Buddy

In my loosely structured writing I’ve mentioned some things the I find quite interesting and wonderful about her dancing. I’ve mentioned how her back leg in arabesque can tend to have an ‘identity’ of its own and perhaps much more intriguingly how she seems to be able to stop motion and still be dancing. Looking through some video clips I see things that can account for this. Mainly focussing on her arms I notice that they are at times moving and shaping in a manner different from the general motion of her body. The most interesting effect is the stop motion one. She can do such things as lock her wrist which gives a strong sensation of stopping the action while most of herself is still moving. There are so many beautiful subtleties to this very understated young artist and there’s a lot of dance intelligence and prowess in her often lighthearted playfulness. I think that there’s a lot to delight in and hopefully see much more of.

"I watched and it was really like seeing the ballet afresh....it was a staggering achievement for this young ballerina. I can't remember when I enjoyed a Swan Lake as much as this one! " The more I watch the video clips the more I tend to agree with this, MadameP. There's a wonderful quality that she has that's new to my ballet viewing. For me, she's managed to seamlessly combine the loveability of a little child with a wonderfully mature talent. Unfortunately the videos that I mentioned yesterday showing her entire performance have gone "private." I did watch the essential Act I duet over and over. It was sort of a revelation. Let's look forward to seeing much more of her !

"It is an amazing achievement," MadameP. There are now videos of most of her performance. Having just watched the complete Act I Duet, which for me at the Mariinsky is the essence, I think that she is remarkable and has a remarkable future ahead of her. The ability has probably always been there as her non-Mariinsky Giselle gala excerpt from about a half-year ago brought home to me. Now it's finally being featured. Hopefully this is just the beginning of an "amazing" future. Added: I wrote recently that of all the great performances that I've seen I'm still maybe waiting for the one that wins my heart. This may be the one.

There are now about six very brief video clips. Here is an official one from the Mariinsky. None show the famous duet except for this one that gives some very quick glimpses at the beginning. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GawnEq9BrLs This is obviously a giant step in recognition for this very young artist. Aside from the feeling in these videos of a young girl caught up in a dreamworld of opportunity, something that is bigger than herself and carrying her along, there’s also the realisation that she’s a very competent, secure and, above all, lovely, performing artist.

Thanks, MadameP. There are now a couple of two minute solo videos, Odette and Odile. First impressions -- There’s definitely a feeling of a very young artist doing something for the first time. More important is the realisation that in her typically unassuming way she has some basically very fine and beautiful dance qualities. Maturity will make this much more apparent. Yet her youthful newness has its own touching embraceability that merged with her fine loveliness of dance can be something quite special. Added: If it's within forum guidelines to say so, comments from the major ballet forum in Russia are surprisingly unanimous in their praise and enthusiasm for this performance.

Nice comments, Josette. Thank you. I had the remote chance of actually seeing her Swan Lake debut, but I won’t be in Europe at the time. Hopefully another time. Does anyone know of any other Mariinsky Coryphee (one step up from Corps de Ballet) (Yekaterina Chebykina,….?) that’s been given an opportunity like this? Is she on her way to becoming some level of Soloist? In any case, it’s lovely to see this happen.

Tomorrow’s the big day — Swan Lake ! (Thanks to Sophia at Dansomanie and the two ballet forums from Russia) She looks very lovely. Beautiful, long lines. Hopefully this is just the beginning of many such performances.

XIX Mariinsky International Ballet Festival 2020 March 11-22, 2020 https://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill/festivals/fest2019_2020/new8 The probable highlights so far may be Olga Smirnova “Giselle” and Diana Vishneva “Anna Karenina.” Also Oxana Skorik “Swan Lake” and Alina Somova “La Bayadere.”

I’ve read about ten reviews and comments. I’d be interested to see it. This Instagram clip of Olga Smirnova (especially) and Artemy Belyakov looks rather impressive. She has the ability to adapt admirably to most anything. What I can't tell from this clip is to what extent she creates her own remarkable identity, which is a key to a certain kind of greatness that I think that she possesses. (Once you click on the video and move the arrow to the upper left, two opposite arrows appear and clicking on them will make the image full screen size) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5JA6OCg15U/ (posted by Artemy Belyakov)

Distill the finest beauty from Oxana Skorik’s recent performance of and the video of Allegra Kent’s and Jacques d’Amboise’s "A Midsummer Night's Dream" Divertissement Duet and you have perhaps some of the most beautiful artistic and poetic expression to be experienced. As I see and feel it, ethereal loveliness of motion is the essence of all ballet. Oxana Skorik’s performance is perhaps most about this fineness, this pure beauty of motion. It’s of the air. Allegra Kent’s and Jacques d’Amboise’s performance is also based on and constructed from this, but then takes flight into human expression. It’s an elevated dream world constructed on body language and artistic ideal. Their ending with her rising and falling into a supported recline is perhaps one the most beautiful sequences in all of dance. It’s all magnificent poetry.

I would like to continue here, because much of the discussion is about the "A Midsummer Night's Dream" Divertissement Duet. As I mentioned at the Mariinsky 2019-20 topic, Oxana Skorik did her most recent performance of this and it's on a video clip. It's perhaps George Balanchine's most poetically beautiful work. In my previous post above I got into my feelings about the Allegra Kent and Jacques d’Amboise interpretation, which I consider perhaps the finest that I've seen. Even in the video's blurry condition, it's probably worth studying by anybody attempting this dance. If I were to describe my feelings now they would be about the same. I would add that after seeing several Allegra Kent interviews on the internet she certainly researched the backgrounds of some of the works that she performed. I do sense this in "A Midsummer Night's Dream." I have no idea if Jacques d’Amboise did the same, but I can't imagine a better interpretation. Although Oxana Skorik seems to be attempting more dramatic and expressive interpretations in all her performances since her return from maternity leave, her lyrical loveliness, perhaps the best today, is what most captivates me. When most in evidence, it works extremely well in this latest performance. If I can get into the realm of George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins, two other Mariinsky related video clips continue to enchantment me. One is Zhanna Ayupova's Calliope from " Apollo" and the other is Olga Voloboueva's second duet from Jerome Robbins "In The Night." She was a former Mariinsky dancer who then carried on her career in the US and seems to have a very fine combination of both Russian and American styles. Added thought: I once wrote here that in the "A Midsummer Night's Dream" Divertissement Duet with Allegra Kent and Jacques d’Amboise I liked the combination of the stronger geometric moves with the dreamlike flow. I feel more now that I really like the dreamlike flow most with expression being an extension of this. The absolutely lovely music sets the aura. This is also where the Mariinsky should excel.

There’s a video clip of Oxana Skorik’s recent performance with Konstantin Zverev of the Act II Divertissement Duet from George Balanchine’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” possibly my favorite after Swan Lake’s. When concentrating loosely on her form, the nuances of tension and release and her lightness of air motion, most noticeable in the arms and particularly the hands, it’s as lovely a performance of this duet as I’ve yet seen. It’s also nice to see Konstantin Zverev making his way into more important and lyrically poet roles. He’s a very sympathetic and capable partner.

😊 ********* So Let's Dance ! ******** 😊 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaRm6AcsO9Ahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjAFjn5qFtY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjAFjn5qFtY (parts of this have been posted officially) Hi Canbelto and Dirac. Thanks again so much, Canbelto, for posting this. I used to say that Sesame Street is the best program on television. Don’t watch much tv at the moment, but maybe it still is.

Maybe I could be allowed one time to slip these in here, since it’s Sesame Street’s 50th. (If not appropriate, please delete) It’s autumn and the leaves are dancing in the trees Angela Autumn Gold dances through the woods Shining as brightly as the sun As brightly as the leaves of autumn * Sprite * Sprite is Moon Boots best friend. Everybody in Beau-Le-Soleil is Everybody else’s best friend. Moon Boots lives in a big doll’s house on top of the Beau-Le-Soleil Grand Theatre de Theatre, where they built her a little stage to practice on. She loves dancing on the roof. Sprite lives in a tree. Sprite is a Sprite. A Sprite is A Wood-Nymph-Faerie — Quite Extraordinaerie ! Moon Boots dances when she’s Happy. She’s Always Happy ! Sprite lies in the flower covered meadows, runs up and down waterfalls and sings with the breezes when she’s Happy. She’s Always Happy ! She pretends that she’s a Love-Flower-Faerie — Seems quite Ordinaerie. Sprite looks like Tinker Bell. Little children playing in the woods think that she is Tinker Bell and are always asking for her autograph and the directions to Pixie Hollow. Sprite loves playing with the little children. They play games and do dances like The Slide On One Knee Grande Pirouette Diddle-Dee-Dee (How Silly of Me) With An Elephant Tree and The Dance For Two Cause I Love You All the little children Everywhere love Sprite and Moon Boots.

Canbelto, I actually posted written children's brief 'character descriptions' weekly for several years at Critical Dance, the only forum of its kind that allowed 'creative writing.' If that should ever happen at another forum, I'd maybe give it a try. They were all intended to be very pleasant for children, hopefully interesting to adults and dance related. Since Critical Dance has moved to a magazine format these were included in a "Dance Legacy Forum" which I guess has been unattended and is now not considered a secure site by Safari. I've emailed Critical Dance but have not yet received a response. If it becomes safely accessible again I'll email you. Thanks so much for your kind words and interest. The cartoon of Angela Autumn Gold, is a tiny little girl with a huge 'mop' of golden hair that often falls down covering her entire face. She's a seasonal character, this being Autumn, and she loves dancing through the woods, climbing trees with Big Bird and reading BalletAlert!, along with your 'Blogs.' 😊 By the way, I read years ago that Sesame Street was being carried in 32 countries. I saw some of the Dutch productions and they had a slightly different feel, but still the same essence. Added: If you care to give me an email address, I'd be glad to send some photos of her.