Cygnet

Thank you Natalia and everyone for the beautiful reports! Congratulations to Volodya ! It was only a matter of time before Sarafanov's vacancy was filled. Shklyarov was quietly added to the Principal list yesterday morning (March 7). There are no announcements in the Theatre news or press release links, at least not yet. Yesterday was travel day for the company; maybe Fateev told him on the plane . http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/company/ballet/troupe

I'm extremely happy to learn that Volodya Shklyarov has been appointed a Principal. Natalia wrote: Co-sign + Obrastzova too.

I think Bullock, Hathaway and Portman each looked wonderful. Mr. Bale . . . he looked like dragon slayer Quinn from "Reign of Fire." Natalie looked great in purple Rodarte. I wish her hair were up in some style (MO), other than that, well done and congratulations to her!

Kolia Zubkhovsky is off the roster. Ayupova is coaching at the Mikhailovsky. Since her graduation in 1999, Osmolkina has accumulated +40 leading and supporting roles in the Mariinsky repertory. This also includes Balanchine, Forsythe and Ratmansky’s works. Since Obrastzova graduated in 2002, she has about 30 roles likewise including Balanchine, Forsythe and Ratmansky. In Obrastzova’s case this number doesn’t include her "off site" repertoire and guest appearances. She’ll be adding Gulnara in “Corsaire” making her debut on March 27. Her debut as O/O is coming up in April but not at HQ. To date, Osmolkina has danced O/O at HQ once – her debut a few years ago. The two follow-up performances after that debut happened at Covent Garden, not HQ. They have received many awards and accolades, the greatest honors between them being: The 2005 IBC Gold Medal, the 1st Prize Vaganova Prix, Honored Artist of Russia, one Golden Mask, being pronounced “The Spirit of Dance (Star)” by Russia’s Ballet Magazine, one Benois nomination, and a Golden Sophit (think St. Petersburg’s answer to the Tony Awards). The majority of the awards above, except for the Honored Artist and the Golden Sophit, belong to Obrastzova, and they are just a few of her honors. As far as international and Petersburg critical acclaim is concerned, Obrastzova bests Osmolkina in both quantity and quality of eloquence, reason being is that Katya is rarely cast and rarely tours. As prodigiously gifted as she is, if Obrastzova wasn't proactive - making lemonade out of lemons she'd be sitting on The Blue Bench like Osmolkina and other talented soloists languishing in Somova's wake. Somova's career to date has been weighed in the balances. Whether it's been found wanting or not depends on the individual spectator. There are three camps: Camp can't get enough of her, Camp had enough of her, and Camp everything in between. If you want to see ballet scribbling outside the lines, she's your Prima. If you have seen her on a number of occaisions in different ballets and settings and want to continue to do so until she retires and reserve judgement until 2027, that's okay too. If you don't want to see that, do what I learned (the hard way), to do and avoid her performances. Fateev and his illustrious predecessor didn't and don't think, that Osmolkina, Obrastzova, Kondaurova, Novikova and others of their caliber are as good as they think Somova is. That's basically it.

This reminds me of the embarrassingly light applause last Friday for one of Somova's A2 solos. The embarrassment was doubled because in the middle of the sparse applause there was one lone male voice shouting 'bravo!'...and one set of hands down in the Orchestra section furiously applauding in the middle of her A1 solo's hops...reminding me of the paid clacque guys in Petersburg. Embarrassing and funny at the same time. . The voice and hands probably belong to Yuri Fateev. Natalia, there's one thing that you mentioned that she still hasn't gotten right yet, and that's spotting and stage craft. We all know that Giselle is supposed to be dead and a spirit in Act 2 - but is she blind as well? I've seen her live on several occaisions, and Somova has a problem of being unable to navigate around a corps de ballet, especially when finishing a variation by the wings. It's happened in "Beauty," "Don Q," "Le Corsaire," "Lake," and "Bayadere." I've seen it. If one is first in line on stage left or right, that dancer is in danger of being hit by her in passing or exiting the stage. It's hard to adjust to a different stage for a week or a small season, but real pros are able to do this. This isn't Somova's first time at the rodeo - or Kennedy, so I don't think it's too much to ask that she learn to master finishing passages cleanly and without incident.

Thanks Natalia for the report ! Hi Alexaa1a! Terekhova did dance Giselle, as did Madame Vazieva, (Olga Tchyenchikova), Somova's first coach. However, the role came too late to both of them. Terekhova was more convincing and prolific as Myrtha, because the innocent peasant maid didn't suit her temperament; therefore she danced it only a few times. IMO she was the best Myrtha of her generation. Chenchikova made her Giselle debut near the end of her career. Both ballerinas were of the heroic mold but Terekhova was the superior actress and aerial; Tchyenchikova wasn't.

Elizaveta and YID thank you so much for your reports! Brava for Vicky Tereshkina and Katya Kondaurova! I wish I was there but there's was no way to get away from work. Natalia, I can't wait to read your posts on this weekend's performances .

Obraztsova is the cover girl for Dance Magazine's February issue. Her O/O debut has been bumped up to March. There's a very nice feature article by Margaret Willis. http://www.dancemagazine.com/issues/February-2011/The-Kirovs-Glowing-Gem

If Portman is drafting her Oscar remarks, *(ref: the SAG and Golden Globes she probably isn't), she should consider emulating, or better yet - quoting the following winners. Sir Laurence Olivier, April 9, 1979. Joe Pesci, William Holden,

Hi ksk04! You're right: Uliana has meticulously worked out her own interpretation. When I saw this clip I asked a company friend to view it, and if Uliana had implemented Makarova's suggestions. She recalled that " . . . Uli didn't change anything" that night. The Mariinsky principal O/Os find their own way. The coaches guide them according to a combo of how they learned it, how they did it, company tradition and the management's aesthetics. Currently, they have 8 casts for "Swan Lake." Of these, one principal scribbles outside the lines, and three are lead by 1st soloists Kondaurova, Matvienko and Kolegova. Makhalina and Nioradze aren't cast. IMO Lopatkina and Pavlenko are the most interesting O/Os. Pavlenko's very much in the moment and more technically dazzling than Uliana who is remote and flawless. Tereshkina and Kondaurova are up there too.

ABT Principal, Veronika Part and Semperoper Dresdan Ballet Principal, Natalia Sologub will return to guest at their alma mater next month. Sologub will be dancing Masha in the Chemiakin "Nutcracker" on February 12, with choreography by Kirill Simonov. Sologub created the role of Masha in this version and won the 2001 Golden Mask for her interpretation. On Feb. 19, Part will be dancing Odette/Odile with Danila Korsuntsev. I wish them both a great homecoming ! http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill/playbill/2011/2/12/1_1900/ http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill/playbill/2011/2/19/1_1900/

Portman looked glowing and radiant. Kunis' dress would have popped if it were royal blue instead of Jolie's evergreen. Zeta-Jones also wore evergreen velvet and was a stylistic contrast to Jolie. Hathaway's dress was the best hands down. The men: Depp and Bale need to go to a barber shop; and Depp needs to buy a black tie. Pitt looked divine. The worst: IMO Bonham Carter looked outrageous. Her's was the worst "ensemble" since Bjork's swan and the gold AMEX card dress.

Mariinsky 1st Soloist, Yevgenia Obraztsova will be making her debut as Odette/Odile ! Date: Saturday, April 23, 2011, Time: 7:00 p.m. Company: Moscow's Stanislavsky Nemirovich-Danchenko Ballet. Place: Stanislavsky Nemirovich-Danchenko Music Theatre. http://www.evgeniaobraztsova.com/contact.html At last! Hopefully this may open the door for her to lead "Swan Lake" with her home company.

My problem with the movie is that it was so campy, but had pretentions of being a serious movie. If Portman wins the Golden Globe this Sunday, I agree. Here in L.A., the buzz and marketing hasn't been very huge. It's not being pushed. In fact ever since it premiered last month, it hasn't been in the top 5. The stats must be much better on the East Coast. As far as the Oscar goes nothing's for certain; it depends who the competition is. Plus, she's following up "Black Swan" with a inane Ashton Kutcher "romantic comedy" - a role that required very little from her, with light subject matter after this film. IMO the Kutcher film is a step back for her, and that's getting far more promos here. They'll be judging "Black Swan" with the Kutcher follow up. Usually, when actors and actresses portray real people and physically alter themselves, they get the nod. One recent exception would be Will Smith in "Ali." He played a real person, altered himself somewhat, but he didn't win. When an actresses do it, (for example, Charlize Theron), they win. My questions are: Will the Academy favor the story of a space cadet ballerina over the story of King George VI and his speech therapist? Will they reward camp/spoof/cliche or British history? Is "Black Swan" destined to be the "Rocky Horror Picture Show," or "National Lampoon's Animal House," for the non-ballet going smart phone/texting generation - with a Tchaikovsky soundtrack? It's going to be very interesting to see what happens.

I feel like this is an important issue. So much of the time, it is the dancer's ability to control and use her upper body that really shows whether she is an artist. This kind of artistry takes a lot more time, care, and finesse to develop than do 180 extensions - countless times I've seen young dancers who can easily keep their legs over their heads in adagio at the barre but when they get to the center cannot really "dance." I also wonder how the superstars of today, particularly in Russian ballet, are influenced by the popularity of 180 extensions vs. artistry. I feel that because graduates like Somova are made principles so young, they don't have time to properly develop their arm placement before they are expected to perform Swan Lake. Is it just me, or has the whole idea of "working your way up through the corps" (and hence gaining valuable experience and artistry)rather gone out the window in the attempt to create hyperextended stars? Welcome to Ballet Talk Vaganovaballerina! Unfortunately, the answer to your question is yes. Corps de ballet work is invaluable. However, it's the vision or mission of the person at the top of a company's org chart that determines a company's artistic trajectory. If that person has no coherent vision or mission except blind favoritism the company suffers artistically. Because of this, it may take several graduations and generations to undo the damage.

Natalia wrote: I'm surprised and delighted that Lopatkina is coming. I'm not surprised that Genya isn't coming. If she were scheduled for Giselle at Kennedy, I'd crawl through glass and walk through walls to be there. I totally agree with you. And IMO, Uliana is superior in classical, not Romantic roles such as Giselle. Well I hope so, but nothing is etched in stone. It could have been you know who, and it could still be you know who as the bookends for Kennedy. Do you remember last year's Covent Garden summer engagement? That went well . What would be more notable than an American debut as Giselle and the opening night at Kennedy Center? This is how Fateev thinks regarding you know who. In other news, irony of ironies, the powers that be have named Yuri Fateev an Honored Artist of the Russian Federation. http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/news1/news1/2_228december/

Congratulations to all the recipients! I have a special spot in my heart for Dasha Pavlenko; I'm tears of joy: This title is vindication for her ! I'm also extremely happy that her contemporary Sofia Gumerova has received this accolade as well. Gumerova has been a soloist for more than a decade.

Ekaterina Kondaurova has been nominated for the 2011 Golden Mask, "Best Female in Ballet." The nomination is for her interpretation of Anna in Ratmansky's "Anna Karenina." Also, the ballet itself has been nominated for "Best Ballet Production." Congratulations to Katya and A. Ratmansky! http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/news1/news1/12_november228_1/

Thanks Natalia. I agree: It will be very interesting to see if Smirnova and other leading graduates of the Class of 2011 will go to the Mikhailovsky. Hi Kahoyo. Obraztsova appeared this past July in Pierre Lacotte's Etoile Gala 2010 in Tokyo, with Paris Opera Ballet principals. Among other roles, she created the role of Constance in his new ballet "The Three Muskateers." She also danced MacMillan's Balconey pdd for the first time with Matthieu Ganio, so she may be in contention for an opportunity to make her debut in the complete MacMillan's version in Tokyo and elsewhere.

Yes; and Tatiana Tkachenko is still a Mariinsky 2nd Soloist moonlighting as a Hermitage Ballet Principal. Over there Tkachenko has danced Aurora, Giselle and O/O but she hasn't at the Mariinsky. This is just one example of how deep the soloist ranks are in the Mariinsky and the depth of talent languishing in those ranks. When Duato becomes the Mik's A.D., I suspect there will be more displacement between both theatres - and other St. P companies. Kolegova and Matvienko are employed as 'go-to' house soloists. Matvienko's career has been following her husband, and Kolegova joined as a 1st Soloist, with Principal experience from the Mik. Kolegova's and Matvienko's main assignment has been the "Swan Lake" performances in-between the Principals' subscription and benefit performances. It's a rare thing when a ballerina who is considered an "outsider," ie. trained in another academy or from another theatre, becomes a Mariinsky principal. Some notable exceptions are the late Inna Zubhovskaya (Bolshoi transplant), and the ladies from Perm, Olga Tchyentchikova (Mrs. Makhar Vazieva), and Lubov Kunakova. Coryphee Oksana Skoryk is Perm trained and she's seems to be headed for the fast track, having made her debut in Giselle this past July. So, it can happen at the Mariinsky but it's rare. Natalia, I totally agree with you re the four you mentioned as candidates for Principal. They need to move up. We'll have to and cross our fingers for all four of them. The question is which ones will become Principals? Like you stated, the slots are taken right now. IMO under the current circumstances, promotion for these ladies may be 50/50 - at best. Katya and Genichka (should) both make it. Olesya may make it because of her coach's influence (Moiseyeva), but it doesn't necessarily follow that anything's a sure thing. That's true everywhere. Also, according to the leadership's standards, Osmolkina may be deemed "too old" now (like Dumchenko and many others). Pavlenko is a Principal - from their generation - but she isn't being utilized at all, even though she's recovered and taking class again. Besides personal preferences, seniority and political gaming, Kondaurova and Osmolkina may have the edge over Genichka and Olesya because they both have Odette/Odile in their reps. The Mariinsky hasn't yet given Obrastzova or Novikova the opportunity to do it. Osipova (another soubrette like Genichka and Olesya), made Principal at the Bolshoi without O/O, Aurora, or Juliet, although she made her debut with ABT in "Beauty" and "R & J" this year. But Osipova is working under a different management structure at the Bolshoi, an environment totally different from the Mariinsky. In this company, the policy has been 'no O/O; no Principal appointment.' Vishneva was the exception until she danced it at home in 2005. That's not a hard and fast rule everywhere of course - but that's how the Mariinsky rolls. Novikova did dance O/O with Sarafanov in Paris this past July during Zelensky's Novosibirsk Ballet engagement. In the Mariinsky Ballet, when a soloist takes the initiative, gets permission and accepts a guest appearance, outsources a role, and succeeds in it with another company, the Mariinsky management's response is 'As far we're concerned, you haven't done it until you've done it here, and if you've done it elsewhere that doesn't count to us.' This is reflected in the dancers' bios under the heading "Repetoire at the Marinsky Theatre includes." *(italic emphasis mine). The coaches and the management have been stubborn on this point. For example, Vishneva waited a decade before she was granted her Mariinsky debut as O/O; likewise Osmolkina. Obrastzova has already outsourced her Raymonda; and Novikova has danced the role successfully at home. Obrastzova may also need to do the same for O/O - if she wants to dance the role in her home theatre. Even so, that may not be acknowledged either - as she's still waiting for her chance at a Raymonda debut at home. And even if she should succeed as O/O elsewhere, she still may not get the nod to dance either role at home. Novikova danced O/O with Zelensky's company, that doesn't mean she will do it at home. Preferred aesthetics may also be another factor. Obrastzova and Novikova are both petite ballerinas, and despite their wonderful attributes and outstanding accomplishments they may not be deemed by the powers that be as "Principal material." Those that they deem "P.M." they push, promote and frequently cast as Odette/Odile, and in other leading roles, based on a lb. of Ballet Director's wishes, a dash of foreign box office receipts, and a pinch of audience response. The Mariinsky's current aesthetic for O/O casting is long, lean, tall and loose. To put all of this in perspective, if Komleva, Kurgapkina, or Ayupova (and other notable primas) were starting out in the company today, they wouldn't get a shot at "Swan Lake." So, unless there is regime change at the top of the Mariinsky Ballet it will be status quo.

"Sofit" means 'floodlight' or 'spotlight.' Actually, this is Katya's second Golden Sofit in this category. She won in 2008 for the role of Alma in "Glass Heart." She now has one Benois and to Golden Sofits. She won the 2006 Benois for her Zarema in "Fountain of Bahkshiserai," and was nominated in 2009 for her Odette/Odile. That nomination was in response to her O/O debut. Hopefully, her Anna will be nominated for the 2011 Golden Mask. Kahoyo wrote: Kondaurova is a ballerina, destined (soon, we hope ), to be a Principal and a notable Prima. Somova is neither; and only by title and internal politics. Agreed. It would've been great if Katya had participated along with Tereshkina, Lopatkina and Obrastzova, instead of Somova. Katya and Genichka deserve all the exposure and appearances that they can get.

Ekaterina Kondaurova is the recipient of the 2010 Golden Sofit, category "Best Female Role in Ballet." This is St. Petersburg's most prestigious theatre award. She won for her interpretation of Anna in Ratmansky's "Anna Karenina." Congratulations Katya ! http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/news1/news1/3_november228/

And how about THIS? O.M.G. What?! I love how Rafferty describes how Aronofsky reached his conclusion: I've seen the trailers: . My guess is that Portman will get an Oscar nomination for this role... But, so will Diane Lane for her role as 'Penny Chenery' in "Secretariat."

This is wonderful news! Thanks Natalia!

The company will appear in South Korea Nov 5 - Nov 14, 2010. The ballets will be "Swan Lake" "Giselle," "Paquita," Balanchine's "Scotch Symphony," and Robbins' "In the Night." Cast: BUSAN "Swan Lake" 5 Nov. - Viktoria Tereshkina, Andrian Fadeyev 6 Nov. - Uliana Lopatkina, Evgeny Ivanchenko GOYANG "Giselle" 9 Nov. - Alina Somova, Viktoria Shklyarov 10 Nov. - TBD, Andrian Fadeyev "Swan Lake" 12 Nov. - Uliana Lopatkina, Danila Korsuntsev 13 Nov. - Alina Somova, Vladimir Shklyarov 14 Nov. - Ballet Gala "Scotch Symphony" - Alina Somova, Evgeny Ivanchenko "In The Night" - Maria Shirinkina, Fillipp Stepin; Ekaterina Kondaurova, Konstantin Zverev; Viktoria Tereshkina, Danila Korsuntsev "Paquita" - Uliana Lopatkina, Danila Korsuntsev Also, in the wake of Sarafanov's departure last week, there's another one to announce. The first Korean ballerina to dance with the company, Principal Character Artist, Ji-Yeon Ryu will return to South Korea to work after this engagement. Her final performance with the company will be as the Dying Swan. http://www.koreaherald.com/national/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20101020000733