Despite the conglomerate of French and Hungarian influences in a slightly confusing libretto, the ballet “Raymonda”, set in a Middle age castle, is a decidedly Russian work of art. Vaganova Today first witnessed this balletic masterpiece in 2007 when prima ballerina Uliana Lopatkina reprised the leading role twice in the three-night block. Nearly 20 years later, a handful of new faces have renewed “Raymonda”, infusing new talent into the old ballet.

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Maria Iliushkina led the four-night run alongside Even Capitaine, the local Frenchman who is her frequent partner. In addition to exquisite positions and precision technique, Iliushkina infused her Raymonda with radiance and soulful warmth, adding a human element and infusing her character with love. Not a single misstep – from the quick retire passé section, to the tricky dance with the long white tulle shawl—occurred in her expert delivery, but more intriguing is Iliushkina’s complete embodiment of the character. Gentleness overshadows regal bearing. She is less the unattainable princess and more the well-bred, soft-mannered girl taken aback by the rough, uncouth mannerisms of Abderakhman who attempts to gain her hand by any means possible, even violence. For this performance, Roman Belyakov performed an aggressive bloodthirsty Abderakhman easily killed by de Brienne. Belyakov excels at romantic roles (his recent “Romeo” proved excellent), but this performance proved his talent in character roles as well.

For those in the know, and even those who aren’t, not too long ago, Mariinsky prima ballerina Viktoria Tereshkina married soloist Roman Belyakov, and the two have become a common fixture not just on city sidewalks and the Petersburg stage, but various stages around the world. Vaganova Today attended their performance of “Romeo and Juliet” in early March which confirmed that the pair definitely brings their offstage romance onstage with them – at least in this ballet.

The Lavrovsky “Romeo” is hardly new to fans of Russian classical ballet, and it is this version that runs at the Mariinsky. The Bolshoi has two versions – Lavrovsky’s version and Ratmansky’s renovated version – but their recent Petersburg visit showed that their Lavrovsky has shiny new sets and simplified choreography especially in some sections of the corps de ballet dances which slightly disappointed many pure classicists. The Mariinsky version allows for no adjustments to the steps, and the result is high-quality dancing and the maintenance of a decades-long tradition.

Belyakov’s stately Romeo –he seems taller than most– appears on the city square, meandering, dreaming and as far away from war and conflict as anyone could be. Belyakov easily embodied the peace-loving romantic as he stared lovingly at the statue in the square. As we know, it’s not until his friends Mercutio and Benvolio persuaded him to attend the masked ball that the trouble begins.

Despite having seen the Mariinsky’s “Swan Lake” hundreds of times, it has been, surprisingly, quite some time since VaganovaToday has covered one. Covid and other life events have intervened, but on February 1st, a unique opportunity arose to watch some of the Mariinsky’s brightest stars in the leading roles of this Tchaikovsky classic.

Exquisite lines and proportions are the hallmarks of both Oksana Skorik, who danced Odette, and Nikita Korneev, who performed the role of Prince Siegfried. This onstage couple are frequently paired together and have achieved a flawless synastry in their respective roles. Skorik, with impeccable lines and meticulous placement, is perhaps the highest echelon of a ballet physique across the world today.

A Muscovite raised in Germany, Nikita Korneyev is now in his ninth season with the Mariinsky and has long been dancing solo roles. Vaganova Today sat down with him to learn more about his international career path.  For the Russian version of this interview, please click here.

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You come from a ballet family?
My parents were both dancers, we have a dynasty in my family. They worked in the N.Kasatkina-V.Vasilyov troupe in Moscow but we moved to Germany in 2000. First they worked at the Semperoper in Dresden and later in Weisbaden and Essen.

Did you also want to dance?
Yes, I wanted to dance as well. My father, on the other hand, told me that it was a very difficult and hard profession. But that didn’t scare me. During my childhood I did lots of sports: I played tennis, track and field, and soccer. But when I started to take ballet, I understood that with my parents it would be a lot easier in this sphere, because they know a lot more about it than any of my other pursuits, and with their experience it would be easier for me to study.

I was in the theatre throughout my childhood since my parents worked there. I saw things backstage, from the wings, in the dressing rooms, and the performances. My first experience onstage was in Moscow when I was 5 years old in “The Nutcracker”. We rode on sleighs in the first scene, it’s a slightly different version of the ballet.

From Saratov, Russia to San Francisco, California, former Kirov Ballet soloist Nikolai Kabaniaev shares his philosophies about the art of ballet and teaching classical ballet in America. The Russian original of this interview can be found here.

How did you get started in ballet?

My mother worked in the Makeup, Hair and Wig Department of the Chernishevsky Saratov Theatre of Opera and Ballet, and from the age of two I spent time backstage in the theatre.

Ramanbek Beyshenaliev has been with the Mariinsky for 10 years and is attracting increasing attention. Read more about his journey from Kyrgyzstan to the capital of Russian ballet. The original Russian version of this interview can be found here.

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I’d like to talk about your biography. You were born in Kyrgyzstan. How did you enter the world of ballet?

Yes, I was born there and studied there. I didn’t want to dance per se, but my uncle is a ballet dancer and he wanted me to dance. He saw my physical traits and each year said “Take ballet classes, take ballet classes.” For three years he begged me. I studied in regular school until the 5^th grade. My sister started to take ballet classes and I decided to go with her. I continued because I enjoyed it.

My parents also supported me in ballet.

With 30 years’ experience on stage at the Mariinsky Theatre, from the corps de ballet to solo parts, Nikolai Naumov now primarily performs acting roles. He spoke with VaganovaToday about his career and about acting technique on stage in the great theatre. The Russian version of this interview can be found here.

You were born in the city of Pushkin. How did you start dancing?

Prior to me, my family had no relationship to the theatre, much less to ballet. But two family members participated in the world of music, my aunt Vera, who is an amazing piano teacher, and her daughter who is my cousin Nadia, an incredibly talented pianist and simply an ace in her profession!

Since January 2023, Even Capitaine has been working with the Mariinsky Ballet as a first soloist. We learned the details about his intriguing path in the world of ballet and in Russia. You can find the Russian language version of this interview here.

You have a unique story. How did you enter the world of ballet?
I attended a typical academic school and my mother wanted me to do something other than school. First I took fencing classes for 2 years, from ages 5 to 6, but then it ceased to be of any interest to me. At age 8, since my younger sister took ballet, I decided to try it. I went to a non-professional school after academic school once a week. For two years I did that, and then said I wanted to study more professionally. I was living in the French countryside in the small city of Sistelle near Toulouse. There aren’t many people there.

And so you had to travel to Paris?
Yes. At first they didn’t accept me. I continued to study ballet and did home school so that I could devote more time to ballet classes. I continued that way until I was 13 and the second time I applied, they accepted me in Paris.

Based on music from the opera by the same name but with a score recreated by Yuri Krasavin specifically for this production, Yuri Possokhov’s “Queen of Spades” premiered at the Mariinsky in July 2024. Describing the ballet, Possokhov stated, “It’s a fantasy. For me the most important thing is to give the production the meaning that I want the audience to understand.” This rather dark ballet thus focuses mainly on the story of the hero, German, his unquenched thirst for the secret of winning cards, and the concept of fatal love.  Possokhov states that he offers an author’s stage interpretation of a literary work using a unique libretto by Valery Pecheykin. That libretto, seemingly set in the 19th century, takes the overall themes of the luck of fate, and the power of gambling addictions to distract human beings from the most important parts of life, and turns them into visual vignettes over a two-hour program.