On a more serious note, folks in other message boards relay the sad news that Ekaterina Osmolkina was injured during the Friday night (Oct 19) performance of Cinderella in Washington, DC. She was unable to complete the Friday show and also had to cancel her appearance at the Sunday matinee. Her replacement on both occasions was Maria Shirinkina. We certainly wish lovely Osmolkina a speedy recovery, as she was scheduled to return to major Principal roles at the Mariinsky very soon (Odette-Odile, Juliet, Giselle, etc.).

So Shirinkina may have started the run of Cinderellas as the debutante but ended dancing in 4 performances (actually 3.5), to Pavlenko's two shows and Osmolkina's one complete show.

Fortitude as well as Heart are what dancers are made of.

This is a very fine review of opening night by Oksana Khadarina.
http://www.dancetabs.com/2012/10/mariin ... ashington/


Added later -- Quotes from review:

"Yet Ratmansky is at his most imaginative in creating steps for the leading couple. In their duets, the choreographer’s response to the music is natural and sensitive; each movement superbly illuminates the profound poignancy of Prokofiev’s score. As a result, Cinderella and her Prince are bestowed the most satisfying dancing of the evening, reminding the audience once and again of the exquisiteness and infinite possibilities of pure classical ballet.

"It was an infinite pleasure to see these two beautiful dancers [Maria Shirinkina and Vladimir Shklyarov] effortlessly conquering the ingenuities of Ratmansky’s choreography. There was an inescapable sense of joy and freedom about their performance. Together, they ultimately captured our hearts, creating the loveliest, most memorable moments of the ballet."

Since we are also into an Alexei Ratmansky discussion, I would like to briefly note that his latest work, Symphony #9, has just debuted at the ABT in New York City to what seems to be unanimous praise from the press and the internet. It might be very interesting to follow this at the ABT topic.

Some of these reviews make for extremely fine reading. I single out one by Deborah Jowitt (formerly Village Voice) at Arts Journal.

http://www.artsjournal.com/dancebeat/2012/10/in-season/


Critical Dance's own perceptive, scholarly and sympathetic reviewer, balletomaniac/Jerry Hochman, has also posted at the ABT topic. I'll read this as soon as possible.

(I can't link you to this one because my Safari has gone on partial holiday for the moment. See Oct 23, "American Ballet Theatre: Fall 2012 Season at City Center".)

Very interesting that apparently Konstantin Sergeev has risen from the dead (caption with the photo of Alexander Sergeev)!

Yes, apparently there was a mix-up there. I would still highly recommend the review.

http://www.dancetabs.com/2012/10/mariin ... ashington/

Is it just me or are others always embarrassed by American press errors? sigh.

Oh dear. Osmolkina was out injured for nearly a year before she became pregnant, so I hope this is not a recurring (chronic) injury of the same leg.

This one's actually UK, Catherine. It's from Dance Tabs, the magazine for the newly structured Balletco. Forum.

From the "Wish they all could be California....I mean....Mariinsky....Girls" Department.

Over at the "American Ballet Theatre: Fall 2012 Season at City Center" topic, balletomaniac/Jerry has these fine words for our Veronika (formerly Mariinsky) in regard to works by Alexei Ratmansky.

"Veronika Part has proven herself to be the genuine article so many times that one tends to take her performances for granted. That would be an unfortunate oversight. Particularly with respect to choreography by Mr. Ratmansky, Ms. Part appears to be the dancer who most clearly captures and transmits Mr. Ratmansky’s choreographic intent, whether the intent is apparent (“On the Dnieper”) or more opaque (“The Nutcracker”).

"Led by Ms. Part’s masterful performance, the whimsy and the pathos inherent in “Symphony #9" and essential to begin to understand Mr. Ratmansky’s intent were clearly expressed."