Mariinsky 2022-2023 Season

[Buddy]

The Mariinsky opened its *240th Season* the middle of September.

One series of video clips posted recently has caught my attention. It features Maria Shirinkina, with Andrei Yermakov, in Ratmansky’s Cinderella. Diana Vishneva excelled in this as the first Cinderella and Alina Somova later became my favorite. Many other Mariinsky ballerina’s have also performed it quite well. There is some very beautiful dancing and fine drama in this work.

But once again Maria Shirinkina is showing her developing theatrical prowess very impressively and she emerges as another of the finest of the Cinderellas. I noticed this direction in another video posted last February of her Bluebird Duet performance (Sleeping Beauty) and I recall noticing it even earlier. Similar to Yekaterina Osmolkina, she’s also one of the Mariinsky’s loveliest dancer. The combination of these two qualities, expression and grace, is very noteworthy.

Her theatrical ability, which could be considered ‘acting’, has a very lively quality. It has subtlety, but it also has directness. She brings her character to life with a lot of personality while keeping it believable and flawlessly crafted. This development has been consistent, so I believe that it will make her an even more featured attraction at the Mariinsky as she continues.

I also noticed some very fine and depthful expressiveness awhile ago in the often delightful and more dance-prowessed Renata Shakirova. It was quite a revelation that I thought could make her someone very special. I’ll continue to watch how this might be developing.

All this could be considered part of artistic maturity. Another recent video clip features Viktoria Tereshkina and it also shows how well on many occasions she’s developed expressively over the years.

[Buddy]

In my post from yesterday I briefly mentioned Renata Shakirova and how I would really like to watch her progress. Today a video clip appeared of her October 4th Giselle performance with Kimin Kim. It’s been over a half year since I noticed what I considered a significant, new attraction to her depth of expression. I’ve been waiting for more confirmation. The Giselle video seems to offer this.

From the beginning she’s been noted for her sometimes unequalled physical feats. I’ve also loved her, along with artists such as Maria Iliushkina, for her joyous vibrance. Now something new seems to be happening. At first I considered it a possible mega-step in her handling of drama. Whether it will be that is yet to be seen. What does seem the case is that her depth and poetry of expression may have reached a significant new level. In addition, a further developed dance loveliness is also evident. This is most noticeable in her beautifully lyrical solos and duets. I look forward to seeing where this all leads. As I suggested before, she could become someone very special in a company of artists already famous for being very special.

Kimin Kim, by the way, to my eyes, becomes a more poetic burst of expression with each new performance. Also known, like Renata Shakirova, for his physical prowess (aerial mega-feats, actually), he’s developing a true artistry. It’s been visible from the start, but could eventually take on the dimensions of a Kabuki-style phenomenon. I felt long ago that he could develop into a theatrical star beyond the ballet, and I still think that it’s possible, somewhat in the manner of what Mikhail Baryshnikov attempts from time to time.

In any case, the recent video clip of Renata Shakirova’s and Kimin Kim's Giselle Act II duets, does highlight a very beautiful performance.

 

 

 

Edited October 9, 2022 by Buddy

[volcanohunter]

I don't know whether it's already been noted here that Chebykina has also left the Mariinsky. Today she performed with the United Ukrainian Ballet in Singapore. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CjpuDolBUgF/

[Buddy]

Just now, volcanohunter said:

I don't know whether it's already been noted here that Chebykina has also left the Mariinsky. Today she performed with the United Ukrainian Ballet in Singapore. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CjpuDolBUgF/

I wish her much success. I’ve been following her career for years. She has some exceptional qualities. At the beginning she was able to move easily between classical and contemporary. Later her classical became more finely developed and perhaps more predominant. I was thinking that her name might appear among the ‘Reunited’ artists.

(See topic -- United in Dance: Segerstrom - November 11,2022) https://balletalert.invisionzone.com/topic/47214-united-in-dance-segerstrom-november-11-2022/#comment-442622

Maybe another time. I do hope that she finds comfort and reward wherever she is.

 

Edited October 13, 2022 by Buddy

[Drew]

Always glad to hear news of Chebykina--she posted an emotional Instagram when the war broke out that I found quite moving just because it seemed such an immediate expression of her fears and frustrations. I also have especially fond memories of a beautiful Clemence in D.C. some years ago. Right before she began dancing in the "lyre" scene (as Raymonda plays), she looked up as if slowly being swept away by the sound of the music. I guess it's there in the mime-staging, but other dancers I've seen in the same scene have not been as effective at that moment. 

I cannot deny that I enjoy her "supermodel" looks too....

[Buddy]

Yekaterina Chebykina’s life, and those of others, have indeed been heart-touching ones since the beginning of all this, Drew.

Taking a quick look at performances, some videos have been posted of Maria Iliushkina’s most recent Raymonda. She looks as lovely as ever with even more finely crafted presentation. I’ve only glanced through, but the scarf dance seems especially beautiful in its lilting airiness.

Renata Shakirova’s development is showing similar qualities of dance loveliness. She also seems to be developing more of that perhaps not easy to define quality, substance. By substance, I don’t necessarily mean seriousness. Light-hearted, which she, Maria Iliushkina and others possess can have this, equally. Renata Shakirova is now adding a more atmospheric depth to her vocabulary.

And I’ll continue to enthuse over Kimin Kim’s artistry. He has remarkable physical prowess for which he’s famous, fine partnering and compelling expression. His expression is deeply rooted in his personal artistic vision, with a definite sense of worldliness, and this seems to be his driving force.

As somewhat of an aside, both the Mariinsky and the Bolshoi appear to have a strong interest at times to include more contemporary works and ideas into their format. I personally think that these two companies are so strong in what they do best, classical, that it’s not that critical to have great ‘modern’ capabilities as well. Their touring, and now the age of video, have given them exposure to the rest of world and are reflected in how they perform and have given them a grasp of contemporary significance. When they do look for a broader contemporary vocabulary there is some right on their own doorsteps. I would call attention to the early, more lighthearted creations of the Mariinsky’s Maxim Petrov or the ‘contemporary dance’ prowess of young artists such as this one, Alisa Semenova, studying at the modern department of the School of Classical Dance of Gennady and Larisa Ledyakh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyA2PH95tNE&t=2s

 

 

Edited October 16, 2022 by Buddy

[Buddy]

A few of the performances in October stand out for  me.

Based on video clips, Maria Iliushkina’s Raymonda looked very beautiful. She’ll also be performing Swan Lake once again in November. She’s one of the Mariinsky’s loveliest dancer. Oxana Skorik, who also performed Raymonda and will be performing Swan Lake tomorrow, is perhaps the Mariinsky’s loveliest. In fact, she might be the world’s loveliest. Others whom I might put in this category are the Bolshoi’s Alyona Kovalyova (Mariinsky school graduate) and possibly the very young Perm school student, Eva Sergeenkova, whom I’d like very much to see in the Mariinsky.  Anastasia Plotnikova (recipient of the Natalia Makarova award for artistry at The Youth America competition  (New York, 2019)) from the Mariinsky Corps de Ballet is someone that I continue to wonder if she’ll be another Maria Iliushkina, career and talent wise. Here she is once again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHK8H181cr4

Renata Shakirova’s Giselle looked very impressive. Yekaterina Osmolkina performed Ratmansky’s Cinderella earlier in the month, which is a performance that I would like to have seen. Besides being one of the Mariinsky’s loveliest she can also be remarkably expressive. This role would not be typical for her. I’m not sure of the future standing of this work. It  has produced some very fine performances. Nadezhda Batoeva will be performing Swan Lake Saturday. I’ve seen two of her Odette/Odiles and they were very good.

 

Edited October 27, 2022 by Buddy

[naomikage]

Ballet Class on Mariinsky 2's stage will be streamed on the 23rd.

 

[Buddy]

Maria Khoreva has returned after being out with an injury. She performed the Don Quixote Grand pas de deux (Duet), Saturday, with Yevgeny Konovalov and may be doing it again this Saturday as part of another Divertissement. Here she is describing it. As has usually been the case, she seems like a very dedicated, charming and sympathetic individual. In addition, she’s extremely talented.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZe3HhaopDY&t=47s

.

[Buddy]

After watching the Maria Khoreva video from my previous post another one appeared so I took a look.

Maria Khoreva — “Ballet Dancer Answers Awkward Questions About Ballet Dancers”

Actually there wasn’t anything really that “awkward,” but instead there were a couple of recounts that I thought were rather charming and somewhat insightful. One was when she was dancing George Balanchine’s Serenade and her hair started to come undone way ahead of time. She felt that it had ruined the entire performance until other Mariinsky dancers told her that George Balanchine would have loved it -- a rather interesting understanding on their part. And as an inspiration for some of us, another question was if she would want to dance when she got old ?   She said not on stage, but yes for sure and she cited Twyla Tharp and her Vaganova instructor, Lyudmila Kovaleva, both in their eighties and still dancing, at times better than the dancers that they’re presenting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckkCWVfa9Pc

Edited February 16, 2023 by Buddy

[Buddy]

300 YEARS OF RUSSIAN BALLET EXHIBITION

This looks very fine. I’ll put it here because it’s in St. Petersburg. I wish that I could see it.

https://disk.yandex.ru/d/xJ-OJkUC_ci5mQ

https://xn--80adikfa3bedh6e5eg.xn--p1ai/

 (thanks to a friend for this)

• 
   

[Buddy]

These are the dates and casting of the Mariinsky’s new version of The Pharaoh’s Daughter. It would appear that this remains almost completely Alexei Ratmansky’s creation although his name is no longer credited. I would think, or at least hope, that because of much of the advanced publicity and what’s been written most ballet goers inside and outside of Russia are aware that this is essentially Alexei Ratmansky’s creation. Politics aside for the moment, if this is possible, this looks like a very interesting production with very fine casting. I’ve seen pictures of Robert Perdziola’s sets, created as part of Alexei Ratmansky’s production, and I think that they’re quite beautiful.

24 mars (première) : Viktoria Terechkina (Aspicia) - Renata Chakirova (Ramzaya) - Kim Kimin (Ta-Hor) - Alekseï Timofeev (pas d’action)

25 mars : Maria Khoreva - Nadejda Batoeva - Philippe Stepine - Iaroslav Baïbordine

26 mars (m) : Maria Iliuchkina - Maria Chirinkina - Nikita Korneev - Evgueni Konovalov

26 mars (s) : Ekaterina Kondaourova - Elena Evseeva - Vladimir Chkliarov - Kian Mangis

https://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill/playbill/2023/3/24/2_1900/

(thanks to ElenaK at Dansomanie)

Edited March 9, 2023 by Buddy

[cubanmiamiboy]

This "no credit" thing is such a typical Soviet thing...🤣

One day in the future a screenshot of the "Ballet by Cesar Pugni" and no choreographer will look so ridiculous. 

 

[Buddy]

It would seem that credit to Alexei Ratmansky should certainly be given, Christian, but I would also suppose that if the Mariinsky commissioned it, paid for it and and has the contractual rights to it, that it does have the legal (perhaps even moral) right (and perhaps even moral and artistic obligation) to perform it.

Here’s something that I posted elsewhere yesterday, that I hope might have some relevance.

Governments come and go. Swan Lake has been here for over a hundred and fifty years. Michelangelo’s David and Botticelli’s Venus for over 500.

Edited March 10, 2023 by Buddy

[volcanohunter]

The Mariinsky has a legal obligation to credit Ratmansky for his work. If it doesn't, it's engaging in theft.

[Drew]

12 hours ago, Buddy said:

It would seem that credit to Alexei Ratmansky should certainly be given, Christian, but I would also suppose that if the Mariinsky commissioned it, paid for it and and has the contractual rights to it, that it does have the legal (perhaps even moral) right (and perhaps even moral and artistic obligation) to perform it.

Here’s something that I posted elsewhere yesterday, that I hope might have some relevance.

Governments come and go. Swan Lake has been here for over a hundred and fifty years. Michelangelo’s David and Botticelli’s Venus for over 500.

I fully sympathize with the desire of some ballet lovers to see this production come to fruition--to a great extent, I feel it myself--but that is not a reason to sprinkle fairy dust over a painful situation.  The company's actions can only be described as "moral" if dishonesty,  with a dollop of opportunism (Candeloro), and cynicism play a role in one's notions of morality.  And it is dishonest and cynical for the Mariinsky to pretend that the Pharoh's Daughter is not Ratmansky's production and/or for them to hand his work over to another artist to claim as his own tout court and/or to reinterpret (Candeloro).  The result may well be a very fine ballet production--not all art is born amidst moral conditions (far from it) --but that doesn't make the conditions of this production other than what they are. Which is very equivocal.

Edited March 11, 2023 by Drew

[Buddy]

Maybe there’s something to be said for a good dose of "fairy dust” from time to time, Drew. Thanks for your heartfelt thoughts and best wishes.

 

Edited March 11, 2023 by Buddy
typo correction