Did you see that Sofia Valiullina is set to debut Jeanne in Flames of Paris?!
So happy for her!!!!!!
Hello, Anon!!!! Thank you for the update — and also to the many other Anons who write in to let me know. I AM THRILLED! Valiullina is a natural for the role of Jeanne and I CANNOT WAIT to see clips!
I think it was universally agreed that she was more of a Mariinksy style dancer—and I remember watching a Ballet with Isabella video where she also remarked on Valiullina's presentation during the Vaganova exams. Maybe Valiullina will eventually make it back to her "home" theater, but I really want to celebrate her current successe at the Mikh, which is no small feat. Now about Flames of Paris…it's one ballet that I have not seen fron start to finish, and I cannot really tell the the difference between the Bolshoi's version ostensibly by Ratmanksy, and the one at the Mikhailovsky that is credited to Messerer. I know they both heavily rely on the original Vaionen choreography…but are there any real material differences? But given how familiar the main variations are, one would think that The Flames of Paris would be more frequently performed in the West, but it's not…anyone know why? Is it a licensing issue?
In the meantime, I'm hoping that I can find some Mikhilovsky fans on TG who liberally share their footage. But until the debut, enjoy this little clip with Oksana Bondareva and Ivan Vasilieyev from the Mikhailovsky.
