Not sure if this is the right place, but I noticed that the Kirov ballet will be performing SLEEPING BEAUTY at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in LA. Single tickets went on sale today and I got almost the same tix as I had to see ABT's GISELLE (excellent!).

I haven't been able to see any cast info, but I had heard that Vishneva was supposed to perform one of the nights.

btw, last time, my friend bailed on me at the last minute on ABT's Tchaikovsky's mixed program and i had to eat the ticket. Is there a forum area here where i could have offered up the ticket? With the flakitude of my friends, i'm afeared that it could happen again...

-goro-

EvilNinjaX


Here's a link to preliminary casting for the three US cities the Kirov will bring SB to.

http://www.ardani.com/kirovballettour.htm


Richard

What are good tickets at the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion? Does the orchestra incline steeply? I'm thinking of orchestrating a west coast vacation to see the Kirov and was just checking on tickets. I often have a hard time seeing over people's heads from the orchestra, and usually get the front row of the side boxes at the Met in NY.On ticketmaster it It looks like the best I can do is row B of the orchestra (around seats 35-36) or founders circle F57 & 58. Any advice? I could also go see them in Berkeley or Detroit instead of LA, but the Southern California sunshine would be welcome in October....

Does anyone know if the loge is above or behind the founders circle? It looks like I can still get the first row of the loge, which may be the best bet for me...any help would be appreciated!

awesome, thanx.

Now, what are the prevailing opinions of Zelensky c/c w/ Kolb. Also, what are the opinions of Natalia Sologub?

thx (should i ask this in the DANCERS section?)

-=goro=-

These questions are fine for this Kirov thread.

And, since you ask, I prefer Igor Zelensky to Kolb. He's a more assertive dancer, and I like his attack and musicality. But Sleeping Beauty is really the ballerina's ballet.

I haven't seen Sologub in a leading role -- just as a soloist -- but I seem to remember liking her. And even though I was lukewarm about Vishneva's Giselle last month, I think Aurora would suit her very well.

The Dorothy Chandler is an excellent theatre for dance - even in the back of the orchestra you don't feel very far away, and it's decently sloped so that heads haven't been a major problem for me. It's not stadium seating, but it is nicely sloped. For dance engagements, the Orchestra Ring section (essentially rows W to Z of the orchestra) is usually a good deal, as it is a good $30 or so less than the rest of the orchestra and the view is still very good.

The loge is indeed above the Founders Circle, and then the Balcony is one level above that. The price in the Loge is equal to that of the Orchestra Ring, which doesn't make it a very good deal at all for how high up it is in the theatre. To be that high, you might as well sit in the Front Balcony for $30 less and not have the balcony hanging down over you (the balcony isn't an obstruction in the Loge, but there is something to be said psychologically for not feeling trapped in a box). The Balcony is high, but the theatre manages to make itself feel much more intimate than, say, the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. So it's definetly not a bad place to sit, and the view is still good.

For the Kirov prices are $95 in the front orch, $65 in the Orchestra Ring/Loge, $35 in the Front Balcony and $25 in the Rear Balcony. My favorite seats for the value and view are the Orchestra Ring and the Front Balcony. Mid-orchestra would be ideal if view was the only thing that mattered.

Thank you art076! Now my next question will be on local hotels, but I think I'll wait till I decide whether or not I can make this trip!
Susan

When I went to see ABT in april, i had tix in ORCHX 37,38 and they were wonderful seats. Very easy to see everything. THere was little in view obstruction (and i'm not that tall myslef).

The next nite, I had tix in the FOUNDERS CIRCLE M 32,33 and they were amazing. It's an absolutely perfect view of the stage and when the lights go down, you feel like you're being suspended right before the stage.

Personally, I'd go with the FOUNDERS CIRCLE if i could, centered best. I think the F 57-58 is that FAR LEFT wing and I think I'd rather be back and centered. I believe (not entirely sure) that the seats number from 1-60.

-goro-

Odd preference.

Having seen Zelensky dance last Saturday I have to report that he eliminated just about all the lifts from La Bayadere. If he does the same in Beauty, the effect will be rather strange to say the least.

art076 & EvilNinjaX - thanks so much for all of your advice, I'll let you know what I decide!

Susan

He's being cautious because of his back. He danced Bayadere with Uliana, right?
When the music surged, I can't imagine how that looked. Mashinka, what did they do to substitute? We know SB Act 2 & 3 pdds have lots of lifts. I hope he's physically able and confident enough to do them in October. It 's not worth it to aggravate a serious injury like that.

I've seen some of the dancers who are cast for this engagement -Sarafanov is a wonderful soloist, but not always the best partner. I have enjoyed both Kolb & Zelensky but I think the female leads are more important than the men in this ballet, and that's what I'd base my decision on. I saw Solugub as Odette/Odile in DC and remember being impressed with her as a dancer, but I found her sensibility & line kind of "modern" for the classics, so I don't know what she'd be like as Aurora. Having just seen Vishneva in NY I would strongly recommend getting tickets to see her, especially since Lopatkina is scheduled to dance the lilac fairy at both of her performances! I've only seen Lopatkina once - at the Kirov Gala in DC she danced the Dying Swan and the lead in La Valse. She is a very, very special ballerina. Even though I know the casting is likely to change I am considering crossing the continent to see her again, so ...

Continuing to evaluate my options for a road trip - I found a really cheap hotel at 200 South Hill Street near W. 2nd St called the Kawada. Reviews on traveladvisor have been mixed to negative, but my only real concern is if I will feel safe there and can walk to the theatre. Anybody know the hotel, or the area? There are 2 restaurants on site, if that helps anyone recall the location - Shockwave Cafe & Epicenter Restaurant. At least they have a sense of humor! It says that it's 3 blocks from the music center and 1 block from the civic center metro station (do people actually ride the metro in LA?). Another option is the Standard at 550 S. Flower. Way more expensive than the Kawada, but still not outrageous. Thanks to all our west coasters for their advice

Hi NYSusan! As a native Angeleno, I would counsel you not to stay at the hotels you mentioned precisely for the safety issue. The Hill and Flower St. areas of downtown L.A. are rather unsavory - in fact everything east of the Music Center / Disney Concert Hall area is. I wouldn't drive in that area at night, let alone walk. Travelocity may be able to give you some really competitive rates at the Marriott, the Omni, The Milleneum Biltmore, Westin Bonaventure - all of which are approx. the same distance to the Music Center by foot or car, as is the Kawada. The foot traffic from the Music Center would have more people, and you would be less likely to be accosted. In answer to your second question, YES - a lot of people ride the Metro in L.A., the problem is its not city or countywide as New York's subway system. Pity!

Thanks Cygnet, that's exactly the kind of advice I was looking for! I'm not surprised to hear that the Kawada is in a sketchy part of town, I kind of figured that would be the case when I saw the price. Are you sure about the Standard, though? At Flower between 5th & 6th it sounds like it's right in the same area as the Biltmore & Westin Boneventure. Does the neighborhood change that drastically within a block or two?

Apologies - off topic
Hi NYSusan ! Sorry for my late reply. The Standard is in the same general area as the Westin, Biltmore & Marriott. The S is on Flower at 6th St. From the S it's a long hike northeast to the Music Center. The Biltmore is .5 miles south of the MC on Grand Ave., but its off of 6th; this is further away. By contrast, the W & M on 3rd St. are closer than the B, but have indirect routes. The walk from the Biltmore to the MC is easiest - just walk north straight up Grand Ave to the Center. The MC is northeast of the S, W & M. Depending where you decide to stay, the general distance b/w the S, W & M, (northeast to the MC), is approx the same. Grand Ave. becomes a steep incline as you head north ala San Francisco. Also, be careful crossing the streets at night: L.A. streets are wide, and unlike N.Y. its not just a hop, skip and jump to the other side. I hope this helps. YES, in L.A. there are huge neighborhood extremes - even within 2 - 3 blocks. Rule of thumb re Downtown: Everything east of Hill St. and Broadway is like that old Mel Gibson film 'Mad Max.'

Not at all - thanks for taking the time to help me with this. It can be very tricky trying to get the lay of the land in a city you're not familiar with, and I am very grateful for your help.

The Biltmore seems to be the best location but the best prices I can find there,at the Marriott or the Westin Boneventure are still pretty high & require prepayment. To keep my options open I made a reservation at the Standard for $130 a night with no prepayment or cancellation penalty while I make up my mind. Too bad the Kawada didn't work out at $78 per night but that was just too good to be true & The Standard sounds like a very cool hotel.

I do hope to make this trip, I'm thinking I'll probably get tickets for the first 2 nights. Hopefully you'll be going to at least one of those performances - cause I'd love to buy you a pre-performance drink to express my gratitude for all your help!!!

Susan

I'm going to try to be there for all 5 performances. Anyone wanting to say "Hi!", our usual meeting spot during intermission is the Nureyev statue in the lobby of Chandler.

--Andre

Has anyone heard any updated casting info? I suspect that there have been some changes but they're not reflected on either the Music Center or Ardani's website. Any of our Kirov watchers have the scoop?

Per Berkeley's website, Diana and Uliana are getting two evening performances in the same cast: Opening night and another night. Re casting for Aurora and Lilac, my educated guess for L.A. (and the entire Fall tour), would be the same rotation as Berkeley.

Thanks Cygnet. I'm asking because I saw revised casting for SF on ballet.co's website. It shows Somova dancing instead of Sologub for the 3rd performance and Pavlenko as the Lilac Fairy in the second. I was reluctant to post that here because even though it looks like a press release, it doesn't explicitly say that it is a press release, and the Zellerback & Ardani websites still have the original casting up. So, I was hoping someone would be able to confirm the changes, and maybe have updated casting for LA. I'm still hoping to make it to LA for the first 2 performances.

According to this press release from Berkeley (dated 31 August 2005), the casting is as follows:

10/12: Vishneva/Zelensky/Lopatkina/Petrov
10/13: Nivikova/Sarafanov/Pavlenko/Skripkin
10/14: Somova/Fadeev/Esina/Petrov
10/15m: Nioradze/Korsakov/Vostrotina/Skripkin
10/15e: Vishneva/Kolb/Lopatkina/Petrov
10/16: Ocmolkina/Sarafanov/Nioradze/TBD

http://cpinfo.berkeley.edu/information/pre...rovBalletPR.pdf

Hopefully they will update the LA casting soon! Olesia Novikova was a fantastic Gulnara in Le Corsaire during the Kirov's Washington engagement this summer; she's currently listed for the Sunday matinee in Los Angeles, so keep an eye out for when she is dancing. The innocence and verve of her Gulnara point the way towards a wonderfully bright Aurora.

Now that I'm back from Washington (and staying back from Washington) I finally bought my LA tickets. It'd be nice to see anyone attending at the Nureyev statue, as Andre said a few posts up!

Well, I've made my reservations so I'll be there for the first 2 nights regardless of the casting! See you at the statue. With the running time listed at 3 hours and 40 minutes I expect we'll be enjoying some nice, long Russian intermissions.
Susan

In answer to a specific inquiry, Diana Vishneva says, on her website today, that she will be dancing Aurora in LA on October 5 and 8. In response to another specific inquiry, she will NOT be dancing in Detroit on October 20.

Any information, drb or Helene, on who will be dancing on the 20th in Detroit?

I just looked at her site. I guess it's a bit ambiguous but she's asked about the October 20 performance, the person asking says if she is dancing midweek, he will go down otherwise he will go down on the weekend.

Her answer is that she will not be dancing in Detroit. I'm interpreting that to mean the 10/23 performance as well as the 10/20.

She mentions she will be in Berlin for a SB premiere on 10/26 and 10/28 which was an earlier contract. 10/23 in Detroit and a Berlin premiere on 10/26 is I guess do-able but wow, that's cutting it close.


I could be reading this wrong, I guess I would suggest to anyone that wants to see her specifically rather than the MT in general should check with the theater in Detroit.

Richard

If this is true, then it's a real nasty bait-and-switch on the part of the Kirov. They probably knew well in advance that Diana could not dance in Detroit, but put her name up anyway to sell tickets Diana was the reason I really wanted to see the Kirov, as Sleeping Beauty really isn't my favorite ballet, and I don;t like the Sergeyev production. But Diana is a goddess. Anyway I'm sorry that once again the Kirov announcements have proved to be worthless.

I called the Ardani office in NYC this morning, their number given to me by the Detroit Opera House (who had no information on casting). The person answering said she is dancing on the 20th and 23rd. When I mentioned that Ms Vishneva's website states that she will not appear in Detroit, he told me that no matter what her site says, she is scheduled to appear and she will be dancing-- unless there is a last-minute reason for canceling. I thanked him and hung up.

If Vishneva is not dancing in Detroit, any idea on who would replace her?

They'd probably cast Somova, Novikova, Osmolkina or Nioradze - in that order.
If I had my druthers, my fantasy is Pavlenko as Aurora. Fortune favors the prepared. She could step in if they'd let her.

Nioradze I've seen and I can't say I'm curious to see her again. But Somova, Novikova, and Osmolkina I am curious about. Anyone seen them? Have any recommendations?

At the time of writing, Vishneva is scheduled to dance the opening night's "Beauty" in Detroit.

Pavlenko doesn't dance Aurora, unfortunately, only Lilac and Florine, and her appearance in Detroit is very, very uncertain.

Novikova is excellent, if still rather young.

All information is liable to change, of course

Somova, Novikova, and Osmolkina I am curious about. Anyone seen them? Have any recommendations?

Of these three I'd say Osmolkina might make the best Aurora, Novikova can be a bit inconsistent, and although she is a very pretty girl, Somova's hyper-extensions (way beyond 180 degrees) would make her the least attractive choice in my view. I hate to think what she could do to the Rose Adagio.

In today’s links section there is a story in the NY Daily News that confirms Vishneva, Zelensky & Lopatkina as the opening night cast in LA along with Pavlenko & Korsakov in the Bluebird pas de deux.
I know things can change at the last minute, but at this point I’m really glad I decided to make the trip!

Regarding Detroit, the following inquiry and response appears on Diana Vishneva's site today:

Hi Diana, I`m disappointed that you will not dance in Detroit, because I was looking forward to seeing you. Do you have any idea who your replacement will be?
Diana: I do not know.

Her site's posted schedule for the month of October remains unchanged:

Oct 28 2005 Berlin: STAATSOPER The Sleeping Beauty
Oct 26 2005 Berlin: STAATSOPER The Sleeping Beauty
Oct 15 2005 San Francisco: Berkeley, Zellerbach The Sleeping Beauty
Oct 12 2005 San Francisco: Berkeley,Zellerbach Hall The Sleeping Beauty
Oct 8 2005 Los Angeles: Music Center The Sleeping Beauty
Oct 5 2005 Los Angeles: Music Center The Sleeping Beauty

One can certainly understand that the new production in Berlin will require significant rehearsal time.

Daria Pavlenko is out of this tour, according to her website where the dates for the US tour have been removed. (Daria Pavlenko website)

After reading all of your comments, I called for tickets today for the Wednesday evening performance of SB with Vishneva/Zelensky. I do hope the casting does not change......! I am counting on them performing for opening night. It's a long drive into L.A..........

Don't know if this is appropriate place to post, but anyone interested in getting tickets to Kirov in LA, might consider joining www.goldstarevents.com. There is no charge for joining. They're now offering half-price tickets to the Wed/Thurs (10/5-6) performances. It's very likely that they will open up other dates as well. I've gotten tickets thru the site in the past (SF Opera, Music Center performances) and have never had a problem (so far they only serve LA and SF area). They identify the section, but you won't know the actual seat until you pick them up at boxoffice.

I got my tickets for the opening night in Berkeley a while back, but if goldstar offers something for one of the later Berkeley perfs, I might pick up another ticket.

Today's (10/5) LA Times article interviewing Osmolkina, Somova and Novikova lists the following casting for Aurora:

Wednesday 10/5 - Vishneva
Thursday 10/6 - Osmolkina
Friday 10/7 - Somova
Saturday 10/8 - Vishneva
Sunday 10/9 - Novikova

There's also a pretty picture of the three sitting on the steps of California Plaza in downtown.

The article and photo are here:
http://www.calendarlive.com/stage/cl-et-be...e-more-channels
One can enlarge the photo by clicking on it. Princesses!

Now I'm REALLY looking forward to seeing Novikova in Detroit. She's so pretty, and she sounds like a real young talent.

The Orange County Register also lists today that Pavlenko will dance Lilac Fairy opposite Somova at the Friday 10/7 performance. The LA Times article also mentioned that Friday is Somova's debut as Aurora.
http://ocregister.com/ocregister/entertain...icle_701129.php

Good grief. We Americans are the guinea pigs! Maybe that's because all St. Petersburg balletomanes who I know cannot stomach Somova. Vaziyev knows better than to allow this to be seen 'at home.'

Has Alina Somova EVER received a kind review from ANY 'legit' critic, anywhere? Even Clement Crisp -- who rarely sees a Kirov or Bolshoi ballerina he doesn't love -- bashed Somova's Mariinsky Festival & London performances. But Somova's coaches are like energizer bunnies...they keep going & going & going until, doggone it, Alina Somova will be accepted & garner one or two decent reviews. As we say in Russia: "UDACHI!" ("Good Luck!")

p.s. - That's not to say that Somova couldn't be wonderful in modern works that welcome hyper-extensions and quirky-rough manners. Our frustrations are with the theater's management insistance on casting her in the leading ballerina roles of the classical repertoire.

Anyone have any opinions of Novikova, the ballerina I'm scheduled to see?

She's fabulous, canbelto. In DC, we saw her Gulnare in Corsaire. She is superb as the 2nd soloist in Ballet Imperial (which I've seen in both StP and London). She is probably the best Kirov Kitri beside Vishneva; in fact, her repertoire mirrors that of Vishneva. Some St. Petersburgers call her "Vishneva Junior." [A couple of years ago, Irina Golub was being groomed in the Vishneva roles but it appears that Novikova is the latest Vishneva-type being pushed along. Just my humble observation.]

Osmolkina, among the three 'newcomers,' has the 'classic' Petersburg-aristocratic looks. She is the naturally-gorgeous lady who has worked VERY hard on her technique during the last couple of years to make herself worthy of the Soloist title. Her initial Kitri three years ago was a bomb but, now, she can dance toe-to-toe with the best of them.

Honestly, I find it absurd that Somova is being included in the group. If there was ever a worthy 'Aurora-ready' lady among the younger Kirov dancers, it is Evgenia Obraztsova, the fabulous Juliet of the London season. That Somova, rather than Obraztsova, is being given the chance to debut as Aurora at this time, is a highly-questionable management decision. Sorry - just the opinions of a long-time Kirov follower.

My vote would also go to Novikova, but it still is a very disappointing lineup when it comes to mere personality. Just remember, Natalia, some ten years ago we could choose between the following Auroras: Asylmuratova, Ayupova, Makhalina, Lezhnina, Shapchits, Chenchikova,..... None of the current dancers comes near to any of these ladies in character and charisma. They are sweet little soloists, but is that enough for "Sleeping Beauty"?

Vishneva was absolutely wonderful last night, her Aurora was dewey, charming, ebullient - except for the vision scene where she was oh so mysterious. A very big personality. Her dancing was superb, but she is too fond of hyperextentions and 6 o’clock penchees for my taste. I really like to see Petipa danced with a classical line. Well, at least she doesn’t sctratch her ear with her extentions. Lopatkina was divine. Her arms were pure poetry but, really, everything about her was amazing. She was in such complete control, her Lilac Fairy exerted a very strong, benevolent presence. You just knew Aurora would be ok under her protection. Unfortunately, I don’t think the audience was suitably demonstrative for Lopatkina – they were here to see the big star and the papers had been pushing Vishneva. Lopatkina got applause for all of her solos, but not wild applause and her first entrance was met with complete silence.

The audience was fairly subdued the whole evening. At 3 hours 40 minutes (with 3 intermissions) I think the production was pretty long for “television city” attention spans. I heard one man comment that it wasn’t very “cinematic”. All those blond wigs were a bit much for me, though it did give the production a certain cohesive look. It dragged in spots, and although all the principals and many of the soloists were great, a lot of the corps looked like they were phoning it in. I’ve never seen more bored aristocrats than were at this Aurora’s wedding!

It was good to see Zelensky. He still has those plush landings & space eating leaps, though Desire is a thankless role. His partnering was great, Vishneva took a lot of risks & I was really holding my breath during some of those promenades where he holds her with one hand on her waist while turning her.

In typical Kirov fashion there were no announcements of casting changes. My program said that Pavenko was dancing Florina, but I think not. On the walk back to my hotel a nice Russian lady told me it was Yulia Bolshakova. She brought an appealing sweetness & delicacy to the role, but she is string bean thin & every extention was a 180. She has a very exotic looking face - reminded me of Asylmuratova.

The program lists casting for the whole run. The principal casting matches what we already have, except the Lilac fairy hasn’t been updated. It still lists Nioradze for 10/6 (Marc Haegeman has told us that it will be Vostrotina), Pavlenko for 10/7 (she’s not on this tour), and Vostrotina for 10/9. The casting for Aurora may be light, but it does look like they brought their top soloists. Here is the casting for some of the soloist roles as per the program:

Tenderness Fairy: K.Ostreykovskaya 10/5,6,7, D. Sukhorukova 10/8&9
Vivacity Fairy: Tatiana Tkachenko
Generosity Fairy: Yulia Kasenkova
Courage Fairy: Yana Serebriakova ( she was outstanding last night!)
Lightheartedness Fairy: Yana Selina
Diamond Fairy: Viktoria Tereshkina 10/5 (also great), Tkachenko 10/6, Irina Golub 10/8, Osmolkina 10/9
Sapphire Fairy: Yana Serebriakova
Gold Fairy: Sukhorukova
Silver Fairy: Kasenkova
Carabosse Fairy: Igor Petrov 10/5,7,9 (he was great, less “campy” than I expected
Roman Skrikin 10/6 &8
Florina: Pavlenko was scheduled but Bolshakova danced on 10/5,Irina Golub 10/6,
Bolshakova 10/7,Sofia Gumerova 10/8, Ostreykovskaya 10/9
Bluebird: Anton Korsakov 10/5, Vasily Scherbakov 10/6, Dmitry Semionov 10/7 & 9, Maxim Chaschegorov 10/8
Little Red Riding Hood: Yevgenia Obratsova

It was very nice to meet Andre & Art – see you again tonight!

Thank you for all of this information & impressions, nysusan!

Marc, you are right. The sad thing is that the Kirov-Mariinsky *does* have a couple of high-calibre Auroras (beside Vishneva) on its active roster -- Maya Dumchenko and Daria Pavlenko, who actually danced Aurora in this production once or twice, very early-on in her career. [The recent Russian TV special 'Tsars Box: Pavlenko' included an enticing clip of her Aurora.] Dumchenko & Pavlenko have remained home, as has another fine soloist who is rarely seen on tours nowadays, Elvira Tarasova. Makhalina & Ayupova remain on the roster as Principals but, as we all know, rarely perform nowadays.

On a separate note:

Nysusan wrote about the length of this production @ 3 hrs - 40 mins. Of course, it is long;this is 'The Sleeping Beauty' in its entirety, performed by its originating company, albeit in a newer staging. I had to laugh when I read one of the California-news preview articles that the Kirov was touring this version because "...it is shorter & easier to tour." Rubbish! Both the 1890 & 'Soviet' versions of 'Beauty' are languid, lush spectacles. Both are gourmet meals, to be savoured in a relaxing manner. Anyone expecting Burger King will be disappointed!

Our family went to both the dress rehearsal (with Somova) and the evening opening performance, yesterday.

Diana Vishneva was just as we expected as Aurora -- absolutely wonderful. She projects her personality to the highest balcony. I have to say that as much as I appreciate Zelensky's attention to his ballerina (he is a fabulous partner), I thought that he held back a bit in his solos. I preferred Fadeyev's dress rehearsal; he is very prince-like and his dancing is secure as well.

This is the first time that we have seen Lopatkina dance and we expected a lot. I was a bit disappointed; although she was technically beautiful, I didn't get the impression that her heart was in it. We mostly like watching excellent technique, so it wasn't terribly disappointing, just mildly so.

We saw Somova in the dress rehearsal, and I'm going against popular opinion here, but we really liked her. She has a bit to learn, but my goodness, give her a break; she is awfully young to be taking on such a large part. I thought she did a very nice job, and I'm looking forward to seeing her again on Friday evening.

I loved the white cat--she really seemed to be having fun and I think the audience appreciated it.

I didn't care for the bluebird at all -- he was not technically or artistically prepared, in my opinion.

These are just a few impressions I remember from last night's performance; I'll post again about Friday's.

Fair enough, pj! Glad to read some positive words on Somova.

The Bluebird, Anton Korsakov, seems to be one of those dancers who is either 'on' (wonderful, as he was during the Corsaires in DC this July) or really off, as he seems to be now.

Do you recall who danced White Cat, who you so admire? Yana Selina often dances the role & is a delight. I'm guessing that it was she, perhaps?