The Bolshoi will be performing in... Chapel Hill!!!!!!! in June.

http://www.carolinaperformingarts.org/perf...9a-1401d501e54b

Casting is as follows:

Memorial Hall, Chapel Hill

Don Quixote
June 10, 7.30 pm
Kitri - Maria Alexandrova
Basilio - Andrei Uvarov

June 11, 7.30 pm
Kitri - Yekaterina Shipulina
Basilio - Alexander Volchkov


Swan Lake
June 13, 8.00 pm
Odette-Odile - Anna Nikulina
Prince Siegfried - Andrei Uvarov
The Evil Genius - Artem Shpilevsky

June 14, 2.00 pm
Odette-Odile - Yekaterina Krysanova
Prince Siegfried - Alexander Volchkov
The Evil Genius – Yuri Baranov

I sadly missed out on the chance to buy tickets due to some rather complicated distractions, but am still (pointlessly?) searching for possible opening night tickets for Alexandrova in Don Q. I've seen Shipulina before, but can't quite imagine her as Kitri. Thoughts? Or thoughts on Swan Lake casting?

Kitri is not Shipulina's best role by any means, and Volchkov isn't really your dream Basilio either. If choice is allowed, go for Alexandrova/Uvarov in Don Q and Krysanova/Volchkov in Swan Lake. Krysanova has to my mind developed into one of the company's most interesting young ballerinas.

With all the changes in casting at the Kennedy Center, I thought I'd check to see if Chapel Hill's casting is still accurate?

Bolshoi has apparently added a gala event, "An Evening with the Bolshoi", as some sort of fund raising event on that Saturday (13 June). Aside from the original casting announcement dated April, the website itself lists no corrections to the casts, so it's questionable whether the box office knows. It's probably worth calling about, however.

Their website: http://www.carolinaperformingarts.org/

Also, when I looked to buy tickets for my family about a month ago, tickets had sold out for all but the Shipulina Don Q. However, now the box office reports "limited availability" on all dates.

Emi

Thanks, Emi -- the 'gala' is a dinner followed by premier seats for Swan Lake (an expensive dinner at that!):

http://www.carolinaperformingarts.org/perf...ab-8f1838e4cf36

Just to add -- I'm totally frustrated by how expensive the tickets are!

just a note -- now it looks like they don't know who will be Basilio tomorrow!

And Shipulina replaces Nikulina on Saturday

http://www.bolshoi.ru/en/season/press-offi...x.php?id26=1175

Does Uvarov dance Basilio? He was scheduled for two Solors with Gracheva in Berkeley, but Tsiskaridze replaced him in the first and Volchkov in the second, at least according to the substitution insert.

I think we in NC may have lucked out -- replacing Uvarov was....... Vasiliev! When I saw that on the cast sheet I was a bit scared -- he's short! They're about the same height flat and she towered over him en pointe -- but he managed very well, including the one handed lifts. The biggest issue height-wise were finger pirouettes.... a larger problem may have been the stage.... it's small for this company (I felt that in Act I and Act III they maybe could have not used the entire set -- especially the back stairs, and that in Act 1 they could have had less people on stage during the main solos). They did change some choreography to deal with the stage size, and considering the amount of rosin used, I'm guessing the stage was pretty slippery -- luckily no accidents.

However, I'm downplaying everything.... it was a fabulous performance, with a sold-out appreciative audience that stopped everything after the Grand Pas for a standing O -- and another full standing O at the end. I'll write more, including casting, in the morning.