nysusan

Giselle05- Sorry if I misconstrued your original post. Something about seeing Apollo, Dvorovenko and strongest in the same sentence got to me! I agree completely about Les Sylphides, except I liked Erica Cornejo as well as Hallberg. I think it looked much better on the bigger Met stage, but I also think the staging & coaching may have as much to do with my dissatisfaction as anything else. I've seen it several times now, with several different casts and it really does look static & mannered a lot of the time. Susan

In the spirit of "that's what makes horseraces", I’m afraid I have to disagree about Apollo. Anyone who has seen any of my postings here can probably tell that when it comes to a question of ABT’s sensibilities vs NYCB’s I generally fall squarely into the ABT camp. However after watching the first Apollo with Carreno, Dvorovenko, Abrera and Kent my only thought was that this was a mistake. I liked Abrera, and thought Carreno was okay if unremarkable but Dvorovenko & Kent were another story. Kent just doesn’t have the chops, or the style for this. I really love Dvorovenko most of the time but after the 3rd or 4th time she batted her eyes at the audience it took all of my self control to keep from jumping out of my seat and screaming “You’re supposed to be a muse, not a coquette!”. I found it to be a painful experience. I thought ABT redeemed itself with today's matinee. Steifel, Hererra, Ricetto & Murphy were a MUCH better cast. Steifel’s Apollo was very finely developed. You really saw his transformation from a perfectly formed but awkward & gawky infant god, through his discovery & mastery of his powers to his perfection as a fully formed god. He particularly reveled in testing those powers at points. His was not a calm, contemplative interpretation but it was a compelling one. Ricettto was very good as Calliope and Murphy & Hererra were outstanding. Hererra is a dancer I often don’t like, but here she was perfect. Technically precise, she danced Terpischore simply & beautifully.

MissChristine, if you are going to be in NY this winter you might want to note that Jeunne Homme is on the bill for the Kings of Dance performances at City Center in Feb. Right now it looks as if Vishneva will take the role of Death. It's not clear whether Kobberg, Steifel, Tiskaridze or Corella will dance the young man, or if they will all alternate in the role.

I did. It's structure reminded me very much of Balanchine's Petipa homage ballets. The first half (for Murphy& Steifel) had a definite Aurora by way of T&V feel, and the second half (for Part & Beloserkovsky) was reminiscent of Odette or Raymonda a la Ballet Imperial ( the adagio). I enjoyed it. It was danced well by all esp Ms. Murphy who was charming & Ms. Part who was mesmerizing.

Wow, I knew I was going to regret not staying in L.A. longer! I’m glad to hear that Somova kept those extensions in check, and that she impressed in her debut. Hopefully the Kirov will bring their Sleeping Beauty to NY soon and then I will be able to see all the performances. I’ve never seen the reconstruction, but after my second viewing of the Sergeyev staging on Thursday I’ve decided that I like it a lot. I was too close to the stage on Wed, and really missed a lot of the detail, not to mention the beautiful patterns of the corps. From up in the balcony it seemed like many of the scenes began with the court frozen in a tableau,a lovely touch. Also,in Act 2 when we see Aurora asleep in her bed she alone is in the spotlight and is surrounded first by the sleeping court, then by Carabosse’s minions. None of this was discernible from the orchestra, while all of it was apparent from the balcony. Also, those blond wigs that annoyed me on Wed were just perfect on Thursday. I agree with Andre & Art about Osmolkina & Sarafanov. To me, she looks more like an old style Kirov Aurora than Vishneva does - she has perfect, classical proportions whereas Vishneva is a bit too long limbed. She did look like a porcelain doll, very delicate & girlish. Despite an unfortunate fall off point early in the Rose Adagio, her technique was strong, her jumps solid and I thought she looked really perfect in all the iconic poses. The problem was that hers was a small scale Aurora. She didn’t really project her personality, let alone present a complete portrait of a young princess. In Art’s words, Vishneva’s Aurora was radiant. She was completely immersed in the role and just exuded energy whenever she was on stage. You just couldn’t take your eyes off of her, couldn’t help but care about what happened to her. Osmolkina is a fine dancer, and may develop into a great Aurora someday but she’s not there yet. And then there’s Sarafanov. I’m a big fan of his, but this was not a good role for him. He is a wonderful dancer, a good actor and there were no major partnering mishaps this time, but he just doesn’t look like a prince. When he made his entrance I heard giggles & snickers all around me. And this wasn’t an audience made up of balletomanes - that was a gut reaction from an uninitiated audience. It’s a shame that this talented dancer is hampered by his looks, but that’s just the way it is. It’s not just his stature - he really doesn’t look all that short but between his height, his slight build and his 12 year old face it’s really tough to believe in him as a hero. I think his acting was strong and his solos were beautiful but he just couldn’t overcome the impression he makes with his physical appearance. His jumps were beautiful, high and light but I wish he had been cast as the bluebird instead of the prince! There was a lot that I liked about Vostrotina’s Lilac Fairy. She had some very strong moments, but ultimately did not have the spiritual quality or inevitable command that Lopatkina brought to the role. She has gorgeous, sky high extensions but I didn’t find them inappropriate as Lilac, and she phrased them beautifully. In that famous solo with the series of devlopees a la seconde her leg lingered up at the top of each one for a moment and then came down with a very musical swoosh. It was lovely, but as with Osmolkina - it was not quite a complete performance. I loved Golub’s Florina, she is a big favorite of mine among the soloists. I liked Scherbakov’s Bluebird much better than Korsakov’s. His dancing was very clean & clear, but still wasn’t as exciting as some that I recall. I also want to add my kudos to the children - they had a lot to do in this production and they really did a great job! I had no idea that it was the children in the violin dance, I’m really impressed with them!

Cygnet, unfortunately I won't be there for the Sunday performance- I'm heading home tomorrow morning. Since there seem to be plenty of tickets left at the box office I've been toying with the idea of changing my flight and sticking around to see if Somova's debut turns out to be a fiasco or a revelation. But, if I did that I'd have to stay Saturday to see Vishneva & Lopatkina again. And then how could I leave without catching Novikova? You see my problem, I should have been born rich! Too bad I can't afford to stay - I guess I'll have to stick to my plan and go home tomorrow. Andre - I'm counting on you for a report on Somova's debut! Susan

Vishneva was absolutely wonderful last night, her Aurora was dewey, charming, ebullient - except for the vision scene where she was oh so mysterious. A very big personality. Her dancing was superb, but she is too fond of hyperextentions and 6 o’clock penchees for my taste. I really like to see Petipa danced with a classical line. Well, at least she doesn’t sctratch her ear with her extentions. Lopatkina was divine. Her arms were pure poetry but, really, everything about her was amazing. She was in such complete control, her Lilac Fairy exerted a very strong, benevolent presence. You just knew Aurora would be ok under her protection. Unfortunately, I don’t think the audience was suitably demonstrative for Lopatkina – they were here to see the big star and the papers had been pushing Vishneva. Lopatkina got applause for all of her solos, but not wild applause and her first entrance was met with complete silence. The audience was fairly subdued the whole evening. At 3 hours 40 minutes (with 3 intermissions) I think the production was pretty long for “television city” attention spans. I heard one man comment that it wasn’t very “cinematic”. All those blond wigs were a bit much for me, though it did give the production a certain cohesive look. It dragged in spots, and although all the principals and many of the soloists were great, a lot of the corps looked like they were phoning it in. I’ve never seen more bored aristocrats than were at this Aurora’s wedding! It was good to see Zelensky. He still has those plush landings & space eating leaps, though Desire is a thankless role. His partnering was great, Vishneva took a lot of risks & I was really holding my breath during some of those promenades where he holds her with one hand on her waist while turning her. In typical Kirov fashion there were no announcements of casting changes. My program said that Pavenko was dancing Florina, but I think not. On the walk back to my hotel a nice Russian lady told me it was Yulia Bolshakova. She brought an appealing sweetness & delicacy to the role, but she is string bean thin & every extention was a 180. She has a very exotic looking face - reminded me of Asylmuratova. The program lists casting for the whole run. The principal casting matches what we already have, except the Lilac fairy hasn’t been updated. It still lists Nioradze for 10/6 (Marc Haegeman has told us that it will be Vostrotina), Pavlenko for 10/7 (she’s not on this tour), and Vostrotina for 10/9. The casting for Aurora may be light, but it does look like they brought their top soloists. Here is the casting for some of the soloist roles as per the program: Tenderness Fairy: K.Ostreykovskaya 10/5,6,7, D. Sukhorukova 10/8&9 Vivacity Fairy: Tatiana Tkachenko Generosity Fairy: Yulia Kasenkova Courage Fairy: Yana Serebriakova ( she was outstanding last night!) Lightheartedness Fairy: Yana Selina Diamond Fairy: Viktoria Tereshkina 10/5 (also great), Tkachenko 10/6, Irina Golub 10/8, Osmolkina 10/9 Sapphire Fairy: Yana Serebriakova Gold Fairy: Sukhorukova Silver Fairy: Kasenkova Carabosse Fairy: Igor Petrov 10/5,7,9 (he was great, less “campy” than I expected Roman Skrikin 10/6 &8 Florina: Pavlenko was scheduled but Bolshakova danced on 10/5,Irina Golub 10/6, Bolshakova 10/7,Sofia Gumerova 10/8, Ostreykovskaya 10/9 Bluebird: Anton Korsakov 10/5, Vasily Scherbakov 10/6, Dmitry Semionov 10/7 & 9, Maxim Chaschegorov 10/8 Little Red Riding Hood: Yevgenia Obratsova It was very nice to meet Andre & Art – see you again tonight!

In today’s links section there is a story in the NY Daily News that confirms Vishneva, Zelensky & Lopatkina as the opening night cast in LA along with Pavlenko & Korsakov in the Bluebird pas de deux. I know things can change at the last minute, but at this point I’m really glad I decided to make the trip!

It's not complete, but there is lots more casting posted including V. Part cast in Apollo with Beloserkovsky, Hamrick & Wiles on 10/27. It also looks like she's cast in the prelude for Les Sylphides with Beloserkovsky, Dvorovenko & Hamrick on 10/28 & 10/29 evening

Well, I've made my reservations so I'll be there for the first 2 nights regardless of the casting! See you at the statue. With the running time listed at 3 hours and 40 minutes I expect we'll be enjoying some nice, long Russian intermissions. Susan

If anyone attended opening night at the Mariinsky I would love to know if Vishneva indeed made her home town debut as Odette/Odile, and what the reaction was! Susan

Yes, except the Music Center still shows Sologub cast for 10/7 , which is unlikely since the Berkeley casting is more recent & it shows Sologub replaced by Somova. Also - no sign of Pavlenko in LA. Well, I've never seen either Kirov production of Sleeping Beauty live, and cheap airfares from NY to LA have helped me decide to make the trip out for the 10/5 and 10/6 performances. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the opening night casting will hold,and that Pavlenko will show up as the Lilac Fairy on the second night!

BalletNut - buy the tickets! Farce, like history needs witnesses! Did a miracle take place over the summer that we don't know about :mellow:? (Personally, I'd pass on Somova. Pardon my French, (d----- to h---): Per her reputation, IMO if she couldn't handle O/O or Nikiya in Act 3 of Bayadere, there's a very strong possibility that she can't handle Aurora either). <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I 've seen Somova once, at the so called "Kirov Spectacular" in DC this past January. It was also the only time I've seen Lopatkina. Somova is blonde, long legged and very pretty. She is also prone to Zakharova/Guillamesqe hyperextensions. At the performace I saw she & Sarafanov did the pas de deux from Le Corsaire. I found her dancing somewhat brittle, and it seemed like she had a phony smile plastered on her face throughout. Part of that may have been due to the too much too soon syndrome but in hindsight she may also have been terrified - turns out Sarafanov actually dropped her out of one of those overhead lifts, failed to get her up into another lift and then led her out to the front of the stage for a curtain call just as the curtain was coming down. She had to jump back at the last minute to keep it from coming down on her head. Hopefully she'll be more relaxed dancing with Fadeev, but I think the bottom line is that if you like a neoclassical line & hyperextensions you will like her. If you like a classical line in the classics then you won't. If you're only planning to see one performance I wouldn't choose hers, but if you're going to catch a couple it could be interesting...

Thanks Cygnet. I'm asking because I saw revised casting for SF on ballet.co's website. It shows Somova dancing instead of Sologub for the 3rd performance and Pavlenko as the Lilac Fairy in the second. I was reluctant to post that here because even though it looks like a press release, it doesn't explicitly say that it is a press release, and the Zellerback & Ardani websites still have the original casting up. So, I was hoping someone would be able to confirm the changes, and maybe have updated casting for LA. I'm still hoping to make it to LA for the first 2 performances.

Has anyone heard any updated casting info? I suspect that there have been some changes but they're not reflected on either the Music Center or Ardani's website. Any of our Kirov watchers have the scoop?

Wonderful photos, thanks for the link. Is that Zelensky with her in the Shades scene? I was so excited when I heard that the Kirov was bringing Bayadere to DC in June, I figured the chances were good that Lopatkina would come for the engagement. Now that they've switched the schedule to Giselle & the Forsythe program, I don't know. I don't think she dances in any of the Forsythe pieces, and while I'm sure whe'd be a great Mytha, it's not the same as seeing her Nikaya...

I saw a lot of Cynthia Gregory with ABT circa 1968 -76, and I have always been a great admirer of hers. Her tenure overlapped with a few other formidable ballerinas, notably Fracci, van Hamel,Makarova & Kirkland. Gregory was a much more “in control” dancer than Makarova & Kirkland, who were my favorites. She was different, distinctly American (I know that Kirkland is also American but Gregory had a very “open” American quality, very straightforward technical strength plus that vertical alignment that canbelto mentioned). She was a tall, strong ballerina with wonderful timing, a beautiful, clean line and absolutely phenomenal balances. I saw her in most of her roles at least once, and loved her Swan Lake. She was not a vulnerable Odette, but she was very dramatic & heartbreaking, and her Odile was stunning time after time. I don’t think she fared as well in Giselle or La Sylphide, she was too tall & too sturdy to be convincing in either of those roles. In the classical repertoire I also saw her in ABT’s Sleeping Beauty (act 3), Bayadere (Shades),Tales of Hoffman, Raymonda, and of course, Grand Pas Classique (but never with the cigarette). Of the classical & romantic roles, Swan Lake is the one that stands out in my memory. Her performance was almost the opposite of Makarova’s, but it was equally captivating. After Swan Lake, I remember her best in modern & dramatic roles. Often I don’t remember a lot of details, just little snippets & impressions. I remember her smoldering with Bruhn in Miss Julie, I remember her Desdemona in the Moor’s Pavane. I saw her & Denard in Unfinished Symphony many times ( I loved her in this, and adored Denard), I remember her strength & sensuousness in the River, and how glorious she & van Hamel were in Tetley's Gemini (ok, I don’t remember the choreography but I remember the unitards). There is a wonderful, out of print video from 1973 called ABT - A Close-Up in Time. It has some great footage of Gregory. First she does a pas de deux from Swan Lake (Black Swan, I think) then she does the Lake movement from the River. This film also features Christine Sarry, Terry Orr & Marcos Parades in Rodeo, Sallie Wilson in Pillar and Eleanor D’Antuono & Ivan Nagy in Etudes (you can rent it from the Lincoln Center branch of the NYPL). A year or 2 ago the gallery at Lincoln Center had a show of her ballet drawings that coincided with ABT’s Met season. I kept going back to look at one of her Swan Lake drawings(Odette with Swirls) but couldn’t quite decide whether or not to buy it. After a week or two it was gone and I figured that I had missed my chance. Turns out that my husband bought it for me as an anniversary gift! GeorgeB fan, thanks for starting this thread & bringing back all those wonderful memories for me!

Not at all - thanks for taking the time to help me with this. It can be very tricky trying to get the lay of the land in a city you're not familiar with, and I am very grateful for your help. The Biltmore seems to be the best location but the best prices I can find there,at the Marriott or the Westin Boneventure are still pretty high & require prepayment. To keep my options open I made a reservation at the Standard for $130 a night with no prepayment or cancellation penalty while I make up my mind. Too bad the Kawada didn't work out at $78 per night but that was just too good to be true & The Standard sounds like a very cool hotel. I do hope to make this trip, I'm thinking I'll probably get tickets for the first 2 nights. Hopefully you'll be going to at least one of those performances - cause I'd love to buy you a pre-performance drink to express my gratitude for all your help!!! Susan

Hans, Natalia - you are so right. My husband and I saw Malkhasiants in the gypsy dance when the Bolshoi did Don Q in Boston, and just saw Anna Antropova here in NY. We both agreed that Antropova was more "dancey" - she probably deliniated the steps better - she may have been the better dancer in a technical sense, but with Malkhasiants the dance was just a torrent of shifting emotions. It was much more powerful in Boston, and I was bitterly dissapointed not to see Malkhasiants cast on this tour. Still, it is a beautiful character dance, the type we don't really get to see much of here (certainly something that we don't get to see done very well here) and the bulk of the audience who never saw Malkhasiants loved Antropova's performance. I thought she was pretty good, too - but when you've seen a great performance "good" just isn't good enough.

Thanks Cygnet, that's exactly the kind of advice I was looking for! I'm not surprised to hear that the Kawada is in a sketchy part of town, I kind of figured that would be the case when I saw the price. Are you sure about the Standard, though? At Flower between 5th & 6th it sounds like it's right in the same area as the Biltmore & Westin Boneventure. Does the neighborhood change that drastically within a block or two?

I've seen some of the dancers who are cast for this engagement -Sarafanov is a wonderful soloist, but not always the best partner. I have enjoyed both Kolb & Zelensky but I think the female leads are more important than the men in this ballet, and that's what I'd base my decision on. I saw Solugub as Odette/Odile in DC and remember being impressed with her as a dancer, but I found her sensibility & line kind of "modern" for the classics, so I don't know what she'd be like as Aurora. Having just seen Vishneva in NY I would strongly recommend getting tickets to see her, especially since Lopatkina is scheduled to dance the lilac fairy at both of her performances! I've only seen Lopatkina once - at the Kirov Gala in DC she danced the Dying Swan and the lead in La Valse. She is a very, very special ballerina. Even though I know the casting is likely to change I am considering crossing the continent to see her again, so ... Continuing to evaluate my options for a road trip - I found a really cheap hotel at 200 South Hill Street near W. 2nd St called the Kawada. Reviews on traveladvisor have been mixed to negative, but my only real concern is if I will feel safe there and can walk to the theatre. Anybody know the hotel, or the area? There are 2 restaurants on site, if that helps anyone recall the location - Shockwave Cafe & Epicenter Restaurant. At least they have a sense of humor! It says that it's 3 blocks from the music center and 1 block from the civic center metro station (do people actually ride the metro in LA?). Another option is the Standard at 550 S. Flower. Way more expensive than the Kawada, but still not outrageous. Thanks to all our west coasters for their advice

art076 & EvilNinjaX - thanks so much for all of your advice, I'll let you know what I decide! Susan

Hi Liza, and welcome! I saw Vorobiev in Spartacus at the Met & liked him a lot. I don't recall any partnering problems between him & Kaptsova. I've seen a few other things since then but I think I would still remember any problems with Spartacus since I still recall so many partnering problems in the other Bolshoi productions! I agree with you, it is a pity that Gracheva wasn't on this tour. I saw her in Boston last year, and thought she was wonderful. It's funny, but in some ways Shipulina's Aegina reminded me of Gracheva. It seemed to me that Shipulina had the same 180 degree developee a la second as Zakharova but, of course, they didn't look like Zakharova's because Shiplulina is built very differently! They also looked very different because Zacharova's just seemed to rise up to her ear quickly & with no effort. Shipulina's unfolded beautifully, with a great deal of deliberate tension and then snapped up at the end. There was a creamy, lush quality to her dancing that reminded me of what I loved about Gracheva. Anyway, her Don Q at the Met was good but it was marred somewhat by problems in the lifts & perhaps some nervousness (after dropping her fan at the beginning of the ballet, and then having problems with the lifts) but her Aegina was awesome!

Thank you art076! Now my next question will be on local hotels, but I think I'll wait till I decide whether or not I can make this trip! Susan

What are good tickets at the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion? Does the orchestra incline steeply? I'm thinking of orchestrating a west coast vacation to see the Kirov and was just checking on tickets. I often have a hard time seeing over people's heads from the orchestra, and usually get the front row of the side boxes at the Met in NY.On ticketmaster it It looks like the best I can do is row B of the orchestra (around seats 35-36) or founders circle F57 & 58. Any advice? I could also go see them in Berkeley or Detroit instead of LA, but the Southern California sunshine would be welcome in October.... Does anyone know if the loge is above or behind the founders circle? It looks like I can still get the first row of the loge, which may be the best bet for me...any help would be appreciated!