Inga

Marc, thank you for the info! Scuffite, if you’ll see the performance(s) I hope to read your impressions too!

Thank you Naoko S for explanation about Tokyo theatres! Hilaire surely is great! I will be glad to read your review about his RB performance.

Marc, "Soul of the Dance" usually given to persons who can receive it in their own hands (or all the awards would be given to Marius Petipa, Maria Taglioni and so on) . Panfilov was killed last year and there was lot of talking about him and he was proclaimed a genius. I dont sure he deserved it.

Hi Naoko S, the Moscow weather is playful: -15C in the morning and –5C in the day

Thank you for the info. Interesting dancers often perform in Japan but I cannot read Japanese sites and know very little about it. Dont you know when that La Bayadere with Zakharova-Zelensky took place? New National Theatre Ballet and Tokyo Ballet it's two diffenet companies? Sorry for stupid question

I think Zelensky is well for some time already because in the end of December he danced Albert in Greece (with Zakharova).

I never saw Laurent Hilaire as Albert but I saw Le Parc video with him and I think he is really great dancer! In La Bayadere video his classical style and noble bearing also was impressive.

Thank you Naoko S for the info. I curious to know how Zelensky and Zakharova in that La Bayadere was received by the Tokyo audience and critics. May be you may tell?

At March 4 on the stage of The Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theater in Moscow, there took place a presentation ceremony/gala for the "Ballet Magazine's" "Soul of the Dance" award.

The prize-winners are:

“Queen of Dance” – Nina Ananiashvili

“Star of Dance” – Sergei Filin, Natalia Ledovskaya (star of the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theater)

“Rising Star” – Anastasia Goriacheva

“Actress” – Ilse Liepa

“Magician of Dance” – choreographer Evgeny Panfilov

“Maitre of Dance” –Anna Redel (famous show dancer of the past), Ninel Yultieva (artistic director of the Kazan ballet school)

“Knight of Dance” – critic Natalia Sadovskaya, Gennady Albert (director of the Boris Eifman Company), Makhar Vaziev

“Teacher” – Marina Kondratieva, Ludmila Sakharova.

The gala was long but rather dull except for the last 30 minutes – Ratmansky’s “Charms of Mannerism”.

First part begin with two students from the Perm school Elena Nikiforova and Mikhail Martinuk dancing Coppelia adagio. The girl is pupil of Sakharova, the distingished teacher who formed famous ballerinas Nadya Pavlova, Olga Chenchikova and many others. Nikiforova showed elegant feminine style of dancing, beautiful arms and nice foots but she lacked personality.

Marina Kondratieva coached many Bolshoi stars and soloists – Nadya Gracheva, Galina Stepanenko, Nina Kaptsova, Ekaterina Shipulina, new young starlit Nelly Kobahidze, but the performance of her pupils Bogdanovich and Ju Yun Be added nothing to her reputation. Maria Bogdanovich (first year with the Bolshoi) did Diana variation from Esmeralda - no personality and weak technique. Ju Yun Be did Giselle pas de deux with Alexander Volchkov - she was nice but bland, he was romantic and attentive partner.

Irina Golud and Islom Baimuradov from the Kirov danced Carmen adagio - he have temperament but no opportunity to show it, she have beauty and spice but was quite empty inside and no Carmen at all.

The rest of the numbers was even weaker.

In the second part of the evening Natalia Ledovskaya and Vladimir Kirilov of the Stanislavsky Ballet did a number by Alex Ursuliak on the music from Titanic. She is talented ballerina who can make watchable anything so I like it.

Nikolai Tsiskaridze and Ilse Liepa danced Dame Pique pas de deux – both have strong moments but the pas de deux out the ballet was not very impressive.

Last number, Ratmansky's Charms of Mannerism, was real treat and greatest success of the evening! Nina Ananiashvili, Inna Petrova, Sergei Filin and Yury Klevtsov

danced it with great inspiration so it was very funny and beautiful. I never saw the ballet before and I think the choreography is very interesting and talented.

Alexandra, Ekaterina Shipulina is not very dear for Moscow audience but she is often talked about, even too often for a young soloist who dance only one leading role in the current repertoire (Odette-Odile). She have her fans but many people think her uneven and unripe.

In my opinion Shipulina have beautiful lines, she may be lyrical and aristocratic but she is not always strong technically. I would like to see more of her.

Opinions about Nina Kaptsova also are mixed – some people think her rather good soloist than talented prima ballerina, some people like her (I like her too). I think several years ago when she was just accepted into the company the was rather bland but as time goes on she became more emotional. She have her charm, if not star power, and she is strong professional.

Gennady Yanin dance in the Bolshoi character roles. He usually liked by the audience but he never have leading parts so he is not as popular as classical premieres. As Marc already write he danced Narcissus before.

You could be right Alexandra that stage conditions in Kennedy Center made problems for the Bolshoi dancers. Anastasia Goriacheva have good classical style, unpolished dancing is unusual for her. In Moscow she usually approved. One critic considered her last season’s debuts in Giselle and La Fille mal Gardee as some of the most interesting events of the season. She is apparent candidate for the prima ballerina position. I think her gifted and intelligent dancer.

Thank you Ari and Alexandra for your answers about Shipulina.

Thank you Ari and Alexandra for your reviews.

I never hear about Kaptsova dancing "Spectre de la Rose" before, it should be added to her repertoiry recently, so I am happy to read that the addition is successful.

Anastasia Goriacheva received Soul of The Dance Award from Russian Ballet Magazine in the Rising Star category for 2002.

I'm curious to know what the spectators think about Ekaterina Shipulina in Don Quixotte variation. In Moscow opinions about the ballerina are controversial.

At February 18 I saw Notre Dame de Paris with second cast.

Esmeralda – Anna Antonicheva

Quasimodo – Dmitry Belogolovtsev

Frollo – Yan Godovsky

Phoebus – Alexander Volchkov

I like that performance less than the premiere because of Antonicheva – that mild obediently-looking ballerina wanted to be Carmen but she looked uneven in the beginning and bland toward the end. Her heavy movements did not help.

For me center of the ballet was brilliant Belogolovtsev as Quasimodo. He showed virile temperament and was assured and charming. That Quasimodo apparently did not feel himself a freak and have quite easy relationship with the world around. He is a part of the crowd and he like them. His feeling for Esmeralda was rather brother’s love than man’s passion, and in the final scene he was unhappy not because he lose his lover but because he see a death of a young woman that otherwise would live for many years. The rendition was unexpected but I like it. Belogolovtsev is very talented dancer but he rarely dance leading parts so I was happy to see him in the role.

Volchkov was bright again but he have not such a chemistry with Antonicheva as he had with Lunkina.

The premiere made big impression but on different people the impression was different. Opinions is mixed: I already hear that the ballet is dated and it’s shameful disaster for the company, and opinion that it’s big success and great victory for the Bolshoi.

Some people criticize the dancers for dancing the ballet rather in emotional Russian style than in reserved and sensual French manner. However POB dance Russian classical ballets in French style and nobody see here any problem! It’s quite natural that when a ballet is staged in different companies with different traditions it will be danced differently.

Other people, to the contrary, have their own ideas about Notre Dame de Paris personages, quite unlike that of Mr. Petit. Lunkina was criticized for being just mild beautiful girl instead of hot Carmen-like gipsy . Volchkov was called too innocent and romantic whereas Phoebus should be virile military guy. I think if Roland Petit wanted the same, he would chose for the parts other dancers.

February 15, premiere of Roland Petit’s Notre Dame de Paris

Esmeralda – Svetlana Lunkina

Quasimodo – Nikolai Tsiskaridze

Frollo – Yan Godovsky

Phoebus – Alexander Volchkov

The long-expected premiere took place at last, and I enjoyed it a lot! The production in spite of its old age still looks interesting, the movements showed rich fantasy and grand-scaled mind of the choreographer. The company danced with real inspiration. The corps de ballet dont have such a nice turnout as POB dancers but they danced with commitment. Nikolai Tsiskaridze was convincing as Quasimodo. His style of dancing usually is very flamboyant and in the grotesque part of Quasimodo that style was quite suitable. He was not a human being but fantastic creature not from this world, he belong to the world of eternal majestic Notre Dame. Svetlana Lunkina as Esmeralda was beautiful and tender, her stage presence was great. Roland Petit’s style is very suitable for her so no wonder that the choreographer called her one of the best ballerinas of the world. Alexander Volchkov as Phoebus looked like blond Greek god and give impression of antique statue. He is young and danced just a several big parts but I think he have qualities to became real star. Yan Godosky as Frollo apparently did his best but he have no strong personality.

Bolshoi have in its repertoire just a few ballet that is not Russian classic so it’s very pleasant to see something of quite different style.

At February 6 Roland Petit and Boris Akimov talked with the journalists about Petit’s Notre Dame de Paris (Bolshoi’s premiere will take place at 15,16, 18 and 20 of February). The announced cast was as follows:

Esmeralda – Svetlana Lunkina, Anna Antonicheva

Quasimodo – Nicolai Tsiskaridze, Dmitry Belogolovtsev

Phoebus – Alexandr Volchkov

Frollo – Ruslan Skvortsov, Yan Godovsky.

It was said that Andrei Uvarov also prepared Phoebus but he will not dance because of injury. By the contract with the Bolshoi, the ballet will be shown no less than 40 times in 5 years.

Last circumstance is hopeful because fans of Maria Alexandrova was disappointed that she dont have the main part as Akimov promised in his interview several moths ago, but if the ballet really will be performed so often there is a chance. And of course Uvarov must be beautiful as Phoebus and I hope to see him in the part.

I am agree with Ina about Grigorovitch’s Swan Lake. To my taste the production is very gloomy and ridiculous. The dancers must be really good to make it watchable.

Jeannie, I saw Masha Alexandrova in La Sylphide two times and was really impressed. Her stage presence always magnetic and her technique very strong – that’s important in every role. On the debut performance she was more eagle than sylph, she called James to be free, to do what he always wanted but never dare, to realize his wild dreams. She looked rather like big beautiful woman than like air maiden but it was not important, she was just great! On her second performance several weeks later she changed her interpretation. Her movements became more soft and light and she looked like playful innocent child that dont understand how dangerous it is to interfere in human matters. That child became adult but too late… To my opinion Masha in La Sylphide is better than in Don Quixotte but I saw her Kitry last time in September 2001 (with guest star Jose Manuel Carreno), she is more matured now.

Yes Marc, Lunkina scheduled to dance Esmeralda in Roland Petit’s Notre Dame de Paris on February 15 with Nicolai Tsiskaridze as Quasimodo and young Ruslan Skvortsov as Frollo (no official info about Phoebus).

I think Lunkina’s technique never was as strong as that of Galina Stepanenko or Maria Alexandrova but she have bright personality and ability to act. Her personages usually are pensive and lyrical but in the last season she showed strong will that looks very interesting in contrast with her fragility. Her Lisa in Roland Petit’s Dame Pique, who is by the plot a poor relation of old woman who sold her soul to Devil, also looked mysterious, as if she is private to some awful secret. In La Syphide (she made her debut last April with beautiful Sergei Filin as James) she looked light and at the same time sensual, chemistry with her partner was great. Last June I also saw her Giselle with Nicolai Tsiskaridze – in the second act Svetlana showed such a temperament that Myrtha apparently will have a serious rival for her throne! Alexandra, if you’ll have opportunity to see Lunkina, be ready to everything

Maria Alexandrova is very popular with the Moscow balletlovers, she apparently is the most popular ballerina of the young generation.

As far as I know “Masha”, as her fans call her, is principal soloist since 2000 but she dance just a few leading parts. Her repertoire include The Empress in Eifman’s Russian Hamlet, 3d movement in Symphony C (both ballets is not danced by the Bolshoi any more), Kitri in Don Quixotte, Aegina in Spartacus, main part in La Sylphide, but she rarely perform the roles. In Bolshoi she usually dance second roles like Myrta, Gamzatti, Swan Lake pas de trois and so on.

Last season society of the Friends Of The Bolshoi Ballet organized a fan meeting with Boris Akimov, artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet. On the meeting Mr Akimov was asked about Masha and said that he “dont see” her in the leading roles. Some people think that Alexandrova cannot dance leading parts in Petipa ballets because of her appearance – she is not as slender and long-legged as most part of the Bolshoi ballerinas. It supposed that in long skirt like that of Myrta, Kitry or Syphide her body looks better than in tutu. I cannot agree with it because spectators usually dont go into the theatre with a ruler to measure a dancer’s legs, and Alexandrova have a lot of qualities that make her real star.

I am also a fan of Alexandrova. I like her magnetic stage presence and strong personality. Till the last times she was considered rather as heroic ballerina than as lyrical one but last autumn she made her debut in the main part in La Sylphide and showed that she can master romantic style as well. It’s really sad that she waste her talent.

Jeannie, I sure that Alexandrova never received Golden Mask for Ramze because the ballet was out of the repertoire. For 2000 the Golden Mask was given to Diana Vishneva.

On February 2 Svetlana Lunkina made her debut as Odette-Odile in Swan Lake. I really enjoyed her performance but she was the most strange Odette I ever saw. I usually expect Odette to have authority (she is princess after all!) and some warmth. Lunkina was thin, fragile and frozen in her grief. Her still white face looked like a mask of sorrow, and her unhappiness was scaring – she looked almost like a Death!

Lunkina’s Odile was more traditional and more suited her personality. She is very beautiful dancer, with mild plastique and exceptional grace, and she showed that qualities to the advantage. She paid a lot of attention to the Prince (her Odette almost never noticed him), she was supercilious and playful – poor Prince have no chance against her! Her technique was not very secure but I dont mind – her stage presence was strong.

In the last lake scene Lunkina was white and unhappy again but showed more warmth. Her death in the end was touching.

The role of Prince Seigfried was danced by Konstantin Ivanov. His acting was convincing and his arms elegant, but the movements of his legs looked sloppy.

Morihiro Ivata received great applauses as the Jester. Maria Alexandrova as Spanish Bride and Ekaterina Shipulina as Polish Bride was beautiful.