Buddy

I've been to two of these, Su. Of the five Saint Petersburg ballet theatres that I've been to, I would certainly recommend the Ballet Theatre of St Petersburg Conservatoire 'Pricewise.' Also their performance was probably as good as any non-Mariinsky one that I've seen in Saint Petersburg. It's across the street from the Mariinsky and is an advanced student(?) company. The inside of the theatre is not ornate. Tickets were very inexpensive, about ten pounds(?).The student(?) Orchestra was as fine as I've heard anywhere ! I would agree with glowlight, Su, that the Hermitage is a lovely experience, but the tickets were as much as front seats at the Mariinsky, about 100 pounds. The Mariinsky is in a class of its own in Saint Petersburg. The only other company that comes close in star power is the Mikhailovsky. I saw the "Saint Petersburg Ballet Theatre" once in Geneva a year ago with Irina Kolesnikova. She was exceptional, but is not performing as much anymore. Otherwise the company seemed young and exciting. There's another company in Saint Petersburg, directed by former Mariinsky principal dancer, Andrian Fadeyev, the Leonid Jacobson Saint-Petersburg State Academic Ballet. I've yet to see it. I've never used a "kiosk" for tickets so I can't tell you anything about them. I almost always get tickets over the internet directly from the company's site for the best price, probably at least a third less than an agent. Also you will be certain of having seats. The Conservatoire ticket I bought by going to their ticket office several days before the performance. Added comment; I forgot that you are from New Zealand, Su. The tickets prices that I mentioned are in UK pounds.

The Swans These ladies represented a large part of the Festival highlights for me. A 'Swan' is meant to imply a ballerina who is generally tall, or looks tall because of her statuesque figure and long limbs. She is linear, airy and extremely graceful. Swans who actually danced Swans. Alina Somova Of the many highlight performances, I would chose her "Swan Lake" as one of the finest because it was one of the full length ballets and perhaps the most treasured. Her extensive dance vocabulary and capability, invention, pursuit of possibilities, determination and Basic Beauty made her "Swan Lake" very special. Among many other works she beautifully danced the pas de deux from the legendary Marie Taglioni's "Le Papillon" ("The Butterfly"). This is a charming work, intepreted today with much of the imagery that we associate with pictures and descriptions of Marie Tagloni. Ulyana Lopatkina She brilliantly performed Michel Fokine's "The Swan", Alexei Ratmansky's "Anna Karenina" and Christian Spuck's delightful comedy, "Grand pas de deux". But the beauty of "The Swan" so reminded me of her "Swan Lake" from several years ago at the Festival, perhaps the finest that I've seen. She is perhaps 'The Swan' of the 'Swans'. Oxsana Skorik Her performance at Sunday's gala of the White Swan pas de deux (Act II, "Swan Lake"), for me, was also one of the finest of the Festival. If you've seen the internet video clip of her practicing "Swan Lake" then you have a sense of how graceful she is. She was at least that graceful this time and her newly apparent *Poetic Nuancing* is very much her own and and Beautifully Compelling. Her duet was a 'revelation' as to what this young lady is capable of. She should become on the Mariinsky's finest ballerinas and certainly one of its finest Odettes. Other performances by Swans. Svetlana Zakharova Her "La Bayadere" was classic Svetlana. Her portrayal ability has become much more evident and her Basic Gracefulness looks more and more refined and beautiful each time that I see her. Yulia Makhalina She was Beautifully Graceful ! For a ballerina Star, who is much retired from active dancing (I believe), she was Remarkable for the Beauty of what she did. Olga Yesina She is a Vaganova graduate, danced with the Mariinsky and is now a Principal dancer at the Vienna Opera Ballet. She was just lovely ! Ekaterina Kondaurova In "Symphony In C" she was the statuesque goddess. She is also a fine actress and versatile dancer. Teresa Reichlen She's about six feet tall(?) and she so brought her own, almost playful, interpretation of the Siren in George Balanchine's "Prodigal Son". I just loved her.

Another Exceptional Evening ! "Gala Concert Of World Ballet Stars" Carmen Suite (Albert Alonso) Diana Vishneva Jose Manuel Carreno Konstantin Zverev Divertissement Forgotten History (Emil Faski) Irina Golub Timur Askerov Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux Evgenia Obraztsova Matthew Golding Adagio from the ballet Swan Lake [White Swan Act II] (Lev Ivanov) Oxana Skorik Danila Korsuntsev Pas de deux from the ballet Le Corsaire Ekaterina Osmolkina Kim Kimin The Dying Swan Ulyana Lopatkina Pas de deux from the ballet Don Quixote Viktoria Tereshkina Vladimir Shklyarov Elena Yevseyeva (variation) Symphony In C Alina Somova/Maxim Zyuzin Yekaterina Kondaurova/Yevgeny Ivanchenko Olesya Novikova/Filipp Styopin Maria Shirinkina/Alexei Timofeyev In my mind, Ulyana Lopatkina, Diana Vishneva and Oxsana Skorik were Outstanding !

Ulyana Lopatkina Her Dancing Was Magnificent ! As Usual. Her moves, her timing, her positioning, her presence, her elegance....Everything.... Magnificent ! "Anna Karenina" The Choreography and the Dancing by Everybody Extremely Fine.

Diana Vishneva I thought that her evening was quite good. Along with Alina Cojocaru, she is one of the greatest actress/expressionist ballerinas today. Since she had to dance almost constantly the evening was not long. The highlight for me was her entire performance of Martha Graham's "Labyrinth". The choreography is very good and interesting. She danced it with beautiful poetry and artistry. I also liked a lot of the last work, "Subject to Change". The four male dancers accompanying her and Andrei Merkuriev did some very exciting bravura dancing. The work is performed on or around a huge carpet. There is a segment where the four men make the carpet flutter like waves under the two leads. Diana Vishneva and Andrei Merkuriev's response to the waving carpet was extremely impressive. Also some of the images the two constructed together with lifts and other positionings were very compelling. Maybe a few more thoughts about last night's magnificent gala. I could go down the entire list and have something to say about how great each one of them was. "In the Night" This was the first. Maria Shirinkina was the Butterfly among the Swans, Alina Somova and Ekaterina Kondaurova. It took me a few minutes to get used to her beautifully gentle interpretation after having been knocked over by Evgenia Obraztsova's supercharged performance in London last summer. Eventually it settled in and the more she danced the more I appreciated her gentle poetry as contrasted to Alina Somova and Ekaterina Kondaurova's excellent and more expansive interpretations. "Le Papillon", choreographed by the legendary Maria Taglioni. In this lovely work Alina Somova was Absolutely Charming ! Olga Yesina I was looking forward to seeing her after her lovely performance at the 'Aid to Japan' gala in Paris last summer. She was absolutely lovely again ! I would say that along with Ulyana Lopatkina, doing a comedy, and Yulia Makhalina, who was magnificently graceful, she stood out as one of the most lyrically graceful dancers of the evening. Ekaterina Osmolkina and Svetlana Ivanova It was really nice to see these two lovely Butterfly ladies again in such beautiful works. The modernistic works by Boris Eifman and Maurice Bejart were excellent and excellently performed. The two comedies, "A Country Don Juan" and "Grand pas de deux" were great fun and very well received. The Finale from George Balanchine's "Symphony in C" This was the second to the last work of the evening and, although it was very late and I'm sure that many in the audience were ready to go home, it received one of the most enthusiastic responses. There were other wonderful happenings that I hope I can touch on at another time.

Gala Concert -- Gennady Selyutsky In The Night (Jerome Robbins) Marina Shirinkina/Vladimir Shklyarov Alina Somova/Evgeny Ivanchenko Yekaterina Kondaurova/Danila Korsuntsev Divertissement I Pas de deux from the ballet Le Papillon (Maria Taglioni) Alina Somova/Alexander Sergeyev Adagio fro the ballet Red Giselle (Boris Eifman) Vera Arbuzova/Evgeny Ivanchenko The Bluebird's pas de deux from The Sleeping Beauty (Marius Petipa) Svetlana Ivanova/Alexei Timofeyev Pas de deux from the ballet Anna Karenina (Andre Prokovsky) Yulia Makhalina/Andrei Yakolev Pas de deux from the ballet Light (Maurice Bejart) Kateryna Shalkina/Julien Favreau Pas de deux from the ballet Le Corsaire (Marius Petipa) Viktoria Teryoshkina/Andrei Yermakov Divertissement II Adagio from the ballet The Legend of Love (Yuri Grigorovich) Alina Somova/Igor Kolb Look at Me (Vera Arbuzova) Vera Arbuzova/Andrei Kasianenko Pas de deux from the ballet The Talisman (Marius Petipa) Yekaterina Osmolkina/Ernest Latypov Etude pour une Dame aux camelias (Solo) (Maurice Bejart) Elisabet Ros A Country Don Juan (Leonid Yakobson) Viktoria Teryoshkina/Igor Kolb Leda and the Swan (Roland Petit) Olga Yesina/Alexander Sergeyev Grand pas de deux (Christian Spuck) Ulyana Lopatkina/Danila Korsuntsev Finale from the ballet Symphony in C (George Balanchine) Alina Somova/Alexander Sergeyev Yekaterina Kondaurova/Yevgeny Ivanchenko Olesya Novikova/Alexei Popov Maria Shirinkina/Alexei Timofeyev La Saboteur from the ballet La Fille mal gardee (Oleg Vinogradov) Students from the 9th year Vaganova Academy class of Gennady Selyutsky.

Probably The Finest Evening Of Individual Ballet Performances That I've Ever Been To ! Everybody Was Great ! There were fifteen performances. The evening lasted about four hours and there wasn't a dull moment ! Yulia Makhalina It was wonderful to be able to see her. I've only seen her on dvd's at the height of her career. Tonight she was *More Graceful(!)* than on any of those. Andrei Yakovlev was her partner and they got through the lifts and everything just fine. Alina Somova She danced beautifully and distinctly different in four of the performances. Ulyana Lopatkina Even in an absolutely delightful comedy takeoff on ballet, Christian Spuck's "Grand pas de deux", she still looked like the most beautiful dancer in the world. The evening was in honor of Gennady Selyutsky's fifty-five year career. A Wonderful, Wonderful Evening Of Dance !

"Le Parc" Viktoria Tereshkina Alexandre Sergeyev Everybody ! Enchanting and Brilliant ! In regard to my mention of Alina Cojocaru in my above post, Galina Stolyarova wrote, in a follow up article in The St. Petersburg Times last week, "The Bucharest-born ballerina is often described as the world’s most moving dancer, thrilling audiences with her vibrant portrayals of emotionally fragile heroines." http://www.sptimes.r...&story_id=35359

Olyesya Novikova ( Sylphide) -- Very Lovely, At Times Excellent Filipp Stepin (James) -- Very Good Nadeshda Batoeva (Effie) -- Charming Kseniya Ostreikovskaya (A Sylphide) -- Very Fine (in her very brief appearance) "La Sylphide" Hopefully we will see the return next year of Alina and Johan. They are such a fine part of the Festival. Here is a quick comment that Galina Stolyarova made about them in the Moscow Times. "Covent Garden's Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg, who made their debut at the Mariinsky during the ballet festival in 2003, have since become regulars at the festival and have attended it almost every year since then." http://www.themoscow...l#ixzz1psVKEC4z It seems to me that she called Alina 'the finest ballerina in the world in certain respects' (I don't recall which) in the printed paper. I'll try to check tomorrow.

Olesya Novikova, Yana Selina and Filipp Stepin, Kevin. Tonight Svetlana Zakharova A Living Masterpiece And A Living Legend ! Ever since the birth of her child, about two years ago, her commitment to her portrayal has been like never before. Just Wonderful ! Her dancing has always been Outstanding ! Tonight She Was Both A Study In Refinement And A Goddess. "La Bayadère" It was a beautiful evening in honor of Olga Moiseeva, who sat in the VIP box next to the stage almost hidden behind huge bouquets of flowers. At the curtain call, both Svetlana Zakharova and Alexander Volchkov added their huge bouquets to the others. Anastasia Matvienko already offered hers after the second Act. Svetlana Zakharova gave Olga Moiseeva a deep bow and a huge smile. Olga Moiseeva seemed extremely touched and appreciative.

Alina Somova "Swan Lake" Remarkable ! She seems to be able to do anything and tonight she did just about everything. I'm not sure how many things she did that, if she had just done just one of them all evening, would have taken your breath away. But as soon as she showed her prowess in one place, she simply moved on to the next. If I've been hoping for the ultimate ethereal evening, well, she did some of that and then moved on to become expressionist or virtuosa or.... She never left any doubt that she could do any of these all evening and do them marvelously. Furthermore, she seems more unpredictable, which is fine. When she hopefully comes to the States in about six months with another "Swan Lake" it will probably be completely different again. I've mentioned in previous posts that she always seems to be looking for the best way to do something. Well, I would say that tonight she showed that she has found some of the best ways and it's just of matter of which ones she choses. The Corps de Ballet gets better and better. The men are as together as I've ever seen them. Matthew Golding -- Siegfried He was just fine, sailing through the air and spinning like a flash of light. Then Alina would come out and do her spins or single double fouettes with the same excitement. Konstantin Zverev -- Rothbart Some folks zeroed in on him awhile ago. He's quite special. He takes off into space and almost stays there ! He's light as air. I have to think that we'll see him doing other important parts. Alina Somova She is an Adventure ! A Remarkably Beautiful One !

Viktoria Tereshkina "Ballet Imperial" She Was Magnificent ! All the Other Dancers did beautifully as well. If you saw her and the others in London, well, this was probably even better ! There must have been a 'Thousand Curtain Calls' ! Teresa Reichlen "The Prodigal Son" Okay, I'll say it. She was one little (actually very tall) sexy apparition ! There are probably a million different ways that her role could be interpreted and she did it her way and it was just fine ! But Viktoria was the Explosion ! And there was much, much more.

A lot of changes to the second Thursday evening program. It has become a Gala evening. "In the Night" and "Symphony in C" will not be performed. "Symphony in C" is still scheduled for the final evening. The most exciting, for me, is the addition of * Yulia Makhalina * * A Mariinsky Legend * I've longed to see her perform. I hope that she is Magnificent ! Here is the new information. "Marking fifty-five years of Gennady Selyutsky’s stage career Gala Concert featuring Ulyana Lopatkina, Yulia Makhalina, Viktoria Teryoshkina, Alina Somova, Yekaterina Kondaurova, Danila Korsuntsev, Igor Kolb, Yevgeny Ivanchenko, Alexander Sergeyev, the Béjart Ballet Lausanne and students of the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet" http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill/festivale/fest_2011_2012/ballet_fest_229/

"Yesterday, a child came out to wander.... And the seasons they go 'round and 'round And the painted ponies go up and down There'll be new dreams, maybe better dreams and plenty...." (Joni Mitchell) Today the Festival topic has moved to "Hot" status and I'm getting the magic carpet out of the closet and dusting it off somewhat. Wednesday is departure day. I hope to be able to write a few things about what I see. Available time is always a factor and internet access has been also, but at least if something really interesting happens, I will try to write about it, if not during than maybe after. Last year, the first day that I arrived, it did happen. "Le Parc" It was to be performed for several evenings and was a complete unknown for me. I bought a ticket for one night only. Well, it was a dream. I immediately bought a ticket for the next evening, the only remaining performance. All the way back to the hotel, it filled my mind and my imagination as I walked down some of the more beautiful of the ancient streets and along the brightly lit riverfront. I think that Angelin Preljocaj, its creator, had reworked it somewhat, perhaps softening some of its original 'sensuality' and moving it more into the ethereal. Mozart's dreamlike music was juxtaposed against throbbing techno vibes. Dance styles were juxtaposed. Realities were juxtaposed. The dancing was beautiful. The dancers seemed to love doing it. There was a dreamlike transcendence to it all. It will be performed again this year and I'm greatly looking forward to seeing it again. Last year's Festival was possibly the best that I've been to. And now it's this year and the magic carpet looks ready to fly again. I have a dream, a song to sing If you see the wonder of a fairy tale I believe in angels I have a dream (Abba)

Victor Hochhauser, still active at 89. Wonderful !

Teresa Reichlen -- the correct spelling. A NYCB goddess who resembles an angel.

Besides "Ballet Imperial" there will be several other works that are not 'traditional' Mariinsky material. George Balanchine's "Symphony in C" and "The Prodigal Son" and Jerome Robbins' "In the Night" will be among them. "Symphony in C" Some interesting comments. "It is said that when Symphony in C premiered in NY, Jerome Robbins was in the audience and immediately wrote to Balanchine asking for a job. "Suzanne Farrell has mentioned that Symphony in C was the first ballet she ever saw and that it made her determined to become a City Ballet ballerina." "Go if: You are captivated by the idea of a downsized version of the 3 act classical ballet “take all the mime, settings and narrative away and just leave the difficult steps and the glorious dancing”. I don't recall seeing this ballet, but the above comments and what looks like a very complete description can be found here.... http://www.theballetbag.com/2010/02/05/symphony-in-c/ Ekaterina Konduarova -- will be dancing the adagio (slow dancing). She should be magnificent ! In addition she will dance in Jerome Robbins' "In the Night" and, depending on what her final Gala work is, might get a chance to show her impressive versatility. Alina Somova -- will be dancing the beginning allegro (fast) and coming off "Swan Lake" will probably show once again how amazingly versatile she really is. She will actually be dancing in all the works that evening (which includes "In the Night" and a "Divertissement" performance) and another "Symphony in C" at the final Gala. "The Prodigal Son" Considering how George Balanchine is ever more present at the Mariinsky, the chance for a Saint Petersburg audience to see principal dancers from what was his own New York City company should be quite exciting. Maria Kowrowski and Damian Woetzel ( both NYCB) gave a fine Festival performance of this several years ago. At that performance a former dancer and ballet enthusiast friend asked me whether I liked it or not. I said that there wasn't anything not to like about it. He asked me if I had noticed that there wasn't a single ballet step in the entire work. I hadn't. There does seems to be a lot of acting involved. Sublime expression, with the exception of Suzanne Farrell, Wendy Whelan and a few others may not be a Balanchine dancer's (or an American one in general) primary concern. I don't believe that George Balanchine encouraged it, although if you've ever seen the video clip of him coaching Mikhail Baryshnikov in this role, he could get pretty sublime himself. This year. Teresa Reichland -- A six foot tall, lively blond beauty. Am looking forward to seeing how she handles this. Daniel Ulbricht -- Supposed to be very good. "In the Night" Is physically demanding, but is also -- Absolutely Beautiful !

I think that I know what you're getting at, John, but it's great to have these available, as it was before, especially five hours before the other side of the Atlantic has gotten out of bed. I believe that you were responsible for the old format and I thank you.

Hi, alison. I would have to agree with you although I'm not really that knowledgeable about the specifics of George Balanchine's works. It would seem that the Mariinsky, and the Miami City Ballet for another, have gone back to the old title, "Ballet Imperial" and not essentially changed anything else. As with all dance, "Ballet Imperial/"Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2" has probably changed over time in many ways. George Balanchine was especially known for reworking things, often to respond to the strengths of his current dancers. These are some comments from the Pacific Northwest Ballet, which is one of the companies most know for performing the works of George Balanchine. "Ballet Imperial is one of a surprising number of Balanchine’s masterpieces that were created in the years before the founding of the New York City Ballet. These were years during which Balanchine accepted a diverse array of choreographic assignments, some of them for rather idiosyncratic venues. The 1941 occasion for the creation of Ballet Imperial was a cultural good will tour of Latin America sponsored by the U. S. State Department. * "Ballet Imperial Has Gone Through A Number Of Metamorphoses Since Its Creation". * (my *s and capitals) "One of the most significant is the change of title from Ballet Imperial to Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2, which Balanchine effected for a 1973 production by New York City Ballet. That change was accompanied by the replacement of tutus with simple chiffon dresses and the elimination of all scenery." http://www.pnb.org/A...etImperial.aspx annamicro, I posted this before I saw your post. I can't really tell you why some companies have gone back to the original title "Ballet Imperial" without changing anything else.

One week to go.

Viktoria Tereshkina She will be dancing the first evening's lead of "Ballet Imperial" and also the lead of "Le Parc" several nights later. I see her somewhat the same way that I view Yana Selina. She can be 'everywhere-doing-everything', sometimes carrying a large part of an entire series and can always be counted upon for a fine performance. I remember when the Mariinsky was in New York City a few years ago for about two weeks doing a wide variety of works. At the week of performances that I was able to attend, it seemed that Viktoria Tereshkina performed every night and every night was a different lead role. Yana Selina was equally present, as I recall. I've also seen Viktoria Tereshkina do this at the Mariinsky Festivals. She's probably performed as least as many leads as any other dancer. I would also say that she grows noticeably in her abilities. The first few times that I saw her she was considered to be one the Mariinsky's most 'precise' dancers. I also singled her out as always being right on the music. After several years she seemed to really develop as a more distinct, versatile and exciting dancer. A high point for me was her Odette/Odile ("Swan Lake") at the Festival several years ago when she did Everything Right ! Her portrayal was soft and lovely. Every part of her was positioned beautifully at all times. She moved like a dream. Again, another one of the best Odette/Odiles that I've ever seen. I just sat transfixed in my chair when the first intermission arrived. At last summer's performance of George Balanchine's "Ballet Imperial" in London, for me, she hit another high point. Along with Ekaterina Kondaurova (especially), Alina Somova and more recently Evgenia Obraztsova (now primarily at the Bolshoi) I consider her to be one of the Mariinsky ballerina's most able to adjust to new material and new styles. In "Ballet Imperial" she seemed to have an instinctive understanding, excitingly giving life and personal meaning to what is considered an 'abstract' work (no story or relationships), while wonderfully handling all the complex and difficult technical demands, and she did it compellingly. I greatly look forward to seeing her perform this once again next week.

Ekaterina Kondaurova She is a confirmed member of my Pantheon of Mariinsky 'Swans'. She will be dancing in one of the couples from the two performances of George Balanchine's "Symphony in C" and in a Divertissement appearance at the final night Gala. Last year she danced two of the finest "Swan Lakes" that I've ever seen ! She danced one at the Festival and the other in London. This was only her second year dancing Odette/Odile. She also danced a beautiful lead in "Le Parc" at last year's Festival. My only problem with the Enchanting Ekaterina Kondaurova is that when she is in a performance, I can't concentrate on anything else and after the performance I don't remember anything else. She Is A Wonderfully Beautiful Dancer Who Is Also Brilliantly Versatile !

Olga Smirnova She's 18 year's old(?), just graduated from the Vaganova Academy, made an instant Bolshoi Soloist and debuted in the lead (Nikiya) of "La Bayadere" March 4. The Beauty and Expression of her Dancing Is Mind Boggling ! From a quick look at her at the Galina Ulanova Gala in London last year and some internet video clips of her "La Bayadere" this year, I feel that... This Young Lady Is Incredible !!!!

This is a work that I thought was performed magnificently by the Mariinsky in London last summer. "Ballet Imperial" It will be one of the performances from the first evening. It's a work that I love and it's one that I'm most looking forward to seeing. George Balanchine was the choreographer. It's a mixture of classical beauty with modern excitement, complexity and artistic freedom. Depending on who is performing, the work can be ethereally beautiful (as done by the Mariinsky) or excitingly alive (as performed by the Miami City Ballet). Those who saw it performed by the Mariinsky in London will have seen some of the finest dancing that I've ever seen. I've seen both companies and I've liked both interpretations and presentations equally well. "Ballet Imperial" was later renamed "Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2" and now once again is appearing as "Ballet Imperial". Typical of the first evening, this is not traditional Mariinsky material. It is said that one of the things that makes a George Balanchine ballet different from a classical one is that he could compress an entire classical ballet into one Act of pure dance. These are a few comments from an internet site called "Arts Place", which I think very well describe some of the important characteristics of "Ballet Imperial" as well as other works by George Balanchine. http://artsplace.blogspot.com/2010/02/new-york-city-ballet-liebeslieder.html "What makes it a 20th century ballet....is the speed with which the steps are accomplished, and the rather more intricate way that the dancers weave around one another in their stage patterns. No particular story emerges in the ballet, but we see suggestions of a relationship in the pas de deux. (Those who were at the London performances might recall some of the following.) "The dancing occurs in neat lines and circles of corps dancers that surround a principal couple and soloist ballerina. "There are also opportunities to see spectacular performances in the principal roles." "The second ballerina [who appears first] in the ballet dances mostly alone; there is one brief section with two supporting cavaliers. This is a mostly flashy role, with lots of jumps and turns. She leads the corps de ballet in several passages leading up to the principal couple. "The main ballerina role starts out with a devilishly tricky solo filled with quick turns and dramatic pauses. It continues with a pas de deux that must look gentle, though the steps are strung together with fast lifts and sudden changes of direction. In the second movement, there is a melting adage, followed by a third movement loaded [with] jumps." And this additional comment: "Indeed, the ballerina’s role is still considered perhaps the most difficult in Balanchine’s repertory. The choreography of the entire piece has been described (by Nancy Reynolds) as “a non-stop outpouring of kinetic exuberance.” " http://www.pnb.org/AboutPNB/Repertory/BalletImperial.aspx In London last summer I thought that Viktoria Tereshkina, as the main ballerina, and Evgenia Obraztsova, as the second ballerina, were Outstanding ! This will be the second time that I'll get a chance to see Viktoria Tereshkina dancing this at a Festival. She seems more compelling and wonderful with each performance. In this work the entire company shines !

I said in my above post that nobody from outside the Mariinsky has danced nearly as many major leads as Alina Cojocaru at the Festivals. Johan Kobborg, who I believe has partnered her in most of them, would certainly be an exception.