YID

BTW, if anyone's attending the Friday Balanchine, I'd love to say hi and put some faces to screennames. Is there a spot in the lobby where people usually gather? I'm flying home Saturday morning, so that will be my only chance to say hi.

--Andre

I am going, so, if anyone NAMES the place for "meet & great", I'd be delighted

http://www.ardani.com/mariinskybtouring.htm

No casting yet.

Casting was posted,

and LA in December with the NUTCRACKER added

..... should I move to CA?

.... and will Nioradze really appear?

...noticed that Tereshkina listed only ONCE... does Daniliyan really dislikes her ? ..... but the Danilyan or Kirov casting is unpredictable and fast changing as NYC weather...

Many thanks, YID, for identifying that lovely dancer. I’ve enjoyed watching her and hope to see what she can do in soloist roles soon. In another forum it was suggested that Elizaveta Cheprasova might be the luminous brunette who some of us found so enchanting in the corps and as one of the 2 demis in Chopaniana. Ms. Cheprasova is scheduled to dance the 1st Shades variation tonight and tomorrow so we’ll know for sure soon enough!

I was also in the house last night and just want to mention that even though Novikova was listed as a soloist in Corsaire and Bayadere it did not look like her in either one. I think it was Selina as the third Odalisk girl along with Ivanova and Gonchar and possibly Valeria Martynyuk with Gonchar and Konduarova as the 3 shades soloists..........

Nysusan, i was sitting close and with the binoculars, I can assure and confirm ;-) that Odalist girls were Ivanova, Selina & Gonchar; and Shades were Cherprasova, Gonchar & Kondaurova (i.e. look at April 10th casting and here you get the Tuesday casting for those roles).....

... and yes, I was nervous about those falling roses (and then "a feather"(?) from Somova fell in Don Quixote)... Totally ADORED Tereshkina (what an actress!!! she's becoming one of my most favorites). Was pleased that Ms. Acrobat tamed herself. Enjoyed watching Sarafanov and Uliana. I found Ivanchenko too cold and "not interested" in Uliana. Wonderful evening !!!!

As posted on BT October 30, Gergiev was just scheduled to conduct Scheherazade, and Zelensky to dance, for the White Nights Gala. So perhaps this was not for damage control, but to help sell $25,000 tables at the post-performance event.

two comments, 1) i wanted to compliment the two (other, besides the main three) soloists in Chopeniana, Svetlana Ivanova (the blonde) and Maria Shirinkina (the dark haired one). I totally loved the latter's dancing, and couldn't resist but asking a girl (strongly resembling her) exiting the back stage door who the second dancer was, and it was her. A very Sweet, Nice, (on-the shy-side) person. PS: Maria Shirinkina is in the center on picture one of this link (just found it - love the pictures) http://www.mariinka.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1397

2) I was lucky to see a lot of dancers heading to that gala, and you should see Sarafanov in a business (tailored) suit, with a new (man-ly) haircut. Extremely HANDSOME. He's not that short, not a basketball player height, but not short at all. Actually a lot of male dancers in the company are very very tall.

PS: I found Ms. Vishneva's actions rude, when she almost shoved off (only) 6 people waiting for her autograph, and I was sad for 2 little girls holding their Diana's ($150) portrait books for signing (she was not running late ;-)) there were many more dancers heading to the gala afterwards ;-)). I found Uliana Lopatkina much more graceful and better mannered (even off-stage) (she didn't refuse signing or even pictures taken in DC by a friend of mine in a freezing cold ;-))

Did anyone notice if Gergiev conducted for Shehezerade? When he came out during the bows I assumed that he had conducted the orchestra but I'm embarrassed to say that if it was him I must not have noticed when I applauded the conductor & orchestra before Shehezerade started..

I asked the orchestra people, and they said ( but don't put me accountable for that ;-)) that Gergiev directed the last act (Sheherezade), I was just curius to find out what was played before the Shopeniana curtains went up. The answer was Shopin (Mazurka?), the tune that opens the state radio in Poland....

+1 to nysusan

totally agree. Been to both, Tuesday & Wednesday. Loved the chemistry between Lopatkina & Korzuntsev (much better than with Kozlov in DC), and their tenderness, you could sense it, when they tilted their heads, almost touching each other, almost caressing without a touch.

Tereshkina, I loved her, her fluidity, her perfection, her classicism ;-))

.... and whoof, I refused to clap to Ms. Acrobat - can someone talk to the company about her ;-(((((

.... going tonight as well ;-))

I could not resist

http://news.ntv.ru/129488/

sorry, it's in Russian, but

WITH wonderful glimpses into the performance ;-))

Adorable Lopatkina, greatest chores dancers, those spinning jumps by male chorus

.... and no SOMOVA - thank god.....

ENJOY !!!!!!!!

PS: should probably quote where I found the link

http://forum.balletfriends.ru/viewtopic.ph...sc&start=15

Thank you Natalia from that forum toooooooo

http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/arts/carolina-...ason---det.html

“Don Quixote” – Bolshoi Ballet

Wednesday, June 10, 2009, at 7:30 p.m.

Long considered one of the world’s great cultural treasures, Russia’s grand Bolshoi Ballet has captivated dance lovers for more than 200 years. Embodying a schooling and performing tradition of unrivalled richness, the company’s superb ensemble skills and the spectacular realism of its scenery and costumes contribute to an illustrious history linked to generations of legendary names. Loosely based on Cervantes’ classic tale, the Bolshoi’s knockout “Don Quixote” is bursting with energy — an electric display of beautiful dancers, glorious costumes and ornate set designs.

Note: Bolshoi Ballet will also perform “Don Quixote” at 7:30 p.m. June 11, 2009, and “Swan Lake” on June 13 and June 14, listed below under “Special Events.”

“Don Quixote”

Thursday, June 11, 2009, at 7:30 p.m.

Loosely based on Cervantes’ classic tale, the Bolshoi’s knockout “Don Quixote” is bursting with energy — an electric display of beautiful dancers, glorious costumes and ornate set designs.

“Swan Lake”

Saturday, June 13, 2009, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, June 14, 2009, at 2 p.m.

The majestic “Swan Lake,” originally created for the Bolshoi in 1877, features the company’s incomparable prima ballerinas expressing like no other the ecstasy, tenderness, hope and despair that make this the most beloved of all ballets.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/center-...7886-dec-season

The Orange County Performing Artscenter today is announcing its 2008-09 season, which includes bankable audience favorites and strong offerings in dance, Broadway and cabaret.

The Kirov Ballet will return Oct. 7-12 to Segerstrom Hall, performing "Don Quixote" and "Giselle" with the Kirov Orchestra. Other highlights of the center's International Dance Series are: the San Francisco Ballet with its 75th anniversary celebration, Nov. 11-16; Compañia Flamenco José Porcel, Dec. 11-14; and the Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg presenting the Southern California premiere of "Eugene Onegin," May 20, 22-24, 2009.

Thanks, YID. This is Nikolai Boyarchikov's production, right? If so, it's the same version performed by the St. Petersburg Maly-Mikhailovsky Theater group that Boyarchikov used ot run & is now headed by Ruzimatov.

Happy to read that the dancers are still in fine shape.

yes, unfortunately Perm "is stuck" with that production.... Don't get me started on how awkward I found it (compared to Lavrovsky (Kirov) and (less liked, personally) MacMillan's)...

with mullets to all male dancers; "kolhoz"/ pairs of dancers ALWAYS dancing along with R&J in their to be "just the two of them" adagios, in a neglected balcony stage, bedroom stage, and in tombs, actually that (extremely professional group of dancers - they danced WELL) was everywhere, wedding scene, Juliet looking for potion help with Friar Lawrence...but are they appropriate

whatever Mr. Boyarchichov tried to express, it was lost on me, i was distracted from R&J

then dressing Verona streed dancers in "socks" (put either character shoes or points on - those socks were awful), not having a Jester/Joker, having youngest looking Matronas (Lady Capulet & Montague) next to very (appropriately) old looking husbands. and the board/ceiling hanging over - what for? to stick the swards in it? bizzare...

PS: the Romeo - a guest artist Robert Gabdullin was very good. As per the brochure (another poor product, not mentioning that the company is actually from PERM, that was mentioned only in the bios of the dancers, and out of 7 dance bios, only Y.Araptanova and R. Gabdullin, aka R&J danced that night - why listing of the primas who are not dancing - bizzare

well, Sergey Zagorulko, Tybald; Ivan Poroshin, Mercutio; and Dmitriy Tenitskiy, Benvolio - were very good

Natalia,

I went (a soviet ballet fan as I am, how could I have skipped a Norht-East event ;-))

To be frief (and more positive than negative)....

I loved the COMPANY (Strong, flexible (almost Eifman's extensions (which a classisist won't like, but I am fond of). First time I saw them was in Boston several years ago in Sleeping beauty, and liked a lot - same here

I LOVED THE COMPANY (solid strong, tall, handsome male dancers, greaceful, flexible Bellerinas)....

.... and I totally DISPISED the production, the choreography was BAD, and staging was horrible (then again, it's me, a fan of classics, and having seen 3 Kirov's R&J in DC and two ABT's R&J last year)... (I took tons' of notes of what I found questionable or out of place in the production - not sure that anyone cares to listen....

Ok, the COMPANY is great, the staging and choreography was very controversial and I hated it... but it's not ballet dancers who decide which production to dance...

I'm back in DC and extremely pleased to have traveled to Brooklyn to see Program B (Dreams of Japan, Duo C, Bizet Var, Sagalobeli) on Saturday night.

Whoever designed Ananiashvili's matronly costume should be shot; it broke my heart to see this esteemed ballerina looking like an overweight veteran hauled around by the tallest guy in the company, especially next to the two other ballerinas in more-flattering sleeveless chiffon.

Sorry, I couldn't resist responding, and please dont' kill me... I do like Nina a lot (regretfully, first time I saw her dancing live was last year, but then at least 3 times, with ABT and then in Gizelle with Filin in New Haven....)

Natalia, Nina has to wear sleeves this year. I saw her (from first row) on Wednesday in a sleeveless dress, and it was not me, but my neighbors who commented on the condition of her arms (I will not say more, you are all smart people). But transparent or skin colored sleeves eliminate that distortion...

And I do like her a lot, and her arms are still very marvelous and graceful. And i am not judging, I wish I can be in such shape at 44 after a baby and flying all over the world

And I adore her as a person, and take my head off for her contribution to her country. I appreciate her showing more of her company than herself in the final applause calls on Wednesday night, when she went out in a (civil) dress wearing hills ;-)

I saw the program on Wednesday and loved Posokhov's piece A LOT, admired Nina Gogua... Then came back on Saturday to watch Dreams of Japan - I liked it (and seeing Filin's jumps is such a delight).

Fadeev definitely puffed from the the hookah on opening night.

+1, and on Thursday too....

.... jsut finished reading his review, what an "UNHAPPY" person he is (to say the least and in the most politically correct term), and not a very good writer (at least in that review, don't wanna judge him after reading just that review)....

you can find out more about the history and staging of the ballet from Wikipedia - shame on him.

Thank you for pointing the link (at least I saved the picture).....

I truly enjoyed the 3 performances, Mnd, Tues, Wdn....

I'm sorry to be missing tonight's Bayadere with Nioradze, who rarely performs at the Mariinsky nowadays. Washington is getting a rare treat. Hopefully others will be able to report.

Nioradze stayed back in Russia, V. Tereshkina danced. I loved it. I am biased, I love Fadeyev, and I guess that also played the role that enjoyed yesterday's dancing. I really LOVE his partnering and ACTING compared to Kozlov. I finally got binoculars and was studying facial expresions of both.... I could see and feel Fadeyev's struggle and agony of letting Nikia down. I also liked how Fadeyev plays the rejection in Act II/Wedding.

I liked Tereshkina and starting to like her more and more. Not me, but my neighbore said that she dared more dangerous spins than Lopatkina. So, now I will be debating whom I liked more Tereshkina or Lopatkina ;-)) Diana did dance with abandone, but her "shade" was just NUMB (or may be that's how it should be, not sure, need to study more). And I love Tereshkina's acting, so truthful, so convincing...

Comparing Golub's and Tckachenko's Gamzati - Golub did a much better job than Tkachenko... However, still Terechkina is by FAR my FAVORITE Gamzatti.

A TOTALLY BAD thing (to my mind) - they did NOT GIVE flowers for the second night in a row ;-((

Two off-topic things, I waited for my neighbore who wanted to give flowers to Viktoria, and Tereshkina is such an approacable humble and sencerely nice person ;-)) a very sweet person, and much prettier without the theatrical make-up ;-))

I saw Peter Quanz, who's choreographes for Kirov, very interesting....

she is a grandmother now!!! she should be 51 or 52.

but she looked 30 (a bit tired 30) but it was 11:20pm and jet-legged.... OMG - she's awesome ;-))

Thank you so much Natalia for the insightful and detailed reviews! They are much appreciated!

Thank you Natalia,

I can echo your impressions, since I saw both Tues & Wed performances....though I still liked Lopatkina, they are just very different (for me Lopatkina's Nikia was "smarter" more "royal").

And I was not impressed by Kozlov (after my favorite Fadeyev ;-)). I couldn't resist and asked the dancers after the performance to make sure - it was YANA SELINA, who led the shades entance - WHAT A WONDERFUL JOB - and how much stamina ;-)) impressive and unforgettable...

Looking forward to seeing Fadeyev and Nioradze tonight ;-))... I only wish I could schedule another visit to see Tereshkina as Nikiya...

She's retired now I believe, but I agree she was one fantastic dancer. Oddly I tend to have the fondest memories of Kirov dancers that didn't get to be principals and the same goes with those dancing today.

HI, i just saw her yesterday, she looked terrific (and today I had a shock when I learnt her age ;-)) wow).

She was walking with Ul'ana Lopatkina back to the hotel after Ul'yana's Le Bayadere at Kennedy, Washington DC. Dumbly, I asked her name, and Ul'ana said that SHE's her teacher/coach and a great dancer ;-))

Surprisingly, I couldn't find her name on the Mariinsky web, but she WAS listed as a coach in the brochures. PS: off topic, Ul'ana was marvelous as Nikia.

Unfortunately, I will be submitted to Somova's Bayadere. Bayadere is my all time favorite "Petipa" ballet-this should prove to be an interesting experience. At least the corps will be worth the ticket money. I saw an open dress rehearsal of Nutcracker a few years back at the Kennedy Center and have vivid memories of Vasiev yelling over the microphone repeatedly, "Alina! Line! Somova get in line!". I am excited about seeing Sarafanov and Osmolkina.

Do you know if they'd have a dress rehearsal this year? it would be so nice ;-))

... and I am happy, I'll be going on Tuesday, Wdn, Thusday, hopeful that they still stick to the announced cast, Vishneva, Lopatkina, Nioradze, and my favorite Fadeev twice....

.......

Andrian Fadeyev is very good looking too.

+1000% ;-))

I not only like his looks but the way he dances (I used to go to watch particular balerinas, but after seeing Andrian several times - I just adore him and would sure try to see as many of his shows this coming April as possible....)

a bit off topic - Andrian is also a great GENTLEMAN, once attending a Giselle performance in DC (in '05), i saw a very handsome, tall, slim, and a bit humble guy volunteer his perfect (fron rows) seat to a woman and taking a seat in far back rows. He looked familiar, back home and double-checking the Kirov's site - sure it was Andrian Fadeyev. I saw him in Romeo & Juliet twice this winter in DC as well. For me - he's the perfect Romeo ;-))

a totally strange (out of box) idea? about "abundance of Somova shows"....

Should we consider sending a forum letter to Ardani Artists to REPLACE Somova with other dancers? I hope they may hear the "VOICE of the paying audience" ;-))

It's not too late - almost 5 months before the tour ;-))

I would not mind contacting Ardani Artists on behalf of the forum ;-)) (but I 'll need the forum's support) ;-))

just my little "two cents" note.... in the Soviet/Eastern Europe block it was VERY typical to have ballet/choreography lessons as part of the regiment/ training for all "artistic" sports (sports & rythmical gymnastics, acrobatics, skating, synchronized swimming). In my big in gymnastics (but poor in ballet) hometown a ballet-dancer from the local opera theater taught us 3 times a week for 1,5 hrs (I wish I paid more attention then ;-))

So, swings between gymnastics, skating & ballet were not uncommon.

... I also wished she had another Prince---Corella is not danseur noble enough for Nina.....

+1

...And the most unusual curtain call - as the curtain split she boureed out as Odette,

rippling those swan arms, with a very unswan-like grin on her face!

What a magnificent performance from Nina and Angel!!

I will still dare, even though probably will make everyone hate me ;-(( (and I have to admit i am a russian classical school and ballet fan).....

1) Nina was WONDERFUL, her arms were heavenly, And she's a GREATEST actress. I'm totally happy that I gave myself another chance of seeing her (this is the first year i saw her, and my 3rd time of seeing her)....

2) I didn't count 32 fouettees, sorry but she finished before the score and it was only 30 (however, I may have been mistaken)

3) There were several, but NOT 10 curtain calls (unless you count Angels and Nina's appearances separately).

4) Angel seems to have lost some weight (good for him)... however, I can't help remembering Nina's pairing with FILIN (in Giselle, at New Haven, just 2 weeks ago).... Had I not seen Filin's lift's and support, I would not have dared saying that Angel struggled lifting Nina (and she's tiny, tiny tiny). And Filin has the perfect turn out, perfect 5th position landings, and Great Extensions (a female balerina can envy)....

Overall, bravo to Nina!!!!! bravo to the "russian" swan arms!!!!

Yevgenia Obraztsova made a triumphant debut in the title role of Giselle two nights ago. The ultra-picky Russian fans have been describing her portrayal as 'miraculous,' 'magnificently acted,' 'very traditional - not innovative - in a positive manner' in reports on the Mariinka and other fora. Obraztsova's Albrecht was one of her favorite partners, Leonid Sarafanov.

http://photofile.ru/users/poduchka/2796149/ - it's only the final bows...

Don't get me wrong. I'm happy as a clam this is going back in. I guess it just must be one of those things preserved in the school, as was Reveil de Flore and Pavilion d'Armide.

(By the way, has anybody talked to a clam lately? Are they particularly happy beings?)

About "a happy clam", I've been recently "educated" by a friend who gave me the full sentense :'as happy as a clam at high water/tide' - i.e. totally happy as being safe and undisturbed.... So, it's nice to be a happy clam on a high tide... - totally a high tide for Bolshoi's restoration (being a fan of "old-fashioned Petipa style ballets and Russian school ;-))