Cygnet

I'll say that she is not THE best in the world, but that she is one AMONG the best in the world at this time.

Hi Sandik! Sorry for the late reply! New Year's caught up with me! I have the video of "Portrait of Giselle." I bought it in the early 90s. I presume it's on dvd, but the tape itself may be out of print. Maybe it can be Googled or Ebay'd? Watching it is like stepping into a time warp. So many great ballerinas . . . Ulanova, Karsavina, Spessivtzeva, (each now deceased); and Makarova, Fracci, Alonso and Chauvire. All of them candidly discussed their views on the role with Dolin. All of their performances were preserved on this tape. There's a priceless snippet of Spessivteva's Act 1 and mad scene. Makarova and the late Alexander Godunov are in studio rehearsing the Act 2 ppd. The cherry on top is the added bonus of none other than Patty McBride being coached in the role by Dolin with Helgi Tomasson as Albrecht.

Canbelto, this may not count, but I have a large chunk of the bench scene, galop and mad scene with Fracci and Nureyev, from the documentary DVD "A Portrait of Giselle." It's done in snippets with voiceovers by Anton Dolin. There's other sections from Act 1 with other great Giselles that are cobbled together to complete the entire first act. Act 2 of the DVD is produced the same way. Nureyev played Albrecht like a cad. I mean really, like a total jerk. Too bad there weren't any scenes from their Act 2: I'm sure they were divine. I have the Tennant/Nureyev SB. I don't care for his version of SB. In this performance, he was earthbound. The famous Ballerino solo he choreographed for himself in Act 2 to the Entracte, takes the focus off Aurora, which IMO, was a huge mistake. He didn't get that idea from the Kirov. The uninitiated would think he was The Sleeping Beauty. From that moment he dominates and monopolizes the ballet to the end. Veronica's Aurora, although quite excellent, becomes a footnote. Also, Act 3 starts somberly with the Sarabande. It's supposed to be a joyous wedding but it starts like a funeral. He ended the ballet with the Mazurka, and this is anti-climax for me. He shouldn't have cut the Apotheosis - that's the real finale. I think genius casting would have been Vishneva and Nureyev. He was born too early, and she was born too late. That would've been Divo vs. Diva - a real preening contest. IMO they would've had the same theatrical impulses, personas and temperament.

Bussell was an excellent Aurora. I agree that Gamzatti was a miscast for her, and I'll add Manon to that too. Now, if you mean cold as in technical brilliance: Tatiana Terekhova, Daria Pavlenko, Sylvie Guillem, Tamara Rojo, Auriel Dupont, and Gillian Murphy. If you mean 'cold' as in "deep freeze:" Olesia Novikova, Uliana Lopatkina and Natalya Bessmertnova.

The "fish dives" weren't in the original choreography.

I purchased the "Manon" complete ballet CD (ROH Orchestra/Bonynge) from this website, www.musicabona.com. They're located in Prague. The service was excellent, the CD arrived in excellent condition within ten business days as promised, and the shipping was free.

By the way, was this part of an interview? If so could you give the link? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Article: "Russian Terpsichore's Soul Flight - St. Petersburg's Ballet Life 1999," Full summary & critique of 1998/99 Maryinsky ballet season. Author: Igor Stupnikov Link: (Now offline - but try Googling author and title anyway), http://www.theatre.spb.ru:8100/seasons/1_1...erpsichore.htlm

"The one important thing I have learned over the years is the difference between taking one's work seriously and taking one's self seriously. The first is imperative and the second is disastrous." Dame Margot Fonteyn

I saw Lezhnina live too. Her Florine and Aurora were classically pure. When the Maryinsky came to L.A. in December 1992, they were celebrating the 100th anniversary of 'Nutcracker.' She danced the most perfect Masha (second only to Maximova's), that I ever saw. The audience rose to it's feet. . . Unforgettable.

This is indeed a sad loss. May he rest in peace.

& Cojocaru is my favorite Giselle too. Another Giselle I admire is Ferri. In the past I adored Makarova & Asylmuratova: Their acting and footwork - especially in the mad scene and Act 2 was mind-boggling. In the distant past, (well, my distant past ) Fracci was peerless. My least favorite was Galina Mezentseva.

-Any Tom Cruise film produced by Tom Cruise with Tom Cruise playing Tom Cruise. -Any Keanu Reeves film with Keanu Reeves playing Keanu Reeves. -Any Colin Farrell film with Colin Farrell playing Colin Farrell. -Any film written, directed by or graced with a cameo appearance of Quentin Tarantino. -Any film directed by those "blockbuster sequel kings," Brett Ratner & Barry Sonnenfeld. -The collected works of Michael Moore: They belabor the point with a large dose of gratuitousness. -"Bram Stoker's Dracula" with Gary Oldman & Winona Ryder: The film played like an overlong Monty Python skit with fake English accents. -"Last Tango in Paris" -The Star Wars Prequels, Episodes 1-3 -"The Wizard of Oz" -"Titanic" -"Erin Brockovich" -"Mr. & Mrs. Smith" -"Flightplan" :mellow:: I would've been happy to have watched 2+ hrs. of Travelocity commercials than go through that again. I can think of others but could never list them all. That's why I love my DVD player and the Inde Film Channel.

Herman I agree with you about the Ring cycle comparison; that was a stretch for me too. I also wish that the 1999 photos were in color. Trust me: Unless you've seen the 1890 production live, black & white photos do not do it justice.

While I'm dying to see Kings of the Dance, I have serious doubts about whether such a performance will really be good for ballet as an art. Won't it turn into a virtuosity competition? Comparisons between the 4 dancers will be inevitable and the result could be very much the same as the "3 Tenor" situation - lots of technique, but not much art. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> This sounds like it will be the 2005 male version of "Pas de Quatre."

That's right Canbelto! ! After he said that, he took a flame thrower to the entire corps (and their flawless) Act 2 shouting, " . . . ALL OF THE ENDINGS IN THE ADAGIO WERE LATE!" All of them? Uh no, not so. (On the contrary, Mezentseva took the pdd at tortoise pace. They had to follow her, therefore this really wasn't the corps' or Fedotov's fault. They had to wait forever for her to shape the next phrase. It's a testimony to their professionalism and training that no one overbalanced. They should have filmed Altynai's Act 2. Another example of this tempo tampering would be Bessmertnova's clapping variation from Raymonda; see the Bolshoi DVD with Vasyuchenko).

Good questions! She was a tough drill sargeant. I can't guess who the man is. I do know that the two dancers in the modern ballet rehearsal are Pyotr Rusanov and Tatiana Ariskina. Two of the little swans are Elena Vorontsova, (now a company teacher), and Tamara Mirzhoyan (retired).

Thank you Helene for the detailed play by play! Your's is the best description yet of Diana's stage persona and the weaknesses of the Sergueyev production. Diana is really flamboyant. I've often thought that if Liza Minelli were a prima ballerina, she'd be Vishneva.

It seems Anton sent out an SOS (?!) I guess I'll have to re-think my initial assessment of his performance. I had zoom binoculars and didn't see this at all! (Well, I wasn't looking for anything like this). Was this some artistic dispute or worse, was Olesia coaching him during the performance? Talk about getting through it. No wonder she was Princess Stressora - she had to worry about him on top of everything else. Performance issues indeed. See folks, this is precisely why they shouldn't cast inexperienced and ill-prepped youngsters in the classics - especially this one. Oh well... BTW: PJ, I was up in the center 4th balconey so that I could see Olesia's and the corps' patterns. I agree with you - next time I'LL bite the bullet and pay for orchestra seats. It sounded like happy hour at the top of the house - far too noisy.

This past Saturday, I saw an excellent documentary in an independent movie hall on the Maryinsky Theatre, called "The Sacred Stage." Hopefully, it will be released on DVD. It's directed by Joshua Waltezky and the exec. producer is Lisa Kirk Colburn. Dance critic and scholar Elizabeth Kendall gives a very informative segment on the history of the ballet company, and Russian ballet history in general. Two very young female corps members give an impromptu interview as well. Maestro Gergiev and Placido Domingo discuss the history and current activities of the opera company. Also there are beautiful shots of St. Pete. Highlights include: - A rare, valuable and live segment of Zhanna Ayupova's Act 1 Aurora in the reconstructed "Beauty." She was absolutely perfect! (Too bad she isn't dancing right now. The company's current crop of 'would be ballerinas' could really benefit from her example)! -A live studio segment with Makhalina and her coach Moiseyeva, rehearsing Odile's fouettes and Raymonda's clapping variation. An extended interview with Makhalina at home, and walking through the streets of St. Pete. (So, if anyone wants to know what Yulia's been up to, she's (also) a coach now, and is shown prepping Tkachenko for "Scheherazade"). -Scenes from the current controversial production of "Boris Godunov," interviews with the opera's designer Georgi Tsypin, and the outstanding 30 year old bass sensation, Yevgeny Nikitin in performance and in offstage interviews. The documentary was filmed reality t.v. style. The best thing is that the Maestro doesn't monopolize the film, and that could've happened easily. Hopefully it will be released in more cities. For more info, go to www.firstrunfeatures.com indi film website and click on "Sacred Stage" on the left side at the top.

How could I forget that point, you're absolutely right Cadancelover! I was surrounded by chatting Russians during the whole performance! It got especially unruly during the quietest moments of Act 2. There was a sustained buzz and alot shushing going on. It was surreal. By contrast, there were two little girls in the row in front of me, and they were quiet and well behaved compared to the adults, go figure.

Novikova was visually beautiful and she did a great job as Aurora this afternoon! Whoever coached her nailed it; she was WELL PREPARED. She was technically pure, and she was especially good in the Rose Adagio: Her balances did not flinch nor falter, and she ended the long promenades Royal Ballet style, no deep penchee. ALRIGHT!!!! Her second act was well done and her Act 3 ppd was very stately. BUT my main concern is that she smile more, and show more personality. She was a subdued and introverted Princess (at least this afternoon), almost as if she knew what the future held for her. For me, "Vishneva Jr." didn't radiate much happiness. HOWEVER, her's was a very old style Kirov interpretation of Aurora as far as technical purity is concerned. I'm very glad because I didn't want to cash in my chips for any type of 'draw outside the lines' interpretation. Acting issues aside, I highly recommend her! Vostrotina's Lilac was excellent! She's very long limbed, but this was no drawback: She was titanium solid in all her pirouettes and arabesques etc. (a tall ballerina, she gave a very Lyubov Kunakova style performance). She was especially strong in her Act 3 solo. The audience roared their approval of her developpes; I'll co-sign on this interpretation ! As Carabosse, Igor Petrov was more of a prankster than 'evil' to me. He just didn't seem too malevolent. I didn't feel his anger. Anton Korsakov was simply outstanding! He was the more attentive partner. He reacted to Olesia but she seemed to go through the motions with him. The most telling moment was the awakening: She seemed to say "Who are you? I was napping, leave me alone - I want to go back to sleep!" She warmed to him by the Act 3 pdd. Olesia and Anton are well matched and a beautiful couple, but she needs to put more oomph in her portrayal and marry her pristine technique with a more bubbly characterization. Ksenia Ostreykovskaya and (I believe there was a cast change), Dmitri Semionov (?) were quite good as the Bluebirds, only he was a little too tall for her. He looks like excellent danseur noble material. He used his height to his advantage and his technique was crisp and clean. Osmolkina was a little slow on the draw as Diamond Fairy, but she caught up and finished well. Together, the four jewel fairies were light and airy and the fastest in captivity. Yana Selina was very feline as the White Cat, and (Obratzova - ?) did honors to Red. Among the prologue fairies, Tatiana Tkachenko was OUT OF SIGHT as Coulante, (Fairy Vivacity)! The corps was flawless as usual! On the whole, the company danced well. But like someone posted earlier, they seemed to be phoning in the performance. Also, Marc suggested that the three featured Auroras during this run, (except Diana), may not have the gravitas to lead the company in a full length ballet. I have to agree with him. I'd say that right now, Novikova is indeed excellent and a "sweet soloist," even though still a member of the corps. If the management truly focuses on nurturing her, not dropping her campaign for next month's flavor, and not obstructing her progress, they may have another great Aurora in the future . Just my .02. Scenery & Logistics Faux Pas: If you don't have the Panorama, and can't bring the Panorama, don't bring the boat! Leave the main curtain down, play the Panorama music, then the Entracte. IMO that would have made more theatrical sense than to see the boat roll across the 'ground' to stage right :mellow:. The Music Corner: The brass section made a few boo-boos but thank God they didn't make them at the crucial moments. In Act 2 the Entracte violin solo was sublime, as well as the cello in the pdd. *(Anthony - I came down to the Nureyev statue after the Prologue and Acts 1 & 2; I'm sorry I missed you! Maybe next time we can determine which intermissions we could touch base).

Hi Helene! I recall that Segal went when they brought the 1890 to the Met in July 1999. He covered opening night (Zakharova's performance). His review hailed the Kirov for having the courage to research its past. It was the intricate mime, minute details in the choreography and the stage foot traffic that floored him, particularly in the Rose Adagio. After seeing the Royal, ABT, and Kirov tapes of the Sergeyev (Kolpakova & Lezhnina), the details blew me away too. As far as emotional intention, Segal liked details such as: Emphasis on the love between the King & Queen rather than Aurora and Desire, and the huge crowd scene that (almost) obscures Aurora's accident. He thought that the crowd made sense, because Carabosse did her dirty work, with hardly anyone noticing until it was too late. Another example is after the King had mercy on the knitters. He and the Queen stare into each other's eyes holding hands for the entire opening of the waltz. They don't mount their thrones until the waltz is well underway. Mainly, he saw details like this as a story about the King & Queen trying to keep their dynasty alive and Aurora as the means to do it. So, Aurora is "gamma," Desire "delta," and the King and Queen are "alpha and beta," in the 1890. In the Sergeyev Aurora is "alpha," and really second to none. Lilac is "beta" and the King & Queen are incidental. In the Sergeyev and other productions, Lilac can sometimes overpower Aurora. It depends on the calibre of the two ballerinas. Also in the Sergeyev everyone's technique is on display because everyone's dancing and not gesturing. My guess is that Segal, (who has seen this before when they last brought it here in 1989), now feels that nothing compares to the 1890. IMO If you want pure classical dancing for the sake of dancing, its the Sergeyev. If you want "Lord of the Rings" pomp & circumstance, 99% of the music, and all the blanks filled in, then the 1890 is your show. Both productions are beautiful. The difference is the emphasis.

I'll be seeing Novikova on Sunday! I'm renting opera glasses for her. Susan and/or Anthony if you're coming to this performance, hopefully I'll get to meet you both! Alina's main problem is follow through and delivery. Successful rehearsals and classes do not necessarily mean successful performances. That's where she falls down IMO. She seems to be unable to deliver when it counts. The best expert coaches in the company can't show her how to flesh out a fully realized and competent performance. Either you know how, or you don't. You get onstage and you know what you have to do; and you do it. Alina must learn how to internalize every instruction her coach gives her and dance. It doesn't help her if they push her beyond her limit. Perhaps she's reached that threshold, but the coach and the management are in denial. Per Natalia's post, St. Pete's public and Clement Crisp et. al. believe she has reached that threshold. Hopefully Alina will turn a corner for the better at her Aurora debut. But know this: It's too much money to pay for a long night, and at 19, too much company reputation and responsibility to shoulder if the opposite is the result.

C. Pawlick just posted a full play-by-play of Diana's debut in the Critical Dance website.

They'd probably cast Somova, Novikova, Osmolkina or Nioradze - in that order. If I had my druthers, my fantasy is Pavlenko as Aurora. Fortune favors the prepared. She could step in if they'd let her.