There is an interesting interview with the Director of the Paris Opera House Ballet since 1995, Brigitte Lefevre, in the Russian newspaper Ogoniok, cited by Dansomanie. She has a very high opinion of the Bolshoi in general and of Natalia Osipova in particular.

http://www.ogoniok.ru/5029/10/

[Loose computer translation of interview referring to Natalia Osipova]

Interviewer's Statement:

"At the recent tour of the Greater London TNR new star - 20 - year-old Natalya Osipova, which has been compared to Maya Plisetskaya. In Paris Osipova perform, in particular, the party Medory - in the "main" Le Corsaire."

Brigitte Lefevre's Response:

"She is amazing dancer with incredible potential. When appearing in the theatre such exceptional talents, it is a sign that [the Bolshoi] is on the rise."

[some editing required several minutes later as Russian language portion would not print out and link incorrect]

Two more interesting comments from the Brigitte Lefevre interview.

She says,

"I consider French ballet more analytical. It is possibly less lyrical than the Russian."

Asked 'in what is the specific character' of the Russian school of ballet, she responds,

"In my view, this special feature is in the lyricism and the musicality, in the elevation of feelings and the special beauty of the motion of the hands.


P.S. J'espere que vous vous sentez beaucoup mieux tres vite, urelie--I hope that you are feeling much better soon, urelie--and look forward to hearing more about the performances.

Do you agree with that Buddy? and i hope you soon@urélie

Merci !

Do I agree with Brigitte Lefevre's comparison of French and Russian School dancing characteristics? I guess in general I do, Laurence. I've only seen the Opera dancers perform about eight times so I am not that familiar with their style. I would say that the Opera dancers seem to be more 'precise' than perhaps dancers from Russia. This also depends on the artist who is performing and the work being performed. I find Aurelie Dupont for instance to be a much looser and more expressive dancer than perhaps the exquisitely refined Agnes Letestu.

In the famous video version of La Bayadere by the Opera dancers I also find something else. The wonderful women who perform the Shades, especially at the beginning when they are descending in a row, show a most beautiful almost mystical French manner reminiscent of the elegantly beautiful French maidens depicted in much French renaissance art. This is completely their own.

Many women dancers from Russia do have a wonderful 'poetry' to their dancing as well as an unequaled command of 'technique' or ability to make what they are doing appear 'correct' and extremely 'well performed'. I agree with Brigitte Lefevre's wording completely in describing the qualities of dancers from Russia.

Dancers from Russia also have for me the amazing ability to be convincingly multicultural in their characterizations.

The Opera men seem to be very strong in technical prowess like ABT men, but perhaps more precise again. I would say that the men from Russia can be more flamboyant and in the case of Leonid Sarafanov can be both technically flamboyant (huge jumps, amazing spins--with fine technique) and wonderfully lyrical or poetic at the same time.

In my video of Jewels on the other hand I find the Opera dancers to be maybe looser and more expressive than the Kirov dancers that I've seen performing the same work. This is perhaps because of the Western cultural orientation of this work by George Balanchine.

For me both schools of dance and the dancers representing them have their own individual and wonderful characteristics.

Mikhail Baryshnikov once said that if you take the upper body of a dancer from Russia and the precise footwork of a dancer from the Opera and put them together you would have the ideal dancer.

P.S. What do you feel about Brigitte Lefevre's comments, Laurence?


[typo error corrected--and another]