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I suspect the no intermissions will also effect casting.  It would be very difficult to change costumes, hair pieces without an intermission.  The good news it that the nights will end earlier.

On 7/6/2021 at 3:31 PM, meunier fan said:

I did have a goodly number of opportunities to see Nureyev dance with other partners; some very fine ones I seem to recall.  (I'm not sure why but the blazing glory of Yoko Ichino seems to be calling out to me at this immediate instant.)  Still talking of a ballerina and an event, I was in the audience during one of 'those nights' at what was then known as the O'Keefe Center in Toronto when a then relatively unknown young dancer called Karen Kain was pulled from the NBoC's corps and thrust by Celia Franca into Erik Bruhn's two act production of Swan Lake as Odette/Odile opposite Nureyev's Siegfried as a replacement.  One heard the sigh of disappointment when it was announced pre-performance that the promised principal would not perform and her name was called out.  I would later learn she had never danced the role before.  I, myself, was very young at the time - and certainly impressionable -, but I have never forgotten the electricity that was generated - nor the great male dancer's somewhat obvious displeasure that this truly extraordinary young female artist was getting so much deserved attention at the curtain calls.  I remember dashing about trying to find out her name at the end of that revelatory outing.  No one seemed to know.  In the end I had to go to the stage door to actually discover it.  Once learned it was never forgotten.  Of course Nureyev himself would later hone in on Kain's balletic majesty many times over, much to his - and our own - concerted advantage.  

Ah, memories ... 

What a wonderful story!  I love to hear about dancers being thrown in last minute and having much success!

This is such a great thread that I'm only seeing for the first time.  Perhaps we can get it going again.  My very very first love or role model was Cynthia Harvey in Don Q with Baryshnikov.  To this day she will still be my favorite Kitri.  The camera got such great close ups of her sassy facial expressions.  Then I saw her in the ABT mixed bill in both Les Sylphides and Paquita.  If I hadn't seen Cynthia first, it would be Gelsey Kirkland or Alessandra Ferri.

I want to wish a huge congratulations to May Nagahisa as well as Olesya Novikova.  Novikova's promotion was long overdue and very much deserved.  When I saw the Mariinsky perform La Bayadere in DC a few years ago, Nagahisa was still listed an apprentice and was one of the 3 shades.  She blew me away.  Rock-solid technique and a beautiful stage presence.   Then I saw her again in the pas de trios from Emeralds in LA and again, she stood out.  She has definitely got something special.

Batoeva is another special dancer.  She was Gamzatti in DC and almost stole the show.  She and Filip Steppin (who needs to be principal) performed the pas de deus in Rubies.  WOW!  They had such wonderful chemistry and were outstanding.

Congratulations to all of the dancers on their promotions!!!

WOW!!!!!  That is fantastic news!!!  Very well deserved.  Congratulations!

My heart goes out to Leah who has been an integral member of PNB.  She is a beautiful dancer and she will be greatly missed.

14 hours ago, California said:

That Swan Lake was in the works for a long time. If they looked at other options in DC next season, Giselle must have seemed like it had great potential as a safe money-maker after the long drought of serious revenue. Not something I'd jump onto an airplane to see, but still...

Good points for sure!   I hope that their rep brings in the revenue that they are hoping for.  But I do agree that nothing they're performing warrants a plane trip.

Is it just me, or does the 2021-2022 rep seem a bit boring?  Perhaps one less full length and another mixed-bill.

Congratulations to Ms. Park!  Very well deserved.

19 hours ago, Buddy said:

Her's and Maria Iliushkina's careers are somewhat paralleling each other at the moment. Maria Iliushkina is similarly fine, showing more outward sweetness, but with very fine ability and inner resolve. In her most recent gala duet from La Bayadere they've given her more eye makeup to appear more mature. I think that it works from a distance and is something that they can experiment with. I think that it looks rather cute, actually, because her sweetness still sneaks through. I feel that this balancing of youthfulness with artistic maturity works well for both of them.

 

I cannot agree with you more about the heavier make-up for Iliushkina.  It was beautiful and elegant, yet still allowed her innocence to shine through.  I would like to see her as Juliet.

@MeritWow!  Thank you for making such a comprehensive list of dancers birth and possible retirement years.  I would LOVE to see Pagliero and Ould-Braham before they retire.

@Buddy how lucky you are to have seen many amazing dancers.  I also love Moussin.

On 5/31/2021 at 7:11 PM, ABT Fan said:

Oh, that Paquita video brought back memories! I had that VHS tape of this performance and must have watched it a million times growing up. 

Me, too!  I grew up on that and the VHS of Don Quixote with Baryshnikov and Cynthia Harvey.    To me, that will always be my favorite Don Q!

Thank you for the update on David Zaleev!  This is fantastic news and I wish him a full recovery and many years of ballet ahead.

@Buddy thank you for always keeping up to date on all things Russian Ballet!  A big congratulations to all of the new Mariinsky dancers!

Here is a great video of her with ABT somewhere between 1983-1985 dancing in Paquita.  

Wow!  I didn't realize that Alice Renavand joind the corps de ballet in 1997.  I assumed she was in her early 30's.  Emilie Cozette will be due to retire very soon as well. 

On 5/20/2021 at 5:29 PM, miliosr said:

Mathieu Ganio may be at the point in his career where. having played all of the princely roles for the better part of two decades, he now wants to explore the dramatic character roles in the troupe's repertory.. Such a move would not be dissimilar to an older ballerina seeking out roles in which there is less emphasis on technique and more emphasis on mature dramatic ability. (I'm thinking of Frederick Ashton's A Month in the Country and Marguerite and Armand, John Cranko's Onegin, and John Neumeier's La Dame aux Camelias.) 

You've made a great point!  No doubt Ganio will be superb in any role that he dances.

David Zaleyev is a gorgeous dancer and I will keep him in my prayers.  May he have a quick and complete recovery and a very long ballet career.

Maria Iliushkina continues to impress me.  @Buddy I completely agree with you that she has a wonderful balance of youthfulness and artistic maturity.  There is a regalness about her while still have a since of innocence and purity.  I would LOVE to see her as Giselle and Juliet.  She would also make a lovely La Sylphide.

There are videos of Baoteva's Giselle with Sergeev and he is fantastic in them.  His makeup was too heavy, but hopefully that will be fixed this time around.

1 hour ago, volcanohunter said:

Both Zakharova and Stepanova have danced the role only twice at the Bolshoi, although Stepanova would be likelier to dance it again in the future. Over the past 20 years the most frequent interpreter of the role has been Allash, by a mile.

Kovalyova won't have an easy time of it. She is about 5'11" tall, and the dream duet in particular will be challenging for her partner.

Your post made me want to look ay the Bolshoi site and you are absolutely correct-Maria Allash has danced that role the most by far!  Alexandrova and Shipulina have had their fair share, but Allash is danced it the most by a long shot.  Luckily, Kovalyova will have Denis Rodkin as a partner.  Hopefully his height and experience will aid her in the control of those gorgeous long legs of hers.

10 hours ago, Drew said:

 

Regarding casting over the years (not speaking of this series)....I'd add Zakharova. Don't know if it's a role she still dances. (Perhaps not if she hasn't been cast this go round... )

I'll also add Yulia Stepanova.  She debuted that role in 2017.  

Viktoria Tereshinka calls this her favorite role so it must be quite an honor to be cast as Mekhmene Banu.  I wish Kovalyova much success on her debut!

Hello and welcome @William Hood!  Your question motivated me to look at the POB webpage.  It says that Mathieu Ganio was 17 when he joined in 2001, so he getting a little bit older.  But, I imagine that his age is not slowing him down.  It is interesting that he is performing Tybalt, but not Romeo this June-July.  Hugo Marchand is dancing Romeo.

Marchand joined at age 18 in 2011, so he is only about 28.  

I'd love to hear from some other people as this is a fascinating topic.

@Drew You are in for a very special treat with the Mariinsky performing  Jewels.  They performed that in Los Angeles a couple of years ago and it was fantastic.  I had the pleasure of seeing Maria Iliushkina in the second PDD in Emeralds.  This was my first time ever seeing her and she was truly "lovely" as you say.  She has a delicateness and fragility about her while still being a strong technician.  I was especially taken by her doll-like features.  She really is beautiful.  

@Buddy The videos up of Giselle with Skorik and Kim and indeed beautiful!  I especially love their chemistry in the ACT 1 excerpt.  Kim is such a strong and attentive partner.  The lines that Skorik can achieve are sublime.  

It is such a wonderful thing to be able to see so much ballet on the internet.  Dancers and companies I may or may not ever be able to see in person.  How lucky we are to live in this age on ballet on Youtube!

Ooooohh!  Thank you for sharing this @California It looks like a great reason to head up from Los Angeles to see them in all their glory!