BRAVO!!BRAVISSIMO!!! VIVA YULIA Y RODKIN!!! LA STEPANOVA, here demonstrating a lesson in STYLE of play in LA BAYADERA, the clean lines, angle of the port de bras, epaulment, she is Vaganova pedigree, but has adapted quite naturally to the expansive boldness of the BOLSHOI, her home now where her GOD given gifts to ballet and the world can be seen and applauded. A GREAT actress who transmits emotions thru the steps, please note the slow flow of the developpe a la seconde into the arabesque demi penchee, this is an exquisite attention to style and clean academia. THANK YOU for this excerpt post from LA BAYADERA, danced by the most beautiful ballerina on planet Earth, YULIA STEPANOVA partnered with the MAGNIFICENT Denis RODKIN,here in top form as a stunning design of brilliance and artistry. They make a great couple. I'm so looking forward to their GISELLE together, where I'm predicting a STEPANOVA Giselle of gossamer beauty. THANK YOU YULIA, you make ballet better!!!
Denis is his teacher's student...his peers just rush through a lyrical music of Kingdom of Shades, jump sky high and have no idea what Solor isdoing there and why, jst make it a competition who jumps higher and runs faster... Denis brought his teacher's lyricism and expression and lightness. Bravo Nikolai and Denis. Love your style.
Nikki Nik, I just translated your comment in Russian: "Rodkin is brave ... Stepanova does not rotate well in the hands of a partner ... just do not be a shadow, but some awkward, cumbersome .. and this prima (" How dare you describe Yulia "not rotate well"? You mean the number of rotations? If Yulia does "not" rotate well then at least partially it should be the partner's responsibility, should it not? What do you mean by "awkward" or "cumbersome" or "this prima"? Many ballet fans are sick of seeing extremely thin female dancers these days - they are so androgynous and scarecrow-ish. In fact, Yulia is an extremely superb shadow with the female beauty, image of the character, mood, stage presence, facial expression, epaulement, musicality etc to name but a few. Yes, Yulia has EVERYTHING for a Prima Ballerina! Who else at the Bolshoi could surpass her Nikiya? NO ONE!!!
Svetlana and Olga. I think this video does not give justice to Yulia’s Nikiya. Her mourning dance in Act2 is very dramatic. One of the bests but calling her the best Nikiya at the Bolshoi is a little exaggerating.
@fi202 - Actually, in this instance, @Nikki Nik is right, Denis Rodkin did have to push on Julia's turns. It is the responsibility of the female partner to turn; the better she turns, the less momentum needed from her partner, and the easier for him to catch her on balance. Having said that, Julia is quite beautiful in this excerpt. She can also turn well -- just the circumstances of the particular performance. Denis Rodkin is spectacular. I haven't seen all the Bolshoi principals dance Nikiya, and I have only seen excerpts of Julia Stepanova in the role, so I can't comment on their relative performances; however to ask who else at the Bolshoi could surpass Julia Stepanova, in light of the incredible talent of the Bolshoi principals, is disingenuous. Each dancer is different but beautiful. It all depends on the speed of the music, the partnering, the night -- and, by the way, no facial expression in the Shades Scene. They are shadows. Who else at the Bolshoi is incredibly beautiful as Nikiya: Svetlana Zakharova, Olga Smirnova, both exquisite, to name just two. Of course, we each have our favorites -- for this role, mine is Viktoria Tereshkina, but that does not in any way deter from the others. Yulia Stepanova has a beautiful, slim ballet body, not a womanly figure. Line, symmetry, long, slim, and tall are the ingredients that create the wow of ballet. Womanly figures are just not conducive for ballet. They don't look great on stage, on film or in photos. Ballerinas need to be very slim, long limbed and preferably tall, all within a narrow height range for beautiful symmetry. That is important for the wow factor, lifting and technique.
