#eva sergeenkova

[miss-mollys-ballet-blog]

Eva Sergeyenkova in Raymonda.

[balletomaneblog]

What did you think of Eva Segeenkova's debut as Masha? She does everything beautifully (what a gorgeous dancer), but I think other roles are better suited to her - with the exception of the pas de deux towards the end of The Nutcracker. The Bolshoi version is overtly religious, and this spiritual accent suits Sergeenkova, who is a soulful dancer imho

I completely agree with you that she is perfect for the Act 2 pas de deux. I thought she did beautifully there and really throughout all of Act 2. I also enjoyed her performance in Act 1, but as you said, Masha is not a role as natural for her as say more regal and elegant parts like Raymonda or Odette/Odile.

She's just never going to look as much like an excited child dancing in the party scene as dancers who are 5'2"-5'4"-ish and more sprightly, like Maymula, Kokoreva, or Shrayner.

Given all of this, I thought she did a lovely job and it was an altogether successful début.

Another thing, I was really hoping that Moksheva and/or Petrova would get a Masha début so fingers crossed for next season. I think more realistically we'll see Sultangareeva with a Masha debut next year, which should also be a strong performance given her recent Radish and Ramze performances.

[ballet-symphonie]

What do you think about the three Bolshoi Giselle debuts?

Since everyone is asking! My brief thoughts on on all the recent Giselle debuts (throwing in MT's Iliushkina as well)

Kokoreva- easily the strongest all the way around. She dances with such inherent lightness and fragility, perfectly balanced with her rock-solid arabesque line. Wishing for more detailed musicality, but I can't get enough of her and Dmitry Smilevsky together, their connection feels so genuine.

Sevenard- I just love her. She felt so honest with her dancing here and I truly felt her vulnerability in the first act, by far my favorite mad scene of the bunch. I don't like Ovcherenko much but he gets the job done.

Sergeenkova - While I thought her first act went well enough, to me she looked nervous and tense, especially in the second act with all the jumps and extensions. She had arguably the best partner out of the bunch in Artemy Belyakov but I watched her while worrying unlike the first two. Her arms drive me crazy, so much excessive tension.

Iliushkina- She also seemed a bit tentative to me, especially in the first act. I understand she is trying to reinvent the 'reserved' ballerina troupe and is largely succeeding off the back of very successful performances in roles like Raymonda and Nikiya and her second act was quite lovely, especially the supported adagio. However, I wish for a bit more warmth and energy in roles like Giselle act I and Aurora. It's frustrating because in every ballet she dances she seems to be stuck in the same melancholic/ sorrowful expression. It works for some things, but it feels rather like one note and it doesn't carry an arc. It's juvenile and half of the reason why I really feel like she dances so immaturely at times, the other half is the not-so-hot footwork.

For what it's worth, she and Sevenard have opposite problems. When Iliushkina gets 'tight' she tends to pull back inside herself and I feel like a lot of her movements (especially pirouettes to be honest) are left undercooked.

[tikitania]

Which bolshoi ballerinas do you think could become primas at the mariinsky and vice versa?

This is hard to answer because I don't follow the Bolshoi as closely — just don't have the time. (I work, I have kids!) BUT… I could see Eva Sergeenkova at the Mariinsky. She has a regal, reserved style that could work very well there. Bulanova has always seemed like a Bolshoi-style of dancer to me. Natural charisma, bravado, theatrical. She just projects on stage in a way that vibes with the Bolshoi, but happy to see her thriving at the Mariinsky. On another note. If I could go back in time...I really, really, really wish that Stepanova could have had a career at the Mariinsky. She just doesn't seem to fit in at the Bolshoi style. (At least to me.) She's refined and elegant, just a lovely dancer. If she had been supported (and I have no idea why she wasn't) she could have done so well in St. Petersburg.

[shakishkina]

So we get Kokoreva, Sevenard, Sergeenkova, and Iliushkina all debuting as Giselle within about 10 days of each other, do I have that right?

[steebtiny]

Eva Sergeenkova (debut) and Artemy Belyakov’s Act II Black pas de deux, Swan Lake, 14/01/2022

Credits: navolnaxklassik

[miss-mollys-ballet-blog]

Eva Sergeenkova in Raymonda.

Photo by Valeria Bessonova.

[miss-mollys-ballet-blog]

I would rather see a ballerina come off pointe during the rose adagio than tightly gripped, barely moving, inflexible and unstable balances. I hate watching ballerinas who can't do it naturally and gracefully. If you can't do it, you shouldn't be cast in the role of Aurora.

This is how it should be (yes, I purposely chose someone who doesn't put their arm into third because I don't like the arm going up and down into third):

It should not be this:

I was even cheering for Eva because I enjoyed other clips of her Aurora. But her rose adagio was ruined because the balances were so bad. Sigh.

And it wasn't just Eva. Elizaveta Kokoreva didn't fare much better with the balances. It wasn't as bad, but it still was stiff and too quick and rushed and didn't look good.

The new generation of Bolshoi ballerinas have much to improve compared to ballerinas such as Anna Nikulina (who absolutely freaking slays the balances)