I was curious to find some info for an upcoming performance at University of Connecticut so that I could encourage some of my students to go.

Here is the billing: http://www.jorgensen.uconn.edu/event_detail.php?eventID=41


And here is what one finds at the St. Petersburg Ballet Site http://www.spbt.ru/?lang=eng&p=theatre...;last_rnd_id=11


and a little later in the same press release:


There is this website for Saint Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theater of Leonid Yakobson: http://rus-ballet.com/static-jizel-1.htm
but it's a little vague.

I'm guessing the performance will be about the quality of the other Russian companies that have come through on these 1-night stand university tours... I feel for the dancers, the tours seem to be 1-night stand after 1-night stand all across the US with a handful of longer runs (3 days?) on the outskirts of large cities like NYC.

But I wonder that there isn't something of a scandal going on here with the company using another company's name.

Too bad they don't seem to be performing any of Yakobson's work. I'm curious to see that.

I have seen both Tatchkin's St Petersburg Ballet Theatre and the St Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theatre of Leonid Jacobson and found the latter to be considerably the better company! Their all-round standard was significantly higher than that of Tatchkin's ballet, where I remember some of the corps work was positively shoddy and the production(Swan Lake) was performed to one of the most brutally played(taped) versions of Tchaikovsky's score that I've heard. That said, I never got to seeing Irina Kolesnikova herself, who I believe alters the chemistry of their performance.

St Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theatre didn't boast one particular star, but their performance was polished and tasteful in every way. They did perform a lot of Jacobson's work, which was fascinating to see.

In my opinion Tatchkin's ballet is very overrated and their reputation partly built on heavy publicity and partly on the "star" status of Kolesnikova. However, I only saw this company once (not having bothered to see them when they returned with Giselle), so I may have missed something.

If you go, please tell us about your experience with the "State Academic" ballet! I'd love to know what impression they make on you.

P.S. I must add that they seem to use the title St Petersburg Ballet Theatre interchangeably with and/or as a shortened version of St Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theatre. When I saw them the longer title appeared on posters/programs and the shorter one in reviews and program notes.

My experience confirms Ostrich's -- I saw the Yakobson company here in SF about 10 year ago and was VERY glad I went -- They did almost exclusively Jakobson's miniatures and I was fascinated. I took Remy Charlip as my guest and HE loved it too -- and Remy is a genius of the theater. Amy, if I were you I'd take the chance and go see them.

Edited to add --
Well, I just went to both links you give, nad neither seems to be for the Jakobson company -- at least, not at first glance -- in fact, they seem to be two different sites for the SAME company.... SO I don't know what to advise. BUT if WHOEVER it is is gonig to do Giselle, I'd say, probably go. Giselle can stand up to lower production values and still really deliver -- there only has to be one really beautiful dress, and if the company can DANCE, well, that's what's called for. The Cubans come in loud hard shoes and it doesn't matter. Oakland Ballet has danced Giselle more convincingly at times than San Francisco Ballet -- their mime was more sincere, andthe jumps really got off the ground. Myrtha must be a JUMPER. So must giselle, all the Wilis , they jump jump jump. If they understand the ballet and love it and dance sincerely, it might be something the likes of which your students have never seen.

Thank you, thank you for the info! I don't hope that we'll get the performance San Francisco gets, but at least that sounds much better than I had hoped for! I will encourage my students to go. Unfortunately I teach that evening. Maybe it's worth my cancelling classes and arranging a group rate instead. Not sure how my director would go for that, but I'll float the idea. Most of my kids have never seen a real live professional ballet dancer, it would be worth more than class to them.

And I agree with you, Paul, about the production values. This won't be like the Coppelia that came through once. The University of Connecticut's performing arts center (?) has no fly space. I'm not sure, but perhaps this is why there was no doll in the entire first act of that Coppelia. Precious little of the references to the doll made any sense to the audence a a result. I don't think there's anything like that in Giselle? The rising from the grave should be manageable. There's been some funky lighting in the travelling shows before, so perhaps they won't manage that transition to morning convincingly, but most of the ballet should come across...

I must admit to being puzzled by the above. StPBT has toured extensively here in the UK for many years now and is by far the best of the Russian touring groups that visit (I'm tempted to say inflict themselves) regularly. On the many occasions I've seen them they have always appeared with their own excellent orchestra that if their schedule allows has also played concert performances here.

The UK probably gets preferrential treatment

While Tatchkin's company was by far not the worst I've seen in the way of Russian touring companies, I wasn't tempted to go back after that Swan Lake. If this is not their usual standard, maybe they thought audiences at the southern tip of Africa aren't very discerning (which often enough is true). The Jacobson company, however, gave a jewel of a performance and I've been praying for a return visit from them for years now.

The above posters are correct. The St. P. State Academic Ballet company -- the one that Yakobsen, then Makarov, headed once known as "Choreographic Miniatures"-- is miles ahead of the 'Tatchkine-Kolesnikova Troupe,' although the latter is not bad (generally nice corps and IK has lovely moments though her face can be particularly irksome, to me at least).

I rank the St. Petersburg companies thus:

1. Mariinsky (ex-Kirov)

2. Mikhailovsky (ex-Maly/Moussorgsky...now headed by Ruzimatov)

3. St. Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theater (directed by former Maly star, Yuri Petukhov; was the troupe of Leonid Yakobsen and, later, Askold Makarov)

4. Eifman Ballet

5. Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory Ballet (until recently was headed by Dolgushin, who built a fabulous repertoire)

*** the above are the "Big Five" whose dancers and history are featured in the St. Petersburg Ballet Encyclopaedia of Arsen Degen***

6. Tatchkin - Kolesnikova

7. Hermitage Theater Ballet (touring US this spring,right? Lot of Kirov soloists guest here.)

Related to the above, I can confirm that the Hermitage Theater Ballet with Kirov-mariinsky & Mikhailovsky soloists will be touring the southeastern US next month, commencing with a gala in Savannah, GA, on February 8 '08. Stars include Irma Nioradze, Tatyana Tkachenko & Sergei Popov of the Kirov-Mariinsky & the divine Irina Perren of the Mikhailovly (ex-Maly). Oh...and Anastasia Kolegova who is on both the Kirov-Mariinsky and Mikhailovsky rosters (and is a huge favorite in Japan with her supermodel looks). The Hermitage's own principal ballerina, Alyona Klochkova, is also a stunner.

Below is a link to the dancers' page on the tour's website:

http://www.hermitageballet.com/site/807174/page/907546

Okay.... I guess it's just me... but I'm now wavering between company # 3 & company #7 from Natalia's post... I really suspect it's company # 7 that will be playing the University of Connecticut.... but I can't find proof. Maybe (?) someone at Jorgensen Auditorium can tell me, but generally they're not well informed... I think it was last year that they advertised Swan Lake with a photo of the Shades scene from Bayadere... I can't believe a company that rates between the Kirov and Eifmann would be playing at this kind of venue.

Amy, I checked the Jorgensen/U. Conn website & it's definitely Company #3 from my list -- directed by Yuri Petukhov --that will be performing. I'm seeing their GISELLE in Rockville, MD, in mid-March, then they return to the Wash, DC area in mid-April with CARMEN and SWAN LAKE at Geo. Mason Univ. in Fairfax, VA. I love that troupe, although I'm a bit sorry that they have set-aside the true gems of their repertoire -- the Yakobsen oeuvre -- when touring. SWAN LAKES and GISELLES sell more tickets than do JEWISH WEDDING, EXERCISE XX, and the "no pointe-shoes-SPARTACUS"!

This is from the Rockville, MD, venue:

http://montgomerycollege.edu/PAC/Ballet.htm

Company #7 (Hermitage) will only be touring the Southeastern U.S.

I remember seeing them perform a piece called "Illusions" and wonder now if it was one of Jacobson's or not (They also performed some choreography by Petukhov). It is a pas de deux with the woman's costume in Balinese style. The choreography shifted cleverly to and fro, leaving you guessing about which dancer was having "illusions" until at the end I was fully convinced that the person having illusions was myself!

More confusion

Is this the same tour that is advertised -- on Amy's second linked site -- as SoyuzSport Theater?

No, Treefrog. The link is for the Hermitage Ballet that will be touring the S.E. USA next month.

And it's not just St. Petersburg companies touring the USA simultaneously. We will also have the Georgian Ballet (Nina A.'s troupe) and the Perm Ballet (billed as "Tchaikovsky Ballet") criss-crossing America.

Not to forget Vishneva's 'Beauty in Motion' special tour...or the spectacular Moiseyev Folk Ballet that is currently in the middle of a three-month trek across America!

I'm sure I've missed one or two others.

Sounds too good to be true, but I'm delighted! I wonder what circumstances would permit a venue like Jorgensen would book the Yacobsen miniatures... I'm guessing they'd have to carry a season of two evenings of famous ballet before they'd add a third "experimental" evening... hard to beat the kind of free pre-marketing a ballet like Swan Lake has... They did bring in that wild Romeo & Juliet (darn, choreographer's name doesn't jump to mind) that a Russian company toured af ew years back, but then it had the Romeo & Juliet name.

I'm guessing any company that wanted to tour a Firebird or Rite of Spring wouldn't have much trouble getting bookings because of the fame of the music... although, then again, college educated adults around me weren't familiar with Firebird when it was played here recently, some mistakenly calling it "that firefly thing", so perhaps I'm wrong again...

OH... I see it was Petukhov who choreographed that bizarre Romeo & Juliet that came through a few years ago. I hope it's the traditional Giselle that they're touring? Has this tour touched down in the US anywhere yet?

... I better stop answering myself on-line... but maybe some others are wondering along the same lines:

It looks like it's been in Chicago: http://www.nwitimes.com/articles/2008/01/1...3d10080e9bf.txt

and it would seem to be the traditional version, although the article appears to be a preview rather than a review.

In this situation, I miss the old Ballettalk format of company forums.

Hunting about for this tour's production info, I found another company link (but I can't tell how current it is): http://www.musiciansgallery.com/start/danc...burg/ballet.htm

and this site has a nice history of the company and notes for Giselle:
http://popejoypresents.com/documents/Giselle.pdf

And CAMI's page for them: http://www.cami.com/?webid=617
CAMI is their agent on this US tour, as they have been for companies coming through in previous years.
Oddly, their synopsis refers to the Willis as "Willises".

Quick answers:

Yes, the bizarre R&J featuring Queen Mab. I remember. Luckily, it's not the hallmark-production of the company. Petukhov should stick to directing those wonderful dancers.

Their GISELLE is indeed very traditional (as are their other 19th-C classics)

Yes, they have touched-down in the US one week ago in South Bend (Indiana?). There's a review in the South Bend Tribune of their Jan. 20 '08 triple-bill performance, which included -- hold onto your hat -- Yakobsen's masterpiece 'Rodin Sculptures' set of miniatures. So they are doing some Yakobsen on this tour; just not where you & I live. Ugh....

Looks like there have been issues at other venues:

http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/224821.php

Clearly there is confusion which surely is easy to avoid if the company uses its own name However, what is absolutely clear is that it is not Konstantin Tachkin's St Petersburg Ballet Theatre which is performing this tour nor is it Irina Kolesnikova who is dancing

Right. The troupe that is performing in the US is an older and more respected (in Russia) company than is the much-newer Tatchkin-Kolesnikova enterprise.

If the Jacobson company is the older one, then who is actually using whose name? If I'm right the only difference in name is that Tatchkin's company is know as the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre and the Jacobson company as the St Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theatre. Isn't Tatchkin's company "riding" on the older companies name (ironically it seems to be working the other way now, with Irina Kolesnikova's fame boosting the Jacobson company!)?

Then I must make this point again (especially for Natalia) If this Yacobson "troupe is older and more respected (in Russia)" why do they not use their own name ??
I agree with Ostrich - it does seems to be working the other way now, with Irina Kolesnikova's fame boosting the Jacobson company!

They should use their own name and this would stop those many letters going to the Irina Kolesnikova website and she would have time to improve on her sensational techique

Oh, I am so honored!

That has always been their name, wild, with exception that it was originally (sinc e the mid-60s) the "Leningrad State Academic Ballet Theater" when the city was Leningrad. As soon as the city became St. Petersburg, then it replaced likewise in the title. That was prior to Tatchkine's company existing.

So, wildaboutballet, are you suggesting that they go back to Leningrad State Academic Ballet Theater? Maybe they can tour with a Hammer & Sickle?

OK i will write this again (in English ! )
Yacobson ....if their name is St Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theatre ...why are they using the name Konstantin Tachkin's St Petersburg Ballet Theatre as reported much of the US Press

Maybe they should just throw caution to the winds and rename themselves Robert Benchley's time-honored "Utica Drop Forge and Tool Co." I don't care which of them does it, just so somebody finds a name that gives a little more clarity as to identity.

"Tatchkin's" is not in the name of the St. Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theater, wild.

Love your idea, Mel. Personally, I think that the Tatchkin troupe should be, well, "Tatchkin Ballet" or "Ballet Tatchkin"!

I'll be seeing the 'non-Tatchkin troupe' performing GISELLE in Rockville, Maryland, on March 12. As I've seen the very fine DVD of the Tatchkin troupe in this ballet, I should be able to make a good comparison of the two companies and their respective productions of the classic, step-by-step (so to speak). Will do so in this forum after I see the "non-Tatchkin" GISELLE.

I think the main way to know which ballet company you're getting is: if Irina Kolsenikova (or Mrs. Tatchkin) isn't splashed all over the posters and promotional material, it's not the Tatchkin troupe.

Here is what Tatchkin's troupe is known as back home: Imperial Russian Ballet Theater

Look at the names of companies & venues on the following list -- 3rd company down in the 1st column, also identitied as "Tatchkin Ballet" at Fontanka Embankment no. 65:

http://www.rustrip.com/index.html?sid=[sid]&lang=eng&page=all_stores

An interesting point of view Canbelto, but as Konstantin Tachkin's St Petersburg Ballet Theatre has been in theUK on tour with posters of different principals of the company (depending on ballet titles being performed) this is not the answer !

You are absolutely right - Tachkin's is not name of St Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theatre - but the press are saying something different ! see following (especially The Company and The Prima Ballerina !

Russian troupe to bring 'Giselle' to life
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 02.08.2008

The St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre brings its rendition of "Giselle" to Centennial Hall on Saturday. The two-act, two-scene work is considered a classic and is a must-see for fans of the art. The last time Tucson saw a professional "Giselle" performed was in 2004, when Ballet Tucson played out Act II alongside "Dracula" at its 2004-05 season opener. The UApresents show begins at 8 p.m., and tickets are $27-$67 through the Centennial Hall box office, 621-3341.

● The ballet: "Giselle" is right up there with "The Nutcracker" and "Swan Lake" as one of the most popular ballets in existence. Created by Théophile Gautier with help from writer Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Adolphe Adam, "Giselle" was conceived as an homage to ballerina Carlotta Grisi and premiered at the Paris Opéra in 1841. The production was such a success with critics and audiences that a style of hat and fabric were named in its honor.

● The company: The St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre brings a fresh perspective to the dance world. The privately funded touring company was founded in 1994 by Konstantin Tachkin and already has made repeated trips to points around the globe including Great Britain, Japan, South Africa and the United States. The troupe boasts more than 70 dancers, many of them fresh faces recruited straight from Russian dance academies.

● The prima ballerina: The Ballet Theatre is bringing principal dancer Irina Kolesnikova with them. A two-time reject from the Kirov (Mariinsky Theatre) and Musorgsky Theatre and a verbal punching bag for dance professor Elvira Kokorina during her time at the Vaganova Ballet Academy according to Dance Magazine, Kolesnikova has received much acclaim during her time with St. Petersburg. She won a silver medal at Perm's "Arabesque 2002" and a silver at Japan's International and Modern Dance competition in 2005. She also was nominated for best female dancer at London's National Dance Awards after a performance at Royal Albert Hall.

Well at least this is absolutely right. I wonder how many New Yorkers remember Kolesnikova during the January 1998 visit of the Vaganova Academy to the Brooklyn Academy of Music, in a joint concert with the SAB? Kolesnikova was cast in the "Frescoes Pas de Quatre" from StLeon/Pugni's Little Humpbacked Horse. Nice quartet but hardly the stuff of "Prima Ballerina Assoluta." The female stars of that Vaganova tour included Irina Golub (lead graduate of '98, invited to Kirov-Mariinsky), Irina Perren (another top grad of '98, invited to join Maly-Moussorgsky as principal), Alesya Boyko (who went to the Bolshoi, not Kirov), Ekaterina Osmolkina (star of the class of '99) and Tatyana Tkachenko (star grad of '00). Among the star men of the Class of '98 were Anton Korsakov and Mikhail Ilyn (now w/ ABT). I even remember little V. Schklyarov -- now the rising classical male of the Mariinsky -- as the boy in the Nutcracker Pas de Trois, in that concert. I barely remember Kolesnikova & would have not remembered had I not gone back to my programme of that night. This puts things into proper perspective, IMO.

<from Natalia>
Class of '98 were Anton Korsakov

Aha! Now I realize why Korsakov looked so darn familiar on a visit to StP shortly thereafter--I saw both BAM performances that day. Sure wish they'd do something like that again.

Actually the name Imperial Russian Ballet Theater is the name of the theatre not the name of the company The site is very popular with tourists who like to go to Mariinsky and other venues

Natalia thank you for sharing with us this bit of history. It’s a fine example of young pupils of the Vaganova Academy and their development. The Academy obviously sent their ’98 star pupils who had great potential. Although on Mariinsky site I do not see these dancers as stars…not even principals.
But this iprogramme s excellent archive material for the reputation of the school, and a great example for students who want to study classical ballet and become a great ballerina like Kolesnikova. Congratulations on owning such a programme - perhaps Irina Kolesnikova will sign it for you if you see her in dance in USA!

If you go to Irina’s website you can see the words of eminent press critics and their opinion of Irina and her career – here are two examples

“The ballad of Reading’s Odetta”

“…Kolesnikova is truly something else. An amazing line, arms that sing and irreproachable musicality. However awkward the tempi played by the conductor, she was always at one with the orchestra. What is more, she not only danced but truly lived the part. She filled every movement with an exact and clear meaning, revealing the true characters of the black and white swans. This is an example of ballerina as actress, with excellent technique into the bargain. She did not only choose not to simplify the part, which is rightly considered to be one of the most difficult in a ballerina’s repertoire, but indeed to complicate it; she performed Odile’s variations with double spins and in attitude. And all with a marvellously expressive face and a fine stage charm…

Kolesnikova graduated from the Academy of Russian Ballet in 1998 having studied with Professor E V Kokorina. According to the Professor, Irina was the best in her class in terms of intuition, ability and diligence, but the ballet authorities of the Mariinsky Theatre never had a really good look at her and so, no matter how hard the Professor put her case forward, she was never invited to the Mariinsky. Now it is especially pleasant for her to see Irina’s talents being put to good use…”

Aleksei Gosudarev – St Petersburg Chas Pik - February 2001, Russia


What a treat, then, to discover St Petersburg Ballet Theatre, a bona fide group now 10 years old which sources its talent from the Vaganova Academy (the same stable as the Kirov) and boasts at least one principal dancer of world calibre.
Why the wonderful Irina Kolesnikova wasn't snapped up by Russia's premier company straight from school is a mystery...

Kolesnikova has supermodel looks, a glittering technique and all the big classical roles in her lap…
Swan Lake shows off her qualities best: her Odile is no fragile, shrinking thing but a sleek, strong creature, exulting in her own length and flex of limb as much as she is trapped in misery. Among the scores of interpretations I've seen, only one, the Kirov's Uliana Lopatkina, another tall ballerina, has taken the White Swan's Act II adagio at so daringly slow a speed.
Kolesnikova's supreme technical control makes this possible, while her Garbo-like smoulder creates a transfixing allure, both regal and unbearably tender…

Jenny Gilbert – Independent – 19 December 2004 – London, UK

Canbelto what does it mean 'Mrs Tatchkin' who is "splashed on posters"

In private life Irina Kolesnikova is Mrs Tatchkin.

I went last night to the St. Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theater (SPSABT) performance of GISELLE in Rockville, MD. It was a beautiful show, led by two fabulous soloists who I'd love to see again soon: petite redhead Anna Borodulina and tall-lanky-blonde Yuri Mirov (formerly from the Tatchkin troupe with other name - Yuri Gloukhikh).

Alas, I can't tell you the name of the Myrta...'cause she was not announced. (!!!!) Perhaps it's all for the better, as she was very wooden and 'heavy-mannered' (LOUD shoes!) in her delivery. The other negative note was sounded by the Peasant PDD pair (again, nameless), partly due to their being mismatched in height and weight...a swan lift imploded, among other troubles.

Back to the positives. The corps was impressively spot-on, especially those Wilis in Act II. Designs and staging were traditionally lovely. Packed audience shouted 'bravo!' and gave a standing-o, esp for the leading ballerina and for company A.D. Yuri Petukhov, when he took a bow at the end. All in all, I'd rate them above the Tatchkin troupe.

Will try to post a a more detailed review later in the Recent Performances space.

Also, I learned that the SPSABT has just been renamed "Yakobsen Ballet" back home in Russia. Fianlly, I was happy to see that two of my favorite St.P dancers from the '90s are coaches with this troupe:

* Elena Sherstnyeva - for years the top female chatecter artist of the Kirov-Mariinsky, excelling in national dances

* Irina Kirsanova - THE classical 'prima' of the Maly-Moussorgsky Theater Ballet (now Ruzimatov's troupe, with nae "Mikhailovsky")...and the greatest Esmeralda of the second half of the 20th C. A truly great dancer. No wonder the level of dancing of last night's GISELLE was so high!

p.s. - we mentioned Anton Korsakov above. I found out that Korsakov was a classmate and 'best pal' of last night's Albrecht, Yuri Mirov, both having graduated in the Vaganova Academy's 1998...the gang that went to Brooklyn that memorable February long ago.

Glad to hear it. Also happy to read your review - I fell in love with this company first time I saw them!

This sounds interesting - i have not seen them but with all this chat about them using lots of different names, i must say I was not
inspired to see them if they came my way!!
I wonder why, if the Yacobsen company are so good, they only play arts centres and colleges ? Iknow the Tachkin company plays major cities and venues, with an orchestra so I guess they are in a higher league.

Don't forget that it is often publicity and spending power that makes all the difference in where a company is able to perform.

There's a review in the Washington Post about the company's performance of Giselle at Montgomery College:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...8031403866.html

Where the companies perform MAY also have something to do with how they see their missions. Robert Joffrey started his company by playing colleges and arts centers off the beaten path to bring ballet where it had seldom or never been seen before. If that's the Yakobsen goal, more power to them. If the Tatchkin company wants to play major cities, more power to them, too.

Review by Robert Johnson in the NJ Starledger didn't much care for the company's "Carmen"


http://www.nj.com/entertainment/ledger/ind....xml&coll=1


Oh well. Maybe he would have liked the Giselle better. I now have tickets & will post a review.

Amy - thanks for the heads up ........but I hope you did not miss the point Mr Johnson made - the Yakobsen company have yet another alias "Younger Brother to the Kirov" How embarrassingly cringe-makingly worse can this get ! I admire loyalty but I think it is hard to support a company which gets such a review from a respected critic (not a website wannabe) Mr Johnson says "It's hard to know who should be more ashamed -- the impresario, Columbia Artists Management or local presenters -- for trying to swindle audiences by linking this garbage to the finest in Russian ballet."

I haven't seen their Carmen. If it is the one-act version created for Pliesetskaya, I can imagine that it wasn't well received. It generally seems to get very unfavourable reviews in the west, no matter what company performs it. However that may be, with the last part of Mr Johnsonson's statement I can't agree. The St Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theatre is part of the "finest in Russian ballet" as far as I'm concerned. Certainly they are in no way inferior to the travelling troops that the Bolshoi sends around (I'm not talking about the full-season, all-star casting that places like London get). I'd love to ask Mr Johnson in what way they failed to meet this standard.

BTW, I don't know if I just couldn't access the rest of Mr Johnson's review, but his arguments seem to be entirely unsubstantiated. He describes the production as "teeth-grindingly awful". In what way? Choreography? Decor? Dancing? Casting? Unless there is more to this, I'm not taking what he says on faith.

Don't judge the company on its new choreography -- such as the weird 'R&J' with Queen Mab and now this. This is not the Alonso Carmen which is a very fine work.

This fabulous troupe should stick to its strengths: the classics and the Yakobsen miniatures.

Poor Robert Johnson... he missed Giselle.

"Treat Yourself" would be my comment. Some of the dancing in this production was absolutely impeccable.
So nice to see the ballet done with the proper pointe technique. The Giselle's ability to linger in and then float out of her balances was sublime.

I'm a bit fried. Will post more details after I've deciphered my blindly scrawled notes tomorrow. Okay, there were some slight flaws, but the strengths made you readily forgive them.

This was so much better than I was expecting. I'd rate them way above the Boston Ballet cast I saw do a Sylphide matinee last fall... I haven't seen San Francisco Ballet live lately, and I don't know how they are at Giselle, but I'd venture that the women in this production from the ballerina down to the corps would be dangerous competition.
(and I remember not recommending this company's Romeo & Juliet).

[Edited to add... I have posted my review on the thread with the other reviews: http://ballettalk.invisionzone.com/index.p...c=26808&hl= ]

Mr Johnsons remarks about the impesario may have struck the right note ...look at this from 1996 Are the Stars of the Bolshoi The Stars?
By JENNIFER DUNNING
Published: May 1, 1996
The dance troupe that will perform at the Tilles Center at Long Island University and at the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts in Bedford Park, the Bronx, this weekend calls itself Stars of the Bolshoi Ballet.
But is this the Bolshoi Ballet? The question has dogged the group since it began its 11-week tour of the United States on Feb. 19. Bolshoi Theater officials in Russia contend that there ape no Bolshoi dancers in the touring company and that the use of the Bolshoi name is a violation of international law. They have filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court of the Central District in Los Angelesagainst the tour's producer, Columbia Artists Management, one of the world's major classical-music booking agencies. The controversy has led dance-program presenters in Cincinnati and Denver to offer audiences a money-back guarantee if they are not satisfied with the performances. A third presenter, the Kentucky Center for the Arts, sued CAMI for misrepresentation.
Andrew S. Grossman, the senior vice president of CAMI who is responsible for the tour, says the dancers are bona fide members of the Bolshoi, one of Russia's oldest, best-known and most important ballet companies. In a Jan. 31 letter to the Kentucky Center for the Arts, where the troupe appeared in mid-April, Mr. Grossman dismissed the accusations as "in-house bickering and partisan politics created by individuals within the Bolshoi Theater." Mr. Grossman did not return phone calls this week.
Contract negotiations between the Bolshoi Theater and CAMI broke off in mid-November, said John Webber, the theater's American lawyer, who added that CAMI had no contract with the Bolshoi. The Bolshoi Theater is suing CAMI for damages and permanent injunctive relief on the grounds of unfair competition and infringement and dilution of the Bolshoi trademark. The name was registered as a trademark in the United States in April 1995. Last month, the Bolshoi lost its bid for a temporary restraining order on the grounds that too much of the tour, which ends on May 11, had elapsed.
Vladimir Vasilyev, the director of the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow and one of the great stars of the theater's ballet company in the 1960's and 70's, says there are no Bolshoi dancers -- not to mention stars -- in the troupe. Mr. Vasilyev had said he feared that the touring ensemble's standards would diminish the luster of the Bolshoi Ballet proper. An American tour is under discussion for 1998, the company's first in eight years.
"The tour presently being advertised using the name of the Bolshoi Theater is completely unauthorized, and is in serious violation of laws governing the use of the name of the Bolshoi Theater," Mr. Vasilyev wrote on Jan. 8 in a letter to The New York Times. On Jan. 25, Mr. Vasilyev notified CAMI, in a letter to Mr. Grossman, that the Bolshoi Theater was breaking off its business relationship with the agency and canceling a planned 1997 tour of the United States by the Bolshoi Symphony.
Eleven of the principal dancers in the touring group trained at the Bolshoi and danced with the company when it was under the direction of Yuri Grigorovich, who was ousted in 1995, though program biographies obtained from several tour engagements do not mention that the dancers have retired from the Bolshoi or have left it. Two principals were formerly with the Kirov Ballet, Russia's other major troupe, and Valery Golovitser, Mr. Vasilyev's representative in New York, said the ensemble's corps de ballet was from a troupe in Ufa.
The dispute occurs against a backdrop of political and economic turmoil that has flared in Russia after the collapse of Communism, as foreign and national entrepreneurs seek to cash in on Russian assets like the Bolshoi name. The arts traditions of the past are now being questioned, too. In an interview in January, Mr. Vasilyev talked of a needed modernizing of the repertory of the Bolshoi, which was founded more than two centuries ago.
No matter whether the tour performers, several of whom have been cr'tically praised during the tour, are bona fide Bolshoi dancers, CAMI seems to have had trouble deciding on a name and director for the ensemble. The group has been billed variously as Stars of the Bolshoi Ballet, the Bolshoi Ballet Ensemble and Principal Dancers of the Bolshoi Ballet. In certain advertising and program material, the company is listed as being under the direction of Vyacheslav Gordeyev, who replaced Mr. Grigorovich as director of the Bolshoi Ballet and who has disavowed the group. In addition, Mr. Grigorovich is described in some material as "chief choreographer" of the Bolshoi, though he and the company have severed all ties.
Ticket sales have been brisk and both performances at Tilles Center are sold out. But the Kentucky Center charged CAMI with misrepresentation of the group in a lawsuit settled out of court. In papers filed in August, the center said CAMI had misrepresented the touring company by falsely claiming in the contract that the troupe would be headed by the former leading Bolshoi dancers Natalya Bessmertnova and Yuri Vladimirov, who were no longer with the Bolshoi.
The Aronoff Center in Cincinnati offered a money-back guarantee to its audience, though there were only a handful of takers, a spokesman for the center said. And Barry Fey, a Denver producer, is also offering a guarantee. Mr. Fey had considered canceling the performance late last week, but decided to go ahead after the restraining order was denied, he said. "The quality of dance is there," Mr. Fey said. "Once the court ruled, I felt professionally and morally we could go ahead. If you can't use the Bolshoi name, forget it. You might as well fold up the tent."
A spokeswoman for the Tilles Center said the center received material identifying the group as Stars of the Bolshoi as late as March. In its publicity material, the center refers to Mr. Grigorovich as chief choreographer of the Bolshoi. A publicity release for Lehman Center describes the touring ensemble as Stars of the Bolshoi but identifies Mr. Grigorovich as the former director of the company and the dancers as former members of the Bolshoi and Kirov.
American audiences have long been seeing small touring groups from large American and international ballet companies, many of them produced by CAMI, led by dancers who are not always the company stars they are billed to be, in repertory and with production levels that do not represent the best of those companies.
Will the Stars of the Bolshoi tarnish the reputation of the Bolshoi Theater? The furor over the touring ensemble has generated an unusual amount of press coverage around the nation.
An editorial in The Washington Post in late February compared the group to knockoff Louis Vuitton bags and Chanel perfume, saying, "No one wants to arrive at the theater for an evening of ballet and spend the performance wondering whether political and economic troubles have replaced the incomparable stars of legend with a bunch of ringers."

I expect you are all aware of the esteemed Nina Alovert She has written the most informativearticle entitled THE LEONID YAKOBSON THEATRE RENAMED AS THE KONSTANTIN TACHKIN THEATRE
Nina Alovert – Russian Bazar №12 – 20th March 2008

Her opinion in the piece contains the following !

Such chaos reigns on stage that I may have missed a few of the ballet’s details. In the programme, next to each cast member there are two names but there is no mention of who is actually dancing. This is a pity because although the troupe as a whole creates the impression of an amateur company, the artist who danced Jose (V. Dorokin/I. Zaitsev) was very good. To be fair to the choreographer here, the Don Jose role is the most interesting the ballet offers: in act two Petukhov creates a witty and dramatic monologue for his hero. The audience perked up straight away and gave the dancer V. Dorokin/I. Zaitsev a heart felt round of applause. I would also single out the choreographic characterisation of Escamillo (at the beginning of act two) and the performer of that role: S. Davydov/P. Yakovlev.

I was ashamed for the great Leonid Yakobson’s former company. I am not even talking about the fact that at the present moment its dancers are at a much lower professional level than those of the Tachkin theatre whose name they have either appropriated for themselves or has been appropriated for them. This brazen use of someone else’s name suggests unscrupulousness and a lack of respect towards one’s own company. However, the most important thing here is that one should not be touring bad taste cowboy work thinking that the audience does not in any case understand. It does understand. Even the most casual theatre goer should be presented with theatre of the highest artistic quality. What is more, Russian ballet should not be discredited abroad.

As far as I know, the 'Yakobson' company has never used the name "Constantin Tatchkin Theatre", but either St Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theatre or (as a contraction) St Petersburg Ballet Theatre, which, as previous posters have pointed out, was their name before the Tatchkin Company even existed. So I don't know about 'using someone else's name'.

Nina Aloverts piece tells us that the company is using the Tachkin name ....as so many newspapers in the US have also reported

THE LEONID YAKOBSON THEATRE RENAMED
AS THE KONSTANTIN TACHKIN THEATRE

Nina Alovert – Russian Bazar №12 – 20th March 2008

Not so long ago I was sent some newspaper articles from the Arizona Daily Star one of which, dated 2nd February, advertised the visit of The Konstantin Tachkin Saint Petersburg Ballet Theatre who were to perform the ballet Giselle and other classical ballets. The author of the article informed the future ballet going audience that the renowned Prima Ballerina, Irina Kolesnikova, would be appearing and listed a few facts from her biography taken from an article which I had written for Dance Magazine in 2006.