MAB

I love the Bolshoi best when they are dancing their really extrovert rep, and from what I've seen from my DVD Flames of Paris will be something special. Am going to all three perfs,

I've a lot of sympathy for your views and I think the media hype that is concentrated so much on her didn't help. One dancer who has arrived on the scene without any Bolshoi fanfares is Kristina Kretova and what a delight she is, everyone speaks warmly of her and I will follow her career with interest. Kretova is a beautiful dancer with a personality that extends beyond the footlights. She communicates her love of dancing, a priceless quality more precious than the hyperextensions so beloved these days by Russian AD's.

Although he wasn't the original I have this memory of Peter Martins in Diamonds - and Thibault in Emeralds, odd that in a ballet celebrating the ballerina so much, for me it is two males that left the deepest impression.

The idea of putting the dancers photos further down the page was a good one, however the one of Andrei Merkuriev is wrongly captioned as Yan Godovsky. Now see what people mean when they compare Semyon Chudin with Wayne Eagling.

So if Volchkov is injured why can't Zakharova dance it with Ovcharenko? Very strange. Just remembered the last time Zakharova was taken out of a role she complained to President Vlad and Iksanov was given his P45, Someone's living dangerously.

I would have preferred to see two different casts in Jewels, is Smirnova the only other dancer with Diamonds in her rep?

Galina Ulanova and Maya Plisetskaya are legends. Olga Smirnova and Oksana Skorik are a pair of expressionless contortionists.

Might it not have been better to find guinea pigs 'already familar with the music' rather than the above mentioned pair of dreary celebrities? I got goosebumps watching Glurdjidze as Raymonda.

They haven't had these problems in previous seasons, most of the dancers already have experience of the ROH stage and anyway they tour often enough to know they must adapt to different stages.

That is not a change in the Rose adagio, Russian dancers have always danced it without the arms en couronne. The rare exceptions would be those that have been exposed to western companies as guests.

Not happy with the new production, gorgeous to look at but without the inherent magic that the ballet should possess. The columns at the side of the stage looked good in the Palace scenes but made an odd setting for the hunt. If anyone saw the La Scala version of a few years ago they’ll know what I mean. The evening was chopped down to a digestible two acts and in places the music was butchered. All in all not really an improvement on the earlier production, Actual dancing was good with a lovely Aurora from Krysanova and a gracious Lilac from Shipulina. Artem Ovcharenko no doubt earned himself some fans and even I was impressed by his immaculate double tours in the last act, but for me he didn’t quite cut it as a prince.

I'm going to have to radically disagree with the comments regarding Olga Smirnova; with her rapid ascent to stardom within the company I was expecting a lot (too much?) but found little to admire in her performance. She has a particular unattractive port de bras with her arms marring her line again and again, in fact her general epaulement was rather poor and in slow turns her back seemed almost to contort, she's not the most musical of dancers either. nor did her personality project much. I believe this dancer hasn't climbed the ranks like other Bolshoi principals but has simply been handed all the leading roles on a plate which makes me wonder why. At the same performance Krysanova gave the most satisfying performance of the evening and the Shades, particularly Chinara Alizade, were near faultless. I was enjoying Mr Chudin's performance very much until he omitted the double assembles in the last act, why was that I wonder? Comparing Bolshoi seasons? The 70's gave us Maximova, V. Vasiliev, Bessmertnova, Lavrovsky and M.Liepa. The 80's & 90's Ananishvili, Semenyaka, A. Liepa, Mukhamedov and Taranda. The 00's Alexandrova, Osipova, Tsiskaridze and I. Vasiliev. Losing Osipova and I. Vasiliev was idiocy in my view and although I believe there is talent galore within the company ranks, there has to be a question mark as to how some of that talent is being nurtured.

One other authentic version of Petrushka exists in the UK apart from Beriosoff's and that is the Serge Grigoriev version danced by the Royal Ballet, there is also the Vikharev reconstruction danced by the Bolshoi, but It varied somewhat from these two familiar and similar versions. Cyril Beaumont wrote extensively about Fokine and his powers of description were excellent, when confronted by radical choreographic changes, I start to mistrust my memories so have on occasion gone back to his book 'Michel Fokine and his Ballets' to check changed passages and usually find I am right to dispute some new interpolation. If Petrushka looks bad, Scherherazade is far worse with the famous death of the Golden Slave now omitted by all the Russian companies that have adopted Ms Fokine's adulterated version. I am very sorry this lady has now gained a toe hold in Britain.

I am a little surprised only notations are used, is video considered inferior? The Paris Opera Ballet also have a Beriosoff staged version which can be viewed on an old video called, I think, Paris Dances Diaghilev.

Now that a couple of city blocks surrounding the Victoria Palace have been completely demolished, The Pavlova statue looks even more impressive with just the sky as backdrop from most angles and can be seen at a far greater distance than before. Sadly a massive modern monstrosity is to be built where characterful old buildings and streets once stood, and poor Pavlova will become a minor feature in the new brutal landscape planned for the Victoria area. Those with an interest should go to see her now.

With Dmitrichenko banged up for 10 years and Ivan Vasiliev on dubious terms with the company it will be interesting to see who they find for Spartacus, I wonder if they will ask Acosta.

The heat was almost unbearable and left me wondering if because it had actually been rather chilly in the rain yesterday, the Coliseum management thought they could save some money by turning the air-cooling off. What is the situation at the Opera House right now?

Am deeply concerned that Elena Glurdjidze isn't being cast as Medora.

First time I've seen the Coli packed to the rafters for ballet all year.

I can understand that: Maria Alexandrova is head and shoulders above the rest in terms of technique, personality and expressiveness. Had I not seen her in the role before I would have gone, but I have tickets for her in other roles where hopefully the productions will be better.

I'm afraid I avoid Zakharova's performances in the classics, though in modern works she can be very good. Her limited range of expressions and the murderous 6 o'clock extensions just don't do it for me. I also avoid the Bolshoi Swan Lake, though would have gone if Tsiskaridze had danced the Evil Genius (Rothbart). Just for the record I avoid the RB SL too, so I'm not Bolshoi bashing here.

I have a feeling the last Petrushka we saw in London was the Bolshoi VIkharev reconstruction in 2010 (?) with Ivan Vasiliev in the title role. I am less than happy that someone decided to turn to Isabelle Fokine, are there no notations of the wonderful Nicholas Beriosoff version that the company used to cherish?

At Covent Garden and in a gala programme I think, as for the date I'm not too sure, but some wonderful stats people post here and I'm sure someone will give you the exact date.

I first saw Wayfarer shortly after its premiere and the work was very much geared to Nureyev's technique and personality, Bejart always seemed to choreograph around the individuality of his dancers e.g. Jorge Donn and Suzanne Farrell who were in the company at the time he created this. One of my friends who never missed any of Nureyevs performances, spotted a some differences last night, but in my view it looked an entirely different work on Muntagirov even though the choreography is basically the same. Nureyev and Bortoluzzi were I believe the same age when they first danced this as both were in their early 30's. In later revivals Dowell (four years younger?) was outstanding in the second role. Berlanga is closer to Paolo Bortoluzzi, both in looks and build, being only a little taller and with a slightly more stream-lined physique, last night I found him quite uncannily like the original. As for Muntagirov, I think it is one of the best things he has ever done and I was so happy that the work hasn't aged and looks so fresh on another generation. Let's hope it keeps a place in the rep.

I've been moved down once, at a performance of the opera Castor and Pollux when I was asked where I was sitting on entering the lift, when I showed my balcony ticket it was promptly exchanged for one in the dress circle. I'm told it happens a lot, possibly because it is such a huge house to fill. Although I didn't see the Copelia, I'm reliably told the place was near empty and it doesn't take much thought to realize that flooding London with visiting ballet companies this year (at ROH and SW too remember) stretches finances a great deal and those like myself who try to get to all the visitors, have to be a bit selective.