Was I happily surprised to see the name of retired (I thought) 1st Soloist Elvira Tarasova on the playbill for tonight's Ballet Gala at the Mariinsky to mark the end of the Orthodox Butter Week (Maslenitsa)! This gala will also feature Guest Artists from the Mikhailovsky-Maly Ballet, the Matvienkos (erroneously rumored to have moved permanently to the Mariinsky, as per recent Russian gossip websites):

http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill/playbi...009/3/1/1_1900/

Tarasova was last 'spotted' as coach to the divine Yevgenia Obraztsova in the recently-released Japanese DVD Variation Lesson: Obraztsova and Novikova.

Tarasova will also dance at the Ninel Kurgapkina Gala on March 8 - an event that will also feature her charge, Obraztsova, among others:

http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill/playbi...009/3/8/1_1900/

Doesn't Evgenia Obraztsova work with Ninel Kurgapkina, or does she happen to have two coaches ?

Tarasova is Obraztsova's coach. You must be thinking about 5 yrs ago, Azulynn, when Kurgapkina coached a number of dancers (like Lopatkina) who have since found new coaches.


The current coaches of the four ballerinas on the Japanese 'Variation Lessons' DVDs are:

Somova - Chenchikova (not Tereshkova)

Terioshkina - Kunakova

Novikova - Moiseeva

Obraztsova - Tarasova...the most intense and talkative of the four coaches; also the one who is most precise in her instructions and, as the youngest, most capable of demonstrating what she wants

who does Kurgapkina coach now?

The Mariinsky Theatre will be completely full for this gala, given the fact she Lopatkina is going to dance in this gala and the fact Kurgapkina has coached many of the best female ballet dancers in the Mariinsky troupe (she was Lopatkina's coach for many years).

Natalia, that "rumor" is true. Denis has signed as a principal, Anastasia is going over as first soloist. It was in today's papers (Nezavisimaja Gazeta)

It certainly may turn out that way but as of today, the MT website still shows several hundred tickets unsold for the gala.