Alina Cojocaru in Swan Lake

[reginaholic]

I can't believe everyone has forgotten about Marianela Nunez's performance! Her interpretation, technique and passion as Odette/Odile has everyone beat!!!

[daeelly]

Odette is supposed to be innocent and sweet and Odile is the evil one. The thing is that Odile has to look innocent to fool Siegfried that she is Odette. She doesen't have to look evil all the pas de deux. At least this is the way I see it.

[catrielgarcia]

what a wonderful artist

[loulie1997]

love her!

[loulie1997]

is she a prima?

[DancinFeet1994]

@loulie1997 oh yes she is

[leitmotif4me]

Obviously a television clip, the editing is choppy and distracting, which made it harder for me to concentrate on the technique of the dancer.

[kkiimmiissiipp]

all i have to say is that this role is not for alina. when it comes to embodying the swan, it's svetlana zakharova because of her height and white skin. but my favorite for this role is marianela nunez -- medium height, but very gentle and warm as odette, smart, seductress and confident as odile.

[Leirix61]

i prefer her Giselle, Swanlake she isnt very good. Zakharova's is THE Odette/Odile, but she cant reach the charm of Cojocaru in Giselle.

[petitesssirene]

Ok so after visionning hundred of videos of Sveltana and Alina: I think Alina is more expressive and gracious.

But to me, Sveltana has the perfect SWAN body. So tall, skinny and flexible it's unreal. She really looks like an fantasy fairy tale animal.

So

For this one ballet, I vote Sveltana.

[alina2702]

@petitesssirene it's Svetlana.

[stephenburtondepp]

What song is this?

[donquixote444]

@repn87 Yes, odette should be calm and innocent. But personally, I feel they have a different innocence. When playing odette, her emotions are more melancholic, and I think Alina is better suited for the timid roles, such as Giselle. I don't think she can master white swan's emotions as well as other roles, thats all.

[daeelly]

La Multi Ani Alina!

[kkiimmiissiipp]

i don't like it. she's for sleeping beauty and cinderella and giselle, but not for swan lake. medium to tall are the ideal height requirements to play this part. and that's just my opinion.

[tansija]

For me Alina will always be the best Cinderella ever! I can't imagine her doing Swan Lake...

[caz8350]

@lashenova

I couldn't agree more with you. Alina is THE BEST

[jyothika12]

i always prefer lopatkina's swan.....

[Scafr]

I adore Alina, beautifull in every role...I think she's the best dancer today, no rivals!

[SuperBalletgirl101]

What I love about Alina, is that any role she performs, she completely puts her heart into the role. No matter what people say, I think she is amazing as a Odette.

[Bwwbe]

Alina is the most intelligent dancer i´ve ever seen before. That´s the reason she can dancin every role. Zackarova has an incredible body and effortless style (so fine). But Alina seems to me more in balance or harmony. She radiates real love of life!

[kfmcmahon]

I perfer svetlana zakharova in this role- svetlana has unbelieveably long legs and arms and also crazy beautiful extensions. But Alina has this sort a fragility and timidness that I really adore.

[Juventina1005]

@kfmcmahon i prefer her too. to me svetlana is the best swan i've ever seen, her moves are so graceful and light. whenever i see her in swan lake i don't think wow she dances odette/odile so well, she IS the swan. in general i prefer taller dancers because it looks more graceful and lyrical to me. but i think its a matter of taste. for the role of cupid or aurora i prefer alina because she looks so innocent and dances so sweet.

[CherrySlushie13]

the high kick on the left leg wasnt very high...... wtf?

[TenduYou]

I enjoyed her interpretation. She seemed lovely and fragile - not tragic and melodramatic.

[wooddog15]

i was really disappointed watching this!!! :( Alina dances like a spirited young girl not a grave swan. not her best role because it really is not suited to her but her technique is beautiful. I love her a Lise in La Fille and Aurora in Sleeping Beauty but not as Odette... I want to see her black swan if she can pull it off.

[BlueBallerina1]

@wooddog15 yeah she isn't suitable for such a role. She is good in fast roles. but it is OK I suppose

[clarissapascual]

i think the best role for her is clara in the nutcracker. i prefer her more than zakharova because she is a more tasteful dancer. the only thing i hate her as is kitri... when she does the variation, her running looks like that of a 3 legged horse. it made me laugh.

[sjauncey]

I also adore Alina but I think she's best in Giselle, or in her version of the Rose Adagio.

[AriaInTheSky]

Not her best role, but I absolutely adore her!

[FerSbMT]

ups yes i love alina she´s the best of ROH

but i have to accept that this not her role ...

but in other like Giselle or Aurora ooo good she´s the PERFECTION!!

but yes my favoriye swan is Zakharova ...

LOVE ALINA!!

[donquixote444]

This is not her part. As beautiful and graceful as she is, she is too innocent to be a swan. This is why she kicks butt as a Giselle; she is adorable!!!!!! <3

[Wotan123456789]

@donquixote444 To innocent to be a swan? Giselle is more courageous and brave than Odette! After all she stands against the Willis in order to save Albrecht!

[donquixote444]

@Wotan123456789 Fair enough. But Odette is a much more powerful and strong role, and not nearly as innocent a role as Giselle. Alina can perform the steps, but I dont feel she masters the character.

[loulie1997]

@donquixote444 isn't the swan supposed to be innocent?

[wackyduck39]

Her extensions and her lines are amazing but i do agree ive seen better feet

[p40531]

her control and her amazing foot work is alive in this video, but her truly amazing roles, would be aurora, kitri, coppelia, cinderella, those are her roles, as swan i'll prefer lacarra or makhalina. She's totally beautiful, Alina is gorgeous, but Odette/Odile is just not her best role. Obviously she's so amazing watching her is a complete pleasure no matter the role she's performing. BTW odette is a very hard role, you know, capture the escense, that's why not all dancers are good at the role.

[gabrielladepaula1995]

Cojocaru is so expressice, graceful. But at 0:30... her point shoes was shaking so much. And i think she isn't a swan at all, she didnt move her arms like she sloud move.

But nobody is perfect and i still think she is one of the bests.

obs: my fist language isn't english, so sorry if i wrote something wrong :/

[tutugirl4life]

Alina is perhaps my favorite ballerina of all time, but I am not going to lie, Odette is not her starring role. Personally, I think she is more suited to roles like Giselle or Aurora

[AriaInTheSky]

Alina is my favorite dancer of all time, but I'm still debating who's the best of Odette/Odile.

[FerSbMT]

Alina is my favorite dancer but i have to accept that Zakharova is the best swan ª!!!!!

[XDuudaX]

Swan Lake é o cara!

[XDuudaX]

o Lago dos Cisnes na minha opinião é o melhor!

[havenization]

it works for me , she is in the moment

[KittyUSF]

she has awesome extension and technique but i like her more as a sleeping beauty despite her control i wasnt wowed by her swan...Lucia Laccarra is my fav. swan =)

[TheBunduBallerina]

I agree, I especially prefer her Giselle. Zakharova is my favourite Swan, but I'll allow Lacarra a close second ;)

[Lissbirds]

Her control in coming down from her arabesques is amazing. I've never seen anyone hold an arabesque with such a combination of strength and lightness like she does.

But did you notice how small the stage is? She had to bourree in the opposite direction in between those lame ducks so she didn't run out of floor!

[urranuss]

amazing.she is so graceful and expressive

i think she is the best female principle in the royal ballet

[sleepribbon]

She's such a beautiful Odette,

I love her graceul and controlled her movements are, and how she doesn't whack the side of her head with her legs all the time, because we already know she can do it.

[Uta420]

I love her as Odette because of the amount of control she has over her movements and her balances OMG! She balances long enough to give a little something extra with her arms, which makes it real Swan Lake to me. Beautiful!

[SvetlanaZakharova123]

She is really good, i have to admit, but i still don't think i can like anybody as much as nina ananiashviil

[czechmate85]

how about svetlana zakharova? :)

[kattheballerina]

She has a wondeful way of making the movements look so natural...almost as though they are spontaneous making the idea of a swan more imaginable. I love that...it's her own style. I do like the sharp technical precision of Zakharova but this is something else...Cojocaru is definately one of my favourites! I do agree that Swan Lake isn't her best though.

[milaynemilayne]

she is the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[taytayballet]

I think she does a great job.

What else can I say?

I have no place to judge a proffessional dancer, because its not about how we personally feel that they could have done better. The fact is that they are displaying their love for dance, and we shouldn't critique them because if we are watching this, we obviously share that passion and you should know that it took a lot for her to get where she is today, and that we have so much further to go if all we can do is critique professional dancers

[vanillabean001]

i like how she performs this. she's not all technique technique technique. not that technique isn't important, because it most definitely is!!! you need it to do everything! however, it annoys me when people don't perform because they're too obsessed with being in "perfect positions." if you know what i mean.

[sissipiaf]

she's ine of the best ever!!!!!!!

[trondergirl]

It's amazing how very different she looks in this ballet. Much of it's done partially with the (perhaps excessive) stage makeup, but I find it hard to imagine that this is also the radiant Aurora of the Rose Adagio, or the bewitched and shimmering Cinderella descending the stairs en pointe to the ballroom. Swan Lake is not, I think, her best role, and I agree that part of it is about line. Still, I give her credit for immersion in the dramatic character of Odette.

[Roccarocks]

I agree. I don't think she shines that much in Swan Lake (it's just not 'her) and same thing for 'La Bayadere'. Where she REALLY shines is in Giselle, Sleeping Beauty (of course), Nutcracker, and Cinderella.

But I LOVE her! <3<3<3

[ohbudda]

Best post-Makarova ODETTE!

[OnlyBallet]

Not very tall...I can't remember her exact height but I'm sure someone will know.

[GabbyGenevieve]

5'2"? I 'm going off another video's comment

[cheerdancegirl12]

she is 5'2" which i'm glad to hear because that is how tall I am.

[sillyboydeux]

@OnlyBallet Standing next to Carreño at Sleeping Beauty curtain calls she looks around 5' 4", 5' 5". But when she is en pointe with those beautiful arms she seems much, much larger. One of the greatest dancers I have ever seen, in the company of Fonteyn, Plisetskaya, Alonzo and Antoinette Sibley. She has no equal today, in my bloated opinion.

[sillyboydeux]

@sillyboydeux Oh and I forgot to mention Marcia Haydee and Alessandra Ferri,

[SuperBalletgirl101]

@sillyboydeux I am 5' 3" and when I stood next to her after her performance at the MET, she was shorter then me. I could not belive it as when she was on stage she look much taller. I think she is probably around 5'2"

[cheerdancegirl12]

yes, someone told me she was 5'2" I was glad to hear it because thats how tall I am.

[MakeUpHawg]

@pointe200 i believe shes only about 5'1!

[vaganovaballerina1]

@pointe200 i'm pretty sure she is 5'2"

[lacouerfairy]

@pointe200 I believe she's 5'3"

[wigglebells]

@pointe200 I heard she's like 5'4"

[Lissbirds]

@pointe200 I think she's 5'2", but don't quote me on that.

[BlueBallerina1]

@pointe200 i think 5'2

[RainingSilence]

@pointe200 5'3''

[animeaddict13]

@pointe200

She's 5' 2"

[schermerhorn23]

@pointe200 she's 5'1..TINY! but fabulous proportions

[dancer4freakinlife]

@pointe200 I think like 5'1 or 5'2, not quite sure

[hayden2312]

@pointe200 shes 5'2"

[AmaranteNaga]

@pointe200

Alina Cojocaru is 5'2, 158 cm.

[lbcasscells]

@pointe200 she is 5 foot 2 inches and has a shoe size of 2!!

[hikari6986]

@pointe200 I believe she's around 5' 2 or something but not taller than 5' 4

[DreamsontheWater]

@pointe200 She is 5'2''.

[polkadotpolka123]

@pointe200 she's only about 5 ft 2!

[Leirix61]

@pointe200 little late my answer :) but she is 5 feet 2 inches :) whisch should be around 158 cm

[HattyWatty11]

@pointe200 5 foot 6

[jsv89]

I think she does this beautiful,...the only thing I thought off is that the tempi seems a bit to slow for her.

[lashenova]

I think this is from when she danced in Russia. She must have been really young.

[boggydance]

actually no. this was with the romanian ballet in bucharest and if i'm not mistaken it was like two years ago.

i also agree this is not her role. as much as i like and enjoy her dancing this is just not for her. or maybe just not yet.

[minkadapink]

i think she is a good dancer but i dont think she suits odette/odile

[sweetieyouhadme092]

yeah alina cojocaru is amazing that's for sure.

but in this role, i especially LOVE gillian murphy!

[amythomas171993]

Alina and Gillian are my favorites!

[swanlakegirl]

Stunning, I think she's lovely, but my personal opinion goes to Gillian Murphy

[lashenova]

Zakharova reminds me of a Russian rythmic gymnast. (Extention and tricks, no emotion) She lacks the musicality, expression, and emotion of Cojocaru. Great technique and perfect placement. Alina has the same technique and almost the same extentions. But she trumps her in truly connecting with the audience. There is more to dane than tricks. One must melt into the music and role. I feel too many young dancers are obsessed with perfection and extention; they forget to dance with their hearts.

[Zolyushka95]

@lashenova I agree 100% In everything I've seen her in, Zakharova has that same focussed look, but Alina, like all of the Royal Ballet Etolies, practically becomes the character.

[XxBallerina4ChristxX]

@lashenova I dont agree with you. I used to think Svetlana was all extensions and no emostions but now I realize that's completely wrong. She desplays real emotion and artistry, especially in roles like Giselle, and even contemporary roles. (I personally love her Odile). I do agree that Alina desplays more artistry though. But just because Svetlana has extensions doesn't mean she has no emotion or connection with the audience.

[loulie1997]

@lashenova I disagree... Zakharova may not be the best actress but i think she deserves the title of prima. Cojocaru is very good but i don't think she's good enough to get the title of prima.... just my thoughts...

[TheAscendingOne]

@lashenova i think zakharova is very expressive!

[OnlyBallet]

Actually, I also think Zakharova is the ultimate swan. She is so lyrical and exquisitely musical, and understated but brilliant as Odile.

[merluzasfritas]

Really?,for me Zackarova has an expression that works as Medora and as Aspicia,even maybe as odile, but for me as odette, she doesn´t works. I mean, her technique is great,beautiful dance...but that is all.And when I watch a ballet I need more..

[OnlyBallet]

When Zakharova does Odette, I am not so focused on her facial expression. Its what she does with her body - how she moves, how she phrases - that I find quite unbeatable and miss in every other ballerina doing the same role. But it is personal taste, I suppose.

[merluzasfritas]

Sorry, i am not talking about her facial expression, but about her body language in general. With Sveltana I can always tell she is performing. Then we have the fact that she never has real connecton with her dancing parthner..

[horowitz4family]

This is a beautiful video of Alina Cojocaru in Swan Lake, beautiful artistry and passion and technique. I saw her video of Don Quixote pas de deux where she has such a long balance in the gala rehersal.

[yotsuba91]

very beautiful

[AaronKong]

i think she is better in sleeping beauty...she is like young,sweet n elegant..is excatly like the character of aurora..but i still like her here in swanlake

[thecoconutbubble]

Hmm.. I think I prefer her Giselle. She doesn't seem to have the lines for all the arabesques and attitudes in Swan Lake. Lovely still, of course.

[balletgirl16]

love her

she's my favorite

she's just amazing

her expression is the best

everything in her!!

[jsmith71292]

Alina is my favorite ballet dancer. I hope she puts out more videos!

[AML32FOUETTES]

me too.

[jamsmen]

I don't think it's on DVD I'm afraid.

There is a DVD of Alina in the Nutcracker though.

[sugargrace8]

Is this available on DVD?