The first issue of Nth Man was published with a cover date of Aug, 1989. John Doe (the Nth Man) was created by Larry Hama and Ron Wagner and he was introduced in Marvel Comics Presents #25 (also with a cover date of Aug, 1989). The mutant ninja was broken free from a Russian jail so he could help the Americans in World War III ("Recall", Nth Man 1#, Marvel Comic Event)
Rating the Raymonda Variations from Easiest to Hardest
*of course from my own perspective as a professional ballet artist
So the ballet Raymonda has 5 (yes FIVE) major variations for the principal dancer to conquer (excluding some entrances and exits). Each presents different technical and emotional challenges, and the range in the choreographic text is why this ballet will often get mentioned as one of the most challenging, along with SL and SB. I am going to do my best to include a variety of dancers for the sake of this analysis (otherwise this will be a huge Novikova spam). But it will primarily be Russians because their companies have the most cut videos. Also, for clarity's sake, I'm talking about the classical Petipa version, not Balanchine's Raymonda Variations.
It's going to be a doozy of a post, so I'm putting it under the cut :)
Short and sweet, there's not too much cause for concern in this variation. The hardest thing is the very first step, Développé a la seconde en relevé, fouette to arabesque en plié (Novikova @ 1:20). Dancers have to be smart here, there's no value in whacking a leg up to 180˚ if you cant pause there for a minute and fouette into a nice arabesque. POB version asks for both sides, make sure the extensions that you show match as closely as possible! There's a coordination challenge with the precise double rond and the soft flowy handling of the scarf but it becomes easier once you get used to the prop.
The music in this variation is quite soft, it's only played by a harp. Therefore, your pointe shoes are really noticeable if they're making lots of noise, and it can be really jarring, especially after the grand jete. Of course, that's tricky in the context of the full ballet because you need harder shoes to get through the Pizzicato variation and dancers might not feel like they have time to change shoes between scene 1 and scene 2. But if you're doing this variation by itself, it really should be danced in softer shoes so you can really pointe and so your jumps don't startle the audience.
Novikova and Letestu have nice soft landings (Novikova 0:44, Letestu 8:18) and they also keep their back leg really stable when they land, it shouldn't be bopping up and down with the force of the impact or when doing the chugs backwards.
There's not too much technically demanding in the rest of this variation. Just some quick pas de bourée, keep your legs crossed, really twist and open your back and let the scarf carry the mood. Nothing to stress over here.
4. Raymonda Act I Scene I (Pizzicato)
Bolshoi Theatre / Большой театрRaymonda - Ekaterina KrysanovaРаймонда - Екатерина Крысанова02.12.2018
This variation is a calf killer, there are so many relevés. The first combo is tricker than it looks. It takes a lot of strength to hold the attitude leg stable with multiple relevés. Also, this transition (Krysanova @ 1:17) is so uncomfortable to keep turnout before the bourrées. There are a lot of places in this variation that require really close attention to turnout, but the challenge is to keep a pleasant and happy expression while internally concentrating. Some versions also take this as a more 'old school' variation, prizing musicality over the super high legs. After all, you have a perfect opportunity to show off the extensions in the Dream scene, I personally don't think the legs have to be sky-high here.
The second part is a bit awkward, the cabriole is tricky to land turned out. Doing the half-turn after is also difficult because you have no momentum to work with. However, the arabesque chugs into the pirouette dégagé are easier than it looks. The chugs allow the dancer to clearly feel where her weight is before quickly switching legs before the turn.
The third part combines the delicque taqueté with double pirouette dégagé (stepovers/ lame ducks). The finishing pose of the turn can vary in difficulty. The Nureyev version that Alexandrova is given is supposed to finish on pointe in crossed 4th position, demands a very precise finish. If you're off balance, take too much/too little force for the turn...there's very little you can do to hide your mistakes. Krysanova's combination is a bit easier, she is doing the taqueté on flat and can open the pirouette more comfortably to attitude devant.
Lastly, we have a small repeat of the first combination but then when your legs are really done, you have to do hops on pointe at the end...just to make sure your calves REALLY feel the burn
3. Raymonda Act I Scene III (Tableau du Rêve/ The Dream Scene)
A big competition favorite, this variation is beloved by the leggy adagio types, because they can show all their extensions and they don't have to do any major jumps or tuns in most versions. The POB (Nureyev) Version has some attitude pirouettes and he shuffled the steps around but the core of the variation is the same. Strong legs: a necessity here.
Everything is supposed to be smooth and connected, clunking down off of pointe really ruins the effect, especially if it's in the first part. Smooth roll downs off of pointe are key throughout, but especially with these grand temps lié. Your plié should never end and your legs should be continuously extending. Shipulina does an excellent job at this. It's difficult, the dancer has to know her own range of extensions and slowly move through the maximum each time without losing balance or locking up. This is pure academic ballet, you just have to center yourself on your legs and trust your training to get through this. Extensions really should be a movement in this variation, not a static pose. This part can be made more or less demanding by how much someone chooses to stay on pointe. Some step back from the arabesque on pointe and try to pull up to passe before extending devant again, absolutely stunning when done right, but deviously difficult to maintain balance each time.
The second combination is sometimes done from the back, sometimes from the diagonal. I find the diagonal version a bit more flattering on most dancers (of course Ms. SZ is so turned out that she can do whatever she wants) but moving on the diagonal is often more comfortable and helps to keep legs (especially the low arabesque transition) crossed and turned out. It also allows SHipulina to have some really luxurious moments of release (@ 1:13)You're trying to show off the height of your legs for the grand ronde in seconde and while you can't be wacking them up there, you do need to subtly use force to be hitting the accent of the music when your leg is at its highest point and then really push the inner thigh forewards as you lower, keeping a turned out line through the transition. Look how controlled she is, showing a clear tendu pose as she lowers her leg, before the weight transfer (Shipulina @ 1:14)
Thrid section, the renverse a fun step, but does become more challenging stepping out of it on pointe and into an arabesque because you have to really push your attitude crossed behind your shoulder in order to travel and not fall. The two dancers here are really blessed with luxurious arabesques and make those fondus look much easier than they are. A lot of dancers don't love doing that high 4th/3rd arabesque, especially on that exposing angle and many chose to keep it par terre which can be especially beautiful because it often allows more mobility in the back and a beautiful port de bra moment. This is probably the hardest section yet to show soft flowing arms, so much focus has gone on the legs, but if you neglect your arms then you end up with a nightmare...not a dream.
The last part often feels like a shock to the system. Everything has been slow, slow, slow, you have SO MUCH TIME to coordinate yourself (often more than you want tbh), and now all of a sudden the music picks up and you feel like you're shot out of a cannon. You have to MOVE and you have to TRAVEL. The key is to remember that while the tempo has changed, your quality of movement shouldn't. YOur goal should still be to create, large, luxurious, sweeping movements, they're just happening faster now. Some dancers often panic and this leads to arms being thrown rather than placed. It's tough to speed up your coordination that rapidly, especially when the combination calls for detailed and complex épaulments. Both Shipulina and Zakharova do an excellent job adjusting, but I'm more partial to Shipulina's port de bra choices, creating a contrast with the low arms for the back attitudes. However, Zahkarova's clarity in the legs, looking at both the 'open' and 'closed' front attitudes is really remarkable and she's dancing at a faster tempo than Shipulina!
And of course, you can't throw away that nasty little pas courru at the end, you owe it to yourself to make it ALL THE WAY across the stage (Look at Shipulina absolutely booking across the BT's massive stage) and don't rush to get out of the final attitude either!
4. Raymonda Act II (Pas d'Action)
I went back and forth between this variation and the big adagio for second place. Ultimately, I decided this one is harder because there's precious little time to rest (the adagio has SO much time for you to breathe) and the turns and pointework here are very challenging.
The first part just feels uncomfortable in the body if you're not really feeling the rhythm, and it requires a lot of control to end the pirouettes directly on the diagonal so you can repeat the combination. However, if you get the timing right, then the chugs feel a bit more natural.
The second part is challenging because it's hard to keep turnout going from the développé a la seconde to plié to the front attitude. Making the rotation from a 'dead' position isn't easy. This combination is also pretty stationary yet you have to make it from one side of the stage to the other. So you have to really push your supporting heel forward in on the attitude hops in order to have any hope of getting across the stage.
The third part is by far the trickiest. It starts with a double pirouette dégagé that opens on pointe to an éffacé arabesque. SO challenging, because if your weight is too far back then you'll be falling off point and won't' be able to open the back leg well. This is also a time where it's really important to focus on your body's squareness, éffacé arabesque is a pose that many dancers can cheat effectively, subtly opening up the hip for some extra stretch. However, that opens the 'square' and distorts placement, as your leg is no longer perfectly crossed. This makes it tricky to get centered for the double rond de jambe and the next pirouette. Here a high arabesque won't do you any good if you're stumbling out of every pirouette. It's better to opt for a leg at 90˚ or even a bit lower to keep 'narrow' and correct placement. Some dancers are used to cheating and go to that open hip place by default (especially those with less flexible lower backs) and sometimes you see dancers undercooking the stepover and then getting stuck with their leg to the side of the stage (or god forbid the front corner) instead of pointing towards the back diagonal. Novikova and Vishneva both show extensions that are comfortably in their range, they're not trying to show their highest arabesque after these turns.
And then, of course, Novikova's legendary entrechat quatre en pointe (Novikova @ 0:50). Not a pleasant feeling and it is a tricky step to make look good, especially when you have to do so many. Vishneva's is good as well, but Novikova really looks aloft and floaty. There's a reason most dancers simply opt for simpler changements. The transition Novikova does to get to the corner for the diagonal is more challenging (@ 1:12). Croisé attitude is a difficult position to hit at that speed because you really can't cheat it. After doing any kind of lengthy hops on pointe, your feet get tired and a bit cramped from having to constantly pointe for so long. There's a small relief that comes if you can run/walk a bit afterward because at least your toes can enjoy the stretch of your foot flexion. Vishneva has a small moment for this release as she just simply runs to the corner.
And then the diagonal. Nothing particularly complex, but the speed is killer and you're just so tired and there's really not a second to catch your breath before you start turning. You have to get the piqués going fast enough but still be in control of the speed when you change to the chaîne, otherwise you'll look like your legs are in 2nd position.
1. Raymonda Act III (Wedding/ Hungarian)
The most delicate, yet intense variation. It's so hard to make this look as good as these two do.
1) Don't be sloppy: The smallest things in ballet are the hardest and this variation doesn't give you anything to hide behind. If you're turned in, you're very obviously turned in. Intricate pointwork is so challenging for your balance and your turnout. Most ballet dancers would rather do a triple pirouette than a simple souteneu turn (and most would look better doing the triple tbh)
You should be moving when ONLY you're supposed to/when you want to. Having to readjust your feet after sous-sus or after souteneu turns shows a lack of control. Uneven bourée, or any extra steps to regain balance are all things that are very obvious clues that you're off your leg and make your dancing look less polished and sophisticated (the very thing you're trying to convey). It looks messy, and the steps become convoluted, are you doing a pas de bourée or a sous-sus, or a souteneu? Is that a 4th position or 5th? Or somewhere in between? The choreographic text should be clear. These questions shouldn't have to be asked (and they certainly arent when looking at Lopatkina and Guillem)
2) Don't look boring: You're doing 'nothing', there's no real exciting steps, your presence, dynamics, and upper body must be captivating to the audience. There's so much bourée in this variation, it's very difficult to keep it interesting and MUSICAL. Guillem is really good at finding moments of stillness, a breath, amidst her flurrying feet and it creates such wonderful dynamics. Look at her perfect pause in 4th position en pointe, a quiet moment before the bourée starts again (Guillem @0:17) It helps her to look lush and elegant and sophisticated. Her fouette before the diagonal is also enchantingly slow and controlled, it practically looks like she's floating and turning by magic, perfectly on beat of course (Guillem start @1:42).
It's also a huge coordination challenge, to keep your upper body flowy and enchanting while your feet just have to keep going and going and going. Lopatkina has some of the best port de bras in the business and she really milks this variation. Some really wonderful moments for her upper body (1:00-1:07, 1:25-1:30) and also how she maintains such flowy arms through the diagonal (start 2:15) is coordination I DREAM of having. Guillem's version isn't as delicate, nor does she do the complex port de bras during the passé section but she has some impressive moments of coordination, most notably, here (1:25- 1:55), look at the contrast between her arms and footwork.
A fascinating video of Lopatkina rehearsing her Raymonda variation where she discusses her interpretation in-depth, in Rusian with Japanese subs
3) Don't look like your feet are dying in pain: You have to make the opening sections interesting: TRAVEL. Which of course is especially rough on the toes, when you've done about 2 hrs of dancing to get to this point. When you get to the final sections with all the passés, you've basically been standing on your toes for 2.5 mins straight. The absolute LAST THING you want to do is MORE relevés where you have to really pick up your feet precisely on the music. Guillem does an excellent job with crips footwork, especially really pushing her arch on the sissones, when her legs must be so dead (Guillem @1:55). And every single pas de bourée she does is completely crossed as well on the last two diagonals: mindblowing.
So...If you made it this far, props to you. If you cant tell, I really love talking and analyzing ballets. This kind of post takes me a while but I do love making it. If it's not too much trouble, give it some feedback so I know I'm not boring you all haha. Do the timestamps help? Is it useful to have multiple videos or is it too confusing (different styles, choreographic versions etc.)? Are the other aspects that I'm not talking about in this analysis that you'd like to see discussed?
What is your opinion on Olesya Novikova? I see so many people wanting her to be promoted to principal, but I just can't bring myself to fully agree and I can't put into words why. She doesn't seem to have the same finesse and smoothness and assured technique that Tereshkina does. Am I the only one who feels this way?
You shouldn’t compare Tereshkina and Novikova. They’re completely different dancers! Both are amazing in their own right, but their styles are almost polar opposites.
I think Novikova is an amazing ballerina, and I absolutely agree that she should be promoted (btw you definitely shouldn’t have to agree with the popular opinion). She’s light, musical and expressive, and her technique is crystal clear. Russians often say that the true mark of a great prima is her soul, which is made visible when she dances. Very few dancers (primas or otherwise) posses this quality. Novikova definitely does.
I'm a big fan of Renata Shakirova, and really hope to see her as prima one day! I think she and Kimin Kim are such great dance partners I watched the RT documentary Ballet a la Russe featuring Shakirova and Sofia Valiulina. In this, Shakirova states that she and Kimin are much more than partners and they love each greatly. This is what I read from the English subs however, and was wondering whether she meant that they are in a realtionship, as these nuances get lost in translation often.
Are Kim and Shakirova dating? Also, on Youtube, someone said that Shakirova made her debut with the Mariinsky Ballet in Rubies while she was still at the Vagonova Academy. Is this true?
From what she said in the doco, it sounds like they are, but she didn’t explicitly state it.
Renata was definitely a fully-fledged member of the company when she debuted in “Rubies”. I think the debut happened around six or seven months after she graduated.
EDIT: Apparently her debut in “Rubies” took place in March 2014, while she was still a student. thank you @fileuse. The performance I was referring to must have been her second time (first as a full-time dancer). I don’t have any evidence to support this, but I think she may have been a trainee with the Mariinsky during her final year at VBA.
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.
Стрела и туман поучительная Притча! Мастер,- однажды спросил ученик,-почему существуют трудности, которые мешают нам достигнуть цели, отклоняют нас в сторону от выбранного пути, пытаются заставить признать свою слабость? То что ты называешь трудностями, ответил Учитель, на самом деле являются частью твоей цели. Перестань с этим бороться. Всего лишь подумай об этом, и прими в расчет, когда выбираешь путь. Представь, что ты стреляешь из лука. Мишень далеко, и ты не видишь ее,поскольку на землю опустился густой утренний туман. Разве ты борешься с туманом? Нет, ты ждешь, когда подует ветер и туман развеется. Теперь мишень видна, но ветер отклоняет полет твоей стрелы. Разве ты борешься с ветром? Нет,,, ты просто определяешь его направление и делаешь поправку, стреляя немного под другим углом. Твой лук тяжел и жёсток, у тебя не хватает сил натянуть тетиву. Разве ты борешься с луком? Нет, ты тренируешь свои мышцы, с каждым разом все сильнее натягивая тетиву. Но ведь существуют люди, которые
