Yuri Grigorovich Ballet Theatre

[DanceActress]

Hi,

I'm going to St. Petersburg at the end of July- my first trip! I had tickets for the Vishneva Gala at the Maryinsky Theatre, but I found out today that that has been cancelled I should have known- I'm a New Yorker, and I've been following her casting news on this site.

So, apparently, the Yuri Grigorovich Ballet Theatre will be replacing the Vishneva Gala. They're performing "Swan Lake", "La Bayadere", and "Romeo and Juliet". At this point, I'll see anything at the Maryinsky but I can't find any information online about this company.

Has anyone seen them dance? Are there any "names" among the soloists?

[dirac]

I would also be interested in knowing more.

Have a nice trip, DanceActress, and I hope you'll tell us about it!

[cubanmiamiboy]

Here's some info from their website. (I hope this is the same company as YGBT)

GRIGOROVICH BALLET OF RUSSIA

Yuri Grigorovich, artistic director

of the Grigorovich Ballet Company

The Grigorovich Ballet Company was founded in the summer of 1990 by Yuri Grigorovich, the legendary artistic director and chief choreographer of the Bolshoi Ballet from 1964 to 1994. Rehearsals started in August and on November 2nd, 1990 a first performance of ìThe Nutcracker" was presented on the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre. The design of the production was created by the eminent theatre designer Simon Virsaladze, to whose memory the performance was dedicated.

During it's first two seasons, the Grigorovich Ballet Company gave 35 performances at the Bolshoi Theatre. The soloists and teachers of the Bolshoi Ballet worked closely with the new company. Ludmila Semenyaka, Nadezhda Pavlova, Anatoly Musarov, Andrei Nikonov all participated in the performances together with their new colleagues, and Marina Kindratieva, Rimma Karelskaya, Nikolai Simachev, Mikhail Lavrovsky rehearsed with the young artists.

The Grigorovich Ballet Company now counts more than 90 dancers. They are graduates of Leningrad, Kiev, Perm, and Novosibirsk ballet schools, as well as the Moscow Choreography School.

Under the direction of Maestro Grigorovich, the Grigorovich Ballet Company has become the leading showcase institution for the great choreographer's masterworks, including "The Nutcracker," "Giselle", "Swan Lake", "The Golden Age", "Spartacus" and "Raymonda", as well as "Tchaikovsky Evening", an evening of dance suites from all three of the composer's ballets, "The Nutcracker", "Swan Lake" and "The Sleeping Beauty". The company's repertoire also includes "Divertissement", a gala evening of fragments from the classical repertoire - including Bournonville - and contemporary pieces.

Commissioned by the Athens Concert Hall, the first work created for the Grigorovich Ballet Company, "Electra", was staged by Yuri Grigorovich together with his pupils Sergei Bobrov and Andrei Melanin. The Grigorovich Ballet Company was invited to appear at the Athens Festival in the summer of 1992, where the company performed the new work with great success. After Athens, the Grigorovich Ballet Company went on to tour other cities in Greece with a varied repertoire. The Grigorovich Ballet Company has also participated at the Spoletto Festival in Italy, at the invitation of Jean Carlo Menotti. The company has toured extensively throughout Europe, the Far East and North America.

http://www.sara-artists.com/GBC/grigorovich_ballet_eng.htm

[Mashinka]

Has anyone seen them dance? Are there any "names" among the soloists?

I saw them dance in Birmingham, UK, about five years ago and their regular company members were pretty good. The leading dancer then was Elena Kniazkova whom I liked a lot though I don't know if she's still with them. Anastasia Volochkova famously dances with this company, Ms V. is of course an acquired taste but many people like that sort of thing.

The ballets, with the exception of Swan Lake will be well worth watching, though the R & J is toured in a slightly reduced version.

Here are some pictures of Kniazkova:

http://homepage3.nifty.com/officek-a/art_elena.html

[DanceActress]

Thank you for the information. I knew that Ballet Talkers would have answers

Volochkova I haven't heard about her since her weight scandal! I'm not sure I want to see her dance, but I'm happy that she is still dancing.

Mashinka, what's wrong with their version of Swan Lake?

[Mashinka]

Grigorovich's Swan Lake is not traditional, the emphasis is on the Prince rather than the Swan Queen and the national dances are danced on point.