Andrei

rq, "Sabre dance" done by, indeed the choreographer of "Gayane" Nina Anisimova, but she is dancing with Igor Belsky, not Chabukiani. And you are right, "Karen" is Nikolay Zubkovsky.

You can see Alla Shelest dancing in Classic Kirov performances by Kultur. She is in the scene from movie-ballet "Gayane", dancing small adagio with Semion Kaplan. Incredible dancing by all artists in this fragment.

I don't know about Neumeier's opinion, but I love his version. It was played in the former mill, where seats surround the stage from three sides, forming kind of Greek amphitheatre. On the back of the stage was a small pool with a real water, over it was a balcony with a small orchestra. I had used the word "played', because dancers were magnificent in their acting, besides good dancing, of course. Neumeier included two new characters - Spring and Warrior, who were allegorical figures. One scene was absolutely brilliant, when Jago taught Emilia the lesson, how to behave yourself, whithout the music, loudly accounting marching steps.

Sorry, vipa, can't agree with you.

I saw in the class Yuri Soloviev in his 30th when he "overdanced" Baryshnikov, who was over 20th at that time. It was normal practice in the Kirov's company in the end of the class to "show off" something special. Everybody understand that this was just for fun, we were laughing at each other, trying to find a new approach to old movements or some strange nuances.

I believe the true artist have to be all his life as a child.

Boulgakov's "Master and Margarita" is one of my favorite books and I absolutely agree with you, Bart, it could be a very good ballet. Unfortunately, Shostakovitch already dead and I don't see any composer who can write descent music for this huge project.

this is one act ballet choreographed by Boris Eifman. Not the best work by both of them.

I don't remember this documentary, but by descriptions I can say that the man with the mole on his nose was Tahir Baltacheyev, very good character dancer and coach. And the choreographer with beard was, probably, Dmitry Bryantzev, the former AD od Stanislavsky Ballet in Moscow.

Marussia is a nick name for Maria in Russia, along with others, like Masha, Mashenka, Mashunya, Mashka and so on

Unfortunately the letter adressed to Marussia, not Marius. And even on the card is Pavlova, it's signed as "Yours Julia". This is an invitation to some party.

On this video absolutely splending is the cast of "Gayane". Alla Shelest is dancing with Semion Kaplan, Hikolay Zubkovsky with Tatiana Vyacheslova, Igor Belsky with Hina Anisimova. I was amazed by the intensiveness of their dance, like it was the last performance in their lives and tomorrow they are going to dye.

Solor, Hikolay Kovmir is dancing with Kurgapkina "D.Q.", not Soloviev.

In my knowledge this variation made by Petipa in respond to Mathilda Kschesinskaya's request.

This is no surprise for me. Every time I'm watching bad dancing, my muscles get sore, because I'm trying to help and unconsciosly dancing instead of them. If the dancer got injured, I'm shouting like it's happened with me, doesn't matter where I am, in the auditorium or at home.

I'll put on the first place the technique, anyway. The ballerina has to feel secure first of all, the same as her partner. After this acting skills and after this special "chemistry", which makes duets memorable.

Sorry, Alexandra, but the size of the hands plays secondary role, the same as amount of muscles. I remember Valentina Ganibalova, when she was assigned to dance with me the first time, complained, that my hands are too small. She took her words back after the performance.

Well, the first was Fanny Elssler, who made the mad scene really mad and was not convincing in the second act.

The Little Humpbacked Horse was choreographed by Saint-Leon in 1864. In my knowledge nobody touched his work till it past away in 1963.

I cannot agree that studying modern dance repetoire weakens ballet dancers. I think it improves their ballet dancing. They might not be able to make use of that improvement in Les Sylphides, but I suspect it would even improve say the black swan pas de deux in Swan Lake. Particularly, I think it helps the men. I think it improves their ability to walk naturally on stage, for instance,

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Amy, sorry, but ballet artists should not walk naturally neither in "Les Sylphides" or in "Swan Lake", this is a special, artificial walk, which should be taught in ballet school. There are insurmountable obstacles between ballet and modern approach to the dance and, clearly, Mr. Rockwell don't understand it. Modern goes from natural movements of the body, ballet - from geometrical perspective. Modern is trying to earth down the presence of dancers, ballet sends them to the air. If you'll try to put chaines of reality on ballet shoulders, it will die.

Andrei.

It's strange that nobody mentioned Alla Osipenko. For me she is the one and only.

I'm sorry to jump in into your conversation, but Boris Bregvadze was my teacher also and I'd like to share my memory of this wonderful men, dancer and teacher.

Beside having a good "fizikh" he was very handsome, had incredible temperament (I think young Nureev copied his presence on the stage) and all female part of the audience got absolutley crazy when Bregvadze appears on the stage. His favorite roles were Solor, Basil, Mercutio. As a teacher he managed to combine both strickness and softness. We were ready to disappear into thin air when he was angry with us and to fly to heaven after his praise. He's teaching upper three levels in Vaganova academy and when I became his pupil, all of us, advanced students by American standards, barely could remember combinations on the centre, because he moved so beautifully and we were watching him with open mouth.

Alexandra, actually he made "The Brothers Karamazov" and I think it's his best work so far.

In "D.Q." approximately every 5th performance is going with some "confusion" from the donkey or the horse, so in Mariinsky they have a special person with the shovel waiting in the wings :yes:

When I danced "Bronze Cavalier" in the middle of love's adagio my pants was ripped off on my but . This is no way to take pants off in the first date in XIX century, so I have to keep going, trying not to turn my back to the audience. Immediately after this I have a variation, and I managed to change choreography, now trying hide my but not just from the audience but from my partner as well, who was staying on the side of the stage :shrug:. After this I still have to be on the stage, because she is making variation for me. So, I came to the wing and hide my back into it with half of my body and face still on the stage, my wardrobe mistress quickly sewed it up during her dance and we had continued happily ever after .

For Opera' fans. "Eugeny Onegin". Duel between Onegin and Lensky, when Lensky should be shot to the death. The sound of the shot usually produced from the backstage. Onegin did his shot - no sound. Poor guy back stage misfired all clip, no sound! Lensky couldn't wait any longer, the music continues, so he collapsed.

Onegin:"Killed?" Second:"No, died from the heartattack ..."

I voted no claps, because I think in ballet nothing should be heard from the stage, except the music. :yes:

Sorry, to jump in late.

Vinogradov's original choreography of this number was made for the ballet of Georgian composer Machavariani "Fighter in the tiger skin" (or something, I'm not sure about translation). When Moris Bejar saw this number, he said to Vinogradov, that the choreography is good, but the music is not, so, Vinogradov picked up Barber's adagio, changed nothing and voila!

I don't see anything wrong with dramatic realism or, as we call it in Russia, social realism on the ballet stage. Only one has to remember that he is ballet dancer and he should apply and support his acting abilities by choreography. Movements direct your emotions, not vice versa. The style and epoch you are dancing in commands your behaviour, you can't break the line or do unproper gestures. Every role has emotional limits, if you burst out too loud, nobody believes you, if you make it too soft nobody hears you. The same are differences of acting in corps de ballet and in principle roles. Everybody should know their places.

Of course, it has to be taught on acting classes in ballet schools, first, how to walk, to sit, to fall, to run, later - conditional gestures and only after this you should apply your emotions.

Kyriakoula, you mentioned double pas de deux? Who was the second couple?

I'd like the article, I think he didn't want to educate or to fight for the sake of high art, he just stated the problem as loud as he could.

I want to turn your attention to another direction.

Of course, the education is very important, the more students will see then better. I think, an American idea about "society of equal opportunities" made a bad influence on everybody here. Most Americans truly believe that if you work really hard you can get everything. But it doesn't work with the Art at all! You have to have TALENT first and, if you work hard enough with it, may be, you will make something good of it.

Now I will go even futher. Spectators have to have TALENT too. You have to be born with this gift, which late you can train and develop. Look at Oldfashion's posts, she wants to go to the theatre against her parents wish, I assume, she wasn't surrounded by the high art in her childhood, so it's not about education, but about her own desire to fullfill her spiritual needs. I have thousands examples when people from small villages, with no museums, no theatres showed a great appreciation and understanding of the art.