What have Alina Cojocaru, Natalia Osipova and Viengsay Valdés got in common? Well yes, they are all ballet dancers. And yes, they have all danced Giselle. But think more deeply... They've all got dark hair? Now you're just being silly. I'll have to tell you. They all have shoes made with solar power! But I expect you'd already guessed that. America's Cardinal Shoe Corp, … [Read more...] about Why are Alina Cojocaru, Natalia Osipova and Viengsay Valdés wearing green pointe shoes?
Kondaurova
Kondaurova, Ermakov and the Mariinsky girls triumph in La Bayadère in Turin
The Mariinsky Ballet are entering their last week of a three-week run at Turin's Teatro Regio, after a week of their Fokine programme, a week of Bayadères, and now they start on their twelve Swan Lakes. The Regio's modern theatre was designed for opera and leaves the dancer, especially the male ballet dancer, shortchanged. Andrey Ermakov's huge leaps brought him dangerously … [Read more...] about Kondaurova, Ermakov and the Mariinsky girls triumph in La Bayadère in Turin
Critics round-up: Mariinsky at Covent Garden, Don Quixote
The third ballet programme brought to London by the Marrinsky Ballet was Don Quixote, the perennial crowd-pleaser with which the Bolshoi scored such a success a year ago. Strangely only two days of their three-week stay was devoted to this classic, but they scored another hit nevertheless. As The Times noted, What a shame there were just two performances of this greatest of … [Read more...] about Critics round-up: Mariinsky at Covent Garden, Don Quixote
Critics round-up: Mariinsky at Covent Garden, Homage to Fokine
The second of six programmes brought to London by the Mariinsky was a triple bill of Mikhail Fokine's choreography: Chopiniana, The Firebird and Scheherazade. The Times explained the programming: In the space of two years, Mikhail Fokine created a trio of works that helped to change our perception of classical ballet. Chopinianaembodied the very idea of abstract ballet; The … [Read more...] about Critics round-up: Mariinsky at Covent Garden, Homage to Fokine