canbelto

Also Pierre Lacotte is French. And Frances definitely does have a very ugly history of racism towards its colonized territories and also towards its large minority populations.

Here's the thing. When the Mariinsky brought La Bayadere to DC they took the blackface off the little kids. They did the same with the international livestream a few years back. So they clearly know that to a larger audience it is offensive. Also the Bolshoi and Mariinsky are Russian companies but they also have a huge international fanbase. They make a lot of money doing lucrative tours to places all over the world. So it's not like they're in a cocoon.

I think it's really naive to say that Russia doesn;t have baggage with racism. I mean just at the World Cup there was a lot of worry about how African players would be received: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-42283328/world-cup-2018-african-fans-in-russia-downplay-racism-fears http://www.espn.com/soccer/fifa-world-cup/4/blog/post/3519781/world-cup-2018-and-racism-how-will-fifa-police-discrimination-in-russia I actually suspect that blackface is okay in Russia because of the casual, accepted institutional racism.

Kretova does not look "Nubian." She looks like a Caucasian who slopped a ton of black face and smeared it all over her body. You are 100% right that Pharoah's Daughter is a "fantasy" which is why it's absolutely acceptable to have a "fantasy" makeup that doesn't become offensive.

This is absolutely disgusting. I can't believe this kind of makeup is still considered acceptable.

If you're going to use "not a Vaganova grad" then you can apply the same standard to Timur Askerov, Maria Shirinkina, and a number of Mariinsky dancers who are not Vaganova grads. As well as the number of Bolshoi dancers who are not from the Moscow school.

For those who are figure skating fans, Denis Ten died in a shocking murder today. RIP. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/19/sports/denis-ten-olympic-skater.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fsports&action=click&contentCollection=sports&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=4&pgtype=sectionfront The figure skating world has been very shaken with people posting their tributes all day. Here is Alexei Yagudin:

Yes. Maria K said on instagram that she has a foot injury.

Looks like we have a new Diamond in the making ...

Wow that hasn't been my experience. They've always been extremely accommodating and friendly. There have been a couple times when Life Happened At the Last Minute and I couldn't use my tickets and they've always been great about finding a new date to exchange. Now the Met box office needs a lesson in manners and etiquette.

It's confirmed that Kelley Potter is leaving:

Just so this particular dead horse won't get another beating, I've changed the title of this thread.

I also think Olesya Novikova is a classicist. Not many ballerinas can pull this sort of thing off the way she does:

Viktoria Tereshkina? Her dancing sounds very much like the great Imperial dancers like Legnani and Kschessinskaya. Extremely strong legs and feet, great at par terre footwork, the Prima Ballerina as a beacon of technical strength and security. And for those who say that Tereshkina doesn't have the most beautiful body line, well, the same criticisms were applied to Legnani and Kschessinskaya.

Oh can't believe I forgot this. Swan Lake from the Mariinsky with Uliana Lopatkina and Danila Korsuntsev. La Fille Mal Gardee with Marianela Nunez and Carlos Acosta.