Mariinsky — La Bayadere — Costa Mesa Oct. 16-20, 2019

[Buddy]

I’d be glad to try the sweepstakes started here.

https://balletalert.invisionzone.com/topic/44725-mariinsky-la-bayadère-zellerbach-berkeley-oct-30-nov-3/?tab=comments#comment-414541

For Nikiya — ‘the usual suspects.’ Yekaterina Kondaurova and Viktoria Tereshkina. The first excels as a ballerina/dramatist and the second is rapidly becoming the same.

Maria Khoreva is debuting in July and will probably be here as well.

Alina Somova, who rarely travels, and Oxana Skorik, being a new mother who might not travel, would be exceptional choices.

Gamzatti — Yekaterina Osmolkina (Excellent!) and Anastasia Nuikina (debuting in July).

The same for Berkeley and Yekaterina K, Viktoria T and Maria K for Jewels in Los Angeles — unless ! — they give all the LA performances to Yekaterina Kondaurova (she did all the leads at the Festival a few years ago) and send everyone else ahead of time to San Francisco/Berkeley to enjoy the magnificent setting.

https://www.scfta.org/events/2019/mariinsky-ballet

 

[Buddy]

Thanks to Dreamer for finding and posting the cast.

 

Wednesday, October 16 at 7:30 p.m.

Nikia – Alina Somova

Solor – Kimin Kim

Gamzatti – Nadezhda Batoeva

 

Thursday, October 17 at 7:30 p.m.

Nikia – Maria Khoreva

Solor – Vladimir Shklyarov

Gamzatti – Anastasia Nuikina

 

Friday, October 18 at 7:30 p.m.

Nikia – Ekaterina Kondaurova

Solor – Timur Askerov

Gamzatti – Ekaterina Chebykina

 

Saturday, October 19 at 1:00 p.m.

Nikia – Alina Somova

Solor – Kimin Kim

Gamzatti – Nadezhda Batoeva

 

Saturday, October 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Nikia – Maria Khoreva

Solor – Vladimir Shklyarov

Gamzatti – Anastasia Nuikina

 

Sunday October 20 at 1:00 p.m.

Nikia – Ekaterina Kondaurova

Solor – Andrei Ermakov

Gamzatti – Ekaterina Chebykina

 

https://balletalert.invisionzone.com/topic/44722-segerstrom-center-international-dance-series-2019-20/page/2/?tab=comments#comment-417214

 

By the way there are several video clips of Maria Khoreva’s debut as Nikia. She looks very good.

Also !   ….in a recent one Yekaterina Kondaurova does her performance at the court. About three minutes in she rises on pointe and very slowly goes into an attitude (one leg bent behind). The first time she has to come down to a flat foot to be able to lift the back leg. I watched another ballerina and she had to use the flat foot both times. I’m not a great watcher of the feet but I’ve never noticed anything like this before. Brava, Yekaterina Kondaurova !

Edited July 16 by Buddy

[annaewgn]

Really??? Nuikina gets two shows, and in a role she's never even done before? There are other dancers in the company, who have performed this role, that I'd much rather pay money to see. 

And from what I've seen, again, Khoreva is technically stunning, but boring artistically. Smiling isn't the only way to portray a character. 

[Roberta]

On ‎7‎/‎16‎/‎2019 at 9:08 AM, annaewgn said:

Really??? Nuikina gets two shows, and in a role she's never even done before? There are other dancers in the company, who have performed this role, that I'd much rather pay money to see. 

And from what I've seen, again, Khoreva is technically stunning, but boring artistically. Smiling isn't the only way to portray a character. 

 

I completely agree, annaewgn. The week prior to this, the company will be here in Washington, DC, with Paquita. Even though casting is not yet announced for the Kennedy Center run, I'll bet the farm that DC will be seeing the same principals as in Bayadere:  Somova, Khoreva (likely first night) and Kondaurova as Paquita;  Kim, Schklyarov, Askerov as Lucien. That said, I would not mind it a bit if DC/Paquita gets Terioshkina in place of Somova.

 

I've since looked at the Mariinsky web's archived playbills. Somova/Kim may be tapped for the Bayadere leg of the tour but neither has danced the full-length version of Paquita.

Edited July 17 by Roberta
Paquita intel

[Josette]

I agree as well, annaewgn.  I don't find Khoreva interesting to watch at the present, but that is only from what I have seen posted online. I've seen ballerinas with artistry who were technically stunning and it was their artistry that infused their performances with substance and meaning.   I am dreading seeing Khoreva in Diamonds, having watched a clip from her initial performance, and I hope that she has some charm, mystery, musical sensitivity or quality that comes across in person that I couldn't perceive from a filmed clip.  

 I am delighted that Kondaurova, Batoeva, and Shklyarkov are performing. Kondaurova danced one of the best Swan Lakes I've seen, differentiating between the two roles beautifully, and dancing luxuriously.  I adore Shklyarkov, who has great charisma. Batoeva is a personal favorite of mine. 

I haven't seen Somova dance since she did an empty , technically efficient, unmusical Odette-Odile several years ago in O.C. (she was alternating the role with Vishneva and Lopatkina, so deficiencies were striking), but I saw one of her first Auroras and liked her very much.  

[annaewgn]

4 hours ago, Roberta said:

 

I completely agree, annaewgn. The week prior to this, the company will be here in Washington, DC, with Paquita. Even though casting is not yet announced for the Kennedy Center run, I'll bet the farm that DC will be seeing the same principals as in Bayadere:  Somova, Khoreva (likely first night) and Kondaurova as Paquita;  Kim, Schklyarov, Askerov as Lucien. That said, I would not mind it a bit if DC/Paquita gets Terioshkina in place of Somova.

I definitely have my eyes on going to the Kennedy Center performances-- I wasn't able to make it to Corsaire (though, with all the casting changes, I am not upset I didn't make it) so I really want to go to Paquita-- I think the new production looks quite spectacular, and it has a large cast of soloist roles, so we'll hopefully get to see a good range of dancers. 

I would hope Tereshkina performs in DC! I saw her as Nikiya in Bayadere and she was stunning! 

2 hours ago, Josette said:

I agree as well, annaewgn.  I don't find Khoreva interesting to watch at the present, but that is only from what I have seen posted online. I've seen ballerinas with artistry who were technically stunning and it was their artistry that infused their performances with substance and meaning.   I am dreading seeing Khoreva in Diamonds, having watched a clip from her initial performance, and I hope that she has some charm, mystery, musical sensitivity or quality that comes across in person that I couldn't perceive from a filmed clip.  

 

I feel like we all knew that no matter what, Khoreva was going to be a star. I just wish she (and others) had spent time in the corps, paying dues, and transitioning from student to professional. There is a very stark contrast, in my opinion, from the dancers who paid their dues in the corps and are now dancing as soloists/principals, to the ones who jumped straight to stardom. 

I really want to like Khoreva, but she just doesn't bring anything exciting to her performances. I guess time will tell how she grows and develops as a dancer.

[Drew]

On 7/16/2019 at 9:08 AM, annaewgn said:

Really??? Nuikina gets two shows, and in a role she's never even done before? There are other dancers in the company, who have performed this role, that I'd much rather pay money to see. 

And from what I've seen, again, Khoreva is technically stunning, but boring artistically. Smiling isn't the only way to portray a character. 

Nuikina was announced for California Gamzatti performances before she was pulled from her debut in St. Petersburg. It is possible the casting will change...though who knows?  I liked Nuikina as an odalesque in Corsaire when I saw her dance in D.C.—her dancing seemed rather better than what one can glean from youtube. Haven’t the faintest if she would be ready for Gamzatti. 

And fortunately, Khoreva did not at all “smile” her way through Medora at the performance of Corsaire I saw her dance. Her stage presence did still seem quite undeveloped, but I at least appreciated that she didn’t overcompensate, so to speak, or seem affected in any way. If my plans pan out, I likely will see her in Paquita—and that may well be a better role for her at this stage than Nikiya.

(I have a long wish list of other dancers I hope to see in Paquita in a range of roles—and they include dancers at the very start of their careers, long established principals, and everything in between.)

Edited to add: Tereshkina IS a stunning Nikiya! 

Edited September 7 by Drew
edited because I should not mis-spell the English version of the name of one of the best ballerinas in the world (Tereshkina)

[Buddy]

4 hours ago, Drew said:

Nuikina was announced for California Gamzatti performances before she was pulled from her debut in St. Petersburg. It is possible the casting will change...though who knows?  I liked Nuikina as an odalesque in Corsaire when I saw her dance in D.C.—her dancing seemed rather better than what one can glean from youtube. Haven’t the faintest if she would be ready for Gamzatti. 

And fortunately, Khoreva did not at all “smile” her way through Medora at the performance of Corsaire I saw her dance. Her stage presence did still seem quite undeveloped, but I at least appreciated that she didn’t overcompensate, so to speak, or seem affected in any way. If my plans pan out, I likely will see her in Paquita—and that may well be a better role for her at this stage than Nikiya.

(I have a long wish list of other dancers I hope to see in Paquita in a range of roles—and they include dancers at the very start of their careers, long established principals, and everything in between.)

Edited to add: Tershkina IS a stunning Nikiya! 

Viktoria Tereshkina is becoming more "stunning" each time that I see her, Drew. I was hoping to see her as Nikia but am quite pleased with Alina Somova, who seems to be appearing more, somewhat filling in for Oxana Skorik when necessary. I'm hoping to view each one. As I implied at the beginning of this topic, if Alina Somova, Yekaterina Kondaurova and even Maria Khoreva hit their stride, we could see performances of a lifetime. I've seen all of them do remarkably well. I would add the Bolshoi's Olga Smirnova, Svetlana Zakharova and Alyona Kovalyova (all with Vaganova-Mariinsky backgrounds) to the list and you would possibly have the best ballerinas in the world. Any dancer can have an evening of a lifetime and hopefully many will, but these artists are the most likely.  

Edited July 17 by Buddy
format adjustment

[annaewgn]

6 hours ago, Drew said:

If my plans pan out, I likely will see her in Paquita—and that may well be a better role for her at this stage than Nikiya.

Agree-- Paquita (especially in the Act III Grand Pas) is highly technical (but we all know Khoreva has crystal-clear technique), and while not to detract from the artistry and emotion required to perform Paquita, it is a much more smiley and happy role than Nikiya. 

6 hours ago, Drew said:

It is possible the casting will change...though who knows?  I liked Nuikina as an odalesque in Corsaire when I saw her dance in D.C.—her dancing seemed rather better than what one can glean from youtube. Haven’t the faintest if she would be ready for Gamzatti. 

I doubt they'd change her casting, unless she gets injured again-- she's highly favorited, for whatever reason. I just can't sit through a video of her without cringing or squirming. Her technique is incredibly rough, and it's very obvious that she's not ready for most of the roles she performs. 

[Buddy]

Well, it all starts Wednesday, and I’m getting excited. Here’s the list again.

 

Wednesday, October 16 at 7:30 p.m.

Nikia – Alina Somova

Solor – Kimin Kim

Gamzatti – Nadezhda Batoeva

 

Thursday, October 17 at 7:30 p.m.

Nikia – Maria Khoreva

Solor – Vladimir Shklyarov

Gamzatti – Anastasia Nuikina

 

Friday, October 18 at 7:30 p.m.

Nikia – Ekaterina Kondaurova

Solor – Timur Askerov

Gamzatti – Ekaterina Chebykina

 

Saturday, October 19 at 1:00 p.m.

Nikia – Alina Somova

Solor – Kimin Kim

Gamzatti – Nadezhda Batoeva

 

Saturday, October 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Nikia – Maria Khoreva

Solor – Vladimir Shklyarov

Gamzatti – Anastasia Nuikina

 

Sunday October 20 at 1:00 p.m.

Nikia – Ekaterina Kondaurova

Solor – Andrei Ermakov

Gamzatti – Ekaterina Chebykina

 

The first thing that I think about for Wednesday, Somova/Kim/Batoeva, is fireworks. Kimin Kim of course. Then Alina Somova, who can perform wonders dance-beauty-wise and drama-portrayal-wise, and Nadezhda Batoeva, who can rise to any occasion. I’ll never forget Nadezhda Batoeva's debut as Odette/Odile (Swan Lake) when she performed as if she’d been doing it all her life. Then there’ll be the palace scene when Alina Somova as the Temple Dancer heroine, Nikia, faces off against Nadezhda Batoeva, the Raja’s Daughter, Gamzatti, in what can be a reference for dramatic excellence. Following that Nadezhda Batoeva has to quickly change gears and dance one of the most beautiful duets of the evening. Then Alina Somova has to become an ethereal vision for the rest of the evening.

Night three, Yekaterina Chebykina must hold her own alongside Yekaterina Kondaurova, at times one of the most compelling stage presences that I’ve ever seen, in the palace encounter. Then Yekaterina Chebykina will have to perform the lovely duet. It will be a real test of her versatility. All Timur Askerov has to do is sail through the air, which he does beautifully, in search of Kimin Kim’s afterglow. He’s also a very solid and supportive partner. Andrei Yermakov will be taking his place Sunday and should be just-fine to excellent.

Maria Khoreva, is without doubt the rising star. According to the casting, she appeared in the Washington DC Paquita more than either of the other two lead ballerinas, three times. She has an outstanding mix of youthful brightness and veteran excellence. Vladimir Shklyarov will also be found in the cosmos alongside Kimin Kim. Anastasia Nuikina, whom I’m least familiar with, and I believe also has fine aerial features, will be of new interest to me. I think that I’ll like her.

Reports back will depend on internet access and the weather. This is still Southern California and the surf might be up, but I’ll do my best.  😊

 

Well the Ukraine girls really knock me out

They leave the west behind

And Moscow girls make me sing and shout

That Georgia's always on my my my my my my my my my mind

 

I been all around this great big world

And I seen all kinds of girls

Yeah, but I couldn't wait to get back in the States

Back to the cutest girls in the world

I wish they all could be California girls

 

(A Beatles/Beach Boy Sendoff)

 

"I wish they all could be California girls" -- Next week they will be !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 13 by Buddy

[annaewgn]

Very curious as to who will be doing the Trio of Shades-- wish that casting got announced. 

[Buddy]

An interview with Yuri Fateev about the Southern California performances. Thanks, Dirac.

https://www.ocregister.com/2019/10/11/mariinsky-ballet-brings-the-classics-to-southern-california/

Added:

Sunday, Kimin Kim was still in St. Petersburg perfoming Le Corsaire with Oxana Skorik. They both looked great as usual on video.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, he will be performing La Bayadere in California with Alina Somova.

That’s a lot of distance to cover in two days.

I wonder if he needed an airplane ?  😊

Edited October 16 by Buddy

[tutu]

12 hours ago, Buddy said:

Sunday, Kimin Kim was still in St. Petersburg perfoming Le Corsaire with Oxana Skorik. They both looked great as usual on video.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, he will be performing La Bayadere in California with Alina Somova.

That’s a lot of distance to cover in two days.

I wonder if he needed an airplane ?  😊

Well, it is Kim — given how high he flies in his variations, he may be able to skip the airport 😂

Should be an awe-inspiring performance. I’m jealous of everyone in Costa Mesa!

[Buddy]

4 hours ago, tutu said:

Well, it is Kim — given how high he flies in his variations, he may be able to skip the airport 😂

Should be an awe-inspiring performance. I’m jealous of everyone in Costa Mesa!

It’s amazing that he can perform at all.  2 1/2 days and how many miles?!  But as you say, Tutu, this “Is” Kimin Kim. I wish him the best.

There’s a near full moon tonight over Costa Mesa, but I still haven’t seen any eclipses forecast.  😊

[Buddy]

On 10/13/2019 at 4:18 PM, annaewgn said:

Very curious as to who will be doing the Trio of Shades-- wish that casting got announced. 

Annaewgn, tonight they were Renata Shakirova, Maria Shkiliarova and May Nagahisa and they all did very well.

It was a very, very fine evening.

I might call it monumental in feeling.

Alina Somova was an excellent example of how with maturity comes artistry. Her character/portrayal was outstanding. Her characterisation was so developed that I hardly recognised her. Her dancing was very well crafted. Again, I might use the words monumental — and absolutely brilliant.

And, yes, once again — Kimin Kim. Three nights ago he was performing in St. Petersburg. Tonight, I think that he was here. I did notice flashes of light crossing the stage and sailing overhead. He was amazing as usual. Considering all the ground that he had to cover in the last several days, even more amazing. His characterisation was excellent. He also had herculean feats to perform and he did these, yes — amazingly.

As hoped for, Nadezhda Batoeva once again crafted a completely new and highly impressive package to complement Alina Somova and then performed a very fine and lovely duet.

The Shades were mesmerizing.

Very fine performances by everyone.

I also recall that I saw a La Bayadere at the Mikhailovsky when I was in St. Petersburg this year. The company might not be comparable to the Mariinsky or Bolshoi overall, but it was a delightfully fresh, vibrant and embraceable evening  that I considered one of the most enjoyable  that I’ve ever experienced.

Edited October 17 by Buddy

[volcanohunter]

On 10/16/2019 at 3:17 AM, Buddy said:

Sunday, Kimin Kim was still in St. Petersburg perfoming Le Corsaire with Oxana Skorik. They both looked great as usual on video.

Different strokes, I  guess, because I was there, and I was completely miserable. If not for Yevseyeva's Gulnare, I probably would have thrown in the towel, expensive ticket be damned. She was the only one who was really dancing and not engaging in circus tricks, contortions, arabesques rammed into the spine or messy footwork. 

Edited October 17 by volcanohunter

[ksk04]

I was at the opening night and will be at the two Kondaurova shows as well. Not a lot of time to express my thoughts fully right now, but I want to give huge credit to Svetlana Ivanova for leading the line of shades out, in what I imagine is, her 40s??? Without breaking an ounce of sweat or having a flagging arabesque. Wow. She was exquisitely poised (in the Bayadere divertissement in Act 2 as well)--definitely a different generation.

[Buddy]

“They’re all so incredible” — is all that I can really say.

This evening just sort of crept up on me. At the beginning of Maria Khoreva’s Shade dancing I said to the lady next to me, “You might be seeing history tonight.” This was possibly true because Maria Khoreva is just beginning.

There’s nothing imposing about her. She just goes from one exceptional virtue to another. Sculpture, phrasing of sculpture, body control, body expression, at times remarkable depth of portrayal, and on and on. There doesn’t seem to be anything in the ballet vocabulary that I’ve seen that she can’t do and then she goes and invents even more. She’s also the first ballerina that I’ve seen that has some of the great characteristics of Ulyana Lopatkina, with “the limbs that sing.” And then she carries that into the space around her.

The Corps de Ballet, during the Shades act, was as Magnificent as I’ve ever seen it.

I’ve read here that Anastasia Nuikina does very fine portrayals, but I don’t recall seeing this before. Tonight as Gamzatti she did an excellent one.

Maria Iliushkina, whom I’m always hoping for, was one the two Dances de Jambes dancers, in Act I(?). As she left the stage she once again lit up like a Christmas tree with her smile. The lady next to me even mentioned it. She did exceptional attitudes (one leg lifted back and curved). She’s precious.

Vladimir Shklyarov was outstanding.

Philipp Stepin did a fine job as the show stopping Golden Idol.

I think that La Bayadere, considering its length, is perhaps the most entertaining of the classics. It’s a high art spectacle that is well paced and constructed to hold everyone’s attention and it ends with possibly the most beautiful Act in all of ballet. This is good because I hope to be fortunate enough to see a lot of them this week.

Volcanohunter, thanks for your thoughts on the Le Corsaire performance. I only viewed about fifteen minutes of video clips, but Oxana Skorik and Kimin Kim looked excellent to me. He certainly was remarkable yesterday. As you say, we all see things differently and have our own focuses and preferences.

Annaewgn, Vlada Borodulina was one of the three Shades tonight, along with Yana Selina and Anastasia Lukina. They all did just fine. The entire Shades dancing just blended into one unified magnificence for me. The audience was even applauding during their entrance.

Ksk04, Was that indeed Svetlana Ivanova who led the line of Shades, Wednesday ? Good for her. Does she do that regularly ?

Edited October 18 by Buddy

[MadameP]

7 hours ago, ksk04 said:

I was at the opening night and will be at the two Kondaurova shows as well. Not a lot of time to express my thoughts fully right now, but I want to give huge credit to Svetlana Ivanova for leading the line of shades out, in what I imagine is, her 40s??? Without breaking an ounce of sweat or having a flagging arabesque. Wow. She was exquisitely poised (in the Bayadere divertissement in Act 2 as well)--definitely a different generation.

So wonderful to hear how much Svetlana Ivanova is still appreciated!  I completely agree!  She is a wonderful ballerina, and I have many times seen her leading out the 32 shades.  She absolutely deserves this honour and responsibility.   Her adagio work is exquisite.

[Buddy]

5 hours ago, MadameP said:

So wonderful to hear how much Svetlana Ivanova is still appreciated!  I completely agree!  She is a wonderful ballerina, and I have many times seen her leading out the 32 shades.  She absolutely deserves this honour and responsibility.   Her adagio work is exquisite.

Thanks for this confirmation, MadameP. I've been noticing a blond woman for years doing this after Yana Selina moved on. I hope that it was her. I read in an article that Yana Selina did it because, as one ballerina was quoted as saying, she had the best arabesque in the company. Last night it was very nice to see her as the middle Shade, along with the much younger Vlada Borodulina and Anastasia Lukina. She's always set a certain standard of fineness for the younger dancers to look up to.

I'm still 'rockin and rollin' from last night. What a wonderful evening that was !  Both evenings, actually., were quite special. Last night was a poet's gentle dream, that flowed magnificently from the company's accumulated fineness and pointed very promisingly to the future in the presence of Maria Khoreva. I was highly, highly impressed by this very young artist.

Edited October 18 by Buddy

[Drew]

7 hours ago, MadameP said:

So wonderful to hear how much Svetlana Ivanova is still appreciated!  I completely agree!  She is a wonderful ballerina, and I have many times seen her leading out the 32 shades.  She absolutely deserves this honour and responsibility.   Her adagio work is exquisite.

In D.C. Svetlana Ivanova looked beautiful as one of the coryphees in the Grand Pas of Paquita as well. She was paired with another very fair dancer and they also timed/coordinated their movements together very well.

(Likely Ivanova would be beautiful in one or two of the Paquita variations, but in any case I am glad the Mariinsky has such quality dancers in the ensembles)

Edited October 18 by Drew

[ECat]

15 hours ago, ksk04 said:

I was at the opening night and will be at the two Kondaurova shows as well. Not a lot of time to express my thoughts fully right now, but I want to give huge credit to Svetlana Ivanova for leading the line of shades out, in what I imagine is, her 40s??? Without breaking an ounce of sweat or having a flagging arabesque. Wow. She was exquisitely poised (in the Bayadere divertissement in Act 2 as well)--definitely a different generation.

A couple of years ago I saw Mariinsky performa La Bayadere at the Kennedy Center.  it warms my heart that Ivanova stood out for you as she did the same for me.  My husband, who knows very little about ballet, said she was one of his favorite dancers on stage.  She was a shade and in the pas de quatre in the Act II Grand pas.  She truly does shine.  Not only is she radiant to look at but she is a beautiful dancer with lovely feet and legs.

[annaewgn]

16 hours ago, Buddy said:

Annaewgn, Vlada Borodulina was one of the three Shades tonight, along with Yana Selina and Anastasia Lukina. They all did just fine. The entire Shades dancing just blended into one unified magnificence for me. The audience was even applauding during their entrance.

Ah! Thank you so much for keeping me updated-- Mariinsky's Shade Scene is an utter dream, I saw it a few years ago when they brought it to DC. What a delight to hear it's all going well this go round! 

[Buddy]

Yekaterina Kondaurova

 

Those Lines

Those Magnificent Lines !

 

And another wonderful evening by everyone.

 

“Peace came upon me and it leaves me weak

So sleep, silent angel go to sleep”

 

(sung by The Hollies)

Edited October 19 by Buddy

[MadameP]

4 hours ago, Buddy said:

Yekaterina Kondaurova

 

Those Lines

Those Magnificent Lines !

 

And another wonderful evening by everyone.

 

“Peace came upon me and it leaves me weak

So sleep, silent angel go to sleep”

 

(sung by The Hollies)

Buddy, are you saying you went to sleep while Kondaurova was dancing?  Surely she was not that boring?!   😄