Note #4 Almaty State Ballet

[Marianna]

In this post I will review briefly

THE ALMATY STATE BALLET

MALE DANCERS (JANUARY 2003)

DMITRY SUSHKOV - graduated from Almaty State Choreography School. This dancer has the longest experience of performing Prince's parts in spite of his relatively young age of 27 (speaking of the principal male dancers performing on the stage of Almaty O&B Theater). His romantic, elegant and manly style reminds me of Vladimir Vasiliev - that celebrated principal dancer from Moscow (Bolshoy Theater).

On the list of Dmitry's parts are Siegfrid and Rotbart from the Swan Lake, Desire (Sleeping Beauty), James (La Sylphide), Albert (Giselle), Khan Ghirey (The Fountain of Bahche-sarai), Conrad (Le Corsaire), Prince-Nutcracker (Nutcracker), Barber Basile and Gypsy Dancer (Don Quixote), Prince Rezanov (Juno & Avos').

Dmitry has a powerful yet really elegant style. Tall, handsome (excuse me this cliche' but he is!) dancer, Dmitry mastered that 'noble danseur' stage manners that has been making me secretly wonder WHERE did he learn that - growing up as a dancer during Soviet era?

Another thing that fascinates me along with Dmitry's beautiful dance techinque and acting talent - his feet. Beautiful feet are really something that ballerinas are usually admired for, but the elegance and beauty of that dancer's feet is my secret envy object. (His James' feet are so light-speed fast and tireless when he's doing his entrechat-six in the Sylphide, I'm going green with envy! )

His Basile in Don Quixote is hilarious (when I saw Baryshnikov in Don Quixote with Cynthia Harvey (on the videotape, OF COURSE! - again, I thought how much Dmitry is like young Baryshnikov - brilliant, funny and dancing so effortlessly. And another thing - that style, I believe Baryshnikov and Dmitry share, the charming Russian man's style.

When Dmity does the Gypsy Dancer part in Don Quixote - it is another time to enjoy his dance and style: wild and life-loving, like all those gypsies.

I guess it will worth to tell some more about Dmitry when I'll be going through some particular performances.

Some new kids on the block:

ALEXEY SAFRONOV - an absoultely fresh face on the stage. Graduated from the Almaty State Dance School just in June 2002. Because of the desperate lack of Princes in Almaty (anyone has a spare Prince to forward to Almaty?) - he was immediately selected (and collected) by the swan-girl Kuralay Syrkytbaeva. They performed their first Swan Lake together on Dec. 15, 2002.

Advantage of having a young strong body performing that marathon-ballet was obvious. Alexey has a great and glorious road ahead of him and I am wishing him good luck with all my heart. He is a very hard working person, and I'm sure that he'll become a great dancer (if Almaty won't lose another Prince to Moscow or Europe, keeping my fingers crossed!)

DASTAN CHINYBAYEV - another fresh face in the theater. He also has just graduated from the Ballet School. On his list so far - pas de trois from the Swan Lake (a beautiful company to the delicate and delicious Aliya Sapugova); and he also performed his first Nutcracker-Prince with Leila Alpieva on Jan 9, 2003.

Dastan has that innate Prince's posture and on-stage manners - that always delight me. Another very prospective dancer and a very hard-working person (I can't resist but admire it in all those 18 year old ones. I guess you'll understand).

YASSAUI MERGALIEV - he shined as a Joker (Gester) in the Swan Lake on Dec. 15, 2002 (another premier peformance!). Again, what a bliss - to have that young strong body capable of all those sky-high leaps (add a bonus - extreme flexibility to that). He tried to be funny, too, but that will come with time - when that young dancer feels more confident on stage. Another great hard-working 18-year old dancer and person.

I will gladly continue a gallery of our dancers in the nearest future.

I hope it was interesting to learn a thing or two about our dancers in Almaty State Ballet.

Cheers and a presto, Marianna