Mariinsky 2023-2024

[Buddy]

Looking forward by looking back.

Remember her ?

Oct 23, 2023

 “ Today is the birthday of Ulyana Lopatkina - the pride of the Mariinsky Theater and all Russian ballet, the embodiment of nobility, grace and true skill. Congratulations to all fans of her art with the recording of a fragment of the ballet “Raymonda”. “ (Google translation)

 

And Maria Khoreva has posted a video at her site after about a half year’s absence. I remember Xander Parish’s warm congratulations to her sister upon her acceptance to the company, even after he felt that he had to leave. Isabella Boylston (ABT) was among others who joined him.

“ Ballet Class with Maria Khoreva “

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27Eih5luJrY&t=1486s

Edited November 22, 2023 by Buddy

[Buddy]

Just discovered !! — Brava !!

 

Valeria Kuznetsova

 

“Graduated from the Perm School of Dance and joined the Mariinsky Ballet in 2023”

(Mariinsky site)

 

Here’s what I was in the process of writing just before I found the above :

"For me, the successor to Ulyana Lopatkina in dreamlike fineness at the Mariinsky would be Oksana Skorik. Her successor would have been the Vaganova graduate, Alyona Kovalyova, who is now a Principal at the Bolshoi.

“And for me, next in line would be the Perm School’s young Valeria Kuznetsova. Yuri Fateev, Acting Director of the Mariinsky Ballet, was one of the judges at last year’s XIV Moscow Ballet Competition, where she won a prize in the Junior’s. He, thus, has seen her.”

 

I’m Delighted for Her !  Brava !

 

Here she is once again, in my favorite officially posted video of her. There’s also now an unofficial video of her dancing the White Swan Duet from Swan Lake somewhere with Mariinsky Principal, Yevgeny Ivanchenko, probably just after graduating. She absolutely lovely.

 

Added: I momentarily forgot Maria Iliushkina, whom I might include as well.

Edited November 23, 2023 by Buddy
reference to Yevgeny Ivanchenko and Maria Iliushkina added

[Buddy]

I’ve touched on all this recently at one topic or another, but I would like to do sort of summary here. I seem to have divided ballerinas that I like the most into two groups — Dreamlike and Expressionist. All these ballerinas, interestingly, clearly belong in one group or the other with no in-betweens. I put this here because all these artists, except one, are at the Mariinsky or come from the Mariinsky school, the Vaganova.

The group that I probably like most is the Dreamlike group. For me, it represents the essence of ballet. I would say that the Mariinsky is probably its home. Ulyana Lopatkina, recently retired from the Mariinsky, is perhaps its most noteworthy, recent example. Oksana Skorik, Mariinsky, is probably its current best example. Alyona Kovalyova, Vaganova graduate at the Bolshoi, might be next, followed by the Mariinsky’s lovely Maria Iliushkina, but very impressively, perhaps alongside her already, is the Mariinsky’s very young, just graduated from Perm, Valeria Kuznetsova.

I’m most interested to see how Maria Iliushkina and Valeria Kuznetsova develop in comparison. Maria Iliushkina still manages to maintain a childlike enchantment, which I love, while at the same time becoming constantly more impressive with her dance prowess. Valeria Kuznetsova, in less than a year based on my video viewing, has already moved from a childlike attraction to a matured mistress of portrayal. I like both these young women very much for their slightly different, yet highly lovely, artistic approaches.   

Oksana Skorik, by now, is almost an icon. Her dance beauty is quite wonderful. And I will, once again, say that her use of her hands is possibly the most beautiful in the history of ballet. Keep an eye on these and her for as long as you can.

Alyona Kovalyova is now a Principal at the Bolshoi. Not much more has to be said.

And on to the Expressionists. This is where the Bolshoi is probably the most noteworthy in combination with ballet fineness. Olga Smirnova, Vaganova star student, formerly Bolshoi Principal star, now Dutch National Ballet Principal, is its best example. For me, the ballet world is dominated by Oksana Skorik, Dreamlike Beauty <> Olga Smirnova, Expressionist Beauty.

This leaves one more Expressionist, the very young, all-Bolshoi, Eva Sergeyenkova. With Olga Smirnova unfortunately departed, in a similar and perhaps eventually equal manner, she will perhaps be the Bolshoi’s next greatest star.

Although there’s a world of incredible dance artists and artistry, along with a world of external factors and everyone has their own criteria and personal preferences, these are the artists that I keep coming back to.  I hope that you share some of my enthusiasm and that we can enjoy and comment on them and many others, here, for a long time to come.

Edited December 6, 2023 by Buddy
two words changed

[Buddy]

I’d like to include some video glimpses of all the artists mentioned in my previous post. I’m only using ‘officially allowed’ videos (copyright issues, etc.) so my choices are rather limited, but still I think that these give a nice viewing.

Ulyana Lopatkina

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1DzAjynpl8&t=253s

Oksana Skorik

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVROgeG3Egk

Maria Iliushkina

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tALQYqUUKNk&t=21s

Valeria Kuznetsova

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a4xxdTP_ug

Alyona Kovalyova

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-D0Ap-ivWA&t=1s

Olga Smirnova

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

Eva Sergeyenkova

Nice Documentary — start at 12:40 for dance segment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3I4dQ2F0Y4&t=33s

 

And can I mention one other rather interesting name that actually is an In-between — between Dreamlike and Expressionist.

Veronika Part

Although she spent most of her career at the American Ballet Theatre in New York City, she did come from the Mariinsky and it showed and she did return at least twice to the Mariinsky for guest appearances. One was Swan Lake. She ‘retired’ around the same time that Ulyana Lopatkina did, but I consider her one of the greatest ballerinas of our times. She had the ability not only to totally command the stage with her remarkable expressiveness, but to enchant with some of the finest dreamlike qualities and refined beauty of dance that I would associate with the Mariinsky.

(For me, she was never filmed well on video except for a performance of Swan Lake(?) which ABT released to new donors. Perhaps it can still be seen by inquiring to the company.)

 

 

 

Edited December 7, 2023 by Buddy
word correction

[Buddy]

Anastasia Kolegova, who I thought was planning to retire several years ago, will be performing Carmen Suite tomorrow. In the first half, which I like, she should be vibrant, might even sizzle.

https://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill/playbill/2024/3/19/1_1901/

On March 23 she is dancing The Firebird. I’d love to see this one.

She was the first ballerina, ever, to win my Mariinsky Sweetheart of the Year Award.  😊

 

Added:  Her partner in Carmen Suite is a new and interesting name for me — Even Capitaine.

First soloist

Even Capitaine is a graduate of the Ballet School of the Opйra national de Paris (France), and the Belarusian State Choreographic College. Soloist with the ballet company of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus in 2016–2022.

He made his debut at the Mariinsky Theatre in La Bayadère (Solor) in July 2022. In 2023 he joined the Mariinsky Theatre as the first soloist.

https://www.mariinsky.ru/en/company/ballet_mt_men/capitaine_even1/

Edited March 18 by Buddy

[ECat]

Hello @Buddy For some reason, this is the first time I have seen this topic thread and like all of you other posts, I love it. I innately understand what you mean by a "dreamlike" quality. However, I'd love to know more about your "expressionist" type. A new favorite of mine is Elizaveta Kokoreva with the Bolshoi. Which category would she be in? I am guessing expressionist.  Also I would like to know how you would categorize May Nagahisa, Nadezhda Batoeva, and Mariinsky's newest prima- Renata Shakirova. I so enjoy your insights.

[ECat]

Oh I think I figured out what you mean by "expressionist". Of course, how silly of me - a dancer who is very expressive - Maria Alexandrova or Diana Vishneva. I would put May Nagahisa in the dreamlike category. Bateova and Shakirova into the expressionist category.  

[Buddy]

On 3/19/2024 at 1:34 PM, ECat said:

Oh I think I figured out what you mean by "expressionist". Of course, how silly of me - a dancer who is very expressive - Maria Alexandrova or Diana Vishneva. I would put May Nagahisa in the dreamlike category. Bateova and Shakirova into the expressionist category.  

Hi ECat. It’s nice to read your comments again and thanks for the kind words and interest. Yes, I agree with you. Expressionist and expression are somewhat the same thing.

For me, ballet is essentially a ‘dreamlike’ creation. It features the grace and beauty of human physicality. For me, it’s the effect, the feeling and above all the Aura that attracts me to ballet. To the extent that you add the human ’story’ is what makes it ‘expressionist.’

Maybe that’s a difference between expressionist and expression. Expressionist is perhaps more the telling of the human story, whereas expression can be that or simply committing yourself to a beautiful aura.

Although I probably consider the Mariinsky and the Bolshoi to be artistic equals, because the Mariinsky adheres more to the pure expression of grace and flow, which I see as the essence of ballet dancing, I may tend to favor the Mariinsky.

When I watch the Mariinsky perform Swan Lake, it all revolves around the dreamlike continuity that’s defined by the famous White Swan duet. For me, it’s like an unbroken spell. It flows like a river from beginning to end. When the Bolshoi performs it, the human identity and drama become very important. It can be more a collection of highlights. Yet, this is still contained within the underlying pursuit of grace and flow.

I agree  when you write, “….a dancer who is very expressive - Maria Alexandrova or Diana Vishneva. I would put May Nagahisa in the dreamlike category. Bateova and Shakirova into the expressionist category.” Again my definitive examples of ‘dreamlike’ would be the Mariinsky’s former Principal, Ulyana Lopatkina and current Principal, Oxana Skorik. For expressionists they would be the Bolshoi’s former Principal, Olga Smirnova and current rising star, Eva Sergeyenkova. May Nagahisa would be in the essential Mariinsky dreamlike category, whereas Nadezhda Batoeva and Renata Shakirova are expressionist for the Mariinsky, but less so than for the more dramatic Bolshoi.

If we want to take a quick look beyond in terms of drama or expression, the Royal Ballet (London) is perhaps the finest for theatrical expression. Xander Parish (formerly Royal Ballet and Mariinsky Principal), when he was at the Mariinsky, quite successfully imparted this. By theatrical expression, I would think in terms of the acting style used in an actual play. And I’d like to add the expressionist abilities of one more very interesting artist, the American Ballet Theatre’s young, rising star, Chloe Misseldine. She has the ability to express herself with a naturalness that I have never seen before on a ballet stage (or maybe any stage!), thus perhaps creating a completely new category in ballet expression.

 

[Buddy]

Getting back to ECat’s very good point that ‘expressionist’ means “very expressive,” I still like the idea that ‘expressionist’ might relate more to the human drama. If it were to apply to the pure dancing it might push the limits of grace and flow that I think define ballet.

Yet, Mariinsky ballerinas have been successfully ‘expressionist’ in their pure dance. ECat mentions Diana Vishneva. I would add, in some performances, the non-Mariinsky ballerina, Sylvie Guillem. And among the males, of course, Rudolph Nureyev.

To get a more interesting picture we could go back to the two greatest Mariinsky ballerinas, Anna Pavlova and Galina Ulanova. I would say that they were capable of being great expressionists, both in their humanness as well as in their pure dance.

Added: Clarification. Both Galina Ulanova and Rudolph Nureyev did not do most of their performing at what is now called the Mariinsky, but they were both trained at its school and began their careers there.

Edited March 21 by Buddy
Added: Clarification

[ECat]

21 hours ago, Buddy said:

When I watch the Mariinsky perform Swan Lake, it all revolves around the dreamlike continuity that’s defined by the famous White Swan duet. For me, it’s like an unbroken spell. It flows like a river from beginning to end. When the Bolshoi performs it, the human identity and drama become very important. It can be more a collection of highlights. Yet, this is still contained within the underlying pursuit of grace and flow.

This is an interesting topic!  I agree with you that while the "Mariinsky  and Bolshoi are artistic equals", the Mariinsky has more "grace and flow". I love both companies enjoy their differences immensely. Perhaps the Mariinsky is more dreamlike and Bolshoi is more expressionist. Bolshoi principal and former Mariiknsky dancer Mikhail Lobukhin is a favorite of mine.  I bring him up as I would put him into the expressionist category. Vladislav Lantratov as well. Are there any male dancers that you would categorize as dreamlike?

 

[Buddy]

1 hour ago, ECat said:

 Are there any male dancers that you would categorize as dreamlike?

 

Maybe, Fred Astaire.  🙂

Good question. Let me get back to this.

[Buddy]

‘Dreamlike’ male dancers ?  — Of ‘All’ male dancers that I’m familiar with, and that’s limiting it to ‘Western’ dance, Fred Astaire might be the only one. He was George Balanchine’s favorite male dancer, and as I’ve written before, he’s the only dancer I’ve seen who is more graceful than his female partners while remaining ‘convincingly masculine.’ I have seen a video clip of a Japanese Kabuki actor/dancer(?) who was quite fascinating.

Male, ‘dreamlike’ dancer in ballet ?  Not really. I think I’m more comfortable with ‘poetic’ and ‘sensitive’ in this regard. The Mariinsky’s Alexander Sergeev has probably impressed me the most.

ECat -- "Perhaps the Mariinsky is more dreamlike and Bolshoi is more expressionist." Yes, definitely. Again, interpreting ‘Expressionist’ as being a form of ‘Expression’ that highlights the dancer’s identity (real or portrayed).

Edited March 21 by Buddy

[duffster]

Thank you Buddy for your thoughts. Anthony Dowell always comes to my mind as being especially sensitive and poetic.

[Drew]

6 hours ago, duffster said:

Thank you Buddy for your thoughts. Anthony Dowell always comes to my mind as being especially sensitive and poetic.

Goodness--I also was thinking of Dowell!!! For sheer beauty of movement I still find him unequaled among male dancers I have seen.

(A remarkable actor in certain roles, too, so I wasn't sure how my image of him fit with the discussion. But certainly not a flamboyant actor.)

[ECat]

Yes!  Anthony Dowell is a great one.  I was also thinking of Manuel Legris from Paris Opera Ballet. Much of Nureyev's choreography for POB seems to allow for dreamlike dancing from men. But Legris, to me, always seemed to be soulful in his dancing.

[Buddy]

On 3/21/2024 at 6:57 PM, duffster said:

Thank you Buddy for your thoughts. Anthony Dowell always comes to my mind as being especially sensitive and poetic.

Thank you, Duffster. And Drew wrote:

“Goodness--I also was thinking of Dowell!!! For sheer beauty of movement I still find him unequaled among male dancers I have seen.

(A remarkable actor in certain roles, too, so I wasn't sure how my image of him fit with the discussion. But certainly not a flamboyant actor.)”

Thank you, Drew, and I agree with you both. We may be drifting somewhat from a strict Mariinsky discussion for the moment, but, I believe that this is still very relevant because of the Mariinsky’s distinction as being, possibly, the most dreamlike group of artists in all of dance. Not being familiar with Anthony Dowell’s or Manuel Legris’ dancing, thank you, ECat, I found some video clips. I have to say immediately that I was very impressed with Anthony Dowell and would consider what he did to be indeed ‘dreamlike,’ something I’ve never said before about a male, ballet dancer.

Yet  🙂  the non-ballet, but somewhat ballet influenced, dancer, Fred Astaire, still wins the prize, for me, in the male, dreamlike dancer category. He was amazingly graceful, even in a style that, unlike ballet, doesn’t necessarily encourage this, and his expression also had an exceptionally dreamlike quality. 

As graceful as Anthony Dowell was, I would say that his most ‘dreamlike’ quality was in his enchanted expression, in his face. As an aside, he somewhat resembled in appearance, John Curry, the man who imparted the same qualities to figure skating. Manual Legris also seems quite noteworthy for his flowing gracefulness.

One other thing. I went through our Ballet Alert! archives, along with a few videos, and found some male, Paris Opera Ballet dancers, performing very graceful, almost enchanting, Baroque style dances. I would say that this could be another example of male, ballet dancers performing in a somewhat dreamlike manner.

I certainly think that these are qualities that relate directly to the Mariinsky's exceptional artistry. Perhaps we are yet to seen such a male dancer emerge here. Perhaps one already has (Vaslav Nijinsky?). Then, let's look forward to others, as well. And this would include working in sensitive harmony with the many exceptionally dreamlike (in my opinion) Mariinsky ballerinas.

Added: 

And I can't resist. Here's my definitive Fred Astaire video. And it sure didn't hurt to have Ginger Rogers as a partner. And -- I do think that this is relevant to this topic.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UY1seXdnIc&t=278s

 

Edited March 23 by Buddy
last sentence added and typo correction

[Buddy]

A first for me. The Bolshoi will be appearing at the Mariinsky. This will be May 7 - 12. This would also be a ‘homecoming’ of sorts for Evgenia Obraztsova, Alyona Kovalyova and Yulia Stepanova.

https://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill/playbill/?type=ballet

The Mariinsky has recently presented its own version of Spartacus by Leonid Jakobson. Over the years I’ve only watched a few excerpts of this ballet from the Yuri Grigorovitch version.

Daria Kulikova — A name that’s somewhat escaped me. She graduated the Vaganova Ballet Academy in 2023 from the class of Yulia Kasenkova, which has also included Alyona Kovalyova and Maria Ilyushkina, two favorites of mine. I read something that compares her quite favorably to them. Having just watched a video clip, she seems quite lovely. Does anyone have some thoughts about her ? 

 

 

Edited April 10 by Buddy
typo correction