#bocharova

Francesca Hayward

Please read my previous response.

Oscar Frame

In short, I think that he is the most promising male graduate this year. I know that a lot of emphasis was placed (deservedly) on Gerashchenko as the star graduate, but I actually prefer Oscar.

Oscar progressed through the Vaganova repertoire fairly quickly. He jumped from the Russian dance to one of the Pierrots (a principal role) in “The Fairly Doll” almost overnight, and I can’t think of any other foreign trainee who got to dance the Nutcracker Prince on the Mariinsky stage. Tsiskaridze clearly had a soft spot for Frame, and I’m really glad that he gave him so many opportunities. Oscar absolutely deserved it. 

I also found Oscar incredibly impressive in the graduation exam. In my opinion, his turnout, musicality, speed, precision, etc. were the best in class.

Olesya Bocharova

No opinion yet. Haven’t seen enough of her.

Another compilation of responses to “opinion” requests. Thank you for asking.

Olesya Bocharova

To be honest, I have seen precious little of her performing. From what I have seen, she is pretty confident, has a good stage presence, is expressive and upbeat.

Marina Pak

Pak is interesting and definitely worth watching, though I don’t have much more to say about her. Her technique is pretty clean and she has a good feel for the music. She can also tackle character dance and be quite expressive, as she did great in “The Nutcracker” (Spanish Dance) last year.

Anton Korsakov

He isn’t my cup of tea, though he a great stage presence and is an excellent actor. I prefer danseurs who are either lyrical (Tsiskaridze), dark and sensual (Ruzimatov), or bright and energetic (Vasiliev). Korsakov just doesn’t have the technique, the power or the “punch” that I look for in a danseur. I should point out, however, that Anton is a prizewinning danseur who is well-respected in the ballet community, so my personal opinion or preference is just that - personal.