#ballerinia

More Bolshoi Asks!  +  an extra ?

I didn’t realize how Bolshoi was more diverse in terms of body types until you pointed it out. Thank you for that. 🙏🏼 Could this be perhaps the reason why Bulanova seems overlooked at MT? I feel like she has a bit more skill over Daria, but management seems to like Daria more

Well, let’s clear here. Looking at the big picture, ballet body types are far from accepting and Russian companies tend to be especially strict. Bolshoi is really only more ‘diverse’ in terms of body type when directly compared to MT. 

I disagree that Bulanova has been overlooked, she’s been given a lot of opportunities in a wide variety of repertoire. Ionova’s first really significant debut came just recently with Gulnare. They are both favored and rising now, but their strengths are suited for different roles. 

Speaking of bolshoi corps ballerinas Vlada is lovely, I also would like to see more of what she can do. Bruna Cantanhede also dances soloist roles, what do you think do her and also of Oksana Sharova( she is always cast for Mercedes) and Stanislava Postnova?

I have only seen Bruna Cantanhede dance one of the river variations in La Fille du Pharon. She was light and charming but I don’t know anything about her and can’t comment further :(

Sharova is a good character dancer, especially strong in Spanish styles. I think she’s danced practically every character dance in DQ, Mercedes, Gypsy, Fandago, Bolero, commendable for sure! She also does Hungarian style nicely, with excellent musicality (think Czardas in both Raymonda and Coppelia).

Sigh, I have such a soft spot for Postnova because she has a genuine persona that just lights up on stage but really struggles with stability. She is one of the people that has really benefitted from more time in the corps as her technique (adagio aside) was not solid when she joined the theater. She dances A LOT in the corps, often in smaller groups, and it has paid off for her with successful small solos. Her Cupid was adorable but she still had some issues with transitions and turns. However, I truly loved watching her Manu (La Bayadere ‘jug’) debut, she was quick footed and charming and her jumps in particular had much more lift. If you compare her dancing there to the Peasant PDD she danced 3 years ago right out of school, it’s like night and day in terms of her improvement. I really hope she keeps proving everyone wrong and keeps trending upwards. 

Is it harder for male dancers to be promoted? I heard somewhere that because it takes time for them develop strength to lift a dancer, it might stall their career

I don’t think it’s ‘harder’ per say, one could easily argue that it is easier for a man to be promoted simply due to the gender imbalance in most companies!

However, I think male dancers definitely get promoted slower than women due. You are correct, it has a lot to due with puberty and muscle development. A fresh graduate at 18-20 will lack the strength of a 25 year old. Also, with the way big classical ballets are structured, there are less small solo opportunities to test up and coming male dancers. There’s not really a Shades PD3 or Sleeping Beauty fairy equivalent for men to dance. With limited non principal solos, most male debuts will demand partnering and lifts.