annamk

I'm afraid Ms Brown's prejudices were always too hard to stomach for me, particularly her strong dislike of Russian ballet and certain of its dancers.  

 as her writings on Russian ballet showed no understanding of the Russian aesthetic but did emphasize a strong dislike of all things Russian/Soviet.  The present political climate is increasingly hostile towards Russia, I'm sure that with her DPhil to give her credibility Ms Brown's books will enjoy great popularity amongst fellow Russophobes.

Curious as to the basis for your assertions that Ismene Brown has a strong dislike of Russian ballet & no understanding of the Russian aesthetic.

Just to pick totally at random 2 reviews ..... her last http://www.spectator.co.uk/2016/08/in-her-final-column-ismene-brown-salutes-the-bolshois-real-stars-the-corps-de-ballet/  and this from 1999 

http://www.ananiashvili.com/reviews/donquixote/bolshoi99_donq_dt080299.htm

She clearly doesn't like it all but what's wrong with that ? 

Generally speaking ballerinas improve with age, 

Well only up to a point surely ...... 

 

At the matinee Stepanova's Medora had been artificial in the extreme.  It was as if she was watching herself outside in.  (This can, of course, at times be attractive.  It is like having that extra second to catch a meaningful glimpse of a picture hung in a gallery before being moved on.) As annamk alludes however early in her remarks, Stepanova has an essential mechanical vulnerability.  Like Nikulina - she HAS to be careful.  (I certainly would not want to see either tackle Balanchine, Ashton or Peck ... but given the particular assets of both - especially Stepanova - they might very well excel in McGregor.)  

 

Actually, annamk didn’t say that, she did say, on the other hand, that it was that dancer's debut in the role, and that she "already commands the stage like a grand ballerina in the best Russian tradition."

Thank you Assoluta.

I didn't intend my comment to imply that I thought Stepanova has a "certain mechanical vulnerability", I don't think that at all. I simply didn't want to give the impression that her performance was 100% faultless, so I pointed out that in the Act 1 variations she had a couple of untidy finishes, which, due to nerves alone, would be quite understandable in a debut. I've seen equally untidy finishing from many of the principals in this Bolshoi run. As an aside, Stepanova has already tackled the Diamonds lead in Moscow recently. To my mind her technique, elegance, and her regal grand ballerina style would make this an ideal role for her. 

I would love to have seen Krysanova last night but sadly had to miss. I agree that she is the most technically commanding and traditional Bolshoi style of all the principals I saw in London. But I have equally enjoyed watching those ballerinas from the Mariinsky school who have an obviously different style.

It will be very fascinating to see how the company and individual dancers develop over the next two years as Vaziev's influence starts to be seen. 

Happy to end my Bolshoi season on the high that today's matinee turned out to be. Corsaire is only about the dancing and this afternoon the company were on top form turning in a far sharper performance than that of Thursday. Most notable was ex Mariinsky dancer Yulia Stepanova making her debut as Medora. Although she had some untidy finishes in her early variations she was soon on a roll and it was hard to believe this was her first performance in the role. She has a beautiful port de bras and already commands the stage like a grand ballerina in the best Russian tradition. Her Act 2 Jardin Anime variations were nigh on faultless. Her Conrad, Rodkin has great elevation, lightness and elegance. This afternoon his variations were much tidier than I have seen from him in other roles. His partnering is strong and effortless. A huge bravo to the corps in Jardin Anime, after 3 weeks here they must be exhausted but they were absolutely stunning. 

A few random (& picky) observations on a somewhat disappointing Corsaire yesterday evening. I'm an admirer of Maria Alexandrova and I think it's terrific that she has come back from such a debilitating injury at a relatively late stage in her career. She has wonderful on stage charisma and terrific chemistry with her Conrad last night, Vladislav Lantratov. The role of Medora would have been a walk in the park for her a few years ago but sadly it seemed that the technique & stamina the role requires eluded her. There was a noticeable difference in the complexity of the steps & skill in execution from Krysanova (on YouTube) and Alexandrova last night. Of course this would matter less if the ballet had a substantial story but it's really only about the dancing and that needs to be top notch to sustain interest over a marathon evening - it lost me at the second interval. I was also somewhat disappointed with Lantratov, since the last Bolshoi visit a slight sloppiness seems to have crept into his finishing although like Alexandrova he has a magnetic stage presence. So, it was left to the soloists to come up with the top notch dancing and Vyacheslav Lopatin gave a near as makes no difference faultless display in the Pas d'esclaves, likewise his partner, Nina Kaptsova. Yet again Anna Tikhomirova dazzled, as she has done in everything in this Bolshoi run. As others have said the stage looked very cramped but it's a minor issue compared with the quality of the dancing. 

At last, yesterday evening some life was breathed into this strange Swan Lake production and I felt emotionally engaged by what was happening on stage, as opposed to merely a chilly admiration for the quality of the dancing.

Semyon Chudin, through many, many tiny gestures, spoke volumes and fleshed out a three dimensional character for Siegfried. He has a fine princely line and his refined, unshowy dancing was of the highest quality: elegant in elevation, neat and precise footwork, only a single messy landing. It was clear that this couple not only compliment each other perfectly physically but have a special chemistry on stage together. Smirnova responded to Chudin's Siegfried with a more emotional rendition than I saw in her two previous performances. And no wonder, since Chudin's partnering was generous and faultless - none of the messy supported turns I saw in some of the earlier performances. 

What a wonderful performance for them to finish their London season with - and one for the audience to treasure. 

Hmmmm ..... interesting to read these enthusiastic reviews because I have to say that last night really didn't take off for me. I find slightly the ballet problematic, maybe I mean boring. I don't love the music and the "ballet within the ballet" seems interminable (in spite of the best efforts last night of the supremely elegant princely Ovcharenko and the gorgeous Tikomirova) just when you think it's finished, the furies appear.

Much as I admire Tsvirko, and consider him a virtuoso dancer and generally charismatic actor, last night he didn't seem to electrify the stage or project the level of intensity out into the auditorium that Vasiliev and Lantratov do. Oddly, I thought also that at times Krysanova looked tired, which would be entirely understandable given her workload over the last two weeks. On the other hand, maybe it was me that was tired and that's why I didn't enjoy as much as others did. 

The only disappointment for me was Chudin as Lucentio. Although technically proficient, his characterisation was more of a library assistant than anything else. He seemed out of his league courting the wonderfully coquettish Smirnova.

 

I felt that was the point of Chudin's character - to be a complete contrast to Petruchio ? I thought Chudin and Smirnov were terrific together and their 2nd act pdd was beautiful. 

In short I was delighted. Of all the screenings from Moscow last season Taming of the Shrew had been the one that I enjoyed the most. I enhoyed it even more upon seeing it live. As I said in my blog I think the Bolshoi has always been respected in this country but until last night I don't think it has ever been loved. Or if it has I have not seen it and I have attended at least one performance from most of the company's previous visits to the UK. 

Surely the Bolshoi is/has been loved by UK audiences for it's world class dancing of the classics : there have always been standing ovations for performances in the opera house and the DQs this week were no different. Where this was different I think was firstly, in the the audience appreciation of the opportunity to see the Bolshoi in a very different work - huge thanks to the Hochhausers for bringing something that might be regarded as more risky at the box office (I hope it will encourage them to do it again) - and secondly, in Maillot's tremendous skill in create something unique that fits the company superbly. It demonstrates that expensive sets and commissioned music are not required if to produce a modern gem in the story ballet genre. I look forward to seeing what Maillot does next with the company. 

Wish I could have seen all of the run to see 'who did it best' but might have needed to take a loan out to do so!

Having seen all four (tired feet by the end) my take is that each principal couple demonstrated different strengths (and weaknesses), and brought something greatly charming but slightly different to their performances so for myself there wasn't an overall "best". Every performance showcased a company on fine form and the 100% commitment from dancers at every level made this terrific new production simply gleam. 

Another evening, another Don Q this one particularly intriguing for the debut in the role of Kitri of cdb dancer Shrainer, partnered by Artem Ovcharenko. 

In another hugely enjoyable performance, yesterday's principal couple were the pair featured in the live relay earlier this year : Krysanova & Chudin. Their characterisation was less exuberant than that of Alexandrova/Lantratov on Tuesday but their dancing was technically classier, culminating in a pretty much faultless grand pas and the fastest set of fouettes I've ever seen. No wonder the OS leapt to their feet at the curtain calls. 

I love the tavern scene, the Spanish costumes are quite stunning & the dancing with those incredible back bends is terrific. Skvortsov smoulders charismatically as Espada and I did like Oxana Sharova's Mercedes on Tuesday evening. 

Having seen it three times now I'm underwhelmed by the Dryad scene choreography. Last night Anna Nikulina made heavy weather of the Dryad Queen variation which seems to be taken at a very slow pace & I guess is maybe more difficult to execute than it looks. Whatever, I much prefer the Mariinsky version, it seems a better fit for the music. Interestingly, like Alexandrova, Krysanova also chose not to include the Italian fouettes in her Dulcinea variation although I can't believe that wasn't because she couldn't rattle them off ! 

The grand pas 1st variation was danced by Daria Bochkova on Tuesday and Wednesday evening, and I'd probably have been perfectly happy with her performance had she not been totally eclipsed by Anna Tikhomirova on the opening night. 

This version of DQ is everything it should be : a splendid showcase for this fine company which is looking on cracking form from top to bottom. 

Thank you Angela  

Do you have any idea when casting might be published for the Autumn performances in Munich ? Good that it's now possible to buy tx online.

I thought it was good but not great performance tonight. Smirnova is fabulous, but not as Kitri. I thought she did a decent job but the role just doesn't suit her. She will be more in her element on Friday in Swan Lake. Rodkin was much better as Basilio and had more oomph than I thought he would based on what I have seen of him before. I'm looking forward to Krysanova and Chudin on Wednesday and it is going to be interesting to see how Corps de Ballet member Shrainer does as Kitri on Thursday. It is good to have the company back here. Even a slightly underpowered performance like tonight's is so much more exciting than the Royal.

I agree although Smirnova was better than I'd expected and clearly tried very hard to overcome type, nonetheless she looked far more at home in the Dryads scene. Technically she was very secure throughout. Rodkin was terrific. I enjoyed the new costumes but the production inevitably looks cramped on the RoH stage.

The Herculean task for any couple in this run is to banish the ghosts of Osipova & Vasiliev whose unforgettable performances are a too recent memory.

I was at the performance and I'm still in a bit of a state of shock. How is it possible to be given two such tremendous performers to work with, and to produce what I saw last night? The only saving grace was seeing and being reminded of what a sensational dancer Polunin is, which was evident briefly in the second work which did produce a few moments of interest and enjoyment. Osipova, unbelievably, was made to look less than ordinary throughout. She is a magnificent classical ballerina, but she is clearly not a contemporary dancer, and what she was given to do last night simply emphasized that. I found Qutb tedious, repetitive, poorly lit and poorly danced, though I did quite like some of the music (for a while). Silent Echo included a good solo for Polunin, who made absolutely the most of what he was given to do, and some interesting moments between Osipova and Polunin - circling each other but not touching (yet). But much of it was also tedious. As for Run Mary, Run - words (almost) fail me. All I can say is that there was almost no dance content and what there was I found infantile, that the 'storytelling' was crass and the costumes horrible. I had to make a real effort to stop myself from heckling (which I have, I hasten to add, never done at a dance performance in my life). All the works look under-rehearsed, the performance started late and the intervals were long. An absolute crying shame of an evening. 

Every word spot on. 

For Shklyarov, I can imagine that he could be happy to dance Onegin and Spartacus, two roles he would not get at the Mariinsky.

With Shklyarov in Munich I can see a trip coming How do casting announcements tend to work - is it in advance of booking opening ? 

Great post Lindsay - I completely agree with you. To my mind Scarlett produced some interesting early work as a result of which he was seized upon by the RB as the next MacMillan the company so deeply desires to carry forward the dance/acting tradition. Unfortunately, Scarlett's forays into story ballet have been been based on odd choices of subject & have resulted in expensive productions in which tedious choreography & poor storytelling are masked by terrific staging.

I'm glad you enjoyed it Alison I loved all three pieces but An Italian was my highlight, so glad I made the effort to go.

Thank you for posting the changes - interesting. I've never heard of Shrainer so I looked her up. She's been in the corps de ballet since 2011 & doesn't appear to have danced any principal roles yet. 

This coming Tuesday in Wimbledon is the last chance to catch this superb bill (featuring Vidya Patel) on the current tour.  It barely seems to have sold any tickets which is depressing for this quality with such terrific dancers. There are some clips on Alston's website. http://www.richardalstondance.com/whats-on/new-wimbledon-theatre-0 

I re-read Mark Monahan's review and I don't really understand why he has come in for such criticism on this thread. Ok he didn't like Frankenstein but his review explained what he thought was wrong with it and IMO the issues he raised were entirely valid. 

For me this was another lavish but disappointingly hollow new production from the RoH. Yet again the company is relying heavily on terrific staging at the expense of thrilling & emotionally involving choreography.  Scarlett may be talented (I thought the pdd were the strongest part of the evening) but IMO he lacks the choreographic range to develop characters that I can care about and to sustain interest for a full length work. His inability to convey deep emotion through dance movement and the narrative choices he made meant that the tragic heart of the Frankenstein story was under-realised and the narrative arc followed appeared closer to a horror movie (why did we need to witness an onstage hanging other than for shock value?). The endless repetitive dances for the corps were a bore and the commissioned music sounded more like a film score. Although they did what they could, ultimately it was a waste of the supremely talented Morera & Bonelli and of a sizeable amount of money. 

I didn't love this on it's first run and last night didn't change my mind. The complex story is clearly told, the staging and costumes are attractive but I find the choreography and the music dispiritingly dull. Act 3 was the most successful, Acts 1 & 2 outstayed their welcome in spite of huge commitment by the dancers. Notwithstanding my personal reservations about the ballet, it was sad to see a few rows of empty seats at the back of the stalls last night. 

I enjoyed seeing Giselle from the Amphi last night. It's a great viewpoint from which to appreciate how terrific the corps and ensemble dancing is and to see all the patterns in the choreography. Although I thought Marianela's dancing was lovely, unlike nearly every other poster here, I was not won over by her characterisation. For me her Giselle is Act 1 just too sunny and too strong. Through my binoculars last night there were times when she could just as easily have been acting Kitri or Lise so full on was her smile. Vadim's dancing and partnering throughout was outstanding. Benn Gartside acting Hilarion is so good he should be coaching others in the art of projecting subtle nuances into the amphi. I agree with posters who have said that Myrtha should be cast at principal level. Marianela's performance last week was superlative - the best I've seen at the RB for many years - IMO the role suits her more than Giselle. Nit picking aside, the whole company gave a terrific performance last night, notable that the quality in the pd6 and corps seems to me significantly better than in the last run. 

Saw this last night at Sadlers Wells. What a terrific program and what superb dancers - totally deserving of the reviews they're receiving. I'd go again tonight if there was another performance. If I had to pick a highlight it would be the new An Italian in Madrid in which the Alston dancers were joined by the exquisite Vidya Patel. A harmonious mix of music and movement - no expensive staging or fancy lighting only wonderful choreography and beautiful costumes. Some of the pieces are still touring - go see !