Pharaoh's Daughter

[Danielle]

Hi all!

I'm new here, but I've been lurking for a long time. I'm a huge fan of the Mariinsky and Bolshoi theatres, and have been keeping an eye on the Mariinsky's new production, Pharaoh's Daughter. Here's a link to their rehearsal footage! I believe it's Iliushkina there. The team seems so passionate and dedicated to this production, it's so lovely to see!

 https://www.instagram.com/reel/CqFck_MDh0r/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

I wish there was a way to see this online - I'd happily pay for streaming. I wonder how different it will be from the Bolshoi version.

I love the casting for all three performances, but I was surprised that Masha Bulanova, my favorite young Vaganova grad right now, does not appear to be in any of the casts. She is a great dramatic actress and a powerful dancer, and I think she would have been perfect in this production.

[Buddy]

Hi Danielle.

I’m a fan of the beautiful and colorful Pierre Lacotte Bolshoi version, which I’ve seen five times. Video clips of the Mariinsky version have appeared and are very interesting. The difference is quite distinct. For me, it has a lovely ‘antique’ quality, especially in the costumes. I would think that this production is much closer in feel to the original. It’s more restrained and refined, although the footwork, for one thing, can get rather animated as may have been the style of the times. I also think that it’s maintained an awareness of modern sensibilities as most ‘reconstructions’ do, or have to do because of the distance in time from the original.

It’s still unclear to me from what I’m reading as to how much it’s been changed from the Alexei Ratmansky creation, perhaps more than I thought. I’m assuming that the costumes and sets for the Ratmansky production are all being used. It does seem to be a sincere and dedicated effort on the part of Alexei Ratmansky along with those, although more contriversially, who continued work on it and the Mariinsky in staging it. It’s quite beautiful, but might take some getting used to for some of us who’ve lived with the Pierre Lacotte version and are accustomed to more modern productions in general.

The clips from the first several performances feature Viktoria Tereshkina and Kimin Kim and Maria Iliushkina and Nikita Korneev. I look forward to watching these more carefully and I’m sure that I’ll discover things that I like very much, which is usually the case.

Here once again is the casting, using the French spellings. (Thanks again to ElenaK at Dansomanie, who first posted it).

 

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/

 

 

   

 

[Drew]

19 hours ago, Danielle said:

I love the casting for all three performances, but I was surprised that Masha Bulanova, my favorite young Vaganova grad right now, does not appear to be in any of the casts. She is a great dramatic actress and a powerful dancer, and I think she would have been perfect in this production.

Bulanova has a picture of herself in the ballet on Instagram, so she is cast - just not in a principal role.

I can't deny that I would like to see this but I would not be able to bring myself to send any money the company's way at the present time so I would not be willing to pay for a livestream or broadcast even if one were available. Tereshkina looks like the prima ballerina she is --and Shakirova like the prima she may one day become -- in the bits of video available.

Lacotte's version at the Bolshoi, though splended to look at, and a dancer-showcase, is much of a muchness for my taste: by getting rid of more or less all pantomime and character dancing and choreographing almost every role in a similar style I find that it creates so much uniformity across the episodic multi-act ballet that it starts to dull the impact of all the dance highlights. Or at least so it seems on video which is the only way I have seen it. When the current Mariinsky team talks about adapting to modern audience tastes I hope they have not followed  a similar route of slashing Petipa's varieties of stagecraft.  I do appreciate that the Mariinsky spares us the black face used by Lacotte and the Bolshoi.

Edited March 26, 2023 by Drew

[Danielle]

1 hour ago, Buddy said:

Hi Danielle.

I’m a fan of the beautiful and colorful Pierre Lacotte Bolshoi version, which I’ve seen five times. Video clips of the Mariinsky version have appeared and are very interesting. The difference is quite distinct. For me, it has a lovely ‘antique’ quality, especially in the costumes. I would think that this production is much closer in feel to the original. It’s more restrained and refined, although the footwork, for one thing, can get rather animated as may have been the style of the times. I also think that it’s maintained an awareness of modern sensibilities as most ‘reconstructions’ do, or have to do because of the distance in time from the original.

It’s still unclear to me from what I’m reading as to how much it’s been changed from the Alexei Ratmansky creation, perhaps more than I thought. I’m assuming that the costumes and sets for the Ratmansky production are all being used. It does seem to be a sincere and dedicated effort on the part of Alexei Ratmansky along with those, although more contriversially, who continued work on it and the Mariinsky in staging it. It’s quite beautiful, but might take some getting used to for some of us who’ve lived with the Pierre Lacotte version and are accustomed to more modern productions in general.

The clips from the first several performances feature Viktoria Tereshkina and Kimin Kim and Maria Iliushkina and Nikita Korneev. I look forward to watching these more carefully and I’m sure that I’ll discover things that I like very much, which is usually the case.

Here once again is the casting, using the French spellings. (Thanks again to ElenaK at Dansomanie, who first posted it).

 

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/

 

 

   

 

I've seen the Bolshoi version on YouTube, but that was a long time ago. The one that really stuck with me from that production is Nina's beautiful and charming solo!

I believe I read somewhere on Instagram that Fateev said the whole ballet was re-choreographed by Tony. How much of that is true, I can't say! But watching the rehearsals, Tony and his team seemed really dedicated in perfecting every detail, even the way Maria Khoreva tilted her head. I think they have a video of Alexei's rehearsals from a year ago, so I'm going to check that out and see what's different!

Yes, clips are starting to come out! I love the backdrops, the costumes!! So far, it all looks so magical. Maria Khoreva has posted a few clips on her Instagram stories, and so has Masha (she's in it). 

I really wish I could see it. 

[Danielle]

17 minutes ago, Drew said:

Bulanova has a picture of herself in the ballet on Instagram, so she is cast - just not in a principal role.

I can't deny that I would like to see this but I would not be able to bring myself to send any money the company's way at the present time so I would not be willing to pay for a livestream or broadcast even if one were available. Tereshkina looks like the prima ballerina she is --and Shakirova like the prima she may one day become -- in the bits of video available.

Lacotte's version at the Bolshoi, though splended to look at, and a dancer-showcase, is much of a muchness for my taste: by getting rid of more or less all pantomime and character dancing and choreographing almost every role in a similar style I find that it creates so much uniformity across the episodic multi-act ballet that it starts to dull the impact of all the dance highlights. Or at least so it seems on video which is the only way I have seen it. When the current Mariinsky team talks about adapting to modern audience tastes I hope they have not followed  a similar route of slashing Petipa's varieties of stagecraft.  I do appreciate that the Mariinsky spares us the black face used by Lacotte and the Bolshoi.

Yes, I saw Masha posted on Instagram! I wish she was given a bigger role to dance. I don't know why she isn't getting newer principal roles. She would make an amazing Kitri!

Ah, I would pay for a livestream, maybe it will help the dancers, at least. It has always been my dream to see the Mariinsky and the Bolshoi in person, but that's just not possible now. 😔 I've been wanting to visit since I was a little girl, after watching the Anastasia cartoon. That led me to learn more about her, and the Romanovs, and Mathilde, and from there, the Mariinsky...

Thank God, no blackface! I can't wait to see more clips. I follow another Vaganova dancer, Aaron Oh, and he appears in the rehearsals footage. I can't wait to see clips of him dancing! He has the most dynamic jumps.  

[volcanohunter]

I see that unfortunately it's necessary to re-post Alexei Ratmansky's statement, which California posted on a different thread:

"PHARAOH'S DAUGHTER.

This is a reconstructed variation from the famous Act II Pas d'Action, a rare example of Petipa's choreography for the men, danced here by the brilliant António Casalinho. It is part of a larger ongoing project called 'Petipa Variations', a long time dream of mine. A filmed record of the notated 19c variations done by the best dancers.

I am posting it on the day of PhD premiere at the Mariinsky. In the spring of 2021, after two years of preparation, I was able, together with my wife Tatiana, to stage close to two hours of reconstructed choreography and mise en scene of PhD at the Mariinsky and was going to finish the production in May 2022. We had complete runs of the material and the dancers (superb) were ready to go on stage. However when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 I left in protest and had to cancell (officially postpone) the premiere. UKraine is a home country where my family still lives, there was absolutely no other choice for me.

My designer Bob Perdziola who at the time when the war started did most of his job already was just informed couple of weeks ago about the new premiere date and the new 'artistic team' taking over. This team consists of Toni Candeloro and Juan Bockamp, people I knew and corresponded with, who choose to become tools of putin's propaganda. Hope they realize that the taxes they pay in Russia are spend to kill and torture Ukrainians.

And there is one more aspect. After seeing recent rehearsal footage I am suspicious that parts of my work might have been used. I won't make any statements until I see the film of the full production. All I can say now is that the PhD is the most painful professional experience in my life. And it does hurt."

It's notable that while Robert Perdziola has been posting his designs from productions of La Bohème in Kyoto and Carmen in Chicago, which are currently running, he hasn't posted a single image from The Pharaoh's Daughter.

This production may not use blackface, but a photo in my feed shows that the Yellow River dances with her index fingers pointed upward, so no points for cultural sensitivity.

Edited March 29, 2023 by volcanohunter
formatting

[Buddy]

I’m enjoying the video clips of Maria Iliushkina very much. In contrast to my original impressions there’s actually a lot of colorful animation, at least in her performance, which is quite a departure from her usual airy and graceful loveliness. The dance style seems to call for certain rigidity in the back and limbs but the motions do get exuberant. She handles it very well.

It appears for the moment that Yuri Fateev is claiming that the ballet has been completely rechoreographed. Alexei Ratmansky is saying in his recent Instagram post that he doesn’t think so, stating, “After seeing recent rehearsal footage I am suspicious that parts of my work might have been used. I won't make any statements until I see the film of the full production.” Hopefully this will all get resolved somehow. But as usually seems to be the case, this work will ultimately be appreciated and stand on its own merits.

Without minimising the moral issues, I hope that it’s possible to enjoy and prize the artistic value of this work and the fine commitment of such exceptional artists as Maria Iliushkina.

Added: I guess it's not a copyright issue to post a certain call, so here's Maria Iliushkina and Nikita Korneev's. It  seems like quite an enthusiastic response. In this sense it's the same Mariinsky that I've loved over many years. 

 

Edited March 27, 2023 by Buddy

[Danielle]

1 hour ago, Buddy said:

I’m enjoying the video clips of Maria Iliushkina very much. In contrast to my original impressions there’s actually a lot of colorful animation, at least in her performance, which is quite a departure from her usual airy and graceful loveliness. The dance style seems to call for certain rigidity in the back and limbs but the motions do get exuberant. She handles it very well.

It appears for the moment that Yuri Fateev is claiming that the ballet has been completely rechoreographed. Alexei Ratmansky is saying in his recent Instagram post that he doesn’t think so, stating, “After seeing recent rehearsal footage I am suspicious that parts of my work might have been used. I won't make any statements until I see the film of the full production.” Hopefully this will all get resolved somehow. But as usually seems to be the case, this work will ultimately be appreciated and stand on its own merits.

Without minimising the moral issues, I hope that it’s possible to enjoy and prize the artistic value of this work and the fine commitment of such exceptional artists as Maria Iliushkina.

Added: I guess it's not a copyright issue to post a certain call, so here's Maria Iliushkina and Nikita Korneev's. It  seems like quite an enthusiastic response. In this sense it's the same Mariinsky that I've loved over many years. 

 

Thanks for posting this! I really love the  costumes and backdrops. Is that Masha Bulanova?? I know she was in this, but wasn't sure which cast and which role she was dancing.

I love Iliushkina, I'm trying to find more clips of her online. I've seen a lot of Khoreva's. 

Is it full house? It looks like it! 

[Buddy]

Maria Bulanova is listed as the Fisherman’s Wife in the Maria Iliushkina performance, Danielle.

Although there’s denial by Yuri Fateev of Alexei Ratmansky’s choreography being now used, I don’t think that there can be any denial of him being a major factor in this production or of the use of Robert Perdziola’s magnificent set designs made specifically for the Alexei Ratmansky creation.

It certainly sounds like a full house, Danielle, and an enthusiastic, young one in the upper balconies.

[Danielle]

29 minutes ago, Buddy said:

Maria Bulanova is listed as the Fisherman’s Wife in the Maria Iliushkina performance, Danielle.

Although there’s denial by Yuri Fateev of Alexei Ratmansky’s choreography being now used, I don’t think that there can be any denial of him being a major factor in this production or of the use of Robert Perdziola’s magnificent set designs made specifically for the Alexei Ratmansky creation.

It certainly sounds like a full house, Danielle, and an enthusiastic, young one in the upper balconies.

Thank you! I've only seen brief clips of her dancing.

Hopefully when all this is over the Mariinsky will give them proper credit, alongside Tony and Juan.

I can't wait to see Oksana Skorik take on this ballet, she is my other favorite Mariinsky prima.

[Buddy]

To somewhat qualify what I wrote, the Mariinsky does credit Robert Perdziola under "Credits."

Set and costume Designer: Robert Perdziola

https://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill/playbill/2023/3/26/2_1200/

Here’s Robert Perdziola describing what he did.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjPdzBvZWJc&t=191s

Added: Interestingly the set that I like the most, the jungle looking one, is based on the Mariinsky La Bayadere sets according to the Mariinsky designer in the video. Robert Perdziola viewed these and liked them very much, but redesigned his set with more lighter areas. The Mariinsky designer praises Robert Perdziola for the fine detail of his sketches that enabled him to easily and accurately reproduce them. Also in Russian, others working on the sets praise the beauty of Robert Perdziola’s specifically Egyptian theme designs. (This is from the auto-translate on the video)

Edited March 27, 2023 by Buddy

[Danielle]

39 minutes ago, Buddy said:

To somewhat qualify what I wrote, the Mariinsky does credit Robert Perdziola under "Credits."

Set and costume Designer: Robert Perdziola

https://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill/playbill/2023/3/26/2_1200/

Here’s Robert Perdziola describing what he did.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjPdzBvZWJc&t=191s

Added: Interestingly the set that I like the most, the jungle looking one, is based on the Mariinsky La Bayadere sets according to the Mariinsky designer in the video. Robert Perdziola viewed these and liked them very much, but redesigned his set with more lighter areas. The Mariinsky designer praises Robert Perdziola for the fine detail of his sketches that enabled him to easily and accurately reproduce them. Also in Russian, others working on the sets praise the beauty of Robert Perdziola’s specifically Egyptian theme designs. (This is from the auto-translate on the video)

Thanks for this! Is Juan Bockamp Tony's assistant choreographer? I saw Khoreva link him on Instagram and he has videos of the ballet on his stories. I'm just really trying to watch as many clips as I can!

I wonder if Ratmansky had a different cast in mind. I think I saw Victor Caixeta comment on his Instagram post that he has great memories working on the ballet. 

And yes, it appears the Mariinsky has credited Perdziola, including in an Instagram post a few days ago. I really love his set design, it feels more colorful and "alive" than the Bolshoi's!

[Buddy]

8 hours ago, Danielle said:

Thanks for this! Is Juan Bockamp Tony's assistant choreographer? I saw Khoreva link him on Instagram and he has videos of the ballet on his stories. I'm just really trying to watch as many clips as I can!

 

Apparently, according to the program, Juan Bockamp, a Spanish dancer who also specialises in Stepanov Notation, was Toni Candeloro's assistant in charge of reading the notations. (Thanks again to ElenaK at Dansomanie)

Juan Bockamp “lives in Madrid dedicating himself to dance pedagogy and research.”

https://petipamarathon.com/speakers/juan-bockamp/

 

[Danielle]

3 hours ago, Buddy said:

Apparently, according to the program, Juan Bockamp, a Spanish dancer who also specialises in Stepanov Notation, was Toni Candeloro's assistant in charge of reading the notations. (Thanks again to ElenaK at Dansomanie)

Juan Bockamp “lives in Madrid dedicating himself to dance pedagogy and research.”

https://petipamarathon.com/speakers/juan-bockamp/

 

Thanks so much!

May Nagahisa is also apparently in the production. She just posted a clip of her dancing on Instagram (stories).

[Buddy]

23 hours ago, Danielle said:

But watching the rehearsals, Tony and his team seemed really dedicated in perfecting every detail, even the way Maria Khoreva tilted her head.

Continued admiration for Maria Iliushkina’s performance. I think that this video clip of Toni Candeloro coaching her in the manner that you described, Danielle, helps explain how she got there She has adapted to this highly expressive style remarkably well while maintaining all her inherent loveliness. This is what makes her special.

Alexei Ratmansky must have imparted a great deal in the two months that he worked with the dancers. Toni Candeloro then was brought in and as is apparent in this video clip also imparted a great deal. How much of each exists in the finished work is a highly emotional question at the moment. What might finally emerge is the realisation that both their efforts made this work a success and it might be a masterpiece.

 

This is from the printed description of the video. (Google translation)

Maria Ilyushkina, the first soloist, prepares the part of Aspicia:

“This is not just a classic we are used to, but a classic with an old flair: interesting positions of the hands, body, head. In this ballet we return to the origins, but in the entourage of the 21st century. It turns out such an interesting synthesis, a kind of dialogue of epochs. What we saw at school in ballet lessons in drawings and photographs is now transmitted to us at rehearsals.

Lyubov Kunakova, teacher-tutor:

“In this ballet, in the dance of the soloists, the mood plays a big role, since there is no modern technique that we are used to - big jumps, virtuoso rotations. I really like the way Tony brings out that vintage style."

 

[Danielle]

31 minutes ago, Buddy said:

Continued admiration for Maria Iliushkina’s performance. I think that this video clip of Toni Candeloro coaching her in the manner that you described, Danielle, helps explain how she got there She has adapted to this highly expressive style remarkably well while maintaining all her inherent loveliness. This is what makes her special.

Alexei Ratmansky must have imparted a great deal in the two months that he worked with the dancers. Toni Candeloro then was brought in and as is apparent in this video clip also imparted a great deal. How much of each exists in the finished work is a highly emotional question at the moment. What might finally emerge is the realisation that both their efforts made this work a success and it might be a masterpiece.

 

This is from the printed description of the video. (Google translation)

Maria Ilyushkina, the first soloist, prepares the part of Aspicia:

“This is not just a classic we are used to, but a classic with an old flair: interesting positions of the hands, body, head. In this ballet we return to the origins, but in the entourage of the 21st century. It turns out such an interesting synthesis, a kind of dialogue of epochs. What we saw at school in ballet lessons in drawings and photographs is now transmitted to us at rehearsals.

Lyubov Kunakova, teacher-tutor:

“In this ballet, in the dance of the soloists, the mood plays a big role, since there is no modern technique that we are used to - big jumps, virtuoso rotations. I really like the way Tony brings out that vintage style."

 

I think this is so right: "What might finally emerge is the realisation that both their efforts made this work a success and it might be a masterpiece."

I just saw another magnificent clip from this ballet and the crowd really seemed to enjoy it. Nobody was doing any tricks or acrobatic dancing, just the whole cast performing superbly together. "A classic with an old flair" seems like a really great description for this production!

 

[volcanohunter]

Sorry, folks, there is blackface, not for Ramzé, but for some of the male characters. 

[California]

1 hour ago, volcanohunter said:

Sorry, folks, there is blackface, not for Ramzé, but for some of the male characters. 

Ugh. Ratmansky is on record (in 2019) that it's time to drop blackface. I have to think he's spent enough time in the US to understand why it's such a problem for us.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/23/arts/dance/blackface-ballet-bolshoi-misty-copeland.html

And not all Russians have taken the Bolshoi’s side. Alexei Ratmansky, a former director of the company, now an artist in residence at American Ballet Theater, wrote on Facebook that it was time to drop blackface.

“What is the artistic value in black makeup, under which you can’t even recognize an artist?” he wrote. “Why provoke?”

[doug]

I don't think the use of blackface in the current Mariinsky production of The Pharaoh's Daughter can be linked to Alexei Ratmansky, who has not been involved with the production since early 2022.

I also don't think it is appropriate to suggest that this production is in any way a collaboration between Ratmansky and the current stagers even if the result bears the stamp of both parties.

[Josette]

Always good to hear from you, Doug.

 

[Buddy]

1 hour ago, doug said:

I don't think the use of blackface in the current Mariinsky production of The Pharaoh's Daughter can be linked to Alexei Ratmansky, who has not been involved with the production since early 2022.

I also don't think it is appropriate to suggest that this production is in any way a collaboration between Ratmansky and the current stagers even if the result bears the stamp of both parties.

Hi Doug.

Also good to hear from you. I don't think that anyone has suggested that it's a collaboration, but I might have missed something.

Do you have any opinions that you'd like to share on the artistic merit of this production from what we've been able to see on video clips ?  I'd be glad to send you some clips if you haven't seen them. I might use this quote posted above as a point of departure ( "It turns out such an interesting synthesis, a kind of dialogue of epochs"  in particular).

Maria Ilyushkina, the first soloist, prepares the part of Aspicia:

“This is not just a classic we are used to, but a classic with an old flair: interesting positions of the hands, body, head. In this ballet we return to the origins, but in the entourage of the 21st century. It turns out such an interesting synthesis, a kind of dialogue of epochs. What we saw at school in ballet lessons in drawings and photographs is now transmitted to us at rehearsals.

Edited March 28, 2023 by Buddy
typo correction

[volcanohunter]

9 hours ago, California said:

Ugh. Ratmansky is on record (in 2019) that it's time to drop blackface. I have to think he's spent enough time in the US to understand why it's such a problem for us.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/23/arts/dance/blackface-ballet-bolshoi-misty-copeland.html

And not all Russians have taken the Bolshoi’s side. Alexei Ratmansky, a former director of the company, now an artist in residence at American Ballet Theater, wrote on Facebook that it was time to drop blackface.

“What is the artistic value in black makeup, under which you can’t even recognize an artist?” he wrote. “Why provoke?”

This production is irredeemably tainted. No impressario or distributor will touch it, and the Mariinsky isn't helping itself by continuing to perform bona fide Ratmansky ballets without his name on them. So if it's going to be for domestic consumption, and if the company is a pariah anyway, why avoid the blackface and Asian stereotypes foreigners find offensive? If anything, they may double down in the name of "tradition."

[Danielle]

I'm not sure if it's OK to post links to videos here, but Maria Khoreva just uploaded a long video on her YouTube channel about her experience with this production! Lots of new information about the ballet and its history that I didn't know. (I'm a newbie!)

She talks about Petipa, Pavlova, Kschessinka, etc. She says that both productions are grand (the original and the new reconstruction), and that the reconstruction was based on the original choreography but updated for the modern audience due to ballet technique evolving. She mentions that she started working with Tony and Juan a few months ago. She also talks about the costumes and wig she had to wear.

There are clips of her dancing. 

Masha Bulanova also updated her Instagram, with new clips of her dancing a different part!

[Helene]

YouTube links are fine, as long as they are public, not private.

[Danielle]

4 hours ago, Helene said:

YouTube links are fine, as long as they are public, not private.

Thank you so much!!

Here is the link to Maria Khoreva's YouTube video about the production of The Pharaoh's Daughter: