KathyKat

Thank you! Now that I know what they look like I’m sure I’ll be able to spot them. BTW I think they look strange on Sarah Lamb, a dancer I normally like.

Recently I have become aware of the existence of these arch enhancing prosthetic pads that fit over the top of the foot to give the appearance of a more arched foot. The reason I ask is that I have noticed a particular dancer whose foot seems to have become much more arched when you compare her older vs newer videos on YouTube. Now I am not a dancer, just a lifelong ballet fan, so I’m in no way qualified to make a judgment, but if true, this seems like cheating to me. The questions I have for those of you more in the know are, how widespread is the use of these devices, do professional dancers actually use them, and if not can a dancer’s arch change to become more arched naturally as he/she matures over the course of their career?

The complete recent Bolshoi Giselle with Smirnova and Belyakov can be found on Youku which is China’s version of YouTube. I was so thrilled to find it there since I had been wanting to see it again ever since the live cinema cast last January. It can be found by just searching Olga Smirnova. It is such a beautiful performance and I plan on watching it again and again before it (inevitably) gets taken down.

While watching (actually re-watching) a favorite YouTube video from 2013 of the Sleeping Beauty fairies with Yulia Stepanova, Xenia Ostreikovskaya, et. al. , I noticed the different shapes of the tutus or the way hang on each of the dancers. For instance while Stepanova’s tutu had a nice disc or “satellite “ shape, others, particularly the one worn by Tatiana Tiliguzova had what seemed to me an odd droop in front almost to the point of making a saddle shape. Just wondering why this would be. Would this be up to the dancers themselves or the costume personnel? I see this a lot on different videos and it just seems so strange that some tutus are more symmetrical and others are floppy. Does anyone else find this peculiar or have any possible explanation?

Thanks Drew. Yes Semenyaka was fantastic. Her bourrees were just breathtakingly smooth and beautiful. Also almost noiseless.

Thank you, Sandik. Where I live, in southeast Michigan, it’s pretty hit or miss what companies that will come on any given year. That being said over the years I have been fortunate enough to see ABT a couple of times: a Julie Kent Giselle in th late 1990s and The Merry Widow with Susan Jaffe in the early 2000s. Also I saw a “Stars of the Bolshoi” program that is a treasured memory of Maria Bylova in Spring Waters. Chicago is not that far away and I did see a Bolshoi Romeo and Juliet there with Lyudmila Semenyaka in th early 1990s. Now that I’m retired and work conflicts are no longer an issue, I hope to see more (or as much as my limited budget will allow).

Hello. My name is Kathleen and I am a long time ballet enthusiast. I was captivated at a young age at seeing Maria Tallchief on television. Although I took a couple of ballet classes (semesters) in college in the early 1970s I’ve never really been any kind of serious student much less dancer but I have great affection and respect for the art and all who dance it. My daily ballet fix I mainly get from YouTube. My favorite ballerinas are mostly the Russians with their glorious epaulment: Alina Somova, Nina Kaptsova, Kristina Shapran, to name just a few. I would dearly love to read a review of the July 12 Somova/Hallberg Giselle from anyone who was so fortunate to be there in person and is so inclined. I’ve. learned a lot reading the Ballet Alert Forum and would like to hear from others who also love ballet.