Cygnet

  . . . I can't tell you how many times I have watched those Dudinskaya/Sergeyev and Kolpakova/ Semenov Raymonda excerpts.

Ditto that nysusan! Grigorovich's version is good, but Sergueyev's is best. There's

100% more jumping and dancing for Raymonda in Petersburg than in

the Bolshoi version. (IMHO the Maryinsky Act 3 has the most paprika ) .

. . . Glazunov's forgettable score. One becomes easily tired of these dull, meandering melodies and the lack of musical variation. Tchaikovsky this is not.

Sorry if I go slightly off topic here, but re: the score, is Mr. Bale being a little petty ? OK, the Bolshoi production isn't his cup of tea. Its true that "Raymonda" as a ballet score isn't "Sleeping Beauty," but it does have some lovely segments. Glazunov wasn't as prolific as the master (Tchaikovsky), but its obvious that he was greatly influenced by his approach to ballet composition.

There are too many fine dancers in different states of dormancy in the company, since the casting is so relentlessly affixed to the core favorites. 

Thanks for the info on Zhanna, Thalictum. I hope her diminished appearances

are her choice, and not about the Maryinsky fading her to black. She's classically pure with alot of experience and still in her prime. Her example is still needed.

Someone who stayed too long? I hate to say this, but Plisetskaya.

Canbelto, I'm glad you are brave enough to mention Maya. To tell you

the truth I was afraid to. :sweating:

As hard as it is for us, the audience to watch a beloved dancer dance what could be their final performances on stage, I can't even begin to imagine what it must feel like for the dancer themselves. I always think of a something Arlene Croce wrote about Kyra Nichols in the twilight of her career, "Nichols has now reached the privileged moment in a dancer's career when she is doing less and giving more. I remember that moment in Fonteyn, in Tallchief, in Kolpakova, in Farrell."

When a dancers technique starts to fail them many times their artistry compensates. But at what point does that become not enough? Only the dancer themselves know just exactly what their body is capable of doing. And I imagine even that changes from day to day. If they have a custom built repertory that allows them to prolong their careers while hiding their fraying technique that would be ideal. But unfortunately how many dancers have this gift bestowed upon them?

I think Alessandra Ferri is going about this the right way. She dances only what she is capable of (R&J, The Dream) and she enhances these ballet's with her experience and mature artistry. Who else either currently dancing or retired handled the end of their career with grace and dignity?

On the flip side, which dancer stayed too long?

Who retired too soon?

At the moment, the following are the ones I can think of. Gelsey went out gracefully and made a smooth transition to teaching and coaching. Gregory & Tcherkassky also went out gracefully. Makarova had the perfect close to her career by returning to the Maryinsky, and performing 2 ppds from 'Onegin.' The next morning she announced her retirement and donated her Tatiana costume and shoes to the Ballet Museum in Petersburg. Others who left well and at the right time: Jennifer Penney, Park, Collier, Sibley, and Semenyaka. Who stayed too long? IMO, Bessmertnova. Who is currently staying too long? IMO, Ruzimatov. Who retired too soon? In the last few years - Altynai Asylmuratova. From the past - Marguerite Porter. Porter made principal, but didn't stay nearly as long as she could have. Altynai? She chose to go out early and on top - with humility.

Class act.

Presidential Inauguration?

Yes! I forgot about that factoid. It will be difficult to book a hotel room that week, not to mention the crowds and the protocol. But, to miss Dasha in 'The Dying Swan'? NO WAY!! On the hand, someone mentioned that she'll be dancing

"Diamonds" in Petersburg. We know how they change casting, but if she

can do it, that will be cutting it real close.

Jacobs wrote a very astute article. Thanks Canbelto for the post!

Cygnet,

Thanks for the info! How was Altynai's Odile? She doesnt seem quite as tough or evil as the natural Odiles, and I've never seen her do fouettes ... But I'd see her dance anything, really.

Vinodagrav was really excessively harsh with the corps. It was between intermission, for chrissake, and yelling at the girls that their powder had been sweated off ... Is he still the AD?

I hope this comes out on DVD. And I'm so happy to see the backstage Altynai. She really does seem very sweet and down-to-earth, a quality that comes through in her dancing too. I love her wide-open, unaffected smile.

Canbelto, Altynai's Odile wasn't a vamp. She didn't flaunt her sexuality. As Nikia she didn't even do that. She was not flamboyant. She wasn't sinister or nasty either. She was regal and charismatic. Her entrance was like someone had

thrown a hand grenade on stage! She was technically strong - not overwhelming with fireworks. Her fouttees were strong and sur place. Sometimes she ran out of gas between 26 & 32 (she didn't have really short legs for lightening fast turns). Also, she didn't have the height, really long legs, hyper-extension, or the skis that the Kirov favors today. Her coda tempo was fast, as it was written. She got the job done. In two words - tasteful and cerebral. She made you think and sit on the edge of your seat. She danced her variation quickly and it was sharp and crisp. She smiled a devastating smile, but only during her variation, not in the pdd. (To put this in perspective, I remember her contemporary Kunakova's Odile. She chose a smirk/snear and was vulgar in comparison).

Her personality is introverted, unassuming and humble offstage. You saw this in the video too. Therefore, her's was a very personal interpretation, and she brought this personality to the work, and in the context of the Kirov style this approach worked. Her Odile was charming but remote, like her white swan. In that respect, she was just like her Odette, yet a portrait of inaccessible femininity. It wasn't like night and day. In her encounter with Siegfried she had all the power because you sensed she already knew Siegfried's weakness before she came to the ball - Odette's vulnerability and remoteness. So, she transformed herself into the object of his desire.

When the act was over she seemed to scream like a maniac, and tore the bouquet apart and threw them at Siegfried's feet. Now that was shocking and memorable. She glared at her father VR as if to say 'mission accomplished' and she ran off stage first, followed by VR. That was unique too. I understand Mezentseva's approach was similar but it wasn't one scintilla as effective as AA's. Her third act was total belief. In one word, passion. I could go on and on about her dancing.......

Vinogradov went out of power about 6 years ago under a cloud of financial

scandal. Today he's running a ballet school that teaches the Vaganova style in Washington DC and is the AD of the Seoul Ballet (I think that's what they're called).

I just got this video and I thought it was a very interesting film. I of course loved seeing Altynai Asylmuratova when she was so young. She seems so charming and down-to-earth too. I dont know many ballerinas who would admit they dont like class and would rather sleep in  I also loved how she seemed so flattered that someone asked her for an autograph. Awww. I was upset that they didnt show more of her first performance of Swan Lake -- she looked like an absolutely beautiful Odette/Odile. Anyone know if they ever released a video of her in this ballet?

I was also struck by how different she was as a ballerina than the prima ballerina in this video, Galina Mezentseva. (I think y'all know how I feel about Mezentseva  ) Altynai really had the qualities I associate with a Kirov ballerina -- those long extensions and soft limbs. Ok, I need to stop gushing about her, but this video makes her seem very lovable indeed.

I had to admit I cringed a little at how harsh the balletmasters seem to be, especially to the 10-year old Vaganova academy students. I mean, I know ballet is a perfectionist business but the ballet master berating a corps swan for her powder falling off?

Canbelto, I also cherish this video because it shows Altynai on the cusp

of greatness. Its also one of the, (unjustifably), too few records of her on film. I also wish her Act 2 has been filmed rather than Galina's. I don't think there is a video of her in a full 'Swan Lake,' certainly not with her home company. Like you, I wish her full Kirov Odette/Odile had been filmed.

Whenever the Kirov toured Swan Lake, they always played fast and loose with casting, keeping her under raps like a secret weapon. It was like playing the lottery. You had to be damn lucky to see her. IMO her live Odette/Odile was simply sublime: Her's was the most intriguing and nuanced interpretation of her generation in that company. When she danced it with ABT (Baryshnikov's version), it was the first time she got to interpret the tragic ending. She outshone the production, looking like a magnificent stranger in the wrong paradise. The opportune moment to have filmed her Odette/Odile with the home team was in 1990. That assignment went to a young and inexperienced Makhalina.

(BTW the berating ballet master was Vinogradov the A.D. In that scene he was excessive. What did he want, a corps that didn't sweat during a performance?)

Does anyone know if there is a decent 'Manon' CD out there? Thanks!

I recently got several videos featuring the etoiles, danseurs, and corps of the Paris Opera Ballet. And I must say, the Paris Opera Ballet corps is nearly eery in its perfection. All of them seem to have been selected so that theyre similar in height, build, and even appearance. Their absolute unison at all times is almost frightening. They put every other corps to shame.

How do they do it? I'm speechless.

Do you think that the Paris corps owes its unison to Nureyev's tenure, tradition

or a little of both?

IMO Natalya Pavlova was one of the most excellent corps members from that generation. For me, she just stood out as an exemplary corps member. Another corps member who was Pavlova's technical twin was Tamara Mirzhoyan, who wasn't in this tape. They can be dancing seen together in the following: the Grand Pas Classique in Act 2 of the Komleva 'Bayadere' tape from 1977, the Esmeralda pas de six with Yevteyeva in the Kirov in London 1988 tape, the Classic Ballet Night tape (same ballet with Komleva leading the divertissement), the Little Swans in the Tchyentchikova/Zaklinsky 'Swan Lake' taped at Wolf Trap Farm (1986 tour), and Mezentseva's Giselle (1982) tape in Act 1 among the villagers'

and the first line of Wilis in Act 2.

When I was a little girl, the first live SB performance I saw was the de Valois 1977 Royal Ballet production. Park & Wall were Aurora and Florimund. The Bluebirds were Alfreda Thorogood and Michael Coleman. They left a lasting impression on me. They were great! My other all time favorite Bluebirds are A. McKerrow & J. Renval, L. Semenyaka & Y. Vetrov, and Jennifer Penney & Wayne Eagling. In addition to the Florines already mentioned, my other favorites are Pavlenko, Yevteyeva, Lezhnina, F. Chadwick, Makarova (Sizova/Soloviev film of SB), and M. Bilova. I wish I could have seen Maximova & Vasiliev but they danced this ppd before I was even thought of .

Does anyone know if the Maryinsky and V Academy will undertake security measures the way the Bolshoi has reportedly done?

Martins tells of being awakened by a phone call from Balanchine one long-ago morning in Saratoga Springs and asked to meet him for breakfast. He recalls the place as probably a coffee shop on the site of what is now Sperry's Restaurant. During the course of their breakfast, Balanchine instructed Martins on all the many responsibilities involved in running a ballet company -- from marketing to programming to getting rid of over-the-hill dancers. At the end, Balanchine said something like, "Okay?" and asked for the check. I had never heard this story, which seems to have, as its point, the legitimization of the Martins succession to head NYCB. I'm not questioning it, just wondering if anyone has heard this or something similar.

I have that interview segment on video but not from the program you mentioned.

It has Peter's response, just like you stated. I taped it from PBS Great Performances. I looked for the tape but I can't find it. I think the program was called 'Balanchine Celebration.' (?) It was a huge gala that had G. Thesmar as Terpischore in "Apollo," and his wife Darci leading "Theme & Variations."

Has he done "The Brothers Karamazov" yet?

Not yet; he has to do "Crime & Punishment" first.

Is this something that's appropriate in some cases and not in others? 

Q: If the AD or choreographer are in the wings, should they control curtain calls?

The 800 lbs. guerilla in the corner is professional ego. For me, an example of inappopriate 'mugging' for applause would be holding balances way beyond the beat than is necessary, just to show off. Another example would be taking inordinate stage time for preparation (ala Ruzimatov in his springtime). Hey, but someone else might think that's great dancing. One man's radical/activist is another's freedom fighter. There's a huge difference between playing to the gallery and dancing for the gallery.

Not sure what you mean by that as Mukhamedov was still dancing with the Royal Ballet earlier this year.  I imagine that you have read some of the articles in the media about I.M. in which he complained constantly that the RB didn’t give him enough work. Another problem was his weight, which made him unsuitable for a number of roles; in fact at one point the Balanchine Foundation had to step in to prevent him dancing Apollo.  That the Royal Ballet decided to scale down his performances came as a relief to many.

I'm sorry Mashinka, I wasn't clear. I was referring to the late 90s, and the end of Dowell's tenure as AD, not the recent season. My guess is that additional reasons for IM being let go from RB, at that time - besides age, weight and tech. decline, would be the departure of Durante. I have read some of those articles, which goes to show you that there's always two sides to every story. Thank you for the info on Semenyaka! I also hope that Taranda is doing well, wherever he landed.

Thanks Mashinka for that great post! Mukhamedov & Taranda were off the chart excellent. Artistic and personal differences aside, if YG fired GT publicly by announcing it from the Bolshoi stage that's uncouth and outrageous. Its an insult to the audience and a humiliating insult to the artist. Also, IM's thankless fade out by the Royal Ballet a few years ago was insulting too. Do you know if Semenyaka was 'dismissed' by YG or did she retire normally when her time came?

What if, in a ballet competition, the audience was able to bring its will to bear on the judging?

Olympic judges are reputed to be experts of a sport. Personal preference is everything in this case. IMO where gymnastics is concerned, the people I would call real the experts are the commentators that give us the play by play. They're former champs or medalists themselves and they've been there. In an international ballet competition there's no question of the judges' credentials. They're former (or) current stars, prominent choreographers, influential teachers and coaches. They've been there and done it. At this level of competition in sports or ballet you shouldn't falter. After a spectacular routine that pushed the envelope of this event, (parallel bar), Nemov didn't nail his landing. If someone falls during a ppd or solo in an int'l competition, and its the finals, I don't believe the score would be changed no matter how much the audience protested.

I saw a televised competition and the young teens in the pdd danced well and at

the very end - she fell on her butt. I remember the commentator said, "For the judges, the last thing they see effects everything that went before." That says

alot doesn't it?

I loved Fracci's Giselle.  She lost out to Makarova in the Star Wars of 1970s New York, and it's a shame,  because she represented a different line and it was lovely to have both of them.

Me too Alexandra! Fracci and Makarova's Giselles were equally great but very different. Makarova was a defector, (we all remember the media circus that used to generate), so she had the PR edge at that time. IMO I think Fracci trumped Makarova in the Mad Scene and Act II. In Act II, for me, Carla's entrechats were lightning fast, and her reading of the Act - just awesome and unforgettable.

Thanks Cabro that's the one I was thinking of. When I saw it towards

the end, the headdresses came off and the hair went down.

For the best group hair, there's nothing better than Balanchine's Walpurgisnacht Ballet, in which 24 women let their hair down. But as a member in good standing of the Joan Acocella fan club, I must point out that NYCB hair ain't what it used to be.

I forgot the name, but does anyone know the name of the other ballet where the NYCB ladies let their hair down? I remember seeing a performance where everyone had well conditioned bouncin' hair. It's a short Russian folkdance with music by Stravinsky.

Here's four that stand out in my memory. 1) Some years ago when ABT last danced "Sleeping Beauty" at the Shrine Auditorium, Victor Barbee's Carabosse cast the spell in the Prologue. Right at that moment when the cymbals crashed, one of the corps boys, a 'courtier' fainted. No, there was no hook to get him off either. Everyone continued until the end of the act. When the lights came up for intermission, some guy sitting behind me said 'well I hope he can keep his balance in the Rose Adagio.' 2) When the Kirov came to the same stage in 1992, there was a very loud crash backstage during the quiet section of Makhalina and Zaklinsky's Black Swan ppd. They weren't phased but the audience was. 3) When Vaziev was still a dancer and not the AD of the Maryinsky, he was paired with Terekhova in the Don Q ppd at the London Design Center. His left slipper got 'disengaged' during the first section of the coda. He hopped on one leg - to the music - while throwing it offstage, and continued his tour and coda in one slipper. 4) the drunken Bluebird ppd on Durante/Solymosi's video of SB: Leanne Benjamin and Peter Abegglen seemed to be under the influence .

That's a good question -- and a hard one, since today's companies seem to do everything they can to keep dancrs from dancing together mor ethan once a season!  I don't think there is a Fonteyn-Nureyev, or Fracci-Bruhn partnership around.

Cojocaru and Kobborg are great together. Pavlenko and Kolb are likewise great

and have the potential to become a great partnership if they are regularly booked together; (since its the Maryinsky - definitely nyet). I do agree with you Alexandra: There is no Fracci/Bruhn, Fonteyn/Nureyev (or, I'll add) Maximova/Vasiliev partnership right now.