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Thank you so much for posting this! I have tkts for R and J on my subscription series at OCPAC and was waiting for the Swan Lake casting so that I could also purchase tkts to see Vishneva in Swan Lake. However, I am wondering about the coupling of Somova and Kolb. Any comments? I have seen Vishneva in Sleeping Beauty and Rubies and am enamored by her dancing. Would Vishneva's SL be the one performance to see?

Igor Kolb is tremendous, arguably the company's best male classicist. Somova is very much a minority taste and Vishneva has only danced a couple of performances of SL to mixed response. If you can get a ticket, Lopatkina would be most people's first choice.

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Hello to you, Fedora! Thanks you and Cassandra for giving me much to think about with regards to purchasing tickets. Unfortunately, Pavlenko will not be coming to the Orange County engagement. I have seen Lopatkina as Lilac and in Jewels. I am tending towards viewing Somova since I have not seen here dance a principal role yet. My daughter saw Vishnev'a Swan Lake with ABT this summer and loved her musicality and dynamics (she even danced with her in class alot during the two weeks she was in NYC). But I can understand that SL may not be her 'best' role. Since Kolb is partnering Somova, I will try and see what is availabe for that evening!

How about the Juliets?

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My tickets for Romeo and Juliet are with Fadeev and Obraztsova!
Gee, I sure hope all this casting doesn not change at the last minute. I hear that the Russian companies are known for doing last minute changes!

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Regarding the Chicago peformances, the November 2 at " 11 AM !!! " performance is for school children only and tickets are not on sale to the general public. I got this information from the Chicago Auditorium office. Lucky children !--Daria Pavlenko is scheduled to dance.

In passing I saw Ulyana Lopatkina perform her Swan Lake in St. Petersburg last March and she was incredible ! If you miss seeing her she has made a video of Swan Lake that could be released later this year. Any of the scheduled performances that have been discussed here look really good to me.

Hi Fairwind,

I would second the vote to see Lopatkina in Swan Lake if at all possible. I have seen all of the dancers here in the roles you mentioned -- Lopatkina is at her best as Odette/Odile in my humble opinion. I think she also epitomizes the way that duo role is intended to be danced.

Vishneva tends to eschew Kirovian classicism and is well loved in NYC; so if you want to see a jazzed up version but not necessarily adhering to the classical tenets of Vaganova style (Vishneva was rejected from the school 3 times before being accepted and did not complete the full course of study since she began late), then I'd say go for Vishneva as she is more theatrical; her interpretation is heavily tilted in favor of Odile.

Kolb is a fantastic dancer but if he has another partner aside from Somova, I'd opt for that. Somova is still in the corps de ballet and is being pushed by the Administration into roles she isn't quite ready for. To quote celebrated critic Clement Crisp, she has the "unruly habit" of kicking her legs into high extensions. If you're not looking for any emotional depth and if you like skinny ballerinas with high legs, then she's for you.

For Juliet you will not be disappointed with Obratsova - she is a darling! And a very talented actress, a key for that role. Fadeev is one of the best the Kirov has to offer now. That will be a performance worth seeing!

Catherine wrote:

I believe there is rule on the forum against rumors and conjectures, not supported by press releases. Am I wrong? I can look it up if necessary...

Secondly, you, certainly, are entitled to your own opinion about this decidedly talented, young and very beautiful ballerina. But one would hope that you expressed it in more neutral tone. I, for example, being very fond of this dancer, feel offended And being offended is not something that I personally look in a critic, celebrated or not.

To the best of my knowledge, Vishneva was turned away from the Vaganova Academy twice and was accepted on the 3rd try. So, let's mind our math, shall we

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Hi fedora,

This certainly isn't a rumor, but it might qualify as "opinion" shared by many. It is a fact that Somova is in the corps de ballet. It is a fact that without promoting her, the MT administration has cast her in Swan Lake (as Odette/Odile) and Sleeping Beauty (as Aurora). It is a fact that many people, including leading/expert critics (I dont count myself one of those) believe that she is not ready yet for those roles, that while she has physical aptitude, she doesnt have emotional depth. It is a fact that the art of ballet is separated from gymnastics (or sports) based on the emotion involved in story ballets such as these. What I was pointing out to Fairwind are these points -- so that, should she choose to attend, she knows she is attending a performance of someone very young and relatively inexperienced in the bigger roles.

In my opinion, Catherine's comment re Somova was extemely kind. Catherine is perfectly correct in pointing out serious shortcomings in dancers on this thread as she is responding to another posters request for information and has given an honest opinion in reply.

Please remember also that Somova should NOT be referred to as a ballerina, she is a corps de ballet member. The title of ballerina should mainly be used when discussing senior dancers of exceptional ability and experience.

Cassandra, we criss-crossed in posts. Thank you for your comments. And for pointing out the use of the term "ballerina" -- it is certainly far too often misused (often even in major papers/journals) these days.

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