ElenaF

Here is the link to the relevant decree by the Ukrainian president on his official site. The list of sanctioned persons is in the attachment at the bottom of that page. It is all in Ukrainian, the English version of the president's site does not provide translations of official documents, so you may need a translation tool or someone who is language-proficient enough to translate. https://www.president.gov.ua/documents/42023-45517 There are over 100 individuals on that list. Netrebko is on it. As for people from the ballet world, I only saw the aforementioned 4 names, maybe I missed someone. In addition to asset freezes, the Ukrainian sanctions law states that the names of sanctioned people are to be provided to the governments of the US, European countries and other countries friendly to Ukraine, with a recommendation that these countries add such sanctioned people to their own sanctions lists.

Yesterday Ukraine sanctioned a number of Russian cultural figures, with four Russian ballet stars included. And while the inclusion of Svetlana Zakharova on the sanctions list is not unexpected given her close affiliation with Vladimir Putin (I have even heard allegations that she was his mistress at some point), I wonder what have Evgenia Obraztsova, Ekaterina Krysanova or Vlad Lantratov done to be included as well.

Looks like Olga is settling very well in the Netherlands and with Van Manen's choreography. This is a clip from a Dutch talk show covering the ongoing Van Manen Festival at the Het dedicated to his 90-year anniversary. The show features an interview with Van Manen himself, also with Rachel Beaujean, for whom he created a lot of his most important pieces, and his biographer. Olga is performing an excerpt from Trois Gnossienes. The clip does not feature the full interview, but a friend of mine who lives in the Netherlands and saw the complete program, has told me that Van Manen was heaping praises on Olga, calling her interpretation of his choreography "fantastic" and "absolutely wonderful" on this talk show. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxxEIwqefpg

Anything that involves mental and physical abuse against women or children. Starting with Manon. Things like monsters, ghosts or even Mats Ek's shenanigans are too gimmicky to be creepy. Unpleasant - yes, creepy - no.

ENB: Cojocaru, Acosta, Klimentova ABT: Kent, Hallberg, Stiefel, Bocca, Ananiashvili, Ferri. Longer shots: Vishneva, Gomes. But the best scenario would be to have Misty Copeland as dancer-director. Bavarian: Malakhov, Goecke Hamburg: Riggins

One is well advised to be careful about impressions from Russian ballet friends. Many of them tend to be very sectarian, and are in it to squabble about "my" dancer being better than "your" dancer over actually appreciating the ballet art form. I may often disagree with a critic of Kuznetsova's standing and professionalism, but since she is above such petty motivations, I would not think it right to question her judgment. Especially if I have not seen a particular performance in question myself.

I very much enjoyed the broadcast, very grateful for the Bolshoi to be bringing such masterpieces to a worldwide audience. I thought the production was extremely strong in terms of the choreography and the plot, though the sets appear dated and some of the costumes are downright ridiculous, with the knights' helmets like out of some cheesy sci-fi movie, and the abundant stereotyping of the "Saracen" host getting a bit too much. I second the opinion that it is unbecoming for Raymonda to fall asleep on nothing, but a cube to sit upon, leaning against a pillar. Would have been more appropriate if she reposed in a nice armchair, like in Le Spectre de la Rose. A cosmetic refresher prior to the broadcast would have helped tremendously. On the main three protagonists: their selection was perfect, reflecting the multi-faceted of the Bolshoi talent. Olga Smirnova was an absolutely gorgeous Raymonda: a dazzling, glorious, blindingly beautiful young lady born to medieval French aristocracy . This part is considered to be among the most difficult and technically demanding in classical ballet, and Olga Smirnova is absolutely brilliant in it. Her stage presence is exactly what this big, lavish, imperial ballet needs. I absolutely adored her impeccable technique, and exquisite, fluid, yet accurate arms and body movement in a true St. Petersburg style. I also loved her take on the character. Her Raymonda is, on one hand, an impeccable, well-bred and refined young lady, destined for a "perfect" marriage to a similarly impeccable young knight de Brienne. Yet deep inside she is still a living woman, with emotions, passions and desires, which she has been taught not to display openly, let alone act upon. These desires show themselves in her dream, were she conjures a vision of a passionate, loving, masculine Abderakhman, who can bring her sensual fulfillment, fun and excitement, which was embodied dazzlingly by the fiery Igor Tsvirko in a luscious, over-the-top style that the Bolshoi is famous for. Raymonda fears him, but cannot help but feel attracted to him, this tension within her was splendidly played. I really liked how she was moved towards Abderakhman was he prostrated himself before her in his death agony. Raymonda was moved by compassion and attraction towards him, but displayed it only so slightly, because she also could not betray her kin, her upbringing, her fiance. In my view, Artemy Belyakov was a great fit for de Brienne. He was gallant, handsome, but not so much as for a woman to lose her head over him. Belyakov's de Brienne was proper to the point of being a little bland and boring, so it was no surprise that his Raymonda was distracted by a fiery Saracen gentleman. But when it came to fighting Abderakhman for his love, this de Brienne showed that he was capable of passion too. He grew so incited, that sparks literally flew off the swords as the two heroes clashed. And once Raymonda saw how passionate and bold her fiance could be, she felt greater tenderness and attachment towards him in the closing second act adagio, though there was still a slight trace of sadness that dreams of a passionate, hot-blooded Eastern prince now had to give way to a life of a proper and dutiful wife. I think this psychological overlay has served this ballet well, for it was often criticized for its unremarkable and somewhat silly plot, while this production by Grigorovich has made it more immediate and true to human emotions and motivations, more realistic and up-to-date, if you wish, without departing from its classical style. Besides the story of the three main characters, the ballet is a hugely impressive decorative feast for the eyes. Hardly in any other ballet one will see such a panoply of dances of various nations and styles - from classical to Spanish, Oriental and, ultimately, to the Hungarian grand finale - performed by the formidable corps masses on an ample stage which only the Bolshoi can deliver. All woven together by Alexander Glazunov's intricate, elegant and melodious score, which I consider to be one of the best ever to be written for a ballet

Lucked upon being in Vienna the other week and seeing Swan Lake at the Opera with Olga Smirnova and Semyon Chudin visiting from the Bolshoi Theater in Russia. As before, found them absolutely stunning, with Olga once again delivering a divine, crystalline and mesmerizing performance that has put the audience in a state of magnificent awe and made it erupt in prolonged and thunderous applause at the end. So much for ballet not being hugely popular in Vienna. Chudin shone as well as a perfect prince, dancing with brilliance and panache. The best part for me was their duo in the 4th Act, the reconciliation between Odette and Siegfried after his betrayal, which was somber, but also very warm and touching. However, I cannot say that this version of Swan Lake, staged by Rudolf Nureyev when he was only 26 years old, is ever going to be my favorite. Beyond the extensive parts and solos for the Prince, with intricate footwork and spins in both directions, which Nureyev, without a doubt, composed to showcase his own technical skills, the overall staging is pretty bland and lacking of action, with only the two guests from Moscow displaying any feeling or emotion, and the action becoming meaningful only during the more traditional Ivanov-Petipa parts. Left me with a feeling that young Nureyev as a choreographer clearly preferred form over substance, intricacy for the sake of intricacy, so the pas were often not linked to the music or the plot, which makes the choreography, especially by the corps, look somewhat mechanical and awkward. I was also left wanting for explanations of several plot points, perhaps someone with knowledge of Nureyev 's work could enlighten me: - The Prince's sudden change from melancholy to excitement when he is advised to go to the lake with his crossbow. I mean, I understand he likes hunting, but why does he all of a sudden spring up and run away to the lake so eagerly when advised to do so by his mentor? - The costumes. I mean, this is a royal court, so one would think that the courtiers would not be all wearing exactly the same dress. And why are the men wearing turbans, as if it were a Turkish kingdom? The same goes for the brides and the men accompanying them wearing crowns. If they are princesses from different places, won't they be dressed just a little differently as opposed to the same, somewhat drab dresses? Or is it just an allegory that they are all the same to Siegfried? Could Rothbart have looked any sillier with his red-and-black wings that look as if he is wearing woven carpets on his arms? What happened to the lavish costumes that one sees in the filmed version of this ballet with Nureyev and Fonteyn? - Also, I understand that the character dancers from different nations have either come to take part in the celebration of Siegfried's wedding, or, in some versions, are all part of Rothbart's retinue, brought in to confuse and bamboozle the Prince with exotic dancing and colors. Here, for some reason the Hungarians, the Poles and the Neapolitans arrive together with the courtiers, the Prince and the Queen, as the wedding gets set, then enter Rothbart and Odile, and then for some reason the Spaniards spring up. So, is it just the Spaniards that Rothbart brings along with him because he is also inexplicably Spanish? Or are they simply late arrivals to the party?

It's a 2011 production, but the set itself seems to follow an older design that was made for the Paris Opera ballet under Noureyev, so it is relatively older. It's by the same artist Ezio Frigerio. And Noureyev liked it rich.

Managed to get to the broadcast and was very impressed. Smirnova is so elegant and stylish, has a certain panache about her that makes her irresistible. Chudin was dashing to match. Stepanova did not catch my eye, maybe i have seen too little of her to fully appreciate, but she looked a bit bored with this role. The rest of the cast were decent, but did not look like they were enjoying themselves. Only the Bluebird gentleman had that certain quality that stirs the senses.

Interesting casting of Osipova as Aegina. Will she be able to channel the sinister sensuality this role calls for? Also curious how German audiences will react to the opening scene of the Roman army on the march, with the helmets and the insignia and all that.

A better way probably would have been to keep Sascha Waltz at her dance theater, Ohman in Stockholm and to bring back Malakhov. Under him Berlin rivaled London and Paris as one of the best classical companies in the EU, without him it started rapidly disintegrating. And, yes, he also brought a lot of modern choreography to Berlin while he was here, with programs that featured Naharin, Spoerli, Bigonzetti, Preljocaj plus Savkovic and other home grown talent.

Remarkably underwhelming so far. You do not build a world-class ballet company by turning your theater into a platform for traveling guest artists (and Shklyarov by the looks of it is still a guest). So unless Ryzhkova is supposed to be the second coming of Semionova, I am hoping to see more to offset the loss of Lacarra. But then Rome was not built in a day (nor destroyed in a day either).

I just do not understand, why did the Berlin authorities even start this whole mess by sacking Malakhov, who was doing such an outstanding job? And rather than adding to their first mistake, why wouldn't the Berlin authorities own up to it and invite Malakhov back? Or at least tap someone from Berlin's storied legacy days for the post, someone like Steffi Scherzer or Oliver Matz? Or even Sajdakova herself, whose stage days are probably counted, but who has been with the company forever, dancing both the classics and the contemporary pieces, and who surely knows how to strike a proper balance between the two and maintain the company's identity? From the scandals around the reconstruction of the government buildings district, to the new Berlin airport and now around the Berlin State Ballet, this city creates an impression of one of the most corrupt places in Europe, and that's including Eastern Europe or Russia.

My guess is the main reason is financial. Quality full length narrative ballets take time (not months, but years) and relentless focus by the choreographer and dancers to create. Time and focus is what today's companies severely lack, as the must actively perform their current repertoire that takes dancer's time, and are also expected to produce something fresh each year to keep audiences piqued.