Nina Ananiashvili: fouettes and other ...

[bart]

Just watched a video of Don Quixote (State Perm Ballet) in which Nina Ananiashvili performs 32 of the fastest fouettes I've ever seen -- all the time moving in a perfectly straight line down stage center. This is only one of the marvels of speed and technique in this performance. Based on this and other video viewings, she strikes me as one of the fastest, strongest, most technically marvellous bravura dancers I've seen.

However, when I turned to "Dancer" posts for the past few years, I found only one topic with her name in the title. And that contained only 3 posts.

I know Ananiashvili has guested with NYCB and been a principal with ABT, in addition to dancing with the Bolshoi and numerous other companies. She stars in a large number of videos. Yet there is a relative silence about her on Ballet Talk, which puzzles me. I'd really like to know what people think of her dancing, and what other performances you remember.

[accob]

I am a huge fan of Ananiashvili, bart. In fact I was going to purchase tickets for all her performances at ABT in the spring, but alas...

To me she is the epitome of someone who combines amazing technical bravura with sublime artistry, something very few ballerinas manage to merge successfully. Last year at the MET, I saw her in Swan Lake with Julio Bocca- it was absolutey the most incredible performance I'd ever seen! Her balances and fouettes were just unbelievable. She stayed up there forever, for hours on end, it seemed like. The house was roaring! Add to that her lyricism, especially as Odette, and those arms in the famous bourres, she really was like a swan! And her coquettishness as Odile...I loved every minute of it!

Also, many years ago I saw her in Giselle, also at the MET. It was a long time ago, but what I do remember is in the second act, when she first comes out, Myrta commands Giselle to dance, and she begins to spin around in an arabesque in plie- Nina looked like a spinning top, I'd never seen anything quite like it, it literally looked like you were fast forwarding a scene in a video! Crazy.

She is adored by the public here, and hopefully she'll be back next season! :-)

[atm711]

I, too, had all my Ananiashville dates for the coming ABT season set aside. I will concentrate on Vishnieva and Part this coming season and hope they can fill a small part of the void.

She is a dancer who has an unaffected grand presence on the stage; and as if that wasn't enough, her technique is strong and clean. Aside from the Corsaires, Swan Lakes and Raymondas, her Symphony in C (2nd movement) Offenbach in the Underworld and Ballet Imperial are pure joys to see. I saw her Giselle a few years ago and I have to admit, it left me cold; I was all prepared this season to see it again. (I feel she would be more suited to Myrtha; as was Danilova before her). There has been some criticism about her facial expression, but I attribute that to her Georgian soul and I forgive this small transgression.

Speaking only of what I see currently in New York City she is the only one worthy of being called a Prima Ballerina.

[zerbinetta]

For my taste, Ananashvili is just about a perfect ballerina: technique, line, feet, arms, lyricism, musicality .. & that's just where it begins.

She has the ability to dance any style & make it look authentic, be it classic, romantic or neoclassic.

& yes, her fouttes are a marvel. In Odile, she usually does the first 16 on a dime & then travels to stage front with the second 16.

And I LOVE her face!

[Roach]

A somewhat older topic but one that deserves a bump to the top. I recently bought both Don Quixote and Swan Lake with her and the State Perm Ballet. Add me to the list of admirers! I was also interested in seeing Elena Kulagina as "Dancing Girl" because I recently saw her perform Swan Lake here in Columbus with The Perm. The only problem is that because of my unfamiliarity with the libretto I didn't know which dancer was "Dancing Girl." Was she the one that danced with the three men in the tavern?

[bart]

Roach, I also saw Kulagina (as Odette/Odile) on that tour and was enjoyed her performance in both roles immensely. I don't have access to the video at the moment, but I was told that she is the woman who dances with a single partner, both in the barroom scene and in the final divertissement. The character wears heeled shoes. It's a more important role than the one you mention.

Thinking about Ananiashvili, I still am struck by the feeling that there is something about her stage presence or stage craft which I've never seen before. It's a quality I can't put my finger on -- and certainly don't have the words for. Maybe some Ananiashvili fans will be able to help both of us out in understanding better the secret of this maravellous dancer.

[Hans]

I have minor issues with Ananiashvili's technique sometimes, but they are truly minor indeed. One thing that impresses me about her fouettés besides the fact that they are amazingly fast is that she often does the first 8 with her hands on her waist, the second 8 using only one arm, and the last 16 using both arms. Most dancers would have to use both arms to turn as fast as she does.

[richard53dog]

One thing that impresses me about her fouettés besides the fact that they are amazingly fast is that she often does the first 8 with her hands on her waist, the second 8 using only one arm, and the last 16 using both arms. Most dancers would have to use both arms to turn as fast as she does.

The first time I saw this on video, I was really impressed. I think at this point I have about five different versions Don Quixote/Swan Lake on video and they are all very , very fast. On one she turns faster than the orchestra plays! I think, without checking, that she does the no arm/one arm/ two arms thing in all of them.

Richard

[papeetepatrick]

Bart--Thanks so much for bringing Ananiashvili up, because I now just watched through the Perm State Ballet production, and she is indeed electrifying. I can't say I love everything about this production the way I do about the Bolshoi one with Bessmertnova, because I don't like all that much about any of this except Ananiashvili. I still miss the waltz for Black Swan music that is usually played. This is the second time I know of (Nureyev/Fonteyn 1966 is other one) where it's not used, but now I should be able to watch the 'Don Quixote' with her shortly as well.

Richard53dog--You mentioned you have several videos with her. What are they and how do they compare with this one? I get the impression of voluptuousness and lightness at the same time when I watch her--something I've seen only once or twice before (and not usually the ballerina either.)

[papeetepatrick]

Bart--thanks so much for bringing this up, as I would not have seen either of these. Last night I watched at least half of 'Don Quixote' and Ananiashvili (of whom I'd never heard till reading this) is scintillating, thrilling, all those superlatives we love and over-use. I also thought the State Perm looked a lot better in this than in 'Swan Lake' with her, although she makes almost anyone near her begin to look rather lackluster (even when they wouldn't otherwise.)

I saw in one of the threads something by Paul Parish about dancers who look stunning to begin with and then have many further dimensions, aspects, etc., of themselves brought out in their dancing; and a second kind, who have more ordinary looks and that with those you see more of a kind of miracle occurring in the transformation. He prefers the second type, I believe he said, and although I love both types about equally, I'd say Ms. Ananiashvili with her peasant face, is a magnificent example of the second category, because she is so electric that even this 'somewhat peasant face' becomes beautiful while she cuts fantastic shapes of strength and boldness. Amazing energy.

[dnznqueen]

i have to agree that nina is amazing....i first encountered her on her int'l stars videos, and then came across an older edition of dance magazine that had a pretty large spread on her. people were making such a big deal about her being the last of the bolshoi ballerinas being coached by such and such. also, while at a dance summer intensive, we took a field trip to a local amusement park that had an imax theatre, and we watched a movie about the amazing things the body can do, from a scientific standpoint. nina was in it!!! she was shown rehearsing, taking class and perfoming the grand pas variation from don q.....i only realized after watching her videos who it was that i saw. anyways, when abt came to los angeles to do le corsaire and she was slated to perform, i hate to say it but i was sorely disappointed...perhaps an off night? she and her partner julio bocca did not seem with it as far as the partnering or variation work was concerned. i'm not trying to make anyone mad, just my opinion on what i saw....i still think she is phenomenal!! is she back from maternity leave and all that?

[carbro]

I can't give a definitive answer to your question, but the ABT announcement of its October season did not include her name among its list of principal dancers. In past years, she has sometimes -- but not always -- appeared with ABT during their fall seasons.

[richard53dog]

i have to agree that nina is amazing....i first encountered her on her int'l stars videos,

i hate to say it but i was sorely disappointed...perhaps an off night? she and her partner julio bocca did not seem with it as far as the partnering or variation work was concerned. i'm not trying to make anyone mad, just my opinion on what i saw....i still think she is phenomenal!! is she back from maternity leave and all that?

dnznqueen,

Per Nina's site, she plans to return to dancing in 2007. She had her child back in February so she may be giving herself plenty of time to get back in shape.

I first encountered her on the VAI International DVDs too. On the Corsair you saw, perhaps it was an off night. But I did notice that in the performances I saw of Nina when she last appeared with ABT/NY in 2004,

some things were no longer coming quite so easily, although much of her dancing was still very beautiful.

I'm hoping she will return to ABT next year in the right pieces.

Richard