Gallica

For Jeannie:You once posted on ballet.co about your impressions about the POB school "demonstrations" and you especially liked a girl with black hair who reminded you Margot Fonteyn.Well she has the same initials as her and her name is Mathilde Froustey.She will dance principal roles in New York , in Péchés de jeunesse and Dessins pour six.

Hello Sylvia.I don't agree with you about the ice-dancing.I thought Anissina/Peizerat were by far the best .They made a complete change of image , they broke their image of romantic couple.This program is much more "modern" than what they used to do in the past:the movements , the costumes , etc...Marina changed her hair style.I think this change is due to last year's lost of europe and world champions title when they did their program on Beethoven which was considered too repetitive and not enough innovative. It's not the french judge who gave them 6.0 , it's the azebaidjan judge. I thought the Lithuanians were tremendous , they would have deserved to be second.They danced on the song "Deux corps se foudroient" by famous french rockstar Johnny Hallyday.These Lithuanians are stunningly beautiful , both Povilas and Margarita , they form a real couple , there is a harmony between them , same level , and they have charisma and are able to convey emotion.Their gesture is particularly beautiful , this is high art and I can't understand why they are always fourth.Unfortunately they are Lithuanians and unfortunately ice-dancing is very political.Lithuania is a small country and the lithuanian skating federation doesn't have at all strong influence.The italian couple Barbara Fusar-Poli/Maurizio Margaglio for example is famous for having been "pushed" in their career because the president of the ISU(International skating union) was (or is still?) italian.I didn't like the italian's program on Gloria Gaynor's "I will survive".I thought it was much more a gala program than a real competition program.I thought it was too much repetitive and lacking originality.Barbara can skate but the low point in this couple is Maurizio , he is technically not very strong , and if you look well at their program , he is very rarely on one foot , he doesn't do at all portés on one foot , and skates often on his two feet.So the problem in this couple is that the man is not strong enough , he lacks technic , they are not at the same level. I just saw a short extract of the Canadians' Michael Jackson program and it seems very nice.Moreover they are coached by Tatiana Tarasova so they will probably have a chance to stand on the podium in SLC.(Tarasova is a reputed russian coach , famous for her teaching and diplomatic influence...) About the men category.Brian Joubert of France was a big surprise and revelation.He is just 17 ,it was his first europan championships , was third at the National French Championships this year and owed his participation to this european champs to the catastrophic results of Stannick Jeannette ( bronze medal in last year's european champs) at the national champ. The french federation will only send two skaters to the olympics , Joubert with his unexpected third place will be one of them ( a big surprise for Joubert himself!) , so Jeannette will be in competition with Frédéric Dambier who finished at the 5th place in the european championships. I think Joubert is a big revelation , he reminds me of Yagudin younger.He is very secure with jumps .And with his cute and pinkish face of teenager , he is so lovely!

Thank you Alexandra but I already checked. Thank you NO7!I'm really stupid!I checked again the website and yes it was all there but I didn't notice it at first.

Does somebody know where I can find the casting of the Mariinsky Theatre for october and november?There is not much on the official website.

Interestingly, I think of "poets" as not being "dark", but "fair" (I actually don't mean skin tone at all here, but something more metaphysical) Like Arthur Rimbaud?

Thank you Jeannie for your report and have a nice trip!Are you going to attend the next Varna , Paris IBC?

He is a new corps member.He is blonde , strong classical dancer.He did one year at Studio ABT.Before that , he did one year at POB school , last division , like Marcelo Gomes.It's a very good reference and surely helped him to be hired by ABT.He's probably the next soloist.

Piccone did Onegin.

. and Clemence var. from the Raymonda, Is it from act 2? I didn't know Susan Alexander was a POB teacher.Does she teach classical or contemporary?I thought all the teachers were french!

QB]Sophie Parcen POB competitor (senior) danced on the first day of Shanghai IBC. She will dance in the Round 2 today evening. She to feel well, the audience is lovely.[/QB] Joseph , do you know what variations she presented?

Than you Jeannie for your always-so-delightful reviews! As Hu Xinxin mentioned in another thread, most of the 107 competitiors at the Shanghai IBC come from the host country. JUNIOR GIRLS: YAO Wei (China, Shanghai) I missed her rnd 1 performances but she is no surprise. Recent gold medalist at the Helsinki IBC. Said to be the hands-down gold-medal choice here...no contest...especially since POB's Aurore Cordellier dropped out of the competition (did not 'show' - neither did POB's sr lady competitor, Sophie Parczen...quelle mystere... ;) ) Well , it seems like it's becoming the LBC(L for local) rather than the IBC! Do you think that they want a chinese winner and it could "explain" why the POB competitors dropped out? Is this the mystere?

Jeannie , Helen , Hu ? Does anyone have more information? Jeannie , we are all waiting for you! :rolleyes:

Thanks Kevin and Joseph!

Jeannie , where are you? Are you going to review the Shanghai IBC? Your coverage of Varna IBC was a real delight to read! By the way , do you know who participates to the Shanghai IBC? Thank you.