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annamk

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  1. annamk
    I enjoyed The Illustrated Farewell. The first half of the pdd for McRae/Lamb was terrifically exciting with plenty of opportunity for them to show off their tricks. The second part had to be quieter, if nothing else to give them a chance to recover, but I felt it flagged (I had an involuntary shopping list moment) and the transition to the original piece might have worked better if other dancers had been introduced earlier. I thought the second part showed off the RB dancers very well, they looked fabulous dancing the interesting Tharp choreography - I agree that Sissens and Magri stood out although I was impressed with the other five soloists too. At times there was so much going on on stage it was sometimes difficult to know where to look. The Wind - well on the positive side the music was evocative , the staging and lighting created some memorable images but the choreography could have been made by a child. What a waste of talented dancers especially Osipova thrashing around at the end for far too long. The characters were caricatures none more so than Tom Whitehead strutting around as Wirt Roddy which brings me neatly by biggest issue - why oh why, in this day and age, do male choreographers think it's still ok to depict abuse against women on stage ?
  2. annamk
    Interesting that the RB feels the need to invite 2 male guest principals ..... Bolle, talent though he was, at 42 is surely past his prime for a role like Des Grieux ?
  3. annamk
    Thank you for posting this review Angela - very interesting to read and I would never have found it myself.
  4. annamk
    I can no longer make this insight so I'm selling C9 for £17. I can leave it at the box office. PM me if interested. Anna
  5. annamk
    I've admired this small company tremendously since I first saw them at The Place a couple of years ago. They recently appeared at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh and when I read the reviews of the bill via the links http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/culture/dance-review-richard-alston-dance-company-festival-theatre-edinburgh-1-4570266 I checked out their tour venues and off I went to Woking yesterday evening. Alston's pieces are simply terrific : the choreography is so clever, imaginative and beautiful it needs no fancy staging to embellish it. The company dance it with feeling, sensitivity and modesty, not a weak link amongst them. The standout dancer is the phenomenal Liam Riddick, who IMO is one of the most mesmerising performers around in any genre of dance. There are more dates here https://www.richardalstondance.com/performances?category[]=69&field_venue_tid=All worth catching if you can.
  6. annamk
    Phenomenal, mesmerising performances this afternoon. Poor Fernando Bufala limped off injured less than 10 minutes in and the performance was restarted 10 minutes later with Altor Arrrieta stepping in to dance with Fernando Oliveira. So good were they that you would never have guessed they weren't scheduled to dance together. Jeffrey Cirio (Hilarion) & Sarah Kundi (Myrtha) were terrific. The was my 2nd viewing this run and it feels slightly different to the first run but I can't say specifically what, if anything, might have changed. Anyway, I think it's a triumph of a production & a fantastic showcase for the company which plays to its strengths.
  7. annamk
    Really ? Plenty of new works with "failings" have been/are being revived :, Untouchable, Raven Girl, Strapless ......
  8. annamk
    It was me talking about "split jumps" and I can now understand from your comments that the jump I was referring to was not the grand jete enterlace but the "pas de ciseaux". Kim, Shklyarov and Askerov all just seemed to make a combination of double grand Jete Entrelace and/or an assemble. The pas de ciseaux seemed odd.
  9. annamk
    I know Sim - it's unusual for us to disagree Re Yermakov I was reflecting that he, Shklyarov and Stepin all gave much better accounts of themselves in their second principal performances & I wondered whether it just takes a performance to get used to the non raked RoH stage ?
  10. annamk
    I thought the matinee was the weakest of the four Bayadere performances I saw, entirely down to Chebykina's Nikya. I really don't understand why she's the young dancer who's been singled out with all the important opportunities on this tour when her dancing is so unexceptional. I mean she's really not a young Smirnova, Zakharova etc. I find her upper body, arms and hands stiff, and she doesn't seem to have the same Vaganova way of holding her head. Askerov was a Solor in the more classical mould: more subdued and less spectacular, more "correct" if you like but I find less appealing. Bstoeva was lovely, I'd like to see her dance Nikya. The evening was on a different level altogether. Kondaurova was simply divine. The gulf between her and Chebykina was as wide as the gulf of Finland and it's not about age and experience. Kondaurova moves so beautifully, head, arms, hands her movement ripples through her whole body, she's such an emotional performer I couldn't take my eyes off her and couldn't fault her. Nor was there anything to complain about with her partner : Yermakov, tall and handsome with terrific dancing and generous partnering - why didn't he get promoted to principal on this tour (or indeed the fabulous Stepin, yesterday evening' Goldrn Idol.) my only picky little complaint with Yermakov is that in Solor's final variation he throws in two split jumps that look like something out of Don Q ! Matvienko's Gamzatti was excellent and the confrontation between Nikya and Gamzatti one of the finest I've seen. An enormous Bravi (?) to the mighty corps who must be absolutely exhausted.
  11. annamk
    It's not just Shklyarov's dancing though - which was better than I've seen from him for a while - it's his total commitment on stage. It elevates the entire performance and the Mariinsky without him (which looked a distinct possibility when he announced his move to Munich a year ago) would have been much diminished.
  12. annamk
    I agree with this. Kim is technically incredible but last night it was an emotionally empty performance. Not for want of trying, but he's not a natural and personally I think he hasn't yet made it out of the method school of acting. It probably didn't help to be paired with Tereshkina who great technician that she is, can be on the chilly side emotionally. The corps were wonderful and considerably less robotic than in some of their Swan Lake performances. I enjoyed the shades trio and whilst I think Nagahisa is impressive for her 17 years I don't quite understand why she has been favoured with a soloist role so early. In some ways it was a pity to see a dancer of Zverev's ability cast as The Slave although of course his partnering was exemplary which brings me to another issue .... The rep that the company have brought this time has so few meaningful male soloist or corps roles. I wish they would acquire something like Ratmansky's Shostakovich Trilogy and bring it here so we could have the opportunity to appreciate the men as much as we have the women.
  13. annamk
    I skipped Carmen last night although everyone I spoke to said the ballet was vastly improved with Kondaurova's cast. Infra again I enjoyed very much. One thing that has bothered me, and I'm sure one of the critics mentioned too, it is that there's too much splayed leg. It's funny but in the comparatively few years since it's been made I have the distinct feeling that's become less acceptable or is it just me ? Paquita was pretty flat. I don't think Parish will have been happy with his performance on this last opportunity of the tour to show the audience why he was promoted to principal rank : sadly we got untidy solos, average partnering and damp stage presence. His partner didn't give him much to go on though, Matvienko rattled through the choreography with ease but she didn't smile once either at us or him.
  14. annamk
    I found Carmen almost unwatchable. For me it was an embarrassment to see such fine dancers in some dreadful costumes, doing their best to make something out of such ghastly choreography. Having said that, there was general agreement that we preferred it to Carlos Acosta's version ! Loved Infra, loved to see a different company style dancing it, not better, not worse just different and equally compelling. Everyone was stunning (Shakirova, Sergeyev, Stepin caught my eye) but head and shoulders above them all was the divine Kondaurova. Adored Paquita: adored the costumes, adored the choreography, adored the dancers. The variations, all tricky, were all well executed. Tereshkina dances so effortlessly and I especially enjoyed watching her again with the hugely charismatic Shklyarov. His stage presence elevates everything he performs in and last night he danced and partnered beautifully - in spite of being saddled with curly hair and a moustache As others said it's a pity the company didn't bring the full length.
  15. annamk
    Osmolkina/Stepin told a love story yesterday in a beautifully crafted performance to finish the run on a high. They danced in a soft lyrical style (no flashy extensions from her), just fine accurate dancing from both and careful generous partnering from Stepin, without calling attention to himself.
  16. annamk
    I can understand that press night is important at the beginning of the tour when reviews might impact ticket sales but by the end does it really matter ? Wouldn't it be more interesting for the press to see different dancers ? In any event the press seem to have some choice over their performances - Clement Crisp reviewed the second rather than opening night of Swan Lake and Louise Levene reviewed the second night of Don Q.
  17. annamk
    I was just composing something on the matinee when your post popped up and as I can't put it better (or even as well) I'll just say that I agree with every word. Today was not one of the better performances I've seen from Yermakov, his partnering was good but his solos unimpressive. Sofia Ivanova-Skoblikova danced a beautiful Act 3 variation. Maria Lebedeva's Mercedes has the most pliable back I've ever seen. Sergeyev was again a terrific Espada, but he has so much else in his repetoire that I'm surprised so little use is being made of him on this tour. By contrast, Chebykina seems to be cast in all the major soloist and principal roles and I just don't understand why. Yet again today she danced the Queen of the Dryads and although she's technically strong (no problem with the Italian fouettes) her upper body seems to lack the softness, grace and elegance (not the right words) that the women in the corps have.
  18. annamk
    I'm not sure that the number of female principals that the company has brought is important, in the Mariinsky most of the First Soloists have danced principal roles for many years. I'm not even sure that the title of principal dancer is reliable as a measure of quality to distinguish Principal dancer from First Soloist. There are many ballet watchers in St Petersburg who would argue that some of the First Soloists are more talented than the Principals, on both the male and female sides.
  19. annamk
    Sorry yes of course - my mistake !
  20. annamk
    Disappointing cast changes In my opinion, and others might have a different view, Kim is technically the best male dancer in the Mariinsky. He has astonishing elevation and the Bayadere variations will show off his dancing to fabulous effect. But, and it's a pretty big BUT for me: he's from the method school of acting, he lacks nuance and subtlety, little things maybe, but to me they make the difference between a good performance and one that is moving and memorable. If I could only see one Bayadere I'd still choose Shklyarov ..... I wonder why has Kim been cast first night of the three full lengths ? With the cast changes because of Skorik's injury (which has been obvious for weeks/months in St Petersburg) it means that Kim/Tereshkina have danced the first night of Don Q, Swan Lake, and Bayadere. Why not showcase other dancers on an important tour ? Although I suppose if you look at the list of current male principals it's hardly inspiring .......
  21. annamk
    I only discovered ballet when a friend suggested we take our then 5 year old daughters to the RB. For years after that I thought the RB must be the best company in the world and when I first saw the Russians (I think it was the Bolshoi at the Coliseum) I really wasn't impressed, in fact I left at the intervals of Corsaire, & Romeo & Juliet. But then something changed & I think possibly it was discovering that the style of dancer I enjoyed at the RB did exist in the Mariinsky & Bolshoi, you just have to identify them. As with the RB there are some dancers that can make the stage come alive for you and some who can't seem to - these may be different dancers for different people it depends what appeals to you personally. When you see a performance by the Russians with the dancers who have the qualities that move you, maybe then you can also begin to appreciate more that the general standard of the dancing is second to none. So I would say persevere with Bayadere - Kim is technically the best Solor but IMO the most complete all rounder (& my personal favourite) is Shklyarov who is ideally paired with the exceptional Tereshkina, so if you have a ticket for Friday 11th August I recommend you give it go. The Bayadere they danced a couple of years ago in St Petersburg was one of the most thrilling performances I've ever seen anywhere.
  22. annamk
    Returned to the BO
  23. annamk
    I think most likely Matvienko will dance Nikiya instead of Skorik because she danced it in St Petersburg with Kim just before the tour.
  24. annamk
    A much improved Swan Lake yesterday evening. At the start of week two the company seem to have settled into their London Season. Skhlyarov & Tereshkina have been a regular partnership for years, their familiarity with each other pays dividends in exemplary partnering. In some respects they are opposites who combine harmoniously to great effect. Tereshkina is remarkable. She has a simply astonishing, unrivalled technique and is in total command of the steps from her first entrance to her last fouette to curtain down. Shklyarov is no technical slouch either, although I feel his particular strength is his exceptional vitality and warmth. From his first entrance, he makes every small gesture count and his total commitment to telling the story breaths life into what can feel like a moribund classic when the dancers only go through the motions. It’s this warmth that works so well as a counter foil to Tereshkina’s naturally cooler stage persona. A nicely executed pd3 from Batoeva, Shakirova & Stepin and Batoeva also noticeable in Act III for her beautiful swan arms. Terrific corps. Huge cheers at the curtain calls, throughly deserved.
  25. annamk
    £15 message me if interested. Anna
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