Recent & Upcoming Debuts...
The Mariinksy has been debuting so many new roles for dancers lately, it's hard to keep up! Even though the repertoire seems is quite dusty, I'm quite excited about debuts because it infuses the company with new energy. So many of their male dancers have been neglected for years and they are finally getting some breaks, but this post is about the ladies:
I was very excited for Maria Chernavskaya's debut as Kitri — and from the clips I saw, I think she did quite well. (Devil on Pointe has a few.) Chernavskaya's jumps are very strong, pirouettes confident, and her lines are exquisite. There were a few bobbles but nothing about her technique to gripe about. I think my only concern is her ability to command the stage—that will hopefully come with experience and confidence. She seems quite petite, so she needs to learn how to take up space. She does really well in neoclassical roles, so I also see that repertoire expanding for her.
Evgenia Savkina is another dancer who catches my eye. She graduated in 2020, the same year as Chernavskaya and Anastasia Smirnova, She's danced mostly character roles, but it seems that lately she has been entrusted to larger parts: Carducha, Street Dancer, Fire Devil (or whatever that character is) from Shurale. She has incredible stage presence and I'm curious to see how her career evolves. Often cast in "firey" roles, I'd love to see her softer, lyrical side.
Valeria Kuznetzova…not a debut, but Oh. My. God. Her Phyrgia in the recent run of Leonid Jacobsen's Spartacus was mesmerizing. (Nikita Korneev debuted in the title role alongside her and he looked great!) Kuznetsova has so much talent and it seems they are gradually releasing her…but I would LOVE to see her in more leading roles….especially Juliet. She has incredible dramatic flair and perfect ballet lines. She did recently debut in Leningrad Symphony and from the clips I saw, it was a very successful performance. I hoping for: Lilac Fairy, Mirta, Chopiniana. She's going to be a big star…I'm glad they are taking their time, but I'm getting impatient...
Side Note: she came in silver at the 2022 Moscow Competition and while all the attention was on the Vaganova girls, Kuznetsova is the one who caught my eye and I wondered why there wasn't as much buzz about her. She was also a 7th year student, but her lyricism was quite apparent even then. I'm a fan if you couldn't tell. Haha!
Ulyana Moksheva is debuting Anyuta. Now this is a Bolshoi debut I can get behind. She caught my eye as a fairy in the Bolshoi's premiere of their newly restaged Sleeping Beauty and I've been following her since. She has these large dark eyes that are so reminiscent of Margot Fonteyn that they could be twins. (See below.) She's quite mesmerizing and her technical is solid, which is not always the case at the Bolshoi. Notably, both she and Valeria Kuznetsova are Perm graduates.
EDIT: It's also so obvious that I forgot to mention that Alicia Barinova has also been getting a LOT big debuts for a recent graduate. It feels like the fast-track trajectory to 2nd soloist and one who could quickly shoot to the top. For me, the jury's still out. She's technically fine. I just want to see more clips.
I was hoping for more debuts for Svetlana Savaliyeva, but it seems she's still in corphyee land: Big Swans, Bayadere Grand Pas, Raymonda Grand Pas. I want solos! Hopefully, there are plans….
Who have you been following or excited to see break out?
Video: Anna_about_ballet on IG
Ulyana Moksheva & Margot Fonteyn — ballet doppelgängers.
