ECat

3 hours ago, GB1216 said:

Oh wow re: Gretchen! She seemed like such a mainstay.  I always wondered about her career progression.  She was in the corps for such a long time but seemed to build relationships across the company.  I hope she’s excited for whatever is next.

Absolutely! She will certainly be missed. In all of the NYCB videos, she seemed like such a likable and down to earth person. Beautiful feet and legs, too!  I wish her much happiness and success in her next chapter.

Just rewatched some videos of Smirnova as Giselle in the Ratmansky version and I'm impressed by her acting ability. In my opinion, innately she exudes a womanly sensuality and maturity. She did an excellent job with her characterization of the youthful peasant girl. I agree with you @Buddy about that youthful charm.  Plus, her face is just beautiful. My favorite Giselle of all time is Alessandra Ferri. But it is glorious to be able to see any ballerinas share their interpretations of this iconic role.

I should have said I was thinking more along the lines of Stepanova, Obratzova, and Kovalyova.  

It is a wonderful thing to have these two major Russian ballet companies to compare and contrast.  I love them both for their differences of style, but I believe that the current crop of Vaganova-trained dancers at the Bolshoi have brought something special with them. Yes, they have adopted some of the grand bravura Bolshoi style while maintaining their Mariinsky lines and elegance. Both companies have deep pools of talent at each level- both male and female. 

Oh how I loved that Sendak version that I would enjoy watching every year on PBS. The performances were so memorable. Patricia Barker with her gorgeous legs, feet, and extensions was my favorite. I loved the way it was filmed - many closeups for maximum dramatics. Hugh Bigney made a very sensual Drosselmeyer.  It seemed to me as though there was some jealousy or possessiveness on his part toward the adult Clara. Lucinda Hughey was a fabulous Flora.

Happy New Year!  I just wanted to thank you for this interesting discussion I've enjoyed reading.  I do love discussing and reading about all things ballet - especially Russian Ballet.  Let me add my love of Miriam Ould Braham as well!

Kudos to SF Ballet for finding a way to keep from cancelling shows. I imagine the dancers were delighted to be able to continue their performance. 

21 hours ago, YouOverThere said:

OK, maybe I over-reacted. I bought a ticket to this evening's performance of The Nutcracker only to find that after I got there that anyone who had a drink or a bag of popcorn or any other snack could take off their facemask. There were a number of people around me who therefore weren't wearing facemasks (and a number of people in the very cramped hallways who weren't wearing facemasks). I got panicky and left. Entrance was restricted to vaccinated only and I'm only 2 months past my booster and my only co-morbidity is my age, so maybe the risk was low. But just before I left for the theater, I had seen a news headline that stated that DC is one of the leading covid hotspots in the USA (and actually has a higher per capita rate than any state).

The Strathmore (in the DC suburbs) and the Meyerhof (in Baltimore) have completely eliminated food and beverage sales. The Kennedy Center initially discontinued food and beverage sales, then during warm weather allowed sales on the outdoor terrace, and finally restored sales as the previous wave died down, but food and drinks are not allowed in the theaters.

I am so sorry that you were in this situation and I would have done the same exact thing. 

Than you for the video @Drew Congratulations to Chrystyn!  She is gorgeous!

Thank you @Preston for starting this topic. Anna Nikulina excels in Grigorivich ballets like Spartacus, Legend of Love, and Ivan the Terrible.  She's been having quite a busy season. No doubt she'll give a fantastic performance.

Thank you @volcanohunter for keeping us updated on POB. Congratulations to all of these wonderful dancers!

Congratulations to all of these beautiful ladies!!

2 hours ago, MadameP said:

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.  

Thank you MadameP for clarifying. Perhaps it was wishful thinking on my part to have Khiteeva at the level.

There have been some roster changes at the Mariinsky. I'm may have missed a few but here is what I found: Tamara Gimadieva and Camille Mazzi have been promoted to Coryphee.  Congratulations to them! However, Alexandra Khiteeva (Khiteyeva) and Anastasia Petushka have been demoted to the Corps de Ballet. Perhaps this is a common practice with the Mariinsky, but can anyone tell me why? Both of the ladies are very fine dancers who have danced many solo roles successfully. There seem to be other dancers in those coryphee and second soloist ranks who barely perform at all. 

9 hours ago, Josette said:

She is delightful!

 

I couldn't agree more! She is so generous with her time and knowledge and her English is excellent. I wish her a long, healthy, and successful career.

WOW!  That is exciting news for Victoria.  Thank you for the update. She is  beautiful dancer and I wish her much success at the Bolshoi!  It looks like she'll be making her debut as one of the Big Swans in Swan Lake.

2 hours ago, GB1216 said:

Was just looking at casting and Katherine Williams is getting two performances of Myrta.  Due to schedule I think I’m going to catch the Boylston/Whiteside performance.  
 

does anyone know anything about Williams as a dancer or boylston/whiteside interpretation of Giselle? 

Sadly, I have not seen Katherine Williams in a featured role but I have taken class with her and she is a beautiful dancer. 

Misty does not have anything on the calendar on her website.  Hopefully she isn't injured. The only thing I can think of would be that she is pregnant.  Of perhaps she is guesting somewhere else.

17 hours ago, tutu said:

Wasn’t she a bit later than Pazcoguin and King?  There’s still hope!

Yes you are correct!  Thank you for pointing that out.  Lauren King joined the corps in 2004, Pazcoguin in 2003, and Smith in 2006!

Gretchen Smith has always seemed like a special dancer to me, but she joined so many years ago that a promotion probably isn't in store for her. 

12 hours ago, dirac said:

I suppose foul language and general coarseness of expression does qualify as "conversational style" these days. I found the Elle excerpt difficult to get through and it's not long.  I will withhold judgment until I get hold of the book and come to it with an open mind, but I sure hope the whole thing doesn't read like that.

 

Thank you, ECat, for starting the topic! I look forward to hearing people's views, and I imagine they'll be lively reading.

Well I must admit that there is a lot of coarseness and language.  I assume it is a generational thing.  Personally, I found her to be hilarious but I can absolutely see how it would put many people off. In all honesty, I am sad that the book isn't longer. She gives so many details and information about things I've wondered about in the ballet world.

I'm looking forward to hearing people's views as well!  I imagine some strong reactions.

6 hours ago, Petra said:

I read the "exclusive excerpt" in Elle. As an audience member who loves Mr. B's Nutcracker, I'm getting tired of dancers writing how much they hate dancing in it. 

To be clear, I'm not talking about the racism and being uncomfortable with dancing in 'yellowface', that's understandable. It's just annoying to hear about dancers being bored out of their minds dancing the same thing year after year. It's their job. 

You sentiments are totally understandable.  Before I started reading her book, I formed opinions based on excerpts.  But when reading them in their proper context, it takes on an entirely different meaning.  

If preordered, one has access to the book before its launch date.  As not to give spoilers for those who have not had a chance to start the book yet, I'll keep my initial thoughts brief. Pazcoguin writes in a conversational style and is often humorous.  I love the details, the chronology, and the information she gives.  I'm really liking this book. What does everyone else think?

On 7/15/2021 at 1:00 PM, nanushka said:

"She didn't do what I would have done."

"She didn't do what women should do."

"She didn't do X in situation A, even though she did Y in situation B."

Statements such as these do not, in my opinion, support a claim that an allegation is untrue or not credible. And all suggest a lack of understanding of how many victims react to such situations.

ETA:

I can easily imagine a young female dancer experiencing this — from an older, male, senior company member — and being simply stunned. It happens again, and there's more anger this time, but also perhaps shame (e.g. at not having prevented it), a desire to fit in, a fear of being viewed as problematic, a fear of consequences. It happens a few more times, and by that point it feels almost impossible to say something. ("She should have said something earlier.")

It is very easy for me to imagine a young dancer in this situation not thinking, "I should go to management" or "I should bring charges through my union."

Well said Nanushka.  It would be impossible to judge her as none of us actually knows what happened.  There are also so many factors that would go into this sort of situation. Many people here have listed some possible factors. 

If she had gone to management, which side would actually be taken? Ramasar outranks her.

Gina seems like a smart woman to me and I'm sure she knows she'll be lambasted for not speaking up earlier on this issue. If it is not true, why would she put herself through that?

Socialization for ballet dancers who have spent their entire lives insulated in their ballet worlds might not have the emotional tools to set boundaries.  

Just some things to thing about...

In my opinion, while his ballets are beautiful, the choreography is often too complicated. Yes, it is very impressive that the POB dancers can dance his choreography well, but I find myself concerned about the steps more than the actual storyline.