Buddy Posted October 11, 2022 Share Posted October 11, 2022 (edited) I hope to be there and will try to tell you all about it. “Led by British-born Artistic Director Xander Parish…. Costa Mesa, California November 12, 2022 “….the world premiere of a new ballet choreographed by Parish to Tchaikovsky’s Children’s Album “….a performance of Christopher Wheeldon’s After the Rain; selections from Le Corsaire, Raymond, and Paquita; and more. “Featuring dancers - Xander Parish (UK, former principal dancer at the Mariinsky) Jacopo Tissi (Italy, formerly with the Bolshoi) Svetlana Bednenko (Ukraine, formerly with the Mikhailovsky) Christine Shevchenko (Ukraine, currently with ABT) Andrea Laššáková (Slovak Republic, formerly with the Mikhailovsky) Adrian Blake Mitchell (U.S., formerly with the Mikhailovsky) Boris Zhurilov (Russia, formerly with Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Theatre) Ilya Jivoyi (Russia, formerly with the Mariinsky) Lizi Avsajanishvili (Georgia, formerly with the Mariinsky) David Motta Soares (Brazil, formerly with the Bolshoi) Jasmine Sophie Henry (Australia, formerly with the Mariinsky) Vsevolod Maevsky (Ukraine, formerly with the Mariinsky) Anastasia Demidova (Russia, formerly with the Mariinsky) Katia Raj (U.S., formerly with the Saint Petersburg State Academic Leonid Yacobson Ballet Theatre) Veronika Selivanova (U.S., formerly with the Mariinsky) Alexis Tutunnique (Ukraine, formerly with National Opera of Ukraine and currently with The United Ukrainian Ballet) Joy Womack (U.S., formerly with Astrakhan Opera and Ballet Theatre) Maxim Zenin (Russia, formerly with the Mariinsky) Laura Fernandez (Switzerland and Ukraine, formerly with Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Theatre).” https://www.scfta.org/events/2022/reunited-in-dance Edited October 11, 2022 by Buddy 9 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted October 12, 2022 Share Posted October 12, 2022 This looks to be a very interesting venture for Xander Parish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaM Posted October 12, 2022 Share Posted October 12, 2022 (edited) The first performance of this ‘Reunion’ group of exiled dancers was at the beginning of October … https://www.instagram.com/p/CjRHTdbtuAi/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= Edited October 12, 2022 by FionaE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted October 12, 2022 Share Posted October 12, 2022 (edited) Did anyone here catch their October performance? It looked intriguing and fun for the dancers involved (visa applications must have been hard work!) but I couldn’t find any reviews on Google. Looking forward to Buddy’s review for the November show. Edited October 12, 2022 by Emeralds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buddy Posted October 12, 2022 Author Share Posted October 12, 2022 Just now, Emeralds said: Did anyone here catch their October performance? It looked intriguing and fun for the dancers involved (visa applications must have been hard work!) but I couldn’t find any reviews on Google. Looking forward to Buddy’s review for the November show. I live a two hour car drive away and attend many ballet performances there, Emeralds. I also receive their announcements and at least glance at the dance part. I have to say that this one got by me completely. It seems like a very good idea. If this were to become an ongoing project as suggested, all the better. If someone like Olga Smirnova were added it would be even more. I wonder if she’s been contacted ? She’s scheduled to perform at a popular dance event in New York City, Oct. 1 & 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buddy Posted October 12, 2022 Author Share Posted October 12, 2022 Just now, FionaE said: The first performance of this ‘Reunion’ group of exiled dancers was at the beginning of October … https://www.instagram.com/p/CjRHTdbtuAi/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= “….the first public performance of our newly created company of dancers who left Russia & Ukraine is now on sale!!! The show will be on the 12th November….” https://www.instagram.com/p/Cjnp4OktiDZ/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buddy Posted October 12, 2022 Author Share Posted October 12, 2022 (edited) I keep missing the time limit for post editing, so once again please allow me one more. "Both Ukraine and Russia have been a huge part of the lives of the people in our group, many of whom have faced great difficulty with the escalating tension between countries, people and families. We would like to do our part in creating peace and promoting it in our own language of dance. "We as a group want nothing except for peace and healing between Russia and Ukraine and our performance now is simply born of our desire to be reunited with each other in the love of dance and to share the stage together again, something which looked impossible after we dispersed around the globe. Every dancer in our company has come a long way to be here and we hope you also will join us too." Xander Parish https://www.instagram.com/p/Cjnp4OktiDZ/ As someone whose attended the Mariinsky International Ballet Festival in Saint Petersburg 17 years in a row I totally support this sentiment. Edited October 12, 2022 by Buddy 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted October 12, 2022 Share Posted October 12, 2022 2 hours ago, Buddy said: I live a two hour car drive away and attend many ballet performances there, Emeralds. I also receive their announcements and at least glance at the dance part. I have to say that this one got by me completely. It seems like a very good idea. If this were to become an ongoing project as suggested, all the better. If someone like Olga Smirnova were added it would be even more. I wonder if she’s been contacted ? She’s scheduled to perform at a popular dance event in New York City, Oct. 1 & 2. It’s already Oct 12th. November? 😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted October 12, 2022 Share Posted October 12, 2022 It’s possible that Smirnova is too busy with her new post at Dutch National Ballet (?rehearsal obligations) to be involved, and I notice that Victor Caixeta, who also left Mariinsky Ballet around the same time that Xander did, isn’t on the list (he also joined Dutch National Ballet). Maybe he too has a full schedule at his new company. With these ventures, it can be difficult to have all the dancers you want at the same time, as well as securing a theatre booking that fits in with everyone’s schedules! Great to see Xander trying his hand at choreography and organising these performances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buddy Posted October 12, 2022 Author Share Posted October 12, 2022 Just now, Sim said: It’s already Oct 12th. November? 😀 It ‘was’ Oct. 1&2 that Olga Smirnova appeared, Sim. Thanks. The annual event is the Fall for Dance Festival at the New York City Center. A quick opinion as to how she did from Fjord Review. "How can anyone look so beautiful in a spandex unitard? How can balletic movement seem so innately organic to a human body? https://fjordreview.com/fall-for-dance-2022-program-5/ Maybe another time, she and others like her could team up with the ‘Reunited’ company, Emeralds. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted October 12, 2022 Share Posted October 12, 2022 I just love her. Even more so after the stand she took over the war. I want to try to get to Amsterdam to see her next year. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buddy Posted November 5, 2022 Author Share Posted November 5, 2022 (edited) “Due to overwhelming demand for tickets, the one-night-only special ballet performance, Reunited in Dance, will be simulcast for free on Segerstrom Center's Julianne and George Argyros Plaza.” https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwdance/article/Free-Simulcast-Announced-For-Sold-Out-REUNITED-IN-DANCE-This-Month-20221103 Xander Parish has to be commended, I believe, both for his outstanding artistic ability (former Mariinsky Principal) as well as for his organisational skills and determination. In addition, I believe that he’s trying to take the ‘high road’ in what he’s doing here, along with the other artists, working for a better world and for this I have to congratulate him and them. Edited November 5, 2022 by Buddy 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buddy Posted November 8, 2022 Author Share Posted November 8, 2022 This is a brief email interview with Xander Parish in Point Magazine. https://pointemagazine.com/reunited-in-dance-xander-parish/ What do you want the artists and the audience to get out of this performance? I want the artists to be encouraged and know that even though we’ve all left a lot behind, there is a future and hope, and my hope is that this will grow into bigger things which we can all be part of. I’m grateful to all who’ve bought tickets—I’m told we’ve pretty much sold out—so I simply want our audience to enjoy themselves and partake of the atmosphere of positivity and joy, which we dancers will certainly be feeling as we dance together again! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buddy Posted November 11, 2022 Author Share Posted November 11, 2022 I plan to drive the 1 1/2 to 2 hours tomorrow to see the performance. My ticket hasn’t arrived in the mail, but I’m hopeful that it won’t be a problem. Also, I won’t have a computer with me so it might take a day or so before I can write about it. I hope that it will be a fine performance. In any case, it seems like a very good idea that has drawn a huge ticket sale. There also appears to be a lot of support from the Segerstrom Foundation that created and runs the cultural center, so it might become an ongoing thing. I would love to see the participation of artists such as Olga Smirnova. These are the artists that I’m most familiar with and look forward to seeing, but at events such as this, anyone is capable of giving a very fine, sometimes surprisingly outstanding, performance. Xander Parish (UK, former principal dancer at the Mariinsky), Christine Shevchenko (Ukraine, currently with ABT), Jacopo Tissi (Italy, formerly with the Bolshoi), David Motta Soares (Brazil, formerly with the Bolshoi), Lizi Avsajanishvili (Georgia, formerly with the Mariinsky), Joy Womack (U.S., formerly with Astrakhan Opera and Ballet Theatre), Anastasia Demidova (Russia, Xander Parish’s wife, formerly with the Mariinsky) Laura Fernandez (Switzerland and Ukraine, formerly with Mariinsky,Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Theatre), and Ilya Jivoy (Russia, choreographer, formerly with the Mariinsky) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted November 14, 2022 Share Posted November 14, 2022 I've moved the performance comments to a new thread in Performances Seen: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buddy Posted November 14, 2022 Author Share Posted November 14, 2022 Thank you, Jan. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LBC Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 We are delighted to be welcoming Xander for an ‘in conversation’ via Zoom on Thursday 16 February 2023. Dance writer Mike Dixon will be interviewing on our behalf. https://www.tlbc.org.uk/events/in-conversation-with-xander-parish-via-zoom Zoom interviews are free to members. non-members are very welcome to book access via this link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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