bingham Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 ABT just announced Nina's retirement scheduled on the 2009 Met season Link to comment
carbro Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 According to ABT's press release, "n September 2004, Ananiashvili was appointed the artistic director of the State Ballet of Georgia. Ananiashvili plans to continue performing with the State Ballet of Georgia and in guest appearances around the world. " Retiring from ABT, yes, but not from dancing altogether. Link to comment
bingham Posted June 16, 2008 Author Share Posted June 16, 2008 Sorry, missed that part of her continuing to dance with her company and as a guest artist.Maybe, we can still see her as a "guest artist" with ABT. Link to comment
Dale Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 Sorry I was late with this. ABT sent: NINA ANANIASHVILI TO RETIRE AS PRINCIPAL DANCER WITH AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE Nina Ananiasvili, a Principal Dancer with American Ballet Theatre since 1993, will retire from performing with the Company during the 2009 Metropolitan Opera House season. Born in Tbilisi, Georgia, Ananiashvili was an ice skating champion at the age of ten. She studied dance at the Choreographic School of Georgia before going to study at the Moscow Ballet School from which she graduated in 1981. She won a Gold Medal at Varna at the age of 17, the First Prize and the Gold Medal at both the Fourth (1984) and Fifth (1985) International Ballet Competitions in Moscow, and the Grand Prix and Gold Medal at the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi in 1986. Upon graduation from the Moscow Ballet School, Ananiashvili joined the Bolshoi Ballet where her repertoire included Odette-Odile in Swan Lake, Nikiya in La Bayadère, Kitri in Don Quixote, the title roles in Giselle and Raymonda, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Aspiccia in The Pharaoh’s Daughter, Masha in The Nutcracker, Rita in The Golden Age, the Sylph in La Sylphide, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, as well as the ballets of George Balanchine, August Bournonville, Michel Fokine, and Yuri Grigorovich. A People’s Artist of the Georgian Republic, Ananiashvili has danced in the United States with New York City Ballet, Boston Ballet and Houston Ballet. She has also made guest appearances with The Mariinsky (Kirov) Ballet, The Royal Ballet and The Royal Danish Ballet. Ananiashvili made her first appearance with American Ballet Theatre in 1993, dancing Odette-Odile in Swan Lake. Her repertoire with the Company also includes a leading role in Ballet Imperial, Nikiya in La Bayadère, Medora in Le Corsaire, Kitri in Don Quixote, the title role in Giselle, the pas de deux Esmeralda, Lise in La Fille mal gardée, a leading role in Mark Morris’ Gong, Hanna Glawari in The Merry Widow, Manon in Manon, a leading role in Mozartiana, the Operetta Star in Offenbach in the Underworld, Raymonda in Raymonda, Princess Aurora in Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s The Sleeping Beauty, the leading role in The Snow Maiden, the second movement in Symphony in C, the Sylph in La Sylphide and the Sylvia Pas de Deux. Ananiashvili became the first ballerina to be awarded the National Prize of Russia for outstanding achievements in Fine Arts and the State Prize of Georgia for outstanding contribution to Georgian culture. Her awards include the Russian Order for the Outstanding Services to the Fatherland (2001), the Georgian “Order for Merit” (2003) and the Dance Magazine Award (2002). In September 2004, Ananiashvili was appointed the artistic director of the State Ballet of Georgia. Ananiashvili plans to continue performing with the State Ballet of Georgia and in guest appearances around the world. American Ballet Theatre’s 2008 Spring Season at The Metropolitan Opera House continues through July 12. For tickets and information, please call 212-362-6000 or visit www.abt.org <http://www.abt.org> . Link to comment
carbro Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 Sorry, missed that part of her continuing to dance with her company and as a guest artist.Maybe, we can still see her as a "guest artist" with ABT.I think "retiring from the Company" means just that, as with Julio Bocca continuing to dance with his ballet company in Argentina (as well as the Tango group) after he retired from ABT. Otherwise, why bother making the announcement? Link to comment
bingham Posted June 17, 2008 Author Share Posted June 17, 2008 Sorry, missed that part of her continuing to dance with her company and as a guest artist.Maybe, we can still see her as a "guest artist" with ABT.I think "retiring from the Company" means just that, as with Julio Bocca continuing to dance with his ballet company in Argentina (as well as the Tango group) after he retired from ABT. Otherwise, why bother making the announcement? Ooops, that's true. Link to comment
Haglund's Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 Oh, this will be tough to take. Nina is one of the few ABT ballerinas who can dance the full spectrum of classical works. She's also one of the few ABT ballerinas who can fill the Met Opera House. Link to comment
drb Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 Nina's Izvestia interview: ABT: retirement, evaluation, major moments, 2009 farewell; Georgia ballet; husband & politics; indispensable cities. Last week Nina Ananiashvili granted an extensive interview* to Izvestia writer Svetlana Naborschikova. A summary with some quotations follows. (Background: It should be noted that, being Izvestia, and given the war-like talk between the Russian Federation and Georgia, interest is not only in the ballerina but also her husband Grigory Vashadze, who early in his career was on the Soviet SALT negotiations team and who is currently Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Georgia.) 1. The Times report of her ABT retirement led to some confusion in Russia as to whether her husband had ordered her retirement from ABT. She explained that this was not the case at all. It seems the Times wanted more information from ABT than just that given in their press release. A person from ABT tried to contact her, but she was on a plane at the moment, so they instead contacted her husband--hence the statement from him, rather than from her. 2. Asked to give strengths and weaknesses of ABT, Ms. Ananaiashvili enumerated: Strengths: the company's cohesion, the civilized relations between the dancers and administration. A family-like atmosphere, the feeling of belonging to an exclusive club. The company is eternally ready to mobilize itself to give a great performance, whatever the circumstances. It has the opportunity to acquire that dancer who is necessary, here and now. An immense repertoire, with knowledge of most of the Classics and the best examples of modernist styles. Weaknesses: not having its own theatrical stage and school. That is however, more than compensated for by its advantages. 3. Asked about her most joyful and sad moments at ABT, and about her farewell in 2009, Nina answered: My most joyful moment was my first [ABT] Swan Lake, May 22, 1993. The most sad was 6 May, 1995, when the company's physiotherapist told me my season would not be, as two ligaments in my left knee were torn. Then the operation, followed by seven months of "hell." ... However, the compelled idle time gave my husband and me seven "honeymoons." We saw hundreds of performances and travelled all over America. Every cloud has a silver lining!...[regarding a farewell performance in NYC] And how! At the end of the 2009 season at the Metropolitan Opera House, all will be as custom dictates: tears, flowers, and champagne! 4. She will be guesting with companies after her ABT retirement, but felt it inappropriate to speak in advance, before companies make announcements and arrangements are complete: there are already more offers than needed, and she will select those that are most interesting. She will continue dancing with her Georgian Ballet, but "As soon as I see that the troupe becomes interesting to producers without me, I shall then cease." When asked if she would dance with The Bolshoi, as Ratmansky had offered, she said "I don't know, Alexei leaves, so to work with him there is already impossible, and simply to dance another Swan Lake, to tell the truth, there is no time." Also, she does not find the New Stage appealing. But, she announced that Mr. Ratmansky has begun working actively with her Company. The reporter said this was joyful news, but wondered about the Company's finances, whether it had acquired influential sponsors. Nina said not yet, nor likely in the foreseeable future. But she has complete support from the Government, for it "understands that without culture, theater, the country would be doomed to provincial vegetation." The four next seasons, with 35 ballets, are planned. 5. Politics. Q: Your husband, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Georgia, is responsible for relations with Russia. Does he ask you for advice?A: At once it is obvious that you were never married to a Georgian! Q: It is true. Russian men sometimes accept advice from their wives. Nevertheless, with your female insights what is necessary to improve relations between our countries? A: To remember our beliefs, our history, the rivers of blood that we've, friend for friend, spilled for each other, our relationships and friendships. If suddenly, inadvertently-contrary to national characters-we make such a step that shows to the world an unprecedented example of our reasonable behavior, it will be easier than it seems today. Q: Is your two-year-old daughter learning the Russian language? A: Russian for my Elena will be as a native language. 6. The discussion shifted to time, and Nina said it had not stopped for her. But that she is saying goodbye to favorite roles, that she had recently danced her last Don Quixote. That she has left the Bolshoi, will soon leave ABT. She has "no desire to fight with time ... such memories are with me that money could not buy. Such families and friends, too. It is terrible to come back to an empty house lined with only photographs of yourself. But every evening I go to a home that is full of joy." 7. Cities. Q: In an interview you said it is difficult for you to not live in New York. Are there other cities that for you are also difficult "not to live in"?A: About New York, possibly it is necessary, and also for Moscow, even if it is somehow inconvenient. I dream of it at night: Moscow, a part of me, most. As well, Tbilisi. Q: In Moscow lots of people wish to see your Georgian Ballet. When could that be? A: I go to Moscow very often (since not to dance, the impression is that I do not). Sergei Filin is actively working to bring us to Moscow next Spring. Q: ... and so wished by Moscow fans ... A: Why just fans? To all Muscovites, enormous happiness to you, my dears! * http://www.izvestia.ru/person/article3118017/?print Link to comment
drb Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 My most joyful moment was my first [ABT] Swan Lake, May 22, 1993. ...and so it will be as Odette/Odile that Ms. Ananiashvili will retire from ABT next summer, according to Nina Alovert in today's issue of Russian Bazaar. (Unfortunately it won't be in the Blair production that had returned to ABT in 1993.) Nina's partner in her first ABT Swan Lake was Jeremy Collins. Her second, four days later, marked the beginning of the partnership with Julio Bocca. Link to comment
Waelsung Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 According to ABT's press release, "n September 2004, Ananiashvili was appointed the artistic director of the State Ballet of Georgia. Ananiashvili plans to continue performing with the State Ballet of Georgia and in guest appearances around the world. "Retiring from ABT, yes, but not from dancing altogether. She'll probably dance until she's 90 - just like Plisetskaya Link to comment
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