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Buddy

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Everything posted by Buddy

  1. I don’t really follow the San Francisco Ballet that closely, but from what I’ve seen on my recent viewing of its World Ballet Day, I see a lot of things that I like. The company reminds me somewhat of what I saw in ABT this summer. Probably because of changes brought about because of the virus, both companies look more youthful and vibrant, but still of the highest quality. And lots of new names, for me at least. The SFB programming for this presentation is also very interesting and of the highest quality. One person mentioned the company’s versatility and another the value of diversity. Both seem to be well represented. This presentation reminds me somewhat of the Miami City Ballet, in particular the Edward Villella company, which I really enjoyed. Helgi Tomasson is stepping out on a high note with this programming. I hope that Tamara Rojo continues in the same direction. I think that she has a lot of very good quality here to work with.
  2. I’m enjoying the entire broadcast, Pherank. Thanks again. I like them both, but I agree with you that Jasmine Jimison is very lovely. I also think that the other Giselle, Misa Kuranaga, has a charming personality. Added: Although there’s lots of good still, with only about a half hour left I’d recommend a look at the new generation.... 1:08:28 - San Francisco Ballet School Trainees in Dana Genshaft's Future Paper Then 46:10 - Katherine Barkman (and Jasmine Jimison) in Giselle, Act I Variation
  3. Thanks Pherank and AG. The Wheeldon part starts at 15:20. There’s a nice, airy quality to this staging imparted throughout by Christopher Wheeldon, starting with the performances of Sasha De Sola (Cinderella) about halfway through the 40 minutes devoted to the rehearsal (especially starting at 30:35). Wona Park and Dores Andre (Cinderellas) also have nice, similar qualities and Max Cauthorn (The Prince), towards the end, has a noteworthy grace that’s impressive for a male dancer.
  4. I haven’t had a chance to watch this, but since it’s ending in about five hours, I’d thought that I would rush it through. It’s Christoher Wheeldon coaching the San Francisco Ballet for his Cinderella. It starts at 15:20: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g22G7od_HWY (thanks to Pherank and AG)
  5. Buddy

    Olga Smirnova

    My two favorite ballerinas are probably Olga Smirnova and Oxana Skorik. As Olga Smirnova continues to explore new directions, Oxana Skorik becomes even more the epitome of refined grace and beauty. I greatly look forward to seeing what Olga Smirnova will accomplish. It should be a fascinating and beautiful artistic journey. I also wonder to what extent her Vaganova fineness will shine through. The combination of this and her remarkable expressiveness make her very special. She says in the posted interview that she will perform Swan Lake in March. She also mentions again in the interview that she hopes that she can someday participate in a cultural revival in a peaceful and non-repressive, renewed Russia. I’d really like to see this happen. And I look forward to seeing how Oxana Skorik will do in terms of expression. When she does commit in an unforced and natural statement of warmth and heartfelt understanding, along with her pure dance loveliness, she becomes as fine as there is. In reverse order from my Oxana Skorik post yesterday, here once again for a comparison are the two perhaps finest ballerinas in the world today. “The Swan” Olga Smirnova -- compelling expression and fine gracefulness https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck3N5xlo38W/?hl=en Oxana Skorik -- wonderful grace and refinement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bf9AqDajr_0&t=60s And if I wonder how Olga Smirnova’s Vaganova fineness will continue to shine through, from back in September, could anything be lovelier. John Neumeier’s “Third Symphony of Mahler.” https://www.instagram.com/p/Cis1zRjI8UP/?hl=en (all videos were officially posted)
  6. Buddy

    Skorik

    For those of you from the old days who recall discussion about her ability with fouetté’s, someone just posted a video of her recent Odile where she does a fine series with seven doubles, the finishing one very secularly ended. Victory ! She’s always had the ability to produce fireworks. I’m sure I’ve seen her do triple fouetté turns, for instance, and other very impressive accomplishments. And if she did have hesitations, she could make breathtaking recoveries. She seems remarkably in control at the top of the final Odile lift. Consistency and security no longer seem to be an issue at all. For an added feature….she might be one of the most beautifully refined dancers ever. Here for a comparison are the two perhaps finest ballerinas in the world today. “The Swan” Oxana Skorik -- wonderful grace and refinement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bf9AqDajr_0&t=60s Olga Smirnova -- compelling expression and fine gracefulness https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck3N5xlo38W/?hl=en (both videos were officially posted)
  7. This looks like a fine article from last March, which may not have been mentioned here. “A former Bolshoi dancer is helping young dancers flee Ukraine, one ballet school at a time.” “Kateryna is one of more than 80 young Ukrainian dancers who have found safe haven at prestigious ballet schools throughout Europe with the help of a New York-based nonprofit called Youth America Grand Prix, which has operated the world’s largest student ballet scholarship competition since 1999.” https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-03-21/dance-students-fleeting-ukraine-europe-ballet-school
  8. Buddy

    Olga Smirnova

    How is it that you always post right after I go to bed ? Cheers !
  9. Movin on up and worth all the hype-side Jammin’ and hammin’ and time for a fun-ride 🙂
  10. Madison Young — Absolutely Vibrant Presence https://www.instagram.com/p/ClI9urKuj2X/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D
  11. Buddy

    Olga Smirnova

    “Olga Smirnova - Dance Europe Dancer of the Year” — Congratulations ! (Thanks to Annamk at BalletcoForum)
  12. Pherank, the video actually ended Sunday about an hour after I posted that it was still on. I even emailed the Bayerisches Staatsballett to find out if there was a way to continue viewing it. For the moment there isn’t. I’ve seen a few of Christopher Wheeldon’s works and bits and pieces of others. I like the direction that he’s going. I’m still pretty selective about the entireties, my favorite one being “An American in Paris” and much of his “Cinderella.” I also consider his “After The Rain” to be one of my four favorite ‘ballet’ excerpts. What would make this “Cinderella” so special for me in comparison to other performances of it would be the very fine talent and Absolutely Vibrant Presence of Madison Young with a similarly fine effort from Julian McKay.
  13. Buddy

    Olga Smirnova

    I posted this elsewhere but thought that I might give it a try here as well: With Olga Smirnova your imagination can run wild. She’s probably the most expressive performer, in terms of theatre, in the art form. She also has had much of the finest training there is in classical dance. In terms of expression, if someone could combine the most poetically beautiful of William Shakespeare with the most charming highlights of Walt Disney, she probably could. I would say that she’s the Meryl Streep of the art form. I would predict that her career will run for decades, with physical demands being replaced by high artistry and theatre. She may go in the direction of Christopher Wheeldon in exploring the possibilities of combining the ethereality of the ‘high arts’ with the delight of the popular ones, or she might remain one of the most refined of all performing artists in the manner of Anna Pavlova and Galina Ulanova. And then there’s the entire world in between. That’s my Scenario #I. Want to give one of your’s a try ? 😊
  14. No real news, but not unexpected after only two weeks. I have to believe that the momentum is in force. Besides what I’ve mentioned before, the performance was officially dedicated to Judy Morr, one of highest placed members of the Center’s staff. “Morr, who holds the title of executive vice president of the center, spent 16 years at [Washington DC's] Kennedy Center before being recruited to Orange County in 1985. She directed the center’s dance programming since its inaugural International Dance Series in 1986 and has fostered relationships with many world-renowned dance companies. “ABT’s artistic director, Kevin McKenzie, once noted that “Judy has been single-handedly responsible for curating a world-renowned international dance program of the highest quality, presenting more than 1,000 dance performances to more than 2 million audience members.” “My [Judy Morr’s] life is fulfilled, still fulfilled, when something good comes along and I can help make it happen. I can help make it possible for somebody to do their best. I don’t care how many hours I have to sit at the desk and figure out the money part, because ultimately I get to go into that theater and see something that absolutely fills my heart and soul.” https://www.ocregister.com/2019/04/26/women-of-coast-2019-judy-morr/ It was the Center that approached Xander Parish to put this together, through Chris Minev, now working for the Center and Executive Producer of the performance, who’s had years of involvement with the Mariinsky and its international touring program. Xander Parish has made this a full commitment for almost a half year in addition to being a leading member of The Norwegian Ballet. “More than this, he is passionate about the responsibility, at this historic moment, to ensure the traditions not only flourish, along with the redirected careers of his contemporaries, and also help, as maybe only art can, to help heal once peace comes.” (from the performance program) And I continue to like to imagine what might happen. From a purely artistic point of view, at the moment this group of eighteen dancers is one of the finest links outside of Russia to that world of classical dance artistry. Having just left, it will probably represent that art form as closely as possible. But time could change things. Outside artistic influences will enter. Xander Parish and Ilya Jivoy also seem capable of adding new, quality material and direction. Then it’s possible that within five years cultural exchanges will resume between Russia and the Western countries. If that happens the company may decide to go in a more hybrid direction. With the support that I hope is being, and seems being, offered them for a major program this could be a very high quality and artistically significant event. For now, I look forward to seeing them all again on stage as soon as possible.
  15. Buddy

    Olga Smirnova

    "So sleep, silent angelGo to sleep"
  16. Buddy

    Olga Smirnova

    This is a recent video of Olga Smirnova performing Fokine’s “The Swan.” I’m not sure where. Her power of sincere and heartfelt expression is Exceptional. Embarking on a journey perhaps not too different from that of Anna Pavlova this video seems quite appropriate. https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck3N5xlo38W/?hl=en
  17. It’s still online. I hope that they keep it there for as long as possible. A lot of it was great company for much of yesterday. I’d at least recommend watching the parts that I noted in my first post. https://operlive.de
  18. I thought that Julian McKay made a fine Prince for our Cinderella. And who’d ever think that I’d fall in love with a girl named Madison. 😊 Lucky Bayerisches Staatsballett.
  19. Christopher Wheeldon’s Cinderella is online for 24 hours (started at noon EST) performed by the Bayerisches Staatsballett. https://operlive.de I’ve just skipped through some parts. Madison Young as Cinderella is lovely and delightful. Julian McKay is a fine partner. The signature duet is at 1:20:30 — Charming Two others are at 1:05:00 and 1:47:50 Some other nice Cinderella dancing at 1:35:00. (thanks to a friend for posting this)
  20. Hi, Fraildove, and thanks very much for your interest. This was the first time that I’ve seen Joy Womack on stage. She did fine from my point of view, but I think that they all did. If you want a truly technical evaluation I probably can’t help you that much. My general impression was that her style was slightly looser and more ’showy,’ but only very slightly. It was what you might associate with the more colorful side of her image, but only if you were familiar with her. Again I have to say that this was a very slight and subtle difference. What I did notice and have expressed here throughout is that there was a uniform ‘Russian classical’ fineness to all the dancers, reflecting their years of training and performing, and I could certainly see this in her. I would guess that as she performs more, she’ll mature more artistically and her ‘Russian classical’ fineness will make her a distinctively fine performer, especially in a Western world environment. She already has some of the slightly looser Western and American look, which she’s probably always had. Most likely it will happen somewhat to all these artists. But once again, I’ll say that I think that she did just fine and fit in perfectly with the overall level of high quality. If I could mention one other thing while I’m here. Yesterday I referred to a possible Eastern world influence that could enter into the vocabulary of these artists and I mentioned Kimin Kim. I’m thinking in terms of the more highly refined element in Eastern classical dance. This might not be as strange as it might seem. Yuri Grigorovich used some of it. He is an admirer and collector of Far Eastern art and the very distinctive hand positioning, a highly praised part of his masterpiece, «The Legend of Love», for instance, would seem to be taken directly from Eastern dance forms. * And there was her (Joy Womack’s) rather impressive looking set of fouettés, which I might have mentioned, that included maybe five or six doubles. Nobody else did anything like that.
  21. Reflecting back, my warmest feeling are with the women, as usual, but I did find the men to be uniformly impressive and sympathetic. Not one of the men really stood out as a superstar and somehow this worked fine for me. The gala format also evened things out. One of my strongest overall images remains how well the men carried themselves and the perfection of their motion. It’s the result of years of classical training from one of the finest dance cultures in the world. They are trained to be noble and they are. My individual imagery of the women isn’t as strong, but their presence dominates. The four lesser known, but highly elegant, women in The Selections from Paquita are still warmly recalled. I mentioned that one of them had a special loveliness. I think that she might have been Jasmine Sophie Henry (Australia, formerly with the Mariinsky), because she’s slightly shorter. Andrea Laššáková (Slovak Republic, formerly with the Mikhailovsky) comes to mind because of her lovely performance of Christopher Wheeldon’s After The Rain, with fine partnering and dancing from her real life partner, Adrian Blake Mitchell (U.S., formerly with the Mikhailovsky). Svetlana Bednenko (Ukraine, formerly with the Mikhailovsky) did a beautiful The Swan (The Dying Swan). In 2019 the day before the Mariinsky Ballet Festival, I went to the Mikhailovsky and saw a performance of La Bayadere. I was in heaven, maybe literally. It may have been the highlight performance of that visit. Ever since I’ve watched for mention of the ballerina’s name. Not finding it, I eventually forgot it. Much to my pleasant surprise, although I sympathise deeply with her decision to leave and considered her an essential part of the Mikhailovsky — here she is ! So I wish her much success and happiness. Christine Shevchenko and Xander Parish in The White Swan Adagio from Swan Lake were probably the highlight and she was extremely lovely in The Pas de Deux from Le Corsaire with a very fine performance by Jacopo Tissi. I might also add that I did enjoy the choreography of Ilya Jivoy (Russia, formerly with the Mariinsky) and Xander Parish very much. I look forward to seeing more of their work. Added: From the evening’s program I’d like to insert this quote from Xander Parish. It’s rather informative. All the others probably have similar feelings to relate. “I knew I couldn’t stay, knowing what was happening and not do anything — or that, even worse, my staying might be taken as my complicity or support, as I’d always been ’the British dancer at the Mariinsky.’ So I’d become if I stayed, this propaganda poster boy, and I just couldn’t.” My deepest feelings also have to go out to Xander Parish’s wife, Anastasia Demidova, (Russia, formerly with the Mariinsky) (and to similar partners) who agreed to this and to leaving her homeland. I could go on and have something specially nice to say about everyone. I do hope that all goes as well and possible for all these exceptional artists.
  22. If I can be there, and I hope that I can, I would probably chose between the Swan Lakes and the Giselles. The Giselles do work better schedule-wise at the moment, but maybe I can do a few of both. Based on how beautiful Devon Teuscher was last summer in her Swan Lake I would look forward to seeing her in anything. I think that she could be wonderful in Giselle. Based on past viewings, I’d also like very much to see Hee Seo, Skylar Brandt and Christine Shevchenko as Giselle. And I’d love to see Elisabeth Beyer someday. Does anyone know when tickets will go on sale to the general public ?
  23. Hi, Drew. Christine Shevchenko and Xander Parish were beautiful in their performance from Swan Lake. In reference to your previous post, I started my train of thought by posting, “If I really wanted to imagine one possibility for the future.” Including Kimin Kim was intended to explore some of the ‘artistic possibilities.’ I did write, “further off in the future.” As Diaghilev and Balanchine were open to extending their cultural horizons, so can I see someone like Kimin Kim perhaps representing the same thing. I see him developing at the moment as a very interesting synthesis of European (Mariinsky) classical dance technique with some fascinating elements of Far Eastern (perhaps Kabuki-like) expression. The Segerstrom Center for the Arts has a large mix of dance companies appearing including Far Eastern ones. California also has a noteworthy Asian-American population. From our reference point, Michelle Kwan might be one of its most relevant members. If the Reunited for Dance Company does development into something substantial, it might remain completely ‘classical’ or it might be open to some ‘cross-pollination’ as were Diaghilev and Balanchine. Kimin Kim seemed to me to be a very interesting ‘subject for thought,’ but only one. And yes, off in the future, I could see him as a member of the Reunited for Dance Company, especially as his artistry will probably improve with age and the company might consider expanding its artistic horizons.
  24. And here’s what they have to say and some of what they look like. https://www.ntd.com/ballet-dancers-who-fled-russia-reunite-in-california_881381.html
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