CriticalDance Forum

First review of the Bolshoi's eagerly awaited triple bill from Sarah Frater at The Standard:

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/theatre/r ... re-them.do

I didn't go to last night's performance but did watch the afternoon rehearsal, obviously one doesn't comment on rehearsals but I saw some drastic production changes in Petrushka that I wasn't happy about at all and a friend who went yesterday evening confirmed that the changes I had noted occurred in performance too. I am extremely surprised Ms Frater makes no mention of these in her review.

Serenade/Giselle
Bolshoi Ballet
Royal Opera House, London
26th July 2010

Although I’m all for as much ballet in one evening as can possibly be crammed in, the wisdom of scheduling Serenade as a curtain raiser on a night when a dancer fast achieving legendary status was to appear later in what may be her greatest role made me impatient to get it over and done with, instead I found myself watching one of the most beautiful and profoundly moving performances of this ballet I have ever seen. Too often Serenade is danced with plodding familiarity in London and watching it becomes an endurance test rather than a pleasure, but the Bolshoi instinctively know how to dance this work finding meaning in every nuance of the choreography. The three soloists, Ekaterina Krysanova, Anastasia Yatsenko and Anna Leonova were quite simply marvellous and the innate musicality of everyone on stage proved to me yet again that I was watching what is without doubt the greatest classical ballet company in the world.

The Giselle production came as a surprise as the company has reverted to the old Grigorovich one rather than the visually more attractive Vasiliev/Fadeyechev version. It is still just about serviceable, but I loathe the peasant girls’ stupid chiffon frocks and it’s hard to keep a straight face when the Duke’s retainers enter performing a silly skip and hop routine.

But it was Osipova’s Giselle I had gone to see and the rest faded into insignificance when she appeared on stage. This Giselle looks ridiculously young, vulnerable and pathetically trusting almost to the point of gullibility whilst the suave Albrecht of Ruslan Skvortsov becomes contemptible to have targeted for his philandering a girl barely out of childhood and so naively innocent. This Giselle is very clearly in love though and her every move speaks volumes about her misplaced affection. Her gaucheness is further emphasized by the casting of the tall and impossibly elegant Kristina Karaseva as Bathilda, the contrast with this imperious patrician and humble Giselle is very striking and for once her awe at the remote and lovely noblewoman looks justified making the discovery that she is Albrecht’s betrothed all the more shocking at the moment when he tenderly kisses Bathilda’s hand: the mad scene that follows is searing with Osipova’s acting skill every bit as equal to her dancing.

In the second act a phenomenon occurred that is rarely experienced in the theatre, a collective intake of breath from the audience as they acknowledged the exceptional abilities of a true star. The moment she is first summoned by Myrtha is a revelation as she spins and soars after her release from the confines of her grave free from the limitations of gravity with disdain for solid ground with Osipova displaying that ballon and elevation that no other contemporary ballerina comes close to possessing, when jumping she returns to earth with the greatest reluctance only to spring up again higher than ever. Whilst convincing us completely that she is a supernatural being, we also sense that at the same time her heart is still very human as her devotion to the now contrite Albrecht manifests itself in gentle forgiveness. Defiant and determined she challenges the power of the Wili sisterhood to preserve her lover’s life. Surely when she returns to her grave her act of love will have earned her the salvation that the others will never achieve.

The night was Osipova’s and if there was anyone there that ever doubted her superstar status they must now be a dedicated convert.

Judith Mackrell reviews the Russian triple bill of "Petrushka," "Russian Seasons" and "Paquita" in The Guardian.

The Guardian

Neil Norman reviews "Giselle" and "Serenade" in the Daily Express.

Daily Express

I was able to see all the "Giselle" performances and the first of the "Petrushka-Russian Seasons-Grand Pas From Paquita" performances.

This is my first time on the computer since Sunday, so could I please quickly mention a few personal highlights.


Nina Kaptsova


("Giselle," "Petrushka," "Grand Pas From Paquita")

As Giselle she was perhaps the most beautiful surprise of the series.

This was the first time that I've watched her.

She is possibly the most statuesque-perfect dancer that I've yet seen.

The way that she was able to position herself could have equaled works from the most famous sculpture galleries in the world.

In Act I I mainly noticed the motion of her legs, which was as clear and articulate as could be asked for. I even thought that she had added extra moves to her remarkable footwork, but was told by a ballet watching friend that they were part of the normal choreography. For me they were so well defined that they seemed as if they had never been there before.

Her huge expressive eyes are a world in themselves. From my viewing experience they are unequaled. They're a powerful element of expression that she only used when totally appropriate.

In addition her Acting at the end of the first part of the ballet was as fine as I've ever seen anywhere !

In Act II her sculpturesque perfection extended in an uninterrupted progression from her toes to the very top of her head. Her head, in fact, seemed to be a light-beacon from which the rest of her physical presence perfectly oriented itself. Not only was she statue-perfect, she was a constantly changing and flowing artistic masterpiece.

She was Magnificent !



Natalia Osipova


("Giselle," Russian Seasons," "Grand Pas From Paquita")

She is an unequaled phenomenon !

She is not just London Brilliant -- she is Brilliant-Brilliant !

She might be orbiting somewhat in the same universe as Diana Vishneva, but she is a Totally Distinct Being. In expressive power she might well resemble Diana Vishneva. Her ability at this is both profound and masterful.

One could probably write a book trying to define her dancing prowess. She is perhaps most famous for sailing through the heavens. It is not only that she is able to lift herself to amazing heights, but her positioning and nuancing while doing this could be an arts and sciences curriculum itself. Other elements, such as footwork, spinning, balancing, timing, etc., are equally remarkable.

She choses her own path through the laws of the artistic universe as we know it. She often does it her way -- fast when others might do it slow, dramatic when other might go for subtlety -- but she is capable of doing it all and when she seems to sometimes rewrite the laws of the artistic universe it works perfectly !

It might well be Genius !


Maria Alexandrova


("Grand Pas From Paquita")

I saw her perform "Raymonda" about a year and a half ago and I thought that it was one of the best performances that I've ever seen. Well, nothing has changed.

Her graceful flow is magnificent. In this 45 minute work, featuring one display of virtuosity after another, she doesn't have the time or the script to fully develop a character or even an extended dance presence, but what she did was remarkably beautiful. She established her vibrant personality immediately and her dancing wonderfully and flawlessly echoed this.

Among some of the outstanding elements that I recall were the perfect-wave use of her arms and hands and several series of velvety secure one foot spins ending in picture perfect one-leg-elevated-back positioning.

She has angel-like grace. She was the primary ballerina and among a sea of virtuoso performers she established the mood, the standard and most important the aura.

She danced like the loveliest of dreams.

She is someone very special, indeed, and her poetic abilities of expression just keep growing and growing.


[as printed in the program, I have changed the title to "Grand Pas From Paquita" and will also try to do so in my other posts]

I would very much like to second Buddy's comments about Nina Kaptsova, she was indeed impressive as Giselle. Watching just two days after the phenomenal Osipova I though it would be a struggle to view Kaptsova objectively, but she gave a performance of such deep intelligence that I was completely won over. She seems to lose herself in the character she is playing and as Buddy rightly points out there is a wonderful clarity in the way she performs the choreography.

She danced with the same Albrecht as Osipova, Ruslan Skvortsov, but the dynamic between the two was very different as Kaptsova looks that little bit older, less naive but seemingly secure in the belief that she has found true love. Interestingly Skvortsov altered his interpretation of the role at the end. With Osipova he walked slowly off stage trailing his cloak over his shoulder, a chastened man, but with Kaptsova he fell back onto the ground gazing towards the sunrise heralding his redemption. I felt he looked better with Kaptsova though as perhaps with her very youthful looks Osipova would benefit from a younger partner as I always feel that a wide age gap can make Albrecht look excessively predatory.

One can watch the ocean and see patterns of waves breaking gently on the shore. A constantly changing design climbs along the horizon throwing thousands of gems of glittering spray and sparkling light into the air. Ground hugging pebbles, layers of sand and floating ocean grasses are constantly being rearranged in perfect artistry . Light rides the waves and bursts brilliantly above the dimensionless compositions of shifting water below. It is all the most beautiful dance of infinite possibilities.

And so in viewing the layers and patterns of abstract and expressive beauty in works such as "Serenade" by George Balanchine and "Russian Seasons" by Alexei Ratmansky one can sense an echoing world of human artistic creation and all it's unlimited possibilities.


Ekaterina Krysanova

In "Serenade," for several nights in a row, she threaded her way through such a world -- a world of wonderful dancers bringing to life the endless patterns of beautiful motion and imagery that George Balanchine could compose in his mind and translate into an unending progression of dance artistry.

She weaved her gentle, airy presence into a sea of softly breaking waves, a sea of dance. She was as light as the air and she was statuesquely attuned to each shifting moment.

When I saw her perform for the first time, several years ago, in a version of "Cinderella" I was enchanted by her 'Butterfly' essence. This is what I always hope to experience when I see her. Someday we may be fortunate enough to see her perform a "Giselle." It could be a performance that would set sail and never touch ground. Even with all her wonderful virtuosity, in my mind she will always remain, above all, a Creation of the Air.


"Russian Seasons" by Alexei Ratmansky, like "Serenade," is a work that I hope to be able to see many times more.

"Grand Pas From Paquita" -- I sometimes think of it as the classicists' anticipation of George Balanchine. It's a Virtuosic Whirlwind and it's Wonderful Fun !

"Giselle" -- I've stopped counting the number of these that I've seen but I'll never stop wanting to see more.


I thought that the remarkable Bolshoi dancers handled all these works beautifully ! Thanks and Bravo !


[minor corrections made]

Bolshoi Ballet's Serenade & Giselle Programme
Royal Opera House
Tuesday 27 July 2010


First of all I would like to thank Cassandra for her generosity in providing me with a ticket to see this performance, so that there would be more reviews for the Bolshoi on their visit.

The programme, as it has already been reported, was a long evening of wonderful dancing. The company's corps de ballet provided moments to treasure and, though on this particular evening the standards set by the previous night were not achieved completely, it was still a performance worth watching.

“Serenade” had a similar cast to the one on Monday. Krysanova danced the leading soloist, though this time she shared the other roles with Anastasia Satshkevitch and Victoria Osipova, who were not as perfect as the soloists on the evening before. Still, I found the Bolshoi's rendition of “Serenade” was another instance – the Bolshoi's performance of “Symphony in C” in 2006 still remain as the best performances of this piece I have ever seen on a stage- in which standards of interpretation of Balanchine's repertoire were outstanding. It was a very long time since I had seen this ballet performed in such wonderful way. It was a long time since I had seen the well known steps and choreographic patterns reach new meanings. For me, the way the Bolshoi dancers phrase Balanchine's choreography is simply superb. They seem to breathe music out of their whole bodies. Every gesture, every step is given articulation and meaning. Not in the melodramatic way, on the contrary, the Bolshoi performed “Serenade” with such economy of gestures and drama that every nuance of the choreographic text spoke volumes. It has to do more with some sort of constant rubato in their translation of the music through their bodies that allows the viewer to discover Balanchine's genius at providing visual imagery that enlightens the music rather than just illustrate it. To have soloists capable of doing this is not easy, but it is achievable with a good cast. But to have a whole corps the ballet breathing music in the same way is a miracle, and it makes the ballet appear fresh, alive, full of nuances that, alas, in the last decades seemed to have got lost. So, thanks to the Bolshoi once again for reminding us why we keep on going to see these works over and over again.

On the other hand, to have “Serenade” as the ballet preceding “Giselle” is either a touch of genius or carelessness, as the constant choreographic quotes Balanchine used from the latter are simply staggering when watched side by side. There is so much of “Giselle” embedded into the choreographic text of “Serenade” that one cannot stop wondering if Balanchine was trying to say something to us on his views about the nineteenth century classic. For me, the end of the Elegy, which is “simply” an inversion of the end of “Giselle”, is Balanchine's genius at his best. A lesson in borrowing with a difference, like all masters have always done with the work of his or her predecessors.

So, by the time “Giselle” started, we already knew the corps would be wonderful and we would see a great performance. The production the company brought was, to my joy, the old Grigorovitch production we saw back in 1989 and that I think it still looks absolutely beautiful, especially in the colour palette for the costumes in the first act. Though there are some silly details, like the hopping entrance of the court into the village, there are other beautiful details like the integration of the Peasant Pas de Deux's couple as Giselle's friends.

The main roles were danced on this night by Anna Nikulina and Alexander Volchkov. Unfortunately, having seen the night before Osipova in the role of Giselle, left Nikulina in an awkward position. Osipova's portrayal of the main character was so absolutely outstanding, that Nikulina's interpretation paled in comparison. Still, she was good throughout the first act, though she played the peasant girl in a much more conventional way. Her second act was also very good. Nikulina has a beautiful jump that she uses convincingly as a spirit... though, once again, memories of Osipova's flights across the stage were too vivid and intense in my mind.

Volchkov's Albrecht came as a bit of a disappointment. Having seen and enjoyed this dancer when performing the role of Crassus in “Spartacus”, it seemed the subtlety and nuance of characterisation for this other troubled character eluded him. His Albrecht was not very clear in the dramatic aspects in Act I. His acting left at times certainly room for improvement and though in the second act, he did manage to get more depth and meaning in his sadness, unfortunately the technique failed him in his solo.

Maria Allash was an imposing Myrtha, but I missed the evil features of her character. I still remember wonderful Tatiana Terekhova dancing this role with the Kirov, and her icy looks onto her preys and audiences alike.

As Hilarion, Ruslan Pronin gave a sympathetic performance on both nights. However, the memories of Gedeminas Taranda with this same company years ago made me feel sorry for anybody stepping into his boots!

One word of praise for Anna Leonova, who had danced as one of the soloists in “Serenade” the evening before and who on this night danced one of Myrtha's assistants beautifully. Her strong presence and her purity of lines made the choreography for her solos in the big Willis scene stand out.

The Peasant Pas de Deux was danced by Daria Khokhlova and Andrei Bolotin and though they were fine dancers, they were not outstanding dancers. I always think of Nureyev's words when seeing this long duet... “by the time Albrecht and Giselle come back onto the stage, nobody seems to remember who they were”... indeed!! On the evening before Anastasia Stashkevich gave more light and grace to her variations and so did Viacheslav Lopatin. I always find that, if not exceptionally well danced, I'd rather do without this pas de deux altogether.

The jewel of the evening was, however, the corps the ballet. It simply looks wonderful. From the intincracy of “Serenade” to the simplicity of forms in “Giselle”, this corps can hold your view indefinitely, as every member becomes an individual beautifully merged into a coherent whole.

Luke Jennings reviews "Coppelia" in The Observer.

The Observer

Clement Crisp reviews the Russian Triple Bill of "Petrushka," "Russian Seasons" and "Paquita" in The Financial Times.

Financial Times

Jeffery Taylor reviews the Triple Bill in The Sunday Express.

Sunday Express

Thank you both, Cassandra and AnaM, for your fine reviews and Francis for the press reviews.


Anna Nikulina

AnaM, I also saw her perform "Giselle" and I thought that she had some lovely qualities. I made one note agreeing with you about her jumps. I felt that they had a beautiful linear, reaching out quality.

Also her Legs and Feet had the loveliest element of Softness that I have ever seen.

Her Acting, especially at the end of Act I, I thought was exceptional. I believe that she is still quite young and her acting ability, which seemed flawless, for her age was all the more impressive.

I look forward to seeing much more of her.

As a footnote, she debuted as Odette-Odile ("Swan Lake") with the Bolshoi at the age of 19 !


I also agree with you, AnaM, about the relationships between "Giselle" and "Serenade." I haven't tried to define them yet, so thank you for your insights. I did indeed notice similarities and if I really compared the two carefully I'm sure that I would find some fascinating interrelationships. I think that including "Serenade" was an excellent choice and made for a very rich and complete evening.


There was so much fine performing that I can't begin to name everyone that deserves recognition -- probably Everyone !


I will try to mention a few names quickly that come to mind.


Corps de Ballet -- I agree with you again, AnaM. It had series of absolute magnificence ! Just the site of these dancers standing still at the beginning of "Serenade" was Enchanting ! Their entire Act II performances of "Giselle" were 'Celestial' !

Maria Allash -- She was great as Myrtha. One evening she was particularly supportive to the entire production.

There were so many fine performances by the other women. It was a "Who's Who" of exceptional dance world talent.

One lady that I will quickly mention is Anna Tikhomirova who danced the Pas de Trois in the "Grand Pas From Paquita" along with Anastasia Stashkevich (who I thought was excellent) and Vladislav Lantratov (also very good). Among so many wonderful lady dancers who deserve mention, she just happened to catch my eye with her lovely buoyancy and agility.

I guess that I have to say it. If the expression goes 'that behind every successful man there is a woman,' in ballet 'behind every successful 'ballerina' there is a man.' As invisible as they often are, they are invaluable to the success of the women.

Nikolai Tsiskaridze -- The first night of the "Grand Pas From Paquita" he was a rock solid partner for Maria Alexandrova. He has also helped another taller lady, Svetlana Zakharova, to shine. He is hardly invisible and generates a lot of comments, but he has done some excellent partnering. His colorful flamboyance can give you a lift. His circle of large jumps, for instance, was stylishly articulate and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

There were so many fine performances by the men.

Bravo again to you all !


[minor word changes made]

Sarah Wilkinson reviews the Triple Bill for The Stage.

The Stage

Of the five works that I saw -- "Giselle," "Serenade," "Petrushka," "Russian Seasons" and "Grand Pas From Paquita" -- there were many interesting similarities.

I would say that all five works were definitely noticeable for their construction and the importance of their elements. Except for the first act of "Giselle" there was no real sense of a story dominating any of them. You might say that the parts were more noticeable than the totality.

The importance for me was the Dance itself, the Expression, the Construction and the Imagery.

"Giselle," "Serenade" and "Russian Seasons," for me had a similar feel. They were all finely detailed and essentially gentle and consistent in mood. "Grand Pas From Paquita" was much more lively and entertaining, but still finely detailed and consistent.

"Petrushka" was also very carefully constructed and detailed, but, for me, this particular presentation had an 'avant-guard' theater essence that made it quite different. Perhaps interpreted by other performers it would have had more of a 'dance' feel to it. I thought that Nina Kaptsova did beautifully and gave it a nice dance sense and if all the other performers had done the same it might have been easier to relate in feel to the other works. It did stand apart, which may well have been the intent from the day that it was created. It would possibly have been fascinating to experience at that time in the context of the times. I would really like to have seen how the very sensitive and wonderfully, theatrically expressive Mariinsky dancer, Islom Baimuradov, would have handled the part of Petrushka.

So back to the other works and their interaction of parts.

For me, the Wilis dancing "Giselle" and the large group of ladies dancing "Serenade" had such a Beautiful Presence. I tend to always see the Wilis, like the Shades in "La Bayadere," as a "Dream Scene" entity and, in the numerous productions that I have seen, they have almost always been Poetically Lovely. Their queen, Myrtha, can get a little heavy, but usually by the end she has blended in.

So in both these Bolshoi productions the large groups of lady dancers were elegant, majestic, graceful, poetic, lyrical and 'Dream State.'

Act II of "Giselle" seems to move right ahead in a predictable manner as does the classical "Grand Pas From Paquita."

In the two more modern works, "Serenade" by George Balanchine and "Russian Seasons" by Alexei Ratmansky, there appears to be more of an attempt to give emphasis to details, to make them distinctly meaningful. In "Russian Seasons" Alexei Ratmansky seems to be following in the steps of George Balanchine. I would want to see this work more, but, for the moment, I would say that he is slightly more interested in developing personalities than George Balanchine.

Both these works are beautiful and highly interesting journeys into the multi-layered world of Interaction. I have heard folks say that works like this have different meaning each time that they see them. For one thing, they are not defined by a narrative. In "Russian Seasons" Alexei Ratmansky appears to be very interesting in exploring and modulating -- giving meaning -- to Everything and it's fascinating. One moment he is playing with emotional progression and the next he is concerned with the structure of the dance or some other element. There is a definite sense of infinite possibilities and the pursuit of well illustrating the selected ones is almost daunting. Yet, it is also a sea to jump into and have a wonderfully enjoyable and rewarding artistic adventure.

I have seen both "Serenade" and "Russian Seasons" performed by the New York City Ballet, although several years ago. I believe that "Russian Seasons" was created for the NYCB.

The way that the Bolshoi handles these two works is quite different, but, I feel, Extremely Successful !

The Bolshoi presents "Serenade" in a much more refined and lyrical manner, as its classical heritage might suggest even with its 'bravura' reputation. It really does work. It is the Bolshoi's distinct, non-NYCB approach. The large grouping of lady dancers is refined and magnificent. The lead dancer, Ekaterina Krysanova, is a study in refined beauty. At the very end, standing on the shoulders of several men, she leans way back in the famous 'Russian' manner and there is no doubt that this an epic journey filtered through the refined essence of Russian 'classical' dance. Both the Bolshoi and the NYCB's interpretations are 'epic' and powerful, but in very different ways. I would really like to have heard what George Balanchine would have said about the Bolshoi's interpretation. He might well have said that it not what he would have done, but that it is undeniably beautiful !

Someone else on the internet has suggested that the Bolshoi dancers do such a good job with Alexei Ratmansky's "Russian Seasons" because they are Russian. I tend to think that this is very true. Not only do they seem to understand and capture all the subtleties of this work, but their sharing of the same dance heritage with Alexei Ratmansky does show itself beautifully in their wonderful interpretation.

"Grand Pas From Paquita" was a perfect ending. It's great fun and great artistry. You can take the children and there's even a children's corps de ballet that will melt your heart. Just sit back, marvel and enjoy !


[minor word changes made]

The second cast for Spartacus that I saw at the matinee of the 31st gratifyingly received almost as great an ovation as the much hyped opening performance with Ivan Vasiliev. In the title role Pavel Dmitrichenko gave a very reasonable account of himself and barely flagged throughout. Second cast Yuri Baranov as Crassus acted the role extremely well but the choreography defeated him in places. Anna Nikulina and Ekaterina Krysanova were quite adequate in their roles as Phrygia and Aegina respectively but I’m not sure if Krysanova is cut out for this kind of devilry – she looks much too nice. The male corps had bothered me on the first night by not displaying the perfect unison I’d seen in the past and apparently it wasn’t a first night glitch as they were little better on this second viewing: a worrying development.

Dmitrichenko is a very good dancer and I’ve admired him in the past, but he should be encouraged to make the most of his appearance as he has dyed his hair a bright lemon colour and has it in a style similar to that of London’s eccentric mayor, Boris Johnson. He also has visible tattoos on his shoulder and inner forearm and as most people find such things highly unattractive he would be well advised to cover them in make up before going on stage. On the plus side Mr Dmitrichenko has a perfect ballet physique and had the elegance in the pas de deux that his starrier colleague Vasiliev lacked, he is also a very good partner and I have to say the duets looked highly romantic with the acrobatic elements emerging naturally out of the choreography. Generally there was much to admire and although there is room for improvement the four principals were all very much on the right track.

Roslyn Sulcas reviews the Triple Bill in the New York Times.

NY Times