Bolshoi: London 2013 (29 July-17 Aug) @ Royal Opera House

[Helene]

Ismene Brown re-tweeted about today's report in Dancing Times that following the cancellation of the new Wayne McGregor "Rite of Spring," the original mixed bill will be replaced by "Jewels" during the London tour.

Also reported is that the new "Sleeping Beauty" that opened the Bolshoi Theatre will be performed, as well as "Swan Lake" (the opening ballet), "La Bayadere," and the closer, Ratmansky's "The Flames of Paris" with Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev.

Dancers expected to appear in London include Maria Alexandrova, Maria Allash, Nina Kaptsova, Anna Nikulina, Evgenia Obraztsova, Ekaterina Shipulina, Anastasia Stashkevich, Olga Smirnova, Semyon Chudin, David Hallberg, Mikhail Lobukhin, Viacheslav Lopatin, Artem Ovcharenko, Ruslan Skvortsov and Nikolai Tsiskaridze.

[abatt]

I'm soooo jealous. Wish I could go to London to see this engagement.

[Cygnet]

Cast lists have been announced: http://www.theartsdesk.com/dance/bolshoi-full-casting-box-office-opens.

[California]

Some interesting things in that article...e.g., Hallberg's absence and the one performance by Osipova/Vasiliev (of Flames of Paris).

[trieste]

So nice to see Smirnova on those lists! Truly envious of all who will be in London to see these performances.

Edit: Has Smirnova had a Swan Lake at home/before this?

[volcanohunter]

The Royal Opera House has posted extremely detailed casting lists for everything except Swan Lake, which I expect the webmasters simply haven't finished yet. No doubt a good chunk will be reshuffled by the time the season starts, but as noted there have been changes since the initial announcements in January:

The principal artists listed for London are (female) Maria Alexandrova,

Maria Allash

, Nina Kaptsova, [Kristina Kretova], [Ekaterina Krysanova],

Svetlana Lunkina

,

Anna Nikulina

, Evgenia Obraztsova, Natalia Osipova, Ekaterina Shipulina, Anastasia Stashkevich, Olga Smirnova, [Anna Tikhomirova] and Svetlana Zakharova; (male) Semyon Chudin, [Dmitry Gudanov],

David Hallberg

, [Vladislav Lantratov],

Mikhail Lobukhin

,

Vyacheslav Lopatin

, [Andrei Merkuriev], Artem Ovcharenko, Ruslan Skvortsov,

Nikolai Tsiskaridze

, Ivan Vasiliev and Alexander Volchkov.

The Osipova/Vasiliev Flames of Paris is close of sold out already.

http://www.roh.org.uk/about/bolshoi

Olga Smirnova has not done an Odette-Odile yet. She may yet make her debut in May before performing the part in London.

[trieste]

I'm dying to see how she'll fare in the second act. I'm not sure I've seen her in a role with such bombast as Odile (or with as much turning as that). I can't imagine her Odette as anything short of magical.

[volcanohunter]

This episode of "Ticket to the Bolshoi" begins with a story on the 60th anniversary of Marina Kondratieva's work at the theater. In it you can see a tiny bit of Smirnova rehearsing Odette, starting at about 7:21.

[cubanmiamiboy]

Flash flash! Cubanmiamiboy will be in London! I planned my yearly European vacation this year around the Bolshoi appearances. I was originally going to go to Russia, but the London tour was too attractive to let go, so I'm in! I bought tickets already fo me and my mother. Swan Lake, 07/30 with Alexandrova/Skvortsov. Bayadere, 08/03 with Smirnova/Loparevich/Krisanova and 08/05 Sleeping Beauty with Kaptsova/Ovcharenko. Can't wait!!!

[Mashinka]

London will be enhanced by your presence.

[cubanmiamiboy]

London will be enhanced by your presence.

Oh my...I need to print this and put in up hight in my apartment...

Please...if anyone plan to be in London as well, let me know se maybe we can organize a little get-together post performance or something. That would be fun! Mashinka...I will send you a PM.

[volcanohunter]

Cristian, remember that Carlos Acosta will be at the Coliseum at the same time.

http://www.sadlerswells.com/show/Carlos-Acosta-Classical-Selection

[cubanmiamiboy]

Cristian, remember that Carlos Acosta will be at the Coliseum at the same time.

http://www.sadlerswe...sical-Selection

Hmmm...I will check that out too. Thanks for the update, volcanohunter!

[volcanohunter]

Olga Smirnova's Swan Lake debut is scheduled for May 16.

http://www.bolshoi.ru/en/performances/36/roles/#20130516190000

[trieste]

Wonderful news! I'm sure she'll do well and really hope someone gets clips online.

[MRR]

The ROH website now indicates that David Hallberg is dancing the prince in the August 6th Sleeping Beauty alongside Zakharova as Aurora and Smirnova as Lilac. And another casting change: Alexander Volchkov will replace Ruslan Skvortsov as prince for the August 9th Beauty (also partnering Zakharova).

[volcanohunter]

Here come the Bolshoi cast changes. Merde.

[abatt]

I didn't see any possible way that Hallberg would be shut out of the London visit by the Bolshoi. It was just a matter of time before they worked him into the schedule.

[volcanohunter]

Will other dancers now be bumped to make room for him in Swan Lake, La Bayadère and "Diamonds"? I realize it's not Hallberg's fault that he was injured for a long time, but it's not fair to those who have been toiling away in his absence. Every day they've been dealing with the hell that's embroiled the Bolshoi for the last five months, and he swoops in for the glamour job.

[Jayne]

Will other dancers now be bumped to make room for him in Swan Lake, La Bayadère and "Diamonds"? I realize it's not Hallberg's fault that he was injured for a long time, but it's not fair to those who have been toiling away in his absence. Every day they've been dealing with the hell that's embroiled the Bolshoi for the last five months, and he swoops in for the glamour job.

I would say the dance shoe is on the other foot. David toiled in the ABT corps for many years while Russian dancers swooped in for the glamour jobs in NYC, etc.

[volcanohunter]

Not the same ones.

[Helene]

I think dancers, like athletes, look at their competition's recovery schedules and can guess their fate. It's like when the star second baseman recovers in time for the World Series: chances are, he'll make the lineup.

[volcanohunter]

They're not second-string infielders. They're Bolshoi principals. Real Bolshoi principals.

[Helene]

Sometimes the second-string infielders are almost as valuable to the team as the star who's out with an injury, and they can sometimes be better players. If Hallberg is being cast -- and we don't know if the dancers previously on the roster were told in advance that they'd be replaced if he recovered or that they were placeholders because the company needed to give advanced casting -- then the Bolshoi thinks he's more valuable on tour than not, just like the Royal Ballet decided that giving the premiere of Macmillan's "Romeo and Juliet" to Fonteyn and Nureyev was more valuable to the company. That doesn't mean it was good to be either Seymour or Gable in that situation.

The Bolshoi advertises casting well in advance, like ABT. In a company like PNB (10 days notice) or NYCB (it used to be 7 days), this wouldn't be a public issue.

[KarenAG]

Flash flash! Cubanmiamiboy will be in London! I planned my yearly European vacation this year around the Bolshoi appearances. I was originally going to go to Russia, but the London tour was too attractive to let go, so I'm in! I bought tickets already fo me and my mother. Swan Lake, 07/30 with Alexandrova/Skvortsov. Bayadere, 08/03 with Smirnova/Loparevich/Krisanova and 08/05 Sleeping Beauty with Kaptsova/Ovcharenko. Can't wait!!!

Oh, Cristian, that's great news, you lucky devil ! Have a wonderful time (how could you not?! ).. ~Karen