MadameP

I have seen Mikhail Lobukhin dance live at the Bolshoi many times. Also, in the UK, and filmed privately. As I said above, he is an outstanding actor and has an amazing natural presence and magnetism on stage. He is also an excellent natural partner, who makes partnering seem as easy as breathing. I saw him as Abderaskhan in Raymonda, both live on stage and (oh lucky me!) in rehearsal backstage with Olga Smirnova. Impossible to take your eyes off him. Also, live as Ivan, Basilio, in roles in Golden Age - phenomenal tango! - Solor, concert solos, Russian Seasons - many roles. At MT he was never a principal and never given the principal role repertoire he deserved, and to some extent at Bolshoi he has not danced as many times in classical "prince" roles as he could have. But as Ivan, Spartacus, his roles in Bright Stream, Lady of the Camelias - he's wonderful. He has Vaganova schooling with very fluid body movements, lovely port de bras, masculinity which he exudes in every role. I live in the UK, and to have paid the price to go to the Bolshoi to see him in DonQ, Ivan(ESPECIALLY Ivan) Raymonda, Golden Age - was worth every penny.

Thank you, Quinten! Lobukhin truly deserves his own thread! He is a wonderful dancer and partner and a Great actor, with truly magnetic presence on stage. In particular, he is outstanding in Grigorovich ballets.

I do agree about Khiteeva and think she may prove to be the best artistically that we will see from Vaganova in these few years - those beautiful arms and movement quality! Also, yes, I love Lukina, who is a real grand Mariinsky ballerina and who also has those gorgeous feet and allure on stage, but she does have some technical issues. Also, Maria Bulanova has real artistry and expressive/dramatic quality - she has had so many debuts that it is surprising she has not been promoted also.

I do agree that there is too much about Khoreva in the media, but I still think she is vastly superior to Nagahisa. Incidentally, Nagahisa made a mess up of her Corsaire pd2 with Shklyarov in the Pavlova diverts - not a lot of artistry there ... I do think Medora is a surprising choice of role for her, and one for which she was evidently inadequately prepared. If Fateyev wishes to thrust these young dancers up the promotion ladder, then he has a responsibility towards the audience to ensure that they are prepared and suitable for the roles they dance.

Yes, I hope she will not let this rapid promotion go to her head. She is so talented, but to be promoted so far in her first season? It's unprecedented. She is superior to Nagahisa though, who was promoted recently to second soloist, so if Nagahisa was worthy of second soloist (which I personally do not think she was) then Khoreva should certainly be ranked higher - in my opinion. Also, it is surprising to see Khoreva promoted ahead of the previously favoured Renata Shakirova in the second soloists.

I can think of no-one promoted to first soloist at Khoreva’s age!

Promotion to First Soloist of Maria Khoreva - congratulations! She has bypassed both coryhpee and second soloist ranks.

Maria Khoreva has today been promoted to First Soloist! Many congratulations to this wonderful young ballerina!

That's a very good question, and one to which, unfortunately, there is no clear answer! Until recently there was a category on the roster called "Trainee" and this listed Camilla Mazzi, Victor Caixeta, May Nagahisa (and I think one other, but now I can't remember who!) They were all young graduates of other ballet schools, and all were given numerous coryphee/soloist level opportunities while still being in the "trainee" category. After a year, the first two were taken into the corps, but Nagahisa bypassed corps and corphee levels and was placed straightaway in the second soloist category, at age 18.

No, even VIshneva was initially in the corps!

I agree. I think she is special, and so also is Maria Bulanova, her classmate. What an outstanding graduating class. I HAVE seen Khoreva "live" and I do think she is an extremely talented dancer. She has fabulous long lines, musicality and phrasing, as well as an excellent all-round technique. She is dancing soloist roles but she is not a soloist - she is in the corps. Renata Shakirova also danced mostly soloist or principal level roles while still in the corps. I cannot think of any Vaganova graduates who have been taken on immediately out of Vaganova into any other category other than corps. Of course ... trainees get different treatment - but that is another story.

For characterisation, expressive quality and wonderful light jump, best for me as the Sylph is Margarita Shrainer.

No sure about the Bayaderes, but - I know she has had a virus. I went to Mariinsky and Bolshoi earlier this month, the Bolshoi was to see Obraztsova in Onegin, but she was replaced last minute by Goryacheva (and Rodkin,) because she had a virus and she put up messages to that effect on Instagram. (Rodkin surprised me with a great dramatic performance, and Goryacheva also was very touching in this beautiful ballet, but I was disappointed not to have seen Genia.)

7th October La Sylphide: Anastasia Lukina/David Zaleev Anastasia Lukina is a beautiful girl, with exquisite feet a true Mariinsky ballerina, and as the Sylph she showed her well schooled technique, but to me she seemed somewhat careful! She was not the merry sylph that Evseeva was, but more gentle, graceful and charming. Of course, both interpretations work; for me Evseeva 's was the more convincing as the Sylph, but Lukina had more beauty of line in general. It seems to me that Lukina has great promise, but as yet, she hasn't really fulfilled it - and she still seems a little tentative at times. She was not as fast as Evseeva, but had more of an other-worldly quality to her! David Zaleev was excellent as James, dancing with virility in his variations and also crisp footwork in general and soaring grands jetes. I like him very much. He is a convincing actor, and the sequences with Igor Kolb as Madge were excellent. Kolb is magnificent as Madge - a really great character actor/dancer - and also very funny in the scene where he tells fortunes with Effie's friends. The Effie tonight was outstanding - Maris Bulanova is gorgeous to look at, a beauty with big eyes, and she also is a wonderful actress, with particularly expressive face - every emotion visible! How wonderful that Mariinsky has both her and Khoreva this year among their new recruits. She has a lovely jump and natural stage presence. This really was a Sylphide of Two Beauties - Lukina and Bulanova!

6th October La Sylphide: Yelena Yevseyeva/Filipp Stepin La Sylphide certainly is Yevseyeva's role. She was completely bewitching as the sylph - by turns capricious, captivating, vivacious, sad ... a real multi-faceted expressive performance and her speed across the stage as the sylph was exceptional. She hardly seemed to touch the ground - fast, light, with quick footwork and high bounding jumps. Her smile was so irrestiible. Her variation in act 2 with the attitude turns was beautiful, musical - a lovely performance, and very touching at the end when the Sylph dies (although she had an unfortunate mishap with her wings refusing to fall off and also Stepin failing to catch her ring!) Stepin was a fabulous James, SO neat and accurate in his footwork, with his beats clean and crisp and beauty of line in his jumps. This is another role he excels in (so WHY is he not a principal??? Rhetorical question since we know this is down to Fateev.) I loved his acting, and he IS a very subtle actor, and also that of Ivan Oskorbin as a comedic Gurn, but Irina Prokofieva as Madge was not in the same league as Igor Kolb the following day. Little Svetlana Russkikh was a fleet footed Nancy. The Sylphs generally were dancing harmoniously together with beauty and synchronicity, but it was a real source of unhappiness to me that lovely Oksana Marchuk was on the end of the line, when she should have been dancing the Sylph and MANY other roles for years now. Incidentally, next to Oksana was Anna Lavrinenko, unless my eyes deceived me, who must have returned to the company, although she is not listed yet on the website. If it was not her, then she has a double!