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annaewgn

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Posts posted by annaewgn

    Alexei Ratmansky's Giselle

    in Bolshoi Ballet

    Posted

    Casting is up. 

    Giselle will be danced by Smirnova on the 21st and 23rd with Belyakov as Albrecht. Krysanova and Ovcharenko on the 22nd & 24th. Nikulina and Tissi on the matinee on the 23rd. 

    The men dancing Hans are: Biktimirov, Dorokhov, Savichev. 

    Bathilde: Meskova, Kobakhidze, Balukova. 

    Two Wilis: Denisova & Zhiganshina, Turazashvili & Vlashinets, Bochkova & Skvortsova. 

    Myrthas are casted, however the dates they're performing have not been assigned: Shipulina, Kovalyova, Fyodorova, and Vlashinets.   With only five shows, and four Myrthas, based on the cast trends of Giselle/Albrecht, Hans, Bathilde, and the Willis (two of the casts getting two shows, one cast getting only one show), I am going to guess Shipulina and Kovalyova get two shows, and either Fyodorova or Vlashinets gets the other. Or maybe I'm wrong entirely. 

    The Peasant Pas: Khokhlova & Putintsev, Bochkova & Mkrtchyan, Postnova & Kemenov, Mishina & Poddubnyak, Kokorova & Gusev. 

    Mariinsky — La Bayadere — Costa Mesa Oct. 16-20, 2019

    in Kirov-Mariinsky Ballet

    Posted

    16 hours ago, Buddy said:

    Annaewgn, Vlada Borodulina was one of the three Shades tonight, along with Yana Selina and Anastasia Lukina. They all did just fine. The entire Shades dancing just blended into one unified magnificence for me. The audience was even applauding during their entrance.

    Ah! Thank you so much for keeping me updated-- Mariinsky's Shade Scene is an utter dream, I saw it a few years ago when they brought it to DC. What a delight to hear it's all going well this go round! 

    Mariinsky Paquita KennCen Oct 8-13, 19

    in Kirov-Mariinsky Ballet

    Posted · Edited by annaewgn

    I quite enjoyed it! It had been a while since I'd seen Mariinsky because I missed Corsaire in April. However, I do agree that there wasn't much meat in the plot. It was difficult to follow, even already knowing the plot before hand. 

    I stand with my previous sentiments about Khoreva-- stunning technique, but no stage presence and can't really act or play a character other than smiling. And her shoes were distracting. She has such beautiful arches but those shoes make her seem like she's barely pointing her foot, and for the first act at least, were tanned too light for her legs, and it cut off her line and distracted. But, she gave a very clean and impressive performance for a nineteen year old. Once she matures a little and gets better with artistry, she'll be a showstopper. 

    Maria Shirinkina-- wow! She subbed in for Chebyakina both shows yesterday and today-- and was promoted today! Much deserved. She was an utter delight to watch. Konstantin Zverev was also a joy. 

    Renata Shakirova was the strongest dancer in this performance. Her personality was explosive, even during the short amount of time she was onstage and her dancing was stunning. 

    I was actually quite surprised by May Nagahisa, her variation was delightful and quite impressive. Her lines were long and breaktaking, and she held quite a few of those moments. However, she didn't seem totally effortless. While I don't think she has the ability to carry a full length, this variation really played to her strengths. 

    A personal favorite of this performance was Vlada Borodulina. I've been very excited to see her in action, and she certainly did not disappoint! As Roberta said in the Paquita thread, very charming with the use of face/eyes! She was very strong throughout the entire ballet, and between the four friends, she got one of the stronger rounds of applause. 

    Ionova a surprise as well, though I still don't know how to feel about her. Her port de bras was captivating throughout her variation, however she struggled through the last line of développé-arabesques. Throughout the first act she didn't participate on the sidelines and play her character, she just kind of stood there and watched the whole ballet happen in front of her. 

    My stance on Nuykina also remains unchanged. She was sloppy in her variation, and lacking in some areas of basic technique. 

    The children were a highlight, an utter joy to watch. Those lines & the crispness of their movement-- outstanding. They received quite the round of applause at curtain, and even some more at the stagedoor. 

    The horse and moving trees were also moments I found quite humourous. 

    But I also agree, the awkward moving of Paquita and Andres around during the prison scene in the silence went on too long and defeated the magic when you could hear sets moving and people backstage. 

    Also possibly another set timing error-- the roses of Act III didn't come down until much after Paquita's fouettes, when a friend told me who went to the Wednesday show that they came down during her fouettes. Anyone else catch this? 

    Overrall, while it wasn't the strongest plot-wise, I quite enjoyed it! As someone with an understanding of technique, this show was an utter delight as these are some of the finest dancers in the world. The music was beautiful and I got goosebumps quite a few times in the third act. Costumes (especially those tutus) were stunning, and the Act III set was charming (I found the pink hues and portraits to be unique and complimentary. While not ideal, I've seen worse). 

    I think one way to describe this ballet is that it is not a ballet I'd recommend as a first time ballet, or for someone who has little ballet knowledge. This isn't Swan Lake or Nutcracker, it's for someone who has a more keen eye for technique and nuance. 

     

    Mariinsky Paquita KennCen Oct 8-13, 19

    in Kirov-Mariinsky Ballet

    Posted

    Yekaterina Petrova appears to be out. The casting isn't clear but I would assume she's been replaced by Shamala Guseinova: 

    Paquita’s Friends: Anastasia Lukina, Alexandra Khiteeva, Yekaterina Petrova, Yana Selina

    Grand Pas Variations (Act III)
    1. by Anna Pavlova in the ballet King Candaules: Anastasia Lukina
    2. Le Corsaire: Alexandra Khiteeva
    3. by Alexandra Shaposhnikova in the ballet Paquita: Shamala Guseinova 
    4. by Maria Gorshenkova in the ballet King Candaules: Yana Selina
    5. From the ballet Camargo: Maria Shirinkina
    6. by Anna Johansson in the ballet Paquita: Maria Khoreva

     

    This is for wednesday, friday, and saturday night performances. Not overly positive, as the website is unclear. 

    Mariinsky 2019-20

    in Kirov-Mariinsky Ballet

    Posted

    9 hours ago, NAOTMAA said:

    I personally believe the larger then life spectacle outweighs the other issues the "revival of the revival" may have. It still feels more magical then any other.

    Agree! The costumes are some of the prettiest I've seen for a Sleeping Beauty and the sets are astounding. 

    Mariinsky Paquita KennCen Oct 8-13, 19

    in Kirov-Mariinsky Ballet

    Posted

    1 hour ago, lacdescygnes said:

    Is this the cast you would recommend seeing? I have seen Timur Askerov 3 years in a row at KC, and I find him a fine dancer, but not terribly inspiring. I admit I was hoping for Kimin Kim!

    I saw Khoreva last year in Corsaire, and she shows some promise, but maybe I should give her a few more years to develop. I liked Batoeva's Gamzatti a lot 2 years ago.

    So, who should I see this year? I'll only get tickets to a single performance - I'm not that much of a fan of Paquita, and NYCB tickets are eating much of my ballet budget for the coming season.

    Well, I definitely woulda suggest Viktoria Tereshkina, but since you weren't overly inspired by Askerov (and you've seen him 3 times), maybe a Nadezhda Batoeva show? I quite like Batoeva, and I'm starting to enjoy Parrish (though I understand where people's complaints of him come). 

    However the rest of Tereshkina's cast (looking at her Sat. Matinee specifically), seems to be relatively strong. Chebyakina I've heard is inconsistent so I don't know how'd she do here, but Renata Shakirova is absolutely stunning, and Belyakov + Zaleev are strong. This is the cast of friends that I am most excited about-- Illiushkina and Borodulina are both a part of it. I'm definitely aiming to go to this show. I'm not looking forward to having to sit through a Nuikina variation, or Ionova for that matter, but that was a given. 

    Batoeva's cast (I'm looking at Saturday), I think is also relatively strong. Parrish isn't many people's favorites, but I think he's actually quite charming, Maria Shirinkina is a gem, I am also not looking forward to having to see Bulanova (I don't think she's nearly as impressive as people seem to claim), Romanichkov I'm not too sure about (I just don't know much about him), but Caixeta seems incredibly promising, and a lot of fun to watch perform. As for the friends, it's a relatively experienced cast. Lukina is a Second Soloist, and I really like her, though some people have said she's inconsistent. Khiteeva is the only newbie in this cast, and while she's technically outstanding, she is quite boring-- I would like to see if being in a company and working with Mariinsky coaches could bring that out of her. Petrova + Selina are stunning as well. 

    I'm definitely going to try one of the Saturday or Sunday shows, but my luck in catching the Mariinsky hasn't been so great! 

    Mariinsky in Baden Baden

    in Kirov-Mariinsky Ballet

    Posted

    I believe the Mariinsky is there around December, or the week of Christmas. They were there around that time this past December, and performed Swan Lake, as well as Ilya Jivoy's "Seasons", and Balanchine's "Diamonds" (and I believe something else on that triple bill, but I can't quite remember). 

    Program Question

    in Kirov-Mariinsky Ballet

    Posted

    To anyone who's been to a Mariinsky performance in St. Petersburg-- I've noticed that in the Russian version of programs, some dancers (from corps through the soloist ranks, and I've seen it repeated for certain dancers too) have "Лауреат международных конкурсов" meaning "winner of an international competition", roughly in english, but I was curious if anyone knew what exactly that meant? What does it mean for the dancer? Why is it shown in the program? I see it all the time in photos, under various dancers names, and repeated for some randomly, so how often does it happen? Sorry if this seems like a dumb question, but it's one I've had for quite some time! 

    Mariinsky Paquita KennCen Oct 8-13, 19

    in Kirov-Mariinsky Ballet

    Posted

    Indeed! Excited for Tereshkina. Also, very excited for the Friends casting. 

    Nagahisa, Ionova and Nuykina were kinda a given (nor am I overly excited for them, but whatever) but Illiushkina, Borodulina, and Khiteeva! Very, very excited for them— however there appears to be a typo/confusion on the casting regarding Lukina/Illiushkina/Nagahisa on the list of variations for Grand Pas. 

    Either way, this will be the first time American audiences will be seeing Khiteeva, Illiushkina and Borodulina in prominent Soloist roles, and as I’ve been following those three for quite some time, I am very excited to see them in action. 

    Mariinsky Paquita KennCen Oct 8-13, 19

    in Kirov-Mariinsky Ballet

    Posted

    Casting:

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    PRINCIPAL CASTING (subject to change)
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Tue., Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m.
    Paquita: Viktoria Tereshkina
    Andrés: Timur Askerov
    Cristina: Yekaterina Chebykina
    Carducha: Renata Shakirova
    Young Gypsy Man: Roman Belyakov
    Clemente: David Zaleyev
    Paquita’s Friends: May Nagahisa, Vlada Borodulina, Anastasia Nuikina, Daria Ionova

    Grand Pas Variations (Act III)
    1. by Anna Pavlova in the ballet King Candaules: May Nagahisa
    2. Le Corsaire: Vlada Borodulina
    3. by Alexandra Shaposhnikova in the ballet Paquita: Anastasia Nuikina
    4. by Maria Gorshenkova in the ballet King Candaules: Daria Ionova
    5. From the ballet Camargo: Yekaterina Chebykina
    6. by Anna Johansson in the ballet Paquita: Viktoria Tereshkina

    Wed., Oct. 9 at 7:30 p.m.
    Paquita: Maria Khoreva 
    Andrés: Konstantin Zverev
    Cristina: Maria Shirinkina
    Carducha: Maria Bulanova
    Young Gypsy Man: Alexander Romanchikov
    Clemente: Victor Caixeta
    Paquita’s Friends: Anastasia Lukina, Alexandra Khiteeva, Yekaterina Petrova, Yana Selina

    Grand Pas Variations (Act III)
    1. by Anna Pavlova in the ballet King Candaules: Anastasia Lukina
    2. Le Corsaire: Alexandra Khiteeva
    3. by Alexandra Shaposhnikova in the ballet Paquita: Yekaterina Petrova
    4. by Maria Gorshenkova in the ballet King Candaules: Yana Selina
    5. From the ballet Camargo: Maria Shirinkina
    6. by Anna Johansson in the ballet Paquita: Maria Khoreva

    Thu., Oct. 10 at 7:30 p.m.
    Paquita: Nadezhda Batoeva
    Andrés: Xander Parish
    Cristina: Yekaterina Chebykina
    Carducha: Renata Shakirova
    Young Gypsy Man: Roman Belyakov
    Clemente: David Zaleyev
    Paquita’s Friends: May Nagahisa, Vlada Borodulina, Anastasia Nuikina, Daria Ionova

    Grand Pas Variations (Act III)
    1. by Anna Pavlova in the ballet King Candaules: May Nagahisa
    2. Le Corsaire: Vlada Borodulina
    3. by Alexandra Shaposhnikova in the ballet Paquita: Anastasia Nuikina
    4. by Maria Gorshenkova in the ballet King Candaules: Daria Ionova
    5. From the ballet Camargo: Yekaterina Chebykina
    6. by Anna Johansson in the ballet Paquita: Nadezhda Batoeva

    Fri., Oct. 11 at 7:30 p.m.
    Paquita: Maria Khoreva 
    Andrés: Konstantin Zverev
    Cristina: Maria Shirinkina
    Carducha: Maria Bulanova
    Young Gypsy Man: Alexander Romanchikov
    Clemente: Victor Caixeta
    Paquita’s Friends: Anastasia Lukina, Alexandra Khiteeva, Yekaterina Petrova, Yana Selina

    Grand Pas Variations (Act III)
    1. by Anna Pavlova in the ballet King Candaules: Maria Iliushkina
    2. Le Corsaire: Alexandra Khiteeva
    3. by Alexandra Shaposhnikova in the ballet Paquita: Yekaterina Petrova
    4. by Maria Gorshenkova in the ballet King Candaules: Yana Selina
    5. From the ballet Camargo: Maria Shirinkina
    6. by Anna Johansson in the ballet Paquita: Maria Khoreva

    Sat., Oct. 12 at 1:30 p.m.
    Paquita: Viktoria Tereshkina
    Andrés: Timur Askerov
    Cristina: Yekaterina Chebykina
    Carducha: Renata Shakirova
    Young Gypsy Man: Roman Belyakov
    Clemente: David Zaleyev
    Paquita’s Friends: Maria Iliushkina Vlada Borodulina, Anastasia Nuikina, Daria Ionova

    Grand Pas Variations (Act III)
    1. by Anna Pavlova in the ballet King Candaules: May Nagahisa
    2. Le Corsaire: Vlada Borodulina
    3. by Alexandra Shaposhnikova in the ballet Paquita: Anastasia Nuikina
    4. by Maria Gorshenkova in the ballet King Candaules: Daria Ionova
    5. From the ballet Camargo: Yekaterina Chebykina
    6. by Anna Johansson in the ballet Paquita: Viktoria Tereshkina

    Sat., Oct. 12 at 7:30 p.m.
    Paquita: Nadezhda Batoeva
    Andrés: Xander Parish
    Cristina: Maria Shirinkina
    Carducha: Maria Bulanova
    Young Gypsy Man: Alexander Romanchikov
    Clemente: Victor Caixeta
    Paquita’s Friends: Anastasia Lukina, Alexandra Khiteeva, Yekaterina Petrova, Yana Selina

    Grand Pas Variations (Act III)
    1. by Anna Pavlova in the ballet King Candaules: Anastasia Lukina
    2. Le Corsaire: Alexandra Khiteeva
    3. by Alexandra Shaposhnikova in the ballet Paquita: Yekaterina Petrova
    4. by Maria Gorshenkova in the ballet King Candaules: Yana Selina
    5. From the ballet Camargo: Maria Shirinkina
    6. by Anna Johansson in the ballet Paquita: Nadezhda Batoeva

    Sun., Oct. 13 at 1:30 p.m.
    Paquita: Maria Khoreva
    Andrés: Konstantin Zverev
    Cristina: Yekaterina Chebykina
    Carducha: Renata Shakirova
    Young Gypsy Man: Roman Belyakov 
    Clemente: David Zaleyev 
    Paquita’s Friends: May Nagahisa, Vlada Borodulina, Anastasia Nuikina, Daria Ionova

    Grand Pas Variations (Act III)
    1. by Anna Pavlova in the ballet King Candaules: May Nagahisa
    2. Le Corsaire: Vlada Borodulina
    3. by Alexandra Shaposhnikova in the ballet Paquita: Anastasia Nuikina 
    4. by Maria Gorshenkova in the ballet King Candaules: Daria Ionova
    5. From the ballet Camargo: Yekaterina Chebykina 
    6. by Anna Johansson in the ballet Paquita: Maria Khoreva

     

    Mariinsky — La Bayadere — Costa Mesa Oct. 16-20, 2019

    in Kirov-Mariinsky Ballet

    Posted

    6 hours ago, Drew said:

    If my plans pan out, I likely will see her in Paquita—and that may well be a better role for her at this stage than Nikiya.

    Agree-- Paquita (especially in the Act III Grand Pas) is highly technical (but we all know Khoreva has crystal-clear technique), and while not to detract from the artistry and emotion required to perform Paquita, it is a much more smiley and happy role than Nikiya. 

    6 hours ago, Drew said:

    It is possible the casting will change...though who knows?  I liked Nuikina as an odalesque in Corsaire when I saw her dance in D.C.—her dancing seemed rather better than what one can glean from youtube. Haven’t the faintest if she would be ready for Gamzatti. 

    I doubt they'd change her casting, unless she gets injured again-- she's highly favorited, for whatever reason. I just can't sit through a video of her without cringing or squirming. Her technique is incredibly rough, and it's very obvious that she's not ready for most of the roles she performs. 

    Mariinsky — La Bayadere — Costa Mesa Oct. 16-20, 2019

    in Kirov-Mariinsky Ballet

    Posted

    4 hours ago, Roberta said:

     

    I completely agree, annaewgn. The week prior to this, the company will be here in Washington, DC, with Paquita. Even though casting is not yet announced for the Kennedy Center run, I'll bet the farm that DC will be seeing the same principals as in Bayadere:  Somova, Khoreva (likely first night) and Kondaurova as Paquita;  Kim, Schklyarov, Askerov as Lucien. That said, I would not mind it a bit if DC/Paquita gets Terioshkina in place of Somova. :FIREdevil:

    I definitely have my eyes on going to the Kennedy Center performances-- I wasn't able to make it to Corsaire (though, with all the casting changes, I am not upset I didn't make it) so I really want to go to Paquita-- I think the new production looks quite spectacular, and it has a large cast of soloist roles, so we'll hopefully get to see a good range of dancers. 

    I would hope Tereshkina performs in DC! I saw her as Nikiya in Bayadere and she was stunning! 

    2 hours ago, Josette said:

    I agree as well, annaewgn.  I don't find Khoreva interesting to watch at the present, but that is only from what I have seen posted online. I've seen ballerinas with artistry who were technically stunning and it was their artistry that infused their performances with substance and meaning.   I am dreading seeing Khoreva in Diamonds, having watched a clip from her initial performance, and I hope that she has some charm, mystery, musical sensitivity or quality that comes across in person that I couldn't perceive from a filmed clip.  

     

    I feel like we all knew that no matter what, Khoreva was going to be a star. I just wish she (and others) had spent time in the corps, paying dues, and transitioning from student to professional. There is a very stark contrast, in my opinion, from the dancers who paid their dues in the corps and are now dancing as soloists/principals, to the ones who jumped straight to stardom. 

    I really want to like Khoreva, but she just doesn't bring anything exciting to her performances. I guess time will tell how she grows and develops as a dancer.

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