Hans

bart, a ballet "variation" has nothing to do with the musical term; it essentially means a solo dance (there may be more to that than I know). Could you give an example of the Balanchine solos? I would consider, for example, the muses in Apollo to each have a variation.

Congratulations to Hee Seo! (UBA alum )

Sorry, Paul! I own the tape and I got it from Amazon, so it should still be available. When I get home tonight I'll look at the title and post it. I think Alexandra has the same tape.

Sounds as if this is a case of "dance can express what words cannot!"

Mine are, in no particular order: 1. James's variation from Act II of La Sylphide 2. Désiré's variation from Act III of The Sleeping Beauty 3. Kitri's variation from the Dream Sequence in Don Quixote 4. 1st Shade variation from La Bayadère 5. Both variations from the Flower Festival in Genzano pas de deux

The variation Lezhnina performs on that tape is originally from Le Pavilion d'Armide. My favorite music is the Rose Adagio...probably because I know all the choreography and can therefore "watch" it in my head!

There's an interview somewhere with Pankova's husband that explains why she left. Unfortunately I don't have any details; I just remember reading it.

As Mel wrote, Tchaikovsky was not told what to compose for Swan Lake--see his post immediately following Solor's.

If it's the same person I'm thinking of, then Orlando Canova is formerly of Joffrey Ballet.

Leanne Benjamin is with ABT now?

Pankova performs the Vivandière pas de six on two videos--the Kirov in London and Kirov Classics. I think she's good, but Sizova (I forget the name of the tape she's on) is worlds better. Of course...Sizova is better than just about everyone! So that's not intended as a criticism of Pankova.

I think if one is going to do a fairy tale as a ballet, it ought to be in the grand Petipa manner (having a choreographer with talent helps) as if the Disney version had never existed rather than a watered-down pop style.

Orlando City Ballet

I know UBA still performs the "ribbon" pas de deux from La Fille Mal Gardée; however, I suspect that the original production pre-dates Petipa (I remember hearing something about the music being very old indeed).

Natalia, I did notice that those jetés in the first bridesmaid variation were...subpar. I agree re: Schipulina--beautiful! I actually thought that in some ways, the whole company looked more "Kirov" than the Kirov (except the corps, of course) although that may have been due to seeing the Bolshoi-like Terioshkina in Le Corsaire earlier this summer.

Snow White's vanity? What twisted version did Paul Taylor's parents tell him growing up? Joseph I think that sounds like a good idea--you can do much more interesting things choreographically with short men than you can with children, and you could have Snow White played by a tall dancer, so that plus the added height of pointe shoes could give the illusion that the "dwarves" are even shorter than they really are.

Oh--I'd love to see the Dance of the Tiny Cupids. I'll bet it's adorable. To clarify, I didn't seriously expect them to bring along the Bolshoi Academy students, but the corps did seem rather small (only 16 or 24 dancers). Forgot to add a note about the unsurprising but still amazing rudeness of the audience. The very moment the fringe of the curtain brushed the stage at the end of Act II, half the Loge had vanished within a fraction of a second. I was at the end of a row and it was extremely irritating to have people pushing by as I was standing to applaud the dancers who had just performed beautifully for three hours--much of the audience it seemed couldn't be bothered to give them five minutes of appreciation.

I would download it, but I'm at work & am not allowed to--I'll do when I'm at home. Yes, I was referring to the second and third photos.

How beautiful! I admit to being put off by her high extensions (in other photos, not Marc's) but these make me want to see her dance!

Unfortunately I don't have RealPlayer so I can't watch the excerpt but aren't those pictures of Zakharova terrifying?!

Do you know who choreographed it?

I must make a point to see the Bolshoi more often--Don Quixote was delightful! And I got to meet a fellow Ballet Talker to boot! The production is rather old-fashioned in a 1970's kind of way--not much mime, some truly hideous costumes for the corps, and rather worn-looking sets. However, the dancing was very good, not sloppy at all, although not obsessive-Kirov perfect (had it been perfect, I would have been disappointed) and done with a great deal of flair and energy throughout. My only real complaints were the relatively bare stage during the dream sequence (no tiny cupids running about, as in the Kirov's version, and the sets seemed to have been inspired by a Monet painting under a magnifying glass) and the spindly Basilio (none of the ushers seemed to have programs, so I don't know his name). He was quite a good dancer, but looked like a very tall and lanky sixteen-year-old. Special mention goes to the Toreador (he really knows how to use a cape!) and Street Dancer, who in Act II appeared in an enormous red dress and put her head on her behind so many times I thought she'd slip a disc! I didn't find the gypsy dancer passionate enough. At UBA, my teacher told us that when doing a gypsy dance, we should dance as if we don't care who might be watching or what it looks like--it's pure emotion. The fast sections were good, but I felt that the slow parts lacked intensity. Slight problems with one-handed lifts in Act I, but they were fine by Act III, and Kitri did some blazing fouettés--very fast, traveling slightly at the beginning, but the rest on a dime. I could have asked for some more "fire" between Kitri and Basilio, as things got a bit bland after Act I, but all in all it was very well done and beautifully danced.

I believe the theater is being repaired.

Did they have the technology to do that in the 50's? I know that on very old videos (like from the 1920's) the movements appear faster than they really were, but I don't think that occurred as late as the 50's. People have suspected certain parts of NYCB's Nutcracker video to have been sped up since it came out.

She's still listed as a principal dancer on the Kirov's website.