Marc Haegeman

There is a ballet called "Toverfluit" (Magic Flute) in the repertoire of the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam, choreography by Wayne Eagling and Toer Van Schayk, premiered in 1999 I believe. Haven't seen it, though, so can't tell much about it.

Lucky you, Naoko and thanks for posting this. I assume the leaflet also mentions the ticket prices? All publicity material should be approached with proper care, as we all know, double care in case of the Kirov-Mariinsky. That said, it seems that "Sacre" and "Les Noces" will be premiered during the White Nights Festival on June 9. These are the scheduled new productions, not the ones they did in 1997. So, I guess, yes, it could be true about the three new ballets and it could be well in time to bring them to London. Nice lineup of announced artists there. Seems like they copied the list of principals and soloists again

It is a Gergiev Festival , and the emphasis has always been on opera and concerts. It's only recently that ballet became a more substantial part of the menu. The foreign guest companies are invited as part of the St. Petersburg anniversary festivities this year. And of course the whole event won't refrain the Kirov Ballet from touring at least the whole month of July.

The English version of the programme of the 11th edition of the International Festival "Stars of the White Nights" in St. Petersburg, which is lasting this year 3 full months, is now finally posted on the site of the Mariinsky Theatre: http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill/festivals

Here are a few observations, not meant in any way to be exhaustive. The Russian style in general is a mix of the Italian and French styles. As with any style today, the Kirov style (or the style taught at the Vaganova Academy in St. Petersburg out of which most dancers of the Kirov-Mariinsky company are or were recruited), has been undergoing definite changes in the last decades. As with all Russian companies, the Kirov no longer enjoys it splendid isolation of the Soviet days, foreign influences have been mingling with the company's style, there are more and more non-Vaganova recruits, etc. That said, the distinguishing quality of the Kirov-Mariinsky style is still the port de bras and the whole upper body - placement and perfect coordination of the head, torso, back, shoulders, neck. The arms and the upper body of the Kirov dancers are like musical instruments; they have a flexibility and expressiveness that allows to convey the slightest nuance (every finger must be visible). I once saw ballet master Olga Moiseyeva explaining to Irina Zhelonkina the difference between "Giselle" and "Chopiniana", simply by a slight adjustment of the back; yet the resulting image was a completely different world. The Kirov-Mariinsky style is often related to the city where it took shape, St. Petersburg. The linearity and harmony of the streets and buildings, the cool rationalism that characterises the city, are mirrored in the Kirov style: the lines of every part of the dancer's body are firm, there is a clarity of purpose (nothing is concealed or careless) and a sense of harmony. There is also a definite grandeur of manner and presentation, coupled to a certain reserve, what is sometimes called the aristocratic trait of the Kirov dancers. They are not the greatest actors around, but their stylized approach is ideally suited to the great 19th century classics that form the core of their repertoire. Recently, I feel the Kirov-Mariinsky style became less distinctive. Also, when watching its soloists one senses a clear switch of emphasis from harmony to elongation of shape (to take this analogy from architectural history it's like the harmony and solidity of the romanesque style developed into the extremities and mannerisms of the gothic style). Bodies are different and there is less and less coordination.

The matter is getting more and more complicated. I’m with you Hans when you prefer the Russian manner for the 19th century classics (even if I hasten to add: the Russian manner as sublimated in the Kolpakova-era, not the terrifying look of extremes they decided to have today) - but that’s just a matter of personal taste, not a judgment of good or bad, right or wrong. On the other hand, the English style with, as we used to call them nastily, those “little semaphores” (arms moving in one piece etc), is seen less and less above corps level. With a majority of Royal Ballet principals trained all around the world except in English schools, the idealized vision of the English balletomanes to see a "Sleeping Beauty" anno 2003 danced the way it was in the days of Fonteyn, makes about as much sense and is about as real as asking the Kirov’s Svetlana Zakharova to dance from now on in the manner of Kolpakova or Ulanova. What Makarova achieved for her recent (and already condemned) Beauty at Covent Garden (I know it’s a nightmare on Floral Street for most of the English watchers) is that the company moves in a different way, with a clarity of purpose, an amplitude of shape, providing in my opinion a much better frame to the choreographic text they adopted than we are used to with the Royal Ballet. Yes, it is, oh, dear me, a “Kirovized” Royal Ballet that Makarova is serving us now, but within the present context and the present state of the company that didn’t bother me for one second, as everybody, corps to principals, seemed to believe in what they were doing. But we are way off topic now .

Hans, Asylmuratova did dance Swan Lake with the Kirov and I would say with almost every company of the world. In 1998 she even created a new version by Roland Petit for his Ballet de Marseilles, "Le Lac des Cygnes et ses maléfices". There is an interesting documentary about the subject on video, "Backstage at the Kirov", where you can see a very young Asylmuratova preparing her debut in the role at the Kirov. She developed a great deal during the years, but came quite close to the ideal Odette-Odile in my book.

That may have been a very ancient (and long forgotten) glory, Alexandra

There is at least one famous example of a coach going completely different directions with her pupils: the Kirov's Olga Moiseyeva, who is the coach of Altynai Asylmuratova, Irina Zhelonkina, and Svetlana Zakharova. As for Moiseyeva herself, she could never have done with her legs what Zakharova now does all the time.

Rachel, most of the recent generation of Mariinsky dancers dare to use crutch-splitting extensions in any ballet: "Giselle", "Sleeping Beauty", "Symphony in C", or "Jeune homme et la mort". Whether it is out of character or not, whether it is vulgar or not, it doesn't matter, they do it all the time. It has become their trademark and that's why they are famous for and their coaches really don't mind. Makhalina does it as well when she dances "Giselle". The "Don Quixote" film you are referring to is from the early days; like I said, quite a different dancer then. Alexandra, I'm less optimistic than you . When you see the current Russian ballet competitions, you'll realize the skykickers still have a lot in store for us. There is an interesting scene in the film about Violette Verdy where she is coaching Lacarra and Pierre in "Liebeslieder Walzer". Verdy shows surprise when she sees Lacarra's extensions, but all she does is encouraging her in that direction.

Good point, Mary. Makhalina was a different dancer when we first saw her in the late eighties, also physically (as the "Don Quixote", "Sleeping Beauty" videos witness). By working a lot on her physique she created a taller, a more spindly physical image, allegedly in imitation of the then revered Sylvie Guillem model. Makhalina never had a more nasty (and often rude) press than in London, even still in the mid-nineties. Her physical identity was described more than once as a caricature (skinny arms, puffed ribs etc), her silhouette as extravagant... We should remember that the long-limbed dancers of today’s Mariinsky weren’t there yet. Her performances were frequently turned down as cold, unmusical, empty technical displays, high on bravura but short on dramatic expression, marked by exaggerated extensions and sinuous lines pushing the limits in the classics. So yes, Silvy, the high extensions were mentioned all the time. Again, we need to realize that at that point dancers like Zakharova or Vishneva, who go much further than Makhalina, hadn’t been seen yet.

Phaedra, I don't think that when "repulsive" was used in the Bolshoi-Kirov exchange tour thread, it was in any way meant to apply to Yulia Makhalina as a dancer in general, but simply to the way she may have looked in that particular performance. But you are right, Makhalina has always divided opinions among balletomanes and critics for various reasons: physique, challenging performance style, early rise to stardom, the "prima ballerina" hype created around her in the early nineties etc. It all tends to obscure a fair assessment of Makhalina and, in fact, she was only the first of the now generally cherished and acclaimed type of Petersburg ballerinas - even though in my opinion she is still miles ahead of most of the new ones in sheer artistry. You can find some more about Makhalina on: http://users.skynet.be/ballet-lovers/Yulia1b.html

Estelle, "Les Noces" has been danced already by the Mariinsky. In June 1997 new productions of both "Les Noces" (choreography by company member Alexei Miroshnichenko) and "Rite of Spring" (choreography by Evgeni Panfilov from Perm) hit the Mariinsky stage. I never saw these versions, as they thankfully seem to have disappeared as quick as they came, but according to all accounts they were appallingly bad - terrible choreography, obscured story, ugly costumes etc. It was one of the more painful attempts of the Mariinsky to cut a profile as a "modern" company. At one point Bride and Bridegroom in "Les Noces" were performing fouettés.

The premieres of "Les Noces" and "Rite of Spring" at the Mariinsky, scheduled for April, have been postponed. "Etudes" will now be premiered April 18. It seem that they too start to understand that one cannot learn three new works with the company almost continually on tour. http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill?pbmy=200304

Today, 21st of March, is the fifth anniversary of the death of the Russian legendary ballerina Galina Ulanova (1910-1998). To commemorate this event all around the world ballet performances are being dedicated to Ulanova, this and the following month. Moreover, a website has been launched today by the Galina Ulanova Foundation, set up in 1998 by several leading cultural institutions and personalities in Russia and now presided by Bolshoi legend Vladimir Vasiliev. It is available on http://www.galinaulanova.com in Russian and in English. It's definitely worth visiting. Next to a presentation of the aims of the Foundation, there is biographical information on the ballerina and a selection of some truly superb photos.

I'd second that. One of my all-time favorite pieces of dance on film.

Silvy, the three solo shades are: Natalia Malandina, Erika Luzina and Elina Palshina.

Het Nationale Ballet/The Dutch National Ballet presented its new season for 2003-2004. There are two great classics "Swan Lake" (Van Dantzig) and "Sleeping Beauty" (Wright); an homage to Balanchine (for his 100th birthday in 2004) with "Theme and Variations", "Agon" and a (yet unknown) addition to the company's repertory; a triple bill with Van Manens "Four Schumann Pieces", Brandsen's "Pulcinella" and a world premiere by David Dawson; and finally a new creation by Brandsen and Pastor centred round the theme "Body/Voice" for the Holland Festival. More details on the company's homepage: http://www.het-nationale-ballet.nl/new/htm...k/index_uk.html

Mikhail, thank you for this lively but rather sad account, which seems to confirm once more that Masha Alexandrova is not wanted at the Bolshoi, at least not as a principal ballerina. Please keep us informed how this develops.

I would hope that the POB doesn't forget about Nureyev's versions of the classics that quickly. Like them or not, but they are not only in several cases the only versions of the classics they have, they are also, as has been repeatedly emphasized by many of the dancers, important for the level of the company. It doesn't mean that they have to program Nureyev continually, one per season might well do, yet I'm much more concerned about what they seem to consider as a replacement (Kelemenis, Brown, Preljocaj, Carlson, Taylor, Ek, Bombana, Kylian... I'm not a fan of those either, especially not in the context of the POB.)

Inga, I never thought of Manon as a travesty of Don Quixote but just mentioned it because the Mariinsky's version of this ballet is quite different in spirit than the Royal Ballet's - definitely less grim and dark, also because of the use of different, "softer" designs (Farmer opposed to Georgiadis).

Thanks for the link. Great to hear the Bolshoi Ballet will finally make it to Paris, and with an alluring programme as well, featuring foremost Lacotte's "La Fille du Pharaon" and Petit's "La dame de Pique". Touring dates are January 7 through 24, 2004.

Before this thread turns into a guessing game, and to answer your question, Novamom: Sofia Gumerova is 1,74 m (that's between 5'7'' and 5'8'').

Thank you, Inga. In fact, it doesn't seem that Svetlana Zakharova's take on Manon changed all that much since I saw her a couple of years ago. The beginning was acceptable because of the characteristics you describe, but the role didn't go anywhere and as often she remained just sweetly decorative. The Mariinsky's Manon is by all means different and interesting, less because of the main roles which were in most cases just tentative and one-dimensional (the supporting roles on the other hand were thrilling), but because of the more romantic way the Russians re-tell the story.

Novamom, Anton Korsakov, first soloist with the Mariinsky, graduated from the Vaganova Academy in St. Petersburg in 1998. He is now 22 or 23. A very promising dancer, coached by Nisnevich. This pairing with Sofia Gumerova in the Shades act is however most unfortunate, as she is much too tall for him. Why on earth are they putting these people together?