The Kirov will bring "Romeo and Juliet" to Kennedy Center from Jan. 16-21, 2007.

Any word on the casting yet? The tickets went on sale today, and the good ones for the opening night seem to be almost sold out already. Does it mean we should expect Obraztsova? (Vishneva already stated on her website that she was not going to dance Juliet in D.C. in January.)

With this run I may be able to see only one performance - how can I choose which one now?

hi Waelsung,

It's probably a bit too early for January casting to be set, let alone confirmed. I can tell you the usual Juliets however, and yes, Obratsova is one of them. Irina Golub is another. Between the two of them I highly recommend Obratsova, and my guess is she would dance opening night. But that's just a guess. Locally (although she never tours) Maya Dumchenko often dances the role. I will try to find out who else might dance in DC and let you know.

Thank you very much, Catherine!

I'd also think that Obraztsova would be dancing on the opening night and she's the one I definitely want to see, but this time around I'm not going to buy any tickets before the casting is at least tentatively announced.

(I saw Golub's Giselle in D.C. this summer and simply cannot imagine her doing a plausible Juliet.)

Dancers on the current Kirov roster who have danced the Lavrovsky Juliet are:

Diana Vishneva
Maya Dumchenko
Evgenia Obraztsova
Irina Golub

That's it. Unless someone else debuts in the role between now & January 2007 (Somova? Pavlenko?), the DC tour will, most likely, include the above Juliets. But Vishneva doesn't list the DC tour on her website and Dumchenko rarely tours (although she was in Cardiff in April '05). There's a real possibility that only Obraztsova & Golub will dance Juliet in DC, unless Vishneva miraculously appears &/or Dumchenko makes a rare touring appearance.

The Kennedy Center already has provisional casting posted. Juliets include Obraztsova, Dumchenko, Golub & Novikova. Here's the link:

http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/ ... vent=BHBSF

Novikova? That's interesting. If she does dance R&J it would be her debut... in Washington DC no less. My guess is that that general casting announcement doesn't mean anything, yet. I assume it's as the company usually does "including stars A-Z"...but the ones who actually travel and perform are a smaller group. I'd count on Obratsova and Golub -- NataliaN underlined my point.

...and I'm not holding my breath for the one Dumchenko Juliet to materialize at the Kennedy Center. Flying her all the way to DC just for one performance? Someone who hardly ever tours? Well, maybe we'll all be pleasantly surprised. hope so.

Well I think of it as the same as they've done for the tour. They listed, (as one major example) Daria Pavlenko on the tour roster, in advertising, (did they not?) but she isn't on the tour and there were apparently (I'm guessing) never plans to include her. (I'm referring to pre-tour advertising, not the actual tour programs, which apparently accurately reflect her absence). I am sure there are other names who were listed but who did not leave St. P for the USA. It's part of, one assumes, the marketing strategy.

So, I'm assuming the pattern is the same for this Kennedy Ctr announcement: they'll throw the names out there to sell tickets, and the number of dancers who show up to perform will be a smaller number in any case. A similar thing happens monthly on their web site, but mostly with the larger ballets or mixed bills: they'll list 3 or more principals and then narrow it down (or completely change the casting) as it gets closer to performance date.

BUT, to your point Natalia, wouldn't everyone be in for a treat if Dumchenko DID show up in DC!!

The latest casting has been updated on the Kennedy Center website

http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/ ... vent=BHBSF

and is as follows. Dumchenko *is* listed, at least at this point(!!!!).

CASTING (subject to change):
Tue., Jan. 16 at 7:30 p.m. – JULIET: Evgenya Obraztsova; ROMEO: Andrian Fadayev
Wed., Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m. – JULIET: Olesya Novikova; ROMEO: Igor Kolb
Thu., Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m. – JULIET: Olesya Novikova; ROMEO: Anton Korsakov
Fri., Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. – JULIET: Maya Dumchenko; ROMEO: Mikhail Lobukhin
Sat., Jan. 20 at 1:30 p.m. – JULIET: Olesya Novikova; ROMEO: Vladimir Shklyarov
Sat., Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. – JULIET: Maya Dumchenko; ROMEO: Anton Korsakov
Sun., Jan. 21 at 1:30 p.m. – JULIET: Evgenya Obratzsova; ROMEO: Igor Kolb

The company is soon headed back to St. Petersburg. I know several people who watched R&J in DC and really enjoyed it. If anyone cares to post their impressions here, please do so!

One of my contacts had the following comments about the final performance:

Evgenia Obratsova and Igor Kolb had what she described as an "electric chemistry". She said Kolb's lines were amazing and that, by the final curtain he seemed quite solemn, no doubt exhausted but still in "character", that the performance seemed to have really affected him.

She noted that Mercuriev, danced by Sasha Sergeev, was very accurate, entertaining, and impressive.

Selina and Lobukhin danced the Troubador and Juliet's friend, respectively, but were both unemotive in their roles.

She noted Galina Rakhmanova in the first scene, is still going strong, her dancing bright and spicy.

And finally she liked the Lavrovsky choreography, noting specifically the moment when Romeo hears of Juliet's death and does and immediate tour to the ground - musically quite fitting, she noted.

If anyone else attended, please do share!