Cygnet
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I remember seeing the casts with Vetrov and Mukhamedov as Ivan, Maria Bylova as Anastasia and Taranda.
They were outstanding. However, for me, the ballet falls down with the monologues, the ensemble segments
the grim reapers, and the bell crew, i.e. everything. It's dated Soviet kitch. I'm amazed that they revived it;
but given the current national energy, not so much. That said, IMO Grigorovich's tenure is best represented
by "Spartacus," and "Legend of Love."
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The Golden Mask winners for the 2013-2014 Russian theatre season were announced at the Stanislavsky Nemirovich-Danchenko Music Theatre in Moscow.
In the Ballet/Contemporary Dance category, the Bolshoi Theatre and Yekaterinburg Theatre dominated.
Jean Christophe-Maillot's Bolshoi production of "The Taming of the Shrew" won the top honors:
- Best Ballet Production, "The Taming of the Shrew," Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow
- Best Actress - Ekaterina Krysanova as the Shrew
- Best Actor - Vladislav Lantratov as Petruchio
- For Best Contemporary Dance production, the Alexandrinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg won for "Exhibit Item/ Awakening."
- For Best Ballet Conductor - Pavel Klinichev for "Colordelic," Yekaterinberg Opera and Ballet Theatre
- Best Choreographer - Vyacheslav Samodurov for "Colordelic," Yekaterinberg Opera and Ballet Theatre.
In opera, the Perm Theatre's "Indian Queen," and the Bolshoi's new production of "Don Carlos"
were the top winners. The Mariinsky Theatre didn't place or win in either category. However,
the Mariinsky Ballet shared honorable mention - the Jury Special Award for it's production of "INFRA."
The other winners of this award were Dmitri Volosnikov, for the production of "Dido," (Novaya Opera,
Moscow), and Perm's Teatr-Teatr for "8 Women," in the Operetta/Best Musical category.
For the winners in all categories: http://eng.goldenmask.ru/gm.php?id=124
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Novikova's status (never getting Principal) is to me a great scandal. Her Giselle, Masha, Sylph, Raymonda, Aurora, one Swan Lake ever, and Kitri are delicate, exquisite, artistic achievements of the rarest kind unlike anything you see in a lifetime. She is the lead in two commercial dvds (Don Quixote and La Scala's Raymonda), so she has name recognition too. I think in any other company she would be a Principal.
I suspect there are limited funds to pay the top amount for Principals, so these two men being promoted probably means no one else will get Principal status in a while.
A Novikova, Osmolkina, Sergeev and Ermakov set of promotions to Principal Dancer would make perfect sense. The fact that they've been overlooked again is nonsense.
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Thank you Natalia for this report. Congratulations to Misty Copeland for this milestone and personal best debut as O/O
!May she build on this accomplishment and go forward. May her dancing speak for itself and not the p.r. machine.
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This is wonderful news! Congratulations to Eleonora
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The decision to release something on DVD probably factors in all kinds of elements. In this case, Osipova is likely a big selling point. Whether you liked her performance or not, she's an "it" girl at the moment.
Precisely, sandik. It's the "it" & the box office factor that goes with "it;" much less the fact that her swan needs a lot of work too. I will say this: The Bolshoi was also correct in denying her
O/O as well.
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I thoroughly enjoyed this performance. Morris' "L'Allegro, il Penseroso, ed iI Moderato" is a timeless piece!
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Russia's Minister of Culture, Vladimir Medinsky has appointed banana billionaire,
Vladimir Kehkman as the new Director of the Novosibirsk Theatre of Opera & Ballet. Kehkman
will also keep his current position as Director of St. Petersburg's Mikhailovsky Theatre of
Opera & Ballet.
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Mary Clark was an outstanding dance writer. I am very sad to hear of her passing!
My deepest sympathy and condolences to her family and friends. Mary, rest in eternal
peace.
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Thanks for this Amour & Birdsall. These are wonderful new ballets for the company, and everyone looks great. I wish that new works such as these could be featured throughout a season and
not only premiered or showcased during the annual Int'l Ballet Festival.
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I wonder if her husband, Konstantin Zaklinsky, will leave his present position at Vaganova Academy, where he teaches duet class, and go with her?
There's no news about her husband Kostya leaving the Academy. However, their daughter Anastasia Zaklinskaya, who is the very image of her mother, is on the character dancer career track at the Mariinsky.
http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/company/ballet_mt_women/zaklinskaya/
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Former A.D. of Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet, Prima Ballerina of the Kirov (Mariinsky) Ballet, Assoc. Administrator to the Director and Ballet Mistress of the Mikhailovsky Theatre, Altynai Asylmuratova has been appointed Artistic Director of the Astana Ballet in Kazhakstan.
Congratulations to Madame Asylmuratova
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Thank you so much Natalia and Amy for your detailed coverage of this conference!
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This is very sad news. Madame Tchernichova, RIP. She will be sorely missed!
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I'm ITA with Natalia and cubanmiamiboy. It's wonderful that Ekaterinburg Ballet is coming into its own. They've been nominated
a lot in recent years for the Golden Mask award. This is going to be yet another exciting Vikharev reconstruction. Kudos to
Seriozha Vikharev for staging these historic masterpieces - wherever he can.
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Effective today, Yulia Stepanova and her husband Kamil Yangurazov have landed at Moscow's Stanislavsky Ballet.
Stepanova is a soloist: http://stanmus.com/person/1171
Yangurazov is in the corps de ballet: http://stanmus.com/person/1172
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" . . . Does he even attend the events he writes about?
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Amour said,
But in the Mariinsky, there are still so many in the corps who should be soloists and they are still impeccably trained in being in unison. So someone in the Mariinsky is still doing their job adequately.Ballet mistress Nina Ukhova coaches the corps de ballet.
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I'm ITA with MadameP, Plisskin and Birdsall. There's another 2001 Vaganova graduate who bailed out of the House of Blues:
Daria Sukhorukova. For 6 years she was always the first swan in line, stage left in "Swan Lake." She left for Munich's
Bavarian State Opera Ballet in 2007 to become a leading soloist. In 2010 she promoted to Principal Dancer.
I'd like to offer some points of clarification for the record. Fateev's official title is Deputy Director of the Ballet, not Artistic Director. After 8 years, he's no longer classified as "interim" - as he was when he started. The most recent Artistic Director of the Mariinsky Ballet (at that time known by it's Soviet name 'Kirov'), was Oleg Vinogradov from 1977- 1994. His successor was Makhar Vaziev. Vaziev's title was Director of the Ballet from 1995 - 2007. He left in 2007 to become Artistic Director of La Scala's company when Gergiev refused to upgrade him to that title. Of all the major Petersburg companies, it's ironic that the mighty 'M' is the one that doesn't have an A.D. at it's helm. If you look at the company's current condition, and the low morale, Fateev's job title and description are just semantics.
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It's generally not a problem for companies that grow their dancers. The Petipa classics are one of the great reps that provides roles for growth within the ballets. If he expects Principal dancers to pop out of the thigh of Zeus fully formed, I'm not sure he understands the role of an Artistic Director.
Yes. 2015 marks the 8th year he has been in charge of the Mariinsky Ballet. His management policies have proven that he has no clue how to spot talent, cultivate, develop or keep it. Moreover, there are certain individuals whom he has delegated to coach novices, who are teaching major roles that they themselves never studied or performed. Add to this the problem that he puts all of his eggs in one basket. Therefore, he's unable to cast in depth leading and supporting roles. Mariinsky dancers languish for years in the lower ranks, (or), they leave for artistic and economically greener pastures elsewhere. For example, Smirnova once mentioned that she chose the Bolshoi upon graduation because they actively pursued her and showed great interest in her development. In other words, the Bolshoi (Filin) had a game plan for her career; the Mariinsky (Fateev) didn't. The Dancing Times piece isn't the first time Fateev (or Maestro Gergiev), have sucker-punched the Vaganova Academy or the Mariinsky Ballet publicly. Unfortunately, it probably won't be the last.
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The Best of 2014:
• World Ballet Day: Australian Ballet’s class with ballet mistress Fiona Tonkin teaching, Royal Ballet’s “Don Q” rehearsal with Carlos Acosta, the Bolshoi’s rehearsal with Zakharova and Denis Rodkin in “Legend of Love,” with Grigorovich supervising, National Ballet of Canada’s cameo glimpse of Svetlana Lunkina in rehearsal with Anthony Dowell supervising Act 2 of “Manon” and the pdds. *(Yes, San Francisco Ballet is missing; they’re on the other list).
• The return of the Bolshoi Ballet to our shores with David Hallberg.• The Bolshoi’s hit premiere of Jean Christophe-Maillot’s new version of “The Taming of the Shrew” with the three Golden Mask nominees Ekaterina Krysanova as Katherina, Vladislav Lantrantov as Petrucchio and Olga Smirnova as Bianca.• New York City Ballet for fabulous performances all year long.• The “La Source” marathon at POB, currently in progress through New Year’s Eve.• The Royal Ballet’s 40th anniversary celebration of the creation of MacMillan’s “Manon,” with several new and outstanding casts.• Ex-Royal Ballet member, Xander Parish coming into his own with the Mariinsky. He made a successful homecoming this past summer at Covent Garden as Siegfried and Romeo, topping off his year as a recipient of the Taglioni Award.• Uliana Lopatkina onstage in anything.• Victoria Tereshkina’s magnificent debut (and by her own choice), one and only performance as Ashton’s “Sylvia.”•Olesya Novikova’s resplendent performance a few weeks ago, returning to "Giselle" on the Mariinsky stage with Igor Kolb.The Worst of 2014:• Alastair Macaulay & the NY Times• Hanna Weibye
• Natalya Osipova• The unseemly trending (phenomenon) of some ballet dancers who whine and complain about their personal and professional problems in autobios and social media for publicity.• The retirement of Nicolas Le Riche.• The retirement of Larissa Lezhnina.• Vaganova Academy Artistic Director, Nikolai Tsiskaridze as Widow Simone in the Mikhailovsky Ballet’s “La Fille mal Gardée.”• The passing of: Alla Sizova, Nina Timofeyeva, Brian MacDonald, Jean Babilee, Rimma Karelskaya, Ivan Nagy, Margarethe Schanne, Marc Platt, Harry Hawthorne, Elsa M. Von-Rosen, and from the entertainment world - Robin Williams, Geoffrey Holder, James Garner, Lauren Bacall, and Joan Rivers.• The 2014 “Masterpiece of Kleptocracy Award” goes to the leadership of the Mariinsky Theatre.• Benjamin Millepied’s and supermodel Natalia Vodianova’s Le Garnier photo spread with POB dancers in November’s edition of American Vogue. One had nothing to do with the other.• Diana Vishneva “On the Edge,” and now in “Context.”• As the final participant and U.S. representative on World Ballet Day, San Francisco Ballet, IMO, put on the worst presentation of all the participating companies. What set the tone for the grand finale? SFB had a local Channel 7 roving-reporter, who knew absolutely nothing about classical ballet, act as commentator for their segment; also, one of her cameramen fainted during the class. At least the preceding companies had knowledgeable people host their segments, and apparently, adequate studio ventilation. -
The photo of Ferri is more tasteful and less obvious than Copeland's photo. Copeland previoulsy had a photo where she was completely topless, but then removed it. I think you have mischaracterized what YID and kfw are saying. Is it necessary for a woman to send out topless photos of herself in order to prove that she is not ashamed of her body? I don't think so. That's not empowerment of women. It's the same sort of objectification of women that has been going on for a long, long time. Misty is sending out a message that in order to get ahead you should use your sexuality to advance and get attention. It's the absolute wrong message to be sending out to young girls. Empowerment comes from merit and strength, not objectification and willingness to display your boobs to the world.
I co-sign your post re the Beyonce of ABT. There have been more, eh hem, prurient photo spreads of dancers. For example, I remember Guillem's full nude split pose in French Vogue when she was in her prime, and the discussion that prompted at the time. I think that the culture as a whole is becoming desensitized, where nothing shocks anymore. As far as Misty's artistry is concerned, no amount of skin exposure can back that up. Misty isn't another Stephanie Dabney or Virginia Johnson, two pioneering ballerinas who were indeed role models for their race.
"Role models for their race." Yikes. That sounds pretty retro.
I don't think there can be such a thing as a one-size-fits-all role model for an entire race. Is Tiler peck a role model for all white classical dancers?
Misty gets most of the attention because she pursues it. HARD. But there's room to notice other black female classical dancers. And levels of modesty their importance in being looked up to, is quite subjective.
If that "sounds pretty retro" so be it. I didn't state that there was such a thing "as one size fits all," quite the contrary. Let me clarify: Johnson and Dabney & et.al. (that's "other black female classical dancers"), paved the way for a Misty Copeland to happen in the first place. If Misty wants to empower herself in whichever manner she chooses to do it, that's her business. As for her hard pursuit for notoriety, we are (currently) discussing her pr/selfie moves and not so much her dancing. Now, if that was her intent, then mission accomplished.
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The photo of Ferri is more tasteful and less obvious than Copeland's photo. Copeland previoulsy had a photo where she was completely topless, but then removed it. I think you have mischaracterized what YID and kfw are saying. Is it necessary for a woman to send out topless photos of herself in order to prove that she is not ashamed of her body? I don't think so. That's not empowerment of women. It's the same sort of objectification of women that has been going on for a long, long time. Misty is sending out a message that in order to get ahead you should use your sexuality to advance and get attention. It's the absolute wrong message to be sending out to young girls. Empowerment comes from merit and strength, not objectification and willingness to display your boobs to the world.
I co-sign your post re the Beyonce of ABT. There have been more, eh hem, prurient photo spreads of dancers. For example, I remember Guillem's full nude split pose in French Vogue when she was in her prime, and the discussion that prompted at the time. I think that the culture as a whole is becoming desensitized, where nothing shocks anymore. As far as Misty's artistry is concerned, no amount of skin exposure can back that up. Misty isn't another Stephanie Dabney or Virginia Johnson, two pioneering ballerinas who were indeed role models for their race.
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I totally agree, Buddy. This is one talented soloist who was rarely given her rightful chance to shine at the MT, although she essayed Odette/Odile a couple of times. I wish her justice and success abroad.
Kudos to Dasha Vasnetsova for her landing Principal Dancer at Finnish National Ballet! Congratulations to her!
There is another wonderful soloist who had one O/O debut and no follow-up at the Mariinsky. Moreover, she
waited 10 years for her debut: Ekaterina Osmolkina. She danced two follow-ups as O/O at Covent Garden
with the Royal Ballet.
2015 Benois de la Danse Nominations
in Ballet Presentations, Lectures/Symposia, Exhibits & Awards
Posted
The 2015 Benois de la Danse nominations were announced in Moscow on April 21. The winners
will be announced at the Bolshoi Theatre on May 26.
The nominees are:
Choreographers:
Ballerinas:
Dancers:
Composers:
Scenographer:
Libretto:
http://benois.theatre.ru/english/massmedia/news/