lafemme

Ah, this makes perfect sense. I was pretty baffled! I may be brand new to ballet, but even I could see it wasn't up to Mariinsky's standard

Believe me, I'm sad I didn't buy tickets for tonight and Sunday's performance. I'm glad I saw Vishneva, but opportunities to see the other dancers and in such a variety of roles are far more limited. They are all sold out now! I'm hoping to hear what I've missed and see if I can wrangle something for Sunday.

Yes, the entire performance tonight was less than an hour and a half, including a 20 min intermission. Quite frankly, the video of Plisetskaya was more rousing and compelling than the live performance of Carmen. The corps lacked precision and unity, and I'm not sure whether it was a lack of energy, or the choreography, or the fact that I've just spent 20 hours on planes/ traveling, but while I enjoyed the piece, it just didn't do much for me. I was rather surprised, to me, Russians are the ultimate upper echelon of ballet, and while I'm quite new at this, I've never seen the Mariinsky corps so lackluster. Even the stagehands seemed confused (that's on BAM, I know, but added to the feel of being not entirely up to par). Perhaps these dancers shine more with the classics? The Dying Swan was beautiful albeit brief, and while the Plisetskaya video was amazing, larger than life, and perfectly accompanied, I can watch it on youtube. I am very glad I saw Diana performing a different sort of choreography than I have before, and it was all enjoyable, but rather forgettable (I cannot say the same of Zakharova's Giselle or Lopatkina's Swan Lake or Obratzova's R&J. I will remember them for the rest of my life and would attend them a hundred times), sort of ballet lite. The audience was excited to see the stars but were nowhere near as awed, moved, and appreciative as I have seen at other performances (and there were a lot of Russians in attendance, so that tells you something. If I can afford it after a month of travel, and there are any tickets, I might go back on Sunday to see classical ballet dancers dance classical ballet live, especially after missing Raymonda at the KC!

Yes, in the program tonight it says Swan Lake.

Interesting, on the BAM site, it says Woman in A Room http://www.bam.org/dance/2016/a-tribute-to-maya-plisetskaya-program-a I see it says Carmen on her website and I'd much prefer it! I would love to see the last day, I wonder what is the lowest I can pay and still see something!

Has anyone had luck with the exchange policy here? $15, really? I purchased a ticket for Program A, the first performance because it features both Vishneva and Lopatkina, and as someone who only discovered ballet a year or so ago, I want to see both dancers as much as possible. However, I'll probably see Vishneva this summer at ABT, and did not realize I would be watching her throw around lemons in Woman in a Room. I'm young (ish) and have to budget and would prefer to invest in the most enjoyable ballet experiences possible, and have no desire to waste $175 on watching anyone handle fruit. Plus, I'm missing the Mariinsky in KC as I'll probably still be in Brazil, and would really like to see some actual ballet! Hoping I can find decent seats in Programs B or D.

I'm in NYC but would absolutely take off part of the day to see Lopatkina- however I wonder if others in the area may have a similar plan and it will be impossible to get tickets unless you arrive to wait very early. I would hate to go up and it's sold out!

Selling my Vishneva/ Gomes ticket if anyone is interested.

So sorry I missed Cojucaru- I missed out as I was feeling under the weather. Looking forward to reading more about her performance and hoping to see tonight's show if possible

One orchestra seat, row X in the center. Can leave at the box office or meet up.

I'm not too keen to see this and have tickets to Vishneva's performance. Oh, dear. Perhaps I will see Gillian Murphy in Swan Lake instead.

Any word on whether or not Cojucaru will come through?

I don't like the line of demi pointe at all, but I decided to go to expose myself to something different and be a part of an ABT historical moment. Should I watch the current production of Sleeping Beauty that most ballet companies perform today first or wait until after? Or does it matter? I have some reading to do on the history of the ballet. I've only seen a few clips so far.

Well, I suppose it's Cojucaru's Bayadere I will see- if she makes it.

Oh dear! I find her such a unique ballerina and her athleticism and power are unparalled. But the higher you climb (jump?), the harder you fall- I really hope she's not out the rest of the season and not injured badly. Surprising, she seems so unshakeable on stage.