#qa mariinsky

[melmothblog]

Hello there, slightly odd question. In the late 80s there was a Mariinsky soloist with amazing power and pirouettes and a pretty significant overbite. She specialized in Diamond fairy in Sleeping Beauty (in a few DVDs I have) and Odalisque 3 on the '89 Corsaire DVD. I'm a huge fan but I don't know who she is. Could you work your magic and let me know her name?

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The comments section on YouTube identify the three Odalisques as Margarita Kullik, Zhanna Ayupova and Irina Chistyakova (Chistyakova  being the 3rd). I tend to agree. She looks a lot like Chistyakova.

Chistyakova graduated from Vaganova Ballet Academy in 1975 (classes of Lidia Tyuntina and Aida Chernova) and danced with the Mariinsky from 1975 to 1998. She is currently a repetiteur with the company. 

I’ll do a separate post about her.

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Hi Melmoth; I've been watching the live broadcasts from Mariinsky and I honestly don't like Mariinsky's stage lights! I find it so depressing and dark. Do you if that´s a theatre choice? Altough it can be different watching a performance really at live...

I’ve never been to the Mariinsky, so I can’t draw an accurate comparison live VS digital. I think the simple answer is that the Mariinsky’s lighting is designed, first and foremost, for live performances. The way light interacts with surfaces and colours is a complicated science, and the end result would be different live and in digital format. I do think that this is something they need to take into consideration for live broadcasts because you’re right; it doesn’t loo great.

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How is Bulanova being received by the SPB audience? I think she is in great shape, but I worry that the ballet scene is centered very much on being very skinny, and that Bulanova might be judged unfairly because she is a little bigger than the average MT female dancer. Personally, I think that she and Shakirova are the two best actresses in the entire company. She brings back that life and exploration of character that was so prevalant back in the old days. But I'm curious on the Russians' take.

I don’t follow forums and critics because I find (the Russian ones at least) unreliable, and many tend to get personal. It’s hard to judge exactly how Bulanova was received. Since you started your message by referencing her body type, I think you’re aware of the many negative comments directed at Bulanova’s weight. It’s unfortunate that that is what people tend to focus on, especially considering that Bulanova is at that age when her body would be going through changes before it settles into a more “ballet appropriate” form. Eleonora Sevenard received similar criticism. I think Bulanova is great and has a lot of potential, though I wouldn’t place her in the same category as Shakirova just yet.

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[melmothblog]

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What was the critique of Khoreva’s Nikia debut like?

The biggest critique was her lack of emotionality and acting skills in that role.

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Dear Melmoth, if you click at "Балетная Труппа", not "Солисты 237 Сезона", you would see Shapran listed. As far as I know, she is at maternity leave again.

Thank you. An update for those who were wondering about Shapran.

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Would you agree with me that Khoreva seems to have gotten a but taller, muscular, and also just a little bit heavier (not that it’s a bad thing, I’m just not used to her new look rather than her look during her first season and her Vaganova days)?

I don’t track her closely enough to have noticed significant changes in her figure. That being said, dancers’ (and everyone else’s) bodies change over time. It’s normal. I think she’s in excellent shape.

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Do you know if Ionova will be promoted soon? She’s special, I think that she really really embodies the Vaganova style. Also, will Maria I get a promotion after her Swan Lake debut? I thought that this is the biggest test a ballerina can face, and I thought her debut was pretty impressive too.

It’s impossible to tell with the Mariinsky. As I keep saying, the company is relatively small, the company is chock-full of the best Vaganova graduates, and soloist places are limited. The competition is incredible and it’s hard to discern what the management’s priorities are when it comes to promoting dancers. 

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What happened to Misha B (his last name is too long for me)? I thought he was good enough to be the next Tsiskaridze, with all his elegance. What on earth happened to him, he’s getting nothing in Mariinsky! And what about Sveta Savelieva while we’re at it? I thought these two were among the best of their class, but they don’t seem to be getting any roles.

Misha Barkidjija was one of Nikolai’s favourite students, and Tsiskaridze had talked him up quite a bit. I don’t have a clue what happened to him. He’s listed as a member of the corps in the Mariinsky website but has, to my knowledge, not had any notable performances this season. We’ve all seen the level Misha performs at, and I don’t think the Mariinsky would let such talent go to waste. I think something may be up (like an injury). 

Savelieva is at the Mariinsky and performs fairly regularly. If you follow her on socials, she updates her insta pretty often (and she writes in English), and she is also contributing to La Personne blog now, which is kind of cool.

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[melmothblog]

I know this happened a couple months ago but I’m curious about Marianela Nunez’s performance at the Mariinsky. I can’t find any videos and I wonder how she was received by the Russian audience.

I think you’re referring to Kimin Kim’s Artistic Evening, which took place at the Mariinsky in June. I spent a long time looking but, unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find any videos of the performance or reviews… If anyone has had better luck, please let me know (through DM or email: [email protected]).

Here are some photos of Marianela preparing for the performance in her Mariinsky dressing room. The photos were taken by Xander Parish.

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[melmothblog]

Hi! I found some videos of the lovely Oksana Marchuk. I read the comments and people were saying how unfair it is for her to still be on corps de ballet, that the company gave up on her, blamed internal politics and even bashed Khoreva, Nuykina and Ionova in the process. They also mentioned the same is going to happen to Maria Bulanova (goodness, I hope not, she's so good). Do you have any thoughts about this? Any ideas why this happened and do you have any predictions about Bulanova's future?

I wouldn't put too much stock in YouTube comments. Especially ones from the russianballetvideos account (I have a feeling that’s the one you are talking about). The person running it is toxic and the comments section on there is a cesspool. 

The Mariinsky corps is filled to the brim with talented dancers. Here’s the problem with Russian ballet (I can summarise it in three points): 

VBA turns out world-class dancers

The Mariinsky takes the cream de la cream of each graduating class

There are only a handful of soloist and principal spots

It’s easy to say that dancers don’t progress through the ranks due to internal politics - I daresay this is often the case - but it is also an incredibly childish position to take. I can name a whole bunch of corps dancers off the top of my head who could make great soloists and who would be lucky to progress to coryphee. Are all of them being held back by politics? Of course not. There simply isn’t enough room. Incidentally, this is why some graduates (and even seasoned dancers) opt to jump ship and go to the Bolshoi instead - the company is bigger and offers more opportunities.

Marchuk isn’t a special case. There are countless stories like her. I don't know why Oksana’s career panned out the way it did, but I can confidently say that the competition at the Mariinsky is fierce because there are too many amazing dancers under the same roof.

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[melmothblog]

Do you know why the choreography for the Queen of Dryads variation in Don Q is so totally different between the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky?

The Bolshoi’s production was updated by Aleksei Fadeechev. I much prefer the original Petipa / Gosky version, which still runs at the Mariinsky. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Olga Smirnova, Queen of Dryads variation, The Bolshoi:

Alina Somova, Queen of Dryads variation, The Mariinsky:

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Nika Tsikhvataria and Vitaly Amelishko left Mariinsky and are now in, of all places, Samara.

Why tho?

I honestly find this very surprising, but, on the other hand, good on them for following their hearts!

By the way, in case anyone is interested, they moved to Samara because Yuri Burlaka is apparantly based there and both Nika and Vitaly wanted to work with him. Last summer they were given an opportunity to join the company as soloists and they agreed.

Hi! Do you know what is the relation between the Kirov academy in Washington, DC and the actual Mariinsky from St Petersburg? If there is any relation at all

There isn’t really a relationship between the two institutions. Russians are very insistent on keeping all talent “in house”, so all the company-academy connections exist only within the county.

Do you see any chances for Osmolkina to still get promoted to prima?

I think only a Mariinsky insider can answer that. And I’m not a Mariinsky insider. I think that Mariinsky will promote a new prima soon, they are kind of overdue with top rank promotions, but I have no idea who it will be.

Could Ionova, Bulanova or Nuykina be promoted at the end of this season?

Somehow I doubt it. There are only so many places in the ranks outside of corps. But, like I said above, only a true Mariinsky insider can answer that questions with any degree of certainty. 

Do you know why Lopatkina, Vishneva... are still listed as principals on the Mariinsky website? Also, why don't they just promote a new bunch of dancers like Novikova to principal?

You’re not the only one asking this question. I wonder about it myself. While Vishneva still dances at the Mariinsky (once in a blue moon), Lopatkina and Makhalina have well and truly retired. There may be a legal reason for keeping their names up there; I don’t know how the contracts work or when they expire (Daria Pavlenko stayed up there for years after retiring). On the other hand, I can see why the Mariinsky may not be willing to remove the names from their website. Over the past two decades, "Lopatkina” and “Makhalina” have become synonymous with the Mariinsky and Russian ballet as a whole. They are a brand in their own right. It must be hard to let something like that go.

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[melmothblog]

Ask Responses: Mariinsky

I just noticed that not only will Khoreva be playing Masha in Nutcracker (yay!) but Anastasia Nuikina will be as well! I have really enjoyed what I’ve seen of Nuikina so far, but I was quite surprised. Obviously she’s been given some great soloist roles already, but she generally flies a little more under the radar than Ionova, Khoreva, and Bulanova. Did she ever dance Masha with VBA? Is the choreography and production the same for MT and VBA? I’m glad that she is thriving in the company!

Nuykina hadn’t performed Princess Masha at VBA but she was very actively involved in the academy’s other productions (“The Nutcracker”, “The Fairy Doll”, “The Awakenign of Flora”), regularly went on tour and competed in Vaganova Prix.  While she wasn’t as instantly recognisable as Khoreva and Ionova, she never really flew under the radar.

Yes, the productions are the same.

Hi melmoth, what is your opinion about oksana marchuk and will she ever leave the mariinsky? (i love your blog btw :))

Thank you. I’m afraid I no longer share my opinions on dancers. In terms of career prospects, only Marchuk can say what her plans and aspirations are. She’s been in the Mariinsky corps for eight years now, but she gets to perform solos fairly regularly (though not as many as you’d expect).

Do you know who the coaches are for Khoreva, Ionova, and Nuikina are?

I don’t know about Nuykina, but Khoreva is coached by Elvira Tarasova (Kondaurova’s, Matvienko’s and Shapran’s coach) and Ionova is coached by Margarita Kullik (Sharirova’s coach).

Do you think Daria Ionova will ever become a prima?

It’s impossible to tell. The Mariinsky corps is chock-full of very talented and promising young dancers. You can’t always predict who will advance and how their careers will unfold. I would’ve though that Tskvitariia and Ilyushkina would’ve been promoted by now, but no such luck.  I think Ionova can make a very strong soloist, but I don’t want to jinx her by making predictions.

I know everyone has been giving Khoreva such a hard time lately, and I do think her promotion is really crazy, but I kind of feel bad for her. She seems to be extremely overworked. All of her instagram captions used to be so inspirational but now they all seem to be about how frustrated she is with her dancing. I just feel like Mariinsky is putting so much pressure on such a young person which could have been avoided by keeping her in the corps for just a little longer.

Khoreva’s situation is similar to that of Renata Shakirova back in 2015 and 2016. The big difference is that Shakirova didn’t have the added pressure of having to justify her position with the company (as she was a coryphee and then a second soloist). But the workload is similar. I remember that at one point I purposefully stopped checking on Shakirova because I kept expecting her to get injured, especially after Lukina suffered a potentially career-ending injury due to being overworked. The next few years will be make or break for Khoreva. I hope she can make it through. By the way, I don’t think that keeping Khoreva in the corps would’ve made much difference to her workload. As Shkirova’s and Lukina’s cases show, it’s not the rank that determines the workload but the potential the management sees in a dancer. 

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