by spread the wealth, you mean cast dancers on one tour and then not on another? that sounds accurate to me... the politics behind the current casting situation(s) have hit new highs...

This appears to be an official Mariinsky video so I'd like to post it. (If not feel free to remove). It's rather lovely.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=793cXZgeQpQ

*Anastasia* at the beginning and *Ekaterina* ,as magical as ever, at the end.

A brief report about the company's arrival in Mexico City in preparation for a three day engagement beginning on Thursday, October 16, 2013.

RIA Novosti

Thanks, Francis.

"The Mariinsky previous tours in Mexico in 2001-2003 were a huge success and drew an audience of over 115,000 people, according to organizers."

I wonder how places are selected for the tours? Naples, for instance. The audiences that I saw didn't seem to be used to seeing a great ballet company like the Mariinsky, which they're probably not, nor particularly familiar with the art or the material, but they were warm and as things got going became quite enthusiastic and appreciative of the great talent in front of them. The theatre seemed to be full every evening. A lady that I spoke with in a cafe said that she tried to get tickets, but they were all sold out, and it's a huge theatre. It's really nice that the company seems to be so appreciated everywhere. It may seem strange that some of the finest stars are selected to appear in places that we never heard of, but I'm sure that the pleasure and greatness that they bring and the depth of appreciation that they receive explains it all. Anna Pavlova apparently saw things that way. I read somewhere that the Mariinsky tries to do it best no matter where it's at and from what I've seen this is absolutely true.

This weekend several debuts in new roles and generally speaking on stage.

Nadezhda Batoeva was riveting as Masha in Sunday's matinee of Nutcracker. Her partner, David Zaleyev, is new to the troupe. His history is intriguing. Rehearsed by Danila Korsuntsev for this role, Zaleyev studied at the Vaganova Academy but was dismissed twice, the first time for undisciplined behavior and the second time for a fight. He finished his training in Bashkiri, jointed the Tatarsky Opera/Ballet theatre, and then won the Gold Medal at this June's Moscow Competition. To the best of my knowledge this was his first solo role at the Mariinsky.

He's from a ballet family. His mom is People's Artist Margarita Djikayeva, his father Viktor Zaleyev was a professional dancer, and his sister Dana is a soloist at the Southern Ossetia Opera and Ballet Theatre.

Photos to give you a general idea can be seen here
http://osetia.kvaisa.ru/1-rubriki/08-znaj-nashix/david-zaleev-%E2%80%93-tancovshhik-mechty-kotorogo-sbyvayutsya/

Moscow Competition - Solor:
http://video.yandex.ru/search?text=%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B5%D0%B2%20%D0%B4%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4&where=all&filmId=1rJWdptOUXI

And in Corsaire variation, Ali:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcKCONAklOI

He's QUITE impressive!!!

Thursday, Oxana Skorik will be performing Raymonda. It's not listed in her repertoire so I assume it's a debut. I would love to see it. Hope you get a chance to, Catherine.

Buddy i will let you know ))

The Mariinsky debut of Wayne McGregor's "Infra" will be performed February 24. One guesses it may appear in the April festival as well.

Thanks, Catherine. While anxiously awaiting your comments I just found this at the Mariinsky's News site. It will indeed be a debut for Oxana Skorik and others.


Debuts in Raymonda

On 28 and 29 November at the Mariinsky Theatre there will be several debuts in the ballet Raymonda.
 
On 28 November Oxana Skorik will be performing the title role for the first time together with Yekaterina Ivannikova and Yulia Stepanova as Raymonda’s friends, Elena Bazhenova as the Countess Sybille, Yekaterina Mikhailovtseva in the Mazurka and Oxana Marchuk in the variation in the Dream scene. On 29 November Olga Belik and Trofim Malanov will be performing the Spanish Panaderos for the first time with Alexei Timofeyev making his debut as Béranger and Anastasia Nikitina dancing the variation in the Dream scene.

The role of Raymonda is one of the most demanding in the classical ballet repertoire. In this ballet, a masterpiece by Marius Petipa, the ballerina performs five variations in addition to the incredibly beautiful adagio, pas d’action and grand pas.

http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/news1/news2/26_231nov/

As hoped for, there is already a video clip posted from Oxana Skorik's Raymonda. Here she dances the very beautiful solo with the simulated hand clapping. I'm not sure what this one is named.

I think that it shows, once again, her remarkable airy loveliness. This is the quality that I perhaps love the most. In addition, the exquisiteness of her sculptured positioning and motion is exceptional. The audience seems to have given her a very warm reception, based on the initial response. This is only a brief video look, so I hope that the evening was as fine as possible.

While waiting to see this, I found several other performances on the internet. One that fascinates me is by Sylvie Guillem. It makes for a very interesting comparison.


(Thanks to Kadmea at Mariinka for finding the Oxana Skorik video)


Added:

The only two reviews that I've found so far come from posters at the Bolshoi Forum and they are complimentary.

NOVODEVIS (joined: April 18, 2010, posts: 5641)
In tonight Oksana Skoryk very confident, successful, boldly and beautifully danced Raymonda difficult part…. Her ballet became even more magnificent differ technicality sense of style , a rare musicality , plastic , self-assurance , confidence , courage and artistry !

iruma (joined: Feb. 5, 2013, posts: 121)
….Skoryk really was good.

Above are Google translations.
http://forum.balletfriends.ru/viewtopic ... &start=360

Buddy you beat me to it, argh. I have had a 12 hour work day, am not yet done, but it's 9:15pm here now and so my post will have to wait til tomorrow...

Those reports are not quite as I read them. The reports actually are not all complimentary. Also using Google translate:

Kadmea at Mariinka actually writes, "Of all the variations of this, in my opinion, most unfortunate."

Iruma starts off her post with "Of all the vast post just can not agree with the fact that Oksana Skoryk confident enough and very beautifully sang Raimondo. What kind of vast experience, you can tell if it was a debut?"

And IrinaMil, on Balletfriends, writes "Skoryk and Kondaurova - twin sisters. Frozen and inhibited. Where Hungarian flavor? Hands barely move, as if she is afraid of them Skoryk wiggle. Where glow of happiness, where courage, where proud to be? Not Hungarian bride doll and Coppelius, mechanically repeating memorized movement."

I don't think these are glowing reports, and having seen Skorik's Raymonda on YouTube myself, I can only add that it was really not what I expect to see on the Mariinsky stage. Stiff arms, frozen expression, lack of flow are not the hallmarks of a Mariinsky ballerina, but they are Skorik hallmarks. She should never have been given the role of Raymonda.

I've only been wanting to see and hear about this for over a month.

"Waiting is such sweet sorrow, That I shall wait till it be morrow."

Well, this additional poster from balletfriends also disagrees with you!

"Can not say anything about Raymond-Skoryk because do not consider myself to spend honestly earned money on a performance of "the poor and the orphans." The same goes for DK 8 December ..."

And also this one!


When only started watching this story, not enough to say "surprised", but rather "my God, it's ... : Roll:Angle terrible, but then calmed down, looked at Skoryk already some sympathy and without strong negative emotions (I-can, I do not understand in detail.) Of course I can endlessly view and compare with fine examples of the past generation danced Raymonda (incidentally, is already quite mature dancers), and the meaning-something in it ? That does not find the time to go to the "live" Raymond, but after this video .. more hesitated only whether soloists matter? Skoryk tries, it can not hide even from the hateful look, but it looks like a dance unfilled, no history, and therefore without meaning. But it is not fatal? artist if interested, he will find a way out of boredom death make room. I think some may be gifted dancers temperament and natural artistry that replace mainly their knowledge and taste, and some , alas, have to work on the content wonderful vessel "(n ts soul artist: wink:) And now everything is superficial, pustovatenko and in life, and then on stage. Vanity-some ripples. Maybe the actress early and mid-20th century than was wound around the globe: on tours, festivals ... yes : Lol:and then I suppose our plow-like slaves in the galleys?: P

And now back to this end of the woods.

"The role of Raymonda is one of the most demanding in the classical ballet repertoire. In this ballet, a masterpiece by Marius Petipa, the ballerina performs five variations in addition to the incredibly beautiful adagio, pas d’action and grand pas."

http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/news1/news2/26_231nov/

There is now quite a number of videos posted. I've watched all the Oxana Skorik ones except for the pas d'action and I've probably seen that too and not known it "The incredibly beautiful adagio" is perhaps my favorite along with the 'simulated hand clapping' variation (solo).

After all this viewing, I feel, like before, that she is one of the most (perhaps the most) Enchanting ballerinas at the Mariinsky today. She is certainly one of the most Beautiful and most Interesting.

Raymonda
Mariinsky Theatre
Saint Petersburg, Russia
28 November 2013

Following September's successful reintroduction of Raymonda to the Mariinsky stage, the ballet's second run began this week, featuring two new debuts. Uliana Lopatkina set what seems an insurpassable standard two months ago. Raymonda is one of Petipa's most demanding ballets, not only in terms of choreographic themes, but in terms of stamina and dramatic expression. It requires a wide range of ability in all areas and perhaps, even moreso than Swan Lake or Sleeping Beauty, is a true acid test for ballerina status.

Uliana Lopatkina has the deep emotional presentation required of the role. In the first Act she is a cultured princess, a noble girl with romantic dreams of love. The contrast she forms against the barbaric Abderakhman beautifully etches the differences between the two characters. By the Act III's wedding celebration, she has become a mature woman, a ballerina princess secure in her royal stature and also her new partnership. She dances the iconic variation (with the hand clap) in Act III with reserve, dignity and grace.

On Nov. 28, Oksana Skorik debuted in the role alongside Andrey Ermakov, as Jeanne de Brienne. Skorik's Raymonda is also of the noble bent; we do not confuse her with Aurora or other fairytale princesses. Whether one appreciates her dancing or acting talents, the minimum that can be said of Skorik is that her body is the physical ideal for this art form. Beautifully high arches, slender limbs and a long neck. In past performances of other ballets, at times nerves have gotten the best of her. We saw some of that in the California tours last autumn. However here, a calm and certainty filled her dancing that revealed a new maturity and control. She radiated the joy of a princess on her birthday in Act I and managed to touch on the regal nature of the heroine in Act III. There were small details that in the future may be further polished - the Scene II step up turns and the arabesque fondu in Act I. But Skorik seemed to thoroughly enjoy the Act III dancing, and she shows great promise in the role.

Other dancers also impressed. Yuri Smekalov demonstrated his own dramatic flexibility as a demonstrative Abderakhman, his gestures carrying all the roughness and lack of culture that the character requires, supported by a team of small boys from the beloved Vaganova Academy. Evgenia Emelyanova, back from maternity leave, reprised the role of Saracene variation in the Act III national dances, winning over the audience with electric flair alongside Nikita Lyashenko.

Of the four couples decorating the grand pas, Victoria Brilyova and Svetlana Ivanova stood out for precision and beautiful lines. Their cavaliers - Alexey Popov, Vasily Tkachenko, Aleksei Nedvega and Konstantin Ivkin - delivered the spellbinding series of double tours in the preceding quartet section that nowhere looks as delectable as it does on a row of Mariinsky dancers.