Fleurdelis

Caught the performance of Sylvia on Friday. With a cast of Kochetkova, Simkin and Cornejo I came into the theater with really high expectations and excited anticipation, but was left disappointed. I am not well familiar with Ashton's choreography and dramatic composition, but it felt underwhelming and looked primitive (despite being known as technically demanding). Perhaps, it was the overall spirit of the performance that night - monotonous, lethargic, almost wooden - that pervaded the corps, the secondary characters and ultimately transmitted to the main performers, otherwise known for dazzling technical and artistic brilliance. Somehow video clips from the Mariinsky performances of Sylvia offered much more promise than what I ended up seeing at ABT, not sure what accounts for the difference - the stage, the company that seemed to have an off night, or the audience (I found it odd that it repeatedly clapped right in the middle of a variation, even if a dancer did not perform any special technical feats)? Was very curious to watch the dance scene on Orion's Island, looked to me like it was later heavily "borrowed" from by Grigorovich to create his Aegina/Crassus duo at the feast in Spartacus. So, Ashton's influence on later creations is undeniable.

My optimal cast for Spartacus would be Rodkin, Vinogradova, Zakharova and Lantratov. All of these dancers possess a beautiful physique, athleticism, tremendous acting skills and literally look their part. Alas, the Bolshoi casting directors would not let us gorge on all four of them at once!

I can see three similarities: strong leaping ability, distinct bravura style, frequent flirting with the audience.

Russians like their pointe shoes to be well broken in. So they first wear a new shoe pair for many days to rehearsals until they are sufficiently comfortable to be worn on stage. By that time the shoe pair gets understandably dirty. Couple this with the fact that Russians indeed have taken en masse to wearing Gaynor Mindens, which, as mentioned above, last longer, and get worn longer thus getting even dirtier. But I agree that, whatever the explanation, it is still unsightly to look at their coal-black soles and tips. Isn't there any powder or paint to mask the dirt? On Grigorovich's version of Swan Lake, I must admit I am a bit puzzled by all the negativity here. I personally think this is the best version of this ballet, with all the fairy tale silliness taken out, and the plot indeed made more "streamlined", common sense and coherent. It is a clear parable about the fundamental unity of good and evil, founded on their juxtaposition, as one would not exist without the other, and the inevitable tragedy and destruction of the youthful longing for beauty and purity that is unattainable among the dark realities human existence. Most importantly, I think the removal of the archaic, time consuming, incomprehensible and dull mime, while preserving the beautiful "dancing" bits of Ivanov/Petipa and inserting new dancing sequences throughout, was a definite win for Grigorovich. In ballet I want to see artistry and action expressed through dancing first and foremost, and I believe that beautiful jumps and turns are a lot more expressive, inspiring and exhilarating than then endless walking about and gesticulation. And I am by no means an indiscriminate Grigorovich fan. While I see him as one of the more important choreographers of the 20th century, in addition to successes (as I see his versions of Swan Lake or Spartacus), he has had his share of works that were either mediocre or even abject failures, such as his Romeo & Juliet.

I am somewhat surprised at the Mikhailovsky's decision not to showcase the talents of Irina Perren and Ekaterina Borchenko. Both ballerinas are out of this world in terms of lines, beauty, expressiveness and technique - and shine equally brightly in both the timeless Russian classics and in Nacho Duato's intricately weaved modern choreography. Certainly Perren is a unique creation who manages to be at the same time incredibly slender, yet womanly and athletic. When she dances together with her husband Marat Shemiunov, probably one of the strongest dancers physically today, one gets a sense of her weightlessness that is breathtaking. And most importantly, they were the beautiful faces of the Mikhailovsky long before it became a revolving door of fleeting theatrical enterprises of Osipova, Vasiliev, Semionova and others.

Impressive casting, with even the second-line roles being performed by principal-level dancers should truly make this work sparkle like a diamond's muliple facets.

Sarafanov's wife is Olesya Novikova. But I hardly find her undervalued, as she stars with the Mariinsky, Mikhailovsky and La Scala, and has quite a fame internationally.