Sunday, January 31, 2021

Maria "Masha" Alexandrova


Maria Alexandrova was born in
 Moscow and attended the Moscow Choreographic Academy. She won a gold medal at the Moscow International Ballet Competition in 1997 and shortly thereafter joined the Bolshoi Ballet, quickly making her debut as Myrtha in Giselle. In June 2000 she played a double role in Don Quixote as street dancer for the first act and as soloist in third. By 2004 she had become a principal dancer, and since then she has performed in such ballets as The Sleeping Beauty and played the title character in Alexei Ratmansky's Leah and Carmen in Carmen Suite. In 2005 and 2007 she performed numerous soloist roles and made her debuts as Odette-Odile in Swan Lake, Medora in Le Corsaire and the Pupil in The Lesson


 

In 2008 she participated in the premiere of Ratmansky's Flames of Paris, in which she played the heroine Jeanne. In 2009 she danced in the premiere of Coppélia as Swanilda, made her debut as Nikiya in La Bayadère and danced the title role in the premiere of Esmeralda. The same year she also traveled to Novosibirsk where she appeared again in Swan Lake and Don Quixote, both of which were performed at the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre. In 2010 she made her debut as the Countess in Roland Petit's Queen of Spades. On 2 August 2013, during a performance by the Bolshoi Ballet at the Royal Opera House in London, Alexandrova injured her leg while performing Gamzatti in La Bayadère and had to leave the stage without finishing her act. She returned to the Bolshoi stage on February 28, 2014 in a performance of Mats Ek's Apartment. 


 

On 2 February 2017, it was officially announced that Ms. Alexandrova decided to resign from the Bolshoi Ballet. "Bolshoi Theater has confirmed resignation of one of the ballet company stars, internationally acclaimed prima ballerina Maria Alexandrova. The resignation was voluntary, it said. "On January 19, 2017, People’s Artist of Russia Maria Alexandrova filed a request for voluntary resignation," a spokesperson for the theater said. "This was Ms. Alexandrova’s personal decision." Maria Alexandrova explained she will continue to dance within the context of other projects.



It’s no secret to those in the know that Maria Alexandrova and Vladislav Lantratov, boyfriend and possible husband “Masha” and “Vlad” – as they at times affectionately refer to each other - are two lovebirds whose deep connection is visible both onstage and off. They are as often 
referred as the "power couple."


Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Classical vs Romantic ballets


Classical Ballet is the most formal of the ballet styles. It adheres to traditional ballet technique. Classical ballet is best known for its unique features and techniques, such as pointe work, turn-out of the legs, and high extensions; its graceful, flowing, precise movements; and its ethereal qualities. It puts a great amount of emphasis on the execution of movement and the method.The feature of ballet is the outward rotation of the thighs from the hip. The foundation of the dance is of five basic positions, all performed with the turnout. Example of classical ballet are the Swan Lake and the Nutcracker just to name two.


The Romantic ballet is defined primarily by an era in ballet in which the ideas of Romanticism in art and literature influenced the creation of ballets. The Romantic era marked the rise of the ballerina as a central part of ballet, where previously men had dominated performances. The movement style for Romantic ballerinas was characterized by soft, rounded arms and a forward tilt in the upper body. This gave the woman a flowery, willowy look. Leg movements became more elaborate due to the new tutu length and rising standards of technical proficiency. An example of a romantic ballet is Giselle. The synopsis is as follows:


ACT I:  The ballet is set in the vineyard country bordering the Rhine. Hilarion, the village huntsman and a gamekeeper to the court, returns from his early morning chores and pauses before a neighboring cottage—the home of Giselle, with whom he is in love.  Villagers pass by on their way to the vineyards, where they will harvest the last of the grapes before the Wine Festival.


Count Albrecht arrives with his squire and enters a cottage opposite Giselle’s. He emerges dressed as a peasant, submits his disguise to the squire’s inspection, and dismisses him. Hilarion has witnessed this exchange and is puzzled that the squire should show such deference to this youth, who is known to the villager as a fellow peasant named Loys. Loys excuses himself from joining the grape pickers so that he can be alone with Giselle. He swears eternal love, and she takes the traditional test with a daisy—“he loves me, he loves me not.”  When it appears the answer will be “not,” she throws the flower away; Loys retrieves it and, by surreptitiously discarding a petal, comes up with the answer “he loves me.”  Hilarion interrupts, protesting that he, and not Loys, truly loves Giselle. A quarrel ensues, and Hilarion’s suspicions deepen as Loys instinctively reaches for the sword that, as a nobleman, he is accustomed to wearing.


The villagers return, and Giselle invites them to join in a dance to celebrate the harvest. Her mother, Berthe, interrupts and warns her that her life may be endangered if she overexerts herself by dancing. She is struck by a momentary hallucination of her daughter in death. She sees her as a wili, a restless spirit who has died with her love unrequited.

A horn sounds in the distance, and Loys recognizes it as coming from the hunting party of the prince of Courland. As Loys hastily departs, Hilarion breaks into Loys’ cottage. Refreshments are served to the hunters, and the prince’s daughter, Bathilde, gives Giselle a gold necklace when she learns they are both engaged to be married.  After the royal party has returned to the hunt, Hilarion emerges from Loys’ cottage with a hunting horn and a sword, further evidence that the supposed peasant is, in fact, a nobleman.


The villagers return and proclaim Giselle the queen of the Wine Festival. Hilarion interrupts to denounce Loys as an impostor. When Loys denies the charges and threatens the gamekeeper with his sword, Hilarion blows the hunting horn, a signal for the prince to return. Loys is exposed as an impostor when Bathilde reveals that he is her fiancé, Count Albrecht. The shock of learning of Albrecht’s duplicity is too great for Giselle’s frail constitution. Her mind becomes unhinged, and she dies of a broken heart—her love unrequited.

ACT II:  The scene is laid in a clearing in the forest near Giselle’s grave. The wilis are summoned by their queen, Myrta, to attend the ceremonies that will initiate Giselle into their sisterhood.  Their love unrequited, they can find no rest. Their spirits are forever destined to roam the earth from midnight to dawn, vengefully trapping any male who enters their domain and forcing him to dance to his death. Hilarion, in search of Giselle, meets his death at their hands. Albrecht arrives to leave flowers on Giselle’s grave. He too is trapped and commanded to dance until death. Giselle resolves to protect him. She dances with him until the clock strikes four, at which hour the wilis lose their power. Albrecht is rescued from deat

The following link is to Giselle music by Adolphe Adam
 with Svetlana Zakharova at the Bolshoi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuWvjOkxrqk&t=815s  In the first act, the ballerina acts; in the second, she dances.

Svetlana Zakharova

La Bayadere with Maria Alexandrova at the Bolshoi


Svetlana Zakharova is my favorite all-time classical ballet ballerina.  I prefer her to Margot Fonteyn, who was the picture of perfection. Svetlana is not only perfect, she seems to float in the air. I often believe that she learned to dance before learning to walk! If the previous was not enough, she is also beautiful.

The following is  link to the ballet "The Swan Lake" bay Tchaikovsky withy Roberto Bolle at the The Scala of Milan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LKyWPmtX7Y. Svetlana performs Odette in the second and fourth acts and Odile in the third act. the story of the Swan Lake tells the tale of the doomed love of Prince Siegfried and Princess Odette. Prince Siegfried goes out hunting one night and chases a group of swans – one of them transforms into a young woman, Odette, who explains that she and her companions were turned into swans by the evil Baron Von Rothbart.The spell can only be broken if someone who has never loved before swears an oath of undying love and promises to marry her. The Prince declares his love to Odette and promises to be loyal forever.At a grand reception at the palace, the Prince must choose a bride – but he can think only of Odette. Suddenly a fanfare announces the arrival of two guests – it is Odette! The prince dances with her and asks for her hand in marriage.But it’s not Odette – the mystery woman is the daughter of the evil von Rothbart, Odile. Odette has witnessed the whole scene. Too late, Siegfried realises his mistake.Siegfried follows Odette to the lake and begs her forgiveness. She says she forgives him but nothing can change the fact he broke his vow. They decide to die together. The lovers throw themselves into the lake.

Svetlana's Biography (which I copied from her website:)

"People’s Artist of Russia, laureate of the Russian state prize, prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia, étoile of La Scala, Svetlana Zakharova was born in Lutsk (Ukraine). At the age of 10 she entered the Kiev Choreography School. Having spend six years in the class of Valeria Sulegina, she took part in the international young dancers contest “Vaganova Prix” in Saint Petersburg, where she was the youngest ballet dancer. Then at the age of 15 Svetlana won the second prize. 

After the contest she accepted the invitation to go to the famous Vaganova Ballet Academy in Saint Petersburg. She skipped the second class and went straight to the graduating class which was the only case in the whole history of this educational institution.


Zakharova immediately drew attention to herself and six months later, she took invitation to perform a solo part in the ballet “Don Quixote” in the Mariinsky Theatre. The graduate from the class by Elena Evteeva perfectly managed to perform one of the most complicated classical roles – the Queen of the Dryads. This is how the young star of the Russian ballet was rising. When she was seventeen, Svetlana Zakharova graduated from the Vaganova Academy and in nearly no time she was accepted into the legendary ballet company of the Mariinsky Theatre.

Svetlana was noticed by the outstanding teacher of the Mariinsky Theatre and a famous ballet dancer the People’s artist of Russia Olga Moiseeva. Under her guidance, Zakharova debuted as Maria in “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai”. Then she danced Gulnara in “Le Corsaire” and performed “The 7th Waltz and Mazurka” in “Chopiniana”.


But the most tremendous success was brought to her by the role of Giselle in the ballet of the same name. Both the audiences and the ballet critics were full with excitement about Zakharova’s performance and demonstrated incredible interest in her. Shortly after the premiere Zakharova received an offer from Vladimir Vasiliev to join the company of the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow.

Having received her official ‘prima’ status at the age of 18, Svetlana continued her work for the Mariinsky Theater expanding her repertoire with classical and modern pieces: “The Sleeping Beauty”, “Swan Lake”, “Bayadère”, “Don Quixote”, - as well as premieres by George Balanchine. Zakharova successfully performed the pas des deux by Tchaikovsky and starred in “Apollo”, “Serenade”, “The Symphony in C” and “Diamonds in Jewels”. Zakharova also met with the great choreographer John Neumeier. In his ballet “Now and then” the young ballet dancer was presented as an ultra-modern artist, capable of mastering styles and genres of dance beyond the art of classical ballet.

At the same time she starts to receive international recognition. Her global fame is rapidly growing. In 2001, she signed her first contract with L’Opera de Paris for “Bayadère”. It was the first time in thirty years when a ballet dancer from Russia had a chance to perform on French capital’s famous stage. 
Zakharova is on tour to every part of the world: New York Metropolitan Opera, London Covent Garden, The Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, Teatro di san Carlo in Napoli, Vienna Opera, National Theater in Tokyo, stages in many cities of Europe, Asia, Australia and South America. La Scala signs a long-term contract with her and awards her with the status of étoile. It was the first time in the history of this great theater, no Russian ballet dancer had been awarded this honor before. She also takes part in DVD-recordings of “Swan Lake”, “Bayadère” and “Giselle”.


In 2003 Svetlana Zakharova decided to join the ballet company of the Bolshoi Theater. Famous ballet dancer People’s Artist of Russia Ludmila Semeniaka has become her tutor. Zakharova’s first work in the Bolshoi was the ballet-premiere “La Fille du Pharaon” by the famous choreographer Pierre Lacotte. A recording of this ballet was issued on DVD. Gradually Zakharova was introduced into every piece of the Bolshoi’s classical repertoire, into the ballets by one of the greatest choreographers of our time, Yuri Grigorovich.

Svetlana Zakharova is, in equal measure, a unique and universal performer of classical heritage ballets and she demonstrates her mastery in Russia and all over the world. Staying strong in the pursuit of her goals, the ballet dancer continues to expand her repertoire with the modern pieces and programs. Without fear, she experiments and makes use of the modern technical capabilities.

In 2006, Svetlana Zakharova becomes a member of the Presidential Council for Culture and Art.   



In 2007, for the talented embodiment of scenic images, development of great traditions of the Russian Ballet, Svetlana Zakharova was awarded with the State Prize of the Russian Federation.   

In 2008 the famous ballet dancer was elected a State Duma Deputy, she served one term in the Russian parliament from 2008 to 2012. 
As a prominent representative of the Russian Culture, Svetlana Zakharova was given the honor of taking part in the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi in 2014.

Her “Natasha Rostova’s first ball” won the hearts of millions with beauty and fine artistic image. In her interview Svetlana confesses: “Such an event can happen only once in a lifetime. I will never forget those emotions which I experienced at the moment of my performance: excitement mixed together with incredible euphoria and happiness from the event.” 



Svetlana's Awards:

– The highest theater award of St. Petersburg Golden Soffit 
– The Golden Mask awards 
– Best Dance of the Year award by Italian Danza magazine 
– People of our City award, Saint Petersburg 
– The Meritorious Artist of Russia 
– Benois de la Danse award 
 – The State Prize of the Russian Federation (for the talented interpretation of roles and development of the great traditions of the Russian ballet) 
2– Soul of the Dance award by The Ballet magazine, Queen of the Dance nomination 
2– The People’s Artist of Russia 
2– La Scala Ballet Étoile Officier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France 
2– Twice a laureate of Benois de la Danse award

Links to Svetlana Zakharova's ballet performances: