A good haul of nominations for the Kirov as in addition Novikova and A. Matvienko have also been nominated for best female dancer.

Sarafanov and D. Matvienko are nominated for best male dancer.

Full details here (in Russian) http://www.goldenmask.ru/news.php?nid=1084&year=

Thanks Cassandra, for posting the Golden Mask link.

I am in Petersburg now -- will be lucky enough to see Lopatkina's Swan Lake in honor of Makarova on Wednesday, as well as a Kondaurova Bayadere on the 26th.

Tomorrow morning Maxim Zuizin is Prince Siegfried to Kolegova's Odette/Odile. I have never seen Zuizin cast in a principal male role of this caliber before, although it's not listed as his debut, so he msut have tried it on for size in the past months or abroad.

Pavlenko will return to the stage on Jan. 16 as Aegina. Congratulations on this long-awaited moment!

Also - congratulations to Daria Pavlenko, Sofia Gumerova, Anton Korsakov and Evgeny Ivanchenko. They have all just received the Honored Artist of Russia title.

Tatiana Terekhova and Elena Vorontsova have received the title "For Service to the Fatherland" of the II degree.

Congratulations to everyone!

Just a word to say Happy New Year to all Kirov/Mariinsky fans, and everyone else who adores this art of ours.

A piece of news that Evgenia Obratsova will debut in Swan Lake at Moscow's Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko theatre, on April 23rd, 2011.

This is magnificent news! Thanks Catherine!

The Mariinsky's press notice regarding Pavlenko's debut as Aegina, included the following commentary:

С интересом и нетерпением мы ожидаем дебют Дарьи Павленко в партии
Эгины. Этой балерине присущ редкий дар рождать поэтические ассоциации:
танцовщица «обволакивает «куртизаночной» таинственностью в
баланчинских «Изумрудах», предстает непознаваемым сфинксом в партии
Сирены в «Блудном сыне», а в форсайтовском «In the Middle» внезапно
обнаруживает мягкость взрывной пружины».


We await Daria Pavlenko's debut in the role of Aegina with interest and anticipation. Inherent in this ballerina is the rare gift of giving birth to poetic associations: the dancer "envelops 'courtisan'-like mystery in Balanchine's Emeralds, appears as an impenetrable Sphynx in the role of the Siren in Prodigal Son, and in Forsythe's In the Middle suddenly displays softness in an explosive spring."

For the first time this season, the Mariinsky Ballet will present "Walpurgis Nacht" (choreography Leonid Lavrovsky) at the Concert Hall. Dancers of the Mariinsky joined others in a tribute to ballerina Alla Osipenko at the Conservatory in late November. But this is the first that the Mariinsky dancers have danced WN on one of their own stages in years... it is an amazing piece. I observed some of the early rehearsals and Grigory Popov, Elizaveta Cherpasova and Konstantin Zverev perfectly captured the essence of their characters and some incredibly difficult lifts. This is a short athletic piece, exceedingly demanding. (Westerners may have seen clips of Maximova performing it with the Bolshoi online or on DVD.) Exciting!

Further Confessions of A Dancomaniac.

Tonight Veronika Part will have performed her "Swan Lake" at the Mariinsky.

In addition, Alina Somova, who I like very much, performed her "Swan Lake" this afternoon.

I had actually hoped to be there, but it just didn't quite happen.

My consolation was that I saw some absolutely wonderful performances by other marvelous dancers on my way back to where I live in Switzerland. *

I hope that "Veronika" 'Rocked the House!" tonight !

My heart goes out to her.

Maybe Catherine was there and can tell us something about it.


* I would like to add that I was able to see all of Veronika Part's several mixed-bill performances with ABT in London last week and I thought that she was magnificent !

I have found no reference to Veronika Part's performance so far, but the magazine "Time Out"--Saint Petersburg gave it a preview, stating that there is to be a full house and this is because of folks' memories of her when she was a Mariinsky first soloist.

The article was written by Anna Gordeeva, who I believe is a well known ballet reviewer, so there is a chance for a follow-up article.

http://www.timeout.ru/journal/feature/1 ... bscribed=0

[The article is in russian and I used a 'limited' Google translation to try to understand it.]

Here is what looks to be a very nice chat with Veronika Part at the Mariinsky's own site. This seems to be a very nice feature of the site that I didn't know was there. I will certainly read this as soon as possible.

http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/news1/interv ... view_part/

This interview with Veronika Part, cited above, is an interesting one in which in she talks about her art and is also quite straightforward in discussing some of her adjustments to and perceptions of American society.

Here are a few excerpts.

Do you miss St Petersburg? Do you miss the Mariinsky?

Yes, I miss it a great deal.

Why haven’t you been at your “home theatre” for so long?

I don’t know. It didn’t work out somehow.
[Hopefully her appearances at the Mariinsky will happen more often ! This poster's sincere wish.]

Is your repertoire at ABT different?

Not so much different. I still dance the classics – Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and Balanchine’s ballets. But my repertoire also now includes ballets by Ashton and MacMillan. There are many new productions staged by Alexei Ratmansky in which I am engaged. I am beginning to dance modern choreography more and more.

Who do you rehearse with at ABT?

With Irina Alexandrovna Kolpakova. She helps me retain that special link with the Russian school.

At АВТ there are representatives of the most diverse ballet schools. It is, arguably, one of the most international ballet companies in the world. What is the predominant style there?

It seems to me that over her many years of work with the company that Irina Kolpakova has managed to convey to its performers much of which the Russian ballet school is strong in. That includes the “songfulness” of the arms and the body and the épaulement. But we also have some things to learn from the West: the spins, the leaps and the aplomb. The schools are gradually coming closer, assimilating.

Two more comments.

But with Marcelo [Gomes] everything is always fine. He is a great partner. Without fault he performs all the most difficult supports, and in his arms I feel almost weightless. I am always confident with him, and in dance that freedom always shines through.

But the emotions cannot be rehearsed. You have to come on stage and live the production each time in a new way.

And what would you wish for yourself?

More peace and being able to enjoy life. And being able to appreciate its every minute…

"Veronika"

It looks like she did it !

Well, finally an opinion. It comes from what appears to be someone's 'arts' site in russian and although it may not be an 'authoritative' opinion, it is what I was so much hoping to hear.

This is a fairly understandable Google translation.

But Odette (White Swan) was performed by Veronika Part terrific. You can forget all the other heroes to stop hearing the music of Tchaikovsky, not noticing the beauty of the Mariinsky Theatre, but you can not tear myself away from Odette. Such grace, every stroke of her hands crying, and also a dancer in itself is beautiful. Even now, I can easily reproduce in the memory of all the movements of Veronika Part. I do not like to say so, but it really captivated me. I think a few more days pass with "Swan Lake at the head." And let me dream of swans, Spanish dance and Rothbart with Odette. 


(Но Одетта(Белый Лебедь) была исполнена Вероникой Парт потрясающе. Можно позабыть всех остальных героев, перестать слышать музыку Чайковского, не замечать красоту Мариинки, но от Одетты нельзя оторваться. Такая грация, каждый взмах ее рук кричит, да и к тому же балерина сама по себе красивая. Даже сейчас я с легкостью воспроизвожу в памяти все движения Вероники Парт. Не люблю так говорить, но она меня действительно покорила. Думаю, еще несколько дней прохожу с "Лебединым Озером в голове". И пусть мне присниться прекрасные лебеди, испанский танец и Ротбарт с Одеттой.)

http://nice-autumn.livejournal.com/20586.html

Brava, Veronika !



[This is a self description of "Live Journal." It seems to be an unbiased and responsible site with no apparent need to support Veronika Part one way or another. If the moderators here at Criticaldance feel that it is not an appropriate source then I suppose that they have the right to comment on or remove this post. I would want to see Criticaldance remain as responsible and credible a site as is possible.]

http://www.livejournal.com/site/about.bml

Of interest to anyone who may want to see a Mariinsky performance or anything else in Russia is this brief article in the Saint Petersburg Times stating....

"Visas Could Be Scrapped"

"Russia may cancel visas for foreigners, a senior Federal Border Service official said Tuesday, adding that the move would not harm security and might attract more European tourists."

I have received five visas in the last five years and it is a rather involved and time consuming process. Folks at the Russian consulates have always been very nice about the process, but it is still an 'endeavor.'

As you might have read in my earlier posts, a sort of dream come true for me was the appearance of Veronika Part at the Mariinsky a few weeks ago. As I live half the year in Europe, it would have been like grabbing a plane from Los Angeles to Chicago to be there. With over two weeks notice and inquiring in five different major world cities I was unable to get a visa in time.

Also I'm not sure if this would apply to US citizens as getting into the US for non US citizens is not an easy matter either from my limited understanding of this.

Russia's lifting of its visa requirements (or a simplifying of the process) would make visits much easier and more enjoyable and hopefully, where it applies, other countries would reciprocate when appropriate. I would have to believe that it would be to the benefit of everyone.

http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_ ... y_id=33686

Thanks for this, Buddy. Russia is only hurting itself by continuing the Soviet-Era visa and registration policies for foreign visitors. While I would love to think that the USA is included in the new plans, I would bet that it's only for EU/Western European citizens. The Berlin Wall may have fallen in 1991 but, 20 years later, Cold War sentiments prevail. Even as the wife of a Russian citizen, with family in the St Petersburg region, one would think that matters might be easier for me but, no, I have to go through the crap every time. It actually HURTS if I stay with family or friends - if I stay anywhere but in a hotel (the 'hotel coupon and voucher' route), as 'homestay invitations' are the toughest sorts of visitor visas to obtain and one must register with the OVIR (police) within a certain amount of time or pay heavy consequences.

Thank goodness that the Mariinsky Ballet has been and will continue to tour heavily this year. I just saw then in Ottawa and Toronto, as well as at home in DC, and am planning visits to New York and London in the summer...no hassles to see my favorite dancers. Which is a shame, as there's nothing quite like seeing them in their glorious home theater, the Mecca of Ballet. (Besides, I'm not sure that a festival devoting three (3) evenings to LE PARC -- which is tailor-made for the Paris Opera Ballet and which runs about 80 minutes, wihtout intermissions -- is my cup of tea. Not worth the hassle. For a Petipa-era reconstruction I'll go through the hassle but not for 3 nights of LE PARC. No way, sorry.)