Is Alyona Kovalyova "Zvezda" material ??

[Buddy]

1 hour ago, Quinten said:

Buddy, try following _kovalenka_ on Instagram to see what kind of mutual support there is.  The first photo is worth a thousand words , although these are soloists/corps members, not primas. The next photo is the only one I could find with her hanging out with a prima, in this case Yulia Stepanova (on the far right), while they were at a gala in Tbilisi last year.  Stepanova "liked" the photo, one way of showing support. 

 

 

_kovalenka_✨ Last night’s “Etudes” ✨ Thank you @jacopotissi and @ovcharenko_artem_

ovcharenko_artem_И вам спасибо (“And thanks to you”)

And so it goes and I'm only at picture number seven.

Thanks, Quinten.

[Drew]

I'm sure everyone loves each other at the Bolshoi--it's famous for that isn't it?--but thank yous between male and female dancers who appear together seem rather a distinct genre.

Edited December 5, 2017 by Drew

[Buddy]

39 minutes ago, Drew said:

I'm sure everyone loves each other at the Bolshoi--it's famous for that isn't it?

I guess that you're being sarcastic, Drew, but maybe there's another side to this as well.

Thanks, again, Quinten.

[canbelto]

Dancing is a pretty small world. And these people spend more time together than many married couples do in a lifetime. I think most dancers at least make an effort to get along with their colleagues. They only have to see them 10-11 hours every day ...

[Deflope]

Since when are we criticizing someone for going on vacation during a period when the whole company was on vacation and, according to the dancers, the theatre was not even accessible for practice?  

Edited December 5, 2017 by Deflope

[MadameP]

It seems that ALyona Kovalyova has caused some dissent on this thread and I can't understand it.  In the end, she is a young girl who is not to be blamed for taking the chances she was given.  Was she supposed to refuse her opportunities and risk not being given them again?  She seems to me, from what I have seen of her on stage, and various interviews and comments she has made on her instagrams and those of others, to be a very sweet natured girl as well as having an extraordinary talent.   Her career will develop over time and I hope she retains that sweetness, which is more than can be said for some already primas at Bolshoi.   Of course there are bound to be dancers who will be jealous of her and will try to undermine her, and also various groups of fans and balletomanes who will do the same.  I do know that she was devastated at not being given at Mariinsky contract by FAteev and never thought she would have such a quick rise to prominence at Bolshoi.  She is a modest girl.  As I said earlier, she is considered highly enough by many to have been given the honour of closing the gala to celebrate the 80th birthday of Vinogradov in St Petersburg last month.  She danced in Vinogradov's own Adagio set to Barber's Adagio.   I was there and saw it myself, and she was much applauded for her mesmerising performance.  Here is link to the performance:

 

 

[Drew]

I wish Kovalyova nothing but well--I would especially like to have seen her in Diamonds this past summer. I'm still not happy about the treatment meted out to Kaptsova and Alexandrova. Buddy is right however that I was being a little...well, not sarcastic, but let's say ironic about the atmosphere at the Bolshoi. I am sure all dancers have to get along with co-workers as Canbelto writes, and I'm sure that others do much more than "get along" and become friends; Stepanova, Kovalyova, and Zhiganshina also all have their schooling in common as well as what appears to be the support of Vaziev...But still I admit I'm not inclined to place huge amounts of weight on public facing greetings on instagram etc. for giving a picture of backstage life at the Bolshoi...or anywhere else.  (In an early interview after her rise at the Bolshoi began, Olga Smirnova once talked about the friend-lessness of her situation at the Bolshoi--I'm' sorry I don't have the link, but I am confident my memory is not betraying me.)

Edited December 6, 2017 by Drew
Consisting spelling of dancer’s name.

[canbelto]

27 minutes ago, Drew said:

I wish Kovalyova nothing but well--I would especially like to have seen her in Diamonds this past summer. I'm still not happy about the treatment meted out to Kaptsova and Alexandrova. Buddy is right however that I was being a little...well, not sarcastic, but let's say ironic about the atmosphere at the Bolshoi. I am sure all dancers have to get along with co-workers as Canbelto writes....I'm also sure that others do much more than "get along" and become friends; Stepanova, Kovalyeva, and Zhiganshina also all have their schooling in common as well as what appears to be the support of Vaziev...But still I admit I'm not inclined to place huge amounts of weight on  public facing greetings on instagram etc. for giving a picture of backstage life at the Bolshoi...or anywhere else.  (In an early interview after her rise at the Bolshoi began, Olga Smirnova once talked about the friend-lessness of her situation at the Bolshoi--I'm' sorry I don't have the link, but I am confident my memory is not betraying me.)

It's this mini-documentary about her. She says flat out that she leads a very solitary life and has few friends.

 

[Fleurdelis]

Before we read too much into photos and the friendships displayed

[Buddy]

For the record, it may be Sergei Vikharev whom we can thank for being able to see Alyona Kovalyova, according to Laura Cappelle. 

“In Moscow, around the same time, Vaziev got a phone call from reconstruction specialist Sergei Vikharev, who had noticed Kovaleva (and unfortunately passed away last June). "He told me there was a very capable girl graduating, but the Mariinsky wouldn't take her. I said, 'It means she's no good!' But he asked if I could watch her," Vaziev remembers.

“Kovaleva went to Moscow to take class, and Vaziev was struck by her potential. "It was a shock for me that the Mariinsky didn't want her," he says”.

http://www.pointemagazine.com/alena-kovaleva-bolshoi-2513292142.html

[Drew]

39 minutes ago, Gnossie said:

 

That's exactly why I said "it's not that awful at the Bolshoi. (in this specific regard)", there are many problems at the Bolshoi but there are decent, friendly, normal people too, people able to befriend other people, even at the Bolshoi.

 

I take these words seriously along with other things people have said and didn't really mean to suggest otherwise. And it's good to hear -- I appreciate all the knowledgeable fans who have spoken up about this issue and underlined that the company has a lot of decent, friendly, and generous people.  Honestly, my little remark was not meant in any way to deny that that could be or indeed was the case. Only to put the brakes on certain kinds of idealization.

Because I also take seriously that the Bolshoi is an elite, intense, competitive institution with any number of strong personalities and it has also historically been riven by factionalism that can't possibly have entirely bypassed the dancers. (And in fact we know that it didn't.)

39 minutes ago, Gnossie said:

But I wouldn't assume someone is beloved by her/his colleagues just by what they post on instagram, everyone always seems happy on instagram.

 

This I also take seriously.  

Edited December 9, 2017 by Drew

[Drew]

1 minute ago, Gnossie said:

I understand you perfectly Drew, the politics at the Bolshoi are --at least in my opinion-- no more disgusting than in other companies, the inner world of The POB and the RDB are more disgusting than the Bolshoi and Mariinsky together, but those companies haven't (and I pray they never have)  had an AD attacked in such a cowardly way like the Bolshoi, the attack on Filin made a lot of garbage come to surface(which is good)  but it also created an almost completely negative image of the company, and it's not like that either. 

Reading this, it occurs to me that with the investigation of Peter Martins, there is a possibility the public is going to find out a lot about the negative side of life at New York City Ballet in the coming months too. That is, I hope there isn't much to find, but ...

[Mashinka]

2 minutes ago, Gnossie said:

I understand you perfectly Drew, the politics at the Bolshoi are --at least in my opinion-- no more disgusting than in other companies, the inner world of The POB and the RDB are more disgusting than the Bolshoi and Mariinsky together, but those companies haven't (and I pray they never have)  had an AD attacked in such a cowardly way like the Bolshoi, the attack on Filin made a lot of garbage come to surface(which is good)  but it also created an almost completely negative image of the company, and it's not like that either. 

You are treading on thin ice here, without specific examples of disgusting behaviour I don't see how you can make such accusations against POB and RDB.

The rules of this site do not permit stories that are unverified but a lot of people in the ballet world are aware of problems unique to Russian companies.  Some things cannot be dismissed as simply gossip, not when the same stories get back to you again and again each time from a reliable source.  Remember actual criminal activity takes place in Russian companies and doesn't elsewhere.  perhaps casting couch revelations will soon be exposed in the world of dance but I believe that is universal.

[Fleurdelis]

7 hours ago, Gnossie said:

I wouldn't compare them about how they approach their work, It's not logical to compare them because one is a teenager and the other a grown woman, and everyone is different. Kovalyova is "living the dream" of most dancers around her age: to be getting principal roles and appearing in magazines so they can post it on instagram. The only similarity between Kovalyova and Smirnova is that they're both hyper-extended but that's it, Kovalyova behaves like what she is: a 19 year old and Smirnova behaves like what she is: a grown woman. 

If anything we should compare Kovalyova to, say, Zhinganzhina and Smirnova to Stepanova. 

Just mho. 

Looking at the Smirnova video, she strikes me as a very mature, intelligent and intellectual person, much more so than her age may had suggested at the time. She was also something like only 20 at the time of the video, if I am not mistaken.

[mnacenani]

Kovalyova 29 Oct 2016 matinee debut in Bayaderka : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfAYC1kec8w

Saw the evening performance live at the Bolshoy but didn't even know her name at the time.

Edited December 24, 2017 by mnacenani

[mnacenani]

Alyona to dance her second Odette/Odile on January 16th partnered by Rodkin !  Would have loved to see this but little chance of finding any good seats now, and had already booked the Shrew at the New Stage on same evening. I was quite impressed with Tissi at their debut in September but Rodkin I admire greatly, after seeing him as Siegfried, Solor and Basilio during past two seasons.

[Buddy]

She performed her second Swan Lake last night with Denis Rodkin. All I've found so far is a nice comment and some lovely curtain call photos at another forum. If I can find something that can be posted here I'll try to do so. I would really have liked to have been there and look forward to seeing her somewhere as soon as possible.

Added: 

Her next debut will be as the Lilac Fairy (Sleeping Beauty) February first.

(thanks to Sophia at Dansomanie for catching this)

Edited January 17, 2018 by Buddy
"Added"

[Buddy]

Someone has posted about a minute of the White Swan duet on an instagram. What it captures is her remarkable flow.

I've noticed this on the Diamonds rehearsal video clip. It involves the timing and general transitioning of her elegant positioning, like currents of dancing air.

Something very noticeable at intervals is the very subtle positioning of her head. It dominates. The timing is breathtaking. Even the expression on her face and the focus of her eyes are key elements in the overall flow.

Edited January 18, 2018 by Buddy
last paragraph added

[mnacenani]

58 minutes ago, Quinten said:

Does anybody know whether Alyona will be dancing with Tissi at the ballet gala in Rome at the end of the month?

No mention of Alyona on organiser website or event poster, maybe due to her lower ranking : https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=i-tPXHBEXb8

https://checkinrome.net/les-etoiles-stelle-danzanti-dal-mondo-gala-internazionale-danza/

Does anyone know whether this seemingly yearly event has a live orchestra ? Without one it's no fun !

Edited January 19, 2018 by mnacenani

[mnacenani]

On 3/13/2017 at 1:41 PM, MadameP said:

She really needs Belyakov or Rodkin.

said MadameP last March to which I had replied "Rodkin !!". Well, Rodkin partnered Alyona in Swan Lake this Tuesday 16th but I could not catch it due to previous commitments. Sure would like to see this pair in something asap - Rodkin was excellent in all the roles I have seen him in so far, and he is a great "brooder" which imho is a must for Siegfried and Solor.

[Buddy]

2 hours ago, mnacenani said:

said MadameP last March to which I had replied "Rodkin !!". Well, Rodkin partnered Alyona in Swan Lake this Tuesday 16th but I could not catch it due to previous commitments. Sure would like to see this pair in something asap - Rodkin was excellent in all the roles I have seen him in so far, and he is a great "brooder" which imho is a must for Siegfried and Solor.

Denis Rodkin seems like an a very good partner for her. From what I've seen on video he's fine himself and gives her very good mental and physical support. Lifts and such are very secure giving her the freedom she needs to really shine.

[canbelto]

Well clips have surfaced:

 

[mnacenani]

Great - thank you very much. Please post the Black Swan too if/when you spot it.

[Drew]

On 1/18/2018 at 1:22 PM, Buddy said:

Someone has posted about a minute of the White Swan duet on an instagram. What it captures is her remarkable flow.

 

Would you be able to link to this? or is it private?

[Buddy]

4 minutes ago, Drew said:

Would you be able to link to this? or is it private?

The entire 'White Swan duet' is shown in the video posted above by Canbelto.