Renata Shakirova in my opinion is one of the most underrated dancer at the Mariinsky. She is amazing and her dancing has always been really mature even when she was at the school, I just love watching her!!
Please, do that video about Maximova! I believe that the old ballerinas have something that cannot be replicated. I love that the bodies weren't as athletic as today, yet the artistry was so much more genuine and pure. Besides, some dancers' techniques were incredibly good for those times, as is Maximova's case. Nowadays, there are plenty of dancers with extreme extensions and spotless techniques, yet you feel something is missing.
Stress goes on [O]sipova, N[O]vikova, Zakh[A]rova, Shak[I]rova and Max[I]mova... thank you very much for your love of ballet and passion that you put in your videos!
Thank you so much for this analysis! I agree with every comment you mentioned in the video. 💕 Maximova is amazing! And we need to bring the “Dancing” element back to classical ballet. If you grasp the classical ballet techniques, you must “dance” on it, not just “present.” Then, the ballerinas will be alive on the stage. Let us do a whole video on Maximova!❤❤❤
Maximova is legend! She really feels the role and does perfectly! I think Bolshoi's prima Ekaterina Krysanova also does this role perfectly and sometimes reminds me Maximova. These days I also love Bolshoi's new star Elizaveta Kokoreva in this role, it would be nice to see her in this channel. Thank you for the video 🤍
All the dancers are great... but Maximova and Osipova are formidable! Maximova dances with her whole body. She has it all, along with the ineffable "it" quality. Osipova is the Kitri of our time. Her elevation and ballon are truly startling and she really becomes Kitri. I like Novikova in general, yet in this role she seems too reserved although is a more precise technician than Osipova. I think Shakirova dances with joy and will develop her Kitri. Zakharova is very gifted but I don't think Kitri is her greatest role. Thanks for this fun comparison.
Totally agree with you. Loved Shakirova. Maximova different panet all toghether. Osipova for me, yes she is so strong, but misses that classical ballet poetry. She always gives me the feeling she is running in an olympic game
I’m half Brazilian and half Portuguese ballerina trained at the Bolshoi. I love Osipova in this role. If you can get applause 👏🏻 for passés you’re at another level. I’m so glad you included Maximova the GOAT 🐐 She embodies Kitri. Also, like Osipova they both add the Spanish flair and spice. The only one missing is Vasilieve 😂 doing it in drag. Question 🙋🏻♀️ why are there so many people talking about Renata’s weight? Respectfully. She’s beautiful. Спасибо большое 🇧🇷🇵🇹🩰
For me, there's a similar spirit in Maximova and Osipova. I wonder whether Natasha took inspiration from Ekaterina. They both have maximum technique and a quality of going beyond. It's more than just perfecting the technique and the inspiration. They bring in humanity.
Maximova and Osipova really wowed me with their epaulement, speed, and overall fire (without being messy)! Old videos tend to be a little sped up because they were filmed at slower frame rates and when we play them on modern players, what’s supposed to take 60 seconds takes fewer. So I don't think Maximova was actually going lightning fast. But she was still going very fast and probably the fastest!
Superb and balanced video, and I said this as a unabashed fan of Osipova's Kitri - I was fortunate enough to be able to watch her and Vasiliev dancing DQ, twice, at the Royal Opera House during an summer tour of the Bolshoi in London. So yes, that was at the peak of Osipova young years. You, Isabella, do really give a lot of background that makes easy to appreciate the different approaches to the role. Thank you very much, madam!
The reason dancers back then were able to work at 'lightning speed' was because of their purity of technique and stability. Modern ballerinas are hyper mobile, so they can get their leg to their ear but they struggle with speed and precision. You should watch how daring their partner work used to be, they did lifts that would make your heart stop. I saw Osipova and Vasiliev live in London in the Bolshoi's Don Quixote and the whole production was phenomenal. My favourite Kitri of all time, however, is Lucette Aldous. There was a recording of her and Nureyev in a full length production. I used to have in on VHS and absolutely loved Aldous as Kitri, she captured the essence like no one I've ever seen. Although Maximova is also exquisite, I would say she is more girly and playful. Aldous was a vixen. Acting first, dancing second.
My pick was your friend, because she really made you feel how much she loved her dancing. Then I literally sat up straighter, when I saw Maximova!!! She woke me up.😊💝
Isabella -- your analysis is amazing as always, but I cannot help but notice how lovely your speaking voice is. It is soft yet expressive which makes your videos a pleasure to watch. I studied dance at university and, while most of my teachers were wonderful, there were one or two who were not nearly as engaging and passionate as you are. You would be an excellent professor!
A video about Maximova would be wonderful! And perhaps one about Nadezhda Pavlova? She was remarkable as well and if you look at early video's of her Giselle variation and Bridesmaid variation, you see she could pass as a contemporary ballerina (her xtensions for example), but with more speed and a lot of Bolshoi exuberance. She had it all, I think.
I have never seen Ekaterina Maximova and she completely won me over. She didn't have the fan, or i just couldn't see it, which is something I really, really love - if a dancer can play well with the fan, but the way she used her shoulders was wonderful!! Can you do some more analysis on dancers from the past? I find many young dancers don't know any at all. Several young dancers I know have no idea who Mikhail Baryshnikov was?!!!😱😑
Gennady Smakov, the noted Soviet ballet critic, classified Maximova as a "soubrette," meaning she excelled in light and playful roles. I think that may be spot on. She bring such joy to these types of roles.
Thank you so much for this. Maximova was killing it, taking it to the Max ! Ummm.. yeah. The contrast with the others had the lyric from the old '70s disco hit from the Bee Gees pop into my head:. "you should be dancin', yeah !"
I prefer Osipova, because she's a mix of artistry, expression and letting go and technique and strength, but I completely agree with your overall stance on the dance world these days and how everything looks bland and a bit artificial.
Natalia Osipova definitely dances right to the back row in all her parts! I also appreciate the "nuanced" dancer in Kitri as you said - I love Marianela's stunning interpretation of oozing steps and then finishing sharply with such confidence.
Hi isabella I'm Nelinsa with the side part bun .I had so much fun today . I did some new steps. You taught me so much . . You dance so elegantly and beautifuly . I wish I will dance like you one day .Hopfully i will see you again ❤❤❤❤ I loved dancing with youu🎉🎉🎉🎉❤❤😊
I wish you would put Marianela in one of these videos, would love your analysis on her as well. Especially Kitri as she has that clean and classical line but she also has the fire for Kitri
"So convincing was she, the critics thought that Kitri was the dancer's self portrait." The late Gennady Smakov, in his essay on Ekaterina Sergeyevna Maximova in "The Greatest Russian Dancers," (Knopf, 1984)
Osipova is fantastic - so quick, such style! Totally agree abt Novikova, perfect technique only - probably why promotion has taken so long. Shakirova also really DANCES. To me Zakharova shines in adagio, not in spicy fast roles. Maximova - brilliant!!! I do love a bit of bravura - Plisetskaya for example. Would love a whole video on Maximova
ps Tereshkina is also fabulous as Kitri; very elegant and only one I've seen look (sorry about this word) sexy - watch the recording with young Kim Kimin
ThNk you Isabella. It would have been interesting to see the film of Maximova played at the right speed. So hard to do with old newsreels ( not sure of the correct wording there). Osipova for me , though they were all wonderful. I may mangle this, so apologies, but Plitiskaya was also just wonderful. Such energy and fire. 🙏🙏👵🇦🇺
These ballerinas are all my favourites, so I love to see them dance, Maksimova is the perfect Kitri and among these fantastic dancers I would choose Shakirova and Osipova maybe just a little ahead of Novikova and Zaharova. What I love about Shakira is her joy of dancing, she really dances in her roles, she adds something more to classical ballet technique. For me, Novikova embodies Giselle and Odette with her pureness and the slight melancholy of her nature. By the way, Novikova may have become a prima ballerina a little later, because she has three children.
I notice Soviet ballerinas danced with a much faster tempo than their modern counterparts. Lyudmilla Semenyaka (Zakharova's coach at Bolshoi) also danced Kitri with a dizzying speed.
I prefer Zakharova as a ballerina, overall. For me, she is perfect as Giselle, Juliet and Nikiya. But Osipova was born for this role. I also love her in Coppélia. Maximova is amazing in this role too.
Something that sets Osipova apart in my opinion is her ability to change speeds. This role and to a certain extent her role in Giselle highlights that.
Does Russian ballet ever evolve? Or does it mostly follow and perfect classic techniques? There doesn’t seem to be lots of new, contemporary pieces that reflect their takes on the modern era.
These are all great dancers but there were only two great Kitris (Osipova and Maximova). This would be more interesting if it included Nunez (and ideally Sylvie).
This is called a role, in Russian ballet each ballerina had her own role .. Maksimova, for example, did not dance Odette, Plisetskaya did not dance Giselle .. and now, especially in the West, ballerinas take up the fact that it is contraindicated for them to dance ..
Очень люблю Олесю Новикову, но увы, она в большей степени лирическая и драматическая натура. Еë коронные роли - это Джульетта, Царевна - лебедь, Жизель. Подлинная Китри - это Наташа Осипова. Она по стилю - Китри и по внутреннему ощущению. Она танцует саму себя. Олеся - это чистота линий и филигранная техника. Рената - хорошая балерина, но она ещё слишком молода. Хотя, нужно заметить, что по еë собственному признанию,- еë любимый персонаж в балете. Наташа Захарова - универсальная балерина. Она станцует что угодно. Хоть Китри, хоть Одетту. Ну, а Катя Максимова - это просто легенда.
I think what makes kitri so loved and fun to watch is exactly the sassiness that the ballerina puts into this role, to make the variation perfect you have to have the acting skills just as much as the dancing skills
Osipova’s energy and attitude is perfect for the role ❤
Renata Shakirova in my opinion is one of the most underrated dancer at the Mariinsky. She is amazing and her dancing has always been really mature even when she was at the school, I just love watching her!!
Please, do that video about Maximova! I believe that the old ballerinas have something that cannot be replicated. I love that the bodies weren't as athletic as today, yet the artistry was so much more genuine and pure. Besides, some dancers' techniques were incredibly good for those times, as is Maximova's case. Nowadays, there are plenty of dancers with extreme extensions and spotless techniques, yet you feel something is missing.
Yeeees.
I agree. The winner is Maximova. She was just... incredible. Nobody has her technique and charisma nowadays. Nobody.
Hey guys! I hope you enjoy this video!!
All amazing! Nobody can beat Osipova’s energy. Zakharova is beyond perfect! They are my favorite
Stress goes on [O]sipova, N[O]vikova, Zakh[A]rova, Shak[I]rova and Max[I]mova... thank you very much for your love of ballet and passion that you put in your videos!
Maximova was the best for sure. Beautiful!
Thank you so much for this analysis! I agree with every comment you mentioned in the video. 💕 Maximova is amazing! And we need to bring the “Dancing” element back to classical ballet. If you grasp the classical ballet techniques, you must “dance” on it, not just “present.” Then, the ballerinas will be alive on the stage. Let us do a whole video on Maximova!❤❤❤
Maximova is legend! She really feels the role and does perfectly! I think Bolshoi's prima Ekaterina Krysanova also does this role perfectly and sometimes reminds me Maximova. These days I also love Bolshoi's new star Elizaveta Kokoreva in this role, it would be nice to see her in this channel. Thank you for the video 🤍
All the dancers are great... but Maximova and Osipova are formidable! Maximova dances with her whole body. She has it all, along with the ineffable "it" quality. Osipova is the Kitri of our time. Her elevation and ballon are truly startling and she really becomes Kitri. I like Novikova in general, yet in this role she seems too reserved although is a more precise technician than Osipova. I think Shakirova dances with joy and will develop her Kitri. Zakharova is very gifted but I don't think Kitri is her greatest role. Thanks for this fun comparison.
Totally agree with you. Loved Shakirova. Maximova different panet all toghether. Osipova for me, yes she is so strong, but misses that classical ballet poetry. She always gives me the feeling she is running in an olympic game
I’m half Brazilian and half Portuguese ballerina trained at the Bolshoi. I love Osipova in this role. If you can get applause 👏🏻 for passés you’re at another level. I’m so glad you included Maximova the GOAT 🐐 She embodies Kitri. Also, like Osipova they both add the Spanish flair and spice. The only one missing is Vasilieve 😂 doing it in drag.
Question 🙋🏻♀️ why are there so many people talking about Renata’s weight? Respectfully. She’s beautiful. Спасибо большое 🇧🇷🇵🇹🩰
I really feel "If you can get applause 👏🏻 for passés you’re at another level." You said it all. She's an artist!
For me, there's a similar spirit in Maximova and Osipova. I wonder whether Natasha took inspiration from Ekaterina. They both have maximum technique and a quality of going beyond. It's more than just perfecting the technique and the inspiration. They bring in humanity.
Maximova and Osipova really wowed me with their epaulement, speed, and overall fire (without being messy)!
Old videos tend to be a little sped up because they were filmed at slower frame rates and when we play them on modern players, what’s supposed to take 60 seconds takes fewer. So I don't think Maximova was actually going lightning fast. But she was still going very fast and probably the fastest!
This! Ballet used to be faster overall yes, but the frame rate of those old videos make a HUGE difference in our perception of the performance.
Superb and balanced video, and I said this as a unabashed fan of Osipova's Kitri - I was fortunate enough to be able to watch her and Vasiliev dancing DQ, twice, at the Royal Opera House during an summer tour of the Bolshoi in London. So yes, that was at the peak of Osipova young years.
You, Isabella, do really give a lot of background that makes easy to appreciate the different approaches to the role.
Thank you very much, madam!
The reason dancers back then were able to work at 'lightning speed' was because of their purity of technique and stability. Modern ballerinas are hyper mobile, so they can get their leg to their ear but they struggle with speed and precision. You should watch how daring their partner work used to be, they did lifts that would make your heart stop.
I saw Osipova and Vasiliev live in London in the Bolshoi's Don Quixote and the whole production was phenomenal. My favourite Kitri of all time, however, is Lucette Aldous. There was a recording of her and Nureyev in a full length production. I used to have in on VHS and absolutely loved Aldous as Kitri, she captured the essence like no one I've ever seen. Although Maximova is also exquisite, I would say she is more girly and playful. Aldous was a vixen. Acting first, dancing second.
My pick was your friend, because she really made you feel how much she loved her dancing. Then I literally sat up straighter, when I saw Maximova!!! She woke me up.😊💝
I did want to make clear, your friend's dancing was very comforting and inviting. Very calming which I Loved very much.😊
Isabella -- your analysis is amazing as always, but I cannot help but notice how lovely your speaking voice is. It is soft yet expressive which makes your videos a pleasure to watch. I studied dance at university and, while most of my teachers were wonderful, there were one or two who were not nearly as engaging and passionate as you are. You would be an excellent professor!
A video about Maximova would be wonderful! And perhaps one about Nadezhda Pavlova? She was remarkable as well and if you look at early video's of her Giselle variation and Bridesmaid variation, you see she could pass as a contemporary ballerina (her xtensions for example), but with more speed and a lot of Bolshoi exuberance. She had it all, I think.
Ekaterina Maximova is absolutely timeless. There’s so much joy and bravura about everything she does. Incredible! Brava!🩰👏🏻 19:37
I have never seen Ekaterina Maximova and she completely won me over. She didn't have the fan, or i just couldn't see it, which is something I really, really love - if a dancer can play well with the fan, but the way she used her shoulders was wonderful!! Can you do some more analysis on dancers from the past? I find many young dancers don't know any at all. Several young dancers I know have no idea who Mikhail Baryshnikov was?!!!😱😑
Gennady Smakov, the noted Soviet ballet critic, classified Maximova as a "soubrette," meaning she excelled in light and playful roles. I think that may be spot on. She bring such joy to these types of roles.
Shakirova is so incredible🤩
Maximova 😍😍😍
I would love a variation analysis on aurora act 1( i would suggest including Elizabeth Platel's version) and of course the other kitri variations!
Thank you so much for this. Maximova was killing it, taking it to the Max ! Ummm.. yeah. The contrast with the others had the lyric from the old '70s disco hit from the Bee Gees pop into my head:. "you should be dancin', yeah !"
I loved Shakirova ❤
I prefer Osipova, because she's a mix of artistry, expression and letting go and technique and strength, but I completely agree with your overall stance on the dance world these days and how everything looks bland and a bit artificial.
Nuñez (not featured here) is my favorite in this role. I'd have loved to see you analyze hers.
I love these videos!!! Thank you for sharing this with us
Natalia Osipova definitely dances right to the back row in all her parts! I also appreciate the "nuanced" dancer in Kitri as you said - I love Marianela's stunning interpretation of oozing steps and then finishing sharply with such confidence.
Well said! They are both very inspiring!
Maximova, for me. There are Soviet era videos of her Kitri, in color and with a fan. Also breathtaking.
Hi isabella I'm Nelinsa with the side part bun .I had so much fun today . I did some new steps. You taught me so much . . You dance so elegantly and beautifuly . I wish I will dance like you one day .Hopfully i will see you again ❤❤❤❤ I loved dancing with youu🎉🎉🎉🎉❤❤😊
In sri lanka at TBSC studio
I wish you would put Marianela in one of these videos, would love your analysis on her as well. Especially Kitri as she has that clean and classical line but she also has the fire for Kitri
"So convincing was she, the critics thought that Kitri was the dancer's self portrait." The late Gennady Smakov, in his essay on Ekaterina Sergeyevna Maximova in "The Greatest Russian Dancers," (Knopf, 1984)
Osipova is fantastic - so quick, such style! Totally agree abt Novikova, perfect technique only - probably why promotion has taken so long. Shakirova also really DANCES. To me Zakharova shines in adagio, not in spicy fast roles. Maximova - brilliant!!! I do love a bit of bravura - Plisetskaya for example. Would love a whole video on Maximova
ps Tereshkina is also fabulous as Kitri; very elegant and only one I've seen look (sorry about this word) sexy - watch the recording with young Kim Kimin
What are your thoughts on Maria Khoreva's Kitri? She's one of my current favorite Mariinsky dancers.
heya! can u do sleeping beauty? ive love to know your thoughts on the rose adage! ❤❤ love your videos
ThNk you Isabella. It would have been interesting to see the film of Maximova played at the right speed. So hard to do with old newsreels ( not sure of the correct wording there). Osipova for me , though they were all wonderful. I may mangle this, so apologies, but Plitiskaya was also just wonderful. Such energy and fire. 🙏🙏👵🇦🇺
ruclips.net/video/tDNpTK80e7g/видео.htmlsi=aejo4gvknFlR1U3g compared to this version, it is the same. The right speed after all.
These ballerinas are all my favourites, so I love to see them dance, Maksimova is the perfect Kitri and among these fantastic dancers I would choose Shakirova and Osipova maybe just a little ahead of Novikova and Zaharova. What I love about Shakira is her joy of dancing, she really dances in her roles, she adds something more to classical ballet technique. For me, Novikova embodies Giselle and Odette with her pureness and the slight melancholy of her nature. By the way, Novikova may have become a prima ballerina a little later, because she has three children.
Máximo a stole this show! She was really feeling the character and so we don’t even care about the Choreo! Just wonderful!
Would have loved it if you had also included Plisetskaya.
Maximova …. ❤️❤️❤️
I notice Soviet ballerinas danced with a much faster tempo than their modern counterparts. Lyudmilla Semenyaka (Zakharova's coach at Bolshoi) also danced Kitri with a dizzying speed.
Yess and I think honestly that makes so much sense considering the role, kitri is sassy and flirty and the fast tempo adds to this fire
I think it's not just Russian dancers. Ballet in general was much faster at that time.
Lyudmila Semenyaka was trained by Galina Ulanova. Ulanova's first pupil was Ekaterina Maximova.
Osipova and Maximova forever!
How about eating disorders in Vagana?And in ballet generally?
What do you think of of Sylvie Guillem's Kitri?
It would be interesting to also analyse non-principal ("smaller") variations and male variations too
I prefer Zakharova as a ballerina, overall. For me, she is perfect as Giselle, Juliet and Nikiya. But Osipova was born for this role. I also love her in Coppélia. Maximova is amazing in this role too.
Again Gelsey Kirkland was a phenomenon in this role and also Viengsay Valdés of Cuban National Ballet
Можно спросить? Почему у тебя целых 4 бас-гитары за спиной!?😃
Guitars?! Do you play?
Something that sets Osipova apart in my opinion is her ability to change speeds. This role and to a certain extent her role in Giselle highlights that.
Marianela Nunez???
Does Russian ballet ever evolve? Or does it mostly follow and perfect classic techniques? There doesn’t seem to be lots of new, contemporary pieces that reflect their takes on the modern era.
These are all great dancers but there were only two great Kitris (Osipova and Maximova). This would be more interesting if it included Nunez (and ideally Sylvie).
I love these women of course, but where’s Gelsey?
This is called a role, in Russian ballet each ballerina had her own role .. Maksimova, for example, did not dance Odette, Plisetskaya did not dance Giselle .. and now, especially in the West, ballerinas take up the fact that it is contraindicated for them to dance ..
Максимова танцевала "Лебединое"
Очень люблю Олесю Новикову, но увы, она в большей степени лирическая и драматическая натура. Еë коронные роли - это Джульетта, Царевна - лебедь, Жизель.
Подлинная Китри - это Наташа Осипова. Она по стилю - Китри и по внутреннему ощущению. Она танцует саму себя.
Олеся - это чистота линий и филигранная техника.
Рената - хорошая балерина, но она ещё слишком молода. Хотя, нужно заметить, что по еë собственному признанию,- еë любимый персонаж в балете.
Наташа Захарова - универсальная балерина. Она станцует что угодно. Хоть Китри, хоть Одетту. Ну, а Катя Максимова - это просто легенда.
Рената Шакироаа!
We're lost much in the way of artistry. Maximova was charismatic and sassy!
Совершенство Екатерины Максимовой выглядит инопланетным. Особенно на фоне Шакировой.
I think what makes kitri so loved and fun to watch is exactly the sassiness that the ballerina puts into this role, to make the variation perfect you have to have the acting skills just as much as the dancing skills
Omg never been so early I love your videos you’re one of the people who inspired me to start ballet as an 18 year old after years of not training🤍