#obraztsova

Really disappointed to see this.

As cases of COVID-19 soar in Moscow, Evgenia Obraztsova ignores self-isolation advice and attends a church service, stating that “Church is the safest place” to her 143k+ followers on instagram. 

I fully respect the fact that faith and prayer is very important at a time like this, but even Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, who is the head of Russian Orthodox Church, is encouraging worshippers to self-isolate and pray from their homes in order to stop the spread of the virus.

Full article and photos here.

“… it’s just another viral respiratory infection. It’s very unlikely that any of your loved-ones will get sick. And even if they do, they will most likely recover”.

“What are you afraid of? That you will get sick? So what? If you get sick, you will recover."

After ignoring self-isolation advice, Evgenia Obraztsova doubles down on #COVID19 denial.

Read full article + audio (Russia).

A compilation of responses to the Vaganova questions, which came through ask recently. Thank you for asking.

Hello! I saw the show Blue Bird where Anna Sharova and Angelina Karamysheva dance together. I find both of them are very promising dancers! After their performance they proceed to the couch where the lady who hosts the show seems to ask them something and their responses seem to make the judges laugh/amused throughout that conversation. I was wondering if you could kindly translate what they said in the conversation on the couch. Thank you so much in advance!

The hosts asks if it’s true that Tsiskaridze keeps tabs on what sorts of books the students are reading. The girls respond that it’s true, though Nikolai hasn’t actually checked up on either one of them yet. Tsiskaridze interjects to say that he only checks up on the students who are failing.

The hosts then asks what was it like to dance at the Mariinsky, and the girls respond that it’s a great responsibility and that they tried very hard to do their teachers and the academy justice. Both girls also say that they are never fully happy with their performances, though they always do their best.

They go on to talk about how well Anna and Angelina dance together, and the girls talk about their friendship and partnership on stage. Tsiskaridze adds that during the big performances, the girls compete with one another for “the centre”, the central spot in the foreground. And even though Nikolai tells them off for doing so, he thinks that it’s a mark of a future soloist.

Anna dreams of dancing the part of Giselle, while Angelina has her sights set on Kitri.

What did Tsiskaridze say to Kristina Spiridonova during last year's middle school graduation? The video can be found in Anna Shishanova's youtube channel, malipu.

He says she has to eat carrots. Lots and lots of carrots. He usually says this to the shorter students in the hopes that eating carrots will make them grow.

Is it just me or does Darya Ustyuzhanina (6th year student, incoming 7th) look like a younger Evgenia Obraztsova?

Not really.

If you were to cast this year's Nutcracker, which students will you pick for each lead role?

I hope Lana Khalimova returns to the academy and gets to dance Princess Masha. I would also like to see Maria Khoreva and Daria Ionova take on the role. I’d love to see more of Maria Bulanova and Maria Petukhova in the future (maybe the two leading snowflakes) and I’d like Sokolovsky and Zagidullin to dance the part of the Nutcracker Prince. 

How strict do you think Tsiskaridze is compared to older ballet teachers, like his, Petyr Pestov? Do you think Vaganova teachers are "softer" to students nowadays?

If the stories are true, Tsiskaridze is a softy compared to Pestov. Russian ballet teachers have always been very strict and downright harsh, I don’t think this will ever change. Russians have a borderline militaristic approach to ballet education, which is partly why Russian dancers are so damn good.

She is a wonderful ballerina and person. She is sweet and pure, and her light translates into everything she does on stage. She is also intelligent and approaches her roles with a lot of thought and introspection. She is my favourite Juliet, and I honestly enjoy watching her in pretty much everything.

I remember watching an old Tsiskaridze interview (in which he mentions working with Genia when she first joined the company) and being very amused. Nikolai was annoyed at being paired up with a less experienced, lower ranking and much younger ballerina, but couldn’t bring himself to openly complaint about it, instead calling Genia a sweet and thoughtful person. That made me laugh. You know you’re special when you make Tsiskaridze bite his tongue.

I don’t think Genia will return to the Mariinsky as a full-time ballerina, though she could possibly come back as a guest artist. I don’t know why she would though. She left St. Petersburg because she needed a change of scenery (in the artistic sense), and the Bolshoi offers plenty of opportunities and challenges. It is also the more prestigious stage.