MakarovaFan

I think Vladimir Vasiliev must be mentioned as a great partner. You see film of him dancing with his wife Maximova, Bessmertnova and even Plisetskaya. He is so attentive and sensitive to his ballerina's needs without compromising any of his virility, showing his partner off to her best advantage and possessing tremendous physical strength.

Another great Russian partner had to be Yuri Soloviev. Kolpakova was devastated when he died and I'm sure she wasn't the only Kirov ballerina who found him impossible to replace.

Go for Komleva's Bayadere and Bessmertnova's Raymonda. They're both glorious.

I second this. Komleva's Bayadere and Bessmertnova's Raymonda are fantastic. Terekhova's Don Quixote is also terrific.

In the 50 years since George Balanchine's THE NUTCRACKER premiered, many dancers have danced the lead ballerina role. Which ballerinas are your favorite Sugar Plum Fairies?

I must say Melissa Hayden because she was the first one I saw in 1971. My other favorite was Suzanne Farrell who I saw dance SPF in 1986.

Melissa was my first SPF in 1971 and she was magical through the eyes of a 5 year old. And my other favorite was Suzanne Farrell who I also saw dance SPF in 1986.

I also saw Heather Watts dance SPF in the early '80's, and while I was never a fan of her dancing, her whole performance was lovely.

How I would have loved to see Verdy's SPF -- she must have been glorious .

Olivia de Havilland really does look great!

Thank you, cubanmiamiboy, for posting Viengsay Valdes's Rose Adagio. Her balances were amazing...the best I have ever seen...wow! Even though the choreography is a bit different in some places, it didn't go so far as to spoil the dance and the scene, for me, anyway...She was very sweet and charming in her demeanor, which is just so vital for this famous adagio. She was Aurora...not just a technical whiz. I love her!

My pleasure Gina.

And then, here are two examples of just what certainly should NOT happen in the RA.

No, no...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAbrbbZZOcg

NO,NO,NO!!!

OMG, Somova's hyperextensions are so vulgar!

OMG, what an awful trailer! I'm staying far away from this trainwreck.

The formats for the 7 discs he sent are MP4 and WMV.

Can anyone help me find Viktor Fedotov's complete CD recording of Swan Lake? I stupidly bought a bootleg copy of it from an eBay seller in Europe and the discs won't work on my American format CD player.

Thank you in advance!

Makarova Fan, I think 'Woman of Affairs' is on vhs, that must be how I saw it. You could probably find it on eBay.

Yes, patrick, I have it on VHS. I'm so afraid one of these days the tape will snap.

It's a shame that A Woman of Affairs isn't on dvd. It's my favorite Garbo silent with a deeply nuanced performance by the great lady herself with her best leading man, John Gilbert.

I adore the music to Sleeping Beauty and believe it is Tchaikovsky's greatest masterpiece. However, I've never liked the music he wrote for Prince Desire's solo in Act III. The setting is a wedding and most of the music is in major keys and celebratory in tone. But Desire's solo, at least to my ears, sticks out like a sore thumb. It's not a great melody and the feel of it is, for want of a better word, harsh. I've often wondered why Petipa and Pavel Gerdt (the original Desire) green lighted the variation. Can anyone shed some light on this music for me? Thanks in advance.

During the intermission yesterday I heard 2 guys sitting near me dissing Alina's balances. They said that if any ballerina had toe boxes as big as hers they could hold long, steady balances too. It made my blood boil.

I wondered how much rehearsal time Carreno & Cojocaru had. The pulled off some pretty spectacular stuff.

Cojocaru left directly from Milan to New York on June 9th, the day after her last performance of Ballet Imperial in La Scala, so, if they didn't meet before, they had little more than a week.

She said she was ready to enter in Sleeping Beauty mood and it seems she succeed!

I've been lucky to see her two performances with the Royal Ballet in Autumn, so nothing of unexpected in yours comments, anyway I'm really happy to read of her success. But, hey, don't love her too much: we NEED Alina on this side of the pond!

I'd see Cojocaru in anything. Have her dance the phonebook - I'm there.

I totally agree

After falling in love with her yesterday, I absolutely agree too.

I was at Performance I of Super Saturday. Alas, the only thing super about it, IMO, was the exquisite Alina Cojacaru.

She was luminous and lovely from the moment she appeared on the staircase. Alina has put a lot of thought into her interpretation of Aurora and she projects all the blessings bestowed on the Princess by her godmothers. I had tears streaming down my cheeks during the Rose Adagio. The sweet flirting with her suitors and genuine excitement at being moments away from her engagement, the loving bond with her parents and, of course, her dancing. She manages to make her almost knee touching her ear extension look like the most natural thing in the world -- not vulgar at all. Her balances went on and on. Next to Fonteyn and Kolpakova, it was the most gorgeous Rose Adagio I've ever seen. Alina also posesses beautiful phrasing which was on display in her main Act I solo.

Act II is my favorite portion of SB. The Pas de Trois with that gorgeous cello solo. Alina's presence was of one genuinely spirit-like -- rather like Giselle as a Willi. Again, her 180 extensions are natural, not stunt-like and tacked on, but an organic part of her seamlessly connecting steps.

The GPDD wasn't as special as expected. Carreno didn't look as sharp and energetic as he did as Basilio 2 weeks ago. His partnering was strong, with dramatic fishdives one after the other, and the chemistry was there. Carreno has been lucky this season, partnering Osipova's fireball of a Kitri and Alina in the space of 2 weeks. I'm happy for him even though as a dancer his sun is sadly setting.

The production itself is a mess. I agree with the comments about the Disneyesque look of everything, from the colors of the Fairies' costumes to the inexplicable "Creature from the Black Lagoon" shirts worn by the Fairies' cavaliers in the Prologue. And why was Aurora in a green streaked bridal tutu?

Also I was dumbfounded by the White Cat/Puss in Boots/Red Riding Hood/Wolf/Cinderella/Prince Charming ensemble. There were several awkward moments were the 6 of them just stood at the front of the stage looking at eachother with no choreography.

Sadly, I wasn't impressed by Abrera's Lilac Fairy. She was lyrical and pretty, but lacked the regal presence the Veronika Part brought to the role a few years ago. Joseph Phillips, unfortunately, doesn't have the lofty jumps or consistent leg beats for Bluebird.

Nonetheless, this afternoon belonged to Alina. She's a very special dancer and it was thrilling to see her perform live.

I agree with Sunday that ABT should hire an escort for Osipova. Hopefully this will not make her think twice about returning to NY.

Let's hope the same thing doesn't happen to Cojacaru.

Thank God Osipova's okay.

Thanks, everyone, for the help.

I'd like to get the Fedotov recording but neither Amazon nor CD Universe has it. It's available on eBay from Russian vendors, but are they reliable? Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thank you!

I'm pretty sure it was Makarova, c 1980, with Alexander Godunov in Chicago. . . .

YouTube has a nice clip of Makarova and Godunov rehearsing the second act PDD, with some narration by Makarova:

He was only with ABT for a few years (1979-1982), so your guess of 1980 is in the right timeframe.

In 1980 I was lucky enough to see Godunov dance Swan Lake with Cynthia Gregory at the Met, who was a last minute replacement for Makarova who was out with an injury. I'll never forget the audience's collective groan when an announcer came on the loudspeaker and informed us of Makarova's injury. However, it turned out to be an exciting performance with the Gregory-Godunov chemistry being marvelous.

Ferri with Bocca circa 1993 -- it was a sublime experience.

My favorite cd recording of Swan Lake conducted by John Lanchbery is finally wearing out. I might just replace it, but what other complete cd recordings can you recommend? I'm looking for a romantic and dance tempo recording if one exists.

Thank you!

Osipova owned the Met stage last night as soon as she bounded out onto it. Her ballon, elevation, turns are extraordinary. Never in my years of going to live performances have I seen a ballerina with that level of technique. Act I was my favorite since it was a showcase for Osipova's power -- and I mean power -- and her bubbly personality. She takes the soubrette direction with Kitri in terms of interpretation and it fits her like a glove. The technical peak of the performance were her double fouettes in the GPPD coda. She whipped them off with tremendous speed, control, placement and only had a tiny glitch at the end, but who cares. also, her grand jetes in Act I were mind-boggling. The girl just flies!

Carreno is not the dancer he was 10 years ago when I saw him in Theme & Variations and was very impressed. But his elegant style is intact, he's an excellent partner and had good rapport with Osipova.

Simkin was fabulous as the Gypsy leader. What a future he has ahead of him!

Great anecdote: My husband and I were standing in the vestibule when Jacques d'Amboise happened to stroll by. I asked him if he was enjoying the performance and what a response I got. "I've never seen it (Kitri) danced better, not even by Plisetskaya.", he said. Wow, high praise indeed coming from one of our greatest dancers. He was so sweet and easy to talk to. Golly, I got to meet Jacques d'Amboise!

I agree with the comment about the corps being sloppy in the Dream scene. Also, I hated Osipova's costume in Act III. The bell shaped skirt didn't flatter her at all. On youtube she can be seen in a red tutu and it looks great on her. Also, Carreno's top didn't seem to fit him correctly which was distracting. But, overall, a wonderful night and a dazzling introduction to the amazing Osipova.

Let's torture Helene a little more, MakarovaFan. What are some of your favorite dishes in those two favorites of yours?

Glad to, Jack.

Of course, Rosa Mexicano's signature pomogranate margaritas and guacamole. For a main course, their enchiladas suizas. Haven't tried any of their desserts -- any recommendations?

At Topaz, their Pad Thai is fantastic. Only draw back is they have limited seating. So, if you go for lunch or dinner, try to get there early.

Glad to see you're getting some good responses, MakarovaFan. I hope you find them helpful.

Yes, dirac, everyone has been so helpful.

My husband and I may end up going to Rosa Mexicano because the food there is always exceptional. We may also go to Topaz Thai restaurant. It's not in the immediate area, but their food is fabulous.

I know this is off topic, but I'd be grateful for a restaurant recommendation in Lincoln Center. Rosa Mexicano I love, but I'm looking for something else before Don Q on Tuesday night.

Thanks in advance!

I guess all things must come to an end, but I'll miss Sam Waterston terribly.