Bolshoi Odile solo...

[beck_hen]

I've seen videos where Semenyaka and Semizorova perform a different solo than I'm used to seeing. They begin with hops in arabesque en tournant into fouettes. I think I might prefer this to the ABT version performed by Cynthia Gregory and Gillian Murphy (though they are good in it). Who is responsible for the choreography of these variants?

[Mel Johnson]

Basically, the Bolshoi Swan Lake is Alexander Gorsky's choreography, although it's had a lot of hands on it over the years.

[cubanmiamiboy]

Also, this version is danced with the music of the variation 5 -moderato-allegro simplice- (one of the "prospective fiancees/princesses" variation) of the III Act "Pas de Six", (not my favorite...i prefer the Drigo's interpolation/T."L'Espiegele")

[Natalia]

The Bolshoi's Odile solo is by Yuri Grigorovich. That's how it has been introduced at Moscow Int'l Ballet Competitions that I have attended. Also, the 1980s Russian VHS film titled "30 Variations from the Russian Classical Ballet Repertoire" (or something akin) presents the traditional Odile variation as "Gorsky after Petipa" PLUS this newer 'Yuri Grigorovich" one. So it's fairy safe to state that the answer to Beck hen's question is "Yuri Grigorovich."

p.s. That's a fascinating 1980s VHS tape, with a very young (teen-aged?), dark-haired Vladimir Malakhov demonstrating several of the male variations.

[rg]

the video Natalia mentions has the following description in NYPL dance coll. (besides the video, the producer/distributor (now defunct, i assume) also issued a two-vol. set of booklets, one for each variation w/ piano accompanyment for each solo plus a little historic background and some notations of the steps and poses in text, as opposed to symbolic notation(s) (i.e. Benesch or Labanotation). if mem. serves this information might have been posted previously here, so pardon any duplication and feel free to delete this if a link can be found to a former posting:

Classical heritage: Thirty variations from ballets by Russian choreographers 1990. 60 min.

Co-produced by Soyuzteatr and Sintez. Chief producer: A. Murtazin. Producer/writer: F. Slidovker. Camera: A. Tafel. In Russian with English subtitles.

Issued in conjunction with the Russian-language publication by Soyuzteatr entitled Klassicheskoe nasledie: variatzii iz baletov Russkikh khoreografov

SUMMARY: Compilation of variations performed in the studio to piano accompaniment, in practice clothes, as a choreographic record.

CONTENTS: Swan lake: Act II, Odette's variation. Chor: Ivanov. Danced by Tatyana Chernobrovkina. -- Swan lake: Act III, Odile's variation. Chor: Grigorovich. Danced by Galina Shlapina. -- Swan lake: Act III, Odile's variation. Chor: Petipa. Danced by Chernobrovkina. -- Swan lake: Act III, Siegfried's variation. Chor: K. Sergeyev. Danced by Vladimir Malakhov. -- Swan lake: Act III, Siegfried's variation. Chor: Grigorovich. Danced by Malakhov. -- Swan lake: Act I, Pas de trois, male variation. Chor: K. Sergeyev. Danced by Malakhov. -- The sleeping beauty: Act I, Aurora's variation. Chor: Petipa. Danced by Shlapina. -- The sleeping beauty: Prologue, Lilac Fairy's variation. Chor: F. Lopukhov. Danced by Tatyana Yatsenko. -- The sleeping beauty: Act III, Désiré's variation. Chor: Sergeyev. Danced by Malakhov. -- The sleeping beauty: Act III, Bluebird's variation. Chor: Petipa. Danced by Malakhov. -- The nutcracker: Act II, Princess Masha's variation. Chor: Vasily Vainonen. Danced by Ludmila Vasilyeva. -- The nutcracker: Act II, Prince's variation. Chor: Vainonen. Danced by Malakhov. -- The nutcracker: Act II, Marie's variation. Chor: Grigorovich. Danced by Tatyana Paliey. -- The nutcracker: Act II, Prince's variation. Chor: Grigorovich. Danced by Stanislav Isayev. -- Raymonda: Act I, Raymonda's variation with a scarf. Chor: Petipa. Danced by Shlapina. -- Raymonda: Act III, Raymonda's variation. Chor: Petipa. Danced by

Susanna Avetisova. -- Chopiniana: Prelude. Chor: Fokin. Danced by Svetlana Tsoy. -- Chopiniana: [Woman's] mazurka. Chor: Fokin. Danced by Olga Ivanova. -- Chopiniana: Waltz. Chor: Fokin. Danced by Ivanova. -- Chopiniana: [Man's] mazurka. Chor: Fokin. Danced by Dmitry Zababurin. -- Don Quixote: Act IV, Kitri's variation. Chor: Petipa. Danced by Paliey. -- Don Quixote: Act IV, Basil's variation. Chor: A. Ermolaev, V. Vasilyev. Danced by Vadim Bondar. -- Don Quixote: Dream scene, Kitri's variation. Chor: A. Gorsky. Danced by Chernobrovkina. -- Don Quixote: Act IV, female variation. Chor: Gorsky. Danced by Liliy Musovarova. -- Coppélia: Act III, Swanilda's variation. Chor: Gorsky. Danced by Vasilyeva. -- La fille mal gardée: Act II, Lise's variation. Chor: Gorsky. Danced by Paliey. -- La fille mal gardée: [act unspecified], Colin's variation. Chor: Gorsky. Danced by Malakhov. -- Le corsaire: Act II, Slave's variation. Chor: V. Chabukiani. Danced by Ilgis Galimullin. -- La bayadère: Act II, Gamzatti's variation. Chor: Chabukiani. Danced by Vasilyeva. -- La bayadère: Act IV, Kingdom of the shades, Solor's variation. Chor: Chabukiani. Danced by Bondar.