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I fully agree with Angela. One of the best discussions ever on this site. More please.

I think I know who you mean Anne

I don't think there was any dismissal. Just a non renewal of expiring contract. And that happens to dancers in every company.

So, Tsitskaridze realises his ambition and gets to run the Bolshoi, at least indirectly.

Oh, and which might they be?

Here are some images taken at the dress rehearsal http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-17/australian-ballet27s-cinderella-with-a-twist-set-to-open-in-me/4962654

... get a new Swan Lake!!!!! Restore all the Ashton choreography as well. RB could do as they did with Sleeping Beauty and revert to a previous production - the one danced by Markarova and Dowell is excellent. That's my penny's worth!

Given that there seems to be a number of problems with dancers coming off point regularly in this season, I am wondering whether there is a difference in the rake of the Bolshoi stage and that of the ROH which could explain things. Anyone?

Нина Капцова / Руслан Скворцов - "Онегин" Ok, this is Nina Kaptsova and Ruslan Skvortsov - Onegin. Go from here. Good luck!

I am happy to put up the link if it does not contravene Balletco policy and if they have not been removed by now. Please advise

There are snippets of the various casts on Youtube. The links are in Russian so are a bit hard to find. Nina Kaptsova and Ruslan Skvortsov are hard to beat apparently.

I saw the Raymonda which Anna-Marie Holmes did for ABT in 2005 (?) And I have to agree with the FT reviewer on that subject. The only hope I have for the ENB Le Corsaire is that Bob Ringwood (the designer) will avoid the temptation to include what the New York Times reviewer describes as the "bikini tutu" featured by the designer of the ABT production!

What to say about Bright Stream? Fantastic fun. And what great actors/comedians the dancers are with such perfect timing. And if you ever get the chance to see it with the luxury casting of Nina Kaptsova, Mikhail Lobukhin, Maria Alexandrovna, Ruslan Skvortsov and Denis Savin, and Pavel Sorokin conducting a great pit band of the quality of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, don't miss it! Irresistible! Come back again Bolshoi!

No, just those words. I had no idea "all aboard" was the usual thing. And I must correct an error - Lantratov .is the correct spelling

Ballerina speaks! Wednesday was the last night of Le Corsaire in Brisbane. And a long forgotten line of dialogue was reinstated in Act 1, Scene 2. Held aloft in the arms of Vladislav Lantantrov, Maria Alexandrovna uttered the words; "I love Brisbane" !! It was very funny, and clearly the dancers love being away from the poisonous atmosphere in Moscow at the moment. It was a great show. Nina Kaptsova was Gulnare. I had hoped to see Ruslan Skvortsov as Conrad, but Lantantov in no way disappointed. Ratmansky and Burlaka have created a wonderful ballet with just the right amount of bravura, fun and affection. Look forward to Bright Stream on Friday. More Ratmansky in September when his Cinderella premieres in Melbourne for the Australian Ballet. Apparently this will be a reworking the the version he made for the Mariinsky a few years ago. I read that he wants to address the things that did not work in that production.

'Donkey shot' is the pronunciation of the French version of the name Don Quixote. It is written Don Quichotte in French. There is nothing wrong with any of the pronunciations above. Use the one you prefer!

Hi Now Voyager, Thanks for the clarification.

I have it and it is a while since I saw it but as I recall, while the sound and image quality are not in the same class as the current HD productions, it is of an acceptable quality. It is a transfer from VHS which was the standard at the time. And as you say it is the only record of this production I think. So on balance I would say that it is worth having. As a bonus, you can see Johann Kobborg as a soloist in the corps in the last act.

With regard to the clap in the Raymonda variation. In the documentary on the POB Raymonda which Nureyev set on the company in the early 80s when he took over the directorship, Elisabeth Platel talks of the "infamous clap". Apparently Nureyev required that the dancer made an audible clap in that variation. Which is perhaps why Sylvie Guillem did it that way. When the POB subsequently toured Raymonda to Russia, the clap generated great controversy as the Russian tradition requires a soundless clap. Platel implies that debate is still going on. What Nureyev required in the RB Act lll Raymonda I am not aware, as this predated the POB version by some years. Perhaps the repetiteurs or coaches could enlighten us.

All that 'business' in Act 1 was naively inserted by Anthony Dowell under the misguided impression that it would make the production more "real". Nothing could be further from the truth.

For Now Voyager, Igor Zelensky is director of the Stanislavsky. Sergei Filin is director of the Bolshoi.

Thanks for the clarification. But the Bolshoi lists 2 productions of Giselle in their repertoire. Such riches as you say Alison.

Interesting to see that the Bolshoi broadcast of La Sylphide is to be the Pierre Lacotte version, reconstructed from the original Taglioni version danced to the Schneitzhoeffer score as currently danced by the POB. The Bolshoi also has (or had) the Johann Kobborg version as danced by the Royal Ballet. This would be the third production by Lacotte for the Bolshoi. As well as "La Fille du Pharaon", he is to mount his production of "Marco Spada" for the company. This was made for the Rome Opera Ballet in the 80s, with Nureyev and Ghislaine Thesmar (Lacotte's wife and then etoile of the POB) in the principal roles.

Tim, I think La Scala have the Nureyev Beauty as well, but I could be wrong there. It is good to hear the Canadians still do it. My comments were about POB only. I think the company underrates his productions and don't realise what treasures they have. It is a tragedy they have discarded Raymonda. At least they are doing Don Q next season. In the French ballet blogs Madame Lefevre is quoted as saying that it is probably time that the Nureyev productions are replaced, but also says that it will not happen during her tenure as director. But as that finishes next year, it remains to be seen what will happen. Manuel Legris is often mentioned as a possible replacement for her and he is a Nureyev fan. Interesting times for the company.

We do not get to see the Bolshoi Raymonda until later in July. But I gather it is basically the same Grigorovitch production as can be seen in the DVD with Ludmilla Semenyaka or Natalia Bessmertnova. He revised it in 2003 and the differences seem to be 1. the excision of the white lady. 2. changed sets (at least in Act 2 of which I saw a glimpse in a promo) more in line with the original sets. 3. some updated costumes (though not that of Jean de Brienne) by Simon Virsaladze. I think the Paris Raymonda is fantastic but I understand that it has been deleted from the repertoire now and the sets and costumes have already been disposed of. The last revival in 2008 was very poorly coached, and under rehearsed. And it showed. It was filmed for DVD at the time but there is no sign of it being released. (The dancers do not like the Nureyev repertoire and bit by bit the productions are being discarded. Sleeping Beauty has not been danced for years.)