Andrei

I believe, this dance was made by Alexandr Gorsky. Besides, Petipa spent few years in Spain before come to Russia and he was very angry when somebody tried to accuse him with "unauthentic" Spanish dances. Amy, now a little surprise. Olga Radchenko is the daughter of Sergey Radchenko and she is not a proffessional dancer ! ;)

Lounacharsky was komissar of culture in Lenin's gouvernement, the person of high education , the autor of several books. Because of his defence Bolshoi and Nariinsky never were closed. I doubt that Vaganova was a major player in this situation because she became the head of the company in 1931 and the question about closing both companies came up in 1921-22, after Civil war, when State didn't have any money to pay artists. Amy, your idea about the social orientation of "D.Q." sounds interesting, but then why "Sleeping Beauty", "Swan Lake" and "Raymonda" were always in the repertoire?

Sorry, Amy, I'm not with you on the last one. It's not technique for the star and technique for corps de ballet people. It's one technique for everybody and all movements have to be executed properly. The classical ballet has the same arms and legs positions for NYCB, Mariinsky or Grand Opera dancers. If they fell form pointe, late with timing, can't finish pirrouette in the clear visual position they have a week techique, doesn't matter were they are dancing.

It's about 16 (24?)little girls on pointe 12-13 years old, who wear the same costumes as the ballerina-cupid and litlle bows. The dance statrs with the little solo of one girl, late all join it. The major movement is coupé balloné, the dance is very cute. You can see it in St. Petersburg in Mariinsky, I don't recall that company is bringing children for abroad touring. [This message has been edited by Andrei (edited March 30, 2001).]

This is the true company and they perform in Russia as well. Usually they invite some guest artists from major Russian companies by impressario's request, but sometimes they use their owns. Alexandr Vetrov is a former soloist of Bolshoi Theatre, winner of several international competitions. Petipa made "Don Quixote" in 1869 in Moscow, in 1871 in St. Petersburg. Gorsky made a new version for Bolshoi in 1900 and staged it for Mariinsky in 1902.(Petipa was very angry, he was still alive and nobody asked his permission.) After this a lot of people put their hands into it. In Vetrov's "Don Quixote" dances more close to Petipa are : segedilya (character corps de ballet dance in the first act), variation of flower girls, Dream scene (without children- cupids, it's pitty), the final pas de deux(at least adagio).

Amy, before writing a review, I recommend to you to meet with Sergei Radchenko. He speaks perfect English, he is a very communicated person and can answer to most of your questions. I saw this company couple years ago with "Giselle". I wasn't impressed by performance first of all because of the principles ( they were miscast, IMO) and second, company looked very tired. The last week I saw "Don Quixote" with them in Orono and my impression was much better. First of all, when I came to the theatre around 5 o'clock, they had a rehearsal of "Giselle" for the next day performance in another town of Maine. After this they rehearsed "Carmen" and some pas de deux for the performance for the next week and they finished it at 7:20. At 8:05 the curtain rised and I thaught that I will see dead people on the stage, but they were not! The performance was very alive and technicaly very professional. I have some disagreement with the choreographer (this is the version of Vetrov)about musical cuts. Some numbers don't connect in a proper style with Petipa's choreography, but anyway it was very solid performance.

enterachillis, how was Mage? I believe Alexander Guliaev is former Kirov Ballet dancer, right?

I'm still backing my opinion, then more I thinking of it. What is the neoclassicism? It's attempt to create a new shape using the old form. In "Swan Lake" it's not just port de bras. Look at Odette variation. All movements there are classical, but the same time new from the very beginning. Ivanov refused to make any virtuoso combination for the sake of the character. Besides, it's realy techniqually challenged even now. The first part - developpé, double rond de jamb, tombé, which perfectly fit the image of the bird trying to soar, I never saw in any other ballet. The second - two fermé, pas de bourré and fast battement passé in arabesque, commonly used, but pas de bourré done unbeat and it makes all sequence unstable, like this creature run to you and freeze, waitng for your tenderness. The last part looks like normal tours piqué en dehors, but Ivanov doesn't allow to ballerina go off the pointe after double tour and it takes off all bravura effect, usually associated with finished pirrouettes. I'm sorry, but it's clearly a new approach to build a character. Of course, as Alexandra mentioned before, Ivanov, probably didn't know, what he did come up with, he "was just making dances", but he opened window for Fokine with his "Dying Swan" and late on for Lopuhov and Balanchine.

First of all, don't take my answers as the only one from Russian side, this is my particular opinion and of course in Russia somebody will be agree with me and somebody not. Alexandra, I'm absolutely agre with you on XX century definition of female employ - classical, romantic, neoclassical. Only I would not put Lilac Fairy as neoclassical, I don't see any "neo" in the choreography for this part. Thinking of what part can fit the neoclassical term, I came up with may be subversive things - White Swan. Lev Ivanov created the image of the bird using classical ballet vocabulary, just slightly changing arms position, but I think we can see there the birth of a new ballet style - neoclassicism. Am I wrong?

Drew, you was absolutely right describing "my" classical-ingenue. One more thing, she has to be miniature and her character has to be innocent. The classical example is Kolpakova and for youngest people - Leznina. If we change character with the same proportions, let's say she will be more joyful, perky, down to the earth girl, we will have classical-subrette with the classical example of Maximova. I'm sorry for using Russians only but I'm more familiar with them. Alexandra, I didn't see Marina Semenova's dance. What I saw it just her walk as Odette in the old movie and it was gorgeous. I saw the Swan and the danseuse-noble the same time. One more physical future for danseuse noble - the lenth of the arms. They have to be unlimited.

I just found out BB invited Maina Gielgud to stage "Giselle" in the next season.

The same with the choreography. You just clear your mind and get rid of this music, so you can go futher.

Marc, I'm backing you on Terehova. Probably, she is the best Mirtha I ever saw. Perfection, which doesn't know the word mercy, humanity dried out by the wish of revenge.

Marc, I'm backing you on Terehova. Probably, she is the best Mirtha I ever saw. Perfection, which doesn't know the word mercy, humanity dried out by the wish of revenge.

Soloviev, specially after his sudden death. I still don't see anybody who can approach to his ability to stop in the air. Andrei.

I have to poor some cold water on this very emotional review from somebody, who never was in the theatre before, I believe. This is a mormal life of artists, but I have to make few corrections. Corridors may be gloomy, but studios are spacious in the Mariinsky. The normal salary in Russia around $70 US, so, have $100 Us in the month is not very bad, specially, when you spend 6 month abroad as minimum with touring, paid by Western standards. Ballet artists never rehearsed at night and they didn't do it for this production either, the choreography wasn't change one hour before the show. Ratmansky (previous choreographer) is not old and renown at all. Andrei.

tchaikovsky still proves a tough nut to crack by Galina Stolyarova Photo by NATASHA RAZINA / FOR SPT Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker" has proved a tough nut for yet another choreographer. Ballet legend Marius Petipa simply gave up and left it for Lev Ivanov in 1892, but his more courageous followers, including Vasily Vainonen, Fyodor Lopukhov and Maurice Béjart, all tried staging the ballet. This time, Kirill Simonov of the Mariinsky Theater turns his hand to the task. The long-awaited new version of the ballet premiered Monday at the Mariinsky theater, with émigré artist Mikhail Shemyakin responsible for the direction, libretto, sets and costumes, and once again told a story different from the one unveiled by the music. Act One is virtually a parade, a défilé of Shemyakin's phantasmagoric art, which as his admirers will know is Hoffmanesque in itself. The armies of rats, which also frequent Shemyakin's drawings, wear long-nosed, Venice carnival-type masks, and giant hulks of meat cover the walls. The Hoffmanesque grotesque and exaggeration were certainly present. But Shemyakin's sets for the second act are so innocent, in fluorescent pink and green, that they are more reminiscent of the fairy tales of Charles Perrault than Hoffman. The sight is very impressive, but ballet is no parade of costumes and decor, even when they are designed by the most talented artist. On the whole, Simonov, who is in his mid-twenties, breaks little new ground with his choreography. While almost all Act One was a pantomime, the waltzes in Act Two, especially, seemed trivial and fairly traditional. A striking exception was the spry Pas d'ensemble of Snow-flakes, dressed in black and covered with white flakes of "snow," and manipulated by Drosselmeyer hiding behind the curtains. Simonov, however, offers a poetic take on Masha (Natalya Sologub), making her sensitive, timid and emotional. Sologub takes a lyric and subtle approach to Masha, dancing with ease and flow. She suffers from loneliness just as much as the Nutcracker himself, and this interpretation of the character works very much to the show's advantage. The corps de ballet was lacking a confidence which could be overcome with a stronger, tighter concept from the ballet master. What makes the new production memorable is the design rather than the dancing. The sumptuous sets overwhelm the choreography. However, the dark side of the ballet was present, in the form of the Mariinsky symphony orchestra under the baton of Valery Gergiev. Shemyakin was not exaggerating when he said that Gergiev has turned The Nutcracker into a revolution. But since The Nutcracker is a ballet, turning the music into a revolution requires a choreographic upheaval, otherwise the inequalities between sight and sound risk destroying the whole performance. Despite the captivating performance of the orchestra, the show - Shemyakin's sets aside - failed to hold the audience's attention. Anton Adasinsky, founder of the "Derevo" experimental dance theater, and former member of the "Litsedei" clown-mime, theater brought in an avant garde and eccentric note in his virtuoso grotesque performance of Herr Drosselmeyer. Adasinsky's vigorous and confident dancing at times made quite a contrast to the corps de ballet, which was short on spark and synchronism. The dancer excelled in his role, turning Drosselmeyer into a central character. Though not without some undoubted successes, like the Pas d'ensembles of snowflakes in Act One or the Oriental Dance in Act Two, in general Simonov's choreographical efforts lack solidity and fail to fit into a substantial and consistent concept, which makes it doubtful that the production will have lasting resonance in the ballet world. Critical opinions aside, the show is yet to pass the test of time. The production will not be shown until March 10, giving the Mariinsky extra time to consider the faults of the production. And those unhappy with the new version can always go for the familiar old one - the two Nutcrackers will co-exist in the repertoire, just like the Mariinsky's two productions of "Sleeping Beauty." We can believe to this critic, but the same time, I heard a wonderful review of this performance in Russian(sorry, very difiicult to translate). Andrei.

I'm sorry, CygneDanois, but in my knowlege in ecarte derriere or avant (it doesn't matter)one shoulder has to be a little bit higher then other, so you have to curve your spine a little bit. Andrei.

Well, I did "Snow White and Seven Dwarfs" myself, but Disney allowed us to do just three performances. They even didn't care to come and watch the show... Andrei.

Look at Balanchine's hands with Fontein - it's not a ballet position! Something goin between them . Andrei.

Leigh! It's not a problem at all to show Civil War, Slavery, Racial Stereotipes or even your Hello in ballet. I think, if the choreographer will chose Tara as the main character of this particular performance, he/she is going to win. Don't you see even in the title "Gone with the wind" all white, black, purple with yellow dots will be swept away and just the Earth will be the same, still feeding and burying us. Andrei.

I think this is a perfect idea, but crucial for surviving of this ballet will be the music. Why they didn't say anything about a composer? Andrei.

Guys, I found the name of Anatoly Grigoriev in Ann's post. What is he doing there, is he a teacher or did he just stage D.Q.? Andrei.

Well, I see that Russia still has some advantages. Orchestra's doors close with ouverture, so, latecomers will climb on balcony, after intermission they can take their seats. No children under 10 years old allow to go to evening performances, for matinee limit is 5 years old, but I'm not sure, may be even 7. The most annoying things for me in St.Petersburg are clackers, fans of some particular dancer who applaud, shout doesn't matter how this dancer did his/her job tonight. Andrei.

Jonny, where did they study, in their native countries? Andrei.