Marc Haegeman

Thanks, Inga. How were the Mariinsky dancers received by the audience in Moscow?

The Kirov Ballet is bringing three premieres this April: Nijinsky’s “Rite of Spring” (reconstruction by Millicent Hodson and Kenneth Archer) and Nijinska’s “Les Noces” (April 12), and Lander’s “Etudes” (staging by Josette Amiel) (April 17). http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill?pbmy=200304 http://www.mariinsky.ru/ru/afisha/20030412 http://www.mariinsky.ru/ru/afisha/20030417 All three ballets will be shown on the Kirov’s tour to London next Summer.

Biographies of Bolshoi dancers Sergei Filin and Aleksander Volchkov are now on-line at the Russian Small Ballet Encyclopedia. http://www.ballet.classical.ru/b_filin.html http://www.ballet.classical.ru/b_volchkov.html As yet, only in Russian, but work on English translations is being done.

On the Russian Small Ballet Encyclopedia site there is now an extensive biography, including lists of ballets and videos, of Mariinsky star Diana Vishneva. http://www.ballet.classical.ru/b_vishneva.html As yet, it is in Russian only, yet work for a translation is being done.

Melissa, that's Marie-Agnès Gillot, a very popular première danseuse with the POB (Actually, although she is dancing the bits usually assigned to the lilac fairy in other productions, she is not really the lilac fairy here. The real lilac appears later in the prologue (Béatrice Martel)).

Thank you for the reviews. Shame the Shades Act of the Mariinsky was that poorly staged. Of course it is different when seeing a fragment or even a complete act from a ballet, taken out of context. Yet, judging from your impressions (I didn't see it), I don't think Daria Pavlenko wasn't any different here than when she is dancing the full length ballet. Only, in the full length ballet her appearance in the Shades Act makes more sense: call it cold, ghostly, I'd rather say remote, with a sense of mystery, working pretty well in this particular Act. To my mind Pavlenko is at this moment one of the most complete Nikiya's of the Mariinsky. Her reading is satifying overall, foremost because of the mere quality of her dancing, which is a lot more classical and subtle than, say Diana Vishneva's barnstorming hysterics or Svetlana Zakharova's predictable gymnastics (yet virtually nothing happens with them in the Shades Act except misplaced bravura). And yes, Alexandra, this other superb classicist, Elisabeth Platel comes to mind.

You can buy tickets online at: http://tickets.mariinsky.ru/index_eng.php Any travel agency will be able to help you out with hotels in St. Petersburg. Also check out: http://www.ticketsofrussia.ru/kirov/eng/

Welcome to Ballet Alert, bhammatt. It would be much appreciated to hear your thoughts about the performances you saw.

Estelle, Letestu and Martinez seem completely outside of this ballet. They execute it as a technical exercise (excellent it may be and with some fine partnering), but they don't seem to find any rapport with the music or the choreography. It looks extremely boring this way. When I saw Letestu in the first run of Jewels in 2000, she seemed a bit lost and thought she was having a difficult time with the changing rhythm of the polonaise. It looked much better this season, but it's still unrelated. Agree about Abbagnato, fearful in the sicilienne (it's a bit cynical, I know ), completely outside of it as well and moreover sloppily danced and with the kind of artificial expressivity that I've seen in other performances as well.

I agree Jeannie, compared to Tsiskaridze’s other performances his appearances with the POB were probably one of the weakest of all. The choice of partners was, shall we say, most unfortunate. Marie-Agnès Gillot as well as Stéphanie Romberg were new to their roles, and moreover were much too tall and heavy for Tsiskaridze. In the duets they looked uncomfortable and limited. Tsiskaridze undoubtedly made a vivid Solor, but the ill-fated partnership killed his last hope of investing the role with the proper nobility and grandeur. His solos looked strained and it was not by any means his most memorable performance.

The Shades Act happens in Solor's dream - so he could as well be dreaming anything, even that he is the best dancer in the world . But yes, Solor's entrance and coda is Chabukiani. I don't know for sure if they' ll keep the Soviet Bayadère. Doesn't make much sense to do so. Besides dancers aren't computers you can switch from one version (old) to the other (new-old): they'd dance it in the same manner anyhow.

Oh, but he is calling on King Herod frequently. Nothing serious -it's British humour .

Terry, I can't tell you much about the leading dancers of the Dutch National, except for the fact that on those occasions I saw them, they always made a favourable impression. Frederico Bonelli (Italian), Altin Kaftira (Albanian), Tamas Nagy (Hungarian) and Vyacheslav Samodurov (Russian) (I haven't seen Solymosi with the DNB) are all excellent dancers, while Larissa Lezhnina (Russian), Anna Seidl (German), Sofiane Sylve (French) and rising local talent Igone De Jongh leave little to be desired. All seem well adapted to the eclectic repertory of the company. (Actually, Samodurov is a full member of the DNB and is now guesting with the Kirov Ballet.) The DNB is first and foremost a classical ballet company. This has been a clear choice from the start by founding director Sonia Gaskell and has been continued by her successors Rudi Van Dantzig, who brought the company's standard to an international level, and most recently Wayne Eagling, who vastly expanded the repertory. They have most of the great classics in the repertory as well as a lot of early 20th century ballets and Balanchine. At the same time the company has been giving a lot of attention to what they call the "avant-garde", with a strong emphasis on contemporary Dutch choreography. It is an eclectic repertory, but I don't think it has much to do with the various origins of the dancers. It's a definite choice. Funnily enough this variety in the repertory has been causing a lot of trouble, especially to Wayne Eagling, who is for some too classically-minded (and nicknamed Mr. Swan Lake, although he didn't bring Swan Lake to the DNB), for others too much involved with the avant-garde, and for others again, unable to make a clear artistic decision as in which direction to continue. Eagling will be succeeded by Ted Brandsen, one of the Dutch talents Eagling himself brought to the fore, this summer.

Interesting remark, Doug. I guess very few people will disagree about the value of reconstructing a choreography as it was most probably danced at some point in the past. The Mariinsky (and other) examples have proven in this respect highly instructive, especially when confronted to what the choreography has become some hundred years later after several different hands have interfered. However, as far as I understand the Mariinsky reconstructions are somewhat more ambitious than a mere reconstruction of what the steps looked like at some point in the past. They definitely want to bring back the aesthetics of the day, otherwise I don’t see the point of painstakingly reconstructing sets, costumes, pantomime, music score etc. Yet they keep approaching it all from a 21st century standpoint (can they do otherwise?), and that’s why so much of it looks ‘faux’.

Grace, no I haven't, unfortunately, but hope to do so in the near future. We are also bound to get more work by Krysztof Pastor who is resident choreographer since January 1. Maybe someone else saw anything from Brandsen - Viviane?

I agree with Mel's and Drew's remark that the artistic direction needs to warm the dancers to go all the way in the spirit of the reconstruction - at least if they believe themselves in what they are doing. As far as I am concerned this still doesn't happen. True, you will be seeing differences in the way the leading ballerinas tackle their roles, but these differences have always been obvious: Ayupova or Asylmuratova (well, it's too late now for her) have always been different Aurora's and Nikiya's than Zakharova or Vishneva, and this has more to do with a personal understanding of the roles, their style and manner, than with any company-wide aesthetics inspired by the management. Hans, if you quote, please quote the complete phrase . I said: "they are curious to see what Petipa looks like, yet that doesn't mean that all of the sudden they want to dance it, or have the openness to move around according to the aesthetics of the day, as it was presumably intended." That makes it a bit different, right? They have been dancing Petipa all their lives, and that's why they are the Mariinsky, but it's still for all that the Petipa they know, as it has come down to them through a hundred years or so of tradition. And now some guys turn up and say: "From now on you skip that century and dance the 'real Petipa'". Well, obviously not everyone buys that.

Yes, Alexandra. Lezhnina is still there, thankfully, and doing fine . She is cast for both "Serenade" and "The Concert". Earlier this season I saw her in Van Dantzig's "Romeo and Juliet" and she really swept me away with that performance.

No, Viviane, they don't publish the casts. Well, pretty clever if you ask me - no disappointments because of last-minute changes ;).

Thank you for your reply. Hans, I don't think it's just a matter of curiosity - they are curious to see what Petipa looks like, yet that doesn't mean that all of the sudden they want to dance it, or have the openness to move around according to the aesthetics of the day, as it was presumably intended. The main obstacle could be that they simply don't believe in what they are served as "true Petipa". In several interviews with Kirov soloists for instance one hears the argument that this new-old productions are less musical - so how can they be real Petipa? Petipa un-musical? - That's impossible. Any other opinions about this?

Yes, small wonder with all that publicity preceding the thing. Viviane, we hope you'll tell us all about your second experience with "Not Strictly Rubens"

On March 18 the Dutch National is starting its attractive programme "The New York Masters", grouping Balanchine's "Serenade", Graham's "Acts of Light" and the Dutch premiere of Robbins' "The Concert". Not to be missed, by anyone living nearby. Programme runs through April 6. http://www.het-nationale-ballet.nl/new/htm...sei_pro0203.htm

Yes, Scuffite, we hope to hear your impressions about these performances.

That's a tough one, BalletNut, the video quality is rather bumpy. Here goes: Don Q: Stepanenko and Uvarov; final part looks more like Ananiashvili La Bayadère: Gracheva, Uvarov, Alexandrova Romeo and Juliet: Ananiashvili and Filin Swan Lake: Uvarov Nutcracker: Kaptsova (?) and Tsiskaridze Inga, what do you make of them?

Inga, according to the site of the New National Theatre, Tokyo, Zakharova and Zelensky were scheduled to dance "La Bayadère" with the New National Theatre Ballet company on February 21 and 23. I suppose they actually did. http://www.nntt.jac.go.jp/english/index2.html and then click on the Archives section. All is in English Incidentally, in June 2004 (!) both stars are scheduled to dance "The Sleeping Beauty" with this company. As for the Giselle in July 2003 with Zakharova, Hilaire, Moussin and Delanoe: http://www.koransha.com/ballet2003/summer.htm

Thank you for reporting this, Inga . I gather they not only award living artists, as Panfilov has died last Summer.