#Kuprina

[tikitania]

Looking ahead I found this shocker. Sleeping Beauty is returning to the Bolshoi stage — and Yaroslavna Kuprina is dancing Aurora in September.

This is a huge debut for a girl who was injured all last season and has very little experience on the Bolshoi stage.

Of the ‘23 Vaganova grads, she was the one hoped would stay at the Mariinsky. She was so technically clean and had elegant style.

I honestly hope this debut is wildly successful and not another case of Vaziev pushing too much too soon. His track record has me worried.

[patricedumonde]

Do you think Sofya Valiullina can progress further with Bolshoi? Especially with new hires/graduates coming into the company soon. Not sure what the consensus is in Russia but from what I see majority of Russian comments on Instagram and YouTube of her performances are rather negative. I know it is impossible but I really think she is so perfect for so many ballet companies outside of Russia. I can see her at Royal ballet. Also, any news of Kuprina ?

Tough question re: Sofya. It depends on how many graduates are going to Bolshoi and how many of them have soloist potential. Kamila Sultangareeva will definitely be one of them. I still have high hopes for her bc she is being given soloist roles, but you’re right in assuming that it might die down this coming year. It really depends on who’s coming!

Tbh I want to see more Vaganova graduates in America too. I really thought it would’ve been awesome to have Jaden Grimm in ABT or SF Ballet. Sofya in Royal Ballet would be such a dream, her repertoire would increase drastically!

More VBA graduates should consider Vienna State Ballet too, it’s now under Alessandra Ferri’s leadership!! There are also so many companies outside of Russia that would serve them all well. Berlin, Munich, Dutch National, Paris!

As for Yaroslavna, I saw her dressed up like she was going to class back in January/February. This was on her instagram story but that was it. No hints at a return to stage so I’m definitely worried about that.

[balletomaneblog]

Former Vaganova Students as Hebe from the Awakening of Flora!

Here's a collection of Vaganova grads dancing the Hebe variation from the Awakening of Flora. I really love when Vaganova girls perform this variation so I thought it'd be fun to see them all together! I particularly enjoyed Bulanova, Khiteyeva, and Koshkareva, but they're all lovely!

Maria Bulanova at Vaganova Graduation (8th year, 2018)

Alexandra Khiteyeva at a class concert (6th year, 2017)

Maria Koshkareva competing at IBC Moscow (7th year, 2022)

Yaroslavna Kuprina competing at IBC Moscow (7th year, 2022)

Eleonora Sevenard in a gala concert (7th year, 2016)

Renata Shakirova at Vaganova Graduation (8th year, 2014)

[anjelalala]

Yaroslavna Kuprina

"Do everything with kindness and love. If you approach everything with a bright soul, then any undertaking will succeed."

The poetic combination of first and last name, as if already at birth, determined the future strong connection of our today's heroine with the world of art.

Photos by: Alisa Aslanova for Ballet Magazine Russia

[ballet-symphonie]

Vaganova Ballet Academy Asks

So there is official information of Koshkareva signing a solo contract with Bolshoi and Nikolay Tsiskaridze's close friend (devilonpointshoes on Telegram) and ballet enthusiasts on ballet forums stating that Koshkareva, Valiullina, and Kuprina going to Bolshoi. How do you feel about all the star students going to Bolshoi instead of Mariinsky like many expected? It isn't unexpected that Valiullina is going to Bolshoi given that she suits that company but with Koshkareva and Kuprina being Mariinsky's trainees for a year, and their dance style suiting Mariinsky more, I really do not understand why they chose Bolshoi (perhaps they were given soloist role straight away)? Anyways I'm also confused if Koshkareva is going to Bolshoi like Kuprina, why is her name not taken down from the trainee name list on the Mariinsky website... Honestly idk how to feel about this and ngl Im pretty disappointed that Koshkareva and Kuprina are not going to Mariinsky :(

The Bolshoi is the fast track. These girls have been promoted as stars and BT has likely made them big promises to keep treating them that way. With how the Bolshoi gives out roles at the speed of light to young prominent grads, plus the benefits that generally come with dancing in Moscow (read: money), the offers are likely very tempting. The corps life is tough, no one wants to do it if they don't have to lmao.

I thought with this reinvented MT and more publicized MT trainee situation that MT management would have managed to keep at least one of Koshkareva and Kuprina but I guess not. I am actually more surprised Valiullina is tagging along as I thought her body type might hold her back. While I agree with many that her dancing fits the broad movement and expressive style of the Bolshoi, that’s unfortunately not exactly what goes on stage all the time nowadays at BT, maybe its about 50/50 now depending which principals are cast.

Hi Ale! Any news on Daria Kulikova? How is she doing at the Academy? I think the 2023 class is a powerful one, and my opinion isn't based on who is better. But there's something about Kulikova??? I don't know... but I like her dancing and I'm rooting for her, there's just something special, artistic I see in her.

The 2023 class has just been everywhere and she hasn’t been one of the most hyped ones for obvious reasons. I don’t think I’ve seen where she’s going but I also haven’t been crawling through the TG channels looking for information about her you know? 

With the ‘big 3’ of this class heading to BT, there’s likely some MT spots available, which is theoretically what she would want after changing schools so late in the games.  

Do you think there will ever be a Kovaleva graduate to top Vishneva off? I honestly don't and it's not because there weren't other talented girls to graduate, but it's just that none of the ones who came after, could even compare to Vishneva, let alone surpass her. Koshkareva for example, is really talented, but it's already being called the 'next Vishneva', so... I will say though, after Vishneva, only Smirnova and Khoreva came a little close and probably Koshkareva will too.

I don’t think she will ever top Vishneva, she’s a once in a 100 years type of a dancer. I also don’t know how much longer she will continue to work. Her talent as a pedagogue is immense, she’s proven that she can train exceptional dancers with different body types, backgrounds and ambitions. Her training and her graduates, quite literally is defining the past, present and future of Russian ballet.  

how do the “classes” at vaganova work?? like if it’s class of kovaleva, does that mean that she’s taught them all 8 years at vaganova orrr 

No, if a ballerina is listed as ‘class of Kovaleva’ that means that she taught their graduate year. Generally, the teachers will change every 1-3 years as some teachers are especially skilled at working with different age groups. 

[mariaspir]

In defence of tsiskaridze… he came to the school in 2015, which means he’s been rector for the whole time Koshkarova, Valiullina, Kuprina, Karamysheva, Gritsina, Barinova, Zakota, Solomina, Kishnova, Efimova and others were in the first grade. And they are beautiful dancers, like I think we are overestimating the changes happening. In addition to this, the class that Tsiskaridze took over was a “weak class” (I swear these are his own words from an video with Ilya), and they look good in the exam, even though it’s not pure vaganova. However we don’t know they’re day to day classes. We don’t know if during class they do plain vaganova pure exercises, and then tried something new and a bit bonkers just for the exam. I wouldn’t be surprised, and it would explain why the exam isn’t super clean, maybe they don’t do these crazy exercises every day, just they put on a show for their exam, which is objectively more fun to watch, and maybe it’s more fun for them to execute, like the little variation breaks? Bonkers, but fun! We can’t forget how passionate the Russians are about the art of ballet, they are so passionate and they are risk takers!

Meh... from the dancers you mentioned the only one I personally think has potential is Valiulina. Maybe Barinova, I haven't seen much of her.

"They look good in the exam" is VERY subjective. I don't want to be harsh or mean, but if I was grading, they wouldn't be up to my standard. I would at least expect the working leg to not turn in in grand rond de jambes.

Maybe the everyday class does look different, but that's exactly the problem. Exams are not performances. They're not meant to be piano concerts with visuals. It's supposed to be exercises, boring even. It's supposed to be a checklist of all the steps required to show, not a choreographic manifesto. You show what you've worked on.

[miss-mollys-ballet-blog]

What is your opinion on the 2023 graduates that have been given a lot of soloist roles in the Bolshoi, Koshkaryova, Kuprina, Valiullina, Konovalova, and Netsvetaeva-Dolgaleva? And on the Mariinsky side of favored 2023 dancers, how do you feel about Kulikova and Karamysheva? If you’ve seen any videos of them, of course.

Disclaimer: I do not watch videos of them as students when saying my opinions of them as they are all at least a year into their professional careers.

I don't like Maria Koshkaryova, both her Swanhilda and Gamzatti debuts were incredibly underwhelming. She was lucky her Solor was Vladislav Lantratov because he saved her so many times during the grand pas. Her Kitri was definitely better though, part of which is due to the fact that she has had a bit more time to develop as a professional.

The only thing I remember about Yaroslavna Kuprina was after watching her debut in the Swan Lake pas de trois (last year I think), I really liked her hands. I haven't watched enough of her to form any real opinion other than that detail.

Out of all of them, Sofya Valiullina is probably my favorite. She is the only one who looks like she feels comfortable onstage and she doesn't come across as fake happy, she seems to be very much herself but in a very good way. I really like her in the Naiad and the Fisherman variation she does in Paquita, she just makes you smile!

I've never even heard of Polina Netsvetaeva-Dolgaleva tbh. I don't pay attention to students and it's even more difficult to pay attention to BBA students as they don't publish anything. I also don't follow them on social media.

I've only watched two videos of Kulikova, Princess Florine and Masha, and I don't like either variation so it's hard to separate that from her actual dancing. From what I remember of those two videos, she is a dancer who had slightly sloppy technique but has a cute stage personality. If she continues to improve her technique so the point where she is very comfortable enough that her entire personality can shine through, she has a lot of potential to be quite charming and fun to watch.

No idea who Karamysheva is.

[7ooo-ru]

7 сентября – день рождения А.И. Куприна

Дедушка Рубус, Мисоля, Рути и Тоша расскажут о жизни и творчестве писателя.

Подробнее https://7ooo.ru/group/2023/09/06/671-7-sentyabrya-den-rozhdeniya-ai-kuprina-grss-237211556.html

[xtruss]

Mariupol In Photos: How The Battle-Scarred City Has Changed After Eight Months Under Russian Control

These images were taken half a year apart, in summer and in winter, and show efforts to restore the Azov sea pearl

It's now over eight months since Mariupol – the second largest city of the Donetsk People’s Republic – was liberated from Ukrainian forces, which included the neo-Nazi Azov Regiment. The city has become one of the symbols of Russia's military campaign, and victory there has arguably been the main triumph, so far.

Since the fighting ended, locals have tried to return to peaceful life in the now Russian city. Photojournalist Arseniy Kotov visited twice – in the summer and winter of 2022. His photographs reflect its most recent history and its ongoing reconstruction, which is one of Moscow's top priorities.

Summer

I first visited Mariupol in the summer. To get there, I had to hitchhike. The driver dropped me off at Shevchenko Boulevard, one of the city’s central streets – named after the iconic Ukrainian poet. The nearest building, which was on a hill, towered above all the surroundings. To get a better view, I walked upstairs and went out on the balcony of an apartment that was missing doors and had damaged walls. From there, I had a pretty good view of the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works plant, now known around the world because of the combat there.

Top Left: A view of the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works plant in Mariupol Top Right: A view of the Azovstal plant from a 16-story building on Shevchenko Boulevard Bottom: The ruins of an apartment building on Kuprina street © RT/Arseniy Kotov, special report for RT

I walked to the city’s west side and met a 30-something man and woman roaming around a collapsed nine-story apartment building. They were well dressed, in a trendy way, but were collecting trash in the ruins. They asked me not to photograph them.

The city was full of graffiti scribbled after the arrival of Russian troops. Some of the inscriptions demonstrated the locals’ attitude towards the Kiev authorities or other such issues, while others were directly related to survival. “People live here” was one of the most frequent inscriptions. It was meant to protect the lives of residents from grenades thrown by the army when clearing the area.

Top: Photo captions: Inscription on a local garage: “Shame on Ukraine,” inscription on the gates of a house: “People and children live here,” inscriptions on a house on Metallurgov Prospect: “There’s no war,” “Alina and Lera are sexy.” Bottom Left: Sculptures of doves on Lenin Square (formerly Freedom Square) Bottom Right: Burned cars in the yard of an apartment building located at 123 Mira Prospect © RT/Arseniy Kotov

By June, most streets were clean of waste. But burned-out cars were still stacked in the yards and traces of former battles were evident throughout the city.

Just a short walk from these ruins is the city’s central square. It used to be called Lenin Square and had a monument to the founder of the Soviet Union in the center. Following the 2014 coup in Ukraine, the monument was taken down and it became known as Freedom Square. In June 2022, the original name was restored, but the monument hadn’t been replaced yet.

The local Drama Theater is located nearby. During the raging battles in the city, the neo-Nazi Azov regiment promised to “evacuate” local residents to this theater. The building was also used as a bomb shelter. On March 16, while full of people, it was blown up, allegedly by Ukrainian nationalists. The exact number of victims remains unknown to this day.

Top Left: The destroyed Drama Theater. Top Right: The Mariupol port. Bottom: “Mariupol” railway station. © RT/Arseniy Kotov, special report for RT

On the outskirts of the city, you can see the everyday working life of one the largest port cities on the Azov Sea. On April 13, last year, joint Russian and Donetsk People’s Republic forces liberated the seaport of Mariupol. All hostages, both in the facility and aboard the ships, were freed. The port itself wasn't severely damaged and is currently used for transporting cargo.

For the past eight years, this railway station has housed abandoned electric trains, which used to connect Mariupol with the regional center, Donetsk. The carriages were destroyed during the intense battles of 2022.

Last June, the city still looked abandoned, but people had already started gathering at beaches. Mine explosions still occurred on the Left Bank beach, but that didn’t stop the locals from enjoying themselves by the sea.

Top: A city beach in Mariupol. Bottom Left: Houses on Victory Prospect. Bottle Right: The tram depot in Mariupol. © RT/Arseniy Kotov, special report for RT

Tram Depot No.2 at the entrance to Mariupol was wrecked during the battles. On March 2, 2022, the vehicles stopped operating. The reconstruction of some city routes is currently being discussed.

Like a major part of the Left Bank district, Victory Prospect was severely affected by the fighting. In the summer, this part of the city seemed almost bereft of life.

The closer we get to Azovstal, the greater the damage. This house stands just a few blocks from the site of the plant. The buildings here have been damaged but can still be repaired. Blocks of houses to the north have already been demolished.

Top: An apartment building on Voinov-Osvoboditeliy street. Bottom Left: Sunset over Mariupol’s Left Bank district. Bottle Right: The house with the “arch.” © RT/Arseniy Kotov, special report for RT

A whole section of this building collapsed due to shelling or an aerial bomb, with a small remaining panel at the top forming a sort of arch. It was taken down by November.

This photo, taken in the summer, shows the damage to the Left Bank district close to the Azovstal plant. By the fall, when I returned here, most of the ruined buildings had been demolished. A new residential district will be built at the site.

In June, explosions could be heard everywhere. The fighting had stopped, but the site of the plant, as well as many other parts of the city, were still mined. Sappers were working throughout the city.

Top: Demining in progress at the site of the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works plant. Bottom Left: The dome of the market in Mariupol. Bottom Right: Azovstal Iron and Steel Works plant © RT/Arseniy Kotov, special report for RT

Azovstal Iron and Steel Works is a huge metallurgical plant that had been in operation since 1933. Its site extends over 11 square kilometers (4 square miles). The plant has 41 shops, 80 large facilities, and six giant blast furnaces. It was severely damaged during the siege. In the spring of 2022, Azovstal was occupied by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including the Azov neo-Nazis. The battle lasted from March 18 to May 17.

Similar damage can be found throughout the area. According to the current plan of city development, the plant will be demolished, and a park will be built on the site. However, the demolition process hasn’t started yet.

The city’s covered market was badly damaged during the fighting. The dome was hit by several shells and the working area riddled with shrapnel. When passing through the structure in the summer, people had to ward off a huge pack of stray dogs. Once fed by the merchants, they now looked thin and starving.

In the summer, a large part of the city still had no water, gas, or electricity. Local residents, who decided to stay, received aid from the Russian Armed Forces, volunteers, and humanitarian aid organizations.

Top: A local resident cooks breakfast on the balcony of a building hit by shells. Bottom Left: The market on Shevchenko Boulevard. Bottom Right: Construction work in an apartment building on Shevchenko Boulevard. © RT/Arseniy Kotov, special report for RT

Winter

In December 2022, Mariupol resembled a huge construction site. Construction workers from all over Russia and even other former Soviet republics are rebuilding the city.

A large part of Shevchenko Boulevard remained untouched. As a result, it’s now the most bustling part of the city. The market here is booming. Since supermarkets and all major stores have been robbed and destroyed, locals now flock there to buy all sorts of goods: from technical appliances to fruits and vegetables from nearby villages.

Many buildings at the further end of Metallurgov Prospect avoided major damage. The few that were affected are being repaired by construction workers from Russia.

Top: A building being repaired on Metallurgov Prospect. Bottom Left: Reconstruction of a building on Mira Prospect. Bottom Right: Construction work at the site of a residential building on Arkhip Kuindzhi street © RT/Arseniy Kotov, special report for RT

Specialists have been evaluating all the buildings in Mariupol and deciding whether they can be reconstructed. Where possible, the damage will be repaired. The remaining strictures are being demolished.

Brick buildings are easier to fix up than so-called panel buildings, made of concrete blocks. When a panel is damaged, it must be removed and replaced with either bricks or a new panel. But in the case of brick buildings, holes from shelling can be quickly mended with bricks.

Even fully intact buildings will be subject to capital repair. Roofs, pipes, radiators, and windows will be replaced in most of them. Costs will be covered by the Russian government.

Top: A new roof being installed in the city’s 17th Microdistrict. Bottom Left: The demolition of ruined multi-story apartment buildings on Arkhip Kuindzhi street. Bottom Right: The chapel of the Priazovsk State Technical University in Mariupol © RT/Arseniy Kotov, special report for RT

Almost all of the administrative and residential buildings in the central district were damaged during combat, including churches and chapels.

Most of the demolition work is carried out with excavators, manipulators, and other construction equipment. Panel buildings are demolished quickly – it takes about a week to tear down a nine-story building.

The boiler house (its pipes are visible in the foreground) was launched in the fall, just in time for the heating season. In the beginning of December, construction workers also replaced the roofs of nearby buildings.

Top: Five-story residential buildings on Bakhchivandzhi street. Bottom Left: Mobile café “Mariupol Is Russia, and That’s It.” Bottom Right: The exemplary 24th microdistrict © RT/Arseniy Kotov, special report for RT

These houses in Mariupol were among the first to be reconstructed. By December, a large part of the interior work was done, windows were replaced and the exterior renovation was nearly complete.

A mobile cafe chain called “Mariupol Is Russia and That’s It” [a play on the name of the Russian fast-food chain “Tasty and That’s It”] appeared on the streets of the city last fall. I haven’t tried it yet, but the cafe is popular with locals and workers.

— By Arseniy Kotov, Independent Photojournalist

[tikitania]

I found it interesting to see clips of both Kuprina and Koshkareva dancing the same role 'Fisherman's Wife'. They have such different styles/approaches to performance - I'm not sure which is more correct but Koshkareva felt like a Kitri'ish Fisherman's Wife whilst Kuprina was more of a Giselle Act 1 variation'ish Fisherman's Wife.

I found them both in 'tuus' instagram stories - they have a number of clips from the 2 most recent showings of Pharoah's daughter including snippet of Vailulina as 'Congo'.

I saw those clips! I definitely preferred Kuprina’s dancing of that variation. Also, Valiulina looked very good.

Here’s Maria Vinogradova in the same Fisherman’s wife variation. This sets the bar in style and lightness.

[patricedumonde]

Yaroslavna Kuprina is debuting Aurora! I almost couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw it. They’re really throwing her straight into hot water, aren’t they?

Same here! Coming up really soon, September 8th. It’s a lot of faith and trust to put on one person, for sure. I’m really looking forward to it and I hope we get good videos!!

[balletomaneblog]

What do u think about valiullina debuting as myrtha, and koshkareva and kuprina debuting as gamzatti?

What’s your opinion for each dancer?

Ok so I am not even going to go into how they're too young because obviously that's true.

Sadly, Kuprina has been removed from all up-coming debuts, likely due to an injury. However, I think she's perfect for Gamzatti so I'm fairly sure they'll give her another shot at it once she gets better. I think Koshkareva will do fine with this role, but I will say that they've given her a lot of jumping girl roles like the First Bridesmaid in Don Quixote, Paquita, etc, and I honestly like her a lot better in adagio. So I hope that she gets more of those kind of roles in the future.

As for Valiullina, I really love her and it's great that she's been given Myrtha, similar to Kovalyova in her first season. However, I see her far more as Giselle and Kuprina more as Myrtha but I'm sure she'll do a great job. It just better not stop her from getting her Giselle debut one day!

As for my general opinion of each dancer, I do enjoy that they each are fairly different from one another. I honestly don't have a favorite, though I do have a soft spot for Valiullina ever since her Raymonda last year. But they're so so young so I'm very excited to see their debuts in the next month and get a better picture of them in the beginning of their professional career!

[melmothblog]

Vaganova Ballet Academy student, Yaroslavna Kuprina, photographed by Irina Yakovleva.

[ballet-symphonie]

About Koshkareva, a few months ago I saw a story from a local St Petersburg TV station about their graduation (it was posted on the Vaganova telegram channel) and it said that she’d already signed a soloist contract. So apparently she didn’t even get hired as a corps member. What do you think of her and Kuprina debuting Gamzatti so soon?

Yes, my point was more so that she's a soloist, and Kuprina is doing the EXACT same roles for less. Absolute garabage.

Regarding their casting, it's on par with what the Bolshoi has been doing with all their 'young stars.' Doesn't mean I like it, but I'm not surprised anymore

[mariaspir]

Did you see that bolshoi is touring the mariinskii 2 with Romeo and Juliet? We will get to see Sofia Valiullina, Elisabetta Nallin and Yaroslavna Kuprina back in St. Petersburg!

I saw it, I wonder why they're sending a production Petersburg already knows instead of something from unique from their rep. Management supposedly doesn't want there to be a comparison between Mariinsky and Bolshoi, but there's gonna be more now than if they brought their completely unique Pharaoh's Daughter.