MadameP
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Posts posted by MadameP
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7 hours ago, rhys said:
I believe it was Artem Ovcharenko, not Beyakov, who was Nikulina's Jeanne de Brienne.
Kovalyova and Belyakov must have made a beautiful couple. Have they danced together before?
Several excerpts are on YT. Here is one:
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18 minutes ago, Dreamer said:
Call me a conservative but I take Spartacus and Don Quixote any time over Taming if the Shrew or A Hero of Our Times, the two Bolshoi’s exclusive ballets. I saw The Shrew for the first time during the cinema broadcast and didn’t like it. I thought seeing it live in Milan would change my perception. I liked it even less. Besides what seemed like constant slapping, smacking and spanking Maillot totally ran out of steam and ideas by the second act. Such a waste of grand Schostakovich’s score to accompany an absolutely dull, unimaginative choreography. Only the energy and abandon of Bolshoi’s dancers made this ballet watchable.
Completely agree! Spartacus and DonQ - love both of them. Both great vehicles for the Bolshoi ballet. I dislike both Taming of the Shrew and the truly DIRE in my opinion Hero of our Times.
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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.
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59 minutes ago, Laurent said:
I am very fond of Khoreva, but I think Nagahisa possesses artistry to a much higher degree. "Manufacturing" Khoreva's career by means of the social media aggressive presence and promotion, I am afraid, will backfire, and I am not talking about petty resentment some may feel, I am talking about the young danseuse's artistic development. This whole attitude of premeditated, well-planned, "shaping" every aspect of you, from your own body being being literally moulded to the "optimal" shape in every limb, to daily "shaping" one's image in the media, I feel increasingly uneasy about it. Manufacturing a dancer like we manufacture "genetically modified food"? To have an optimal look, shape and taste? Is this the way of the future for manufacturing the most successful dancers? I hope not.
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.
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11 minutes ago, Drew said:
Congratlations to Khoreva.
(I have enjoyed video of her dancing quite a bit, but still would have said she decidedly could use a little seasoning. Apparently the company leadership does not agree or is happy to have her get that seasoning AS a leading soloist. Let’s hope this works to the benefit of her development. If she is smart, then she has a good idea of how much she still has to grow.)
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.
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27 minutes ago, tutu said:
Wow! Is there any precedent for this kind of meteoric rise through the ranks??
I can think of no-one promoted to first soloist at Khoreva’s age!
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Promotion to First Soloist of Maria Khoreva - congratulations! She has bypassed both coryhpee and second soloist ranks.
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Maria Khoreva has today been promoted to First Soloist! Many congratulations to this wonderful young ballerina!
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4 hours ago, Emma said:
What does it mean to be a trainee at the Mariinsky?
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.
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8 hours ago, Fraildove said:
Was Vishneva taken as a slolost?
No, even VIshneva was initially in the corps!
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On 10/30/2018 at 6:00 PM, Khoretskaya said:
I must admit I haven't heard anything else about her being a soloist, but labels are probably largely irrelevant for the moment as she's had one of the highest profile starts to a career I've heard of in a long time! Her first role was Terpsichore in Apollo (with Parish, and the other star new company members Ionova and Nuykina), which she's done a few times and is currently in NYC dancing at the Balanchine gala at the City Center, and she's already done Paquita!! At this rate she'll be Medora for you, nevermind an Odalisque! I've only seen her on video but I do have to say she looks like the hype is justified. She's got something very special imho.
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.
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11 hours ago, Mashinka said:
That's pretty much my opinion too. With a Bolshoi season in London next year, I have to admit that the likely list of female principals Zakharova, Smirnova, Stepanova makes me shudder. Only Krysanova lightens the gloom. Should out of favour Kaptsova and Alexandrova show up, or indeed, Obraztsova, I could muster some enthusiasm.
Btw, could someone tell me what is happening with Obtaztsova? A friend booked for the Milan Bayaderes in the hope of seeing her but no luck. Is she out of favour as well?
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.)
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2 hours ago, Helene said:
I haven't seen Osmolkina live for many years, but she was lovely when I did see her.
She's still dancing on great form - so good that Japan will see her.
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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!
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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!
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4th October Swan Lake - Tereshkina/Shklyarov
Better late than never! I have seen Tereshkina's Swan Lake before several times, so I knew what to expect, but still was hoping for more. Anyway, I am mystified as to why a good actress such as Tereshkina, is so cold and remote as Odette. There was no softness, no sense of tragedy about her performance: it was though a marble statue was dancing. Literally, she showed no emotion with the same expression throughout. Very remote, and seemingly with little rapport with her partner, Vladimir Shklyarov. Technically, she was very able, and her pirouettes and turns in general were excellent, although she does not have the most fluid of arms, but for certain, Odette is not her role. However, Odile IS her role, and here all her acting abilities suddenly came to the fore. Malevolent, evil, gleeful, eyes flashing, she seduced her luckless Siegfried, and for those who love fouettes, hers were outstanding, with many doubles and executed beautifully centred. She was greeted at the end by rapturous applause and many curtain calls, but honestly, Novikova's performance two days earlier was in a different league for expression, subtlety and beauty of movement.
Shklyarov is an excellent prince. He commands the stage with ease, jumps high and effortlessly, but his turns are not always the neatest. His partnering was excellent throughout and his variation in act 2 fabulous. For me personally though, I preferred Stepin's more beautiful academic technique.
In the pd3 were Anastasia Nikitina, and Kamiko Ishii (her debut) with Yaroslav Pushkov. It's a disgrace to me that Nikitina does not get more roles. She has fabulous turns, wonderful series of entrechat six de cote across the diagonale, playful in her variation, good ballon, but she has never danced a principal role. She was also wonderful as one of the Two Swans, along with Xenia Ostreikovskaya, who I honestly have to say I have never seen give a bad performance. She is another under-rated ballerina. Ishii was adequate and Pushkov had some good elevation in his grand jetes. Alexander Romanchikov (MAYbe the tallest male in the company!) was an excellent Rothbart - with a real sense of evil to his acting. This was a good Swan Lake, but Novkonva/Stepin two days earlier were by far superior.
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I am in Russia for a week to see Mariinsky Swan Lakes and La Sylphides, one Mikhailovsky Swan Lake and a Bolshoi Onegin, but so far the internet has not been good enough to even get online. Belatedly, I will attempt to write what I saw!
3rd October - Novikova/Stepin
This was only Novkova's second Odette/Odile on the Mariinsky stage, and this is a terrible misjustice for her. Her Odette was fragile and tragic - her facial expressions were just outstanding. Her whole performance was truly living the role on stage, responding to each moment in the music and reacting to her surroundings. It was also so beautiful, the way she allowed herself some tentative, I-can't-believe-this-is happening, smiles in her White Swan adagio. Uncanny the way she could portray fear and despair and so much through her movement. Her Odette variation was excellent - her turns and arabesques throughout well centred with some great arabesque balances. For me, she was more effective as Odette than as Odile, although this, too was excellent.. As a performance as a whole though, this was an Odette/Odile of great artistry.
Filipp Stepin as Siegfried partnered Olesya impeccably, and indeed is the perfect prince, with manners and looks to match. He has a beautiful Vaganova technique, with easy high jumps and very neat footwork. He is also a fine actor, and as a partnership, this pair is wholly convincing.
In the pd3 I saw Maria Khoreva, Shamala Guseinova and David Zaleev. Khoreva to me is an outstanding ballerina, a principal in the making. Her musicality and phrasing of the music was wonderful, clean entrechats, beautiful arms, expressions - fabulous performance. She should do Odette/Odile next. Guseinova also did well, but in appearance I think she is better suited to more queenly roles - she is more stately in style, and an excellent Myrtha. Zaleev's sissonnes and double tours were fabulous. Great pd3!
This year's grads Ionova and Niukina were the Two Swans - Ionova better for me. Maria Bulanova had a debut as one of the princesses, as well as being a Big Swan. She is another one to watch - a beautiful girl, with strong technique and expressive face. In the coaches' box Lyudmilla Kovalova was watching her four students!
The corps was excellent as usually, perfectly placed, led by Xenia Ostreikovskaya. I was a little sad to see beautiful Svetlana Ivanova relegated to Neapolitan corps - she is worthy of so much more. Overall, a great performance - but I hope Olesya can dance Swan Lake again soon, and as the principal she should be.
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Just posting here in case anyone knows definitely, but I was at the Bolshoi to see Obraztsova/Volchkov in Onegin on 4th, and they were replaced by Goryacheva/Rodkin. Actually, both were excellent, particularly Rodkin, but I missed seeing Genia as Tatiana. In one of her Instagram posts she implies she is ill. Hope nothing serious?
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The Paquita variation I had of course seen before, but not the one of Lopatkina rehearsing the port de bras. Just exquisite... thank you!
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I think Maria Khoreva wears Blochs.
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You won't be disappointed with Stepanova in either Swan Lake or Bayadere, Drew - she is magnificent in both! I would think Kovalyova also must be a likely contender for both roles in London, and she is a lovely ballerina already at her young age! Personally I don't like the Grigorovich Swan Lake, or Taming of the Shrew, but I love Bayadere and Spartacus. Each to his/her own!
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Yes, I have to agree that the sequence of national dances, with each potential "bride" leading a national dance, is effective and I very much like this section.
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On 7/20/2018 at 8:33 PM, Buddy said:
Thanks, MadameP. If you or anyone else hears something for certain, please post.
b
On 8/14/2018 at 4:52 PM, Buddy said:Maria Petukhova
I’ve had some time this morning to watch video clips of some of the ‘ballerinas’ that currently most captivate me because of their lyrical loveliness. This is the quality that I probably prize most. They are Oxana Skorik, Olga Smirnova (based on her recent Pharaoh’s Daughter), Zhanna Ayupova (from an old Apollo performance), Alyona Kovalyova, Maria Iliushkina and Maria Horeva (Khoreva).
And I just finished watching Maria Petukhova. I mentioned in my previous post that I thought that she was perhaps the loveliest dancer of the recent Vaganova graduates. Based on what I’ve just been watching I think that she’s as lovely as all the dancers mentioned above. One quality that sets her apart is extremely lovely flow of motion. She floats like a velvet cloud.
I’ll say once again that I hope that the Bolshoi takes her. It had the very commendable insight to welcome and quickly feature Olga Smirnova and Alyona Kovalyova. I do think that she could probably lose just a little weight. Laurent has mentioned that there might be other physical issues. Whatever the Mariinsky’s reservations were about Maria Petukhova I would hope that the Bolshoi could find a way to succeed with her. They’re certainly doing it with Alyona Kovalyova.
In any case, if she can maintain this beauty, I think that she would be a gem wherever she goes.
Buddy, Vaganova’s Facebook page today confirmed that Petukhova has indeed gone to Tallin. I wish her a happy and healthy career there.
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Lobukhin is THE Spartacus! That role requires great acting ability - it's not all muscles and lifts! Although he does not have Vasiliev's spectacular jumps his is the more affecting performance. Lobukhin is the greatest actor in all of the Bolshoi ballets I have seen - can't really say more than that! He is a true artist. In the roles he dances in Golden Age, Raymonda, Spartacus, Lady of the Camellias (Gaston Rieux) - I simply cannot imagine anyone better, He is great as Solor and Basilio also. He dances often with Zakharova on tour. He is a product of the Vaganova school, and has that beautiful schooling, but still he is is far better suited to the Bolshoi repertoire No wonder he was recently made Honoured Artist!
Lobukin and Nikulina in Spartacus:
Promotions 2018-19
in Kirov-Mariinsky Ballet
Posted
Buddy, I agree. I, too am very happy that Renata Shakirova was promoted, but there are several others who of course I would like to see promoted. I would love to have seen Maria Shirinkina promoted. She has gone from strength to strength since her year away, and is a beautiful, lyrical ballerina. Female promotions to the role of principal would be VERY welcome and yes, Osmolkina is long overdue a promotion, but every year it seems a little more unlikely, given her age. Novikova, too, should have been a principal long ago, in my opinion. And then there are the men .... Stepin, Ermakov and Zverev ... where are the promotions for them???