Olga Smirnova

[FireDancer]

1 hour ago, Helene said:

I honestly don't remember.  It was a pretty awful production.  I'd liked him in other ballets when NBoC toured.  

Cool, thanks for the reply!

[volcanohunter]

1 hour ago, AB'sMom said:

Odette doesn’t die in this production, but Siegfried drowns at the end.

This became a kind of trend in the 1960s, possibly beginning with Cranko, who said something along the lines of Siegfried is a tragic hero and must be vanquished. Nureyev and Bruhn followed suit.

Edited April 4, 2023 by volcanohunter

[BalletPerfection1]

Luckily the version of the Dutch National Ballet is much better than the Grigorovich version. Especially the fourth act is very nice the Van Dantzig version, definitely my favorite part of the ballet. 

I have been a fan of Smirnova since she graduated from Vaganova, so the news last year she joined the Dutch national ballet, was something i was so happy about. I have been able to have seen her in every big classic (Raymonda, Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake) she has danced so far at DNB and she is incredible. 😃

Edited April 5, 2023 by BalletPerfection1

[Buddy]

There’s little new that I’ve been able to find. She will be performing Raymonda at the Dutch National Ballet, Amsterdam, with Victor Caixeta several times this month. Nice to see them together, like old times. Wish I could be there.

Since she left Russia she has also participated in other ballet ‘directions.’ Her intent is to broaden her range. I think that in the ‘right type’ of work that she will exhibit this with remarkable ability. I still have the hope that she will find Her Own new voice with which she could be outstanding. I’ve never seen her on stage give a performance that I didn’t think was excellent, but these were all classic works, ones that for me hold the most interest, still, from all that she’s done to date.

Thus I’m glad to see the announcement of the Raymondas. In addition, she remains probably as close to great Russian ballet as we’re going to get for awhile. I really look forward to seeing her again, if only for that reason, but hopefully for much more as well.

(This is an old New York Times article from April 2022 that I missed, that sums up relatively well all that happened up to that date. It’s maybe a nice refresher.)

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/15/arts/olga-smirnova-ballet-bolshoi-ukraine-war.html

[Buddy]

So I keep wondering what’s going on today with possibly the most interesting and one of the most talented ballerinas in the world at this moment ?  There’s nothing posted at her site since December about future performances.

She’s probably the ballerina that I most want to see, that I could have a chance to see. Although I’ve noticed no definitive changes in her approach, I still consider her the one ballet dancer that’s the most likely to present a significant development in/of the art form. The one thing that’s been primary in the performances of her’s that I’ve attended is that she’s always outstanding.

The only new information that I’ve found is that she was working with Wayne McGregor at the Dutch National Ballet in January. This is from the interview that follows. She also mentions William Forsythe working with the company, but I’ve seen no mention of her performing his work. I’d really like to see her doing works by these two, but what would be most exciting to me, as I’ve often said, would be for her to create a newer identity, completely her own.

The following video is from January 18 and has only audio content. There’s nothing really new except for the mention of Wayne McGregor. Still, it’s a nice summary of some of her thoughts and happenings.   

An interview with Olga Smirnova | Why Dance Matters

Royal Academy of Dance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLak7u3Xm20

A few of her thoughts:

Because of videos you need to be perfect at all times.

On stage she never thinks about the technical aspects. She’s only focused on her character.

Once on stage she’s never nervous.

Immediately starting work after leaving Russia saved her emotionally. After only three weeks with the Royal Dutch Ballet she performed Raymonda. She says that the company will always will be her home.

She says that through her coach Larissa Lezhnina, former First Soloist at the Mariinsky, she hopes to help preserve the Saint Petersburg’s ballet style and tradition.

Dance is an art. “Art helps us find inspiration to exist.”

Added:

Again, a look back at something slightly different and very lovely.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cis1zRjI8UP/?hl=en

 

Edited February 6, 2024 by Buddy
last sentence added and "Added"

[volcanohunter]

Smirnova is not dancing the lead in Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's Frida this month, but on 18 February she is performing at the Dance for Ukraine gala at the London Paladium.

https://lwtheatres.co.uk/whats-on/dance-for-ukraine-in-aid-of-the-arts-in-ukraine/

And on 17 March she is scheduled to appear at the Ballet Icons Gala at the London Coliseum, although the casting for that gala is notoriously "fluid."

https://balleticonsgala.com/ 

[Buddy]

5 hours ago, volcanohunter said:

Smirnova is not dancing the lead in Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's Frida this month, but on 18 February she is performing at the Dance for Ukraine gala at the London Paladium.

https://lwtheatres.co.uk/whats-on/dance-for-ukraine-in-aid-of-the-arts-in-ukraine/

And on 17 March she is scheduled to appear at the Ballet Icons Gala at the London Coliseum, although the casting for that gala is notoriously "fluid."

https://balleticonsgala.com/ 

Thank you, Volcanohunter.

It was at the “Galina Ulanova 100th Anniversary - Russian Ballet Icons” performances at the London Coliseum, 2011 where I first saw her. I believe that she was still a student, but I thought that she was really quite special.

 

Edited February 7, 2024 by Buddy
spelling correction

[Buddy]

This is from the recent interview where she discusses her Giselle performance with ABT. What she says is something that we probably all have felt across many works to one degree or another. I hope that she will perform more often with ABT. She could beautifully complement its new group of highly talented young (and older) ballerinas.

“[Giselle] is one of my favorites, because you have the opportunity to focus on the acting and the story. Before I go onstage I’m not thinking about having to do double or triple pirouettes or balances or other technical challenges, but I focus on my character’s behavior and reactions. This way the technique is woven into the narrative and brings me the pleasure of living Giselle’s life on stage.”

https://fjordreview.com/blogs/all/a-giselle-for-the-ages

(thanks to Novice123)

Although I think that her greatness of expression often comes from a deep inner exploration this might also give her a chance to experiment with a more relaxed, Wheeldon type aesthetic. She’s already succeeded with her delightful Bianca in Taming of the Shrew. It could also introduce her to new dance experimentation in this part of the world. I think that she could produce something quite outstanding in addition to her ongoing desire for classical excellence and what’s she’s already accomplished. Veronika Part once made a similar voyage with some Remarkable(!) results.

 

 

[Buddy]

There’s been much mention of Olga Smirnova here because of her recent Giselle performance with The American Ballet Theatre in New York City. I believe that someone said that she was in a league of her own.

I was not fortunate enough to see any of the current ABT performances, but I have been fortunate enough to see some of Olga Smirnova’s performances going back to the beginning of her career.

One of my favorite references for dance wonder is Mikhail Fokine’s “The Swan.” There are many ways of interpreting it from ethereally dreamlike to sublimely dramatic. Olga Smirnova excels most for me in Expression, sublimely dramatic Expression.

Making allowances for the qualified film quality, hopefully this can be seen here. For me, everything that she does emanates from her face. Her Facial Expression is carried through to her every gesture, radiates out through her finger tips. It’s an example of what she says in the previous post. “This way the technique is woven into the narrative.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck3N5xlo38W/?hl=en

In regard to Expression, in particular, Facial Expression, this is the league that I would put her in.

https://klimbim2014.wordpress.com/2016/02/03/anna-pavlova-in-pharaos-daughter/

 

[Buddy]

I’ve been watching this remarkably beautiful video, "The Swan," over and over. Olga Smirnova has voiced her interest in both preserving ‘classical’ beauty and exploring new and different forms of dance expression. Why can’t they be combined ?

Watching “The Swan” I realized how interesting a work it is. A human capturing the beauty of a swan, being a swan. It’s perhaps a lot more modern than it seems. This is somewhat like the ‘abstractions’ of ‘modern’ dance.  Be a leaf, etc. Maybe, in addition to pushing physical and psychological barriers, a stronger element of loveliness, healthiness and dreaminess could also be encouraged.

I think that Olga Smirnova could be great at this. I also think that ABT could be as good a place as any to do it.

Added:

I’d like to say that this is probably the most natural looking performance, especially in her portrayal, that I’ve ever seen her give.

Quite Wonderful.

Again:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck3N5xlo38W/?hl=en

 

Edited July 2 by Buddy