Carmen Suite (Alonso) N American tour

[kbarber]

Does anyone know anything about this? e.g. where the dancers other than Kolb and Iosifidi come from? Judging from the venue in Toronto, there will be no orchestra. Do we think it would be worth US$87/ Cdn$115 to see it?

https://biletru.us/carmen-suites-stars-of-mariinskiy-theatre-s-peterburg-russia/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=CarmenToronto&fbclid=IwAR2r_43O4sF8gmTBFu4Qk_jyLXm-P0ppiBaj8n6h_ezv_uYe3c0v4sgLD3c

[Mashinka]

If they're just doing Carmen it's going to be a very short evening.

[cubanmiamiboy]

I echo Mashinka's opinion. Too short if it's only Carmen. It is an enjoyable piece, but sans orchestra...?? Nah.

[pherank]

The advert does say, "Duration 1 hour 45 minutes with one intermission".
But from the description and video, it feels more like a gala performance, with small cast (and that's why it needs to be short).

Ballet performances without orchestra sometimes feel sad, and de-energized - more like a rehearsal than a public performance. It's really up to the dancers to make it work for the audience.

There's a small regional company in San Diego, CA named "City Ballet" (I would describe them as semiprofessional given the meager stipend given to these dancers), and City Ballet performs publicly with a semiprofessional orchestra (consisting of classical musicians and students looking to be members of one of the big orchestras, naturally). They have a Chorus as well! Having an orchestra showing great enthusiasm for the material, playing along beside the excited young dancers has great charm, even for audience members who have been watching the big companies for years. With ballet, the orchestra really makes a difference in the presentation. But, paying for all those musicians is normally expensive, and I can well imagine the traveling Russian troupe simply doesn't have funds for such things. Only the Mariinsky and Bolshoi have state funds to pay for orchestra and dancers, and support staff.

[Roberta]

The entire Schedrin-Bizet work is about 45 minutes long so, with one intermission, there must also be a divertissement of 30+ minutes. If the advertisement promises a tribute to Plisetskaya, then there surely will be a Dying Swan too?

[Xiaoyi]

Don’t go if you have not bought tickets. Think again even you have bought them. Just came back from Toronto performance. The worst ballet GALA I have ever seen.

No Igor Kolb,  No Aleksandra Iosifidi. No printed program. The only dancer I could recognize is Vitaly Biktimirov, first soloist of Bolshoi. 

The other half besides Carmen include Russian Dance, Raymonda dream scene, Harlequinade, Dying Swan, Don Quixote pdd. Almost all lousily performed. 

Edited November 2, 2019 by Xiaoyi

[volcanohunter]

In an Instagram story Kolb acknowledged that he wasn't able to travel. No doubt he asked permission to go on tour, but the Mariinsky cast him in Romeo and Juliet on Nov. 2, La Sylphide on Nov. 6 and Sleeping Beauty on Nov. 9 and 10. Russian theaters can be spiteful that way.

As for Iosifidi, she is nealy six feet tall and can't dance with just anyone, I would have thought that even Kolb is on the small side for her. She was also cast in a shows on Oct 29 and Nov. 4, making it impossible for her to travel.

 

[Xiaoyi]

I totally understand the situation of individual dancers.

However, in a situation like this, when both advertised artists cannot show up, the organizer BiletRu. Us should inform the audience in advance and give the option of refund.

It is not a casting change of Mariinsky Ballet, when you can see another high level Mariinsky dancer instead of another.