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Has anyone seen this video? Can you tell me anything about it? I have a gift card to spend on Suncoast and it's one of three ballet videos in the whole site. The only dancers on the performances that I recognize are Vladimir Malakhov and Diana Vishneva. I'd appreciate some guidance. If it's not worth buying, I'll save my gift card for Christmas shopping! Thanks!

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I looked at this title on suncoast.com and it is indeed Malakhov in Spectre de la Rose (in which he is used to be wonderful--I hope this film was made a while ago.) I don't recognize the woman from the photo, but I don't like the off-shoulder costume. (I know, I am quibbling.)

I did a search under "all" for the term 'ballet' and got a lot more than three entries--have fun searching!

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That is really funny; I was at Virgin Records today and I saw this DVD. I was about to buy it when I said "WAIT! I Should check it out first with Ballet Alert." Does anyone have it and no if it is worth it? Are the performance clips on a "sound stage" or are they from actual performances?

:yucky:

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Nora, "Great Dancers of our time" is a German production featuring three dancers working in Germany.

Russian star and Berlin State Ballet intendant Vladimir Malakhov can be seen in a pas de deux from MacMillan’s Manon (with Mariinsky star Diana Vishneva), in Voyage from Zanella and in Fokine’s Le Spectre de la Rose (with Nadja Saidakova). Spanish Lucia Lacarra, now with Bavarian State Ballet in Munich, dances the White Swan adagio and the variation from Swan Lake, as well as a duet from Lady of the Camelias by Caniparoli (both with Cyril Pierre). Japanese Kiyoko Kimura, first soloist with Leipzig Ballet, features in choreographies by Uwe Scholz (with Christoph Böhm).

The presentation is rather bleak, with little or no sets, and not taken from actual performance.

If you like any of these dancers (the dance fragments are interspersed with short interviews), you will certainly enjoy this. Others will ponder about the relative meaning of "greatness". :yucky:

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Edited to add: I delayed posting and did not see Marc's post. But since this post is a bit more detailed, I will not edit it out.

There are 3 parts in this DVD, one for Vladimir Malakhov, one for Kyoko Kimura and one for Lucia Lacarra. There is no live audience. There are some very short clips of the dancers talking about their work. The only extras are trailers of other TDK releases. As usual with TDK, the image and video are very good, a refreshing change from what other companies consider clean image. Also there are no more than the absolute minimum of inappropriate close-ups.

Malakhov dances the pdd from Manon (with Diana Vishneva), a choreography named Voyage (choreography by Renato Zanella) and Spectre of the Rose (with Nadia Saidakova). The pdd from Manon is beautiful, Voyage will be interesting if you usually like fusion-ish pieces and Spectre is good. Everything danced with the softness and precission that characterises Malakhov, even at this somewhat late age.

Lucia Lacarra you'll like if you go for extentions and a general fluidity and bendyness. She dances the Swan Lake pdd (with Cyril Pierre), the variation from Swan Lake and an excerpt from Lady of the Camelias (choreography by Caniparoli, danced with Cyril Pierre) Not my taste as Odette but some things she did were very beautiful (most other things, not so).

Kyoko Kimura dances excerpts from choreographies by Uwe Scholz. She is partnered by Christoph Bohm. The pieces are a Bach cantata, a Mozart piano concerto and Bruckner's 8th symphony.

Are these the "Great dancers of our time"? Except for Malakhov I would say probably not. But it's an interesting DVD and well produced. Whether you should buy it depends on how many DVDs you have and how many you can afford.

If you live in Europe you may have seen the Malakhov tribute and (I think) the Kimura tribute, on the satelite channel Arte, sometime in the past year or so.

Edited by chrisk217
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Thanks to everyone for your help. I love Malakhov and thought I would see him this summer at ABT. Unfortunately, I hit one of his canceled performances due to appendicitis. At this point, I suppose I must treasure those moments when I saw him at his height. I would love to see him in Spectre, though. Also, this summer I saw Vishneva for the first time ever. She danced Giselle, and it was the most breathtaking and revelatory performance of Giselle I had ever seen. I have nothing of her on DVD.

And, hmmmm, as far as the other "great" dancers go, thanks for the input. :yucky: I thought something had gotten by me and I hadn't read enough postings on balletalert.

Thanks again.

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