★★★✰✰ The annual Ballet Icons gala, now in its 14th year, aims to promote Russian culture while providing a Sunday evening's entertainment for Russians in London and ballet-lovers...
Tag - Andris Liepa
The aim of the annual festival is to celebrate Russian influence in international culture, thanks to Diaghilev’s productions in the first two decades of the 20th century... St Petersburg also wants to boost its reputation as ‘a great forum of the arts’, introducing contemporary creations from different nations to Russian audiences.
"It’s like a game of tennis – I hit the ball and she returns it.". Margaret Willis catches up with choreographer Patrick de Bana to talk about his choroegraphic life and latest project - contributing to Svetlana Zakharova's show Amore - which tours to the UK in November.
★★★★✰ The long gala (three and a half hours with one interval) was well organised, with no speeches and no protracted curtain calls.
★★★✰✰ Every gala needs a revelation, and this one was provided by Sergio Bernal, a Spanish dancer who dominated the stage in an imperious farruca solo from Antonio’s flamenco version of The Three Cornered Hat...
The gala opened with the Act III wedding pas de deux from The Sleeping Beauty, performed by Ekaterina Osmolkina and Guiseppe Picone. No fish-dives in this version – the Russians regard them as vulgar, and Osmolkina could never be vulgar.
"This is how ecstasy is danced." Kimin Kim in Concerto DSCH.
Born in Paris in 1958, Isabelle Fokine is the daughter of Vitale Fokine and granddaughter of choreographer Mikhail Fokine. She is artistic director of the Fokine Estate Archive, which holds the worldwide copyright to his work.
Les Saisons Russes / Natalia Sats Opera & Ballet – Petrushka, Chopiniana, Polovtsian Dances – London
The triumph of the triple bill was the rip-roaring account of the Polovtsian Dances, with the choir exulting from boxes at the side of the Coliseum stage.
...it’s very Russian in its mixture of comedy, satire and luscious spectacle – and first-class performances.
Gallery by Foteini Christofilopoulou...
Graham Watts, visited the Natalia Sats Theatre in Moscow, earlier this year, to talk to both Liepa and Isaakyan about their new production of Le Coq d’Or.
The Perm Ballet has become a regular fixture in France over the past six years... the company embarks every winter on a countrywide tour akin to a Ballets Russes expedition. This year, they visited 19 different venues...
18 pictures by Dave Morgan...
An apologetic Liepa promised to return for a week next time and bring the new Cleopatra with him, but this was an unsatisfying evening in its current form.
But altogether, this was an evening of historical curios that lacked consistent vibrancy.
A tribute to Nina Ananiashvili - with personal memories - on her 50th birthday.
So how long does he see himself staying on the far side of America? “Well, I am just about to sign another six year contract,” he grinned...
So what has made her a ballet legend? The simple fact that she lives, breathes and demonstrates the finest techniques of Russian classical ballet. She is fastidious in her footwork, has the most beautiful pliable back, expressive arms and has perfect proportions and great sensitivity...
Balancing spectacular dancing with stirring drama, the Mariinsky dancers delivered a riveting, unforgettable performance. I left the Opera House with wonderful memories...