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Olga Smirnova

Zachary

By Zachary
in Dancers

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Fleurdelis

Fleurdelis

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According to her website, she is also sheduled to appear in the upcoming Fall for Dance festival at the NY City Center on 1 and 2 of October in a Van Manen piece Variations for Two Couples.

I wonder if she is planning more appearances here in the US now that she has gone international.

I also wonder if we will ever again see any Russian ballet stars here in the US, at least during my lifetime.

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Buddy

Buddy

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This is a video of Olga Smirnova et Victor Caixeta in rehearsal on World Ballet Day at the Dutch National Ballet this year. It starts at 1:19:00.

(thanks to Drew and Sophia at Dansomanie)

For a comparison this is Olga Smirnova et Ruslan Skvortsov two years ago, “Onegin #WorldBalletDay 2020 - The Bolshoi Ballet.”  It starts at 2:16:50.

At quick glance, I would say that she looked softer and more flowing two years ago. On the other hand, she seems more beautifully statuesque in this video. It’s nice to hear her speaking in english. It makes her more accessible for us. She seems relaxed and happy. Larissa Lezhnina looks lovely.

 

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Buddy

Buddy

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Several days ago Olga Smirnova celebrated her 31st Birthday. Congratulations !

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cko9YaWo085/?hl=en

I think that this quick glance is rather nice.

Thank you @yagp for this wonderful idea to give masterclass to these beautiful Ukrainian girls. It was a pleasure to share my experience with you, little ballerinas! I wish you all to find many fulfilling moments within our beloved profession. The best of luck for all of you!💛💙💛💙

Click to right to view video clip.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce1Z5BQILXR/?hl=en

 

Edited by Buddy
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Drew

Drew

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Posted (edited)
4 hours ago, Buddy said:

Several days ago Olga Smirnova celebrated her 31st Birthday. Congratulations !

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cko9YaWo085/?hl=en

I think that this quick glance is rather nice.

Thank you @yagp for this wonderful idea to give masterclass to these beautiful Ukrainian girls. It was a pleasure to share my experience with you, little ballerinas! I wish you all to find many fulfilling moments within our beloved profession. The best of luck for all of you!💛💙💛💙

Click to right to view video clip.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce1Z5BQILXR/?hl=en

 

Lovely to read about this master class ...

Edited by Drew
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Fleurdelis

Fleurdelis

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16 hours ago, Buddy said:

This is a recent video of Olga Smirnova performing Fokine’s “The Swan.” I’m not sure where. Her power of sincere and heartfelt expression is Exceptional. Embarking on a journey perhaps not too different from that of Anna Pavlova this video seems quite appropriate.

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

 

Wow, what a different take on the subject, so much expressiveness and naturalism! Finally someone who understands that death is painful and tragic! Other stars only care to show off how gorgeous of a swan they are.

Edited by Fleurdelis
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Buddy

Buddy

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I posted this elsewhere but thought that I might give it a try here as well:

With Olga Smirnova your imagination can run wild. She’s probably the most expressive performer, in terms of theatre, in the art form. She also has had much of the finest training there is in classical dance.

In terms of expression, if someone could combine the most poetically beautiful of William Shakespeare with the most charming highlights of Walt Disney, she probably could. I would say that she’s the Meryl Streep of the art form. I would predict that her career will run for decades, with physical demands being replaced by high artistry and theatre. She may go in the direction of Christopher Wheeldon in exploring the possibilities of combining the ethereality of the ‘high arts’ with the delight of the popular ones, or she might remain one of the most refined of all performing artists in the manner of Anna Pavlova and Galina Ulanova. And then there’s the entire world in between.

That’s my Scenario #I. Want to give one of your’s a try ?   😊

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Buddy

Buddy

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My two favorite ballerinas are probably Olga Smirnova and Oxana Skorik. As Olga Smirnova continues to explore new directions, Oxana Skorik becomes even more the epitome of refined grace and beauty.

I greatly look forward to seeing what Olga Smirnova will accomplish. It should be a fascinating and beautiful artistic journey. I also wonder to what extent her Vaganova fineness will shine through. The combination of this and her remarkable expressiveness make her very special. She says in the posted interview that she will perform Swan Lake in March. She also mentions again in the interview that she hopes that she can someday participate in a cultural revival in a peaceful and non-repressive, renewed Russia. I’d really like to see this happen.

And I look forward to seeing how Oxana Skorik will do in terms of expression. When she does commit in an unforced and natural statement of warmth and heartfelt understanding, along with her pure dance loveliness, she becomes as fine as there is.

In reverse order from my Oxana Skorik post yesterday, here once again for a comparison are the two perhaps finest ballerinas in the world today.

“The Swan”

Olga Smirnova -- compelling expression and fine gracefulness

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

Oxana Skorik -- wonderful grace and refinement

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bf9AqDajr_0&t=60s

 

And if I wonder how Olga Smirnova’s Vaganova fineness will continue to shine through, from back in September, could anything be lovelier.

John Neumeier’s “Third Symphony of Mahler.”

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

(all videos were officially posted)

 

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Drew

Drew

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2 hours ago, AB'sMom said:

I bought tickets for Swan Lake since I’ll be in Amsterdam this spring, but have no idea yet of the casting. Weekend performances are already selling out. Fingers crossed I get to see Olga Smirnova.

Whoever you see, it would be gread to read about. (They have several wonderful ballerinas--but yes, I hope you get to see Smirnova.)

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Buddy

Buddy

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One minute trailer of Olga Smirnova’s Swan Lake with the Dutch National Ballet. She performed it three times in March and will again Thursday. She looks as fine as ever. I hope to be in Europe in May and June. If she’s performing anything of this quality I may try to see it. I once saw a fine Bolshoi Swan Lake series in Amsterdam (Zakharova, Alexandrova, Gracheva) so this might be as close to that as I’ll get for awhile. And I’ve always seen outstanding performances by this remarkable artist.

 

Edited by Buddy
typo corrections
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FauxPas

FauxPas

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On 4/2/2023 at 1:43 PM, Buddy said:

I once saw a fine Bolshoi Swan Lake series in Amsterdam (Zakharova, Alexandrova, Gracheva) so this might be as close to that as I’ll get for awhile. And I’ve always seen outstanding performances by this remarkable artist.

 

I saw Smirnova dance Odette/Odile in "Swan Lake" with the Bolshoi on tour at the Theater formerly known as New York State several years ago.  She was wonderful but could not redeem the truly dire Grigorovich staging which has idiotic ideas suggesting that O-O is totally a projection created by Von Rothbart.  Very hard to care about her or the story.  Horrible dated 1970's costuming.

I don't know who does the Het staging of "Swan Lake" but it must be better than the Grigorovich.  BTW: the Russians LOVE the Grigorovich "Swan Lake" and couldn't believe that it was reviled by U.S. audiences and critics.  I would welcome the opportunity to experience Smirnova's Swan in a decent staging that respects the original concept.

 

Edited by FauxPas
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Helene

Helene

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I agree that Kudelka's was loathesome -- NBoC toured it to the West Coast in 2005 -- but he had a point putting those princesses on auction blocks.  The only way I'll be remember anything else about it is if I try to find what I wrote about it at the time.

I looked back and found I saw Xiao Nn Yu with Patrick Lavoie and Heather Ogden with Guillaume Cote.

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AB'sMom

AB'sMom

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I went to a production of Swan Lake last week but didn’t get to see Smirnova. Odette doesn’t die in this production, but Siegfried drowns at the end. My daughter is a student at the Dutch National Ballet Academy and is in the swan corp for some of the performances. Unfortunately I didn’t get to see her perform either. The shows sold out long before I knew any casting.

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