Natalia Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Very beautiful opening cerems for the Sochi Winter Olympics. Lots of dance and ballet, including a 'Natasha's Ball (War & Peace) Ballet' set in 18th-C St. Petersburg, starring Svetlana Zakharova, Danil' Korsuntsev, and BOTH famous Vasilievs - Vladimir and Ivan. Also, Vishneva featured in a modern take on Swan Lake, wearing her 'Beauty in Motion' costume with the long beads and a hoop. (I did not quite 'get' it but the music was Swan Lake.) Did anybody catch the name of the choreographer(s) for the various ballet portions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abatt Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 No Lopatkina? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volcanohunter Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 According to the Bolshoi's site, "Natasha's Ball" was choreographed by Radu Poklitaru. http://www.bolshoi.ru/about/press/articles/2014/2846/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marga Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 I am so happy to be seeing (and hearing) so much ballet and ballet music in the opening ceremonies. No matter what else one has to say about the politics of this Olympics, there has never been a more satisfying opening. No horrible rock music, no pop culture of the West, just the enduring popular culture of ballet and beautiful music in Europe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
California Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Ivan Vasiliev just tweeted a link to a brief clip of him in the opening ceremonies: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swanilda8 Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Sadly missed the ceremony and thus didn't get to see any of the ballet. Is the music for Vasiliev's clip right? He looks great, but the choreography seems spectacularly ill-matched to what's playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rg Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 George Tsypin's work for the opening ceremony reflected in large ways some of the design scheme he provided for Ratmansky's SHOSTAKOVICH TRILOGY last spring at ABT. likewise, the beaded collar/aureole Moses Pendleton first devised for his troupe, Momix, and then reworked for Diana Vishneva's "Beauty in Motion" bill, was used to multiple effect(s) for the Swan Lake/dove-of-peace moment featuring Vishenva in Sochi. the commentators mentioned Tsypin but not Pendleton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Reusch Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Link with NY Times Momix review with image of the costume in question. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/16/arts/dance/momixs-botanica-evokes-four-seasons-at-the-joyce-review.html?_r=0 I hear it was created for and premiered at the Fire Island Dance Festival benefiting "Dancers Responding to AIDS"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandik Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 George Tsypin's work for the opening ceremony reflected in large ways some of the design scheme he provided for Ratmansky's SHOSTAKOVICH TRILOGY last spring at ABT. I was wondering about the relationship between this and the Ratmansky, but hadn't looked up the references yet -- many thanks rg! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceeszi Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I am so happy to be seeing (and hearing) so much ballet and ballet music in the opening ceremonies. No matter what else one has to say about the politics of this Olympics, there has never been a more satisfying opening. No horrible rock music, no pop culture of the West, just the enduring popular culture of ballet and beautiful music in Europe. I agree - I have been watching the Olympics since 1976 and I would say this was probably the best Opening Ceremonies ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Reusch Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I didn't realize Danny Esralow was involved... Certainly explains the Momix link... http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-sochi-opening-ceremonies-choreographer-ezralow-20140208,0,6254467.story#axzz2snciFCRh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abatt Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I thought those designs in the opening ceremony looked very much like the designs from the Ratmansky triology. Thanks for clarifying about the designer. By the way, I have been watching the Team figure skating championship today on an alternate NBC channel and noticed that after Yulia Lipinskaya skated her long program for the team, they panned out to the audience. I'm almost certain I saw Sergei Filin in the stands cheering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosa Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Very beautiful opening cerems for the Sochi Winter Olympics. Lots of dance and ballet, including a 'Natasha's Ball (War & Peace) Ballet' set in 18th-C St. Petersburg, starring Svetlana Zakharova, Danil' Korsuntsev, and BOTH famous Vasilievs - Vladimir and Ivan. Also, Vishneva featured in a modern take on Swan Lake, wearing her 'Beauty in Motion' costume with the long beads and a hoop. (I did not quite 'get' it but the music was Swan Lake.) Did anybody catch the name of the choreographer(s) for the various ballet portions? Thank you very much for identifying all the dancers, Natalia! I recognized Diana, thought it was Danil and Ivan. Something about Svetlana's hair made me unsure if it was her, and I didn't know Vladimir. Very pleased with how much ballet, opera, and classical music was part of the opening ceremony. A fitting and beautiful moment having The Firebird playing during the lighting of the Olympic Flame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandik Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 A fitting and beautiful moment having The Firebird playing during the lighting of the Olympic Flame. I've always thought that section of the score works best for long, processional stuff. I've seen it work really well during a grand defile, and it was an excellent choice here as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Abatt, I agree - it looked like Filin to me too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vagansmom Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I didn't see the opening ceremonies. Did Vishneva perform Pendleton's "Dove of Peace" or was she just using the bead skirt costume and dancing to different choreography and music? If the latter, perhaps that's why Moses Pendleton's name wasn't mentioned. I also looked at photos of some of those costumes that mimic the bead skirt. I could be wrong, but they don't look like they're made of beads, but of some kind of rope. I'm just curious because I know that prop very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abatt Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Vishneva's choreography at the Opening Ceremony looked identical to what she did at Beauty in Motion, except that it was set to Swan Lake music. Also, there were a lot more dancers performing with her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drew Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Vishneva's choreography at the Opening Ceremony looked identical to what she did at Beauty in Motion, except that it was set to Swan Lake music. Also, there were a lot more dancers performing with her. I had no idea of any connection between Beauty in Motion and the Opening Ceremonies until reading this thread. I watched the section with Vishneva thinking it made for a lovely enough image for an Olympic opening ceremonies (the dancers...the dove...Vishneva twirling at the center) but that the creators hardly needed one of the world's great ballerinas for it. I'm a little disconcerted to learn it's actually one of her featured specialty numbers.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandik Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 I had no idea of any connection between Beauty in Motion and the Opening Ceremonies until reading this thread. I watched the section with Vishneva thinking it made for a lovely enough image for an Olympic opening ceremonies (the dancers...the dove...Vishneva twirling at the center) but that the creators hardly needed one of the world's great ballerinas for it. I'm a little disconcerted to learn it's actually one of her featured specialty numbers.... I have a feeling that when she works with this specialty costume in the context of a dance concert, rather than a mass movement choir, she's doing something quite different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abatt Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 You can check out her her Beauty in Motion piece on youtube. It's called F.L.O.W., choreographed by Moses Pendleton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubanmiamiboy Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 This thing with the bids reminds me of those old silent clips of the serpentine dance ladies...it is all about the visual effects of the prop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandik Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Interview with Daniel Ezralow about choreographing part of the opening ceremonies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts