Tatiana Tkachenko as Gulnara and Mikhail Lobukhin as Lankedem in Pas d'esclave from ballet Corsaire. There's whole pas de deux, variations and coda. Kirov Mariinsky 2006.
I love Tatiana's vivid, expressive face! And her Gulnara does not want to be dancing with Lankedem - so often the ballerinas just look coy here! I think she has improved a great deal in the last three years though! I love her as a dancer - hope she will be a principal one day! Lobukhin is fabulous in this role! I find him very elegant (and love the six-pack!!)
What a wonderful performance from Lobukhin and Tkachenko. She is a wonderful dancer and actress. This is going off subject a little bit, but since you told me about the rumor of Lobukhin in the first place, I thought you might know,Did Lobukhin actually join the Bolshoi? I saw that when the Bolshoi goes on tour to California, he is scheduled to dance La Bayadere with Maria Alexandrova.
Yes, I just saw on the Bolshoi's website that he is listed as a principal. He is an amazing dancer and I think he will excel in things like Spartacus, the Mariinsky has certainly lost a wonderful dancer.
So it looks that rumors were true but I've read also that maybe he's leaving only for one year. I hope so because it would be shame if Mariinsky lost such a great dancer.
recently ,in august saw lobukhin in italy and was nothing particoularly good was heavy in jumps weak turner and lazy in his veriations performed very basically as every good student can do personally consider him very mediocre and can't undrestand his principal rank in bolchoi .
