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Catherine,

I sent an e-mail to the Mariinsky Theatre (website info address)
for confirmation of the April Festival dates, but have not received a reply.

It would be so helpful for us to know the definite dates,
for planning travel and visas etc.

Could you give me your thoughts -or best guess- on the reliability of these dates?

John C

Hi JPC,

This is what the press office told me. Will I see you there? I hope so!

I hope to see you all there as well.

This is someone that I also hope will appear at the Festival in the globe trotting tradition of good will. He has fine Mariinsky form, don't you think. Please feel free, anyone, to offer your strongest critical appraisals.

http://www.wherethehellismatt.com/video ... NKZTvHKkAq

Best holiday wishes to you all !

PS -- Best wishes, vrsfanatic, on getting to Saint Petersburg.

Dear Catherine or jpc,

I'm in need of some serious advise. Veronika Part will be performing "Swan Lake," in Chicago April 17. Does this mean that I will have to fly back to the United States and miss 'part' or all of the Festival for the first time in six years?

Maybe someone can finally get her back to Saint Petersburg for a Festival visit. That would solve all my problems. It could possibly be one of the best performances that they've ever had. Now that she is an ABT principal dancer, maybe there is hope. They've invited Svetlana Zakharova back for several Festivals and Gillian Murphy, the other ABT super-Swan, I believe was invited back for a follow-up to her "Swan Lake" but couldn't make it. And by the way, if "Veronika" does perform in Chicago the 17th she would be all in practice and everything. It would be ideal !

Any suggestions?

Cheers and best wishes.

[last paragraph just keeps growing]

hi Buddy,

I haven't yet seen the list of guest artists for this year's festival but my best guess is that Part, unfortunately, won't be on it. I agree with you that it would be wonderful if she was included.

Thanks, Catherine.

So let's see and wish for the best.

I can always go to the bank and try to get a loan. Then I could be in Chicago from Europe at about 5pm on the 17th, then I could catch the next morning flight to Saint Petersburg, then....Yes, I think that this might work.

Hope to see you and jpc and everyone in Saint Petersburg.

[ I am also going to write Santa Claus! ]

You're crazy

Any words from you always sound like a symphony to me !

....then there's Christopher Wheeldon's "Morphoses" starting in Paris, April 14th, which I actually do plan to see before grabbing a plane to Chicago (less likely) or Saint Petersburg directly (more likely)....

Cheers !

While waiting anxiously it's interesting to note that all the other ballet performances for April and even May are listed, but not any Festival performances yet (April 15 to 24) except for the first night, "Anna Karenina."

http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill/nex ... month=show


Is it too much to hope for, that the reason is that they don't have "Veronika's" contract written up yet ?

Since we're still waiting, does anyone have any wish lists for the Festival ?

I might add to mine, Svetlana Lunkina and Natalia Osipova (both Bolshoi), Evgenia Obraztsova, Alina Somova, Lucia Lacarra and many others.

Choreographics--Christopher Wheeldon.

Also it might be interesting some day to see the inclusion of some related dance forms such as Chinese classical.

Buddy, I do not think the Mariinsky is the venue for non-balletic forms of dance. They're the epitomy and home of classical ballet, the world round, and that tradition is deeply rooted. Moreso than ABT, moreso than any other place in the world. They don't have the need to display other dance forms, because it is precisely the centuries-old heritage that attracts so many international viewers.

As for the festival, i know some people were hoping to see Shouraleh, since it premiered last summer and the festival attendees from March 2009 missed it. Having seen it a few times, I would only want to see Obratsova in the lead and I am not sure if it is the best choice for the festival. The company is working on Jacobson's Spartak, but i do not know if that will be festival-based or not. I agree that Wheeldon would be an interesting choice -- his work in "Kings of the Dance' ("For Four") has already appeared on the MT stage, as you know.

One new development, a second one of Yuri Smekalov's ballets will be performed on April 23, presumably within the framework of the festival. He just premiered a different work to very positive reviews from Kommersant and Vremya newspapers. Smekalov is up and coming, and his talent is gaining more and more recognition. Hats off to him!

Festival Schedule

April 15-16 Anna Karenina

April 17 Romeo and Juliet

April 18 La Bayadère

April 19 Carmen Suite. Etudes. Apollo

April 20 Giselle

April 21 Swan Lake

April 23 An Evening of Young Choreographers

April 24 The Sleeping Beauty

April 25 Stars of Ballet Gala Concert


(There is no casting information and nothing listed for Thursday, April 22)

http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill/pla ... 10&month=4

I'll be curious to see, aside from Smekalov, whose other works will be featured in the evening of young choreographers. I was just informed that Edwaard Liang of former NYCB fame will be creating a piece for the company next month. My guess is that his work will appear in that evening as well. And maybe Wheeldon? Although with his recent departure from "Morphoses" who knows...