Natalia Posted February 13, 2016 Share Posted February 13, 2016 Husband & I will look for Abatt and fellow fans at the KC cafeteria before Tuesday's opener. Saturday, between shows, may also work if I can adjust an earlier commitment. So I'm "in" for Tuesday and "maybe/hopeful" for Saturday evening pre-show get-together at the cafeteria or whatever folks ultimately decide for Saturday. Like many DC ballet fans, I'll be on an early-morning train to NYC on Sunday for the BAM show that evening. Another chance to congregate. Link to comment
Drew Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 I have plans for dinner Sat but am hoping to meet people during intermission -- I suppose by Kennedy head? -- Friday & Sat. This is assuming health & weather cooperate for trip! The way the airlines work it's actually cheaper for me to fly from D.C. to NY than to take train since I am flying into D.C. As always with the airlines - ours not to reason why. But I do hope to be at BAM as well on Sunday night. I know I'm lucky to be able even to plan this kind of trip, but confess to a twinge of envy for those of you who live in cities that get great ballet regularly, touring companies and all. I am not a sanguine traveler. Link to comment
cubanmiamiboy Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 I will be rushing to catch the 23th performance, because my plane arrives in DC with very little time to spare-( I might even have to go straight to the KC before hotel), but I will be there until the 28th, so I will be happy to meet!! ;-) Link to comment
FauxPas Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 I will be doing a double header on Saturday the 27th seeing Kolegova at the matinee and Big Red in the evening. Would be happy to meet up between shows. Link to comment
Kaysta Posted February 22, 2016 Share Posted February 22, 2016 Mariinsky DC week is finally here! Link to comment
Birdsall Posted February 22, 2016 Share Posted February 22, 2016 I will check the JFK head during intermissions but I doubt I will remember which days everyone is attending. But I have met a few people in the past so if I recognize people I will also meet new people. Problem is I won't recognize people who I don't know when there isn't a person I know standing there but maybe I will say, "Hello!" to strangers that look like they are looking for others! And if they aren't BA people, oh, well....LOL Link to comment
MadameP Posted February 22, 2016 Share Posted February 22, 2016 I will check the JFK head during intermissions but I doubt I will remember which days everyone is attending. But I have met a few people in the past so if I recognize people I will also meet new people. Problem is I won't recognize people who I don't know when there isn't a person I know standing there but maybe I will say, "Hello!" to strangers that look like they are looking for others! And if they aren't BA people, oh, well....LOL Maybe you should all wear a red carnation to enable easy BA identification(? Or similar? Or adopt a pose (to be pre-determined, such as Raymonda Hungarian pose?!) Hope you all enjoy Raymonda! Link to comment
Drew Posted February 22, 2016 Share Posted February 22, 2016 Birdsall's plan is pretty much mine as well -- to head to Kennedy head Friday/Sat intermissions and hope that those I recognize will allow for a graceful hello to people I have yet to meet! That is, with the universe's cooperation and spitting to ward off the evil eye that I make it! Link to comment
Birdsall Posted February 22, 2016 Share Posted February 22, 2016 Maybe you should all wear a red carnation to enable easy BA identification(? Or similar? Or adopt a pose (to be pre-determined, such as Raymonda Hungarian pose?!) Hope you all enjoy Raymonda! LOL Hungarian pose would be funny. I notice some people have their pic on their BA profile. How do you add a pic? Link to comment
cubanmiamiboy Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 So by the sculpture then...? Perfect. As usual, blonde skinny guy all in black with glasses, easy to recognize here. I am working tonight, so I will be destroyed by tomorrow evening, but..ballet will save the day!! See you all there! Link to comment
Natalia Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 LOL Hungarian pose would be funny. I notice some people have their pic on their BA profile. How do you add a pic?I tried to add my pic (avatar). BA admins seem not to know. I saw the spot where one would presumably "touch" to upload a photo (box with "grey head") but it seems locked (?). Maybe it has to do with number of posts achieved or level, in order to be able to upload one's pic? I'm only at Diamond level w/ a mere 5,000 posts, so I cannot upload my pic. (Ha ha)Until then, here's the link to profile pic on my FB page, surrounded by Zurich's swans: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php (Jeannette Nabatov) Looking forward to seeing everyone tonight and in days ahead. Safe travels to all. RAYMONDA or bust! Link to comment
Helene Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 That's a great solution, Natalia, since we don't support avatars for BA! Most people who want their profile photo to be public have it posted on social media, and a link is fine. Also, Google and Flickr, for example, allow people to host photos and link to them. Link to comment
Birdsall Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 But I have seen a couple of pics in place of the outline of a head. Link to comment
Birdsall Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 At the open rehearsal. Lots of marking by Smekalov and a little bit by Kondaurova. The children who clack their knees with palms must be local and under rehearsed because they are not as "perfect" in formations as Vaganova students. Not criticizing them. They probably haven't been able to rehearse much.but that means we all get that little dance that is sometimes cut when Vaganova is on break. Just not as perfect. Link to comment
MadameP Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 At the open rehearsal. Lots of marking by Smekalov and a little bit by Kondaurova. The children who clack their knees with palms must be local and under rehearsed because they are not as "perfect" in formations as Vaganova students. Not criticizing them. They probably haven't been able to rehearse much.but that means we all get that little dance that is sometimes cut when Vaganova is on break. Just not as perfect. I love that little dance. At Bolshoi, it is done by smaller ballerinas, not children, but I do love to see the children! Link to comment
SimonA Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 Discounted orchestra seats available for $39 for Wednesday and Thursday: http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/event/BQBSE?promotionno=221914 Link to comment
Birdsall Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 At the end of the rehearsal the entire corps, etc. turned to watch Raymonda and Jean de Brienne ride off on horses (fake horses), but nobody showed up so the whole stage was looking upstage expectantly with arms aimed upstage and nothing. Then, curtain. Later they redid it (started the scene over) and horses came out late and Raymonda was behind Jean de Brienne. I think in Russia she is always in front of him. Anyway, lots of minor blips and mess ups. And as I said above some marking by various soloists. The commentary on the head set you could get for this rehearsal was aimed at people with no knowledge of this ballet so was better ignoring it. It was funny to see the stage manager (or whoever he was) come on throughout in a black jogging suit correcting the blocking of the action. It was funny to see a modern jogging suit amid all the medieval costumes. Link to comment
cubanmiamiboy Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 Just arriving to the airport! No time to stop by my hotel, so I am heading straight to the theater, luggage and all. Very excited, yay!! Link to comment
Buddy Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 From several of the Costa Mesa, California performances, Kristina Shapran's very brief Clemence solo was perhaps the highlight. Watch for it tonight. I enjoyed all the secondary solos very much. Oxana Skorik's dancing was classical elegance at its finest. Hope that you all have a great time ! Link to comment
cubanmiamiboy Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 I am next to the big head!! Is anybody around?? Please report!! ;-) Link to comment
Liotarded Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 I'm here too. Gray suit, orange tie. Wife taller than me! Link to comment
Birdsall Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 Nice meeting Liotarded, Natalia, and seeing CubanMiamiBoy again! I might write more tomorrow but a quick note before bed. For me Opening Night had a principal who is simply not ready to command the stage. The worst moment came when Abderakhman took Skorik from the two troubadours and held her aloft in Act 2. I was in the second row and there was absolute fear and nervousness on her face. Every other current Mariinsky Raymonda hides her fear. I mean, if someone as thin as Zverev lifted me like that I guess I would be scared too, but I am not a stage performer! I enjoyed seeing the company dance this ballet overall. I had fun, but it is sad that there were so many corps dancers and soloists I would have loved to see in this role. Link to comment
Natalia Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 It was great seeing so many old friends & several new ones tonight, before the show and at 2nd intermission! As for the show.... Enjoyed tonight's opener overall but there were lots of little slips and one gigantic musical "boo boo" by Oxana Skorik as Raymonda, commencing her scarf variation in the middle of the solo-harpist's introduction, before the full orchestra began to play (then restarting her variation...oops!). She was exceedingly nervous tonight. As the possessor of a perfect physical instrument, it's hard to believe that she seems to have so little self confidence. Hopefully she'll get it together as this week progresses. Konstantin Zverev gave it his all as Abderakhman, contrasting with Timur Askerov, who was practically a non-entity as Jean; when he finally got to dance a solo near the end of the night, it was passable. Kristina Shapran was lovely if a bit shaky as Clemence. (Maybe she's thinking ahead to her Odette/Odile debut back home next week?) On the other hand, Nadezhda Batoeva was simply fantastic and sharp as Henriette in her A2 solo, prefaced by a long "glare" at the audience during the previous applause for the Pas de Six adagio. Batoeva set herself apart from the other five, stood center stage, paused to stare at the audience as if saying, "Now watch this and see who is Top Bi... here!" Then she calmly walked to her opening position for the solo and nailed it! THIS is a future Prima!!! The top male gun in the A2 Pas de Six was Vitaly Amelishko as one of the troubadours, with his high entrechats and gorgeous leg line. As the two Dream Variation ladies, neither Victoria Krasnokutskaya nor Sophia Ivanova-Skoblikova was on the music, although the latter improved when dancing the "Slavic Girl solo" in A3. Even there, though, there were little off-balance moments. Maybe suffering jet lag? Ernest Latypov was the clear standout in the famous male quartet. Olga Belik and Boris Zhurilov led a stellar Hungarian Dance. Xenia Dubrovina and Dmitri Pykhachov gave oomph to the Mazurka. The corps de ballet overcame some iffy playing from the orchestra pit. Bart was right - those kids with the sticks needed a bit more practice...but they certainly seemed to have a great time. At the end, a very awkward moment when the spotlight shined on the red curtain...but nobody came out after a very long wait. Finally the lights went out. One of those mixed nights. - Natalia Nabatova Link to comment
Drew Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 Opening nights are often 'meh' especially for companies on tour and no matter what the cast. Link to comment
Birdsall Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 I forgot about Skorik's early start during the scarf variation, Natalia! She had to start over after she realized she started too early. You are right. The orchestra had some iffy moments. I missed the Mariinsky orchestra very much which is much more used to playing this score and plays it with more oomph! The Kennedy Center opera house orchestra might have never played it until now in their defense. I know that a few dancers seemed frustrated with the orchestra during the open rehearsal. Amelishko has lost weight and no longer looks like that Game of Thrones Amazon, so he was better. I agree Zverev gave his all. Askerov and Skorik did not. He is a true artist. I think Skorik still concentrates and worries about technique constantly. I think Natalia is right that it is a self confidence thing. No idea. Her acting is marred by lots of "Okay, let me do the next step..." faces. Link to comment
Recommended Posts