' to Novosibirsk, Russia. A new prof'l troupe from Liao Ning has already produced several IBC medalists. And on & on. Beautiful, beautiful stuff. Ditto in all former Soviet Union countries. - Jeannie (sorry for the mess...I'm really typing a mile a minute)

Patricia - Sorry to hear about the problem with donors. I've been attending Kirov performances in St Petes since 1994, off-and-on, and I've been treated with nothing but kindness, from two very different administration teams, to boot! But, as you say, this is best left for off-site discussions. Regarding the '1900-Bayadere' I saw several casts of principal being rehearsed during my most recent visit &, in fact, a lot of 'switching' between male-and-female pairs was being tested-out to find a right comfort level among teams...e.g., Kolb & Pavlenko did not work out on opening night, so now Kolb is set to partner a different ballerina on opening night at the Met. What's more, a male principal or two have been fully left out of the Met 'Bayadere' schedule even though I saw those guys rehearsing the role of Solor...saw 'em with my own two eyes. Management & repetiteurs have a big say-so until the last possible moment on who-is-in/who-is-out. That's just the way it works there and, of course, it is jarring for most dance-followers in the West.

Thanks so much for the first-hand report, kirovgal! If you go to other sessions, please let us know your impressions!! Victoria & Juliet - Thanks for the updates on Gahl & Pulcini...that's too bad, as I'm sure that both would have fared very well indeed. In drawing my 'oddsmakers list,' I was going by the list of competitors in the Jackson site, three days ago. Obviously, they have not excissed the names of originally-selected competitors who, for whatever reason, chose not to attend. So...who knows if all of the pre-announced fabulous Chinese competitors are even in Jackson? ***********update*********** The list of dancers who made it on to Round II should be posted by now. Following is the link to the press releases on the official site. The list of those who passed on to Round 2 should be at the top. You'll need AdobeAcrobat program on your computer to view it. http://usaibc.com/whatsnew.html No surprises - all the favorites have passed on...except for China's Yao Wei, the lady who won the Grand Prix at both Lausanne & the Helsinki IBC last year. Odd...I bet she did not appear in Jackson. If she did & was eliminated in Round I, then THAT would be a super-shock.

Good question, Leigh. The answer - "It's a cultural, traditional thing." Let me explain. In Russia, casting is posted (announced on the posters that go up on the facade of the Mariinsky Theater) maybe one week before the actual performance. That's when one can reasonably tell who-is-REALLY-dancing-what. Its been done like that since the times of the tsars... Recent modern-age pressures, such as the Mariinsky internet website, have 'forced' management to make educated guesses on principal casting, say, one month in advance. Said casting almost always will change when the hard-copy poster hits the wall of the Mariinsky Theater. Now imagine the pressure on Vasiyev et. al. to conform to an even greater time-span & 'Western Cultural Thing": provide casting of principal -- gasp! -- FOUR/FIVE MONTHS in advance, for purposes of a tour! So Vasiyev et al make an educated guess as to who may be dancing & they try their best to stick to the leading principals...they really do. [e.g., I believe that each & every previously-listed Aurora in the 1999 MET tour's 'Beauty' danced as announced, didn't they? Zakharova, followed by Vishneva, Assylmuratov in matinee & Nioradze). However, in the real world, a number of factors come into play which force a change in casting, most notably injuries. In the case of the 'new-old Bayadere,' we're talking about a production that premiered on May 31; repetiteurs had not even had the chance to see possible casts of principals way back in March, when the MET asked for cast lists. But I hear you...I too have suddenly found out that one of my Vishneva-announced shows has now gone to Zakharova...;) Hey - but she's dancing with Igor Kolb, who was so brilliant at the May 31 premiere of this production, in St Pete. And wait 'til you see Elvira Tarassova as Gamzatti, in the restored Pas de Sept of Act IV. - Jeannie

What - no reports yet?? How have my favorite Bostonians & Washingtonians fared thus far? Which variations did they dance in Round I? Any surprises that I did not mention in my predictions? Well, Round I ends today & some of the 'big guns' are up this afternoon & tonight. Good luck to two of my local faves -- Ashley Canterna & Danny Tidwell -- who compete in today's 2 pm session...along with the the exquisite Yao Wei of China. And it's Emi Hariyama of Japan tonight...ooooo....I'm getting nervous! Good Karma to one & all! Tomorrow the jury will deliberate on who-makes-it-on to Round II, which begins on Friday & continues through Sunday.

Hi, Calliope. Excellent questions! re. Companies the Shun Ballet Competitions - Actually, San Francisco Ballet is chock-full of competition winners & Helgi Tomasson (their AD) usually attends the Jackson IBCs! Soloist Vanesa Zahorian is just one of many competition winners (Nureyev Prix Budapest) who has flourished in SFB...ditto Lucia Lacarra. The two companies on earth that are the mavericks in shunning competitions (for the most part) are NYCB & the Royal Ballet of UK (London & Birmingham) ...although the latter recruits TONS of competition winners to its ranks after those dancers have won competition medals, e.g., Alina Cojocaru, Chi Cao, Tamara Rojo, Zenaida Yanowsky, etc, etc. re. Stars Who Compete Where did you get the idea that established stars do not compete? My goodness, the last Jackson IBC in 1998, for example, saw the Bolshoi Ballet stars -- Anna Antonicheva & Dmitri Belogolovtsev -- compete & earn medals...she won Sr Ladies Gold & he won Sr Men's Silver (to Rasta Thomas, who earned the gold). This year, the prima ballerina (top-top star) of China's National Ballet in Beijing is competitng in Jackson; needless to say, anyone who beats her must be spectacular. To compete & win in the major IBCs is considered a huge-big-deal in a number of countries, such as Russia & China. It simply adds to the prestige of one's resume; in the east, a dancer's laurels/competition titles appear on each & every printed programme, for every performance, for the rest of his/her life. It's a cultural & historic thing. Competitions are not in the 'culture' of NYCB...not that they should be. NYCB has its very unique culture & 'value-system' (for lack of better term). I'd like to think that there is room in this world for all cultures & ways-of-thinking! It's the spice of life. - Jeannie

Thanks, all. Yet the mystery remains: *Which* version of 'Bayadere' will open the season, 'old 1941' or 'new 1900'?

AT - You are so right about the non-virginal character of that 'Soviet Adagio' of Nikia & the He-man!!! That number was added to the 1940s Kirov production using, of all things, music from another Petipa-exotic oeuvre: "Talisman" by Riccardo Drigo. [That piece of music is oneof the most recycled ones in Mariinsky history! It appeared yet again in Act II of Petipa's revision of "Esmeralda" in the late 1890s, as an adagio at the wedding of Fleur-de-Lys. Later, ca 1980, the conductor-arranger Lanchberry used that very music for the 'Lotus Dance' of the Makarova Act III at ABT! However, the tune was first heard in 'Talisman' as far as I can tell.] Thank goodness, the Nikia/He-man Adagio was excised in the most recent Kirov-Mariinsky production...the one that may or MAY NOT make it to the stage of the Met come July 8, 2002. If the Kirov sends its 1941 version, then we'll see the Nikia/He-man Adagio back on the stage of the Met, after all.

Did anyone attend Saturday night's opening ceremonies/gala? Anybody attending Round I (began yesterday, Sunday, through Wednesday)? Who is looking good so far...anyone? I'm working overseas for much of the competition period & cannot attend this so, hopefully, someone can post reports. (Hint-hint..I know that some Alertnik-moms are attending) We can also consult the official website of the competition: www.usaibc.com Also, there are detailed reports, on a daily basis, in the Jackson, MS, local newspaper, The Clarion Ledger: www.clarionledger.com For example, today's (June 17 '02) edition includes four articles, including this one, which mentions that Russia's Mikhail Ilyn & Mexico's Katia Carranza were the stars of last night's Round One session, in their DON Q pdd. http://www.clarionledger.com/news/0206/17/w02.html And here is a link straight to the archive of ALL articles dealing with this year's competition - one handy-dandy link for all the news on the days to come! http://www.clarionledger.com/news/health/i.../ibc/index.html p.s. -...but we've still love to receive first-hand reports from those Alertniks in attendance ... ;) - Jeannie

Well, I'm traveling again soon...work-related/non-Russia...so full review must go by the wayside. However, I'll expand a bit on what I wrote above. Thursday night's Bolshoi 'Baya' was fun -- I laughed a lot! -- in that Grigorovich saw it fit to turn this work into a 'Spartacus in India.' Almost all of the elegant & 'quiet' ensemble dancing has been jazzed-up with hunters hopping up & down, when before they walked or marched....Egyptian-like priests in the procession (Act II) now stoop & thrust out arms, as if in search of Tanah Leaves, instead of merely walking in single file...that sort of thing. It's a hoot, unless one is so sensitive to Petipa that one is offended. As Nikiya, Antonicheva was at her very best, compared to the gala & 'Swan lake' earlier in the week. She was at her best in the mournful adagio at the Betrothal Scene in Act II. She is a beauty in the face...when she gets the right make-up...unlike Act III!! As Solor, Nikolai Tsiskaridze was spectacular & took many risks. I love virtuoso risky dancers & NT is my man of the moment!! Audience went nuts for him. Maria Allash was OK as Gamzatti...a pretty girl, almost too sweet-looking for the role. Her famous Act II jetes variation was ho-hum...it didn't really zzzzing. On the other hand, there was LOTS of 'zzzzinging' from the Golden Idol -- an absolutely-magnificent Dennis Medveyev -- one of the best I've ever seen!! And the Tom-Tom Dance was superb, with Yuliana Malkhasiants as the female half of the main pair; we could have used some of her abandon at the Kirov, earlier this month, with the all-too-careful rendering of the 1900 reconstruction. The 'Danse Manu' (girl with the water jug) was OK but I really missed the two little girls who accompany Manu & try to knock-off the water jug...without the kids, this dance loses its spark & meaning & becomes too long. [The two kids were also missing from the Act I acrobatic (Soviet Era) adagio for Nikiya & a 'Strongman'...the two little girls are supposed to present Nikiya with white lilies near the end of the dance; Nikiya is lifted by the he-man & scatters the lilies...didn't happen here. The corps of 32 shades were eloquent & precise in their entrace-dance. Sublime! On the other hand the three solo shades were every bit as sloppy & unmusical as they were at the opening night gala...although the new 3rd dhade, Maria Alexandrova was a tad better than Maria Allash at the gala. p.s. to Alexandra - A commercial video of this production, filmed at the Bolshoi, is available from Kultur...so I already knew that the elephant & tiger-on-stick are omitted from the Act II procession. However, the 'chaise-longues' for Gamzatti & her father should have appeared, as they exist in this production. And those horrendous lilac costumes on Gamzatti & Solor, in that scene, are a new invention for this particular tour...back at home, Gamzatti & Solor are in the more traditional silver-and-white costumes for this act. Little nit-picking but it makes a difference to those of us who know & love this ballet very well. But I had FUN & LAUGHED a lot with the hop-dee-doo romps of those spearmen & high priests. I guess that I was in a funny mood that night. - Jeannie Szoradi

Ha-ha-ha...I'm here but working on a deadline in the office. Contrary to rumors I really have a normal job & have to produce every now & then. ;) I LOVED last night's 'Bayadere' & promise a nice lengthy review later, perhaps tomorrow. Hopefully others will write, too. It was the most pure FUN I've had at the ballet in a while (besides the gala-concert in St Petes in which the fan kissed the feet of his favorite ballerinas). What a tonic, following the semi-bomb of the new/old 'Baya' at the Kirov two weeks ago. I cried with delight. Good old-fashioned tom-tom dance, Golden Idol, a soaring Solor. On the other hand...NO ELEPHANT??? :confused: More later - promise.

Oooooo, Gigi, you devil! You're asking for predictions? Well, I've never been known as the shy type, so away we go...but first, a disclaimer: This is just one ballet-goer/competition-goer/world traveler's impressions. There are 114 entrants this year & many, many 'new faces' on the competition scene. Pleasant surprises from the novices can occur. So best of luck to all the competitors - anyone can win!!! But Gigi asked for pre-competition thoughts, so here I go, ready to land on my tush, with egg on my face, if I am dead-wrong! GENERAL LEITMOTIFS - WOAH...look at that power-packed contingent from the People's Republic of China. I've seen all of them at last summer's Shanghai IBC. WATCH OUT FOR CHINA, as a whole. They are amazing!!!! USA has tons of talent - watch out for the BOSTON & WASHINGTON, DC (both Washington Ballet & Kirov Academy) contingents!!!!! And watch out for the Eastern-Euro Men (one amazing Russian who I've followed from age 14...whew!!!) & many of the Japanese. Not to forget possible surprises from the Latin Americans! JUNIOR GIRLS - TWO EXQUISITE CHINESE LADIES will be battling each other for gold & even possible Grand Prix, just as they did in 2002 helsinki & 2001 Shanghai. *Yao Wei - Helsinki GND PRIX & Shanghai silver. Delectable dancer, lyrical but also a memorable 'Esmeralda' in Shanghai that was one of my all-time balletgoing highlights. *Fang Zong-Jing - Gold in both Shanghai & Helsinki (but Yao Wei bested her in Helsinki by copping the highest prize of all, Gnd Prix). Also won 2001 Grand Prix at lausanne. Could easily win it all here. A bit more muscular/less lyrical, but just as impressive, as Yao Wei. At least TWO USA ladies will also be in the hunt for gold & trying to upset the Dynamic Duo from China: * Ashley Canterna of Kirov Academy in Wash, DC- took highest jr ladies medal at the last Varna competition in 2000, as well as Youth America Gnd prix top prize in 2000. Personality-plus and a strong technique. Bet the audience will go wild for her!! * Elizabeth Gahl of Washington School of Ballet - gorgeous dancer who won top honors in Youth Am Gnd prix one year after Canterna ('01). I've admired her since she was quite young!! Other hopes from the USA who, I know, are very strong include Melissa Hough of DC & Kristina Pulcini of Boston. JUNIOR BOYS - Three with strong, strong possibilities to win this division: * Danny Tidwell of USA - Kirov Academy in DC - won the top prize for jr lads (silver medal) at 2001 Shanghai in grand style - all the more impressive considering that he was the only non-Chinese/Asian on the winners podium. Watch out for his contemporary number. * Yang Jiao of Liao Ning, China - was right behind Danny T. in Shanghai IBC last year, winning bronze. I fell in love with Yang's contemporary number...so this will be a battle-royal among contemporary dance masters..Danny-vs.Yang, part II?? * Yudai Fukuoka of Japan, 2001 Helsinki silver medalist, cannot be overlooked, however! SENIOR LADIES - Three clear favorites among those who I know...any of the three can win, depending on stylistic preferences of the judges: * I give the slight edge to Wu Haiyan of Beijing, China - winner of last year's Shanghai IBC in senior division, *shocking* the pre-competition fave, a Shanghai ballerina who had won gold in Varna in 2000. If Wu dances her Giselle in Jackson...watch out!!! Made me cry; made everyone in the audience cry. So touching. * USA's Sarah Lamb - soloist at Boston Ballet - winner of silver medals at both Nagoya '99 and NYC0IBC 2000. Exquisite Petipa/Vaganova-style. Precise, crystalline, lovely positions. Wonderful Princess Florine in Boston 'Beauty' a year ago. * Japan's Emi Hariyama, now with Boston Ballet as corps...and the lady who so impressed me five days ago, in St petersburg's maly Ballet, as Odette/Odile. If the judges want the ultra-lyrical lines...Emi H. is sure to rank high. Interesting name in sr women's division, although I've never seen her perform: Spain's Nadiesda Yanowsky. Must be related to former winners Yuri & Zenaida Yanowski? If pedigree is any indication... SENIOR MEN - Among the guys whom I've seen in competitions &/or performance, there's one who is the clear pre-fave: * Russia's Mikhail Ilyn, now a soloist with Miami City Ballet & formerly with the Kirov-Mariinsky, then Boston Ballet. A WONDER since I first saw him at age 14 in Vaganova Academy. Demi-caractere, shortish but with good line & amazing jumps. Won 1998 Vaganova Prix gold; 2000 NYC-IBC silver. Watch out, Jackson, here comes Ilyn!! Others whom I've seen with strong technique who'll definitely be in the hunt for medals - * Brazils' Rene Salazar - 2000 NYC-IBC bronze * Estonia's Sergei Upkin - actually from St Petes, Russia & Vaganova Acad grad; won Grand prix at 2001 'Arabesque' competition in Pern; bronze at Varna in 2000 * Ukraine's Yaroslav Salinko - bronze in paris 2000 & a special 'Nureyev prize' at the 2000 Nureyev competition in Budapest And let's not forget two Americans who should do well, given their past competitive experience: Jonathan Jordan of Washington Ballet (Varna 2000 finalist) & Chauncey Hildestadt, NYC-IBC 2000 finalist. AND THE 'SURPRISES' WHO I HAVEN'T MENTIONED because I've never seen them. Good luck to all the competitors!!!

Indeed, monkeyrun! Prompted by your question, I just checked the Boston Ballet's website (www.bostonballet.com) & Ms. Hariyama is listed on their roster...but as a corps de ballet dancer. There's a nice portrait-photo & bio of her. She studied at both the Vaganova/Kirov and Bolshoi academies, so has long-time Russia experience. It certainly shows!! Imagine the depth of talent in Boston...even after last year's troubles. One of their corps dancers starred in 'Swan lake' at the Maly-Moussorgsky during the White Nights Festival. Someone else mentioned to me, in private e-mail, that Hariyama will compete at Jackson again this year? She's a persistent one, I'll say. I need to check the Jackson IBC site & get things moving on that forum..sorry!!

Did anyone else go? Is the Pope Polish? Here's my quick take, working from memory, so apologies if I omit the names of some soloists. June 12, 2002 Bolshoi Ballet's 'Swan Lake' Yuri Grigorovich's revised version, 2001 A far more satisfying night than the opening gala, not only because it was a full ballet, but because the overall level of dancing, especially by the corps, was on a higher level...not great, mind you, just 'higher'! Changes to this version, compared to early Grigorovich - Comparing what I know from the videos of the earlier Grigorovich version (starring Bessmertnova in one; Mikhalchenko in another)the most obvious change is the new, not-so-happy finale to the story -- Rothbart takes Odette down to sea with him, after she bourees to him behind a screen, leaving a sad Siegfried on stage alone. Grigorovich has also heightened the role of Rothbart a bit, particularly at the start of Act II, before the entrance of Odette; Rothbart partners Siefried and even lifts him a time or two. Last night's Rothbart, Dmitri Belogolobtsev, is an overall stronger dancer than the Siegfried, Andrei Uvarov, and the additions/extra-zippiness to the role of Rothbart seem tailor-made for Belogolobtsev. (A long essay on this revival, in the May/June 2001 issue of the Russian magazine 'Balet' seems to support this theory...Rothbart-Belogolobtsev was Grigorovich's true inspiration this time around.) All Moscow & Mother Russia cheered the return of this production last year...just as it cheered the return of the Soviet national anthem, with revised wording, around the same time! If you had seen the Vasiliev version of 'Swan Lake' that this one replaced, then you would well understand what all the cheering was about when the Grigorovich returned. "All is now well in the Land of Oz, amen"...such was the feeling. Last night's performance - the dancing: Belogolobtsev was wonderful, especially in lightning-paced jetes & in his menacing solo of pirouettes a la seconde in the ballroom scene, surrounded by eight black swans. Hurrah! -- the Jester lives! Yes, the Jester from the earlier production remains and, why not, given the glorious zingy dancing of the short Japanese dancer who essayed the role (M. Ibata, I think, is his name). The audience sprung to life after his first cavorting in Act I; huge volley of 'bravos' for this might-mite jester! Anna Antonicheva must have gotten over her jet lag, as she was quite lovely & stronger last night, especially as the swan queen Odette. [but who advised her on her make-up for the white acts - frosty-white shadow on her eyelids & pale lipstick -- looked like a cadaver in motion. In contrast, her Odile makeup was gorgeous; no wonder Siegfried fell for the black swan!] Antonicheva's black swan was OK until the 32 fouettes which, as in the gala, were weak. So she is back on tonight for Nikiya...hmmmm...good luck to her. As Siegried, Andrei Uvarov was an elegant gentleman....but no match for so powerful a Rothbart as Belogolobsev. One of my long-time favorite features of the Grigorovich version of 'Swan Lake' are the five national dances performed by the fiancee-princesses on pointe, with respective 'platoons' of corps dancers! Last night's five princesses were all lovely: Hungarian - Maria Allash Russian - Olga Suvorova Neapolitan - Nina Kaptsova Spanish - Maria Alexandrova (those feather-light jetes of hers!) Polish (Mazurka) - Mariana Ryzhkina ?? The corps of swans were lovely. They must be rehearsed day-in/day-out in this ballet & the near-perfection shows, especially in the legs. It's too bad that the hands & arms seem to go every which way. Similar sloppiness was displayed during the palace scenes by a group of male corps members portraying "trumpet players" -- instruments so long, they look like muskets -- and those trumpet-muskets went every which way at times, instead of switching left-to-right in unison. Either do it precisely or keep the darn trumpets in one position, guys!!! Sets & Costumes - These remain as in the earlier Grigorovich. They are the work of Simon Virsaladze, who designed most of Grigorovich's ballets for three decades. The costumes remain stunning as ever. On the other hand, the heavy-metallic/glittery sets date the production...it's 'That 70's Show'!!!! Jeannie Szoradi Washington, DC