cubanmiamiboy

Just arriving to the airport! No time to stop by my hotel, so I am heading straight to the theater, luggage and all. Very excited, yay!!

So do you think she might even remembered bits from this variation by the time Balanchine included it in Pas de Dix...? Danilova is not credited as a co stager. Or maybe it was just Balanchine remembering, some three decades later, a piece of Petipa, just as he did with the candy cane variation. In that case, what a great memory, considering that he didn't danced it!

My pleasure. Long is indeed VERY tall. I know her personally, and with high heels she's even taller than me-(I am 5.11")

It always amazes me the way choreography is passed and kept alive, particularly that of the XIX Century ballets. I've been recently watching this clip with Tallchief and Eglevsky, and can't help but to wonder what would had been to dance certain choreographies, certain dramatic roles that had a previous historical past for the first time with almost no visual references. A little on this subject can be found in Markova's "Giselle and I", in which she recounts being coached, when she first took up the role, by a man-(N. Sergueiev)- who couldn't offer much help either in a practical way-(he would not demonstrate)-nor vocally-(he didn't speak English), and just with the aid of some messy notations. Markova also had vague memories of having seen Pavlova, and much fresher ones with Spessivtzeva. Pas de Dix was choreographed in 1955,and to the best of my knowledge, Tallchief couldn't possibly had witnessed any performance of de BRdMC's Raymonda-(correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it was only danced overseas)-almost ten years before-(1946). Or ANY Raymonda, for that matters. Even when Balanchine choreographed his version for the touring company, a lapse of 30 years had passed since the time he would had seen the full length performed at the Mariinsky before he left Russia. So I wonder if Tallchief experience with the role, even for the short clap variation, was more or less like that of Markova...no previous visual clues whatsoever. Nowadays any dancer can watch a thousand clips of a given role online, and everybody is dancing everything everywhere, so there is a never ending supply of references. So my curiosity goes as...Did Tallchief learned this variation-(which is obviously taken from sharp memories of Raymonda, as it is almost identical to those we know from modern references of the full length ballet)- from Balanchine himself...? Or Danilova..? Did Danilova coached Tallchief in Pas de Dix..? Could Tallchief had possibly seen Balanchine's full Raymonda at some point earlier in her life..? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5y-2KdAp6M

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10205896452396063&set=a.3671727317399.2130647.1401360055&type=3&theater

So by the sculpture then...? Perfect. As usual, blonde skinny guy all in black with glasses, easy to recognize here. I am working tonight, so I will be destroyed by tomorrow evening, but..ballet will save the day!! See you all there!

I missed this. Bourree Fantasque was done quite a few years ago already, but I remember I really LOVED it-(particularly the costumes).. The other pieces are unknown to me.

I mem. serves, there's a tiny fragment of this production in the extra features of the BRdMC documentary, with N. Krassovska in the role.

I will be rushing to catch the 23th performance, because my plane arrives in DC with very little time to spare-( I might even have to go straight to the KC before hotel), but I will be there until the 28th, so I will be happy to meet!! ;-)

Ok...so I just bought my tickets for my Russian summer trip. I will be going from mid June to the beginning of July, dividing my time in between Moscow and SP. I tried to wait for the schedule on the Festival, but to no avail. Also, the Bolshoi seems to drop their performances dates little by little. But I couldn't wait any longer before purchasing the tickets, so voila.

I saw it as soon it came out. Redmayne is good in the role, although after some time one can detect quite a repetitive pattern of faces and mannerisms. I liked it though.

Count me in!

I voted for the recon, just because I am a rabid supporter of them, but...MY Raymonda ballerina is still Mme. Bessmertnova.

Oh...and how about the fast original 1877 coda in the White PDD..? Did they included it-(just as Balanchine in his one act version)..?

ABT's didn't work for me.

Thank you, Natasha for the reviews! Oh, I really LOVE the pictures...the loose hair for Odette and the swans...Rothbart's costume, and even Odile's tutu, which gives sort of a mix in between the original multicolored number and our pre conceived all black idea. LOVE the pointy crowns!!...and the look of the villagers valse. Yes...we have a winner here. Can we have it at ABT..?

That was the downfall of Villella down here.

Oh, I really CAN imagine what it means to you, just because I'm also a nut case when references to the Imperial productions are made. It is really a shame that such a beautiful ballet has been subjected to all sorts of malignancies and "revisions", so I'm glad that a cleaning process is on its way. Hopefully the ballet masters, little by little, will start going back to the original sources when staging the classics. Well, at least Vaganova's idea to exchange the original Overture with that of The Voyevoda didn't stick too long. Can you imagine..? ;-) Keep your thoughts coming, Natasha!!!

Thanks for the report, Natasha!! From what you wrote, it looks as if they did a mix in between the 1877 and 1895 scores for this pas. In the 77, Tchaikovsky's original, the Act I "Pas de deux for two Merry Makers"-(for which most of the music was re fashioned by Drigo for the Black Swan PDD)- goes as follows: 1. Tempo di valse ma non troppo vivo, quasi moderato (Standard entrance in current productions) 2. Andante – Allegro (The standard variation for Sigfried, sort of buffed up by Drigo with less violin solo and more orchestration) 3. Tempo di valse ( eliminated [??] in the 95 version, which I assume is the one that you refer to as given to Siegfried. There is quite a mistery surrounding this variation. Some sources cite it as the original male variation of the two Merry Makers, giving Chabukiani the credits for having first used, in the 30's, the Allegro part of No. 2 instead, and one can also find sources that say that this valse was retained as the original male variation of this pas in 1895 while others cite it as deleted . I had always assumed that this was the female variation in 1877, so I keep wondering who danced what if BOTH the Andante-Allegro AND Tempo di Valse were kept. What is a fact for sure is that L'espiegle was re fashioned for Odile in 1895, so I again wonder what was danced by the female dancer in 1877 as a solo. 4. Coda: Allegro molto vivace (standard coda) Anyhow...it was wonderful to read your reports. Thanks, Natasha!!

Edited: double post

The poster is pretty, but sort of a generic pose. They should had gone with the iconic Raymonda hand touching head position.

I want to be there!!!!

To be honest, I don't really care about the casting, and I knew I was to have my share of Skorik, but Raymonda is not a role of fouettes, so she should be fine. I will be there just to see this rarity.

In preparation for the upcoming run of the Mariinsky's Raymonda at DC, I have been revisiting the DVD of the Bolshoi, with Mme. Bessmertnova in the title role. I'm very fond of this production for personal reasons. Some of you here might remember that a while ago-(exactly 8 years now)- I went trough an extremely hard situation related with my mom's health, and countless days and nights I found myself seating in hospital waiting areas and praying for the best-(which thank God was the end result). Anyhow...I always had my laptop and my ballet DVD's, which I used to revisit over and over and over. The Raymonda with Bessmertnova was a usual pick, and I used to scrutinize her magnificent solo in the last act-(the "clap variation"). I don't think I will ever watch, live or recorded, a Raymonda that convey all that I love in a ballerina. Mme. Bessmertnova is a class act in this solo. We know that she was already past her prime here, so it is in this section-(which is not a hyper technical one)-where she demonstrates what made her one of the most celebrated ballerinas of her generation. Mme. takes a very languid approach to the solo, while incorporating a wonderful royal bearing that I have not seen in any other Raymondas. This is a Raymonda that slides around the stage in a way that, when others rely on hard claps and too serious faces as if saying "look at me!",has a total command of her domains by saying "You KNOW you have to look at me..". There's an almost hypnotic quality to her solo, and if looking carefully, one can even see that certain movements start from her head and neck down to her pointes. It is simply amazing to watch this amazing body control in which you SEE the head of a ballerina guiding the rest of the body with such beauty. I am sure that Bessmertnova's age played an important role in how this subtleties were achieved, and I also know that I am attracted to ballerinas who are not too young anymore. That was the usual case during my formative ballet viewing days, so I guess I started to absorb very early the unique way in which experienced dancers approach roles, particularly if a dramatic portray is required. RIP Natalia Bessmertnova,

I will definitely report, bart. Here's an excerpt from bart's impressions on Catoya's Swannilda, back in 2012. Not having her contract renewed was, I think, a huge mistake on MCB's Powers That Be. Boo!!