The Great Ballet Thread

Alexz · May 2, 2016

How come we still don't have a proper ballet thread here?
Every time when I read here smth like: skater X is better than skater Y because she moves more aesthetically beautiful, I simply can't help myself but just roll my eyes. Sometimes it's a matter of personal taste, sometimes it's a matter of local ethnical standards or cultural traditions, although sometimes it just could be a matter of absence of all the above.

So, at least let's have this thread and use it to educate each other about what you consider a "nice lines", elegance and grace.

Besides, it's not a secret that all European judges routinely attend ballet performances for personal pleasure and specifically to develop professional artistic taste. I used to read ballet forum a lot and I remember quite a few members there used to openly say that they are judges in figure skating. They travel a lot and usually visit local theaters in town of competitions for some opera and ballet. Therefore it's important to understand what judges are looking for and what their standards are.

I promise to post some and this thread will be delight if enough of people will be active here. :agree:

Alexz · May 2, 2016

Here. I start.
One of my fav.
Polina Semionova. IIRC, Bolshoi graduate. Was rejected in big lead roles by Mariinsky, Bolshoi and Mikhailovsky because of her D-cup size. You know they are very superficial there when it comes to ballet. So she had to travel to Germany, where she successfully performed for many years. Along with great Malakhov. Now she is with ABT company or NY City Ballet.

http://youtu.be/UaO7bS5Ky6M

http://youtu.be/qP4FPBZVMik

thoakun · May 3, 2016

I don't have the knowledge to contribute but I look forward to your future posts about ballet, aesthetics, artistry etc.:agree:

Alexz · May 4, 2016

Few good tips for all future countless Firebirds of figure skating. An amazingly interesting short piece from rehearsals with few soloists of grand Mariinsky. The blonde a bit out of shape guy is a the legendary Latvian Russian dancer Andris Liepa. Subtitles are available. It's worth to watch several times to understand what exact corrections and accents he asks.

Dear figure skater and a fellow parent, if you want to do Firebird at least try to look like a proper bird, not a windmill. Judges seen quite a few good Firebird ballet performances by some great dance companies and probably hundred times of Firebirds by other skaters. If you won't even try to do it right - you won't receive good PCS, but probably even make it impossible to stomach your program. We seen few examples of that in recent years.

Some good tips. Watch the hand-torso-head coordination. Vaganova Academy signature "singing hands" in action.

http://youtu.be/ZIE0pJEgs3U

Alexz · May 4, 2016

Some ideas of Bolero.

Few rehearsal pieces by Prima ballerina Victoria Tereshkina. This is what they call neoclassical style (not a modern ballet, like Balanchine's style we have here in the US, but a further development of Russian Imperial classical style). Something what Alexei Ratmansky is currently preaching in New Yorks ABT. Russians been pushing a lot of experiments with neoclassic in recent years.

Here is somewhat "modernized" experimental version of Bolero:
http://youtu.be/aSi5wXgG-TI

Some comments, interestingly they used some sign language for deaf people too:
http://youtu.be/VIRltfn-qbs

TV feature, Russian language tho. A lot of small interesting pieces of choreography:
http://youtu.be/HU8gDJ3_p58

TV feature of classical version by Diana Vishneva. Few interesting shorties:
http://youtu.be/V8-avjMsdd4

Original version of Maurice Bejart by Vishneva. Great Maya Plisetskaya approved.

http://youtu.be/Kg0TWdFlNzs

ETA: And a mustsee, original performance by Maya Plisetskaya:
http://youtu.be/SsSALaDJuN4

Alexz · May 4, 2016

Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew' by Bolshoi Theater
Music by Dmitri Shostakovich

Choreographer Jean-Christophe Maillot, Russian classical ballet dancers. Modern ballet choreography. There are quite a few raving online reviews about this performance. Gonna watch it with my gf this weekend on a big screen. Dunno, I heard it is very good. R-rated, 18+.

Act2:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3odk8u_укрощение-строптивой-2-действие_creation

Act1:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3odjly_укрощение-строптивой-1-действие_creation

ETA libretto

Rather than a macho handbook, The Taming of the Shrew can be construed as an encounter between two forces of nature, who recognise one another at last. If they are abrupt, obnoxious, it stems from their solitude; they are fundamentally different from the society they live in, albatrosses among sparrows, and their excesses signal that they have yet to find a man (or a woman) who can measure up to them. Their love is out of the ordinary: while Petruchio could appear to be interested only in Baptista’s fortune, once the ink is dry on their marriage certificate, he doesn’t let go of Katharina. If he is interested, it’s by this woman; the real dowry, the actual gold mine, it’s her. He still needs to put her through a series of challenges to make sure that he wasn’t mistaken, that they are right for each other — measure for measure, so to speak. He was right. So was she. If she gives in to her husband’s demands, it’s not because she has found her master, but because she has met her match. Her submissiveness is an act. It hardly matters whether or not the sun is the moon, because the two of them have their own, extra-ordinary light. Petruchio isn’t fooled by by his wife’s new attitude. For the outside world, however, the prevalent social norms are safe. Everyone can breathe a sigh of relief: even the most reluctant among them have complied. In truth, Katharina and Petruchio play their parts in perfect harmony, and their singular tune sets them apart in what is a game of artifice.

THE CHARACTERS

Baptista is a rich gentleman who has two daughters: Katharina and Bianca. All would be well if the traditions of the time didn’t force him to marry his elder daughter first, when all the suitors queueing up at his door are interested solely in the agreeable Bianca. His daughters’ happiness doesn’t matter much to him: what he really wants is to have sons-in-law. Based on Katharina’s behaviour, however, he despairs of it ever happening.

Katharina has a comfortable dowry which ought to attract potential husbands, but she is also endowed with an attitude that frightens them off. No one knows what her violence hides, but she despises her sister’s bland suitors. Nothing seems to be good enough for her. Is hers an acute case of misanthropy or a singularly demanding character? Unbridled, Katharina lives on the edge.

Bianca, Baptista’s younger daughter, is hostage to Katharina‘s behaviour. As long as her sister keeps rejecting potential husbands, her many suitors will stay out of reach. The situation is cruel, because Bianca is as attractive as her sister is obnoxious. Hers are qualities that define the ideal woman in the society she lives in: fortune, grace, beauty and docility. Her sister will have none of it, however.

Gremio is an older gentleman, and could easily be one of the libidinous elders who spy on Susanna while she is bathing in the Book of Daniel. For him, the violent Katharina could never be Susanna, because she would have driven the voyeurs away ruthlessly. His Susanna is the chaste Bianca. Gremio’s appearance is off-putting, yet it doesn’t seem to hold him back as he attempts to woo her; he is living proof that money can distort one’s self-perception.

Hortensio, another one of Bianca’s suitors, is a dandy mainly concerned with himself and the rituals of high society. His interest is Bianca is mostly superficial, but he is the one who brings in his rude, boorish friend Petruchio, who may be able to solve the problem at hand.

Lucentio is a rich, idle youth. Well-bred and very charming, he could even fool people into believing he is well-read. He and Bianca come from the same world, they are the same age, and share the same yearning in love. As Juliette Greco once sang: "Let’s marry them, let’s marry them, I think they are very much alike".[1] Nobody would object to it — aside from Katharina.

Petruchio: There comes the monster — the one Hortensio believes to be able to accept, if not seduce, the monstrous Katharina as his wife. Hortensio thinks Petruchio will have low expectations; he is mistaken, and evidently doesn’t understand the man he calls his friend. Nobody comes close to this seemingly vulgar, shameless man, however, because he is the only one who will “see” Katharina. And he sees her as his equal, as unconcerned with etiquette and norms as himself. Monsters may be alone in their clairvoyance, after all.

Grumio, Petruccio’s servant, is cowardly and servile. That’s what’s expected of him. He may also be an accomplice to his master’s tricks and schemes.

The Widow is hardly disconsolate, and has no intention of remaining a widow. She sets her conditions, however: her second husband needs to belong to her world and to be rich. She can put up with the rest. She soon sets her sights on Hortensio.

The Housekeeper has been running the household for so long that she ought to be able to lay claim to Baptista, but he cares solely about his daughters. Since the house will soon be empty and her services no longer needed, she is wearily willing to accept Gremio’s advances. She may not love him, but it means she will be able to live comfortably and marry into the upper class, whose superiority is based on arrogance and money.

elbkup · May 4, 2016

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2qYtHKcmT4w

Tzigane by Ravel. Suzanne Farrell Peter Martins NYCB 1977 - George Balanchine

Alexz · May 5, 2016

elbkup said:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2qYtHKcmT4w

Tzigane by Ravel. Suzanne Farrell Peter Martins NYCB 1977 - George Balanchine

Thank for sharing this! I'm big on Balanchine, but this one looks promising. I will totally watch it some time soon.

Alexz · May 5, 2016

Sergei Polunin, "Take Me to Church" by Hozier, Directed by David LaChapelle.
http://youtu.be/c-tW0CkvdDI

Abraxis12345 · May 5, 2016

What do you think of Skorik? I think she is fine technique wise and would be better artistically if she wasn't promoted so quickly. I definitely think she was pushed way too early to be a principal, and it doesn't help she is emotionally fragile and prone to nerves (thus tends to give some pretty mistake prone performances). She certainly doesn't deserve the abuse the Yulia Stepanova fanboys heap on her - I mean, Yulia left the Mariinsky almost two years ago and they still think she's to blame for her lack of career progress!

elbkup · May 5, 2016

Alexz said:
Thank for sharing this! I'm big on Balanchine, but this one looks promising. I will totally watch it some time soon.

:agree:
You're welcome! My knowledge of this discipline is slight so my response to performances tends to be viseral (I know what I like when I see it but can't say why) so I will be following this thread with interest. Tzigane is probably dated as tastes go but I've always loved the music, love Suzanne Farrell & Balanchine so thought I would post it here. Appreciate your interest.

Abraxis12345 · May 8, 2016

I have been following Joy Womack's adventures ever since the NY Times piece years ago. As a ballerina, she actually isn't that interesting to me. She reminds me of the Natalie Portman character in Black Swan; excellent technique but completely devoid of any personality on stage. But what fascinates me is her use of social media to promote herself and just how she can get away with the things she broadcasts on her vlog. (http://youtu.be/Td-Kn2Kwllc). For example, she calls out a partner for being a drunk. She also freely talks about auditioning at other companies. I get the feeling the Kremlin Ballet has a retention problem, which is why she gets to do what she does. She did something similar in the Bolshoi, giving a bunch of interviews claiming extortion, but it didn't fly there and none of the dancers seemed sympathetic to her.

Crossover · May 8, 2016

Abraxis12345 said:
I have been following Joy Womack's adventures ever since the NY Times piece years ago. As a ballerina, she actually isn't that interesting to me. She reminds me of the Natalie Portman character in Black Swan; excellent technique but completely devoid of any personality on stage. But what fascinates me is her use of social media to promote herself and just how she can get away with the things she broadcasts on her vlog. (http://youtu.be/Td-Kn2Kwllc). For example, she calls out a partner for being a drunk. She also freely talks about auditioning at other companies. I get the feeling the Kremlin Ballet has a retention problem, which is why she gets to do what she does. She did something similar in the Bolshoi, giving a bunch of interviews claiming extortion, but it didn't fly there and none of the dancers seemed sympathetic to her.

Intriguing story. I heard of her story before, but didn't remember her name. The fact that her bold self-promotion is more famous than her work of ballet is hilarious..She could've put her strong personality into her work though.

Abraxis12345 · May 9, 2016

Crossover said:
Intriguing story. I heard of her story before, but didn't remember her name. The fact that her bold self-promotion is more famous than her work of ballet is hilarious..She could've put her strong personality into her work though.

Her ambition is really what makes her fascinating, and I am curious to see where she ends up. After the dramatic exit from the Bolshoi, she is dancing as a principal for the Kremlin Ballet, a second rate company. It is clear she wants to move on but there haven't been any takers yet, which isn't surprising. At a big company, she'd be no more than a coryphee and she seems to be interested in doing only principal parts.

Crossover · May 9, 2016

Abraxis12345 said:
Her ambition is really what makes her fascinating, and I am curious to see where she ends up. After the dramatic exit from the Bolshoi, she is dancing as a principal for the Kremlin Ballet, a second rate company. It is clear she wants to move on but there haven't been any takers yet, which isn't surprising. At a big company, she'd be no more than a coryphee and she seems to be interested in doing only principal parts.

I think she won't sit and just wait for possible opportunities to come near her that can make her successful. I don't mind her promoting herself as many celebrities use social media effectively so she could do the same without a dime. Salvador Dalí and Andy Warhole were also known for their heavy self-promotions which went well.

Alexz · May 9, 2016

Agree about Joy Womack. She is ok, but not great. Only time will tell would she be significant on a world stage of ballet or be just another girl with shattered dreams. But, yeah, her lying for years about being "first American in Bolshoi" or "Prima ballerina of Kremlin" is hilarious. She complains about shortage of money, yet living a rather lavish lifestyle in center of Moscow with the view on Kremlin. Btw, there is a much much cheaper gym options just 5 minutes away and even 10 times cheaper if you willing to make 1-2 stops via subways transfer. Like 10 extra mins to commute. Just saying.

Prices on everything in a center of Moscow is pretty expensive, even for me. And I visit Moscow several times a year.

Besides, even though "Kremlin Ballet" might look good on one's resume, it's not a brand like Bolshoi, Mariinksy, Stanislavsky (Nemirovich-Danchenko) Music Theater, Mikhailovsky, not even the Moscow Ballet. Kremlin ballet was created just 20+something years ago as a pet project for great Andrei Petrov, to keep him busy and to keep that big concert hall inside Kremlin palace busy. They generously giving aways tickets for diplomats, foreign visitors and their families. They doing it because not a lot of people can be lucky buy tix to Bolshoi, there are so many tourists and locals dying for Bolshoi tix. Kremlin ballet is good, and good enough for average tourist to enjoy, but a true ballet-lover where to go for a great one. Stanislavsky Music Theater is awesome too! It became a true gem in recent 15 years. It's a very boutique ballet, especially when they invite Asthon, McMillan or other great Western choreographers for experimenting with Russian ballerinas. Although their Russian classics repertoire is great, with a very fresh approach so to speak. And it's much easier to get a good tickets. My advice: if you can't get a good seats in Bolshoi, go for Stanislavsky Music Theater, some of their modern and original ballets are just marvelous.

Alexz · May 9, 2016

Abraxis12345 said:
What do you think of Skorik? I think she is fine technique wise and would be better artistically if she wasn't promoted so quickly. I definitely think she was pushed way too early to be a principal, and it doesn't help she is emotionally fragile and prone to nerves (thus tends to give some pretty mistake prone performances). She certainly doesn't deserve the abuse the Yulia Stepanova fanboys heap on her - I mean, Yulia left the Mariinsky almost two years ago and they still think she's to blame for her lack of career progress!

I like Skorik, never seen her live yet. But I will be visiting St Peter burg this summer again. Hopefully I will get a glimpse of her. From what I heard and seen in youtube videos she is great. And yep, I agree with promotion being too fast. Because being great in Vaganova Academy is not quite the same thing as starting career in Mariinsky, where competition is so fierce. Especially with Ulyana Lopatkina, Victoria Tereshkina, Diana Vishneva being a reining queens who does not need to prove anything to anyone any more.

Was it young Oksana Skorik and her boyfriend in that great documentary about Vaganova 5-6 years ago. IIRC "Ballet blood, sweat and tears". She was just a teenager back then, I'm curious to see her now blooming into adult lady and mature dancer.

Abraxis12345 · May 9, 2016

I really don't see Womack being a star like Zakharova is. You either are born with that star power or you aren't and Womack to me isn't. That's not to say I don't think she could eventually end up as a principal at a bigger company. The Mariinsky and Bolshoi have their share of bland principals She might be like Shipulina, a principal but not someone people make a point of seeing when choosing which dates to attend. But I think if she wants to move on, she better be careful of what she does on social media. I'm not against social media. I like Anna Okuneva's blooper reels, and I think that helped when watching her and Zhiganshina dance Kitri's friends; both come across as very charming in real life so it made the fun loving attitude of Kitri's friends all the more believable. . However, it's not wise for Joy continually trash your employers and co-workers She's lucky her current employers seem to have a retention issue, so are willing to ignore all her bad mouthing.

Skorik was the subject of the film "a Beautiful Tragedy", which took a look into the Perm school. You can see even then she is quite emotionally fragile, and throwing her into the fire that one year when a bunch of people got pregnant did her absolutely no favors.

rosy14 · May 9, 2016

Alexz said:
Few good tips for all future countless Firebirds of figure skating. An amazingly interesting short piece from rehearsals with few soloists of grand Mariinsky. The blonde a bit out of shape guy is a the legendary Latvian Russian dancer Andris Liepa. Subtitles are available. It's worth to watch several times to understand what exact corrections and accents he asks.

Dear figure skater and a fellow parent, if you want to do Firebird at least try to look like a proper bird, not a windmill. Judges seen quite a few good Firebird ballet performances by some great dance companies and probably hundred times of Firebirds by other skaters. If you won't even try to do it right - you won't receive good PCS, but probably even make it impossible to stomach your program. We seen few examples of that in recent years.

Some good tips. Watch the hand-torso-head coordination. Vaganova Academy signature "singing hands" in action.

http://youtu.be/ZIE0pJEgs3U

Thank, thank a lot for the video !

rosy14 · May 9, 2016

Alexz said:
Here. I start.
One of my fav.
Polina Semionova. IIRC, Bolshoi graduate. Was rejected in big lead roles by Mariinsky, Bolshoi and Mikhailovsky because of her D-cup size. You know they are very superficial there when it comes to ballet. So she had to travel to Germany, where she successfully performed for many years. Along with great Malakhov. Now she is with ABT company or NY City Ballet.

http://youtu.be/UaO7bS5Ky6M

http://youtu.be/qP4FPBZVMik

Thank you for the videos, especially the second, which I didn't know. You should see Polina's and Roberto's performance at the Gala of Stars, October 30th in Milan. There's the video on Youtube. I was there and they were...well what the Carmen must be.
My daughter had a ballet class several years ago with Polina, and it was awesome to be in attendance,

The Great Ballet Thread

Alexz

Alexz

thoakun

Alexz

Alexz

Alexz

elbkup

Power without conscience is a savage weapon

Alexz

Alexz

Abraxis12345

elbkup

Power without conscience is a savage weapon

Abraxis12345

Crossover

All Hail the Queen

Abraxis12345

Crossover

All Hail the Queen

Alexz

Alexz

Abraxis12345

rosy14

rosy14

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