observations 10/24

The hotly anticipated new Starz series Flesh and Bone starring Ben Daniels, Irina Dvorovenko, and Sascha Radetsky among others has been converted into a "limited series" with a final ending from its original ongoing series status. Oh dear. One reader of the announcement/article in Deadline Hollywood commented, "that’s the nicest “you’re cancelled before you even get on the air” statement I’ve ever heard of...."

Maybe the silver lining in all this is that Ethan Stiefel, the consultant and choreographer, is now free to tackle a great big new job.

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This Sunday, October 26th, the season's first live cinema presentation of the Bolshoi Ballet will be transmitted from one end of Balletdom to the other. Grigorovich's famous Legend of Love will star Sveltlana Zakharova and Denis Rodkin. It's a long one – 3 hours 45 minutes – but will surely have all the very entertaining little extras that come at intermission. Go here to find your local movie houses where the cinemacast will be shown.

 

Comments

[JMD]

Legend of Love was really great. Alas, Svetlana Zakharova was ill and had to be replaced with Maria Allash, who however performed quite well in light of the circumstances (last minute change, less synergy with Denis Rodkin). Both Rodkin and Anna Nikulina were great.

BTW, I searched for Nikulina online, in the hope that I could follow her official Facebook page or bookmark her official website. Alas, she has neither, just like Olga Smirnova. I guess that it is not the tradition to behave as if you had already arrived, in Russia, i.e. if you are merely a leading soloist, not yet a principal. Contrast that with a well known soloist at the ABT who has a huge online presence, who is focused on title rather than talent, and who dares feature a quote on "being the next prima ballerina assoluta" on her website, from some obscure amateurish blog. ABT is self imploding.

[Haglund]

Hi, JMD.

Thanks for the report. I had to leave at the first intermission - ran out of cough drops with plenty of cough left. I thought the first act was terrific, and yes, Maria Allash, although not my favorite Bolshoi dancer, was a good substitute. The corps de ballet was excellent, strong, and believable. The comment by Katerina Novikova to the effect that people who love Grigorovich and people who don't love him agree that Legend of Love is a masterpiece was an interesting acknowledgement that while some may deplore his stronghold, they cannot deny his talent as a dancemaker. His influence in Ratmansky's work is clear and unmistakeable.