Mashinka

I'll keep it brief then, have seen Lopatin live a number of times and he is very good indeed, Oscar Frame is due to debut as Bluebird.

Thanks for drawing attention to this, JMcN. " it has always been a curiously unlovable and un-atmospheric affair. Yolanda Sonnabend’s camply garish designs now look more suited to a pretentious Shoreditch bar than to a staging of a 19th-century balletic masterpiece. And, unlike Birmingham Royal Ballet’s and English National Ballet’s quietly elegant, infinitely purposeful versions, it seems fussily over-keen to draw attention to itself as a Big Production." The choreographic text was actually good, it was the overall look of the thing that put so many off such as the overpopulated stage in act I and those awful Swan costumes that only flattered girls above 5'8". Is should have been replaced years ago.

I first saw Etudes danced by ABT with Toni Lander as the featured ballerina and from then almost to the present day by English National Ballet (nee Festival) with amazing casts, not least Margot Miklosy whose chaine turns were so fast she turned into a blur, incidentally the last Bolshoi dancer I saw with that turn of speed was Ananiashvili, at her peak a good twenty years ago. I think Russians can't dance it, I saw the Maryinsky screw it up when they danced in it in London too. I've watched the Bolshoi for well over forty years and the female principals have never been such a sorry bunch as they are today. My interest is live performance not mulling over endless videos on you tube, only of value to watch historic performances in my view. Ballet is a performing art, if the audience doesn't turn up the art dies. It doesn't exist for a tiny elite that can tell a pas de chat from a gargouillade or for a moneyed elite that can afford the front row of the stalls. The Bolshoi had a unique identity and it danced full out for its audience and its impact was felt throughout the theatre regardless of where you happened to be sitting, no half baked dialled in performances back then but full blooded vibrant performances that made people love the art and that is what I want to see. Very little mention of the Bolshoi males, dancers in the one company where the men were virtuosos one and all, despite my suggestion to widen the conversation, Jayne has also raised questions worthy of discussion on this thread, Socio- political influence on the company anyone?

Agree about the opera, quite a few temptations, not least Harteros who we don't see in London. If you consider Parisian opera productions 'revolting', never come to London as the RO's would give you apoplexy.

I agree with others posting here, Diamonds is by far her best role of what I've seen. There are coaches and there are coaches, I've heard that Ms Ashley is one of the best.

The previous sets to Dowell's production were by Leslie Hurry.

The production it replaces was hideous, many lifetime balletomanes took one look and never went back. The tragedy was that the previous version was wonderful and there was no reason to ditch it. Part of me thinks nothing could be worse than what we've endured for the last couple of decades, I'll certainly go and see it and will report back if anyone is interested. Quite upset that this SL also be set in the late 19th century, I've a fear of getting more of the same.

I didn't refer to any specific dancer, I was giving my impressions of Alexandrova.

That was first night, what does it say for Vaziev's judgement that those two danced it? Critics usually only attend the first nights of most things so all the boss managed to do was ensure lukewarm reviews. You don't mention Dryad Queen, I won't mention her name but she was appalling. After that I felt like packing up and going home too.

I last saw Alexandrova a matter of months ago in Raymonda pas de deux, plenty of finesse there . For me performing steps accurately rates highly and Alexandrova gives the choreographers text without cheating through flawed technique. Her age doesn't bother me in the least.

Deeply saddened that this thread has descended into the rubbishing of one particular dancer, particularly as she is one of the very best out there. Sad also that it is her compatriots that gleefully put the boot in. Once again I'm reminded how standards of excellence vary from country to country, in the UK she is massively popular and by common consent gave the best performance during the last Bolshoi visit if you judge by applause. London also enjoys a love in with Krysanova and Tikhomirova, two ladies possessing the qualities the Brits adore, strong personalities and seamless dancing, but despite playing second fiddle to Smirnova who opened with an embarrassingly bad Don Q, Alexandrova showed us there is still life in the company on the second night. Any thoughts on the males? Saw Tsvirko dance last night, he was tremendous but not a principal I'm told, Now why is that?

I don't understand an objection to muscularity, I always thought it was inevitable that their profession built up muscles in the legs. I don't see Alexandrova as stocky as she isn't particularly short.

Her Odette is a revelation, feral, passionate and tragic, she makes you feel you are seeing the ballet for the very first time.

I actually admire her attack in the punchier roles, it compares well to the listless presentation I detect and deplore among certain of her colleagues. I see nothing "horrible" about her and having watched her since she was a student and I particularly admire most is her mastery of allegro. To describe her as "short limbed is patently absurd - as this picture testifies

I understand the concept of line in ballet, indeed in Britain, line and musicality are the cornerstone of what was once called the English Style, but I am puzzled by the plural usage, it seems to imply that a dancer is somehow separated into parts and the intrinsic flow is lost as the limbs display line of their own, is this why the once admired flow of movement is lost? Who calls Osipova vulgar? I would call her exciting and extraordinarily versatile.

I actually witnessed Alexandrova's dreadful injury as it occurred in London but when she returned in 2016 she appeared fully recovered. I don't understand ageist attitudes towards 40+ dancers, their abilities don't fall off a cliff. I think we've had this age discussion before, but once again I'll nail my colours to the mast and say I have a strong preference for older artists, so do others here if I remember rightly.

Standard ballerina behaviour in Russia I'm afraid. I still remember how shocked I was seeing for the first time another prima acting the same way. No purple shorts though, the lady I am referring to was trailing more scarves than Isadora Duncan.

Personally I'm not concerned with how high the leg goes in general, but I detest 6 o'clocks in classical works. They destroy the overall flow of movement and look hideous. It particularly disturbs me that teachers who once danced the classics to perfection seem to encourage their students to pursue extremes of technique. A cynic might wonder if they do it so that their memory remains a beacon in the memory of the fans.

Because the title of the thread is The Bolshoi under Vaziev.

My reference to vulgarity referred solely to technique, described succinctly by Helene. I have never considered the company intrinsically vulgar, a little brash perhaps but possessing an exuberance and panache that set it apart from all others, for me it was a company unlike the rest, quite unique in the same way that NYCB and RDB have distinct personalities. As far as ballerinas are concerned the Bolshoi has produced more diamonds than pearls, in my opinion the company currently has one diamond, Krysanova, and one (imported) pearl, Obraztsova. to continue with my jewel analogy the rest aren't even cubic zirconias, just worthless paste. All companies experience peaks and troughs and it looks as if the flow of Bolshoi female talent may have temporarily dried up, or perhaps it is being suppressed in favour of Maryinsky dancers. For many years I was fortunate to visit Moscow on a very regular basis and admired dancers of ability, charm and above all strong personality, now I see dancers unable to engage with their audience or their on stage partners, with negligible acting skills, little musicality and techniques peppered with errors.

Such a beautiful woman, perhaps modelling could become a career move for her.

Aesthetics in dance seem to have shifted, just as technique has become vulgarized, for me both Smirnova and Stepanova are vastly inferior to past generations of Bolshoi principals. To get back to Vaziev, what is he going to do about it? Demoting Alexandrova and Kaptsova doesn't inspire faith in his judgement

In the case of Somova, the term "casting pearls before swine" comes to mind.

And are you saying ballet goers unless sufficiently well-heeled to sit in the front stalls should simply pack up and go home?

Strongly disagree, if an artist is unable to project they're not much of an artist. The beauty of the ballet is the choreography that can be seen from every part of the theatre.