by Julia Rosica | Nov 6, 2019 | TBT
Noëlla Pontois, the striking, lithe and fiercely technical former étoile of the Paris Opera Ballet, was renown for her interpretation of aristocratic roles in 19th-century ballets. In this 1983 performance from Rudolf Nureyev’s production of Raymonda, Pontois is...
by Joseph Carman | Jun 10, 2018 | Career, Dance History
Two hundred is the new 30. Or at least it seems so for Marius Petipa, whose ballets are as active as ever as we celebrate his 200th birthday this year. Nearly all major ballet companies dance Petipa’s iconic ballets, which reflect his prolific creative output....
by Julia Rosica | Apr 11, 2018 | Profiles, TBT
https://youtube.com/watch?v=LSdHmbsUl_c The third act variation from Raymonda is deceptively simple–legato and heavy on bourrées and épaulement, it has few pirouettes or showy extensions. Instead, the piece calls for artistry and aristocratic command in order to...
by Julia Rosica | Aug 2, 2017 | Profiles, TBT
Bolshoi ballerina Evgenia Obraztsova is sunny and spritely in this 2003 video clip from the Grand Pas Classique Hongrois in Raymonda. She performed this solo at 19 during her first year with the Mariinsky Ballet. Audiences around the world love Obraztsova’s...
by Caroline Seymour | Jul 20, 2016 | Company Life
Sylvie Guillem in Raymonda. Photo via Pinterest. Every year, a select few dancers join the Paris Opera Ballet. An even smaller percentage make world headlines like former étoile Sylvie Guillem, who joined the company in 1981 at age 16. Three years later, after...
by Hannah Chang Foster | May 19, 2016 | Views
Is anyone more at home onstage than Nina Ananiashvili? Her majestic stage presence is on display in this 1993 clip of her and fellow Bolshoi Ballet star Alexei Fadeyechev dancing Raymonda’s Act I pas de deux. The two make a commanding pair, refined and elegant...
by Nicole Loeffler-Gladstone | Nov 28, 2001 | Company Life
It seems the most natural place for a dancer to perform is within a dream. Once the stage transports you deep into the world of the ballet, the audience experiences a surreal vision. Many ballets incorporate a dream scene, but Petipa’s Raymonda comes from the dreams...
by Pointe Team | Nov 28, 2001 | Company Life
From the audience’s perspective, dancers can appear to be six feet tall. It’s a beautiful illusion, but most often not the case. Being a tall dancer can be difficult; while long limbs are a blessing, they are often hard to manage. But as this video proves, the...