The principals to perform in Alexei Ratmansky's Cinderella have been announced on the Kennedy Center's website

Tue., Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m.
Cinderella: Maria Shirinkina
The Prince: Vladimir Shklyarov
Stepmother: Ekaterina Kondaurova

Wed., Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m.
Cinderella: Ekaterina Osmolkina
The Prince: Igor Kolb
Stepmother: Alexandra Iosifidi

Thu., Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m.
Cinderella: Daria Pavlenko
The Prince: Alexander Sergeyev
Stepmother: Sofia Gumerova

Fri., Oct. 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Cinderella: Ekaterina Osmolkina
The Prince: Igor Kolb
Stepmother: Alexandra Iosifidi

Sat., Oct. 20 at 1:30 p.m.
Cinderella: Daria Pavlenko
The Prince: Alexander Sergeyev
Stepmother: Sofia Gumerova

Sat., Oct. 20 at 7:30 p.m.
Cinderella: Maria Shirinkina
The Prince: Maxim Zyuzin
Stepmother: Alexandra Iosifidi

Sun., Oct. 21 at 1:30 p.m.
Cinderella: Ekaterina Osmolkina
The Prince: Igor Kolb
Stepmother: Sofia Gumerova

Thanks, Willie, for posting this.

As per KennCen website, we now know that Daria Pavlenko dances Cinderella (opposite her real-life husband, Sergeev) in the two performances that were originally scheduled to be danced by Somova. Lucky Kennedy Center audiences!

Thanks, Natalia, for noting the change. I updated the first post by identifying casting changes in blue.

I'll be attending the matinee performance on Saturday.

Willie, they've shuffled casts again. It now looks like you'll be seeing Pavlenko/Sergeev at the Sat matinee.

Thanks, again. Pavlenko/Sergeyev, unless there's another change.

Willie, if I had to choose, they'd be my choice! If you have time please do share impressions here afterwards! The company took the redeye to DC last night and those of us here on the West Coast are going through withdrawal )))

I certainly will share my impressions.

I am very excited about seeing the Daria Pavlenko and Alexander Sergeev. I find a performance to be extra special when husband and wife dance because they have a certain chemistry. I remind myself of this past May when I saw Anastasia and Denis Matvienko in Swan Lake at the Mariinsky. Wow!

Shirinkina and Schklyarov are also married but not as long as Pavlenko/Sergeev. S&S married in June/July this year, while P&S have celebrated several anniversaries and have a child named (I believe) Yaroslavna....4 or 5 yrs old (?).

I attended the open rehearsal on 10-16. Ticket price=$15. Shklyarov was spectacular. 3 out of 4 seasons blended together like replay on a film but changing the hue. Winter stood out. But this and much of the ballet was simply too long and repetitive. I agree with some of this review below. But it's not the music. This Ratmansky Cinderella would be great if it was condensed into a long one act [ie NYCB, Balanchine, Robbins].

The performance review for the 16th:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertain ... story.html

Hi maps, and welcome to the Mariinsky forum! thanks for sharing your impressions. Yes, Shklyarov is very impressive, quite the virtuoso. I'm glad you got to see rehearsal as, in my view, so much more is visible there vs. during a performance.

About touring productions - The decision for which production is chosen depends on more than just the whims of the director or impresario. There are many productions the Mariinsky has in its rep that (sadly) will never tour but should. In any event at least DC gets a regular dose (twice already this year) of these beautiful dancers.

Not a very positive review by the Wash Post's Sarah Kauffman:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertain ... story.html

ITA with her, though. This is one of the most inferior Cinderellas around - steps and utter flimsiness of the set & costumes. Kauffman has kudos for Shirinkina, Schklyarov and Kondaurova. Apparently, audience departures after each intermission were noticeable.

Quotable quotes:
This is not your daughter’s “Cinderella.” It may not be yours, either; empty seats materialized after each intermission.

Shklyarov, who made a blazing entrance in white (all hail the Good Humor Man!), .....

Ratmansky's Cinderella is as West Side Story is to Romeo and Juliet so the costumes [minus the stepmother and fairy] and sets were not the problem. Condense it to a one act [see Balanchine Firebird] and it would be great on a triple bill.

I just received a marketing email from the Kennedy Center for 20% off. Pavlenko!

FYI to those reading the Washington Post review and the observed departures after intermissions. Tuesday 10-16-12 was the 2nd live televised presidential candidate debate between Obama and Romney beginning at 9 pm EST.

If folks wanted to see the debates, they wouldn't have shown up for 1 act, then driven all the way back to suburban Virginia or Maryland (where most Washingtonians who frequent the KennCen live).

Neighbors who went reported that it was a dreadfully boring show. It was bad when I saw the 2002 premiere in StP...and that had Vishneva & Matvienko! It was panned at Edinburgh Festival last month, too. It's a crime that Fateev and Ardani keep this 'dog' alive, yet refuse to present the gorgeous Vikharev reconstructions or to take Raymonda to the USA.

p.s. In my review for another web-forum back in 2002, I called the entrance of the all-white-clad prince 'The Milkman Danceth.' Kauffman has the right idea with the 'Good Humor Man'!

ITA with you Natalia. As far as the noticeable exodus from Kennedy, I would've thought that the debate could have been dvr'd (for those who have cable). My guess is that those who left, departed mainly because Ratmansky's "Cinderella," isn't what they expected, and the others did leave for the debate did so because they didn't tape it. It might be 70/30 on that point, but this is MO. It seems that the Ratmansky version doesn't 'translate' for newer casts of the Mariinsky Ballet. It was originally a showcase for Diana Vishneva who originated the role. Vishneva is a bona fide dance actress, as Dasha Pavlenko, and (when she was still a member), Evgenia Obraztsova, ditto Natalia Sologub in the early 2000s. The role requires a ballerina who can flesh out a role and 'tell' the story on a blank stage with sparse designs and dark lighting.

A full length redaction, or new version of a ballet "Cinderella," should be generationally transitional - no matter who the dancers are. Excellent choreography and well thought out designs and vision are what makes a ballet live. For example, MacMillan's "R & J," "Manon," and Cranko's "Onegin," and Balanchine's masterpieces, et.al survive precisely because subsequent generations can develop, present and vary their interpretations throughout their careers. This version of "Cinderella," unfortunately, doesn't conduce itself to those characteristics. Granted, this was one of Ratmansky's earliest efforts; but it hasn't worn well over the years and it's only a decade old.