#maria bulanova

[tikitania]

Which debuts do you wish to see at the Mariinsky? I'll go first:

Konovalov: Solor, Ferkhad

Khiteeva: Giselle, Aurora, O/O

Lukina: Shyrin, Raymonda

Bulanova: Mekhmeneh Bahnu, Kitri

Shakirova: Mekhmeneh Bahnu, Marguerite (from Marguerite and Armand)

I would add other names and performances to the list, but these are the ones I'm most interested in seeing, at the moment.

Oh! These are spot on. I would add Paquita & Scheheradze for Bulanova. She's so underutilized — I know I keep kvetching about this - but I just don't understand why she's on the sidelines. Also: Ramanbek Belashniev as Basil. I really hope his career progresses. I've long thought that Khiteeva would be a standout Giselle. She has the dramatic heft for these roles. I'd love to see her in that first, then Aurora, then O/O. Shakirova: I'd like to see her do a really standout Aurora & Giselle. Obviously, these are not debuts, but she's now a prima and very beloved. So she needs to dance some of these classical roles with commanding technique and style. I don't think she's a swan and we can put that to rest. But these would quiet the doubters. In a year or two, we'll see what Kulikova and the others are capable of and we can begin to put them on wishlists. Or maybe sooner!

Speaking of debuts. Svetlana Savalieva danced the Fairy of Tenderness role / Candide Fairy recently and she looks lovely. It's tough to essentially walk across stage on pointe shoes and make it look it dainty and graceful. Bravo! Also, check out Skorkik's Italian fouettés @ 2:20. These are the most joyful fouettés I have seen in a long time. Usually, the vibe I get from the dancer is "Is this almost over? Or just make it to the end!" Kondaureva struggled through hers recently and it's clear that she's not 100% after her injury. I hope she gets there.

#ballet #mariinsky ballet #youtube #debut dreams #wish list #maria bulanova #alexandra khiteyeva #anastasia lukina #Svetlana Savalieva #evgeny konovalov #renata shakirova

[patricedumonde]

Masha Bulanova is rehearsing Aurora 👀 I wonder if I’m late to the news or

#russian ballet #dancer updates #maria bulanova #Masha bulanova

[miss-mollys-ballet-blog]

Look, I love Legend of Love with all my heart, I’m probably one of the few outside of Russia who do and close to the only one on tumblr that does. However, Mekhemene Banu’s monologue is PAINFUL when danced by someone with no passion and acting and emotion. I’m watching Maria Bulanova perform it and while physically she looks awesome in the choreography, she offers nothing in terms of artistry and I want to scream. This is such a powerful piece and the music builds perfectly, I don’t understand how anyone can’t put everything into it. She just has the doe in the headlights sad face and it makes me want to scream.

#ballet text post #legend of love #Maria Bulanova #favorite ballet #ballet

[balletomaneblog]

Former Vaganova Students as Hebe from the Awakening of Flora!

Here's a collection of Vaganova grads dancing the Hebe variation from the Awakening of Flora. I really love when Vaganova girls perform this variation so I thought it'd be fun to see them all together! I particularly enjoyed Bulanova, Khiteyeva, and Koshkareva, but they're all lovely!

Maria Bulanova at Vaganova Graduation (8th year, 2018)

Alexandra Khiteyeva at a class concert (6th year, 2017)

Maria Koshkareva competing at IBC Moscow (7th year, 2022)

Yaroslavna Kuprina competing at IBC Moscow (7th year, 2022)

Eleonora Sevenard in a gala concert (7th year, 2016)

Renata Shakirova at Vaganova Graduation (8th year, 2014)

#ballet #hebe #awakening of flora #maria bulanova #alexandra khiteyeva #maria koshkareva #yaroslavna kuprina #renata shakirova #kanon suzuki #Youtube #vaganova

[ballet-symphonie]

Mariinsky Asks

I was wondering if you've seen the pictures and videos of La Fille du Pharaon premiering at the Mariinsky. I've been waiting with trepidation. I have the video of this ballet staged by the Bolshoi and their make up was very problematic, to the say the least. Especially Aspiccia's maid in full on blackface. I don't think I've managed to watch the entire thing because it REALLY bothered me.

I was very pleasantly surprised with the costumes at the Mariinsky! Such stunning costumes! Probably their most beautiful. I didn't see the entire thing but, from what I've watched, no blackface to be seen and I breathed a sigh of relief. Hopefully this is a first step in the right direction. Maybe next thing they'll be changing around some other makeup in other ballets? (Especially in The Bayadere, I have to skip the entire part featuring children) Baby I steps? cannot speak for the cultural appropriation and aspects of Egyptian culture being used because it's not my place to but I'd be curious about it, too.

Sure its better because there’s no blackface but that’s the lowest bar ever.  I’m not sure this is a ballet I’d really want to see. It’s not dramatically captivating, and some of the variations just look downright uncomfortable to get through (unless you’re Kimin Kim). I personally didn’t like the costumes, for how much money they must have spent, they looked a little tacky and overly shiny to me. I have also read reviews saying this ballet REALLY dragged with excessive pantomime. Like its 3.5 hours long- absolutely obnoxious. Haven’t found many clips of the pantomime, obviously because no one is interested. It is an interesting concept of reconstruction, but it almost feels like something that belongs in a museum and not on stage. 

Hey, Ale, first of all big love to you for your great blog 🫶🏼 Concerning Anastasia Plotnikova, I feel like she’s kind of become the 2020 graduate with the most featured roles at MT. Others like Valeria Bespalova and Lizi Avsadjanishvili (before she left) seemed to stand out more at Vaganova. Still, Plotnikova seemed to get more soloist parts that seem to lead the path to promotions for new graduates (shades solo, odaliaques solo, variation in Paquita) while the others didn’t. I think the biggest part she’s gotten is the Queen of the Dryads. I don’t know if that’s considered a principal role? But I think at least a big soloist role? :D I just think it’s interesting how things for the 2020 class are working out. They are the first Vaganova class I followed as students already and to me, it seemed that they would take over the theatre like Khoreva and friends, only that their year had even more red diplomas. I was a bit surprised that it seemed that they were given opportunities so much slower than at least the 2018 year. I’m really interested in hearing your thoughts on the 2020 graduates, especially because I thought it was so fascinating that 5 girls danced Masha in the Nutcracker, when only two years later no girl in the graduate year was deemed good enough.

Plotnikova has definitely adjusted to professional life better than expected and is certainly making the most of herself and separating herself from the rather mediocre classes from 2020-2022. Queen of the Dryads is a good step forward. I theoretically would worry about her getting pushed aside for the 2023…but since the ‘big 3’ are all going to BT, I think we will be seeing more of her. 

A red diploma doesn’t guarantee anything. There are girls who are soloists without one, and there are girls who are sitting in the corps for life with red diplomas. It’s important to remember that the diplomas take their dancing and their academics into account. For example, Elya Sevenard doesn’t have a red diploma. You need one to work in the theater of course, but that’s it. 

Regarding the VBA’s Nutcracker casting, I truly have no explanation. Principal roles in public shows should be kept for the strongest students of the graduating class. Not juniors with 2 more years left and certainly no poaching MT boys. 

What did you think of Bulanova’s recent black swan pas? I’m not sure she’s quite ready for a debut, although her turns were great as usual. Tbh I’d be more concerned about her odette in this case, but I’m hoping to see her in more classical leads. I really hope she debuts kitri soon, and i dream of seeing her as aurora although that probably won’t happen anytime soon lol

O/O is not a walk in the park and I don’t think she’s ready. Shakirova, who is also very much not the O/O type, found her technical shortcomings front and center in the White acts. I don’t think Bulanova would be any stronger honestly. I’d think about giving her a shot at Kitri, but I think she’s even worse suited for Aurora than O/O. 

It looks like as of 4 April Mariinsky finally promoted some of their men, Roman Belyakov and Evgeny Konovalov are now first soloists! Also a couple of Tsiskaridze´s boys are now coryphees too

Took them long enough, it’s what they deserve. 

Is it just me, or Lukina's dancing seems a bit "jerky" to me? Like I never feel comfortable when watching her, especially during more technical choreo like the Medora variation, etc. I feel much better watching Bulanova, but it seems that Lukina will be promoted first. Thoughts?

Lukina is generally not the strongest technical dancer and has had a string of injuries resulting in tendencies to be tentative with harder choreography. However, she is known to have powerful people pushing for her in the theater in addition to a comparatively better physique.  On the other hand, Bulanova is seemingly fearless and will dive head first into anything she’s given but is subjected to heavy typecasting and is also more limited in terms of her options for a partner. 

Did Alina Somova leave the Mariinsky?

This is very old news no? But yes, she’s at Ananiashvili's State Ballet of Georgia. Her husband is Georgian and has appeared in Ukrainian benefit galas in Zurich. 

#ballet #ballerina #russian ballet #ballet ask #mariinsky theatre #alina somova #maria bulanova #anastasia lukina #Anastasia Plotnikova #la fille du pharon

[apinyanamkaw]

International athletes have door opened by Title IX for new opportunities

Listen to this article 0:00 / 6:19 1X BeyondWords For Maria Bulanova, it was a matter of surprise — that she could be recruited to the bowling team at Vanderbilt "all the way from Russia."

Like other international athletes playing college sports in the United States, she had little sense of Title IX when she was younger. But the federal law has opened the door for thousands of female athletes from abroad to get an American education and possibly a shot at a life and career in the United States.

"People were surprised that Vanderbilt was able to recruit me all the way from Russia," Bulanova said. "They were like, ‘Oh, wow. Their recruiting is really diverse.’ Like, ‘Wow. They saw you all the way from there.'"

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Bulanova was looking to bowl in Europe after finishing her last year of school in Russia. In November 2015, she represented Russia in the World Cup in Las Vegas and bowled well enough that several American colleges wanted her to visit. She visited five colleges in one week in February 2016 before choosing Vanderbilt.

"What really made them stand out is obviously the education. And I was also looking for a good bowling program where I know that we’re going to win something, we’re going to be in competition for the national championship. So Vanderbilt had both, and that was perfect," said Bulanova, who graduated in 2020 and is now in her second year competing on tour with the Professional Women’s Bowling Association. She is also working on a master’s degree at St. Francis in New York, where she is an assistant coach.

Bulanova helped Vanderbilt win its second national championship in women’s bowling in 2018. There were also two other international players: Kristin Quah of Singapore and Emily Rigney of Australia.

Coach John Williamson started the Vanderbilt bowling program in 2004, building off a club team, and has three national runner-up finishes in addition to the two national championships.

Title IX is opening the door for thousands of female athletes from abroad to get an education in the US.

🥇เว็บตรง มั่นคง ปลอดภัย 🥇

#เว็บเล่นสล็อต

[balletroyale]

Maria Bulanova in The Sleeping Beauty (Mariinsky Ballet) 

#maria bulanova #The Sleeping Beauty #the sleeping beauty ballet #sleeping beauty #sleeping beauty ballet #mariinsky ballet #ballet #dance #lilac fairy #ballerina #dancer #gif #my gif

[galina-ulanova]

Maria Bulanova and Victor Caixeta in Push Comes to Shove (Mariinsky Ballet)

#ballet #maria bulanova #victor caixeta #mariinsky ballet #push comes to shove

[lovelyballetandmore]

Victor Caixeta | Maria Bulanova | Mariinsky Theatre | Photo by Natasha Razina

#maria bulanova #victor caixeta #mariinsky theatre #mariinsky ballet #ballerina #ballet slippers #tights

[melmothblog]

Ask Responses: Mariinsky

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.

-

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.

d i s c l a i m e r

#qa #qa mariinsky #maria bulanova #bulanova

[gorbigorbi]

Maria Bulanova as Medora and Roman Belyakov as Conrad, “Le Corsaire”, choreography by Jules Perrot, Marius Petipa and Pyotr Gusev, libretto by Jules Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Joseph Mazilier, edited by Yuri Slonimsky and Pyotr Gusev, music by Adolphe Adam, Cesare Pugni, Léo Delibes, Riccardo Drigo and Pyotr Oldenburg, Mariinsky Ballet, Russia

Photographer Marianna Sorokina

[tikitania]

Mariinsky Observations...

I was looking over the playbill and noticed that the company is going to present Anyuta in early December. It seems to be the same one that the Bolshoi performs. I've never seen it but will look for clips online. The cast has not been announced, but there is a list of dancers rehearing lead roles. I was happy to see Alexandra Khiteeva's name in there. I also noticed that David Zaleyev is rehearsing…I don't think he's returned to the stage since his horrible accident, so I hope this is a sign that he will soon return to the stage.

Coming up…the Mariinsky's last performance of Jewels in the foreseeable future. I've read that their license expires soon, so the 11/28 performance is their last. Tereshkina & Shklyarov will lead in Diamonds. The are the dream couple here, but I would have loved to see more performances just to see how other dancers handle the choreography. My pairings would be: Skorik & Capitaine, Iliushkina & Korneyev, Batoeva & Stepin. Khiteeva in Emeralds. Alas… I hope that there are lots of recordings of this last performance. Maria Bulanova seems to be underutilized these days. I haven't read anything about an injury, so I hope she's rehearsing and preparing new roles. Anyone have news about what she's working on?

#mariinsky ballet #prima ballerina #russian ballet #Anyuta #alexander pushkin #alexandra khiteeva #maria bulanova #David Zaleyev #balanchine #jewels #dream pairings #Pas de Deux

[patricedumonde]

This is perhaps my favorite video to exist on youtube! I watch it way too often lol. These students were so lucky to share a stage with the dancers from Bolshoi.

It is so difficult to even choose favorite dancers in this performance. I would say Xenia Zhiganshina and Yulia Stepanova stood out for me though. Alyona Kovalyova danced my favorite variation, and I think she did a marvelous job here. I thought it was breath-taking. She's so tall though that in the end when she does the tour jete, it low key looked like she tripped lol. I know it's part of the choreography but my heart still skipped a beat. This performance is my Avengers Endgame haha.

Ooh, also. In the mazurka, look at how tiny the 2023 graduates are. Time flies. I still find it unacceptable that I'm now older than some prima ballerinas. Anyway, take a break for an hour and make sure to watch this the whole way through! I can also compile a playlist of the variations if anyone's interested. Oscar Frame 2017 graduate (variation from the ballet Le Conservatorie, music by H.S.Paulli) Eleonora Sevenard 2017 graduate (variation from the ballet Trilby, music by Y.Gerber) Alyona Kovalyova 2016 graduate (variation from the ballet Le Roi Candaule, music by C.Pugni) Xenia Zhiganshina 2014 graduate (variation from the ballet Gretna Green, music by E.Guiraud) Olga Smirnova 2011 graduate (variation from the ballet Paquita, music by L.Minkus) Mikhail Lobukhin 2002 graduate (variation from the ballet Don Quixote, music by L.Minkus) Yulia Stepanova 2009 graduate (variation from the ballet The Little Humpbacked Horse, music by C.Pugni) Evgenia Obraztsova 2002 graduate (variation from the ballet Le Pavillon d’Armide, music by N.Tcherepnin) Denis Rodkin (variation from the ballet La Source, music by R.Drigo) Svetlana Zakharova 1996 graduate (variation from the ballet La Sylphide, music by R.Drigo)

#russian ballet #bolshoi ballet #vaganova #eleonora sevenard #alena kovaleva #alyona kovalyova #xenia zhiganshina #olga smirnova #mikhail lobukhin #yulia stepanova #evgenia obraztsova #denis rodkin #svetlana zakharova #anastasia nuikina #maria khoreva #maria bulanova #anastasia demidova #alexandra khiteeva #yulia spriridonova #svetlana savelieva #sofia valiullina #maria koshkareva #anna sharova #angelina karamysheva #Youtube

[miss-mollys-ballet-blog]

who among the first and second soloists at the mariinsky you think will someday become a prima ballerina?

Um, I know who I WANT to eventually become one but it’ll probably be different because Fateyev is a moron when it comes to most promotions.

I’m going to HOPE that Renata Shakirova is promoted and possibly Batoeva.  Almost guarantee that Maria Khoreva will be, I would be willing to bet a lot of money on that and I will keep my opinion about that to myself.  It wouldn’t surprise me if either Nagahisa or Iliushkina is and Bulanova isn’t out of the question, but still unsure.

#ballet ask #mariinsky ballet #renata shakirova #nadezhda batoeva #maria khoreva #may nagahisa #maria iliushkina #maria bulanova #Anonymous

[balletomaneblog]

OMG I lovedddd Masha Bulanova's debut in Leningrad Symphony! She's such a beautiful dancer! I'm so glad she finally had another debut in a larger role. For awhile she's mostly been performing roles like Lilac Fairy or Zarema over and over. Not that I don't love her Zarema or anything, I just want to see her get more opportunities.

#ballet #leningrad symphony #maria bulanova #debut #mariinsky #mariinsky ballet #second soloist #she's getting better and better

[ballet-symphonie]

VBA Asks

Hi Ale! I hope you can understand my question(s). Talking about the VBA 2018 class, how would you rank in your personal perception of "talent" Ionova, Bulanova, Khoreva, Petukhova and Nuikina based *only* on their graduation exams (not their lives in the theater etc)? And would you add other students to the list of most known/special students in that year? And how would rank them as well? I'm asking this because (first, I recognize Khoreva's talent), but in comparison, I don't understand how....

(Did I lose the second half of this ask?? I'm so sorry if I did, but this is all I have) This is a bit tricky because 'talent' is such a subjective thing. I'll keep the list to the 5 you mentioned, as those really were the clear standouts. In terms of natural disposition to ballet, I think I'd rank them as follows:

Khoreva- checks all the boxes, height, mobility, hyperextension, etc

Nuikina - a jump like that is from nature only

Bulanova - her not having a full education at VBA has left some holes in her technique, the feats she can pull of despite this are nothing short of remarkable.

Ionova - clearly a late bloomer, a bit short but with good natural coordination

Petukhova - a beautiful dancer, but ballet was clearly much much more of a battle for her than her classmates.

just random thought... i think yuri fateev favors maria koshkareva so much, even maria is just a student yuri is striving to get her to Mariinsky. when she compete for the moscow competition, fateev actually got an american choreographer to make the modern variation "maestro" for maria. and now maria getting all the lead roles in school, i mean she deserve it, she's very talented. i think some girls need to work on their confidence, dont let their nerves get them to fall apart.

Koshkareva is really good, but its more than that. She's the first graduate since Khoreva to look like she's ready at such a young age. The girl isn't messing around, some of her classmates could do with even a smidge of her confidence.

not to sound like vba wizard but, I think a paquita comeback is possible with underwater kingdom. but the lead role will be the top performing girl in kovaleva's class, you know who, they are gonna make her the star, with the other girl 2nd prize MBC, after all they are already mariinsky employed, the director promotes them. sofya V, might be princess masha for nutcracker, but she needs to work hard if she wanna shine. still early to tell things.

I would be all in for this programming, those underwater kingdom tutus are far too pretty (and likely expensive lol) to only be used once. I think the long-legged Kuprina would dance the Queen of the Waters Variation so well. I certainly expect Koshkareva to get the leading roles split with either Kuprina or Valuillina, depending on who looks stronger.

Hey! This is a really weird question but recently I've been watching recordings of older Vaganova ballet exams and of course the strongest students are in the center. I watched both Vishneva's and Zakharova's. It's so cool how two of the most famous ballerinas of their generation graduated just one year apart from each other.

So I was wondering your opinion, if Vishneva and Zakharova had actually been in the same class together, which do you think would have had the center position in the class, or been the favorite?

Ooh what a question! I often forget that they graduated only a year apart despite Vishneva being 3 years older. Zakharova was invited to VBA at 15 after winning 2nd prize at the Vaganova Prix and was allowed to skip not one but two grades into the graduating class.

I think the answer to your question depends on who's teaching the class. If its L.V. Kovaleva, there's no way Vishenva is taken out of the middle. Diana is her golden child and still is today. If the teacher is E.V. Evteeva, I think it could go either way. However, as incredibly gifted as Zakharova is, I don't really associate her as VBA's product, she only studied there for a year. Numerous talents such as Tsiskaridze, Grigorovich, and even Semionova, have described Zakharova's talent and style as utterly distinct from any real school. I personally feel that more credit should be given to Zakharova's teacher in Kiev, Valeria Sulegina. I think it would be hard to take the position away from Vishenva, who spent her whole life battling at the academy.

Hi Ale! I recently stumbled upon your blog and now I can't stay away! :D Maybe this is just my opinion, but it seems to me that in recent years the Vaganova boys have gotten... weaker? They don't seem to be as strong as the graduates of past years. How do you think this will affect their chances of making it into a companies like Mariinsky and Bolshoi?

Ahhh oof, the state of the VBA boys is not great IMO. They are graduating fewer competent boys each year. I think there are a variety of causes, including an outdated and ineffective training curriculum, a lot of the historically successful pedagogues no longer working, greater competition from other schools, and a smaller talent pool.

Prior to the war, I would have said yes, this will negatively affect their chances. Both BT and MT have repeatedly shown their willingness to hire and promote both foreign and foreign-trained talent, think of names like Victor Caxieta, Nikita Korneyev, Jacopo Tissi, David Motta Soares, etc. However, I can't imagine any graduate from a major ballet school is itching to go to Russia any time soon, the talent pool for Russian companies to pull from has unquestionably shrank.

However, we can still see the effect of the decline in a variety of other ways. For example, of the 8 boys taken into MT this fall, half were from the school of Boris Eifman, not VBA. VBA's insistence on poaching boys from the theatre to dance leading roles in their academy shows also doesn't help the problem. The decline isn't super obvious now, but wait 5 or so years when the current premiers start to retire...

#Youtube #vaganova ballet academy #vaganova #vba #vishenva #diana vishneva #svetlana zakharova #maria khoreva #maria bulanova #daria ionova #maria Petukhova #anastasia niukina #ballet #ballerina #ballet ask #Q+A #Maria koshkareva