Terry

I'd like to know more about the principal dancers of this company. NYers have had the wonderful opportunity to see Sylve and perhaps Lezhnina, but how are the other principals, like Yumiko Takeshima and Tamas Solymosi for eg? I also know that Samodurov (sp?) is a frequent guest artist there from the Kirov -- how do the Dutch audiences respond to this ecclectic group of dancers? And does this explain perhaps the more contemporary/neo-classical nature of this company?

ADORED Sofiane Sylve in Western Symphony. I think I'd like to see more of Carla Korbes in soloist roles, I can't take my eyes off of her even when she's in the corps! I think Ansanelli deserves to be a principal dancer at this stage, she had an exciting season, and I thought her second "Tarantella" was wonderful. Abi Stafford is a great technician but I think it would be nice to see more improvements in her overall presentation and expression. Her "Raymonda Variations" pizzicatto variation for eg was techinically impeccable, but I'm looking forward to her improvement on her artistry, which I'm sure she's extremely capable of. And I hope they invite Zelensky and Sylve back!!

Thanks for the info, BBfan. I'm a great admirer of Acosta -- have you seen any performances of him? I wonder if they'll ask him to do more guesting in the future w/ BB...?

SFB: Jaime Castilla POB: Myriam-Ould Braham (asbolutely lovely in the classics), Dorothee Gilbert, and I'm also looking forward to Mathilde Froustey... Hamburg Ballet: Helene Bouchet, Yukichi Hattori NYCB: Carla Korbes Royal Ballet: I am looking forward to seeing Yu-Hui Choe

A link to her personal website: www.gillianmurphy.com

does anyone know what the program will consist of for their performances in nyc? thanks!

Will Zelensky be here to do any guesting for the Spring Season?

She was absolutely wonderful in today's "Western Symphony," the 3rd movement (matinee 19th). Ansanelli was charming as well, but when all of them were dancing together, she had the most dynamic stage presence. What a dancer. And those legs! and turns!

maybe nissinen's just trying to raise the level of boston ballet to an internationally acclaimed company and a way to do that is to have attractive guest artists?

Sorry I have to jump in to say a couple of things! From a couple of performances that I saw of Mlle Osta this past season, I think she's proven to be a very capable dancer, but I really can't say that she has the "etoile" quality. She's certainly secure technically, but as Bart said in one of his interviews, I believe it was with the BalletAlert magazine, there has to be that extra "a little more"...and to me, Mlle. Osta didn't have that. But I want to remain optimistic. I think dancers can change, and I hope that during the course of the next 8yrs, Mlle Osta will be able to attain that "etoile" quality.

doesn't she do those amazing balances (on point) on the head/shoulders/arms of a body-builder-like man? I think she recently did a performance in Japan and it was broadcast on tv. I'm afraid I didn't videotape it, but I'm sure somebody must have taped it...It was pretty fantastic.

Well, not really... How do we explain Elizabeth Platel then? Or Monique Loudieres? They didn't particularly excel in modern pieces at all...and yet, Platel was a wonderful ballerina!! Someone like Myriam Ould Braham is so rare today; I haven't really seen any young dancer who can dance the classics at THAT level, especially for her age? Plus, Myriam hasn't really been given a chance yet to perform soloist roles in neo-classical or contemporary pieces. I don't think there's anything wrong with just being a "classical" dancer in a troupe that contains so many varied dancers -- it doesn't make her a less complete dancer, maybe perhaps less versatile?

Does anyone know where I can find out the casting information for the Nutcracker? I can't find it in their website...Thanks!

Does anyone know when Sofiane Sylve will perform her first Sugar Plum Fairy as a guest artist? I'm dying to see her...!!

I just wanted to post this link to a video clip of the French dancer, Sofiane Sylvie, from the Het National Ballet. You can see clips of her in "The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude" and the coda in "The Nutcracker." I just wanted to bring this to your attention because I don't think I've seen anyone finish a fouetté with 10 pirouettes à la fin (which you can see in the clip)...extremely impressive, technically. Has anyone seen her dance? Here it is: http://www.het-muziektheater.com/mpg/qt.ph...g=s-sylve&pl=qt

Hello everyone... Personally speaking, I think it'd be really hard for me to classify Kyra Nichols as a classical dancer because I haven't really seen much of her in the classics. How was she in Martin's "Sleeping Beauty" or "Swan Lake"? I wonder how she would do in some of the major classical works? That being said, I would definitely agree that Monique Loudières is one of the greatest classical ballerinas of this decade -- has anyone seen her in "La Esmeralda" pas de deux with Manuel Legris? (And Manuel Legris is the best male dancer of this decade, imo.) This is probably one of the best pas de deuxs I've ever seen live. I agree with the comment that Guillem is great in some roles, but she's a little too "individual" for my taste. Still, her "Grand Pas Classique" is probably one of the most thrilling pas de deuxs I've ever seen. I don't think any one could surpass her "thrillingness" (?) in the female variation of "Grand Pas Classique." She's definitely beyond extraordinary in that one. Elizabeth Platel is the ultimate "classical" ballerina, and also, I think the most "romantic" ballerina of this decade. Just pure French classicism. I think I would vote for Isabelle Guérin too. As for Polikarpova, I've seen her in quite a few works at Hamburg but I can't really classify her as a great ballerina, imo; her repertory in the classics is a little too limited there, and her neoclassical roles (or at least the ones that I've seen her in) have not really made much impact on me either. I think I prefer the petite Sylvia Azzoni, who dances with so much passion. She is quite exquisite in some of Neumeier's recent neoclassical works; I hope she'll get some good roles in Paris this January. As for the upcoming young dancers, I would definitely vote for Myriam Ould-Braham, a coryphee at the POB, as well as Dorothée Gilbert, a quadrille. Ould-Braham manifests more of that traditional romantic + classical dancer, where as Gilbert can do both classical and contemporary works equally well. Ould-Braham's classical qualities resemble Platel a lot (I'm assuming Platel coaches her quite frequently?), and Gilbert's energy reminds me of Loudières's. I think these two will be GREAT dancers some day...let's hope that they won't have too much trouble climbing up the ladder through those concours...As for the men, I think Hervé Moreau has great potential. Noble, beautiful line, gorgeous face too (which helps (^_^)) -- shall I say that he might be the next Legris? I've also liked Alexandra Ansanelli a lot from the little that I've seen of her; I'm also looking forward to Jaime Castilla of SFB.

As most of you probably know already, Lucia Lacarra and Cyril Pierre of the SFB will be joining the MB as principals. Also, Barbara Kohoutkova (some of you may remember her from the 1996 NYICB in which she won the gold medal), principal with The Finnish National Ballet, will be joining as a First Soloist.

Katherine, Sophie Parcen, a quadrille dancer of the POB, has her website in which she posts relevant info about the POB's activities. She has some info about the Brazilian tour as well. I hope this helps. http://web.axelero.hu/bparczen/

Great information and pictures about Vienna State Opera's Etoile: SIMONA NOJA. She'll be guesting in Manuel Legris's Gala this summer, which will take place in Tokyo, Jpn. http://www.simonanoja.com/

Alexandra, thank you for the detailed information! Here are some more links to 2002-2003 season information: *Vienna State Opera Ballet: Includes The Nutcracker (Renato Zanella), Swan Lake (Rudolf Nureyev), Giselle (Elena Tschernichova), Nureyev Gala, Romeo and Juliet (John Cranko), Spartacus (Renato Zanella), Mixed Repertory Evening (Serenade/Empty Places/A Pas de Deux/Theme and Variations), and more. For more information: http://www.wiener-staatsoper.at/ballett.html (German only) *Deutsche Oper am Rhein (Dusseldorf): Includes The Nutcracker (Youri Vàmos), Swan Lake (Youri Vàmos), West Side Story (new production by Youri Vàmos), Romeo and Juliet (Youri Vàmos), Carmina Burana (Youri Vàmos), a new production by Uwe Scholz, and more. http://www.deutsche-oper-am-rhein.de/ *Ballet Company of the National Theater of Prague: Raymonda (Yuri Grigorovich), The Taming of the Shrew (John Cranko), The Nutcracker (Yuri Grigorovich), Americana II (works by Balanchine, Tetley, Ailey), Les Enfants et les Sortileges/Sinfonietta (Jiri Kylian), Romeo and Juliet (Libor Vaculík), The Sleeping Beauty (Vlastimil Jílek and Vlastimil Harapes), and more. Info can be found on: http://www.nationaltheatre.cz/nationaltheatre/english/ *La Scala Ballet The Sleeping Beauty (Nureyev), Nureyev Gala, A Midnight Summer's Dream (John Neumeier), etc. Link is: http://www.milanopera.org

Here is the link to the press release : http://www.sfballet.org/about/news/release...s/07_10_02.html

I know that Varna IBC is coming up...! The competition will take place from July 15th -- 30th in Varna, Bulgaria. Is anyone attending the event? Are there any former IBC medalists who will be participating in the competition? Jeannie, where are you?!

Just came upon a beautiful collection of photos from RDB's rich repertory and dancers. Includes, A Folktale, Onegin, Giselle, and more. It's definitely worth a visit --enjoy! http://www.blueballet.net/images.html

I'm a great Miyako fan, although she might not be a favorite at the RB. I wasn't very impressed with her in the beginning but she "grew" on me. I've learned to appreciate her "subtlety," and she's an extremely strong dancer, technically. Her legs are extremely powerful for a Japanese dancer. She shines in the classics -- SL, SB, Nutcracker, etc. -- and she can be a very touching actress as well, esp. in Giselle and R+J.

Just a note that Polina Semionova (18yo) will be joining Malakhov's Berlin Staatsoper Ballet as a FIRST SOLOIST (principal) from 2002-2003 season -- it has been announced on their website. She must be amazingly talented. Semionova was also a gold medalist at the Moscow IBC 2001 as well as a finalist at Nagoya IBC 2002. Good luck to Semionova!