Ask Responses - Mariinsky
Do you think now that Ulyana is retired that Olesya will finally be promoted to principal?
Your guess is as good as mine. The Mariinsky currently have two functioning primas (Kondaurova and Tereshkina)*, and they are due to promote a new one anyway (usually happens every 4-5 years). Novikova is the only real contender.
*It’s possible that Diana will return to have a more active role in the company now that she’s wrapping up her ABT contract.
Do you think now that Lopatkina is retired the Mariinsky is going to promote a new principal dancer?
See the above answer.
I just came across this video by russianballetvideos2 "Alexandra Korshunova Vaganova Bournonville Le Conservatoire Soon Mariinsky Ballet Ballerina" does that mean Alexandra is joining the Mariinsky and if so, what are your thoughts? I don't know anything about the current head of the Mariinsky but I often see negative comments about him. Does this mean Alexandra will be stuck in the corps forever?
I don’t know where russianballetvideos2 gets their information, and I can’t confirm if they are correct. That being said, Korshunova is one of the top graduates, and I’d be surprised if the Mariinsky didn’t take her.
As I often say, don’t believe what you read online. At the very least, take it with a grain of salt. Fateyev gets a lot of hate, but I find that most of the accusations thrown at him are unfounded. Mariinsky takes quite a few VBA graduates every year. Since 2015, two of them have progressed from the corps to coryphee (Anastasia Lukina) and second soloist (Renata Shakirova). Many of the recent VBA graduates are getting a great deal of opportunities (including solos) while in the corps. The reason so many dancers are “stuck” in the corps for years is very simple: the company is small. There simply aren’t enough soloist spots. Someone has to retire, get injured or pregnant for another dancer to be able to progress.
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