canbelto

Ok, here's a theory. I have no idea if it's right. It seems as if perhaps I (and a few other people on the thread) are puzzled by Mezentseva's reputation because she is atypical of what we usually expect from Russian prima ballerinas. She is not particularly quick, athletic, flexible, or emotive. But maybe that's precisely the reason she's so revered in Russia: because she offers something different? I dont know, it's just a theory. Maybe it's what made her stand out among the light, quick, elegant, Kirov corps: she's stately, deliberate, aloof. I have no idea if this is true, it's just a theory.

Jose Manuel,

First of all, let me ask you, other than her being a "divinity" what is so great about her? I',m not trying to be rude and insult you (although you havent exactly been very polite) but here is what I see:

1. stiff limbs. This is most unusual for a Kirov dancer. Even though she's very thin, her legs seem very "heavy" -- theyre slow, they dont seem to fly easily. Every step seems deliberate and carefully placed.

2. lack of flexibility. Again, for a Kirov dancer, this is most unusual. I'm not saying this is bad, but just something I note.

3. A kind of inorganic disconnect when she dances. For instance, in the White pas de deux of the Swan Lake sometimes I feel as if she's flapping her arms while rather stiffly arabesqueing. Ive seen this with Paloma Herrera too. With the best ballerinas I always feel as if it's not just their feet or their hands or their face dancing -- everything is in sync. With Mezentseva I just don't see that, sorry.

4. Slowness and lack of power. Again, this is not bad, but just another thing that I observe.

5. A rather cold, forbidding, expressionless face. Lack of beauty is fine -- Natalia Makarova was nothing to look at either. But Mezentseva's face never seems to change -- her Odette has a big frown from her very first entrance. To me, what is a Swan Lake is Odette doesnt also show a sign of joy or rapture, that makes her fate that much more poignant? When Siegfried dances with her, he has to see not only what she is but what she was and what she could be.

I mean basically this is just what I see. And I love Lezhnina, Zakharova, other Vaganova-trained dancers. I even thought Natalia Bessmertova was enchanting in Giselle.

I've never seen Mezentseva live, but from the videos I have seen I must admit she's one ballerina whose enormous reputation baffles me. She has a good classical technique (pure lines, very "Kirov"), but she's not a particularly fast or athletic ballerina. Her leaps and spins all at least on video seem slow and deliberate. But most of all, she just seems to exude iciness. Her face, hands, back, they all seem stiff, icy, and unexpressive. This is good, I suppose, for a role like Odile, but then again, her total lack of sexiness and her aforementioned deliberateness are kind of a wet blanket even in the Black Pas de deux. I dont know whether she was a different ballerina in person, but at least on video Mesentseva seems rather, well, ordinary to me.

I saw La Sonnambula last night, and am I the only person who thought it was a gentle satire of Romantic ballet? The jester who blows out his back, the mysterious "dark lady," the aloof, otherworldly "white" sleepwalker, the entire solo en pointe, the melodramatic death, and finally the twist on the traditional sight of a male sweeping a female off-stage ... It all seemed to be George Balanchine poking fun (goodnaturedly) at Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, La Bayadere ...

In other news I am in love with Jennifer Ringer, who was adorable in La Source.

And i loved Shambards. I thought the way Wheeldon designed the corps and the soloists was very striking. I found the rather violent relationship between Jock Soto and Miranda Weese to be one of the more memorable duets I've seen this year.

I think of a ballerina in the 18th century as roughly akin to the Japanese geisha. Geisha are very vehement that they are NOT prostitutes -- they are instead highly trained dancers and singeers, and also are taught to be charming hostesses to rich men at the all-male banquets. (In Japan, proper men and women simply didnt attend parties together.) Geisha did, however, often have "protectors" -- men whose identities were secret, but who discreetly supported them. I'd say female ballerinas had the same arrangement -- I go out and dance and look beautiful, and you give me the monthly check. I doubt these relationships were very romantic, but they did probably provide a lot of comfort and security to the ballerinas.

Guy,

I'm talking about having a flexible arabesque. Like in the Shades scene -- I noticed most of the female corps kept a very straight back and held their leg to exactly 90 degrees. Whereas when, say, Veronica Part does an arabesque, her whole body, including her back, seems to stretch. That's the look I like.

The thing is though, when did the taboo for American girls and back-arching begin? Because when I see archival film of Suzanne Farrell or Allegra Kent, or even the NYCB corps, their backs are certainly arched, and their legs are very very high. Maybe not to the extent of the Vaganova dancers, but it did seem like a perfectly acceptable position. This is a real contrast to contemporary dancers like Wendy Whelan, who have a ramrod straight back.

By the way, anyone catch the NYCB Workout Video? I love Peter Martins' deep, deadly serious voice intoning, "KEEP your but-tocks straight. It is very important to always keep your but-tocks straight." :grinning:

Ah, but Kent never danced in Bayadere!  The overuse of high extension in ballets where understatement is  a virtue is a sore spot on this board for years! 

Well for the record I didnt find Zakharova's extensions excessive -- she didnt showboat them at every opportunity, and she was very lovely. I think every ballerina has strengths and weaknesses, and Zakharova certainly had enough strengths to make her performance very memorable.

Besides, there's nothing more annoying (to me) than totally stiff-backed dancers. I noticed this painfully in the corps last night. During the "Shades" scene I thought some of the corps looked like they were doing "waves" at a football stadium, the way they completely refused to extend or arch their backs. It made me cringe, as Ive seen videotapes of Bayadere from other companies.

By the way, Veronika Part danced in the first act, and she was fantastic. AND she arches her back!

I was there for Zakharova's Nikya as well. First thing I noticed was how much her Nikya had in common with Alina Cojacaru's last year. The super-flexibility, the remarkable cleanness of dancing, the lithe, light, airy style. But Zakharova also brought an air of exotic and mysterious beauty that the more ethereal Cojacaru didnt have. I just loved her way of simply dominating the Shades scene by one spead of her lovely arms. She was well-matched with Carreno, as both have very long legs and arms, and she is rather tall.

As for the super-flexibility, I wonder what y'all would think of Allegra Kent then. Talk about flexible and 180 degree leg lifts!

Kelly was also a good comedian, in a kind of snarky, understated way. Singin' In the Rain gets much of its appeal from Kelly's famous "Dignity, always dignity" monologue. Marilyn Monroe also had this quality -- she could be funny and seem like she wasnt trying to be funny.

I like the new Royal Ballet Nutcracker if only for Alina Cojacaru's enchanting Clara. Most "adult" Claras are cloying and queasy, but Alina doesnt have to try hard to look like an enchanting adolescent.

Hi, I was at La Bayadere on Saturday. I'm not an expert balletomane so my comments will reflect this kind of ignorant status.

The only things I noticed in the Shades was that the corps need to coordinate their entrances down the ramp much better. It looked rather underrehearsed, as the gap between ballerinas descending was sometimes uneven, thus ruining the surreal effect. Also their line formation needs to be stricter -- one or two ballerinas seemed unable to get into the ruler-straight line.

As for Alina Cojacaru, i thought she was exquisite. The fact that she looked smaller and more childlike than everybody else added a degree of poignancy to her role that might otherwise be lacking.

Hi everybody --

I'm new here, and have agreat interest in ballet.

Today in my psychology class I was watching a film about eating disorders, originally on PBS. It was an excellent film, and I was particularly interested in the beautiful young ballerina they profiled, Eleena Melamed. Does anyone know if she is still dancing, and where she's dancing? Her story was so touching, especially as I could never imagine anyone as lovely as her being unhappy about her appearance.

Thanks,

Canbelto/Ivy