Kevin Ng

Gyromatic, did you enjoy the second cast last night - Natalia Solgoub (Kitri), and Leonid Safaranov (Basilio)? I've never heard of this 19-year-old dancer Safaranov. I adore Sologub, and wish I could have seen the performance.

The first night of Don Q in Mexico was danced by Irina Golub (Kitri), Andrian Fadeyev (Basilio), Irina Zhelonkina (Queen of the Dryads), and Islom Baimuradov (Espada).

While half of the Kirov Ballet is touring Mexico this week, the other half is still busy rehearsing for "La Bayadere" and performing at home. On 14 May there is a Japanese dancer Rika Ishi guesting with the Kirov dancing La Sylphide. http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill

Nichols was divine in "Concerto Barocco". I am lucky to have seen her in the role of the first violin back in 1999 when NYCB held a "Balanchine Black and White Week". Jenny Somogyi danced the second violin role.

I am so glad to hear that Kyra Nichols is back dancing with NYCB; and I envy those of you who can see her performances this week. I did see Nichols in Vienna Waltzes when I visited New York in 1996; her Mozartiana in the same season was sublime. In my opinion Nichols is still the greatest classical ballerina in the world today.

Yes, it's a great pity that Denis Matvienko has left the Kirov after slightly over a year. I am lucky to have seen him once, in Cinderella on the opening night of the Maryinsky Festival in March. He's such a stylish dancer full of promise.

Roma, thanks very much for pointing out the casting information.

Roma, thanks very much for pointing out the casting information.

The previous years' prize-winners were put down by Angela on Ballet.co.uk, for reference. http://www.danze.co.uk/dcforum/news/1291.html

The Benois de la Danse prizes awarded at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow last night were - >1. Choreographer - William Forsythe, 2. Male Dancer - Jiri Bubenicek and Jeffrey Gerodias 3. Female dancer - Aurelie Dupont and Anastasia Volochkova 4. Life Achievement - Rudi Van Dantzig and Jurgen Rose

In the Benois prize Gala to be held at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow this Friday, Kirov soloists Andrian Fadeyev (a nominee) and Natalia Sologub (the winner of the Golden Mask award for best female dancer last week) will dance the pas de deux from John Neumeier's ballet "Spring and Fall". However Svetlana Zakharova, another nominee, won't apparently be present. Most of the other nominees will also perform in the Gala.

Gyromatic, you should attend the Gala too. I wish I could come to Mexico!

There's also a report in St. Petersburg Times today on the Golden Mask awards - "A golden evening for Petersburg". http://www.sptimesrussia.com/archive/times...ures/a_6253.htm

Natalia Solgoub, the young Kirov soloist who is the winner of this year's Golden Mask award for best female dancer, was superlative as Masha in The Nutcracker. I still remember her performance in St. Petersburg last month.

Yes, NO7, I am also pleased to learn that Natalia Sologub and Daria Pavlenko won the awards. The Kirov has really done well this year. I just found a report in the Moscow Times. http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2002.../04/17/011.html

The Golden Mask awards announced last night are- >Best ballet: Coppelia (Novosibirsk) Best choregrapher: Neumeier (guest Kirov) Best decorator: Shemyakine (Kirov, "Nutcracker") Best female: Sologub (Kirov) Special jury awards: Pavlenko(Kirov)+Zharova(Novosibirsk) Best male: Andreikine ("The Breakthrough" ?) Best modern ballet: "The Voice" (?)

Here is the list of the jury and nominees for the Benois prize, provided by my friend in Moscow. The gala performance is to take place at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow on 26 April. >Jury: >Yuri Grigorovitch, John Neumeier, Altynai Asylmuratova, Davide Bombana, Karoline Carlson, Alexandre Kolpin, Anjelen Preljocaj, Tur van Shaik. (sorry if the spelling is wrong). >Nominees: >Life in Art: Rudi van Dantzug, Jurgen Rose, William Forthyte >Choreographers: Vandekeibus, Pastor, Ratmansky, Fabr,Forthyte >Female dancers: Volochkova, Dupont, Szezerkiite, Zakharova, Eikhvald, Jurgensen >Male dancers: Bubenitchek, Gerodias, Lambiotte, MacGregor, Tusli, Fadeyev

Thanks Helen. I hope that Jeannie will cover the Varna IBC in detail as she did last time. I also found out that the Paris IBC won't take place this year because of political factors. So Varna is the only major IBC in Europe this year.

There's a report in China Daily newspaper about this new Shanghai production, pointed out by Ari in the daily links section. http://www1.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2002-04...4-09/64786.html Helen, do you know when the Shanghai Ballet or National Ballet of China will tour America?

For the Benois de la danse prize held in Moscow later this month after the Golden Mask awards, Kirov ballerina Svetlana Zakharova has also been nominated, besides Andrian Fadeyev. http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/news

I saw the Cuban company only once in the early 1980s in Swan Lake. Beijing certainly has a lot of visiting companies these days, in addition to the many performances by the Natonal Ballet of China.

Thanks, Helen. Does anyone have more details on the dates? Perhaps there is a website for the Varna IBC.

Can anyone please tell me about any important ballet competitons in Europe that are coming up in the next six months? The only one I know is the IBC in Paris this Sept. There was one in Helsinki last summer, so I guess that there won't be one again this year.

The awards ceremony will take place on 15 April in Moscow. Among the dancers nominated this year are - Kirov dancers Natalia Sologub and Andrian Fadeyev for their roles in last year's production of Nutcracker choreographed by Kirill Simonov, Svetlana Zakharova for her performance in Neumeier's "Now and Then". (Andrian Fadeyev, incidentally, has also been nominated for the Benois prize in Moscow at the end of April.) All the three ballets staged by Neumeier for the Kirov - "Spring and Fall", "Now and Then", and "Sounds of an Empty Score" - shown in Moscow this week and also in the Maryinsky Festival last month were nominated. Simonov's Nutcracker was also a nominee. [subject line edited at Kevin's request. at.]

Thanks NO7 for your news. It certainly requires a lot of energy, not to mention time and money, to keep up with the Kirov's performances worldwide. But I do know of two people who often follow the Kirov round the world, though not on every single tour.