Buddy

This is from a review of Diamonds by Judith Mackrell, that seems to describe today's Olga Smirnova. "Fabulously gifted, this young dancer is already proving a maverick – the singing line of her upper body punctuated by the odd, imperious accents of her phrasing." Maybe you can relate this to what I'm trying to say in my previous two posts. "the singing line of her upper body" is what I'm expressing my love for. The "maverick" is what I try to balance into the equation. The "maverick" may prove to be (perhaps is already) absolute genius and wonderful 'magic'. I'm mainly trying to voice my love of the "singing line". http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/aug/13/bolshoi-ballet-jewels-review

This is a Bolshoi ballet class in London filmed by the Telegraph which can be viewed until August 25. I've watched different parts (about one-third) and find it quite beautiful. It shows where all that we see on stage comes from. This might also relate somewhat to my earlier comment here about my personal liking of taking 'Some Form of Ballet' in a more natural direction. In these exercises there is no full pointe work of the feet. (Thanks to sophia at Dansomanie for posting this)

Related to my previous post it might be the difference between Enchantment and Fascination.

An added thought about the Balanchine works. I find that the Mariinsky has somewhat softened the feel. I would imagine that the Bolshoi has done the same but not as much. I like this approach very much. In the same sentiment I hope that Olga Smirnova keeps as much of her Mariinsky 'softness' and loveliness as possible. Svetlana Zakharova, I believe, has managed to do this wonderfully over the years. As fine as Olga Smirnova's performance of Diamonds might be, it's perhaps not the best place to judge this. Swan Lake would probably be a better choice. Again -- Why this approach for Olga Smirnova ? It's just so 'darn' Beautiful and she's so capable of doing it.

You did that ?! Brava !

LinMM, At first glance I read this to say Truth in Beauty is Truth. Even nicer Truth in Beauty is Beauty

I know some of you are already quite familiar with my *adortation* of Clement Crisp's almost unqualified admiration for the flagships of Russian ballet, the Mariinsky and the Bolshoi. I haven't been able to see any of these performances, but I've had the great fortune of seeing many of these two companies' efforts in the last ten years. I don't want to bulldozer my thoughts about a series that I've not even seen, but I certainly agree with Clement Crisp's immense over-the-years enthusiasm. He seems quite in love with Olga Smirnova. I would go as far as to suggest that the London press's great enthusiasm was already set in place before the Bolshoi even arrived by his glowing report from Moscow last autumn. But press reviewers do have minds of their own and I'm sure someone would have broken step if she or he thought it really warranted. They haven't as far I've been able to see. By the way, Clement Crisp was by no means the first to 'discover' Olga Smirnova. The internet had been alive with praise for her for a year anyway before he first saw her. Another very interesting phenomenon is the growing opinion that George Balanchine is very much a Mariinsky 'animal' (has very basic roots there). From my internet viewing it was some members of the London press that first strongly implied this based on the Mariinsky's much praised performances of Ballet Imperial (?) two summers ago (?). I was at those performances and I very much agreed. One press reviewer wrote that the Mariinsky had reclaimed its own. This should be very interesting to watch. I've been very impressed with the Mariinsky's 'interpretations' of George Balanchine. Again, Clement Crisp: "I am no stranger to Balanchine’s Jewels. I loved its early performances, and how exquisite was Violette Verdy in Emeralds, how ecstatic Suzanne Farrell and Peter Martins in Diamonds. But on Tuesday, after the Bolshoi Ballet showed us Jewels, I was prepared to hail Olga Smirnova’s performance inDiamonds – and no less so Semyon Chudin’s as her cavalier – as sublimely commanding, perfect." http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/3c117712-04c2-11e3-9ffd-00144feab7de.html#axzz2c3jHuZhR

I've somewhat changed my mind about this one. As before, still artist's choice, but never to be demanded. Having spent the late afternoon in a nearby national park (things are very fortunate sometimes) I've reconfirmed that it's really good to get out. Amelia has assured us that she does this. Great ! Also probably a very good idea to be around little children as much as possible. (I guess writing about Russian ballerinas makes me smile a lot) Thanks, Coated, this is good to hear. I think that Olga Smirnova has a mind and a creativity that must move at the speed of light. I've seen internet clips of her doing the same work and they hardly resemble each other. I don't think that this is by accident.

ENBlover -- "For me its her artistry, her lines, her lightness." This is what I perhaps love most. Also she has extreme intelligence. She was an all "A" student. As her coach and former star, Marina Kondratieva, says in the video, 'she is very smart and she gets her way.' On the internet I've seen great things from her in the drama/expression department. I think that she has incredible depth. As I've mentioned elsewhere, I like to compare her to the young Oxana Skorik at the Mariinsky, who also has great expression, but is using it more to frame and highlight her subtle and beautiful refinement. I would kind of hope that Olga Smirnova would do the same, because to me it's so Beautiful, but that's a personal thing. Thanks, MAB, for the Kristina Kretova alert. I'll look forward to seeing her. As for you, SMBallet, "I am not British" -- Shame! (neither am I, what will we do?)

I guess we'll have to get married, then. That prospect should send her back to being a full time ballerina.

I personally think that this is okay, if in fact it's the case, if she can handle it. I certainly wouldn't demand it. Along with some things that have received our perhaps proper questioning, she overall seems to love what she's doing and she creates magnificent beauty. I consider the video to be essentially a lovely portrait.

I haven't been able to follow all this discussion, but I hope that my thoughts are still relevant. I've always been an advocate of taking some form of ballet in a more natural direction. This would include giving highest consideration to the health of the body as well as the mind. Having said this, I have to allow for the artistic reality that some of these artists chose to enter, the amazing beauty that can result and the great satisfaction that they can feel from it . It's a world that we maybe don't understand and don't chose to be a part of, but its their choice and for them it might be immensely rewarding. I put health and happiness above everything. Different folks have different ways of seeing things. I would hope for a middle ground, where artistic dedication and its perhaps transcendental rewards are equally balanced with health and happiness. Maria Kochetkova's ongoing blogs, for instance, show an artist who deals with all the 'heaviness' and also has a delightful outlook on life. Olga Smirnova talks about her immense love for what she's doing and its beauty as well as offering her thoughts about the 'other stuff'.

I have a "Butterfly" theory. Butterflies are 'not tall' ballerinas and I love them along with tall ballerinas. Included with Natalia Osipova, are Anastasia Kolegova (Mariiinsky), Ekaterina Krysanova (Bolshoi), Evgenia Obraztsova (Bolshoi, formerly Mariinsky), Maria Kochetkova (SFB, Bolshoi trained), Alina Cojocaru.... One of the things that Butterfies seem to do is *Smile* -- *Alot* ! The ladies listed here are all 'Russian sphere' dancers. I used to call them Osipova-Obraztsova Dancers. Anastasia Kolegova, for one, brings a smile to my face the minute she appears, no matter what character she's performing. They all are bundles of 'Russian' Sunshine. It's a fun generalization anyway.

A beautiful video portrait. http://toursenlair.blogspot.ca/2013/08/video-portrait-of-bolshoi-ballerina.html (Thanks to kbarber at Ballet Alert! for posting this)

I wrote this in 2007 about Ekaterina Krysanova. I would really like to post it because it meant so much to me and might offer some perspective and insight into what we are seeing today. "Cinderella" -- Washington DC Ekaterina Krysanova----An Absolute Delight ! From the moment that she appeared on stage with her childlike effervescence and look of wonderment the enchantment remained constant for the entire evening. How to describe her dancing ? Somewhere beyond the delicate side of Alina Cojocaru if you can believe that. Alina Cojocaru has a virtuoso aspect along with her delicacy. Ekaterina Krysanova just floated along like a gentle dream. She was both totally real and a fairytale princess. I've never seen moves quite like hers. They just effervesced, dreamily bubbled and touched the surface like a dancing cloud. She did one hop over a bit of stage scenery with a flutter of fairylike grace that I have never seen before. In her Act II solo she did a series of jumps where her head airily arched backwards in a beautifully done finishing gesture. (She did similar lovely jumps in the Act III variation from Don Quixote.) Coming out of demanding bits of choreographed gymnastics she flowed into dream perfect conclusions like an inverted waterfall. Her posturing during the more grounded choreography was done with wondrously delicate grace and poetic command. All this was performed with the wide eyed innocence of a little child…. and speaking of little children the four little sisters [sitting in front of me] seemed to be wide-awake and enjoying the entire evening.

No, I don't have that DVD, Beryl, but I'm so glad that you are enchanted by Ekaterina Krysanova's -- "gentle loveliness". It's possibly what I Love most about her. Hope you had a great time at yesterday's performance ! Added comment: At her Cinderella performance from maybe six years ago, that is perhaps my favorite, there were two little girls sitting in front of me in beautifully designed identical dresses -- 'Our Cinderella dresses. Mother got them especially for tonight.' These two little girls were 'enchanting'. I kept thinking that Ekaterina Krysanova, with her airy innocence, could have been their older sister.

Not that I recall. It was the first and only time that I've seen her live and I thought that she was Great ! -- along with Svetlana Zakharova who had just returned to the stage. Evgenia Obraztsova and Daria Klimentova also were exceptional, I thought. Well here we go again. Clement Crisp and Five Stars(!) for Ekaterina Krysanova and Artem Ovcharenko in Sleeping Beauty. Since I've yet to recall a negative word from him *Ever* about the Bolshoi or the Mariinsky, he is the only one I really trust on the subject. "So far, so admirable, and even more admirable in the appearances of Ekaterina Krysanova as Aurora and Artem Ovcharenko as her Prince. Krysanova’s Gamsatti, in last week’s Bayadère, only hinted at the artist whom we saw on Monday night. Here was Aurora as coloratura ballerina, difficulties set out with a delicious ease, the fiorituri of steps pearling out in long chains of movement that sparkled, having brightest charm. It is a stylish reading, in that Krysanova’s technique embellishes the usual with unusual brilliancy, and the rigours of classicism (I recall the sublimities of Zhana Ayupova, the blazing elegance of Ludmila Semenyaka, as Aurora) find prettiest airs with Krysanova. She is mistress of the role on terms that would surely have made Petipa smile in approval: a reading bright-cut, with delicious pirouettes, delicately shaded in the Vision scene." I also like Ekaterina Krysanova very much and would really wish to elaborate on this at another time. Although she has since shown herself to possess fine virtuosity and even 'bravura', it is her *Absolutely Gentle Loveliness* that I recall from her Cinderella a few years ago that I hold the most precious. http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/ef9011a6-fe8a-11e2-97dc-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2bJrUHNSS (thanks to Dansomanie for citing this article)

Just my deeply felt preference, I guess.

In the For What It's Worth Department. A few posts back I wrote that I wondered if we're eventually going to see a sort of Galina Ulanova/Maya Plisetskaya 'duality' occurring between Oxana Skorik and Olga Smirnova. I would really like to see a wonderful similarity between the two rather than a marked contrast. I'm very fond of Oxana Skorik's Essence of Lyrical Refinement. Olga Smirnova comes from the same background. Perhaps someday we'll see an Oxana Skorik who is slightly more 'Mariinsky' and an Olga Smirnova who is slightly more 'Bolshoi', but both being essentially the same and equally compelling in their 'Ethereal Essence'.

Thanks, Ian. I never was aware of the safety factor. Certainly a very valid reason for changing them if it's as critical a factor as you describe. I did really like them though.

Ah, yes. At his most eloquent -- Clement Crisp Olga Smirnova "….the ravishing qualities of her dancing, notably in the unaffected beauties of her upper body, with an exquisite dialogue between head and shoulders and the placing of the arms." http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/570c3c64-fdbf-11e2-a5b1-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2bCNt3DwV Last autumn she inspired him to write one of the most poetic descriptions of ballet technique that I've read. "In ballet, épaulement denotes the dancer's ability to turn, bend and shape the placing of the trunk, shoulders, arms, neck and head to produce the subtlest contrasts and oppositions. In Italian art it is contrapposto, and this is what gives life, veracity and power to a drawn or sculpted position. In classical ballet it turns the academic pose into the beautiful, the fascinating." He added: "Smirnova’s radiance, the unaffected nobility of her manner and the charm of her means make the role["Diamonds"] hers. She creates something magical and it touches the spirit. Not since the earliest performances by Altynai Asylmuratova have I seen so luminous a debut. We have much to hope for." http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/f16dc240-06f4-11e2-92ef-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2bCNt3DwV In this current review of La Bayadere he also writes: "The trio of Shades – Anastasia Stashkevich, Daria Khokhlova, Chinara Alizade – were vaporous divinities." Hopefully the Bolshoi (and Mariinsky) will grace the London stage for many years to come, if only to inspire Clement Crisp to ascend newer and loftier Shakespearian summits. Well, she was just seventeen, You know what I mean, And the way she looked was way beyond compare. So how could I dance with another, (Ooh) And I saw her standing there. (by some guys from Liverpool)

A comparison that interests me very much is the somewhat parallel rising to stardom of Olga Smirnova and Oxana Skorik. I'll begin by saying that I like Oxana Skorik very much and think that she may actually carry the Mariinsky banner especially for *Refinement* as well as many other remarkable qualities. Olga Smirnova, although schooled at the Mariinsky's Vaganova is looking much more Expressive these days, perhaps a Bolshoi characteristic. Both are quite young, especially Olga Smirnova. Both I think are *Remarkably Talented*, which will hopefully show more and more. I continue to wonder what Olga Smirnova would be like if she had stayed at the Mariinsky and been given the opportunities that the Bolshoi is giving her. I also wonder if we're eventually going to see a sort of Galina Ulanova/Maya Plisetskaya 'duality' occurring between Oxana Skorik and Olga Smirnova. How will Olga Smirnova balance her much praised ability to fuse the Mariinsky and Bolshoi basics? I think that it will be fascinating to watch.

My favorites are 2 and 4. Like 1 also. (And since 1 includes the tail of an airplane I'd like to say that I really liked the British Air planes about 15 years ago when artists did many designs for the tails)

Very glad to hear this.

Ah, Dear Clement. I don't think that he's written a bad word about the Mariinsky or the Bolshoi in all the years that I've been reading him. Whether he's right or wrong -- I love it ! And I think he's Right !