#yaroslavna kuprina

[patricedumonde]

Do you think Sofya Valiullina can progress further with Bolshoi? Especially with new hires/graduates coming into the company soon. Not sure what the consensus is in Russia but from what I see majority of Russian comments on Instagram and YouTube of her performances are rather negative. I know it is impossible but I really think she is so perfect for so many ballet companies outside of Russia. I can see her at Royal ballet. Also, any news of Kuprina ?

Tough question re: Sofya. It depends on how many graduates are going to Bolshoi and how many of them have soloist potential. Kamila Sultangareeva will definitely be one of them. I still have high hopes for her bc she is being given soloist roles, but you’re right in assuming that it might die down this coming year. It really depends on who’s coming!

Tbh I want to see more Vaganova graduates in America too. I really thought it would’ve been awesome to have Jaden Grimm in ABT or SF Ballet. Sofya in Royal Ballet would be such a dream, her repertoire would increase drastically!

More VBA graduates should consider Vienna State Ballet too, it’s now under Alessandra Ferri’s leadership!! There are also so many companies outside of Russia that would serve them all well. Berlin, Munich, Dutch National, Paris!

As for Yaroslavna, I saw her dressed up like she was going to class back in January/February. This was on her instagram story but that was it. No hints at a return to stage so I’m definitely worried about that.

#russian ballet #patrice answers #bolshoi ballet #sofia valiullina #yaroslavna kuprina

[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

[anjelalala]

Yaroslavna Kuprina

"Do everything with kindness and love. If you approach everything with a bright soul, then any undertaking will succeed."

The poetic combination of first and last name, as if already at birth, determined the future strong connection of our today's heroine with the world of art.

Photos by: Alisa Aslanova for Ballet Magazine Russia

#ballet #ballerina #Yaroslavna Kuprina #bolshoi ballet #bolshoi theatre #art #vaganova ballet academy #pointe #vaganova

[ballet-symphonie]

Vaganova Ballet Academy Asks

So there is official information of Koshkareva signing a solo contract with Bolshoi and Nikolay Tsiskaridze's close friend (devilonpointshoes on Telegram) and ballet enthusiasts on ballet forums stating that Koshkareva, Valiullina, and Kuprina going to Bolshoi. How do you feel about all the star students going to Bolshoi instead of Mariinsky like many expected? It isn't unexpected that Valiullina is going to Bolshoi given that she suits that company but with Koshkareva and Kuprina being Mariinsky's trainees for a year, and their dance style suiting Mariinsky more, I really do not understand why they chose Bolshoi (perhaps they were given soloist role straight away)? Anyways I'm also confused if Koshkareva is going to Bolshoi like Kuprina, why is her name not taken down from the trainee name list on the Mariinsky website... Honestly idk how to feel about this and ngl Im pretty disappointed that Koshkareva and Kuprina are not going to Mariinsky :(

The Bolshoi is the fast track. These girls have been promoted as stars and BT has likely made them big promises to keep treating them that way. With how the Bolshoi gives out roles at the speed of light to young prominent grads, plus the benefits that generally come with dancing in Moscow (read: money), the offers are likely very tempting. The corps life is tough, no one wants to do it if they don't have to lmao.

I thought with this reinvented MT and more publicized MT trainee situation that MT management would have managed to keep at least one of Koshkareva and Kuprina but I guess not. I am actually more surprised Valiullina is tagging along as I thought her body type might hold her back. While I agree with many that her dancing fits the broad movement and expressive style of the Bolshoi, that’s unfortunately not exactly what goes on stage all the time nowadays at BT, maybe its about 50/50 now depending which principals are cast.

Hi Ale! Any news on Daria Kulikova? How is she doing at the Academy? I think the 2023 class is a powerful one, and my opinion isn't based on who is better. But there's something about Kulikova??? I don't know... but I like her dancing and I'm rooting for her, there's just something special, artistic I see in her.

The 2023 class has just been everywhere and she hasn’t been one of the most hyped ones for obvious reasons. I don’t think I’ve seen where she’s going but I also haven’t been crawling through the TG channels looking for information about her you know? 

With the ‘big 3’ of this class heading to BT, there’s likely some MT spots available, which is theoretically what she would want after changing schools so late in the games.  

Do you think there will ever be a Kovaleva graduate to top Vishneva off? I honestly don't and it's not because there weren't other talented girls to graduate, but it's just that none of the ones who came after, could even compare to Vishneva, let alone surpass her. Koshkareva for example, is really talented, but it's already being called the 'next Vishneva', so... I will say though, after Vishneva, only Smirnova and Khoreva came a little close and probably Koshkareva will too.

I don’t think she will ever top Vishneva, she’s a once in a 100 years type of a dancer. I also don’t know how much longer she will continue to work. Her talent as a pedagogue is immense, she’s proven that she can train exceptional dancers with different body types, backgrounds and ambitions. Her training and her graduates, quite literally is defining the past, present and future of Russian ballet.  

how do the “classes” at vaganova work?? like if it’s class of kovaleva, does that mean that she’s taught them all 8 years at vaganova orrr 

No, if a ballerina is listed as ‘class of Kovaleva’ that means that she taught their graduate year. Generally, the teachers will change every 1-3 years as some teachers are especially skilled at working with different age groups. 

#ballet #ballerina #vaganova #vaganova ballet academy #russian ballet #ludmilla kovaleva #daria Kulikova #Maria koshkareva #Yaroslavna Kuprina #Sofia Valiullina

[tikitania]

Wow koshkareva is freaking going on tour with the troupe to china in October or something and she’s performing Pas de deux from the ballet The Flames of Paris and also the Grand Pas Classique… Happy for her but also sad that the other grads had not been selected to go

Koshkareva is already a star in Russia just based on her Vaganova performances, gold medal at the MIBC, and general hype, so I can see why they are bringing her on tour to showcase her talent. Grand Pas Classique is no joke, so the are clearly have a lot of confidence in her. Part of me pines for when these baby ballerinas/phenoms had to cut their teeth in the corp for a year or so before getting leading parts, but it seems those days are over. Kuprina & Koshkareva will debut Paquita in October. Valiulina will perform a variation in the Grand Pas. Wishing them lots of health and time to prepare!

#ballet #prima ballerina #baby ballerinas #baby primas #bolshoi ballet #swan lake #paquita #maria koshkareva #yaroslavna kuprina #russian ballet #Sofia Valiullina

[melmothblog]

Vaganova Ballet Academy student, Yaroslavna Kuprina, photographed by Irina Yakovleva.

#Vaganova Ballet Academy #vaganova #vaganova students #ballet #Yaroslavna Kuprina #Kuprina #Irina Yakovleva #Yakovleva #photoshoot

[vaganova-blog]

Kuprina Yaroslavna

#ballet #vaganova #ballerina #dance #dancer #vaganova ballet academy #flexibility #flexible #mariinsky ballet #bolshoi ballet #vaganova blog

[gorbigorbi]

Yaroslavna Kuprina (Vaganova Ballet Academy) Photo © Ira Yakovleva

[patricedumonde]

It’s official! The top 3 graduates of Vaganova are going to Bolshoi. This is really interesting as both Maria and Yaroslavna were trainees at Mariinsky last summer. I wonder what Yuri Fateev thinks.

This also means I only got 1/3 right as I guessed Maria would go to Bolshoi and the other two would be Mariinsky. 🙈

On July 6th, they will all be performing variations for Paquita Grand Pas. Best of luck to the three of them and I can’t wait to see them debut roles at the Bolshoi. 🥹

I will post more updates about other graduates in the coming days. Keeping my fingers crossed for all of them. Yulia Kasenkova and Lyudmila Kovaleva both had amazing students and with the top three going to Bolshoi, this means spots are open in Mariinsky.

#russian ballet #vaganova #vaganova draft #maria koshkaryova #maria koshkareva #yaroslavna kuprina #sofia valiullina #bolshoi ballet #bolshoi theatre #mariinsky ballet #dancer updates

[ballet-symphonie]

About Koshkareva, a few months ago I saw a story from a local St Petersburg TV station about their graduation (it was posted on the Vaganova telegram channel) and it said that she’d already signed a soloist contract. So apparently she didn’t even get hired as a corps member. What do you think of her and Kuprina debuting Gamzatti so soon?

Yes, my point was more so that she's a soloist, and Kuprina is doing the EXACT same roles for less. Absolute garabage.

Regarding their casting, it's on par with what the Bolshoi has been doing with all their 'young stars.' Doesn't mean I like it, but I'm not surprised anymore

#maria koshkareva #yaroslavna kuprina #bolshoi theatre #ballet #ballet ask #ballerina

[balletomaneblog]

What do u think about valiullina debuting as myrtha, and koshkareva and kuprina debuting as gamzatti?

What’s your opinion for each dancer?

Ok so I am not even going to go into how they're too young because obviously that's true.

Sadly, Kuprina has been removed from all up-coming debuts, likely due to an injury. However, I think she's perfect for Gamzatti so I'm fairly sure they'll give her another shot at it once she gets better. I think Koshkareva will do fine with this role, but I will say that they've given her a lot of jumping girl roles like the First Bridesmaid in Don Quixote, Paquita, etc, and I honestly like her a lot better in adagio. So I hope that she gets more of those kind of roles in the future.

As for Valiullina, I really love her and it's great that she's been given Myrtha, similar to Kovalyova in her first season. However, I see her far more as Giselle and Kuprina more as Myrtha but I'm sure she'll do a great job. It just better not stop her from getting her Giselle debut one day!

As for my general opinion of each dancer, I do enjoy that they each are fairly different from one another. I honestly don't have a favorite, though I do have a soft spot for Valiullina ever since her Raymonda last year. But they're so so young so I'm very excited to see their debuts in the next month and get a better picture of them in the beginning of their professional career!

#ballet #bolshoi #maria koshkareva #sofia valiullina #yaroslavna kuprina #debut #gamzatti #myrtha

[patricedumonde]

Came here to write about Kuprina and Koshkareva debuting as Gamzatti and Paquita (as well as a few smaller roles, along with Valiullina) and was definitely feeling like they’re overlooking Sofya in comparison. But now I saw she’s debuting as Myrtha and I’m so happy! She will also be debuting in Chopiniana, which also good. What do you think of all these roles, Patrice? Which of them sonhou think are the most complicated and why did they cast them like this?

Also, speculations were true! Koshkareva joined as a soloist. Not the other two girls, though.

Wow those are really big debuts for all three of them! I am surprised that Yaroslavna and Masha were both casted as Gamzatti but not Sofya 😕 Technique-wise and stage presence, I think she would’ve been the best.

Masha reminds me of Elya who’s been a decent Gamzatti. Both girls (Yaroslavna and Masha) are terrific jumpers and turners so maybe that’s why they were casted. I haven’t seen them in acting roles though and this role demands that. We’ll see how it goes!

Paquita is a lighter role than Gamzatti imo, really challenging and lengthy fouettés for the coda though. I’m also not sure what the usual variations are at Bolshoi but I imagine it would be whatever’s flattering for the dancer. I want Yaroslavna to redeem herself from her Moscow Competition variation. She did so well until the last pirouette en dedans to the last kneeling pose. Is it the full length or just the grand pas? 👀 If it’s just the grand pas, even easier haha.

For Chopiniana, I would have casted Yaroslavna for that too but I think Sofya will do a good job. I feel like this is very different from what we’re used to seeing her dance. Personally, I want to see her more in these types of roles. Perhaps this is good for her so she’s not type casted.

I, personally, think Gamzatti would be the hardest role. Difficult choreography, flaws would be easy to notice, fouettés after Italian fouettés too 😅 Hoping both girls have enough endurance for that role 🤞 I remember Masha struggling with Italian fouettés when she did Queen of Dryads but that was a year ago so I’m sure she’s grown a lot. She’ll probably shine the best in the wedding pas de deux. Yaroslavna will kill this role across all acts, I think she’s more controlled than Masha. I think she’ll do really well in act 1. I cannot wait to see her as Gamzatti!

#russian ballet #vaganova #bolshoi ballet #maria koshkaryova #sofia valiullina #yaroslavna kuprina #la bayadere #patrice answers

[ballet-symphonie]

Have you seen the clips of Koshkareva's, Kuprina's, and Valiullina's Paquita debuts with the Bolshoi? What are your opinions?

Personally, I think Kuprina's variation is the most difficult. The opening jump diagonal is tricky, doing that fouette out of the entrelace and back into another one requires very precise weight transfers. It's not easy to make it look good, and Kuprina handled the challenges elegantly with double a la seconde pirouettes to boot.

Valiullina looked strong and made a good impression with powerful grand battements and extended jetes and temps levé. Sometimes the second part of this variation gets convoluted but Valiullina's 5th position were precise and her transitions were crisp.

I was unfortunately the least impressed by Koshkareva. The diagonal of opening jumps was stunning but a sloppy, turned-in diagonal of tour piqué muddled the whole thing.

#maria koshkareva #ballet #ballerina #bolshoi theatre #ballet ask #yaroslavna kuprina #sofya Valiullina

[balletomaneblog]

Vaganova graduates Maria Koshkareva, Sofia Valiullina, and Yaroslavna Kuprina and BBA graduates Taisiya Konovalova and Polina Netsvetaeva-Dolgaleva are performing for the first time as a member of the Bolshoi Theatre on July 6th! They are all performing variations in the Paquita Grand Pas.

On this July 6th performance of the Paquita Grand Pas, Eva Sergeenkova is debuting Paquita!

#bolshoi #bolshoi ballet #maria koshkareva #yaroslavna kuprina #sofia valiullina #taisiya konovalova #polina netsvetaeva-dolgaleva #eva sergeenkova

[tikitania]

Lots of Asks….

Catching up to my inbox. I've been super busy at work, but a lot of these have been on my mind. Thoughts on Yulia Stepnova, initially at the Mariinsky now at the Bolshoi. I have no idea what the politics were at the Mariinsky the impeded her career. Stepanova was dancing soloist roles at the Mariinksy, but a promotion was elusive. She moved to Moscow, first with MAMT (Stanislavsky), and then the Bolshoi and now she's a prima. Clearly, the move was a good one for her. I think she's a wonderful dancer, nuanced, subtle. However, I find that she's such a fish out of water in Moscow—she just doesn't have the big bravado Bolshoi vibe. She's definitely a Mariinsky ballerina and I wish her career could have flourished there, but glad she's a prima. I really like her a lot. Wondering if I think Sofya Valiullina made a mistake by going to the Bolshoi rather than the Mariinsky because she has a so-so teacher and Kuprina and Koshkaryova are getting more featured roles… I am living in an alternate universe in which Valiulina accepted a contract with the Mariinksy and fast-tracked to soloist, eventually becoming a star. She has the Mariinsky elegance with a nice splash of bravado that would make her a real stand-out. Alas, that's not happening. I also wonder if she's not as favored as the other two because she doesn't have the requisite Bolshoi body (extremely thin, very leggy.) Valiullina has some curves and Vaziev's obsession with Zakharova lookalikes makes for some really lousy casting choices and bewildering promotions. (Kovaleva, Denisova, Sergeenkova). Another alternate universe is one in which she returns to the Mariinsky after a few years at the Bolshoi….has anyone done that? Usually the migration is the other way, but one can dream. Daria Kulikova's debut in The Nutcracker. Wrote about it here. I only saw small snippets and I really liked it. I mean…she'd only graduated a month prior, but she was sweet, has lovely stage presence. Looking forward to seeing her career develop.

Do I read into the scheduling of Khoreva's (afternoon) and Shakirova's (evening) most recent Swan Lake performances? No, not really. Lots of questions about my thoughts on Khoreva's Swan Lake…

It was…middling. I just think Khoreva is a bit of a self-absorbed dancer and she really needs to develop strong, emotional connections with her partner, especially for Swan Lake. From the short clips that I saw she can do the technical things, but performances seem flat on video. Maybe there is more spark in the theater? She's not my fave, but it seems her career is ascendant not matter what. So many questions on the recent Vaganova Grads….

As for the careers of this year's crop of Vaganova graduates other than the BIG 3, we'll see them all soon on the stage and I wish them all luck! I imagine that the transition from school life to theater life is quite a shift…even shock. I try to imagine what it's like for them at 18/19, having to find apartments, make friends, figure out the politics at a company. They were big fish in a small pond, and now they're in a much bigger pond with so many talented dancers around them, all vying for roles. It can really mess with their heads. That's why I've always felt that they need a several years in the corps to just grow up as people and artists. That said, I think the Big 3 will likely be fine. they're going to need some time to adjust and settle. I'm not worried about their careers….but I think the Vaganova hype can be a double-edged sword, perhaps. Putting intense early pressure on them without giving them time and space to develop artistry…we shall see.

#anon ask #anon #ballerinas #russian ballet #vaganova #sofya valiullina #maria koshkaryova #yaroslavna kuprina #daria kulikova #baby ballerinas #Looking forward to the next season!

[balletomaneblog]

About your recent ask, I saw that Koshkareva was offered a soloist position at the Bolshoi, so I guess that was it? I honestly was more bummed with Kuprina going to the BT because she has such good technique/lines/lyricism suited for the MT. But I'm happy for the other girls as well, such as Khiteeva, who are now getting opportunities. If the Mariinsky really didn't offer a high position to Koshkareva and Kuprina, I kinda agree. The BT/MT are trying so hard to find their new Vishneva/Zakharova, that they are taking girls fresh out of school to big soloists positions and how time has proven, it didn't go well. They can't repeat what Diana and Svetlana were, and they shouldn't try. There's nothing wrong with growing at the theater, like Lopatkina, Tereshkina, Novikova, Krysanova, Obraztsova, and many others who are now big names and climbed the ranks. I'm also hopeful that the MT may take Kulikova, Karamysheva, and Rissanen now.

Yes, a soloist position would be very hard to turn down, especially since right now Vaziev is pushing dancers even faster than Fateyev is at the Mariinsky.

And I too wanted Kuprina to go to the Mariinsky, definitely bummed about that.

Personally, I also prefer when dancers start in the Corps de Ballet, even if it's just for a year. I think it's nice for everyone to start out on a level playing field, though of course the theatre will give bigger roles to the "star" graduates right away. Starting in the Corps gives dancers the ability to build strength and experience without the added pressure of a higher rank.

I do agree that Vaziev is trying to replicate what he did with Zakharova and Vishneva at the Mariinsky now at the Bolshoi, so far with Sergeenkova and Ar. Denisova. I like these dancers a lot but think they could have benefited from a slightly slower trajectory. Now we'll see how quickly Kuprina, Koshkareva, and Valiullina move up in the ranks. I also think BBA graduates Netsvetaeva-Dolgaleva and Konovalova show great promise and might get some big parts right off the bat as well.

To your last comment, we know now that Kulikova and Karamysheva were taken by the Mariinsky! They're both wonderful young dancers and I'm so happy for them! As for Rissanen, as I said in an earlier post, often the Mariinsky takes longer to add international graduates to their website, so I'm not sure where she's going yet.

Thanks for such a detailed ask and I appreciate your insights and opinions!

#ballet #bolshoi #mariinsky #vaganova #maria koshkareva #yaroslavna kuprina #sofia valiullina #polina netsvetaeva-dolgaleva #taisiya konovalova #daria kulikova #angelina karamysheva #pinja rissanen