nysusan

Thanks MakarovaFan, I've wanted to see this cast for so long and was unable to find a copy of the 1970 performance on VHS or DVD. I'm ordering it NOW!

I'm glad everyone is enjoying this, I keep watching it over and over. The corps may not be up to their usual standard, but they are still something to behold!

Cygnet, perhaps you or our other Mariinsky watchers can tell us the name of the dancer who led the Shades in this performance. She looks so familiar but I don't know her name. Looking at the photos on the Mariinsky website it could be Anna Lavrinenko but its hard to tell for sure.

This has really whet my appetite for their DC run of Sleeping Beauties coming up next month!

Thanks & Happy 2010 to all,

Susan

Maria Kowroski just posted her upcoming Carmen performance dates on her Facebook page:

Tuesday Jan 12 8pm

Saturday Jan 16 1pm

Thursday Jan 21 8pm

Wednesday Jan 27 8pm

Tuesday Feb 9 8pm

BTW, the HD live performance is showing at 3 theaters in Manhattan and they are all sold out

By the way, who is doing "The Man I Love" pdd. I can't discern that from the casting list.

Isn't it Morgan? I seem to remember the ladies are listed in order of the pdds/variations.

Edit: I just looked at her Twitter https://twitter.com/KMorganNYCB and yesterday she tweeted "So- the foot is not quite ready for Who Cares. Super frustrated but it is for the best- exciting things coming up later in the season!)" so it sounds like she won't be dancing. I wonder who'll replace her.

I saw that tweet, too. I was just up at the Koch theater and they haven't updated the casting sheets yet. It will be interesting to see who replaces her.

This is FABULOUS! There was a live performance on Opus Arte TV which is archived here:

http://liveweb.arte.tv/fr/video/Reveillon_...allet_imperial/

Tereshkina and Sarafanov lead the Shades scene from Bayadere with Selina and Vasnetsova in the 2nd and 3rd Shades variations. I am not familiar with the petite blond who danced the 1st shade, can anyone enlighten me?

Paquita was also terrific, with Somova and Korsuntsev in the leads. This was one of Somova's better efforts - she still leads a bit with the chin but her dancing here is much more controlled than usual with few of her trademark over extentions. For my taste there is still too much of a disconnect between her upper and lower body movement but this performance is a big improvement so there's reason to hope. Selina, Gonchar and Alexei Timofeyev were sparkling in the pas de trois and the performance of the night was Kondaurova in the 2nd variation - she was just gorgeous. The solo variations, in order, were danced by: Martynyuk, Kondaurova, Selina, Matvienko & Somova.

Enjoy!

I have tickets for one of the last performances (with Kaufmann), but the reviews have been so good I'm going to try to get a rush ticket for 1/12 to see this cast. I have my fingers crossed for Kowroski but it would also be interesting to see Tuttle after all these years. In addition to that Times review, all of the word of mouth has been great. Here's a link to an interview Wheeldon did about creating the choreography for the production:

http://thefastertimes.com/dance/2010/01/01...pera/#more-8088

Thanks for the info, I'm really excited to see the 2 Jacobson "miniatures" on the "Master Works En Pointe" program. A little leery of their modern, re-orchestrated Carmen but I'll give it a try.

The name confused me, too. It's the Royal Ballet and that's Alina Cojocaru dancing Clara - definitely NOT a student, she's one of the premiere ballerinas in the world today. I tried to watch it last night at midnight but fell asleep very early on...too bad they ran it so late.

Of course, if updated casting includes Obratzova or Pavlenko (hardly likely) I will have to hit the piggy bank again!

Pavlenko is not on Fateev's favored list. Although back from maternity leave for well over a year, the most she's been given are the street dancer in "Don Q", the all-acting, no-dancing role in the parting Pas de Deux from Jakobson's "Spartacus", and one go at "Chopiniana" recently. I doubt she will be on the tour at all... sadly. As a principal, she is no longer even given principal roles.

I've found it curious that Pavlenko has done so little since coming back from maternity leave. I was disappointed but had hoped that it was her choice to come back so slowly. It's sad to hear that her absence is due to Mariinsky politics, but not really that surprising and certainly not unprecedented. Hopefully she will find a way to break through and return to dancing principal roles, or have the courage to leave and join a company that will allow her to reach her full potential. I guess it's unlikely that she would leave Russia with a new baby and a husband whose career is taking off at the Mariinsky, but I can't stand the thought of her wasting her prime dancing years. And I want to see her again! She has always gotten great reviews when she's toured here in the States.

Casting has now neen posted on the KC website. Biggest disappointment - no Obraztsova Aurora. Second biggest disappointment - no Lopatkina Lilac. But, of course, we get Somova's Aurora TWICE! Vishneva opens, Tereshkina dances twice, Matvienko and Kolegova each have one performance. Oh well, at least I'll save a lot of money.

Uliana hasn't danced Lilac for at least three years. The full-length roles she dances the most are O/O, the rare Raymonda, and lately Giselle. She's also acquired more Balanchine. In addition to "La Valse," "Diamonds," and "Symphony in C," she recently added "Scotch Symphony" to her rep. Besides Diana, the high caliber Auroras will not be dancing. Novikova is still on maternity leave, Osmolkina isn't cast and probably isn't going, and Dumchenko and Pavlenko never tour with the 'A' Team anymore. Golub's Aurora is unreliable. The big gun, the photon torpedo Aurora of this company is Obratzova, but she's been relegated to Florine during the current Japanese tour. If they pack her for Kennedy, she'll probably be Florine. Kondaurova's Lilac is excellent and if she were backing up Obratzova's Aurora, I'd set sail for that. Vicky has wonderful virtuoso technique, but IMO is better suited, and would be more credible as Lilac rather than Aurora. Matvienko and Kolegova are both boiler plate soloists.

But, of course, we get Somova's Aurora TWICE!

.

I'm shocked she's not opening. That's two times too many plus overkill. There's no rest for the weary. The travesty continues.

I didn't know that Lopatkina doesn't dance Lilac anymore, guess I should count myself lucky to have seen her Lilac in 2005. I just bought my tickets for Sat evening and will be happy if the casting holds. I love Terishkina but I'm having a hard time envisioning her as Aurora, will be interested to see how she does. And I love Schklyarov & Kondaurova. Of course, if updated casting includes Obratzova or Pavlenko (hardly likely) I will have to hit the piggy bank again!

Hmmmmm.... I wonder if this means that The Kings of Dance scheduled for NY City Center on Feb. 19 will happen without Vasiliev. I'm furious

Hmmm...Vasiliev was never scheduled for the Kings of Dance, at least not the City Center version. Why are you furious?

Fabulous news. I"ve seen Osipova's Kitri with the Bolshoi (twice). I know that she's trying to expand her artistic horizons and I respect both her efforts and their results - but her Kitri is awesome & not to be missed!

Yes, it's good to know that Fadeyev will be dancing, also looking forward to Kondaurova's Lilac - I think I will target Saturday night & hope that the casting holds. Forgot to post a lnk - here it is:

http://kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.c...amp;event=BKBSE

Casting has now neen posted on the KC website. Biggest disappointment - no Obraztsova Aurora. Second biggest disappointment - no Lopatkina Lilac. But, of course, we get Somova's Aurora TWICE! Vishneva opens, Tereshkina dances twice, Matvienko and Kolegova each have one performance. Oh well, at least I'll save a lot of money.

FYI for anyone who's planning to see this at the Film Forum - buy tickets in advance! I live nearby and decided to stroll over to catch the 1:30 PM showing. Got there at 1 and IT WAS SOLD OUT! So was the 1 PM showing of The Red Shoes. Good for them, maybe they'll book some more ballet films.

It was great to see Cristian & Jack on Friday night, I'm so bummed that I won't be able to go to any other performances this weekend, but at least I saw a great one! I pretty much agree with eveything Jack wrote about the performance. Jeanette Delgago is a force of nature! What a generous, open, delightful dancer. Her technique is so strong and in some ways she reminds me of Sofiane Sylve: when she takes a balance, or starts a sequence of pirouettes she is so strong its as if she's planted (in the best way) so it never occurs to you, even for a minute that she might waver in her balance or fall off point. She's a strong, solid dancer with great allegro technique and a very Balanchinean musicality but she also has wonderful port de bras and a lovely lightness to her dancing. The beaming smile might bother me in certain roles, but not in the ones I've seen her in so far.

There were lots of outstanding performances, most notably Catoya in Tchai Pas and Wong in Company B but I also really enjoyed several dancers who have not been favorites of mine. I thought Deanna Seay, Patricia Delgado and Daniel Baker were wonderful in Company B (in fact I thought the whole company was wonderful in it. If they didn't quite reach the level of Taylor's dancers I thought they captured the context and modern dance vernacular much better than ABT did without sacrificing any of the virtuosity).

I also thought they did a great job with Sym 3. I saw Kronenberg and Cox do this several times in NY and wasn't crazy about their interpretation. There were times when they got very flirty and smiley which I found really weird for this piece. This time Kronenberg danced with Guerra and they had a less playful demeanor which I preferred. The other soloists were Wong & Albertson, Penteado & P. Delgado and I thought the whole cast was great.

The thing that I love about this company is that they dance with so much heart, and so many of their dancers manage to combine great technique with great interpretive skills. I remember in the Ballets Russes film one of their ex ballerinas was talking about her students and how their technique was vey strong, but they didn't know how to "be warm". I feel that way about a lot of dancers these days, particularly at ABT. They are my home company and I love them but it seems like at ABT you either get great technique or great interpretive powers, very few of their dancers combine both. Eddie's dancers seeem to have it all.

Thanks for your review, DeborahB. I'd been really looking forward to reading reactions here. Unfortunately Gia Kourlas in the Times didn't think any better of the program the night before. I'm sad for Wheeldon's sake and sad for the art form's sake.

Don't feel too sad for Wheeldon (let alone the whole art form) - the house was packed for the first 2 nights with the orchestra, gt, mid mezz and rear mezz full both nights, gallery open on opening night. This was the fullest house I've seen at City Center in a couple of years (excluding Fall for Dance & Gala programs, including ABT, Taylor, Ailey, MCB etc). And the audience was very appreciative of all the works on both programs. Individual reactions may vary but I found it really interesting that the reaction of the critics has been pretty uniformly negative while the audience reaction has been mostly positive.

I loved the first program, and really liked the second one. Program A (Commedia, Leaving Songs, Softly and Bolero) was accompanied by the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas, led by the beautiful & charismatic young conductor Alondra de la Parra. I'm no music critic but to me they sounded wonderful, the Stravinsky in particular sounding very fresh and light. It was whimsical in some places and romantic in others. The second program was all set to piano scores, with Cameron Grant & Susan Walters sharing the musical duties. I'm not sure how great an idea it was to program an entire night of piano pieces (with the exception of Softly, which is performed to recorded music) but it may have been due to budgetary requirements. Anyway, kudos to Wheeldon for finding a way to afford first rate live music on a tight budget.

I loved Commedia last season, and loved it even more this time around. Danielle Rowe was absolutely beautiful in the Leanne Benjamin role - she is a beautiful dancer with a winning combination of steely technique, lyricism & emotional expressiveness. Matthew Prescott partnered her - I remember liking him with the Farrell Ballet and it was good to see him again here. Carrie Lee Riggins was also a standout in this.

Didn't love the Tim Harbour ballet but the critics had prepared me to hate it and I definitely didn't hate it. I found it interesting and am looking forward to seeing it again.

I saw "Softly as I leave You" for the 3rd time last night and I absolutely love it. Since it was roundly dissed by just about all the critics (and a couple of my good friends), let me add that it received huge audience ovations each time I've seen it. I think I can understand why many critics and die hard ballet fans dislike it - I generally dislike that type of choreography myself. I think of as it as a European hybrid of modern dance & ballet - no point shoes, angst ridden, overly dramatic. But in the hands of Jacoby & Pronk I thought it was a masterful examination of the dissolution of a "can't live without him, can't live with him" relationship and I thought the box that Jacoby fought to get out of (and Pronk wound up trapped in) was an appropriate visual metaphor.

I enjoyed Ratmansky's Bolero a great deal. It was very amusing, uptempo with an interesting dynamic of individual competitiveness played against group unison.

I didn't think that the second program (Continuum, Softly, Rhapsody Fantaisie) was as strong as the first. Continuum was new to me and I loved it, but I love Ligeti and love Wheeldon's "Balanchine mode". There were lots of references to Agon and the 4T's themes but of course with Wheeldon's personal spin and choreographic outlook. I was disappointed in the new Wheeldon piece, I guess I expected it to be more upbeat than it turned out to be. I think it was a bit too long and not really cohesive. I also found the men's costumes distracting. However those were my first impressions and it may grow on me after I see it again.

I saw this in its last week of previews and enjoyed it. I didn't think it was great and there were no really memorable tunes or lyrics - you definitely don't go home humming anything. But it was entertaining and not too cliche ridden. It was great to see Danny on stage - I was in the 3rd row of the orchestra so I had a real "up close & personal" view of the performers! Unfortunately he didn't have a speaking part or even a solo - he was part of the small corps (or do they call it a dance ensemble on Broadway?). It it was wonderful to see him dancing, but sad to see him in such an anonymous role. His talent deserves better.

I just noticed the casting for the SoCal engagement on the ABT website. Most interesting is that Gillian Murphy is scheduled to dance Giselle with Hallberg. Here in NY, she has only danced the secondary role of Myrta, if my memory is correct. If any balletTalkers attend, please provide a report.

Can't really visualize Murphy as Giselle...

...and why is that Part still doesn't get a Giselle...?

I can't imagine Part as Giselle because she is too tall.

I can't see Part as Giselle either. It's not a height thing. For me it's a rightness for a role. Part did not prove to be as a good Aurora as she was a Lilac Fairy...

I cannot see either Murphy or Part as Giselle. Much as I love Part, I do not feel that she is suited for the first act of Giselle, mostly because of her looks and personality - she's too tall, too glamorous and womanly looking. But I'd bet she'd be a dream in act 2. With Murphy it's more a question of her style of dancing - although she's a killer technician her romantic style leaves much to be desired, and she has real trouble projecting fragility.

I don't want to be critical of Veronica Part when I feel ambivalent about why I don't like her dancing (her dancing or her larger-framed body type and lack of lightness, not that this piece demanded lightness). But didn't Part look more like a diva melodramatically "preening" and "overacting" a fake anguish, than a swan suffering a fragile, vulnerable and dignified death (not that I know what Dying Swan is intended to invoke, but I assume it's not intended to invoke images of a self-conscious movie star dying)? I found Part's performance artificial and lacking in subtlety. She seems to try too hard to please, to exaggerate some aspects of the emotions she was trying to convey so that all subtlety was lost.

In a word, NO!

And though I've seen the Dying Swan up-teen times I have never found it particularly moving. It has only made me cry once, at a performance by (of all people) Anastasia Volochkova. I'm pretty sure the tears came because my cat had died earlier that week, rather than due to the subtlety of the performance. Having seen Vishneva dance the Isabel Fokine sanctioned version last week I found the differences between her version and the more familiar one that Part danced fascinating and unmistakable. The version Vishneva danced used different positions in several places, there was much more tension in the execution and much sharper imagery. It evoked more struggle & anguish. Veronika's version was more like Lopatkina's - a graceful, beautiful, wounded bird succumbing to her inevitable fate. Although I agree that Part's performance was not quite in the same league as Lopatkina's (few are).

As for the new works, while the Ratmansky was pretty, witty & lyrical I thought it became tedious after awhile and I agree that it did seem somewhat derivative of Robbins. I might have like it better if it had been shorter. It goes without saying that all the dancers were fabulous.

I found the Barton quirky & charming although I'm not sure how well it will hold up to multiple viewings.

My favorite piece of the evening was Millipied's, by far. I thought it was very inventive & kinetic and I loved the way he used his corps, loved his use of patterns. The only thing I didn't like was the clanging during the Boylston/Gomes pdd, but other than that I also loved the music.

By the way - the view from the side boxes is terrible! The seats are set so far back from the rail that you only see about a third of the stage unless you lean all the way forward. There is also the issue of the rail bisecting your view if you sit back in your seat properly.

I got there at 5:45 AM and was out the door with my tickets by 11:20 - just over a 5 1/2 hour wait. It sounds like it was a 5 to 7 hour wait no matter what time you got to City Center and I don't mind sleeping in my chair so the early start worked for me. The 40 or so people ahead of me on line all seemed to be prepared with their lists and were buying multiple tickets for each performance. They had extra staff at the box office - 5 windows open, all for FFD but each box office transaction took a long time since people were buying so many tickets for each show AND because every transaction whether online, over the phone or at the box office had to go through the computer seating system, and the the high demand kept making the computers freeze up. This happened last year, too, but the computer problems were much worse last year. I got everything I wanted and walked away happy - I even got out early enough to make it up to Lincoln Center in time to snag 2 of the last free tickets available to the Tosca dress rehearsal.

Sorry for all of the posts everyone.

Don't apologize, keep posting! It's good to have first hand reports from BTers. Glad you're enjoying the Mariinsky, they are my favorite company. Blasphemy for a New Yorker, I know. But even though you saw the Balanchine program, their heritage & style are so different from the NYCB that there's hardly any basis for comparison.

That said, take a good look at how they dance the fairy variations in the prologue tonight and then compare it to NYCB's performance style when they revive their SB this winter. Its a perfect illustration of the differences in the style and point of view of the 2 companies.

How did you like Kondaurova? After the Mariinsky's City Center run she and Terishkina were on just about every NYCB fan's "guest artist" wish list. I can just imagine her in the 2nd movement of Bizet.

I'm so jealous that you're in London for this engagement but then, I'll be in Central Park for Morphoses tonight! Enjoy!

Maybe the choice of the opening cast was done by somebody willing to finally get rid of the “anti-ballerina”.

The "anti-ballerina" - what a perfect name for Somova. I think that nickname is going to stick, like "Big Red" for Kondaurova. I happen to agree with the poster who said that she's a talented dancer who was pushed too far too soon without the proper coaching. It's up to the coaches to guide her and curb her excesses, and that obviously hasn't happened. Despite the fact that the Mariinsky keeps casting her in everything, I still wish I could be in London for this tour, just to see Obraztzova in R&J and Sleeping Beauty, and I'm also dying to see Kondaurova's Swan Lake. Can't wait to read the reports!!!!

Thank you so much for directing us to this film clip, it brings back such wonderful memories of Gelsey's Giselle. I've always thought her first act was an extraordinary combination of technique and total believability and what I remember best is this variation, especially those arabesques into penchee. I remember having the impression that she went into the penchee while still on point and only went down onto a flat foot once she was already in full penchee position (at which point she gazed adoringly over her shoulder at Loys/Baryshnikov). Since every other Giselle I've seen in the last 30 years comes down to a flat foot before starting the penchee I figured it must have been a trick of memory. This clip confirms that she did start the penchee on point, even if she rolled down through the foot before quite completeing it. Her dancing was sublime, the light, effortless movement, amazing musicality and phrasing. And total believability. I know it's said that Gelsey analyzed and rehearsed everything to death but to me her dancing/acting always looked completely spontaneous. I'm sure I will watch this clip over and over and may try to find time to get to the Lincoln Center library and try to see the whole thing.

Thanks to everyone involved in making the clip public, but especially to Gelsey.

Marcelo, Marcelo, Marcelo!!! In addition to being a wonderful dancer in his own right he's the best partner in the world today, and it's not just his technical accomplishment. He always makes you see his ballerina through his adoring eyes. Also love David Hallberg (what line!), Shklyarov and Tyler Angle.

Don't get to see Tsiskaridze often, but he's another dancer I love who combines great technique with a compelling stage presence. I can see myself becoming a big fan of Ivan Vasiliev and Roberto Bolle as I see more and more of them.

In the past - Bruhn, Nureyev and Baryshnikov, but also Anthony Dowell (what grace & elegance), Michel Denard (gorgeous, lyrical, perfect line), Ivan Nagy (talk about a perfect partner!). From the recent past - Bocca, Woetzel & Boal, for sure!