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MadameP

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Everything posted by MadameP

  1. I, too, wish her well. I saw her dance many times over the years and loved her dancing.
  2. Lada was an online sensation as a child, dancing en pointe and performing the Kitri variation at age 7, winning numerous prizes at YAGP Paris at age 9 and performing 32 double fouettés at age 10! There are numerous videos of her performing as a child on YT. Here are the fouettés!:
  3. I haven't commented on this forum for ages, but just read many of the above pages and they make me so sad. I don't want to say too much, but Yes, we are going through terrible times but need there be so much negativity? There are many dancers who many people don't like/don't think are deserving of promotion/think should act in a certain way. How wonderful it would be if the whole world and every event could be ordered as every person would like. It is impossible. There are many dancers I love who never rose above corps level. There are some who were promoted who never should have been - but this is my OPINION. Our opinions are all different. Nobody knows what is going on in someone else's life, or what is in their mind, even if they may say something publicly. How many are there in throughout the world who dare not speak out against the war for fear of retribution. Who can blame them? It's easy for us all to say what somebody else should do, but could we do it ourselves? I think Alyona Kovalyova's comment is entirely natural - who doesn't want things go to "back to normal" or live in a war fee world? Why should she feel she has to say anything else because others have done? We are all individual - and yes, she IS young and will learn the hard way that there is no normal. As for her dancing, of course she is quite beautiful to look at with extraordinarily long lines. I have seen her dance a few times, and yes, she doesn't have the strongest pointe work, so hops en pointe are not her forte, but she does have stage presence, those beautiful lines, natural acting. I remember others in the past who had weak hops en pointe, those who had ugly extensions, those who couldn't jump. Those dancers were criticised then, and now it seems there is another person to pick on. Kovalyova obviously fitted Vaziev's vision of a principal ballerina and that's her luck and his prerogative to decide on his rankings. Personally, I do find her over-tall, and therefore problematic to cast, but that also is my opinion. I think it's very sad that there is so much criticism of so many dancers.
  4. At least his Giselle reconstruction has actually been performed and is in the repertoire. I don't have much interest in The Art of the Fugue, but his production of Pharaoh's Daughter, which the Mariinsky was to premiere in May, will not now go ahead either.
  5. Khiteeva was never a coryphee (although I think she certainly should be at least this level.). She has always been in the corps. Petushkova certainly was a coryphee though, and demoted to the corps, as you say.
  6. I loved all of these Lopatkina ballets, and it's hard to pick a favourite!
  7. Here is the link to the 12 hour video of Olesya Novikova ballets:
  8. Firstly, I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year, and I hope that everyone is coping as well as possible with the current Coronavirus pandemic. Good health and happiness to everyone this year and I hope we can all enjoy the beautiful art form of ballet in whatever way we can. In this spirit, I would like to draw your attention to a new video channel on YT by user Mezentseva Fan. This user has uploaded many videos, including a number of TWELVE HOUR videos, featuring some of the most famous roles of a number of illustrious Mariinsky and Bolshoi ballerinas - Obraztsova, Somova, Tereshkina, Stepanova, Zakharova, Smirnova, Novkova and most recently, Uliana Lopatkina! They are absolutely wonderful! I am not sure whether BA can support a link to a 12 hour video, so I will post the link to a performance of Swan Lake by beautiful Altynai Asylmuratova and her husband Konstantin Zaklinsky, so that you can find the channel (if you haven't already!). If you click the play button in the middle, and then click on watch on YouTube at the bottom right, you will then be able to access the channel on YouTube. Anyway, I hope you will all enjoy it!
  9. Agree! Savin is a fine artist, but I don't believe he deserved to be principal as much as Tsvirko did - and like you, I am not a Tsvirko fan, but in terms of the body of his repertoire, he was by far more deserving of the promotion.
  10. MT is streaming a number of ballets on their tv channel. Today The Fountain of Bakhchisarai - Matvienko/Parish/Tereshkina/Belyakov - is being shown. I hope this link works. https://vk.com/videos-130074765?z=video-130074765_456239480%2Fvideos-130074765
  11. I enjoyed Smirnova's performance. I thought her reading of the character of Giselle was intelligent, full of detail and touching, and she displayed spontaneity in her interaction with other characters on stage. Her technique is precise and her petit allegro in general was excellent. Also, she certainly gave the impression of an insubstantial wili in the second act. I loved Belyakov - a true danseur and such a worthy principal finally! He has an excellent presence and that jump... the height of his entrechats is amazing! His acting is heartfelt and sincere and he looks the aristocrat. I thought Khokhlova in the peasant pas was delightful - so fleet and light in her footwork - and her partner Alexei Putintsev had great ballon. I have been very critical of other Ratmansky productions, but I really enjoyed this one. I thought the whole of the second act was beautiful indeed, and the choreography for the wilis very effective in giving the impression of an army of man-killers - especially in the scenes where they capture and dispatch Hans (Hilarion). Ratmansky increased the petit allegro element of the choreography and also the amount of mime, which I found to be totally in keeping with this 19th century ballet, and there were many new and beautiful poses - the kneeling pose that replaced the high lift in the act 2 pd2 for example. I thought Nelli Kobakhidzhe gave an extremely sympathetic performance as Bathilde and also Lyudmila Semenyaka as Berthe was entirely convincing and how wonderful to see her back on stage! We can all argue about various elements we didn't like (and I did find some of the changes of tempo a little sudden) but overall I thought this production is a success. Loved it!
  12. Agree. Olga took that Spessivtseva diagonale at great speed, too! Fabulous, wasn't it?!
  13. What a beautiful video - thank you!
  14. I love the Mariinsky Vainonen version with the gorgeous pas de six in the final act, and also the Sir Peter Wright version. Both beautiful!
  15. Some really great news today - Maria Bulanova has been promoted to Second Soloist, bypassing the Coryphee rank! She is a wonderful, dramatic ballerina with real presence on stage and acting ability! I am so pleased for her, and hope to see her in many more roles now! Congratulations!
  16. Can you post a link to the ballet/piece?
  17. MadameP

    David Zaleyev

    He was a wonderful Hooligan when I saw him in the role - technically brilliant, and truly rough around the edges in character, instead of being a bit too much like an Oliver Twist type as some are. Truly poignant in his acting. A very talented boy.
  18. More superbly landed double tours here also... not to mention the ease, poise and control and beautiful lines in arabesque, and the series of entrechats 6 ... quality...
  19. Agree he is wonderful. I have seen him in many roles at Mikhailovsky. It is a tragedy really that with his amazing talent, he is not a Mariinsky principal instead of Mikhailovsky. He has beautiful lines, that cruising ease of movement, high jump, spectacular turns - EVERYthing. He also has great charm and presence on stage. I don't want to say he is wasted at the Mikhailovsky, because that would be to imply Mikhailovsky is not a good company, which it certainly is, but from Lebedev's own point of view, he has missed out on the worldwide exposure and opportunities that being a principal at Mariinsky would have brought him. As it is, I can only say, yes, he's stunning.
  20. I have to say - I realised that some of it at least was not live - moving directly from Eleonora Sevenard's interview to the middle of her rehearsal with Rodkin, for example. I did not realise that the whole Bolshoi segment is taped in advance. It's a great pity.
  21. I do not have this book, so could you explain what exactly Valery Lagunov meant? I remember a few years back watching several classes taken by Boris Akimov, and he was equally courteous to all dancers and spectators, and full of the most incredible vigour and enthusiasm for his work.
  22. I love this production of Raymonda. I think some of the effects for the corps, such as when we first see them grouped together, are particularly beautiful! Belyakov was absolutely spectacular and I also thought Tsvirko was well cast. I do like Olga Smirnova very much as a dancer, but she did seem extra cool to me in this video - it's a minor point, but I think a softer stage make up would make her look less severe.
  23. Olga Smirnova also said she is to be dancing, although she was not rehearsing because of having a light day before Raymonda...
  24. So many people lining the route. Yes, very touching.
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