"Sleeping Beauty" reconstruction 16/17 The Mariinsky Ballet; Obraztsova/Korsakov

[MlleOdilette]

@theamazingsoter sautte battu doesnt sound good..

[theamazingsoter]

@MlleOdilette Well, you can't judge a variation based on only one step. Doug Fullington has "translated" the notations of the full variation combination by combination, and I think the choreography is very interesting and difficult. For example, in the 5th combination Désiré does 9 entrechats six and 12 brisés volés (like the Bluebird) in the 7th!

I hope Vikharev can fully reconstruct the Grand Pas de Quatre with the fairies and Petipa's variation some day, because it all sounds fascinating!

[cynthesize]

They are both beautiful dancers but Tchaikowsky must be turning over in his grave at the tempi and phrasing. I will give benefit of the doubt to the dancers here...but for me-they are off the music (and again, this could be the way they were coached...moving before the change of phrase) and his variation, in particular, is too slow. It is written VIVACE and Prestissimo. Pity.

[alexandraballetpybc]

omg i did this part

[fawbs80]

i don't think i have seen a Prince go round the stage anti-clockwise in his solo at 06:00 before? they usesually seem to go clockwise is this down to the dancer or in the choreography

[693810]

i love her dress!

[Pearlaceous]

Obraztsova is the perfect Aurora - she has beautiful physique, technique and charm. She is also musical and expressive - it is just ridiculous that she is not a Principal.

[livethedarkdream]

@Pearlaceous I completely agree. Obraztsova deserves to be a principal. She is so well-rounded both technically and musically. Personally, I feel Alina Somova should be demoted to first soloist and Evgenia be promoted to Principal. Like you said, it's ridiculous that she isn't a Principal.

[pepercat17]

reconstruted or not, i know that the dancers of the day where on tiem and on music. i dont understand why the dancers are not on music. or did the modern dances slow down the music to look like their with the music. surely these dancers can be tha sloppy

[luvballet5]

@pepercat17 sometimes conductors play unbearably slow (such as here) and the dancers, who are used to a certain tempo have a hard time dancing that slow, so it makes them appear to be ahead of the music.

[EricMontreal22]

It'sinteresting, before this reconstruction I always though the famous "fishdive" ending to the Pas de Deux was a Western invention (maybe springing from the London Diaghilev production or theoriginal Royal Ballet) as the Russian ones I saw always ended, I think, with a lift pose. But I geuss not?

[mrlopez2681]

the "lift pose" (as seen in the film with, I believe, Kolplakova) is a soviet invention. But the choreography you see here is also the soviet edtion with reconstructed elements (for example, the lifts from 2:00 - 2:29). Petipa originally staged this as a pas de quatre with the gold & sapphire fairies participating.

[EricMontreal22]

In Tim Scholl's (sp?) he says that the pas de quatre was element was probably dropped sometime in the 1890s--I thought it was in't in the notations anyway? It';s one of those elements--like the presence of the Sarabande, that seems to be controversial. I know that Desiree's solo is the later standard one although again some say it came from when Legat danced the role not long after--poor Gerdt gets a lot of flack for no tbeing a stron genough dancer on his own when this is all discussed :P

[cubanmiamiboy]

@mrlopez2681

According to Danilova's memoirs the now standard fish dives in this PDD were created for Diaguilev's "The Sleeping Princess" for Spesisstzeva, as she recalls seeing them incorporated for the first time in some performances right after her return to Russia from that season.

[BernardProfitendieu]

Korsakov is always elegant (and I think I even saw him smile there for half a second!) well matched with Obraztsova

here

I wonder who the imbecile is who's rating all these only 1 star?

[sangfroidjen]

The imbeciles who perceive Obraztsova as threat to Alina Somova. These trolls search out Obraztsova's videos, rank them 1 star/ make disparaging remarks about her that aren't even critiques. The two are very different dancers, granted. But if you say something remotely critical about Somova, who I happen to love in certain roles, but the Somova-ites will resort to ugly tactics. Alina and Genia are probably friends for all we know, too bad the same can't be said about their petty fans.

[looovecats]

I am one of Obraztsova's fan who dislike Somova and I understand when somebody says that Obraztsova should be promoted before Somova (I said the same things also about Novikova and Osmolkina, that they are better "principal material" because they don't need to improve as much as Somova), but I don't understand why it's Obraztsova who is trashed by Somova's fans, not the other two dancers I mentioned. Maybe because Obraztsova and Somova are popular on youtube more than other dancers?

[sangfroidjen]

IMO Obraztsova is the superior dancer over Somova. Somova is at her best in Balanchine where acting/ emoting aren't required. Obraztsova has great dramatic abilities and artistic purity. As for Obraztsova being targeted by Somova-ites, it galls them to see her as the other young, popular Mariinsky ballerina. These same fans often gush inanely about Somova being the best interpreter of every role she's ever danced. So I wouldn't put much stock in their insights, 1 start or no star.

[Pearlaceous]

You only have to watch Obraztsova in class to see her musicality and expressiveness. She is a lovely ballerina and has such charm - a natural quality which cannot be taught.