Ballet & Dance

A romantic dance set in Central Park (staged) performed by Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse. From Vincente Minnelli’s musical comedy “The Band Wagon" in 1953. Music by Arthur Schwartz Orchestration by Conrad Salinger Choreographed by Michael Kidd

The Nutcracker is a Christmas classic, with a special place in the hearts of ballet fans around the world. Tchaikovsky’s music and the enchanting characters bring Hoffmann’s story to life, creating a magical experience for both adults and children. Yuri Grigorovich has filled the ballet with romantic introspection thanks to which it has become a 20th century classic. Cast: Marie: Elizaveta Kokoreva Nutcracker Prince: Artem Ovcharenko Drosselmeyer: Denis Savin The King Mouse: Mikhail Kryuchkov Choreography, Libretto: Yuri Grigorovich (using motifs from the script by Marius Petipa). Set Designer: Simon Virsaladze Lighting designer: Mikhail Sokolov Music Director: Gennadi Rozhdestvensky Conductor: Valery Gergiev Recorded Live from Moscow on 31.12.2024 Act I: Guests are gathering for a Christmas party at the Stahlbaum home. Among them are Drosselmeyer, godfather to Marie and Fritz, the Stahlbaums’ children. He has brought them a wonderful present: a funny Nutcracker. The children wait with impatience for when at long last they will be shown the Christmas tree and the presents. The long awaited moment comes: the handsomely adorned Christmas tree is presented tothe assembled company. Drosselmeyer suddenly appears disguised as a magician: he is not recognized by the children. Their unknown guest’s ability to make their toys come alive delights the children but, as everything that is clad in mystery, it involuntarily arouses their fear. In order to calm them down, Drosselmeyer takes off his mask and the chil­dren now recognize their beloved godfather. Marie wants to play with the wonderful dolls which have come alive, but they have already been tidied away. To comfort Marie, Drosselmeyer gives her the Nutcracker-Doll. Marie takes a great liking to this awkward, funny creature. Marie’s brother Fritz, who is a great tease and very naughty, acci­dentally breaks the doll. With great tenderness, Marie comforts her injured Nutcracker and rocks it backwards and forwards. Fritzand his friends now put on mouse masks and tease poor Marie. The guests appear from an adjoining room. After the final, ceremonial Grossvater dance, they all leave. At night the room where the Christmas tree stands is bathed in moonlight. It looks mysterious and full of magical secrets. Overcoming her fears, Marie has come to the room to visit her ‘sick’Nutcracker-Doll. She kisses the doll and rocks it. Drosselmeyer now appears. But instead of her kind godfather, he has turned into a wizard. At a wave of his hand everything around them is transformed: the walls of the room slide back, the Christmastree starts to grow. And all the toys come alive and grow together with the tree. Suddenly, mice creep out from under the floor­boards, led by the Mouse King. The dolls are panic-stricken and thrown into confusion. The Nutcracker’s quick wits and bravery save the day: lining upthe lead soldiers, he boldly leads them out to do battle with the mice forces. However, the forces are unequal, the advantage is on the side of the evil mice. The Nutcracker is left alone to face the Mouse King and his suite. Marie is out of her mind with worry over the danger that threatens her doll. At this very moment, Drosselmeyer hands her a lighted candle and she throws it at the mice who scurry away helter-skelter. The battle field empties. The only person left here is the Nutcracker who lies without moving on the floor. Marie, together with the dolls, hurries to his rescue. And now a miracle occurs... BeforeMarie stands a handsome youth, the Nutcracker-Prince. He walks forward to meet her. The walls of the house disappear. Marie and her friends are standing under a star-studded sky, by a fairy-tale Christmas tree. Snowflakes go round in a magical dance. Marie and her Nutcracker-Prince,beckon, as if to a beautiful dream, to the twinkling star at the top of the Christmas tree. They climb into a magic boat and set off for the top of the tree. The dolls follow behind them. Act 2: https://rumble.com/v73dcl4-tchaikovsky-the-nutcracker-act-2-kokoreva-ovcharenko-gergiev-bolshoi-2024.html

Act II: Marie and Nutcracker-Prince are sailing in their magic boat through the Christmas tree kingdom. There are their friends, the dolls with them. The shining star is getting closer and closer. They are just about to reach the top of the tree when they are suddenly attacked by the mice and the Mouse King who have crept up behind them. Once again, theNutcracker-Prince goes boldly into battle. Horribly frightened, Marie and the dolls watch the fight. The Nutcracker-Prince vanquishes the enemy. Joyous victory celebrations are underway. The dolls dance, the candles burn even brighter, the Christmas tree comes alive. The evil mice have been defeated. Marie and the Nutcracker-Prince are radiant with happiness — they have reached the kingdom of their dreams! But it appears all this was just a dream. Christmas Eve is over and with it all wonderful reveries. Marie, still in the thrall of the fabulous dream, is sitting at home by the Christmas tree, with the Nutcracker-Doll on her lap.

Ulyana Vyacheslavovna Lopatkina (Born 23 October 1973 in Kerch, Crimea) is a Russian prima ballerina who performed with the Mariinsky Theatre from 1991–2017. She is a People's Artist of Russia (2005), laureate of the State Prize of Russia (1999) and the Government Prize of the Russian Federation (2015). She studied at the Vaganova Academy with Natalia Dudinskaya. Upon graduation Lopatkina joined the Kirov/Mariinsky Theatre Ballet in 1991, and was promoted to principal dancer in 1995. On June 16, 2017, she officially announced the end of her dancing career and she entered the art department of St. Petersburg State University. Since 2024, she has been collaborating with the Leonid Yakobson Ballet Theatre as a rehearsal teacher . Lopatkina excels in classic and dramatic roles. She is a perfect example of the Russian (Kirov) school with long limbs, great strength and a classical purity of line, as well as noted musicality. At 175 cm, she is among the tallest classical dancers in the world. Tracklist: 1. Pink Floyd - Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Lopatkina during warm-up - Fan made) 2. Raymonda Act III - Variation de Raymonde 3. La Bayadère Act II - Nikiya's Death 4. Paquita - Variation 5. Michel Fokine's The Dying Swan to Camille Saint-Saëns's Le Cygne from Le Carnaval des animaux

1. Pas de deux from Don Quixote (1966) Choreographed by Marius Petipa to the music of Ludwig Minkus. Dancers: Raisa Struchkova, Boris Khokhlov Orchestra Conducted by Algis Zhuraitis 2. Pas de deux from Sleeping Beauty (1971) Choreographed by Marius Petipa to the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Dancers: Raisa Struchkova, Boris Khokhlov - Raisa Stepanovna Struchkova (5 October 1925, Moscow – 2 May 2005, Moscow) was a Russian dancer and People's Artist of the USSR. Struchkova was born on 5 October 1925 in Moscow to a factory worker. She studied at the Moscow Ballet School, her teacher was Elizaveta Gerdt. In 1944, she graduated from Bolshoi Ballet school and became its member the same year. Unlike other famous female ballet dancers of that time like Galina Ulanova and Maya Plisetskaya she didn't become an international star, but the Cinderella role made her famous nationwide. Throughout her career she danced as a leading role in such ballets as Giselle, Don Quixote, Swan Lake, the Sleeping Beauty, the Nutcracker, and many, many others. Later on, she became a ballet teacher in 1962 at the State Theatrical Institute of the Arts and in 1978 became ballet coach at Bolshoi. She died in Moscow on 2 May 2005 at the age of 79. - Boris Ivanovich Khokhlov ( 22 February 1932 , Moscow – 23 June 2000 , Moscow) was a Russian Soviet ballet dancer, teacher, and People's Artist of the RSFSR (1969). In 1951, he graduated from the Moscow Choreographic School of the Bolshoi Theater of the USSR. From 1951 to 1972, he was a ballet dancer with the Bolshoi Theater . He was known as a danseur noble—the ideal performer of princes and romantic heroes. A virtuoso in his technique, he was also an outstanding master of duet dancing. Ballerinas valued him as an extremely reliable partner. In 1972, he retired from acting. From 1976 to 1977, he was a teacher and rehearsal director for the Bolshoi Theater's mime ensemble. In 1981, he graduated from the ballet masters department of GITIS . From 1981 to 1988, he taught in the choreography department there. He died on June 23, 2000 in Moscow and was buried at the Troekurovskoye Cemetery .

A 1979 film ballet dedicated to the work of the Bolshoi Theatre soloist Marina Kondratyeva. Include ballet scenes and choreographic miniatures to music by A. Adam, S. Rachmaninoff, C. Gounod, A. Khachaturian, S. Prokofiev, F. Auber, R. Shchedrin, C. Gluck, and J. Schneitzhofer. Scriptwriter - Svetlana Kononchuk Director - Felix Slidovker Cinematographer - Alexander Tafel Marina Viktorovna Kondratyeva (Russian: Марина Викторовна Кондратьева 1 February 1934 – 8 July 2024) was a Russian ballerina at the Bolshoi Ballet. Described as "weightless, airy, poetic and spiritual", she is known for roles such as Juliet in Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet and as Adam's Giselle, but also performed in contemporary ballets including world premieres. She toured with the Bolshoi troupe to London and the Metropolitan Opera in the 1960s. She became a master tutor at the Bolshoi, passing its tradition to younger dancers for decades. Kondratyeva died in Moscow on 8 July 2024 at the age of 90 and was buried in Troyekurovskoye Cemetery.

Magic is a 1969 film ballet about the work of Irina Kolpakova, a soloist with the Leningrad State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre named after S. M. Kirov. Irina Aleksandrovna Kolpakova (Russian: Ирина Александровна Колпакова; born 22 May 1933) is a Soviet and Russian ballerina, choreographer and pedagogue. People's Artist of the USSR (1965) and Hero of Socialist Labour (1983). She was the prima ballerina of the Kirov State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet (now the Mariinsky Theatre) in Saint Petersburg. From 1974 to 1979, she served as a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. In the 1990s, she worked for several seasons as choreographer and coach at the American Ballet Theatre in New York City. She is currently a professor of classical dance at the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet in Saint Petersburg and a ballet coach at American Ballet Theatre. She is married to the noted ballet dancer Vladilen Semyonov, also a People's Artist of the USSR. The program includes excerpts from the ballets: Chopiniana The Stone Flower by S. Prokofiev The Legend of Love by A. Melikov Raymonda by A. Glazunov The Nutcracker by P. Tchaikovsky Choreographic miniatures to the music of I. S. Bach and G. Berlioz. The film features soloists V. Gulyaev, N. Dolgushin, A. Gridin, V. Semenov, I. Chernyshev, E. Shcherbakov, and ballet dancers from the Leningrad State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre named after S. M. Kirov (Mariinsky Theatre). Scriptwriter: Nelly Mashenjinova Director: Alexander Stefanovich Cinematographer: Georgy Konovalov

Gabriela Komleva and artists of the Leningrad State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater named after S. M. Kirov. Gabriella Komleva was born in Leningrad in 1938. She graduated from the Vaganova Choreographic School (class of Vera Kostrovostkaya) and joined the Kirov Ballet in 1957. Famous for her perfect technique, great expressiveness and versatility. Komleva danced both classical and contemporary roles including Nikiya (La Bayadère), Raymonda (Raymonda), Giselle and Myrtha (Giselle), Odette-Odile (Swan Lake), Kitri (Don Quixote), Aurora (The Sleeping Beauty), Asiat (Gorvanka) and Ophelia (Hamlet). She is the recipient of People’s Artist of the RSFSR (1975), People’s Artist of the USSR (1983) and The National Theatre Award Golden Mask – “For outstanding contribution to the development of theatrе art” (2019). Komleva left the stage in 1988 and became a coach and repetiteur with the Kirov Ballet (Mariinsky Theatre). Track List: - Variation from "Raymonda" by Alexander Glazunov, choreography by Marius Petipa, danced by the soloist of the ballet of the Leningrad State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater named after S. M. Kirov Gabriela Komleva. - Choreographic miniature from "Romance" by Murad Kazhlaev, danced by Gabriela Komleva and Eldar Aliev - Monologue of Mekhmeneh Banu from Arif Melikov's ballet "The Legend of Love", danced by Gabriela Komleva, choreography by Yuri Grigorovich; - Adagio from Arif Melikov's ballet "The Legend of Love", danced by Gabriela Komleva and John Markovsky; - Fragment of Herman Levenskold's ballet "La Sylphide", danced by Gabriela Komleva and Sergei Berezhnoy, choreography by August Bournonville; - "Gavotte" by Jean-Baptiste Lully, choreography by Vasily Vainonen, danced by Gabriela Komleva. Director: Petr Zhuravlev Camera operator: Roman Chernyak Designer: Valentin Lebedev Performers: Gabriela Komleva, Eldar Aliev, John Markovsky, Sergei Berezhnoy Lentelefilm 1981

A Christmas classic revisited in dance form at the Finnish National Opera: Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Recorded on 9 December 2023 at the Finnish National Opera and Ballet. It's the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a grumpy, miserly old man who, on Christmas Eve, is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. A magical tale popular with all ages, adapted into a ballet by an all-British artistic team including composer Sally Beamish and choreographer David Bintley. Director: Jussi Buckbee Choreography: David Bintley Director: Anna Fleischle Composer: Sally Beamish Costumes: Anna Fleischle Music director: Paul Murphy Finnish National Ballet Finnish National Opera Orchestra

"Ivan the Terrible" is a classical ballet in 2 Acts. The world premiere of the ballet Ivan the Terrible took place at the Bolshoi Theater on 20th of February 1975. Yuri Vladimirov performed as the tsar, Natalia Bessmertnova as Anastasia, and Boris Akimov as Kurbsky. The second production, in 1977, was performed by Vladimir Vasiliev (Ivan IV), Lyudmila Semenyaka (Anastasia) and Boris Akimov ((Prince Kurbsky). The premiere caused great resonance. That same summer the troupe toured in the USA, where „Ivan the Terrible” created a great sensation and collected innumerable comments from viewers and media. Next year the ballet was staged at the Paris Opera, where it met the same warm reception, and soon it was shown on the stage constructed specifically for this performance in Louvre during the summer season. "Ivan the Terrible" is music by Sergei Prokofiev originally composed for the Sergei Eisenstein film about the sixteenth-century ruler. Prokofiev composed music to Part 1 in 1942-44, and to Part 2 in 1945; the score is cataloged as Op. 116. After the composer’s death, music for the film was arranged first into an oratorio (with speaker, soloists, chorus, and orchestra) by Alexander Stasevich (1961), who was the conductor of the film score, and later into a concert scenario by Christopher Palmer (1990). It was Abraham Stassevitch, conductor for Sergei Prokofiev's score for director Sergei Eisenstein's "Ivan the Terrible - Part II" (1958), who proposed to Grigorovich that he transfigure IVAN, along with its music, into a full-length dramaturgic dance work. In 1973 the choreographer and theatre director of Bolshoi Yuri Grigorovich, commissioned the distinguished Soviet composer as well as professor of composition, Mikhail Chulaki, to create a balletic scoring based upon Eisenstein's cinema masterpiece. It is cobbled from 377 fragments from Prokofiev's Ivan Part II musical design in addition to other pieces by the great composer. In 1976, based on this Bolshoi Theater performance, the film-ballet was shot, which was released on screens in 1978 by Mosfilm. Composer: Sergei Prokofiev, in a musical edition and composition by Mikhail Chulaki Choreography: Yuri Grigorovich Costume Designer: Simon Virsaladze Set Designer: Simon Virsaladze Screenplay and Directors: Vadim Derbenev, Yuri Grigorovich Artistic Director: Yuri Grigorovich Cast & Characters: Ivan the Terrible - Yuri Vladimirov Anastasia - Natalia Bessmertnova Prince Kurbsky - Boris Akimov Ballet dancers and the orchestra of the Bolshoi Theater of the USSR Conducted by Algis Žiūraitis For Yuri Vladimirov, the title role became a milestone, and the part of Tsaritsa Anastasia became one of the most consistent to Natalia Bessmertnova’s acting personality and professional talents in her creative biography. The following tsars, which have always included artists, distinguished by technical virtuosity and endowed with acting temperament, – Mikhail Lavrovsky, Alexander Godunov, Irek Mukhamedov, Alexei Fadeyechev, Alexander Vetrov – left a vivid mark on this ballet’s history.