chiapuris

#4 Bolshoi Corsaire 6-1-08, Garnier Opera I forget who was first listed as the second-performance cast of the Bolshoi in Paris. The second listing was of Natalia Osipova making her debut in the role. The third was Alexandrova, who ended up with grippe. The actual cast was Svetlana Lunkina with Sergei Filin. Ms. Lunkina is the dancer of classic proportions in both mental and physical aspects. Clarity of line, economy of purpose, purity of execution are qualities I see when I view her dances. All were evident in her performance of Medora in Corsaire on the 6th. Mr Filin was her gallant and able partner; in physical appearance they make a contrastive pair. One thing that made this performance different from last night's was the perspective: our seats were in the 3rd row of the orchestra while the first night seats were in a box (loge) which gave wonderful viewing of the floor patterns on stage. Third row gives you intimacy and clear facial views, no floor patterns. The rest of the cast was the same, save for Birbanto, danced by Vitali Biktimirov with vitality and authority. My favorite part, both for its dancers and the dance, was the opening pas de deux of Kaptsova and Vasiliev. Their first pas, with Kaptsova's head covered with a sheer scarf, is a supported grand jete en avant, then she envelops the front leg, envelops the back leg, so that they form a diamond, she lands on the front leg while developing the back leg. This step is reprised in a later act by Lunkina with Filin. In Vasiliev's variation, he executes grand assembles ecarte en avant finishing in grand plie. Anyone know the provenance of this step? imperial? soviet? other? In the second scene, I enjoyed thoroughly from the third row the Danse des Forbans with Anna Antropova and two couples. The Pas des Odalisques was another favorite. While one dancer impressed me with her sensitive musicality and another with her elegant articulation of limbs and torso, I can only name the third, Natalia Osipova. Besides her breathtaking grand jetes en avant, she impressed with her double tours ending in petit retire, in a series of three, each preceded by a chasse. The dancers' co-ordination in the finale was phenomenal. A trio of stars. In the Jardin Anime I watched Chinara Alizade, one of the six demi-soloists, whom I remembered competing (successfully) in the Moscow Competition of 2005. I believe it was her first year in the corps de ballet that year. Of course, Lunkina and Shipulina appeared throughout the scene brilliantly. Ratmansky's Pas des Eventails had the same cast as that listed for the 5th. I had mentioned in the review of the 5th that Shpilevsky's variation was not up to par. On second viewing, I shouldn't have used the word variation. it was simply one double tour and a series of pirouettes from fourth. But still, not up to par. Ratmansky's choreography flowed well. A most enjoyable evening. The Bolshoi company is dazzling for the depth and width of talent in its rank. Their joie de vivre turns everything they touch into gold. Which brings the issue of this particular “reconstitution” of Le Corsaire forward. Why would anyone want to revive a work with slave-traders as significant characters in it? Well, one could argue, Lord Byron's Corsair of 1814 dealt with a world in which buccaneers as well as slave-traders were a reality. This is a retelling of that world. Excuse good enough? Not really. In our world, where Edward Said's Orientalism has been in print for decades, treating the Other as exotic has long been exposed as wrong. And it's not good enough to make the slave-trader a doddering buffoon as if that takes the evil out of it. What's the solution? A simple one. Separate the choreography from the libretto, since the convolutions of the libretto have never driven the choreography anyway. I like the choreography of the reconstitution and will go see it for the choreography and simply ignore the libretto.

i had hoped to post a review of the Linkina/Filin performance of the 6th after returrning to the States yesterday. But a doctor's visit today for an eye infection and a throat infection has postponed that plan. Maybe tomorrow!

#3 Bolshoi in Paris 5-1-08 Corsaire (Production premiere 21 June 2007) Choreography Marius Petipa (1899) Reconstitution Alexiei Ratmansky, Iouri Burlaka Music Adolph Adam plus musical additions by L. Delibes, C Pugni, P von Oldenburg, R Drigo, A Zabel, J Garber Decors Boris Kaminski Costumes Elena Zaitseva after original designs of Evgeni Ponomarev Lighting Damir Ismagilov Medora Svetlana Zakharova Conrad Nikolai Tsiskaridze Gulnare Ekaterina Shipulina Birbanto Andrei Merkuriev Pas de Deux des Esclaves Nina Kaptsova, Ivan Vasiliev Pas de Trois des Odalisques Olga Stabletsova, Anna Leonova, Natalia Osipova Grand Pas des Eventails Artem Shpilevski (with Medora) and six demi-soloists: Anna Rebetskaya, Yulia Lunkina, Svetlana Gnedova, Alesia Boyko, Anastasia Stashkevitch, Anna Tikhomirova. What a grand evening! What an entertaining 'reconstitution'! Ratmansky writes in the souvenir book that 'reconstruction' is an inaccurate term for the process used, because of the lacunae that remain when all that's known is put together. Reconstitution implies that new materials that fit the voids become a part of the process for bringing to life an old work. I found it an absorbing three-acter (timed at two hours and forty minutes, not including two twenty-minute intermissions). Since I'm seeing it again today I'd like to reserve my comments on the work after the second viewing and concentrate on the dancers of the opening night cast, who, for the most part were stellar. Zakharova, a superstar, a physical beauty, as well and a very good dancer, seems to grow better with time. I used to fault her for mannerisms, which I no longer see. I had felt earlier that she thrived on physical feats, even if they interfered with the dance flow of a work. The six o'clocks are still in evidence but nothing wrong with that. I noticed last night how impeccable her port de bras work has become. How fluidly and unforced her dance phrases develop. She was delightful in the demi-caractere variation en travesti - with white boots and a horn when she shouts, at the end, the Russian equivalent of All Aboard, or whatever the phrase is. The consistency of her work throughout the evening was exemplary and of a very high standard.. Her Conrad, Nikolai Tsiskaridze, another superstar, comported himself honorably as a partner, although some of his mime was unclear and he had an off day in his variation, which comes in the second scene of Act 1 (and in the old version is a pdt with Ali, the slave). Her third act partner, in the Grand pas des eventails, Artem Shpilevsky, although handsome in appearance was an adequate partner, with some descents from lifts looking awkward and precarious. He too had an off day in his variation. Since this is my first view of him, I can't tell if he can do better. I certainly hope so. Beyond these tempered comments I have unqualified praise for the other men and women soloists. Andrei Merkuriev was superbly unruly and pirate-like giving the part a strong characterization. Nina Kaptsova and Ivan Vasiliev were absolutely first-rate in the opening act pas de deux. I remember seeing Ms Kaptsova as Aurora at the Bolshoi Theatre and Mr. Vasiliev winning gold in the Junior division at the 2005 Moscow Competition. Wonderful artists both. The Odalisques trio in the second act serves as a showcase for the Bolshoi talent pool. What riches! Osipova with her buoyant leap forward and the others (whom I can't identify) with their exquisite musical phrasing and crystalline articulation. Then of course comes the Jardin Anime scene, in which Gulnare, the ebullient Ekaterina Shipulina, shone like a bright ray of light, along with Zakharova. The tutus for this scene appear to me to be some of the most beautiful I've ever seen. They are covered with some off-white, creamy silk that is light and billows with the slightest movement. Architecture with tutus. The demi-soloists for this scene were the same that appear in the next act Pas des Eventails save for Anna Rebetskaya who is replaced by the beautiful Chinara Alizade, The children participating in this scene and others throughout the evening came from several Paris schools other than the POB School. The Paris audience is not prone to interrupting a scene with applause. They were very generous in their appreciation at the end of the ballet. Many curtain calls. More somewhat later on today's performance. Going home tomorrow. It's hard to leave Paris.

Thank you for your succinct 'on a very fast track' synopsis of Heymann's career so far. He's a young dancer with a huge future. I just read your 11-12-07 review of the Daniel/Duquenne CN performance. It's interesting to hear comments from someone who is obviously more familiar with the capabilities and other performances of the dancers they're reviewing. I liked them as soloists and together (they complemented each other), but had never seen them before.

Thanks for your comments, carbro, and zerbinetta, and cygneblanc. carbro, I think my answer to your hypothetical question is no, although I can see what you're suggesting would be a good approach. zerbinetta, frustration at seeing what dancers have to do for their art makes for funny reviews. I view ballet and its practioners very seriously. cygneblanc, can you tell me anything at all about Mathias Heymann? I'll see performances of POB every three years or so, so I remain in the dark about the up-coming ranks in the company.

#2 Paquita Adaptation and choreography Pierre Lacotte after J Mazillier (1846) and M Petipa (1881) Music E Delvedez and L Minkus Music orchestration and supervision David Coleman Décor and costumes Luisa Spinatelli Lighting Philippe Albaric 12/29/07 Paquita Melanie Hurel Lucien d'Hervilly Mathias Heymann Inigo Gil Isoart Don Lopez Jean-Marie Didiere Dona Serafina Sarah Kora Dayanova Two Spanish dancers Alexandra Cardinale, Lucie Clement Pas De Trois Mathilde Froustey, Laurene Levy, Simone Valastro Two Officers Julien Meyzindi, Gregory Dominiak 12/30/07 Paquita Melanie Hurel Lucien d'Hervilly Mathias Heymann Inigo Julien Meyzindi Don Lopez Jean-Marie Didiere Dona Serafina Peggy Dursart Two Spanish dancers Alexandra Cardinale, Lucie Clement Pas De Trois Muriel Zusperreguy, Laurene Levy, Gregory Gaillard Two Officers Audric Bezard, Gregory Dominiak I expected to see different casts within two consecutive days: Cozette/Bullion/Bezard on the 29th and Hurel/Heymann/Isoart on the 30th. As it turned out, I saw the H team twice with no complaints whatsoever. A top-rate team Hurel and Heymann! As a matter of fact I may have enjoyed the Sunday performance even more than that of Saturday because of ancillary casting, such as the dancing of Julien Meyzindi as the villainous Inigo. In Saturday's performance he had appeared in a demi-soloist role as one of the two officers in the 2nd act Mazurka. I remembered him from some years ago in a POB Sleeping Beauty where he had a variation that seemed to me outstanding. I found him extremely impressive today as Inigo. Paquita is a reconstruction by POB's Pierre Lacotte of a two-act ballet that blossomed in different periods. Starting life as a mid-19th French ballet by Mazillier, it fell by the wayside in its country of origin. Then it found a re-vivification under Petipa in Russia in the 1880's, with additional music by Minkus and refurbished 2nd act choreography by Petipa. The first act harkens back to the Romantic ballet's era. The story involves the murder of a nobleman, his wife and child, at the hands of bandits in Saragossa during the Napoleonic era. The daughter however survived and was brought up by gypsies. She has a medallion with her father's portrait as the only link to her family. The medallion portrait eventually serves to prove to her father's brother (whose son she loves) that she is a member of the d'Hervilly family and not a gypsy. The story is beside the point, really. The point is, that a reconstruction of an old ballet, leaving out the significant issues of aesthetic 'purity' and the integrity of art forms and many other questions, allows us to enjoy the plethora of ensembles, group dances, ballabiles, and other large-scale classically-based group stagings that, in the evolution of ballet towards a chamber dance scale, seem to be missing in contemporary choreographies. Which is to say, I find the reconstruction of Paquita a great addition to the repertory of a company like the Paris Opera Ballet with its 154 members. Ballet needs the yin/yang of large group/soloist, for either to make artistic/balletic sense. To personalize it further, I think that Paquita offers a wonderful program for a ballet evening/matinee with its fullness of forms for classical dance. Moreover, its two acts are aesthetically different from each other. The first act emphasizes the batterie and petit allegro work typically surviving in Bournonville choreography that derives from its precedent French source: the Paris Opera. Its first scene, set in the outdoors, presents a wealth of group dances interspersed with variations. This scene alone is worth the price of admission. There are three Spanish dances, the Pas de Manteaux set for the men (bullfighters with capes, originally set by Mazillier for women en travesti), a pas de trois (with Petipa's hand in it), and a villager group dance with children from the POB School in it. The last is a really charming dance with very little children running around the dancers, a boy around the woman, a girl around the man, until they exit: the female dancer holding the hand of the boy, the male dancer holding the hand of the girl. Interspersed in these are Paquita's Gypsy variation, Lucien's variation, pas de deux, Inigo's variation, and many other mimed and danced pieces. The second scene of the first act is almost entirely mime in the den of Inigo. Lacotte states he found a manuscript with the written notation for the mime of this scene. (The scene covers the attempted murder of Lucien by Inigo on orders from Don Lopez and becomes a scene of comedy through the wits of Paquita). The second act takes place indoors, in the palace of the French Governor of Saragossa. This act culminates with the Grand Pas of Petipa/Minkus that is the most familiar part of Paquita everywhere. Before the Grand Pas there is a treasure house of group dances starting with a Quadrille, Mazurka, Galop, then a pas de deux (after Paquita is revealed to be of the d'Hervilly family), followed by a Waltz and a Polonaise. The Mazurka, at present, is danced by the men of the corps de ballet. If anyone has seen the POB DVD of Paquita, you'll see the Mazurka danced by students of the POB School. This custom was started at the Mariinsky in St Petersburg in the 19th c. and continued with the POB in 2001 and only recently changed for the men. Then the Grand Pas. For me, the Grand Pas, especially the formation of the diagonal line of maroon-bodiced tutued dancers preceded by six peacock-blue-bodiced tutued dancers and headed by Paquita, in cream and gold, and Lucien --all in tendu en avant en efface-- is the iconic image of 19th c. ballet classicism. The costumes and the décor of Luisa Spinatelli were well nigh perfect. Melanie Hurel as Paquita was beautiful in the role on Saturday. Melanie Hurel was beautiful in the role on Sunday. A well-rounded dancer, she danced with a lot of inflection, clearly, securely throughout, and with gorgeous, nonchalant finishes. Her mime was clear and crisp, her double work well-placed. Mathias Heymann as Lucien makes a handsome physical appearance. His miming in the opening scene on Saturday, seemed to me, a little too busy; he did too much, like he was anxious not to look uninvolved. Only after his first solo, did the audience react like: “Where did he come from? Wow!” (At least I did). He woke up the audience. Enormous applause. After his Grand Pas variation everyone knew him as a marvel. Thunderous applause. Since I know nothing of his history, (I don't even know his rank in the company) I found him to be a dancer of virtuosic ability, a caring and secure partner in double work, and a charismatic personality. His overhead lifts in the pas de deux were immaculate. The two made a harmonious couple. Inigo on Saturday was danced very well by Gil Isoart. Surprisingly, we also saw him on Sat. night at the Bastille as Fritz in Nutcracker. (Unless the management is not announcing substitutions. I had the feeling I saw the same women dancers in the pas de trois both nights. Since only one dancer was different in the program each night I wouldn't know the right name) For me, the group dances of both acts held special interest because they are revelatory of a company. The Pas de Manteaux of the 1st act and the Mazurka of the 2nd act gave a chance to see the results of relatively uniform school training. Moreover, it was instructive to see the diversity of body types among the men of the company, creating a harmonious total ensemble, notwithstanding differences in height, size, etc. Kudos to the corps de ballet. Ballets like Paquita permit us to view the enormous depth and width of training in the classical dance tradition. May it long continue.

#1 Paris Opera Nutcracker 12/29/07 Clara Nolwenn Daniel Drosselmeyer/the Prince Christophe Duquenne Luisa Charline Giezendanner Fritz Gil Isoart Father Vincent Cordier Mother Nathalie Aubin Grandfather Ludovic Heiden Grandmother Cecile Sciaux Today I saw Paquita in a matinee at the Palais Garnier, and the Nutcracker at the Bastille Opera in the evening. Since I'm seeing Paquita a second time tomorrow I'll wait to review the Paquitas together and start with Casse-Noisette. This is the production Nureyev created for the Paris Opera in 1985. The choreography is his own, listed in the program as 'after' M Petipa and L Ivanov, the décor and costumes are by Nicholas Georgiadis, and the lighting by Rui De Matos Machado. Some of us (including me) have a fixed notion (probably wrong) of what to expect from Nureyev as a dance maker: “challenge the dancers for their own good; pack those measures with hurdles that are good for them”. There's no sense of saying anything further in that vein. He packs those measures. Since I hadn't seen the POB production before, and I haven't read any program notes on Nureyev's conception for the Nutcracker libretto, I can only go by the titles given to the scenes in the program. Reading them after the show, I'm under the impression the choreographer was trying to make the story coherent and in that line of thought, jettisoned parts of the Nutcracker story which to others make sense. An effort toward (aesthetic) coherence is: Act 1, Scene 1: the Street; Act 2, Scene 6 (final scene): the Street. Like an ABA sonata form? I guess B is the problem. The first act, after the street scene, takes place in the darkest, most depressing house imaginable. Even the tree (which doesn't grow and seemed colorless) is in no way a vision for joy or celebration. Drosselmeyer is like an entertaining uncle, with no particular malevolence about him. Aging in this production is all about decrepitude. Vide the grandfather's long, long and inept dance. Scenery-wise, brown, brown everywhere. I associate Georgiadis' earlier designs with opulence. Not his Nutcracker designs. The lighting in the first act is very bright, but most of it directed to the floor so that the feet look over-accented.This is poorly expressed, but that's my distinct impression. I could find little charm in the choreography of the party scene. The POB School students were, nevertheless, full of charm. Scene 2: the Salon. Scene 3: the Christmas Tree. Scene 4: the Combat. Scene 5: the Kingdom of Snow. Finally! Formalism in costumes and choreography and tutus and diadems and tiaras with two soloists (Geraldine Wiart and Charline Giesendanner) leading the twenty four corps de ballet snowflakes, together embodying a vision appropriate for the Tchaikovsky music accompanying it. End of first act. The first scene of the second act is a pas de deux for Clara and the Prince in the land of snow, to the music (in other productions) given to the angels. Since there is no traditional precedent for this pdd, this is a fully Nureyevian choreographic morsel striving for, I guess, ecstasy. The second scene is called The Nightmare. Clara is back in her big living room chair, where the mice first attacked her, and is menaced by a corps of sixteen dancers dressed as bats, four of each wearing huge head caricature masks of respectively, her father, her mother, her grandfather, and her grandmother. Now the party scene begins to make sense. Life has been very ugly for Clara. Scene 3: The Voyage Clara still in her chair is entertained by a Spanish ensemble led by Luisa and Fritz as Spanish dancers with three additional couples. Then follows an Arab Danse with Grandfather and Grandmother (yes, yes), a large tray and an additional five dancers- a couple and three women. Next is a Russian Dance led by Mother and Father and four additional couples. A Chinese Danse for three men (no relatives involved), much canon movement, follows. Concluding the Voyage scene is a Pastorale (no relatives involved) for two women and a man (Celine Palacio, Pauline Verdusen and Adrien Bodet). Scene 4: The Ball The Waltz of the flowers opens the ball. The twelve couples are in golden tutus and white tights, all bewigged in white. Formalism regnant. Nary the perfume of a flower. The grand pas de deux follows with Clara's variation to the music of the Sugar Plum fairy. Scene 5: Clara's Awakening Music that follows the pdd with the brief reappearance of the dancers of the various divertissements. Scene 6: The Street Back to the beginning. Drosselmeyer appears exiting the home. Clara opens the door, comes outside with her nutcracker doll, sits by the doorstep and cradles her doll. End. When I bought the tickets (through POpera website) I had expected to see Myriam Ould-Braham as Clara and Jeremie Belingard as Drosselmeyer/Prince. The long run of the Nutcracker in Nov-Dec. had six casts planned and added replacements. In Oct. the Opera announced the guest appearance of Svetlana Lunkina of the Bolshoi for two perfs., including the new year's eve. perf. of the 31st. (The tickets are double the regular price; but you get a glass of champagne- an expensive glass!) The 29th cast had Nolwenn Daniel as Clara and Christophe Duquenne as Drosselmeyer/Prince. Daniel was exquisite in the Grand Pas de Deux with Duquenne as her noble and very able partner. She was perhaps not ideally cast as the young Clara; that is no fault of her own. Daniel was simply not physically convincing as an immature developing girl. It's as if the role requires qualities incompatible in one being. She was brilliant in the first pdd, meeting all of its technical demands and finding beyond them a purity of line and fullness of gesture that was very moving. Duquenne created a handsome figure, attentive and caring for his partner. The corps of the Paris Ballet is, as always, a joy to watch. Classic in demeanor, reserved in manner, their erect carriages execute port de bras and pas with a definition and articulation that spell out an eminently readable language of gesture.

Vilzak also taught (after the closing of the Vilzak-Schollar School on 57th) at the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo School, on W 54th St., through the era of the fifties and early sixties- until that school closed. Besides technique classes he taught variations and pas de deux. Wonderful classes.

"(sorry, can't remember this one)" --Richard Wagner, I believe.

A very thoughtful post, bart. The penetration of the postmodern ethos in the cultural fabric- ironic, deconstructive, truth-denying- is so deep that the questions you raise concerning the performing arts become a part of the larger picture: What do we seek from art? How do we live a good life? How and with what do we create our values?

Performances of Miami City Ballet at Michigan Opera Theatre, Detroit Michigan Friday, November 2, opened a three-day run and the first appearance of MCB in Detroit at the Michigan Opera Theatre. The theatre has probably the largest stage in Michigan, and the only one that can meet the needs of the large ballet companies that visit a state that has never developed a viable classical company of its own. And what a company the MCB has become! One could easily bandy about the term 'world class' without fear of contradiction, save for the fact that there was no accompanying orchestra. The dancers, corps, soloists, principals are something else. Grounded, poised and ready to dance. Oh, so ready! I happened to see Mr Villella during one of the intermissions on Fri night and went up to him to congratulate him on the performance of his company. In response he said, “They know who they are; and they're all very musical”. Indeed. The run had one program, and at least the first two nights, the three ballets had the same casts both nights. That was helpful for someone like me who has not been familiar with the company. I last saw them in Ann Arbor, several years ago, when they came to perform at the Power Center on the occasion of the Balanchine symposium organized by the University of Michigan. This week's program started with Raymonda Variations, had in its center Agon, and finished with Twyla Tharp's In the Upper Room. Raymonda Variations (from 1961) may not be seminal Balanchine but it is an example of Balanchine's quintessential enterprise of extending the potential limits of the classical canon by reworking choreography from the remnant treasures of the 19th c. and with respect to the music of the earlier works: in this case Glazunov's Raymonda. I don't recall ever having seen this work, being more familiar with two other reworkings of the Glazunov material: Pas de Dix and Cortege Hongrois. RV consists of opening and closing group dances interspersed with variations of five female demi-soloists, a pas de deux for the principals as well as several variations for them. The five demi-soloist variations set the problematic that Balanchine often gave himself: How can you extend the range of pointe work from what was practiced in the 19th c.? The variations give his solution: finishing a jump (grand assemble) on full pointes, jumping from two pointes to one pointe, from one pointe to two pointes, and so on through an enriched vocabulary for the five variations. The female principal's variations had beats (entre-chats-six) usually associated with male dancing. Then one remembers it was set on Patricia Wilde. Another novelty of RV is the ending pose of the work -a variant of the 'fish dive'- for the principals. The female principal does multiple supported pirouettes center stage; on completion the male dancer walks downstage followed by the female principal running and leaping toward him with feet in tight fifth in the air; he catches her, lowering her torso close to the ground. Mary Carmen Catoya was exquisite along with her gallant partner, Renato Penteado. The five demi-soloists, both nights, were Ashley Knox, Jeanette Delgado, Patricia Delgado, Callie Manning, and Andrea Spiridonakos. I couldn't imagine a better cast. Of Agon, all I'd like to say is that the cast was superb. In my recent New York visits, I haven't seen better. Of the splendid Jennifer Kronenberg and Carlos Guerra in the pas de deux all I could think of is Balanchine's (sparce) advice to the original dancers. “…It's one long, long, long, long breath.” The first pas de trois featured Andrea Spiridonakos, Jeremy Cox, and Callie Manning. The second pas de trois comprised Didier Bramaz, Deanna Seay, and Alexandre Dufaur. First-rate dancing from everyone. My exposure to Tharp's In the Upper Room is limited to ABT's, and more recently, to the Bolshoi Ballet's rendition presented at the 7th International Ballet Festival earlier this year in St. Petersburg at the Mariinsky Theater. If I'm going to play the rating game I'd have to go with the notion of authenticity of expression to the choreographer's intent. In that category, it seems to me, Miami City Ballet wins hands down. There's a gutsiness coupled with a clarity of direction, and thrust, and drive in MCB's dancers that strikes me as what Tharp is about and what she tries to realize in her choreography (at least for classical companies). Have there been better 'china dogs' [Chinese temple guard dogs] than Jennifer Kronenburg and Jeanette Delgado? Have there been better 'bomb squads' [women in red pointe shoes] than Leigh-Ann Esty and Sara Esty? (Someone correct me if I've got the wrong names- the two look like twins so I'm assuming I picked the right names. The program isn't much help). Among the 'stompers' [running shoes crowd] the male trio of Alex Wong, Jeremy Cox, and Daniel Baker were outstanding. A great evening; many thanks and congratulations to all at MCB. Hope you'll be back in Detroit soon!

I'm only halfway through the book; so far, Stewart stresses the admiration Leibniz showed for aspects of Spinoza's 'universal' philosophy, while at the same time denouncing Spinoza in his self-appointed role as 'God's attorney'. A love-hate on Leibniz's part. The center of the book is the meeting at The Hague of Spinoza and Leibniz on (or about) November 18, 1676. (I'm not there yet). A very interesting book on the intellectual life of the 17th century--when philosophy was a dangerous business. On my future reading list is Spinoza's Ethics and something short, by Leibniz. Hopefully -- to be accomplished.

On tattoos and piercings: Too much information for the ballet stage. Distracting from the task at hand. That's why I voted 'hate 'em'. Offstage it's a totally private matter.

"The Courtier and the Heretic" by Matthew Stewart. A great read about, as the book's subtitle has it,: 'Leibniz, Spinoza and the fate of God in the modern world'.

I concur with your assessment of Daria Pavlenko. To me she is an inimitable artist-- from my first view of her Nikiya in 2003, and since then, Diamonds and SL and Lilac Fairy and various Forsythe works, and choreographic experiments that other principals wouldn't touch-- superb in her every stage appearance. The Mariinsky artistic direction seems to underappreciate/underestimate her, especially when one looks at some of the direction's inexplicable casting decisions. The audiences, however, seem to me to show a deep appreciation of Ms Pavlenko's artistry.

S. Zakharova has, for me, the most beautiful physical proportions in curtain calls, esp. in a classical tutu. (I'm not talking artistry or dancing here). Are we equating or confounding physical beauty with dance artistry on this thread?

I think leonid is correct about the issue of the high, trois-quart, demi-pointe in male dancing. My recollection brings to mind John Gilpin. It seems to me, that, the innovation that Nureyev introduced to the 'west' after his defection, is the very high retire position of the working leg in pirouettes en dehors. [i'll be interested to see his pirouettes in the PBS Russian Years.] I can't recall any male (at least non-Soviet) dancers placing the working leg around the knee area for pirouettes before Nureyev's defection. Nureyev's innovation spred rapidly. Edited to add last sentence.

The photo of the pd3/odalisques in the first gallery is a gem for all times! Thanks, Marc.

You're correct Mashinka. The replacement venue is the Bolshoi's 'New Stage', an intimate theater on the left side of the Bolshoi. I can't provide numbers, but both the stage and the auditorium are much smaller than the Bolshoi's. I believe the London's Colliseum has one of the city's largest stages.

Thank you nysusan, carbro, Old Fashioned, and Faux Pas! Your reviews are like a lifeline to the world of Petipa..and others, ...and others, and PART and GOMES!

I appreciate your comments, cygneblanc. We had elaborate handwritten notes, several years ago, from someone who had visited the gravesite of Olga Preobrajenskaya at Montmartre cemetary. After failing to find it during our visit, we went to the office and asked. The person told us she could give us the location only if we provided the exact year of death, because that's how names are listed. We knew approximately but not exactly. We never found the gravesite, although saw many others, including Nijinsky's, during our search.

Mariinsky Festival 21-04-07: Serenade, The Prodigal Son, Diamonds The all-Balanchine program of the 21st was titled in the program The Americans. I suppose this was a tribute to the guest principal performers, Maria Kowroski, Damien Woetzel, and Philip Neal. There is also the 'americanness' of Serenade, a work that some consider the signature piece of the NYCB, in that it was the first Balanchine piece made in the thirties in America but using the timeless vocabulary of academic ballet technique. Moreover, one could argue that Diamonds in Jewels is a tribute to the Mariinsky imperial ballet, as Balanchine experienced it in his youth, a tribute he distilled through his americanness and a tribute he offered in the terms of 20th c. academic ballet technique. Musically, the evening dedicated to the work of Balanchine, couldn't be more Russian: two Tchaikovsky scores sandwiched between a 1929 Prokofiev score. Serenade was beautifully led by Victoria Tereshkina, with the other soloists being, Ekaterina Osmolkina and Sofia Gumerova. Philip Neal of NYC Ballet was the principal male. A storyless ballet, the dancers are on stage as dancers, whose movements, individually and as groups, give meaning and emotional content to the patterns, formations, and social settings that are vivified by the ebb and flow of the music. The Sonatina, the Waltz and the final Elegy following the 4th movement's 'russian' dance, are really the 'story' that Serenade tells. “It's all in the music”, said Balanchine. (Musically, Serenade in C for strings is played with the third and fourth movements reversed.) A lovely performance. The Prodigal Son, a 1929 work commissioned by S. Diaghilev, presents Balanchine following Boris Kochno's book based on the biblical parable, and the expressionist score of Sergei Prokofiev. The sets and costumes are by Georges Rouault. The matching expressionist choreography of Balanchine is lively and with clear mime. It generally tells the story with classic measure. The orgy scene and the Siren's part need to produce effects of degradation: acrobatics and theatrical devices are used for efficiently advancing the story. Damien Woetzel was appropriately athletic and impetuous as the prodigal youth. Maria Kowroski was a marvelous Siren, cold, implacable, and certain of her allure. The drinking companions were appropriately insect-like and repulsive. The final scene of the prodigals' return to the patriarch's fold (the Father impressively played by Vladimir Ponomarev) was moving and climactic. Boris Gruzin conducted for all three ballets. The score for Diamonds (from Jewels) is the 3rd Symphony of P.Tchaikovsky, with the first movement omitted. The choreography follows two scherzi, a grand adagio, and the finale, a grand polonaise. The scherzi had two pairs of demi-soloists, Xenia Ostreikovskaya and Daria Vasnetsova, and Tatiana Nekipelova and Yana Selina partnered by Alexander Sergeyev, Maxim Zyuzin, Andrei Ermakov, and Denis Firsov. (I can't match partners because I didn't take notes.). All soloists were excellent. The grand adagio, the heart of the ballet, was led by NYC Ballet's Maria Kowroski partnered nobly by Philip Neal. With the trademark NYCB company style, the double work was fully expressed but keeping to a musical pulse that maintained its flow even in the most virtuosic and difficult passages. The breath was never stopped for posing or effect. There was always the next revelation coming up. Superb performances. The finale, a breathtaking polonaise, brings the Mariinsky corps de ballet and the eight demi-soloists back with the principals for an applause-machine ending, both choreographically and musically. Lots of flowers and curtain calls. It's an evening I'll long remember. It was also the last performance of the Festival for me. I'm writing this back home, after a very early flight out of St Petersburg on the morning of the 22nd. I hope someone else reports on the Gala of the 22nd . Word had it they were repeating the Awakening of Flora and performing a lot of pas de deux (Diana and Actaeon being one), plus a scene from Scheherezade.

20-04-07 Don Quixote Tonight was the first time during the VIIth festival to see extra chairs added to the center aisle of the main floor for the performance of Don Quixote, starring the Bolshoi's Natalia Osipova and the Mariinsky's own Leonid Sarafanov. Others in the cast included the indispensable Vladimir Ponomarev as Don Quixote, Islom Baimuradov as Espada, Ekaterina Kondaurova as the Street Dancer, Yana Selina and Tatiana Nekipelova as the Flower Sellers, Alina Somova as the Queen of the Dryads, Maria Shirinkina as Amour, Galina Rakhmanova as Mercedes, Polina Rassadina and Rafael Musin as the Gypsy Dancers, Ti Yon Rieu in the Oriental Dance, Elena Bazhenova and Andrei Yakovlev in the Fandango, and Alina Somova also dancing the Wedding variation. It can be said without dispute that the evening belonged to Natalia Osipova. Her natural ballon made her appear in all her aerial work like a force of nature. She was indeed spectacular. All her finishes were secure, precise and elegant. In one variation, her bourees couru with parallel feet were fleet and traveled an impressive distance. She made all space, vertical and horizontal, her domain. The blond insouciance of Sarafanov was a good match for Osipova's raven-haired Kitri. Sarafanov has vastly improved in the execution of overhead lifts, from earlier performances. He caught her well (if not nonchalantly) in both the running 'dives'. Osipova was charming as Dulcinea in the dream sequence, maintaining her soubrette charm and naturalness. (The tendency of some young soloists to change choreography into a gymnastic display of contortedly high limbs at the expense of the musical pulse and the three-dimensionality of the classical vocabulary seems to continue at the Mariinsky). Both principals maintained a very high level of performance in the wedding pas de deux. Osipova's beautifully etched double pirouettes a la seconde were caught well by Sarafanov. His variation was also on a high level. A Festival first: After Osipova's coda variation of double and triple fouettes, concluding with a fast series of singles and a perfect finish in fourth, cries of 'Bis' were heard from several parts of the audience. Osipova, taking curtain calls, asked the conductor if she could repeat the section. The conductor assented. And repeat it she did. It was almost as good as the first time. She certainly can't be charged with running out of energy! A very enjoyable evening. The audience's appreciation was long and loud. Pavel Bubelnikov conducted.

Mariinsky Festival 19-4-07 Forsythe Tonight's program was all Forsythe: Steptext, Approximate Sonata, The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, and in the middle, somewhat elevated. All were acquired by the Mariinsky in 2004. The first three were new to me. Steptext seems to be about the deconstruction of movement and discontinuities in stage/audience, light/darkness, music/silence. The musical text is the Partita No. 2 Chaconne of J. S. Bach, played, paused, restarted, silenced, restarted and so on. The cast consisted of the wondrous Daria Pavlenko and Alexander Sergeyev, Mikhail Lobukhin and Maxim Khrebtov. Approximate Sonata, along with The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, is subsumed under the surtitle: 'Two Ballets in the Manner of the 20th Century'. I wish I could use the information to shed light on what kind of work Approximate Sonata is. The music is by Tom Willens and Tricky 'Pumpkin' (Unless the latter is the music's title). The cast was athletic and diligent: in order of appearance, Andrei Ivanov with a long slow walk from upstage to downstage, joined by Elena Sheshina, Anna Lavrienko and Maxim Chashchegorov, Ekaterina Petina and Alexei Nevdiga, and Victoria Tereshkina and a substitute for Maxim Zyuzin who is listed in the program and did not appear in this work [No cast change announcement was made]. The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude is danced to the finale of F. Schubert's 9th Symphony. With costumes by Stephen Galloway that suggest the 'essence' of a tutu, the cast of three women and two men were given various elements of the classic academic vocabulary for a reading of the symphonic finale. The playful and virtuoso cast included Evgenia Obraztsova, Olesia Novikova, Tatiana Tkachenko and Vladimir Shkliarov and Maxim Zyuzin. The last work, in the middle, somewhat elevated, created for the Paris Opera in 1987, received a wonderful reading by a cast that included Daria Pavlenko, Ekaterina Kondaurova, Sofia Gumerova, Elena Sheshina, Yana Selina, Ti Yon Riu, Mikhail Lobukhin, Alexander Sergeyev, and Anton Pimonov. Outstanding contributions (besides Pavlenko's) were given by Kondaurova, Gumerova, Sheshina and by the bright, fine-lined dancing of Alexander Sergeyev. All the works were well-received by the audience.

Mariinsky Festival 18-4-07 La Bayadere La Bayadere appears to be one of the most cherished productions of the Mariinsky. (There are ten coaches for it listed in the program). This evening it was presented with one of its most esteemed principals, Uliana Lopatkina, as Nikia. The other two principal roles were filled by guests from the Bolshoi Ballet: Maria Alexandrova as Gamzatti, and Nikolai Tsiskaridze as Solor. The proceedings were appropriately spectacular. Lopatkina was at her sculptural best in the 2nd act dance for the wedding ceremonies, every gesture carefully incorporated. Spontaneity has little place in her art. Her movement is measured and pure. Alexandrova was a Gamzatti of no half measure. She was a princess who took no prisoners. The Grand pas Classique was full-scale dancing with razor-sharp lines and buoyant jumps. Tsiskaridze remains charismatic and unpredictable. His 2nd act variation seemed off the music. He seemed to find his high performance level in the Shades scene variation, where he performed a circle of double tours en l'air with arms overhead to great acclaim. As a partner to both ballerinas, he was, as always, gallant and attentive. The double work was faultless. Of the various wedding celebration dances, I want to single out the quartet of red-sashed- tutued demi-soloists, Elena Chmil, Yana Selina, Svetlana Ivanova, and Valeria Martynuk, and the impressive Golden Idol of Vladimir Shkliarov. The heart of La Bayadere is the scene of the Kingdom of the Shades, particularly the descent of the Shades from the heights of the Himalayas. The stardom of the thirty-two corps de ballet women shone with brilliance in this performance. The three Shades variations were performed (in order) by Olesya Novikova, Tatiana Tkachenko, and Xenia Ostreikovskaya. All were excellent; my personal favorite was Tkachenko, for her sensitive musicality. After having seen the Vikharev reconstruction of Bayadere, I miss the 4th act. The Sergeev production of this evening ends with the Kingdom of the Shades scene. Alexander Polyanichko conducted.