#alexandra khiteyeva

[tikitania]

Which debuts do you wish to see at the Mariinsky? I'll go first:

Konovalov: Solor, Ferkhad

Khiteeva: Giselle, Aurora, O/O

Lukina: Shyrin, Raymonda

Bulanova: Mekhmeneh Bahnu, Kitri

Shakirova: Mekhmeneh Bahnu, Marguerite (from Marguerite and Armand)

I would add other names and performances to the list, but these are the ones I'm most interested in seeing, at the moment.

Oh! These are spot on. I would add Paquita & Scheheradze for Bulanova. She's so underutilized — I know I keep kvetching about this - but I just don't understand why she's on the sidelines. Also: Ramanbek Belashniev as Basil. I really hope his career progresses. I've long thought that Khiteeva would be a standout Giselle. She has the dramatic heft for these roles. I'd love to see her in that first, then Aurora, then O/O. Shakirova: I'd like to see her do a really standout Aurora & Giselle. Obviously, these are not debuts, but she's now a prima and very beloved. So she needs to dance some of these classical roles with commanding technique and style. I don't think she's a swan and we can put that to rest. But these would quiet the doubters. In a year or two, we'll see what Kulikova and the others are capable of and we can begin to put them on wishlists. Or maybe sooner!

Speaking of debuts. Svetlana Savalieva danced the Fairy of Tenderness role / Candide Fairy recently and she looks lovely. It's tough to essentially walk across stage on pointe shoes and make it look it dainty and graceful. Bravo! Also, check out Skorkik's Italian fouettés @ 2:20. These are the most joyful fouettés I have seen in a long time. Usually, the vibe I get from the dancer is "Is this almost over? Or just make it to the end!" Kondaureva struggled through hers recently and it's clear that she's not 100% after her injury. I hope she gets there.

#ballet #mariinsky ballet #youtube #debut dreams #wish list #maria bulanova #alexandra khiteyeva #anastasia lukina #Svetlana Savalieva #evgeny konovalov #renata shakirova

[balletomaneblog]

Former Vaganova Students as Hebe from the Awakening of Flora!

Here's a collection of Vaganova grads dancing the Hebe variation from the Awakening of Flora. I really love when Vaganova girls perform this variation so I thought it'd be fun to see them all together! I particularly enjoyed Bulanova, Khiteyeva, and Koshkareva, but they're all lovely!

Maria Bulanova at Vaganova Graduation (8th year, 2018)

Alexandra Khiteyeva at a class concert (6th year, 2017)

Maria Koshkareva competing at IBC Moscow (7th year, 2022)

Yaroslavna Kuprina competing at IBC Moscow (7th year, 2022)

Eleonora Sevenard in a gala concert (7th year, 2016)

Renata Shakirova at Vaganova Graduation (8th year, 2014)

#ballet #hebe #awakening of flora #maria bulanova #alexandra khiteyeva #maria koshkareva #yaroslavna kuprina #renata shakirova #kanon suzuki #Youtube #vaganova

[patricedumonde]

Deep Dive: Daria Kulikova’s Debut as Princess Florine

23 November 2023 — Daria Kulikova's debut as Princess Florine was perhaps my favorite debut of hers from this season. Daria graduated from the Vaganova Ballet Academy in 2023 from Yulia Kasenkova's class and throughout this piece, all I can think of was how she embodies the best qualities of Kasenkova's students. Alyona Kovalyova and Maria Ilyushkina are one of my favorite dancers from this generation. As early as now, I can tell that Daria also shares the poise and dainty nature of her academic sisters.

In fact, "academic" is the term I would use the most when describing this interpretation. With the music being already excruciatingly slow, this arabesque became even more challenging than it already is. I think Daria executed this in such a a picturesque manner and she landed ever so softly on the ground while also being more liberal with her lean as she listens to the bluebird.

Just for fun, I have included a short clip of a young Svetlana Zakharova in the role. Both dancers were breathtaking in the first few seconds of the dance. Even I, as a watcher, wanted to lean in to hear where the sound is coming from.

Nikita Korneyev was also a very attentive partner here. This is what I am looking for from male dancers when partnering first year company members. Since he's anticipating her every step, Daria only gets to worry about striking her poses. You can even tell from how their looks linger that they are absolutely comfortable as partners and are not just going through the motions of the choreography.

There was just so much clarity (I am not used to) in this interpretation. It is almost an oxymoron for me how slow this piece is but also how crisp they make the movements look. Especially during the coda, we all got to appreciate their chemistry and how in sync they are with each other and by extension, with the music!

Princess Florine's variation. At first I thought, "oh maybe she just has very dainty arms" but there's actually quite a bit of difference between her arms here and in her Queen of Dryads. In my mind, there's seemingly a race in who's got more expressive arms. It's either Alexandra Khiteyeva or Daria Kulikova. I just throughly enjoyed how Daria started this dance. You can almost feel the music emanating even from her fingers.

This wouldn't be a deep dive of mine without an obscure fixation on something small. Daria's choices on where to look, how to tilt her head, and how much farther to lean, were all correct here. It is very rare for me to see such grace and ease from a young dancer.

Perhaps my only two asks from this already glowing performance is to show a bit more clarity with the pas de bourrée. I think the English dancers are really good about this but that is also due to their tempo being faster. There's, naturally, a highlight on the quick step. With this slower version, I understand that the pas de bourrée could get lost but it would make for a nice treat for the diagonal.

The other is in the coda, I already think Daria does a wonderful job, especially with her expressive arms. I think a more pronounced lean towards the standing leg will help bring the other leg higher and help prolong the extension.

In the coda, I think Daria does a wonderful job in being dynamic with her movements. Slowing down, and seemingly stopping time, before quickly closing in for her turns. It was just an absolute delight to watch.

Overall, this debut was my favorite of the new graduates this year. Happy holidays to all!

(Credits to Ma Iru for the video)

#russian ballet #mariinsky ballet #ballet #ballet review #daria kulikova #yulia kasenkova #vaganova #princess florine #dancer updates

[salomeh]

Alexandra Khiteyeva performing a solo from The Awakening of Flora.

via @balletclips on twitter

#vid #ballet #fave #text #upload

[ballet-symphonie]

Have you seen that Alexandra Khiteyeva is debuting Gulnare soon? When are they promoting this girl out of the corps? She's one lf their best young talents!

So excited to see her. Hopefully she’ll get out of the corps soon…I don’t think she’ll have to wait much more!!

#ballet #ballerina #ballet ask #mariinksy ballet #mariinsky theater #Alexandra Khiteeva

[balletomaneblog]

Alexandra Khiteyeva is debuting Queen of the Dryads on September 23rd! This is both very exciting and unexpected. Because she's already debuted Kitri and is also still frequently cast as a Flower-seller, I didn't think she'd get this debut so I'm so excited! Fingers crossed that there's good footage!

#ballet #alexandra khiteyeva #don quixote #queen of the dryads #debut #mariinsky

[balletomaneblog]

Sasha Khiteeva is going to debut Raymonda at the Primorsky stage and I'm screaming!!! Do we think she might debut it at the main stage next season? I think she's being prepped for first soloist once they promote the likes of Shakirova, Iliushkina and Khoreva to principals. I'm thrilled for her. For the longest time I thought she'd be buried with all of the talent in the corps or as a coryphée. I'm so glad she's getting her due!

I'M SO EXCITED TOO!!!

I think Khiteyeva would make a wonderful Raymonda so hopefully this will lead to a debut with the Mariinsky. It all depends on whether Fateyev likes her interpretation. I'm also very glad she has a soloist position and am also hoping for an eventual promotion to first soloist. Her trajectory was slowed down for a bit during her second season, I believe because COVID shut down the second half of her first season, so I'm glad she's been getting more attention. I'm also hoping for her to debut Aurora and Juliet soon🤞🤞!

#ballet #alexandra khiteyeva #raymonda #debut

[tikitania]

Thoughts on Khiteeva in DQ…

Thanks to the Anon who sent me this link! I've watched it a bunch and learned quite a bit about Don Q in the process — at least Kitri's part. I'm going to share it here because I have some thoughts. It's just some snippets and I would like to see more, but it's a very strong for her second DQ.

Act 1 - Good, but could use more attack, music seemed a bit slow. The toreador diagonal was quite good! The "Plisetskaya jump" could be more explosive.

Act 2 - Dulcinea Variation - Such a natural here. Looked a little nervous or shaky at the start but overcame that quickly. Those hops on points - Bravissima! (Do I see a future Giselle?) However, as I was watching and comparing to others, I learned that there is another version of the Dulcinea Variation called the "Dudinskaya Version" and only a handful of dancers have been given the blessing to dance this one, Shakirova and Lukina both dance Dudinskaya's version, Shakirova seen here:

Act 3 - Kitri wedding variation - this one sent me into an internet rabbit hole because it raised a lot of questions for me. First, the run at the start - so pretty! Her legs are very shimmery! But where is the fan? I know that at the Mariinksy, fans are optional, but really…you need the fan! Secondly, I wondered if she got tripped up in the passes and improvised on the spot, or if this little triple step was intentional. Because of this question, I started researching and realized that there are many different approaches to this part of the variation. Some hold the passe a beat (Skorik), others go from a fifth to a wide second on point, but Ekaterina Maximova's is the the one I liked the most. Crazy fast passes! For Kitri, you really have to go for broke. No holding back, so there's a lot of room for improvement for Khiteeva here. It needs to be needle sharp, very picante! And that drama & flirtiness should build over the series of passes. But overall, quite charming!

#ballet #mariinsky ballet #russian ballet #youtube #alexandra khiteyeva #don quixote #Kitri #Dulcinea #Learning about ballet #anon #anonymous

[tikitania]

WOW. This is exciting. Khiteeva as Raymonda! Although this is the Primorsky stage, there's a clear pattern of dancers debuting here and then later debuting at the Mariinsky Stage. Also, it's exciting for the audiences to see “the Queen” Okasna Skorik along with upcoming dancers (Bulanova, Korneev.) I hope there are some videos posted of this. I haven't seen much of Khiteeva’s recent Don Quixote performances, nor her recent turn in Clemence — a role that is just so lyrical and crazy hard, which she dances beautifully.

#alexandra khiteyeva #alexandra khiteeva #mariinsky ballet #youtube #russian ballet #ballet #prima ballerina

[balletomaneblog]

Share with us your thoughts on Khiteeva's debut as Kitri! <3

I wish I could but sadly I couldn't find almost any clips of it! I did see her first act variation and thought it was beautiful, but literally nothing else. ☹️

I do see that Don Quixote is again on the playbill for June so hopefully she will get cast as Kitri again and there will be more footage this time. I'm so happy she got the role and would love to see how she portrays Kitri!

#mariinsky #mariinsky ballet #don quixote #alexandra khiteyeva #kitri #debut #ballerina

[balletomaneblog]

Knews on Khiteeva's debut, please! :)) I honestly think she's the first one on the management's list to be promoted to first soloist. Lukina is the obvious choice due to her time in the company and big repertoire, but let's not forget that both Nagahisa and Iliushkina went up before her, so it wouldn't be the first time. I wish they both (Khiteeva and Lukina) were promoted, but the Mariinsky is very much promoting Sasha right now, so I would bet on her.

Yes, I could see that possibly happening relatively soon. Especially now that she also has an upcoming Kitri debut.

I loved what I saw from Khiteyeva's debut of Aspicia, I was so astonished at the growth in her presence and maturity on stage. I think this was definitely a big moment for her.

But of course I also think Lukina is very deserving of the promotion considering that she's now been in the company for close to eight years and has many more roles in her rep. It's tough when you're routing for so many different dancers for so few spots. Hopefully, they both get promoted within the next couple years.

#ballet #mariinsky theatre #mariinsky ballet #second soloist #mariinsky #alexandra khiteyeva #anastasia lukina #debut

[balletomaneblog]

Alexandra Khiteyeva, who has just debuted Aspicia in La Fille du Pharaon, is now scheduled to debut Kitri on May 14th! So excited for this debut and happy that the theatre is giving Sasha more attention!

#ballet #mariinsky #mariinsky theatre #alexandra khiteyeva #don quixote #kitri #debut #second soloist #ballerina

[balletomaneblog]

Hey! Did you see that the MT is having the premiere of La Fille du Pharaon? Please, share your thoughts of the 4 performances that is going to happen! I'm really excited about this haha. And if you could share the videos of the performances as well. By the way, if you had to choose one casting to see of this premiere, which one would you choose?

So I totally cheated and waited until all the performances came out to answer this lol.

My feelings on the premiere was mixed. The clips I saw of all four lead dancers (Tereshkina, Khoreva, Ilyushkina, Kondaurova) were all very strong. I should note that the dancers I saw the most clips from are Tereshkina and Ilyushkina so I don't really feel like I should compare them since I don't have a full enough picture. I also thought Shakirova and Shirinkina were lovely as Ramzaya and I particularly enjoyed the Pas d'Action and Court Dancers scene.

However, I also saw some problems with the ballet. The choreography was awkward at times and I didn't see very many female variations that I was especially compelled by. However, the Mariinsky dancers did a fantastic job and the costume and set design were beautiful.

I watched a lot of clips on instagram but two youtube channel that posted quite a few videos were @teatralny_eg and @youngballet_spb.

In terms of which cast interests me the most I would probably most like to see one of the younger Aspicias, either Khoreva or Ilyushkina. While I love watching both dancers and they both did a phenomenal job, I would classify this ballet as more technical than dramatic, so my inclination would be towards the performance with Khoreva and Batoeva. Not to mention this cast also has Khiteyeva in the Pas d'Action and I'm always happy to see her in a new role.

#ballet #mariinsky ballet #mariinsky #la fille du pharaon #premiere #maria khoreva #maria ilyushkina #nadezhda batoeva #alexandra khiteyeva #debut

[balletomaneblog]

Alexandra Khiteyeva is debuting Aspicia, instead of Ramze, on May 29th! So excited for her, I’ve been hoping for a new principal role for her!!

#ballet #alexandra khiteyeva #mariinsky #mariinsky ballet #la fille du pharaon #Aspicia #debut

[tikitania]

Ooooh….here’s a peek of Alexandra Khiteyeva / Khiteeva working on Odile. 🖤

What does this mean?! Could there be a 🦢 in her future? Either way, love seeing her at work.

#ballet #mariinsky ballet #mariinsky theatre #alexandra khiteyeva #Alexandra khiteeva #swan lake #odile #trying on for size #practice practice practice #love it

[patricedumonde]

Hii!!!

Who are your top 10 dancers from bolshoi and top 10 dancers from Mariinsky (working right now)?

Omg 10 is too much, I'll give you five and I will specifically exclude prima ballerinas because they're basically given. And yeah, these are all going to be female dancers.

Mariinsky

Kristina Shapran

Alexandra Khiteyeva

Maria Ilyushkina

Renata Shakirova

Daria Ionova

Bolshoi

Margarita Shrayner

Anastasia Denisova

Arina Denisova

Xenia Zhiganshina

Sofia Valiullina

#patrice answers