For Ballet Lovers Only

The Bolshoi Ballet's Petrushka

Mon, 5 Jul 2010 19:52:11 +0200

Photos of the Bolshoi Ballet's revival, staged by Sergei Vikharev, of Mikhail Fokin's famous Petrushka (1911).
Libretto by Igor Stravinsky and Alexandre Benois. Choreography by Mikhail Fokin (1911). Sets and Costumes by Alexandre Benois (for the production at the Bolshoi Theatre in 1921). Staging and new choreographic version: Sergei Vikharev. Sets reproduction by Boris Kaminsky, costumes reproduction by Yelena Zaitseva. Lighting Designer: Damir Ismagilov. Premiere at the Bolshoi Theatre on July 2, 2010.

Interviews

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 12:27:35 +0200

The interviews section is back online. Includes conversations with Altynai Asylmuratova, Igor Kolb, Maria Alexandrova and Svetlana Zakharova.

Writing about dance

Tue, 18 May 2010 08:14:12 +0200

Update of the list of publications from Spring 2010.

Les Saisons Russes de XXIe siècle

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 17:59:16 +0200

Homage to the Ballets Russes at the Theâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris (March 4-7, 2010) with revivals of Mikhail Fokine's Le Pavillon d'Armide and The Firebird, and Vaslav Nijinsky's Prélude à l'Après-midi d'un Faune. Performed by the Kremlin Ballet Theatre company, with guest performances by Maria Alexandrova, Mikhail Lobukhin, Nikolai Tsiskaridze, Artem Yachmennikov (Bolshoi Ballet) and Irma Nioradze (Mariinsky Ballet).

The Dutch National Ballet's Don Quixote

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 21:36:23 +0100

Selections from Dutch National Ballet's Don Quixote in the new staging by Alexei Ratmansky, premiered at the Muziektheater in Amsterdam on February 13, 2010. Opening night's cast featured Anna Tsygankova as Kitri, Matthew Golding as Basilio, Peter de Jong as Don Quixote, Karel de Rooy as Sancho, Maia Makhateli as Cupid, Anu Viheriaranta as Queen of the Dryads.

Writing about dance

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:33:49 +0100

Update of the list of publications from 2009 and 2010.

Giselle in Rome

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:20:15 +0100

Selections from Giselle in the production of the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome (February 23 and 25, 2010). Choreography Carla Fracci, after Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot, Marius Petipa and Anton Dolin. Sets and costumes by Anna Anni. Lighting design by Agostino Angelini. Staging by Beppe Menegatti. Leading roles were danced by guest stars Evgenia Obraztsova (Mariinsky Ballet) and David Makhateli (Royal Ballet), Ashley Bouder (New York City Ballet) and Robert Tewsley.

The Bolshoi Ballet's La Esmeralda

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 23:33:30 +0100

A new staging and choreographic version by Yuri Burlaka and Vasily Medvedev of Jules Perrot's romantic ballet La Esmeralda (1844), revised by Marius Petipa, was premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre on 25 December 2009. A selection of photos of the three premiere casts headed by Maria Alexandrova, Natalia Osipova and Nina Kaptsova.

Historical biographies of famous Russian dancers of the past back online

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:33:21 +0100

Biographies of Marina Kondratieva, Mikhail Lavrovsky, Maris Liepa, Ekaterina Maximova, Olga Moiseyeva, Marina Semyonova, Alla Shelest, Alla Sizova, Yuri Soloviev, Raisa Struchkova, Nina Timofeyeva, and Yelena Yevteyeva

Stars of the XXIst Century

Sun, 8 Nov 2009 11:59:20 +0100

Selections from the gala-performances Etoiles de Ballet2000 in Cannes (29 november 2008) and Etoiles du XXIe Siècle at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees in Paris (20 September 2009), featuring some of today's most brilliant and acclaimed artists in the field.

Writing about dance

Sun, 1 Nov 2009 12:51:22 +0100

Update of the list of publications from 2009.

The Bolshoi Ballet in Spartacus (2)

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:13:56 +0200

Several new artists have been reviving the leading roles in the Bolshoi's Ballet's Spartacus. The following selection, shot September 5-10, 2009 covers three casts: Ivan Vasiliev (Spartacus), Nina Kaptsova (Phrygia), Alexander Volchkov (Crassus), Ekaterina Shipulina (Aegina); Pavel Dmitrichenko, Anna Nikulina, Yuri Baranov, Maria Alexandrova; Egor Khromushin, Anna Antonicheva, Andrei Merkuriev, Ekaterina Krysanova.

Writing about Dance

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:57:57 +0200

Major reorganisation of the site. Introduction of the new section Writing about dance, providing a list of my publications of the last ten years.

Les Saisons Russes

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 17:02:22 +0200

Photos from the centenary gala of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes (1909-2009) by the Kremlin Ballet from Moscow at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris.

The Bolshoi Ballet in Spartacus

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 08:11:19 +0200

Photos of one of the Bolshoi Ballet's most famous productions, Yuri Grigorovich's Spartacus. Premiered in 1968 with music by Aram Khachaturian and designs by Simon Virsaladze, it proved the most successful staging of the ballet to date.

Gala of Svetlana Zakharova at the Bolshoi

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 23:06:59 +0200

Photos of the Svetlana Zakharova Gala Performance at the Bolshoi Theatre on April 9, 2009. The evening included the world premiere of Zakharova Super Game, a one-act ballet with choreography by Francesco Ventriglia.

After the show

Mon, 6 Apr 2009 21:14:05 +0200

Some impressions from backstage, after the curtain came down.

Coppelia at the Bolshoi

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 22:35:27 +0100

Photos of the revival and new choreographic version of Coppelia by Sergei Vikharev, premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre on March 12, 2009

Osipova and Ovcharenko rehearsing Symphony in C

Sun, 8 Mar 2009 18:55:39 +0100

Photos of young Bolshoi soloists Natalia Osipova and Artem Ovcharenko rehearsing the 3rd movement from Balanchine's Symphony in C in the studio.

Prague Ballet Gala 2009

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:07:20 +0100

Photos from the 4th edition of the Prague Ballet Gala, Prague National Opera, 9 January 2009

Alexei Ratmansky's Russian Seasons at the Bolshoi

Sun, 7 Dec 2008 21:33:47 +0100

Photos of Russian Seasons, ballet in 1 Act, set to music by Leonid Desyatnikov, choreography by Alexei Ratmansky, originally created for New York City Ballet. Premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre on November 15, 2008.

Grand Pas from Paquita at the Bolshoi

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 00:56:11 +0100

Photos of the new staging and choreographic version of the Grand Pas from Marius Petipa's "Paquita" by Yuri Burlaka, premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre on November 15, 2008.

Gala for Maximova and Vasiliev

Sat, 8 Nov 2008 18:49:05 +0100

Photos of the Gala Evening in honour of the 50th anniversary of the artistic creativity of Ekaterina Maximova and Vladimir Vasiliev at the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow 27 October 2008.

Natalia Osipova

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 18:24:28 +0200

Biography and repertory updated

Ivan Vasiliev as Spartacus

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 12:04:08 +0200

Photos from the debut of 19-year old Ivan Vasiliev as Spartacus during the Bolshoi tour at the Royal Theatre Carre in Amsterdam - 25 July 2008. Also featuring Nina Kaptsova, Alexander Volchkov and artists of the Bolshoi Ballet.

Moscow City Ballet's Giselle

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:44:18 +0200

Impressions from Moscow City Ballet's production of Giselle. Production by Viktor Smirnov-Golovanov. Featuring Anastasia Gubanova, Talgat Kozhabayev, Anastasia Shiladzhyan and artists of Moscow City Ballet.

Flames of Paris at the Bolshoi

Sat, 5 Jul 2008 22:55:54 +0200

A selection of photos from Flames of Paris, a new ballet in 2 Acts, with music by Boris Asafiev, book by Alexander Belinsky and Alexei Ratmansky, based on the original libretto by Nikolai Volkov and Vladimir Dmitriev. Choreography by Alexei Ratmansky, with use of the original choreography by Vasily Vainonen. Sets by Ilya Utkin, Evgeny Monakhov, costumes by Yelena Markovskaya. Lighting by Damir Ismagilov. Premiere at the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow, July 3, 2008.

The Bolshoi Ballet's Giselle (2)

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:32:35 +0200

A selection of photos from the 2nd Act of Giselle, featuring Natalia Osipova, Andrei Merkuriev, Maria Alexandrova, and artists of the Bolshoi Ballet. Staging by Vladimir Vasiliev (1997), sets by Sergei Barkhin, costumes by Hubert de Givenchy.

The Bolshoi Ballet's La Sylphide (2)

Sat, 1 Mar 2008 18:47:19 +0100

2nd gallery of the Bolshoi's new production of La Sylphide, featuring Natalia Osipova, Vyacheslav Lopatin, Ekaterina Krysanova, Yan Godovsky, Nelly Kobakhidze, Ruslan Skvortsov and artists of the Bolshoi Ballet.

The Bolshoi Ballet's La Sylphide

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 22:53:20 +0100

New photos of the Bolshoi Ballet in Johan Kobborg's new production of La Sylphide, featuring Natalia Osipova,Vyacheslav Lopatin, Ekaterina Krysanova, Yan Godovsky, Nelly Kobakhidze, Ruslan Skvortsov and artists of the Bolshoi Ballet.

The Bolshoi Ballet in Paris January 2008

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 23:22:41 +0100

The Bolshoi Ballet returns to Paris for three weeks at the Opera Garnier in January 2008. The programme consists of Le Corsaire, Spartacus and a triple bill with Jeu de Cartes/Card Game (Alexei Ratmansky), the Kingdom of the Shades from La Bayadere and Pique Dame/Queen of Spades (Roland Petit).

Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev in rehearsal

Tue, 4 Sep 2007 19:35:43 +0200

The Bolshoi Ballet summer 2007 season in London was overall an outstanding success. Natalia Osipova (21) and Ivan Vasiliev (18) were the company's eye-catching young soloists...