Cygnet
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Olga Smirnova has been nominated for the "Rising Star" Award by Russia's "Ballet Magazine."
Ballet Magazine's award ceremony will take place on April 30, 2013 at Moscow's Stanislavsky Theatre.
http://www.bolshoi.ru/about/press/articles/. Congratulations to you Olga
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Thanks, Cygnet. And still the Mariinsky playbill shows no Swan Lake for Feb 14, 2013 -- the date of the supposed 'live' HD and 3-D broadcast!
Maybe Maestro Gergiev will conduct Swan Lake behind closed doors (no audience) during the day, then switch gears for Elektra (with audience in the auditorium) at night? He's done worse -- attend two events on the same day in different countries!
There's no telling what's going to happen or what the Maestro is going to do. As far as the 3D "Swan Lake" is concerned, if this is true, that recording is 7 years old when Vaziev was still the Ballet Director. It's out of date. Moreover, IMO the company was not on it's best form that night, in spite of Lopatkina's sublime O/O. Gergiev gesticulated like an aircraft carrier navigator in the pit driving the Orchestra to Nascar speeds in Act 1 Scene 2 and Act 3. The corps de ballet could barely keep up with his tempi. Fortunately, he took Uliana's tempo for the white pdd. Somova was consistently out of line as one of the Big Swans. The pdt was lackluster as well as the character dances in Act 2. The only saving graces were Uliana, Korsuntsev the cygnets and the resiliency of the corps.
If Gergiev is going allow old performances (i.e. +3 years old like "Jewels"), to be "3D'd" then what's the point? This is very frustrating because Gergiev thinks he's on the cutting edge in how he markets his Ballet company and he isn't. The major companies that are simulcasting performances for Emerging Pictures and Ballet in Cinema are doing the international audience a great service in that these performances are live performances. If he wants to keep his Ballet company relevant in this mode, he needs to get cameras in the Mariinsky Theatre for ballet performances ASAP and not rely on the past or past recordings. Every major ballet company that's using this medium has left the Mariinsky in the dust.
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The current scuttlebutt is that the upcoming 3D "Swan Lake" is apparently going to be a makeover of the most current 2006 Gergiev/Lopatkina/Korsuntsev performance already available on dvd. Yes - that's the live performance with the roving camera.
Having seen Osmolkina dance O/O at Covent Garden, I really feel her uniquely soulful and deeply moving interpretation of the role should be available to eveyone but I fear Natalia's gloomy casting prediction will prove correct.
I hate gloomy and would much prefer Osmolkina (or anyone but the 3 Odd-alisques). Hey, I see that Osmolkina has just been announced as Odette-Odile for one of the Swan Lakes at the MT,later this month...Lopatkina does the first & Osmolkina the 2nd. So maybe bright days are forthcoming?
It was too good to be true. Katya Osmolkina has been replaced with Nastya Kolegova for the Jan. 23 "Swan Lake."
Volodya Shklyarov will dance Siegfried.
http://www.mariinsky...13/1/23/1_1900/
Fateev has invited former Mariinsky 1st soloist, now prima ballerina of the Dresden Opera Ballet, Natalia Sologub to
return and dance a subscription performance of "Cinderella" this Friday, January 18.
http://www.mariinsky...13/1/18/1_1900/
I have the greatest respect for Nastya Kolegova, as well as recent guest Maria Kochetkova (SF Ballet prima), and Natalia Sologub (yet another Mariinsky refugee). However, these outsourced acquisitions for what appears to be only one or two performances of regular rep. work, perfectly illustrates my point in a previous post in this thread. Fateev already has the talent depth in the company, but he chooses to ignore it and outsource opportunities that many have been waiting years for.
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Having seen Osmolkina dance O/O at Covent Garden, I really feel her uniquely soulful and deeply moving interpretation of the role should be available to eveyone but I fear Natalia's gloomy casting prediction will prove correct.
I hate gloomy and would much prefer Osmolkina (or anyone but the 3 Odd-alisques). Hey, I see that Osmolkina has just been announced as Odette-Odile for one of the Swan Lakes at the MT,later this month...Lopatkina does the first & Osmolkina the 2nd. So maybe bright days are forthcoming?
More great news, in Moscow: Obraztsova debuts as Nikiya in Bayadere on the 30th, at the Bolshoi! She is also preparing to debut as the lead in Balanchine's Diamonds, later this winter (no date yet)...I'll also post this in the Obraztsova thread, if not already there. Woohoo!!!
Katya Osmolkina's upcoming O/O will be her first follow-up performance in her home theatre with her home company since her debut several years ago. Her second and third performances of O/O were given with the Royal at Covent Garden after her home debut. I don't believe she's outsourced the role elsewhere. So, if this casting holds, this is tremendous news for her because know this: If things were "normal" in the company right now, she and many other deserving ladies, wouldn't be getting these opportunities. At this point Fateev must feel that he doesn't have a choice but to cast these women, *(against his "better" judgement). Isn't that ironic? The fact is he has always had a treasure trove of talented and gifted -but criminally under-utilized dancers to choose from.
I too am totally ecstatic about Obraztsova's upcoming and long overdue Nikiya and Diamonds debuts
with the Bolshoi
! Her Solor will be fellow refugee Mikhail Lobhukin, who also couldn't promote to Principal inGergiev's House of Blues. During Makhar Vaziev's and the current Regime, Evgenia was consigned to the Danse Manu in Act 2 and the first Shade variation in Act 3 of "Bayadere." Apart from her officially approved emploi of roles such as Aurora, "Romeo & Juliet," "Nutcracker," "Giselle," "La Sylphide," countless dolls, obscure pdds from obsure Petipa works, supporting cast Balanchines, the occaisional Kitri, Forsythe, Ballerina in "Petrouchka," Ratmansky's "Cinderella," and other quaint vignettes, Obraztsova was systematically denied Nikiya, O/O, Raymonda, Medora and the lead in all three segments of "Jewels."
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They plan to film Vishneva in the Lavrovsky "Romeo & Juliet," but that has yet to materialize. IMO Diana should be filmed in the MacMillan "R & J" @ ABT with Gomes, not the Lavrovsky production. I also vote for Kondaurova for...I know they were planning to film Karenina with Vishneva (big mistake IMHO, but nobody has consulted me again
), but please, dear God, let the Swan Lake be with Kondaurova. I promise to be a good boy from now on, but please don't let them ruin this unique chance."Anna Karenina." Katya won the Golden Mask for her interpretation when neither Vishneva or Lopatkina were nominated - and she was third cast when it premiered. All three women were equally brilliant and totally different in their interpretations. The Mariinsky's Classe Politique will probably demand that the 3D Anna be one of the other two
women, not Katya. I suspect that seniority and name-fame will be the major factors in that decision.
I'm also ITA with you that the Mariinsky's first filmed "Swan Lake" in 7 years ought to be Kondaurova, (preferably) with Korsuntsev. The most current dvd is the 2006 live performance with Lopatkina and Korsuntsev with Gergiev conducting. However, what ought to be, and what the reality is in the Mariinsky Ballet do not correspond. Unless we're pleasantly surprised, (and I strongly believe that we won't be), we should expect Team Skoryk/Askerov for the 3D "Swan Lake."
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My Best of 2012 short list:
- POB's "Giselle" run.
- Long overdue & deserving promotions to Principal Dancer that finally happened - specifically, Kondaurova at the Mariinsky, Obraztsova's (to) the Bolshoi, and Ould-Braham to Etoile at POB.
- Nina Ukhova - for her continued stellar coaching of the Mariinsky's corps de ballet.
- The Bolshoi's Semyon Chudin and his interpretation of Siegfried and Apollo.
- Kondaurova's Odette/Odile
- Olga Smirnova going from strength to strength
- Daria Pavlenko for her fortitude and courage; and for her uber romantic "Cinderella" at Kennedy with her husband Sasha Sergeev during the Mariinsky's Fall U.S. tour.
The Worst (fill in the blank here) of 2012. I nominate:
- Alastair Macaulay
- Kevin MacKenzie
- Yuri Fateev
- Maestro Valery Gergiev
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Cygnet, one thing you mentioned was Vikharev stagings for Tokyo--what productions have been done there?
He staged "Don Quixote."
They preserved the Soviet designs. Since then they've mixed and matched the costumes at home and on tour. When they produced the recon they spruced up the designs and scenery based on the 1900 sketches. One of the main controversies was the restored last act, as well as the pdt between Nikiya's Shade, Gamzatti and Solor. The modern cut of the Shades' tutus in Act 3 was changed to the 1900 pattern, and they wore wigs. Thankfully, they got rid of the wigs first, but they've kept the tutus which are cut the same as those seen in La Scala's Raymonda. They alternate between the 1900 tutus and the modern cut at home. They tour "Bayadere" with the modern cut tutus. Nikiya's lamentation variation costume was also different, a long skirt with plume pants. They went back to the Soviet design. Nikiya's fire dance costume also had a skirt and plume pants and showed less midrift. I remember that Nikiya also danced holding a sitar. Daria Pavlenko danced the first Nikiya at the recon premiere.The Kirov's La Bayadere already used the scenery from the 1900 production--right? (I could be wrong about that, but I thought it did.)Is the beautiful one act Awakening of Flora still ever performed?No. After Vaziev left, Fateev filed it away, preferring to concentrate on the Balanchine repertory, Ratmansky and Sergeyev's redactions. Evgenia Obraztsova danced Flora at the recon premiere. Katya Osmolkina also danced Flora but it was rarely staged and is 'done' now. If it ever comes back into the rep, it's tailor made for dancers like Valeria Martynuk and Maria Shirinkina, and would probably be performed in the Mariinsky Concert Hall.
And I absolutely agree about the Swan Lake. While I'm not as keen on his production, Grigorovich did go back and change his happy ending for the Bolshoi after the fall of the Soviet regime--I wish someone would do the same for the Mariinsky's at the least.The Sergeyev production has been running for 62 years. The current production, staged in 1982 with Igor Ivanov and Galina Solovieva's designs, has been onstage for 30 of those 62 years. The current Regime will not change it. Plus, the 'culture' of the Mariinsky Theatre is that the successor(s) to the current Regime and it's Classe Politique won't change it either. Hopefully, this will change in the future.
Grigorovich's latest ending (circa 2001, which butchers the score's penultimate finale by repeating the overture), doesn't resolve the plot or the protagonists' issues either. Messerer's finale for the Mik and the Bourmeister staging for the Stanislavsky in Moscow are extremely well thought out and executed compared to the Sergeyev and Grigorovich finales. I've always thought that Tchaikovsky's score dictates the tragic ending - you can hear it in the overture. If the Mariinsky management ever decides to upgrade it's finale, it could restore the final bars from the original 1877 score which were cut from Drigo's 1895 edition. Then O/O and Siegfried can drown as written in the libretto, and have Rothbart go up in flames a la "Götterdämmerung." The Writhing Rothbart looks ridiculous.
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' "In a move to address concerns, however, he announced a plan to build 50 or more apartments to house performers: "They will be relatively cheap apartments, basically a gift to them from the company," he said. "But then they have to perform." '
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O.M.G.!!! -
Cygnet--I am sure somone here can correct me, but the reconstruction of Bayadere was played even less than Beauty... What I meant about my cynical thought was I think a DVD selling itself as a reconstruction of the original Sleeping Beauty--even if that could, and has been debated--would sell better than a lot of current ballet DVDs.
Yes, the "Bayadere" recon had even fewer performances and was retired long before the 1890 was abandoned. In fact, the
only thing they've kept of the "Bayadere" recon are the costumes, which they still use today. They immediately went back to the Vahktang Chabukiani staging. I'm ITA with you that should have recorded the 1890 "Beauty" when they had the opportunity, not only for the reasons you mentioned, but for history's sake. Had they done so, it would be an ongoing source of income for the brand.
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Mr. Legris gets my vote; and whoever gets the post should appoint Mr. Thibault an Etoile.
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I saw it on Ovation TV yesterday evening. The roving cameras which cut off the dancers at their waists
was unforgivable. The corps remains the saving grace nonpareil of the Mariinsky. Volodya Shklyarov,
the young Masha, the Vaganova students in Scene 1 and the Act 3 pas de trois (The Mirlitons), were
outstanding. But, in total, it was a dead affair.
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...The New Years DVD you mention is a great document of Act III (as well as the brief scene before), The documentary about the Mariinsky, Sacred Stage also shows most of the vision scene from the previous act, albeit filmed more from the wings which I find annoying. I do wish the entire production had been filmed (it's still listed on their website repertoire so maybe it still can be) at the least to have a visual document of such a reconstuction. Honestly, at my most cynical, it seems like a wasted money opportunity for the company.
I'm ITA with you. The Mariinsky should film it for the historical record, if nothing else. The 1890 reconstruction was one of the productions to get fully funded and designed before the financial crisis really hit Russia in the late 90s. Unfortunately, the current leadership, the old guard in the company and the Theatre, the pedagogues and coaches looked, and continue to look at the reconstructions as illegitimate. They believe that they can't be trusted
as "authentic." They were brought up to believe that Nikolai Sergeyev stole the notations from the Mariinsky when
he brought them to the West. Actually, in retrospect, he was trying to save and preserve Stepanov's notations.
He was also painted (after the Revolution), as a despised ballet master in the company. N. Sergeyev was a traitor, thief and "villain" who stole Mariinsky Theatre property; that was the official narrative. Lenin, with much persuasion, eventually changed his mind about the ballet and the opera, seeing their value as propaganda tools, and
decreed that these performing arts should be for all people, not the elite few. Ballet was considered to be an
art of the nobility. Everything associated with Imperial Russia had to be destroyed.
I remember that it wasn't only the 1890 "Beauty" that was controversial, this was also the issue they had with 1900 "Bayadere" recon staged in the early 2000s. Fydodor Lophukov 's and Konstantin Sergeyev's redactions were approved by the Soviet authorities as they were intent on rewriting everything, history - as well as Russian ballet history - i.e. starting from scratch. Konstantin Sergeyev's "Beauty" is especially beloved by the company and Petersburgers, because it was this production, as well as his redactions of "Raymonda" and "Swan Lake," that helped the city recover after the 900 day siege it endured during World War 2. These productions gave the people hope, color and joy after alot of suffering and sacrifice. This is why the Sergeyev productions remain beloved and are sentimental on a lot of levels for the dancers and the people. This is also true of the Vasily Vainonen "Nutcracker" (1934), which they still perform and tour frequently. It's performed much more than the recent Simonov Chemiakin "Nutcracker." All subsequent reconstructions have been staged at the Bolshoi, La Scala and in
Tokyo by Sergei Vikharev. Both he and they have been welcomed in these theatres, but not in the Mariinsky Theatre. It's very sad.
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Thank you Natalia! Katya is a heroic Raymonda; and she is absolutely gorgeous! Brava Katya
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It's a very sad situation because Yuri Fateev is 'yes' man to Maestro Gergiev. The former ballet Director, (Makhar Vaziev) challenged Gergiev and wasn't a 'yes' man. When Vaziev went to La Scala, Fateev was the Maestro's interim replacement. Therefore, this arrangement has been mutually beneficial, because it frees the Maestro to concentrate on the Opera, Orchestra, and all of his international etc. Fateev has carte blanche to run the Ballet any way he chooses - tempered of course with Maestro's implicit approval.The entire system at the Mariinsky is rotten to the core. The top guy has an enormous conflict of interest. As the AD of the opera, he should be (and is!) interested in putting all the resources and effort into the opera and the orchestra. But as the GM of the entire company, he is supposed to pay attention to the ballet and opera companies in equal measure---perhaps more attention to the ballet which I suspect brings in more revenue. And clearly he does not. .... Mariinsky Ballet's only hope is for Gergiev to resign or be dismissed from the position of the General Manager, or for the ballet to separate from the opera and become a stand-alone company. Neither one of these two scenarios is likely to happen, unfortunately...
Knowing all this, no high-caliber ballet administrator or choreographer in his/her right mind would ever accept an offer to become the AD of the ballet. So trying to conduct a search for a ballet AD, as was proposed above, is doomed to failure in the current circumstances.Too true. Let's suppose for a moment that Gergiev opened the position: Who would dare forward their CV?
Who? Mariinsky, or even Vaganova Academy personnel who might be interested, wouldn't dare submit an
application. Consider this: Misha Messerer, who is local, is a person who would be a highly qualified applicant,
(assuming the post was open and he wanted it). Well, he just renewed his contract as Head Ballet Master with the
Mikhailovsky to 2015. Under Vladimir Kehkman and AD Nacho Duato's leadership, the Mik has emphasized Duato's
works (modern dance) over classical ballet. Cela le dit tous.
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I'm ITA with Catherine's posts re the internal workings of the company. Alleged violations of the Labor Code should be investigated if there’s a hint of fraud. I don’t doubt that government benefits (i.e. maternity leave funds, money paid under the table, pay to dance scams - etc.) have been misappropriated to certain people and not others. The question is can it be proven and is there tangible evidence of it. The Mariinsky receives State support. Plus it’s the nation’s “second” theatre - not some provincial backwater opera house in the steppes of Siberia. Why hasn't the Minister of Culture responded yet? Another question I have is where are the other Principals like Lopatkina, Korsuntsev (i.e. those who actually "matter" -> theoretically) on this?
Perhaps Mr. Medinsky has already been “tackled” or reeled in by the Mariinsky management i.e. long before this development. Or perhaps he’s dealing with the grievance du jour, (you know, 'one mess at a time,' - for example Kolya Tsiskaridze’s latest run in with the Bolshoi Theatre and “his” open [proxied?] letter signed by Bolshoi Opera greats a few weeks ago). That letter was almost immediately disavowed by some of them who later claimed 'functional illiteracy' at time of signing. Kolya Tsiskaridze may or may not be behind the latest Iksanov brouhaha; he hasn’t publicly denied it in the Russian media. But Dasha and Dmitri aren’t trying to start a Theatre coup d’etat. They're aiming to help bring about a decent living, casting and humane professional conditions for the members of the Mariinsky Ballet. Gergiev said (at least, what I understood of his reply), was that since the entire company hadn’t met or signed on to the letter, the complaints were not to be taken (too) seriously. It's "not his job" to address grievances; it's the Ministry of Culture's responsibility.
If he really feels that way, maybe the Maestro shouldn’t be running the entire enterprise (brand) any longer? Maybe he's overwhelmed with his enormous workload? He runs the Mariinsky Theatre, he's music director of the LSO and umpteen other orchestras too numerous to mention here. He runs musical festivals all over the Federation and throughout the world. He’s shown where his expertise lies and it’s not the ballet. In other words, he may (now) need an “Iksanov” type to be appointed as General Manager and Director of the Mariinsky Theatre to be his boss, and let him concentrate fully on the music and the singers just like he has always done. It occurs to me that he might be more attentive to the dancers' letter if they were also singing and/or playing an instrument under his baton. Obviously, Fateev should be ousted and an active and exhaustive search for an Artistic Director should begin immediately. To my mind, the Maestro has been either: 1) Too busy jet setting, conducting, collecting medals, doctorates and awards, and/or 2) too lazy to launch a meaningful and serious search for his ballet company. The company needs this position to be opened, posted for qualified applicants and filled yesterday. I hope that Mr. Medinsky reviews the letter as soon as possible (by Dec. 25), makes the inquiries, conducts the investigation and, if necessary, takes the appropriate action(s) that will favor the dancers, and make their lives more tolerable. All of the above is MO.
As you recall, the ProfSoyuz of the ballet troupe of the Mariinsky turned to the Minister of Culture of the RF Vladimir Medinsky with a request to check the financial activity of the institution and the observance of legislation by the Mariinsky administration. [...]Gergiev later announced that the artists' concerns were understandable but not supported by any official dialogue "Even on the level of the ProfSoyuz, there has been no concrete conversation. Daria Pavlenko and a couple of dancers came to see me. Ten years ago Pavlenko was among those whose names were celebrated inside the Mariinsky Theatre. Today it's difficult to speak of her with such certainty. Maybe her lesser employment today compared to those years disturbs her," Gergiev said.Really
? I won't even bother to address the Maestro's statement re Daria Pavlenko. -
Don't forget that the Mariinsky version has little to do with Petipa/Ivanov, with the exception of music and general scenario.. This is the 1930s Vasily Vainonen version, which became the 'standard' in the Soviet World, inspiring Grigorovich's own version (which also was replicated throughout the Soviet Orbit). You'll notice that NO CHILDREN are employed in the Vainonen version, which may account for the 'children' looking like miniature adults because that's exactly what you saw. Don't blame that on 3D! The only exception is Flutes Pas de Trois, danced by real children. Ditto Grigorovich - no children (but lots of freaky candelabri).
There is more Imperial-Era Nutcracker in the versions staged in the West by Russian emigrees, such as Balanchine (Russian 'hoop dance' is straight from the original) and the Royal Ballet (large portions staged via the Sergeev Harvard notes, including Waltz of the Snowflakes).
Grigorovich's version also has the Alfred Hitchcock "Psycho" 'Mother' wigs in the Snowflakes Waltz. I've never gotten used to that. The other "Nutcracker" at the Mariinsky, the Simonov, Chemiankin designed production, is based on
Chemiakin's artistic vision, and the Hoffmann short story moreso than the Vainonen production. The best part is
the Serpent Dance (Arab Dance), with a charismatic ballerina (like Kondaurova or Pavlenko). The role of Masha
is pedestrian; she doesn't dance en pointe until the Act 2 pdd. The music soars but the choreography doesn't.
I like the Royal's version very much - especially the Ivanov pdd in Act 2 where the music soars and the choreography
matches it.
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Matthew Bourne is mounting his version of "The Sleeping Beauty." The Telegraph's Sarah Crompton
previews the new production at Sadlers Wells Theatre, London.
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ROTFL! Glad that I didn't waste any money on the DVD!!! I saw a quick 'intro clip' on the Fathom website and saw that this was filmed with the same loopy stro-mo cameras used to film the JEWELS DVD. No thanks. I'll stick with the ca-1990 Philips VHS/DVD starring Larissa Lezhnina and the 2001 Vaganova Graduation film of the last act starring then-student Terioshkina in the grand pas de deux/pas de six!
This past weekend, Ovation TV showed this intro clip after every commercial during it's annual "Battle of the Nutcrackers" competition. I'm ITA with you Natalia: The roving cameras don't work for me either. It seems that the Mariinsky is the (only?) company that's doing this: "Jewels," Lopatkina/Korsuntsev "Swan Lake," and now this. The 1994 NHK Lezhnina/Baranov dvd is the one to get for the Vainonen production. I was fortunate enough to see Lara Lezhnina and Victor Baranov live in 1992 in that production. That dvd also has the unsurpassed conducting of the late maestro Victor Fedotov.
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This open letter and the Theatre's and Maestro Gergiev's replies confirm everything that's been going on. I've been waiting for something like this to happen. I'm ecstatic that the dancers finally went public. It's about time!
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I did some fact-checking. Very quickly, my library of Russian books yields this - The 2003 tome, Peterburgsky Balet from 1903-2003, by Arsen Degen and Igor Stupnikov (Baltiiskye Saison publishers, 2003), cites these dates and companies for Safronova (pp. 237-38), in quick translation:
"SAFRONOVA, LUDMILLA NIKOLAYEVA (b. 9.9.1929, Leningrad)....
Graduated the Russian Ballet Acad in 1947 (class of Vaganova). Fm 1947-1949 a soloist with the Saratov troupe, where her main roles were "Vanochka" in DOCTOR AIBLIT and Bacchante in WALPURGIS NIGHT in FAUST. From 1950-1969 was a member -- [, no word 'soloist' ] -- of the Maly dancing....[many roles listed, beginning with Fanchella in GAVROCHE and 'The Girl' in EROS]... , guested in the part of Fraskita in "Treulgolka. " From 1969-1970 was teacher of the Royal Ballet of Cambodia in Pnom-Pehn, where she staged PAQUITA. From 1970-1974 and 1977-78, was teacher of Cairo Ballet in Egypt. Similar position in Zagreb from 1983-84. Taught at the Russian Ballet ("Vaganova" academy, off and on, from 1975. Her graduating classes were in 1977 (Tatyana Rusanova), 1981 (Pankova)and 1988 (Chirkova and Nioradze, the latter there for post-grad finishing)."
Ludmilla Safronova wasn't ever a member of the Kirov Ballet. She was a member of the Maly company. The closest she came to the Kirov stage was across 1 Teatralnaya Square at the Leningrad Conservatoire as a guest of the Ballet of the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory. She appeared with them in this ballet - as noted above in the bio-citation: "TREULGOLKA (Russian for TRICORNE) - a one-act ballet, composed by Manuel DeFalla, staged by L. Martinez-Serra (after poem by Alarcon) Balletmaster F. Bakalov. Designs by T. Bruni. Conducted by Sherman. January 1, 1968."
She may have guested with the Kirov and danced with Vikulov in the odd gala, but was not on roster. I was generous to mention that she was a soloist (where the citation doesn't). I would never compare L. Safronova with I.A. Kolpakova - there's no comparison, because of the obvious reasons: She wasn't in the company and, she most certainly wasn't in Kolpakova's orbit. Also, I never meant to suggest or even infer that Safronova was a weak teacher. On the contrary, Somova is, in fact, Safronova's most illustrious and famous pupil; that speaks for itself, just like the pics that have been posted here, and for those of us who have been eyewitnesses to her artistry since 2004. As for Kiseleva and Krasyuk they are indeed "highly utilized" at the Mikhailovsky - as corps de ballet members would be. As for Tiliguzova, Stepanova and Batoeva, they will go forward only if Fateev wants them to; it doesn't matter how promising they are. I don't need to recap how long they may wait in their current (rank) for opportunities.
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Schools go through ups and downs, and some classes are weaker than others, even if that weakness is relative.
If Somova's class was a weak class for females, that doesn't mean that its graduates were unworthy of entering the company, but what is confusing looking at them from a traditional aesthetic, is why she would be pushed above all others. If you look at her as embodying a different aesthetic, no matter what you think of that aesthetic, then her selection is quite natural.
ITA with you Helene. I've seen Somova several times in different roles live and canned since her start in 2004. The answer(s) to the question "why" she was pushed above all others has never been adequately answered - (justified?) at least to those of us who are baffled
by her ascent and position in the company. However, your last point may be the answer. When she graduated, the powers that be determined that she embodied the ideal that they favor. So, to them (and those who like her dancing), her selection was natural.
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I've read Pawlick's book too. I interpret it as not only a hommage to Vaganova's life and legacy, but a resounding repudiation by the old guard teachers and coaches, such as Gennady Selyutsky, Gabriella Komleva, prima ballerina Uliana Lopatkina and the late Ninelka Kurgapkina of the new aesthetic of performance style and approach to daily work, that's been de rigueur since the 1994-1995 season. By 'old guard,' I mean the people who know what the style of the company is, remember what it used to be not so long ago, (and lament) what's going on now. They discuss in detail how they have tried to inculcate and perpetuate Vaganova's style in their students and the dancers of the company. Those of us who know this company, the personnel, the institution, the 'culture' of the Mariinsky Theatre, may be able to guess which primas (circa 1986-1992) became the prototypes of this 'new way of doing things,' and from whom Fateev's current favorites have "descended" both aesthetically and artistically.
Somova graduated in 2003. Her graduating teacher was Ludmilla Safronova, who was one of Agrippina's pupils. She was a soloist with the Maly/Mussorgsky - (now) Mikhailovsky Theatre in the 60s. After she retired she was sent by the Soviets to plant schools in places such as Vietnam, and small towns in the Soviet bloc. After those assignments, she came to teach at Vaganova Academy. Fast forward: In 2003 Ludmilla Kovaleva was on illness leave, when the graduating females' preparation would have been her responsibility. Safronova was assigned to take Kovaleva's place and prepare the girls. Earlier, Birdsall mentioned wine tasting as an analogy re opera singers and ballet dancers. To put this in perspective, consider this: Nureyev said when commencement time rolled around at Vaganova, that "...Every year (was) a vintage year." Not so: Under Safronova's guidance, the class of 2003, re the females was in fact a comparatively weak class compared to (immediate) prior years, i.e. early 90s - 2002. 2003 would be the first and last Vaganova graduating class she would prepare.
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I remember seeing another documentary when Skoryk was (what looked like) a 4th - 5th year student at Perm Academy. One of her teachers was quite frankly a sadistic tyrant. This instructor was verbally abusive to her, dressed her down in front of her classmates, seemingly on a daily basis. I can't recall the title of the doc at the moment, but her instructor's corrections weren't given with encouragement, care or concern - just daily physical and verbal torture and disparagement. If we're discussing the same documentary, I'd tend to think that a daily dose that would explain Skoryk's fear now. Irina Kolesnikova had the same problem with one of her teachers at Vaganova. As prima ballerina assoluta of the St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre (The Tkachine company), she mentioned in the past that it took her a very long time to overcome the hurtful words, to have confidence in herself and in her abilities - but she did it.
There was another former Mariinsky dancer who IMO had great potential, (Yulia Bolshakova), and was featured early as O/O. She was also featured in the early 2000s during the Mariinsky's summer engagement at Covent Garden as O/O. She received all of the media hype, and was chatted up to the media by Vaziev. She did very, very well. However, when she made her hometown Giselle debut, she was either inadequately prepared (i.e. she wasn't "ripe" yet for the Giselle debut), or it was just unfortunate that she slipped and fell during her Act 1 solo during the hops en pointe diagonal. She recovered and gave a decent performance to the end. However, after this unfortunate occurence, she was quietly and incrementally filed away and forgotten by the management until she was finally dismissed. The Bolshakova campaign was over: There was no salvage operation, no further encouragement, no more "Swan Lakes" and no follow-up Giselle reset. Despite that mistake, she had beautiful technique, beautiful line, a beautiful stage presence, and was a potentially excellent ballerina. She was unafraid to perform (i.e. she loved to dance). Even so, after this she was rarely employed, seen only as Florine (if that), in the 1890 "Sleeping Beauty" reconstruction until that production was retired. She never toured with the company again.
I state these examples to make this point: Oxana needs proper care, adequate time, adequate preparation, consideration and attention from the Mariinsky management, since they've put her center stage. She's in good hands with Yelena Yevteyeva, (who also has coached Dasha Pavlenko). If a dancer is afraid ...
well that's 99% of the battle in the first place. I hope that Yevteyeva doesn't get discouraged and is able to help Skoryk reach her potential and get her breakthrough."...I like to study with (Ninel) Kurgapkina. There's a nice atmosphere in the class...," " 'She always said, "... You dance well!
You must dance well! You can do it!' " That means a lot." Source: (Tatiana Terekhova, "Backstage at the Kirov" (1982).
2012/2013 Mariinsky Ballet Season: General News, etc.
in Kirov-Mariinsky Ballet
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I'm having a Charlie Brown moment. à