MadameP

I just want to say that Pharaoh's Daughter is a wonderful ballet. Fabulous choreography, scenery, great spectacle, really good opportunities for soloists and corps

You are missing my point. I am talking about young dancers who were never corps and were immediately brought in at second soloist level, despite having no Vaganova training. At only 18 this very young ballerina was first a trainee and then brought in as a soloist. Shirinkina (Perm) was certainly a coryphee before she was promoted to second soloist and I think corps also, but her promotion to second soloist was after she had been in the company for many years. Skorik was certainly coryphee. Ostreikovskaya was corps and now still soryphee. I know of no Bolshoi dancers presently in Mariinsky who were brought in at second soloist level while in their teens. Are you talking about Bolshoi theatre here? With regard to Timur Askerov and a few others, again, none were 18 and brought in as a second soloist; they already had experience dancing solo roles for other companies. I wish that some Vaganova graduates could be given the opportunities and promotion of May Nagahisa.

I have said nothing about May Nagahisa's capabilities as a dancer. My point is that she is not a Vaganova trained dancer, and there are Vaganova graduates who never could get her opportunities or early promotion. And re the dire male principal ranks, I agree, and the fact that Ermakov, Zverev and Stepin have not LONG been principals is just ridiculous and tragic.

I had forgotten she had some early opportunities, and also rehearsed Giselle, but unfortunately did not dance because of injury. She is an outstanding adagio dancer in particular, the best Lady in Young Lady and the Hooligan I saw, and in Awakening of Flora, for me she was the outstanding dancer, notwithstanding Osmolkina was dancing as Flora!

Originally Petukhova was going to Tallin, but I subsequently heard she might go to Bolshoi. She is not on either roster at the moment. I liked her also, Buddy - she has a lovely soft, lyrical quality.

There are dancers still in the corps, such as Marchuk and Frolova,, and dancers who are still coryphees - Nikitina, Ivanova, Krasnokutskaya - MANY! - who never had roles at the age of 18 or promotion out of the corps at that young age. Where are the opportunities for these products of the Vaganova training system?

Yes. This is my point, CharlieH, and, as I said, I do not want to slap down a young dancer - but no matter how good she might or might not be, nevertheless it IS corruption and there ARE so many young and not so young dancers who have been completely overlooked because they did not have a sponsor.

I have seen her also as a shade and as Florine. I don't want to slap down a young girl at the start of her career, but I can't help wishing both her roles and her promotion had been given to a Vaganova graduate. Really her promotion is a slap in the face to all of them.

? She is one of the most musical ballerinas I have ever seen!

Kovalyova was injured.

Agree with Obraztsova and Osmolkina, and would like to add Stepanova and Novkova also.

I just read that ELEVEN graduates have entered Mariinsky this year! They are: Maria Bulanova, Anita Voroshilova, Anastasia Demidova, Lada Ivanova, Daria Ionova, Anastasia Nuikina, Maria Khoreva, Rustam Azizov, Ilya Mogilnikov, Ervin Zagidullin Vakhtang Herkhulidze.

Today May Nagahisa has been promoted to Second Soloist. She jumped from the Trainee position straight to Second Soloist, bypassing corps and coryphee categories.

May Nagahisa promoted to Second Soloist

It's difficult for anyone to give anything their full attention when they have two separate roles/appointments in different establishments! Hope we see Maria Khoreva in a principal role soon. She is off to a good start!

Although Zhanna Ayupova was a wonderful ballerina in her time and is also an excellent coach and teacher, she does NOT have ultimate responsibility for anything at Vaganova. In everything, the decision is Tsiskaridze's. Zhanna has a second position at Mikhailovsky Theatre, where she coaches a number of important dancers, including Angelina Vorontsova. She also travels a great deal, assisting with the mounting of various productions. She simply doesn't have the time to give Vaganova all of her attention, neither does she have the contacts, or the strings to pull to get the repertoire that Tsiskaridze has managed to acquire for the Vaganova students. She is very much a second in command to Tsiskaridze in every aspect of the Academy, despite her title.

I agree. Actually, I wonder at much of Tereshkina's casting at MT. For me, she is no Aurora or Giselle or Odette (Odile MAYbe) and no Raymonda. The list goes on. Technically she is strong, but she doesn't represent Vaganova style to me, and maybe that is because she was not wholly Vaganova trained. I cannot remember now whether she had 4 or 5 years at Vaganova, but certainly not the full course. I find her often, as you say, ostentatious, and I also find her hard, She just doesn't have that somewhat rarified Vaganova refinement. Khoreva DOES in my opinion. Very talented girl.

Buddy - it's a REHEARSAL photograph!!! That's all!

Tsiskaridze oversees the whole of the running of Vaganova. He coaches, teaches, rehearses, chooses repertory,is involved in the selection process of tis students and their examinations - he is involved in every aspect of Vaganova The quality of its current crop of graduates is the direct result of this. Bravo Tsiskaridze, I say!

Maria Khoreva variation from The Awakening of Flora.

Maria Khoreva is the top graduate for me - as I've said elsewhere, so I won't repeat myself! She could be dancing principal roles right now.

Maria Khoreva is an outstanding graduate - beautiful lines, great musicality and expression, technique. She has everything. She is an immensely talented ballerina.

I think Tsiskaridze is doing a magnificent job at Vaganova - not just in terns of the calibre of graduates produced, but also the quality of its productions. His choice of repertoire alone for graduation performances is wonderful... Maria Khoreva's Paquita variation - what many know as the "alternative" Dulcinea variation or Dudinskaya variation ... outstanding graduate.

Gnossie - Osmolkina and Filipp Stepin were the first to spring to my mind as being the purest representers of Mariinsky style, as I wrote originally. Of course there are others. I do agree about Obraztsova also, and also Ivanova mentioned above. Ivanova is a WONDerful ballerina. I love Novikova also. I Batalov was denied so much - disgusting. Yermakov though ... to my mind, he cannot be compared with Ruzimatov. Ruzi was one of a kind - a flamboyant original, which Ermakov is not.

I think the link between Vaganova and Mariinsky is of the utmost importance. Mariinsky needs to keep the purity of its style, and it needs its Vaganova graduates to do that. As for who is the bearer and keeper of the St Petersburg style ... Osmolkina? Filipp Stepin among the men.