Drew

That's a lovely example. Nor are we in as quite as much disagreement as you imagine; much better if one can guide the corps de ballet as Legat says she does at the Mikhailovsky. (I will add, though, that when I saw the Mikhailovsky in Giselle and Flames of Paris at the Koch theater in New York, I did not see a classical corps de ballet that was comparable to the Bolshoi's.)

That’s a wonderful perspective. I admit I don’t find Vaziev inhuman (at least not what we saw) and I don’t believe that anyone who isn’t preternaturally tough could run the Bolshoi for long. I also doubt getting yelled at is the cruelest thing that happens to dancers. There may be better ways to discipline a corps—let’s hope so—though none of them are likely to be gentle. Was glad to see Filin acknowledged and thanked a couple of times including by Smirnova.

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Thank you.

I had a chance to watch more of the Bolshoi video--was that Chenchikova coaching Denisova as Aurora? I looked at the photos on the website and in photos she seems the only coach with those bangs. I ask because she came across as very caring and supportive even as she was working adamantly on certain details. I found myself really liking her, or at least, her way of conducting the rehearsal. Anyway--if someone knows, I'd be curious (perhaps @volcanohunter?)....I found it almost unbearable to watch Allash coach Smirnova and Skvortsov because she was wearing her mask incorrectly--but that says nothing to what kind of coach she is! The dancers were beautiful to watch. Vaziev was a like a parody of the ballet martinet--it's as if he reads the criticisms of him that appear every World Ballet Day (at least on English-language websites) and decides to double down when the next World Ballet Day comes around. I have to add that his take-down of the young woman who wore a black tutu to snowflake rehearsal rather reminded me of the sort of thing one of my ballet teachers might have said to a student he thought was trying to stand out inappropriately. He was, at any rate, not wrong in what he said to the dancers about the importance of getting the timing right etc. If Bolshoi watchers think the corps de ballet standards are up, I guess he must have something to do with it...

Welcome Dave! I would advise you to trust your own responses--if you are collecting and watching ballets on DVD then obviously you are appreciating what you are seeing. And when you find something especially moving or beautiful you probably ask your self why? Or if it resembles another performance you especially liked--and what the resemblance was? You may have noticed you like a certain kind of dancer or a certain kind of choreography etc. It's not that one can't learn more technically about what one is watching--of course one can--but one doesn't have to study ballet to gain insight into what the art form is doing.... (There are some books written for newcomers to ballet. Unfortunately I'm not really up-to-date on that. I did listen to parts of Laura Jacobs Celestial Bodies: How to Look at Ballet on audible--and liked some of it a lot and some of it not at all! (But the book wasn't really aimed at an old ballet-goer so my reaction may not be a fair gauge.) A very respected critic named Robert Greskovic wrote a book called Ballet 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving the Ballet. Unfortunately, I haven't read it so I can't weigh in...but I bet it is worth a look.)

Nobody is saying “no new ballets please” ....I (and most others posting here) know some fair part of the history of the company and I personally have admired many new works premiered at NYCB. And I spent years on this site defending the Diamond project in the teeth of the vast majority of knowledgeable NYCB fans posting who were understandably fed up with the inconsistent quality of the new commissions. But the next live performance I see will, at earliest, be a year and half out from the last live one I saw and, for NYCB, two years. For practical reasons probably longer. Other than attending performances of my local company (good in some things, but not yet a world class company or close to it) I will have to buy a plane ticket and book a hotel—so I hope I can be forgiven if Four Temperaments or Serenade is higher on my wish-list than new commissions from modern dance choreographers and revivals of works by Martins. (Quiggin just posted again as I was typing. A deep discussion of NYCB history and its possible relation to the company’s future is always welcome and obviously pertinent when the ur-topic is the digital season. I still think it not unreasonable to be especially looking forward to Balanchine post pandemic and post digital. If I were to enter a more far-reaching discussion about the company’s future, then I would add I also do not think it alarmist to prefer NYCB not treat Balanchine as the Royal Ballet treats Ashton....which has had an absolutely deleterious effect on the Ashton repertory.)

Sad news...may he rest in peace...

Absolutely--if there is anything I would love to see when I return to live ballet performances it is classical ballet repertory I can sink my teeth into --with Balanchine at top of the list at NYCB and by some measure... (Oh...I guess that since people were talking about Steadfast Tin Soldier up above, I'll specify, major Balanchine. I've seen Steadfast Tin Soldier a handful of times including the recently televised cast and, way back when, Mcbride and Baryshnikov. It's the very rare Balanchine ballet of which I can say that a few times is enough for me.)

Have only been able to watch a few fragments --all very enjoyable (including the excerpts of the Gracheva company class at the Bolshoi and a bit of Vetrov's.) I also found Lantratov and Turazashvilli's interview with Denis Savin quite charming. (As dazzling as it has been to watch the very professional Novikova year after year play interpreter to the dancers and their coaches etc. seeing a soloist with the company able to play that role was pretty dazzling in itself.) I also enjoyed the rehearsal footage of Tereshkina with Kunakova -- a ballerina I remember from the Kirov tours of the Reagan era and into the eighties...

Sad news....may she rest in peace.

Great news about Denis Savin! I think I've pretty much exclusively seen him on video--but what a memorable artist. Always --

Very glad she is with a company again. Hope she finds it a fulfilling place to work!

It's kind of you to ask -- if you can figure out how to send it via the message function inside Ballet Alert, then that would be great. But if you can't, please don't worry. I enjoyed just reading your description of seeing the snippet of Abraham's work with Calvin Royal III!

Sounds wonderful--was the snippet on Instagram? (Various youtube searches didn't seem to turn this up.)

WOW!

Wow! or, rather, once again.... shudder ....

I shuddered reading this....

I had missed this news. Thank you for passing it along. Ivanova has been an exceptionally lovely presence at the Mariinsky--I join you in wishing her a wonderful next chapter....

I was thinking of Wheeldon’s Variations Sérieuses....I think it dropped out of the rep so people don’t remember it much...,

A wonderful —and beautiful—actress. May she rest in peace.

Welcome @TheAccidentalBalletomane — rapturous” is a perfect word for how wonderful ballet can be. I think many of us are mourning the loss of live performances. Next year in the theater!

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I'm kind of ecstatic with excitement for the dancers and trust this will be be a shot in the arm for company morale. I think most if not all of them have great futures ahead of them! Perhaps, when I allow myself to think more coldly about the matter, I do find it...risky...to promote dancers to principal who haven't proven themselves in multiple principal roles and--in the context of ABTs repertory specifically--who haven't shown repeatedly that they can carry multiple full length ballets. I love Trenary (as I do Brandt) but Trenary's full length leads have been what? A very successful Aurora and a very charming Princess Praline (I saw the latter and read about the former)....? Is there another that I've forgotten? Forster (one of my favorites!) has danced what in terms of principal roles in full length classics? The lead in Nutcracker? Royal...purple Rothbart? etc. etc. If the spring season had happened as planned, then most of these new principals dancers would have been "tested" in new full length roles and perhaps the company feels that under these extraordinary circumstances they should be given the promotions they would have likely earned especially since a number of them waited more than long enough to be cast in major lead roles. But to me it still ends up a bit of a gamble even if an exciting gamble because of the talent involved....Anyway, the future will tell if these promotions are a stroke of genius or a rear-guard action as the company looks to the future... And finally--I missed a number of Lane's most acclaimed performances and never had the chance to admire her dancing as many others on this site do. But I did see her dance remarkably in Ratmansky's Shostakovich Trilogy and The Tempest as well as giving a number of terrific soloist performances. She was also my favorite of the three Princess Praline's I saw. Her career is--from the outside looking in--another puzzlement. I hope she is still with ABT but if not, wish her a fabulous future.

Congratulations to Avsajanishvili --