#LET ME BE GLEB

[chmerkovskiyvalentin]

(IG Stories) theemmaslater | jennajohnson: 02.01.24

[windebris]

the gentrification of still / the neva flows reprise. that is MY song. that is MY benchmark high school theatre moment. that is MY dramatic belt song in the car. tiktok CANNOT have it it is MINE i REFUSE

[byghostface]

"If I am killed for simply living, let death be kinder than man."

Poem → Kinder Than Man by Althea Davis

Comic panels → Robin(2021) #7 by Writer- Joshua Williamson, Artist- Gleb Melnikov

.

(Just thinking that Damian stays by Nika's side, holding onto her wrist waiting for her pulse to come back… and she doesn't know how much he cares for her at this very moment…)

(But Nika still recognizes that Damian is kind to her, and it's all that matters to her.)

"Then I found a guy who truly had my back. He's complicated and came preloaded with family baggage, but we laugh a lot and he treats me nice."

"And I really was happy you agreed to help me… and you did help me."

Comic panels → Lazarus Planet: Next Evolution by Writer- Brandon T. Snider, Artist- Laura Braga/ Batman and Robin(2023) #8 by Writer- Joshua Williamson, Artist- Nikola Čižmešij

.

(​I need Damian and Nika to be cosmically intertwined in every lifetime/possible universe through their connections and experiences with death, and be buried together side by side at the end of time with this poem engraved onto their graves.)

[danothan]

started reading robin 2021 and i wanted to take the time to appreciate two of the most beautiful spreads in issue #1. they captivated me with how gorgeous and momentous they felt, which must have been the point bc i ended up staring at them sm that the symbolism finally kicked in

SPREAD 1:

1) LOVE the red and green at play, it’s such a difficult color scheme to get right lest you end up making the whole piece feel like a christmas card, but gleb melnikov pulled it off. the environment is rich and elegant and well-contrasted; it rly brings out damian’s classic red/green robin combo, even tho he’s not actually wearing his robin suit here. the green of his clothing highlights the green of talia’s, as well as the assassin’s tattoos, and, when combined with the cool-toned background, makes the red just pop out at you. pretty palette aside, it’s a very calculated choice in colors.

2) speaking of red, melnikov rly wanted you to notice the blood in these two pages. from the emphasis of the words DEMON BLOOD to the reflection of damian in the blood puddle, it only draws attention to the fact that his blade is perfectly clean of it in the second panel. one can only assume that talia killed that guy so hard that damian’s sword was caught in the collateral (damn talia !). it frames damian as the one to land the killing blow, as though his doubts/restraint with killing mean nothing because he still has the blood on his hands, blood passed down from talia. that doesn’t necessarily make it true ofc, but it does give us a reflection of his mindset with the blood acting as a literal mirror.

now before we delve into the second spread, lemme preface this with some context: many characters will refer to damian as an actual bird (“what better way to take out a robin than with a hawke,” “i’ve fought little birds like you before,” etc.) which speaks to his reputation, but i think it’s most notable when coming from talia:

at first, it’s used condescendingly, as it usually is from most ppl, and she speaks in a possessive tone when she talks abt returning him to the nest. she even tells him that if he IS to be taken under her wing, she would not treat him as her son but as a weapon. however, we know that this contradicts her intentions as she later uses the same “baby bird” petname as a term of endearment, even to calling him her son—notably when he is out of earshot.

you get the sense that they have this unspoken code of conduct around each other—family dynamics tend to be rigid in that way—but there’s also this feeling of regret as well as unfamiliarity navigating it coming from talia. i mean, she said it herself: damian was just a baby bird. he flew out of the nest too early.*

*see read more

so why does she taunt him for running back to his mother? why is she pushing him away? and why does she monologue for so long that she lets her guard down and closes her eyes long enough for him to disappear…?

SPREAD 2:

BECAUSE DAMIAN IS JUMPING OUT OF THE HELICOPTER!!! BECAUSE TALIA IS PUSHING HIM OUT OF THE NEST !!!!

talia doubled down on her militaristic plans as an opening for damian to leave. with that sense of regret mentioned earlier, talia knows she raised damian under harsh conditions, but she doesn’t know to raise him differently either, so she urges him to find his own path. presenting “the way of the demon or the way of the bat” as the only 2 options to her already rebellious son was guaranteed sabotage. she pushed him too early when he was younger, but she knows that her baby bird is ready to fly now :”)

bonus: what a classic jason todd move to wear a mask underneath your mask btw. guess it just runs in the family! (but on a deeper, unironic level, damian switches out both his robin and his demon suit into this new one. this obviously symbolizes his forging a new path, but also reveals his intent/doubts abt the whole confrontation. a mask underneath his mask? he was never truly looking to rejoin the league. after running away from bruce, he runs to talia to test the waters and see if he would do better there. and when it ends in the same shadowing of an ambitious parent, he ditches the whole thing. the fact that he had a back-up plan meant that his heart wasn’t in it, just as talia’s heart wasn’t in keeping him caged. a confirmation bias given permission by a mother’s facade. god, the al ghul mindgames are truly smth to behold)

*so much can be said abt how talia’s approach to parenting parallels and contrasts bruce’s. they both have the same good intentions for their son, and they both realize that he’s too young to face what he had and what he’s abt to. but talia wants to start the healing process of her control in his upbringing, and bruce wants to prevent damian from having to face it alone knowing firsthand what suffering he “endured to become batman.” one is letting go, the other is desperate to bring him back.

it’s such a fascinating look into the push and pull of their fatal flaws and mistakes as parents, as well as making them feel human and reasonable within the limits of all they know and are capable of. OF COURSE they’re overcompensating for their regrets, that’s just so… them!

and the fact that you can see both parents’ traits and influence in damian as he searches for his own identity just makes the whole family feel well-rounded. robin 2021 is so good you guys, it’s too fucking good

[emiliyathecossack]

Imagine if "Still" in Anastasia the musical was written like "Still/The Neva Flows Reprise".

Like:

🎵 An underhanded girl, an act of desperation, and to my consternation, I let you go. You want what you can get? Is that a fair depiction? Do you believe your fiction? It's hard to know... 🎵

And so on.

I mean come on! Like Gleb's reprimanding her angrily, maybe caught her a second time...

🎵 You don't know you need me! You willfully mislead me! But still, still... 🎵

[childoftherock]

an AU that i have been brewing for some time... anastasia on broadway AU!!! prince peasley anastasia AU!!!! something like that!!! i don't have a name for it!!! featuring [in these images]: mario and princess peach as vlad and countess lily, luigi as dmitry, prince peasley as anya/anastasia, and lady lima as the dowager empress/anastasia's grandmother! AU explanation under the cut!!! [warning it is very long]

the basic story is that when peasley was young, he and his extended family were invited to a ball in the mushroom kingdom. before they left, lady lima gave him a small piece of the beanstar, should anything go wrong while the family was away... unfortunately, she could not predict that they would be attacked in the mushroom kingdom. during the ball, they are rounded up and executed by cackletta and her followers. however, peasley got away, and is now the only surviving member of the beanish royal family, but lives a tough life with amnesia. many years later, rumours start to stir of the beanish princess still being alive, and they spread to the mushroom kingdom. this is where mario and luigi hear about this, and for the greater good they decide they'll find this lost princess, and return her to her kingdom! meanwhile, in the beanbean kingdom, where these rumours started, things are... less than stellar. cackletta, after executing the royal family, has taken over, and the kingdom is worse off for it. however, she has recently died from unknown circumstances! she leaves her daughter [who has no name other than "C.D" yet, nor a design, but her role is as general gleb] to "finish what she started". whatever that may mean... in the brother's search for the lost princess, they find peasley, whom at first they don't suspect to be the princess- after all, he's a dude, and beanish are much more common in other places after cackletta took over.. not every beanish person can be a princess! they allow him to help search for the missing princess, but along the way, they discover things that reveal who peasley really is... when C.D hears of the rumours, she decides she must put a stop to them. after all, her mother would have wanted this, right? total control over everything, including the gossip of the common people. she makes a visit to the mushroom kingdom to find more out about the rumours, and to discuss royal business with princess peach, as she is soon to be the sovereign of the beanbean kingdom. here, she learns of mario and luigi's plan to find the princess... she finds them, along with peasley, and warns them of the dangers of such a plan, and that no member of the family survived that night. after they leave, she can't shake the feeling that something is up. she vows that if these rumours really are true? she'll find the princess, and kill her. it basically follows the story of the original musical, but it is slightly tweaked to fit certain things! i could type out a summary of the entire story, but i felt this was good enough to get people.. at least slightly hooked!!!!! :'3c let me know what you think!

[my-unwanted-comentarry]

Jenn judging:

Ok, so yeah, they’re fully leaning into it, don’t love that. Don’t get me working I think they’re cute, but like, let it be natural.

I agree crab sasha should have come back

I agree with Bruno, she has such beautiful princess energy.

I do feel like the audience is not as nice to Carrie Ann. Like she’s about to be nice, and the other guys also were saying things that needed to be improved. Like…. Idk, it’s just something I noticed

Nooooo… why are they so inistnat on this!!! No one likes when broom and gleb did it

Ezra and Ilona in the background, they are so cute!!!

Yeah, the scores are what I expected.

I agree with Alphonso, Leave them alone

[p21blackandgold]

ok let me just say, I am no big Sasha fan but I do feel a bit bad for him. his partners always seem to love him and I like that he focuses on making sure they have a good experience. also, he’s one of the few male pros that doesn’t have a reputation of being an ass. i’d way rather see him as a pro than Gleb, even if he does produce some wacky (to say the least) choreography sometimes

[casp1an-sea]

OK I’m going to share my thoughts on Dancing with the Stars this season because I don’t know why I haven’t done that yet. I’ve been obsessing over it.

First of all, why was Anna Delvey on the show? Like it doesn’t make any sense. Maybe they were trying to cause drama or something, but it did not work. She deserved to be eliminated that early. like watching her made me feel uncomfortable and like you could tell the people around her were uncomfortable too. Originally, I didn’t understand why she was getting so much hate aside from the fact that she was uninteresting. But I watched a TikTok, where someone explained how they hated that she was on the show because she was in an illegal immigrant being allowed to stay in our country to perform in a dance competition, meanwhile, so many others are being mistreated and deported by the government. And God that pissed me off so much.

Second thought, I’m not a fan of brooks and Gleb. The constant reminders that they’re sexy and hot and having a showmance was just annoying to me and distracted from the dancing.

I know a lot of people have been making jokes about Jenn Tran dedicating her dance to Taylor Swift rather than an important person in her life like the other contestants did. And I did this too at first, but I was thinking about it and honestly, I think it’s just as valid and meaningful that she chose to dedicate this dance to an artist because she explains that the reason she’s doing this is because Taylor’s music got her through a really difficult time. And honestly, if it were me, I probably would think to dedicate my dance to something like Star Wars before thinking of dedicating it to my family. Because the things that we love often are what we spend the most time of our lives consuming and can help us get through those difficult times when those important people in our lives like our family cannot or choose not to be there for us. And even if it seems more shallow, there is a real level of emotional connection to that thing.

I love Chandler but it’s really is annoying to me when dancing with the stars gets celebs that have actual dance experience. I’m not saying she deserves lower scores. I think she deserves the scores she got and I’m glad that she got them. I just don’t think she should have been allowed to compete the same way I don’t think contestants with prior dance experience should have been allowed to compete in previous seasons. If they want to do something like that They should have a spin off show. I also don’t think it was fair that she got to perform her song on Disney night. It just seems like an unfair advantage because she already had experience with and was comfortable performing as that character and experience dancing as that character even if the Choreo was vastly different. But that might just be me. I still enjoyed watching the dance though. And I do like the song.

all right complaints aside let’s be a little bit more lighthearted

I think it’s no shock that I love Ilona and Alan, everyone does. I think she really embodies what dancing with the stars is about not just in her personality and what she stands for, but also with her dancing. the way that she truly has visibly improved from the start to the finish. She might not necessarily be the strongest dancer, but she still a good dancer and has definitely learned from her time on the show. Other contestants like Joey and Chandler we’re doing pretty well consistently and while that’s great and amazing and I think they deserved the scores and placements that they got, having a dancer like Ilona is just really refreshing

I really liked Stephen and Riley’s freestyle. Not going to lie originally I only watched this season for Stephen. I was a competitive gymnast for 13 years and I still have a lot of complicated feelings with that experience. I decided not to watch gymnastics at all Until this Olympics, So this was my first time watching it again after I left the gym. So when I found out that Stephen was competing on Dancing with the Stars, of course I was intrigued. I’ll have to admit he was not the strongest of the finalists and I think he deserved fourth place. But his freestyle was my favorite of the night. Originally, I was a bit skeptical because I felt that there was not much dance moves in it, but that didn’t mean that I disliked watching it. There was just something moving about it and maybe the song helped but that was just part of it on my second rewatch I genuinely was brought to tears watching it just all of these experiences with gymnastics in the past flooded me. It was so powerful. I just can’t stop watching that dance. It was probably my favorite of the season not because of the dance itself, but because of the way it made me feel.

Monster night was my favorite. I loved it. I pretty much liked every single dance. yup

I don’t know what made this season so special but I’m glad everyone sees it

and lastly, my opinions on the final placements.

I think I liked them. I know a lot of people are attacking Joey but I was fine with him winning. I thought it was going to be a tossup between him and Chandler and I think the both of them were pretty evenly matched throughout the whole season. Neither of them were my favorite groups. I didn’t dislike them. I just liked Ilona and Stephen more but I think the placement that they got made sense and I’m not really mad that Chandler got third think her and Joey could be swapped and it would still make sense.

I think Ilona deserved second like I said before, to me she really embodies what dancing with the stars is about. And it’s no secret that she had the public vote and she deserved it. I think the show isn’t just about good dancers but also about a dancers improvement so it makes sense to me that The most improved dancer should get second place. now before the finale, I would have put Stephen in fifth. and that’s not saying I dislike him. I’m just saying I felt he wasn’t the strongest of the dancers. He was still good and he still improved, but I don’t know if I would put him over Danny. I think if they hadn’t decided to let everyone stay for the finals Stephen would have been the one going home. At least that’s my guess. But I am very glad he got to stay. Like I said, his freestyle was just phenomenal and this put it over the edge for me. I think he deserved fourth. He had a stronger final performance than Danny did and that’s really what determined it for me in the end.

I think Danny‘s placement in fifth is fine. his final dances weren’t my favorite. The Barbie and Ken one was funny and I liked it because it was fun, but I don’t think it was the strongest performance. I think he really did improve as a dancer throughout the show and he deserved to get into the finals.

I’m overall happy with how it ended and sad that it’s over. If the tickets weren’t so expensive, I’d go see them on tour.

[anniflamma]

Saint Boris and George the Hungarian

I'm going to start with this. Where are all the retelling books? The discussions? The TV series? The Movies?

So let me begin by talking about Saint Boris and his favorite servant, George.

In medieval Russia, Saint Boris and his younger brother Gleb, both princes of Kiev, played crucial roles in the state established by their father, Volodimir, who introduced Christianity in 988 Russia. Boris had precisely 12 brothers, and himself was born from Anne the Bulgarian. He wasn't the oldest, but due to being loved by his father, he was trusted to be called upon to lead troops against enemy invaders.

However, upon returning from the military campaign, Boris received devastating news of Volodimir's death. Svjatopolk, the accursed, his half-adoptive-brother, had concealed their father's passing and seized power for himself.

Despite having the opportunity to claim the throne, Boris refused to raise arms against his brother, choosing instead to trust in him and God's will.

"He (Boris) was in distress and grief, and his heart was oppressed. And he entered his tent and wept with a broken heart but a joyful soul, sorrowfully lifting his voice: “Despise not my tears, O Lord. For as I have my hope in Thee, so shall I, together with Thy servants, accept my portion and lot with all Thy holy ones, for Thou art a merciful God, and unto Thee shall we render praise forever. Amen.”

Svjatopolk then conspired to assassinate Boris, due to his being a potential threat to his rule. He ordered Boris's assassination, sending men to attack him while he prayed in his tent. Throughout the night, Boris fell asleep and with him by his side was his favorite servant George The Hungarian.

In the text "The Narrative Passion And Encomium Of Boris And Gleb," it never mentions that Boris' servant George was with him when he was sleeping; however, in ancient arts, George is depicted being by Boris' side at all times. He confides his fears of death to George. They pray close together. And George guarding over the sleeping Boris.

We get a short but concise description of Boris and George's relationship.

"He was a Hungarian by birth named George, and upon him was placed a golden necklace; and he was loved by Boris beyond measure."

While Boris and George's bond was initially perceived through the lens of Christian views, it transcended mere "a very good friendship." After all, the lord bestowed a golden necklace to his servant, suggesting something much deeper.

Eventually, three assassins arrived, entered the tent, and Boris was pierced without mercy. In the midst of chaos, George refused to abandon his lord. He threw himself over Boris and said: "I shall not leave you, my precious lord; where the beauty of your body withers, there too will it be granted me to end my life.”

The assassins then tore Boris out of George's embrace, stabbed George, and threw the servant out of the tent, bleeding and dying. And as he was wounded, Boris ran out of the tent (presumably went to George's side) and told their assassins to finish their job. Boris prayed and forgave the murderers....

Unable to remove a golden necklace from George's neck, one of the assassins beheaded him and disposed of his body.

The land mourned the loss of Boris, a righteous and humble prince, while Svjatopolk's reign of terror continued. Yet, Boris's legacy lived on, and he was canonized in the year 1071. Boris and his younger brother Gleb became the first saints recognized by the Russian Orthodox Church, earning the title of "Passion Bearers" for facing death with Christlike forgiveness. They rest at the Church of St. Basil near Kiev in Ukraine, alongside their parents, Volodimir of Kiev and Anne.

While Boris and his younger brother Gleb gained widespread recognition as saints in Russia and Ukraine, George the Hungarian's role has been increasingly marginalized and obscured over time.

Despite Boris being a prince and a skilled military commander, it was his profound love for George that left an indelible mark on early biographers and hagiographers. Professors, such as Simon Karlinsky delves into their same-sex love story in his analysis of the medieval classic, "The Legend of Boris and Gleb," compiled between 1040 and 1118.

Boris's gesture of crafting a magnificent gold necklace for George is highlighted as a testament of love. Karlinsky emphasizes the sympathetic portrayal of their mutual affection and acknowledges the unjust fate that befell George due to the open expression of their love. However, George is recognized in some traditions as a co-martyr, passion bearer, and saint.

Wikipedia on St. Boris (and his brother Gleb)

Blog post from a professor and art historian focusing on their relationship

English Translation of the 1100 year old text "The Narrative and Passion and Encomium of the Holy Martyrs Boris and Gleb"

[rattlyglitch]

Still/ Neva Flows reprise fits with Rollo and younger Silver

Btw: Spoilers for the Masquerade Event story with kid Silver I've written

When I say it fits them I mean like some of the lyrics fit like

Anya is Silver which is bold

and Rollo is Gleb and has normal speech

Parts that are in the song will be in parentheses and singing parts will be italic whether it be normal or bold

"An underhanded girl An act of desperation And to my consternation I let you go"

Rollo is seeing his brother in Silver who has his magic now at a young age and is blaming himself for his brothers death.

"Well, not this time Paris is no place for a good and loyal Russian

We are both good and loyal Russians

I've come to take you home

My home is here now

Stop playing this game, Anya! I beg you

We both know it's not a game Gleb

If you really are Anastasia Do you think history wants you to have lived?

Yes! Why don't you?

The Romanovs were given everything And they gave back nothing Until the Russian people rose up and destroyed them

All but one Finish it I am my father's daughter

and I am my father's son

Finish it I must"

Rollo is trying to make Silver see that magic isn't a place to call home but Silver says it is and that their both magic users. Rollo asks Silver if it really was for the best that magic still lives and Silver says yes but Rollo still doesn't agree and believes magic needs to be destroyed. Silver is getting ready to defend magic as best he can.

"My father shook his head and told me not to ask My mother said he died of shame"

The shame that follows Rollo because he couldn't save his brother is almost as if it's crushing him to death.

"In me you see them"

Silver is starting to realize that Rollo sees his own brother in him

"Look at their faces in mine Hear their screams Imagine their terrors See their blood"

Silver is trying to get Rollo to see destroying the lives of people and hurting him is also bad and Rollo would be hurting him

"But I believe he did a proud and vital task. And in my father's name"

Rollo feels that way he is doing is the right thing. That the task he has set out to to do is for the best.

"Do it and I will be with my parents and my brother and sisters In that cellar in Yekaterinburg all over again"

Silver is trying to get Rollo to see that if magic is removed from mages some may die.

"The children Their voices A man makes painful choices He does what's necessary, Anya"

That is what it could have been like for Rollo when his brother died. His brother in pain and he remembers that so he's making a painful choice to get rid of his and everyone else's magic in the name of his brother and he's trying to describe his reasoning to Silver and help him understand why he's doing what he's doing and that it is for Silver's good.

"For Russia, my beauty What choice but simple duty We have a past to bury, Anya"

Russia is the name of Rollo's brother. Rollo also sees it as his duty is to get rid of magic, and he's trying to convince Silver that some way their the same and if he gets rid of everyone's magic it would be for the best and magic would be a thing of the past.

"And the Neva flows, a new wind blows

And soon it will be spring The leaves unfold, the Tsar lies cold

Be careful what a dream may bring! A revolution is a simple thing!"

Rollo is imagining the future and how what he is doing which is like a revolution was easy to accomplish and the Tsar which is magic is gone for good and once he says the line 'A revolution is a simple thing he cast a sleeping spell on Silver.

[balletomaneblog]

Destinations of Vaganova '23 Graduates

I'm finally posting a list of of the companies that the Vaganova 2023 class joined! I've listed almost everyone but there are still a few dancers that I can't find any information on. If you've heard anything, let me know and I'll add it to the list!

Mariinsky:

Jaden Grimm (USA)

Angelina Karamysheva  honors

Daria Kulikova   honors

Ksenia Potapova

Ekaterina Saplina

Nicholas Didenko  honors

Luca Dobos (Romania)

Dmitry Mukhametshin

Daler Ruzimatov

Bolshoi:

Maria Koshkareva  honors

Yaroslavna Kuprina  honors

Sofia Valiullina   honors

Gleb Asadchenko

Aslam Gariffulin

Mikhailovsky:

Anastasia Aseeva

Polina Ermolenko

Iustina Ivanova

Maria Zayats

Bogdan Gobov

Kirill Trunin

Stanislavksy:

Taiga Kodama-Pomfret (Great Britain)

Jacobsen:

Karina Davleeva

Ksenia Kholodkova

Polina Kholodkova  honors

Maria Sabanova

Anna Sharova

Gaizka Carcel Barrett (Spain)

Raphael Chabrun (France)

Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus:

Ksenia Prokopenko

Matvey Gasparyan

Leonid Kamensky

Bogdan Mikheev

State Opera Varna:

Pinja Rissanen (Finland)

Not Currently in a Company:

Mor Peleg (Israel) → recovering from an injury

Mikhail Brancato (USA) → going to a university

Unknown:

Marie-Marleen Kjerrumgaard (Germany)

Katerina Turko

Lea Charlotta Vennitskaya-Perkins

Alisa Zeldina

Mikhail Egorov

Vladislav Tyankin

[dwtsfun]

Dancing with the Stars Season 33: Weeks 3 and 4

Sorry this is so late. I was out of town for a few days last week including Monday. So I couldn't watch DWTS until Wednesday. And I was trying to get caught up with all of my shows, so this kinda got pushed to the back burner. I'm gonna make this brief as the show starts for the east coast and central time zones in less than an hour. I think it's been beaten to death, so I won't go into much detail about Gene Simmons sucking as a guest judge. Just know that he was the worst we've had on this show and that DWTS might wanna chill with the stunts. Unfortunately for Rosie, her guest judge appearance was overshadowed by Gene. But she was honestly great, kind or constructive with her critiques while still giving the kind guest judge points. While I'm sad that they left, it was time for Eric and Reggie to go. I feel like both had reached their physical limits and were only going to get worse/injure themselves as time went on.

Chandler was my favorite on both nights. Brandon choreographed one of my favorite dances that I've seen on this show with that cha-cha. I wanted more of it. While Chandler's jive wasn't as strong of a dance, it was still the best of night 2 (week 4) in my opinion. I said this on twitter, but Brandon is proving to be the male heir to Derek and Mark's throne. The man is very good at what he does, he just is never able to get through to the end to really get his props. And that's not really his or his partner's faults.

Joey is starting to be given a lot of leniency in his dances. While he is the best male there, it's not a huge gap between him and Stephen. His jive was good, but his feet were messy. His tango was okay, but stompy and definitely not the best male tango ever on the show. So let's chill out shall we. The man is good and he's a natural. He's no Gilles Marini or James Hinchcliffe.

Danny's foxtrot was super impressive and my second favorite dance of both nights. He turned the charm on and I was shocked. His paso was kinda blah, but he's improving. I hope he stays around for a long time because I see great things from him. Stephen is such an awkward mover. I didn't care for any of his dances. He has to work on his musicality and his posture. They're fun, but their dances are not impressing like they should (outside of that jive).

I hate that Ilona's nerves got the better of her in her jive. But her foxtrot was gorgeous. I need Alan to continue to tap into that energy for her moving forward. I think it will help her nerves for sure. Jenn is actually dancing better than I was expecting her to. Sasha is also doing a better job of choreographing her than he has in the past. One thing, she needs to work on really extending her lines. She's short, so her lines feel extra short when she doesn't extend.

Dwight completely forgot that cha-cha, but it was so much fun that I didn't care. It was a good time. That paso was extremely respectable though. So I'm excited for the continued growth and what things Daniella has in store for this partnership. Brooks has not danced a single dance that I have cared for. This falls on Gleb. He sucks and I'm sick of him. Either fire him or someone needs to discipline him. The entitled attitude is so stank and I want it gone. I wish Brooks had a better partner. She has so much potential and a pro that doesn't wanna get off his ass and work. And Phaedra? Well, she's a great performer. But her technique is not good. I don't think Val has given her dances that look good on her. On twitter I said that Phaedra isn't a "dancer" but she's someone that you can easily make look like a dancer. And that comes with giving her dances that look good on her. A lot of what she's done might look good for his other partners. Not Phaedra.

So that's it. Let me know your thoughts and I will talk to you all soon. Glad I got this out *checks time* 8 minutes before the show starts lol.

[fluffypotatey]

ok actually imma put this here: the way in which the judges treat certain stars compared to others bothers the fuck out of me

sure, sure, they can recognize that some stars are able to take a more “tough love approach” and not feel too devastated if you point out the flaws in their footwork. or maybe they already do have good potential of dancing talent, so you are a little more okay with providing constructive feedback

but this all starts to really bother me when certain stars are just flowered praises or told “that was very brave of you” or whatever. and i get it!!! for many, this is their first experience ever doing ballroom dancing, so them not being perfect is a given. everyone is well aware

but this becomes an issue with the scores. because you are being more constructive to one side (and let me just say, many of the stars on this side are *coughs* people of color *coughs*) and give them a more “fair score”. meanwhile, the ones you are playing nice to are then scored as if they are at the same level

for example: Chandler is a phenomenal dancer with great potential to be even better and the judges do see that and scores her as such. however, if we were to go to say…..Gleb, as a comparison. he doesn’t have a big dancing background and this is all fairly new to him, so the judges are a little easier with their comments, but their scores reflect Gleb and Brooke in a way that makes it look like their couple is on par with Chandler and her partner (which is so far from the truth)

AND IT IS DRIVING ME BONKERS

edit: i have been recently informed that Gleb was NOT the star and it was Brooke….so that fact that Chandler is doing better than the PRO??????

yeah :/

[izloveshorses]

Just out of curiosity what's wrong with zadkins!dimya? I never got to see the show at all (just bootlegs) so I don't know anything.

I do agree with the 1NT though. I have no idea what they were thinking with Lila Coogan. She pronounces every single thing she says the same way?

anon you have no idea how much this ask delighted me. i'm in tears. i'm so so so excited this made my whole week.

first-- lila was only casted bc she knew lynn ahrens, i believe. this happened a lot with anastasia at the time unfortunately, when it came time to replace the principal cast they kept choosing people they knew or people who were already in the show instead of finding new talent. stephen (steven? i can't be bothered to remember) covered dmitry on broadway so they hired him as principal dima on tour and that was such a waste too tbh 💀 other than a few delightful people here and there, 1nt was such a bland and forgettable cast to me. 2nt superiority <333

now. for zadkins. a couple years ago i would've answered this privately bc his stans would've eaten me alive, but it appears no one left here cares for him anymore anyway ashdljfdjk so!!! i'm gonna be mean. so sorry. or not sorry. i don't really care anymore lol.

man. another bad case of promoting someone mediocre instead of hiring and training someone new. he always kind of gave me an ick, like on a Regular Person level, but for now let's focus on his performance:

the man cannot sing. he yells. he cannot act. he yells! i'm like not an expert or anything on either but i know a bad singer when i hear one lol. there's a moment in my petersburg where he growls? yuck. he and christy, as talented as she is, had no chemistry. not even like compared to christy and derek (which was like ~Magical Chemistry~), they just had zero chemistry period. even off stage their interactions felt weird and forced. i think he tried too hard to be Different™ from derek that he ended up playing dmitry wildly off book. i mean, you Should come with a new and fresh take on the character, that's fair. but he was almost playing a completely unrecognizable character altogether. (the glebya stans love his dmitry for a reason)

and then he kept thowing little fits off stage-- he got a tattoo when he wasn't supposed to, complained about being compared to derek, etc. he was kind of strange with christy sometimes. on one of her live streams during playtime (the 15 minute stretch between crossing a bridge and iacot, where she would invite the little girls and other folks off stage to hang out in her dressing room) he said he saw her in spring awakening, a show with some nudity, and she was clearly uncomfortable by the way he said it. he was also weird online, there was one instance where a teenage girl tweeted and asked him to come to her birthday party and he?? showed up????? he was also dating ashley park at the time and i think the breakup was messy 💀

his stans were awful. i know it's not his fault, but god. they were so loud, constantly complaining about derek for some reason? a man who minds his own business??? bc the only way you can support your fave is by hating everyone else on main?? the infighting was insane. you had to be there.

and oh man. when they announced cody simpson was replacing him.... it got so much worse. they were tearing that little blond australian man (who can actually sing and act, mind you) to shreds. every review was scathing when the show needed a boost. zach threw a fit about it too, because his contract was ending early (i mean. the show was actively losing money because he was so terrible. so yeah of course they're gonna replace him with a stunt cast ashdljfk) and you compare that and his stans to derek and derek stans just quietly mourning his exit and enduring but otherwise minding our business.... yeah. the only anastasia obc member with a bad attitude fr

so you pair that (the Yikes that is zadkins!dima) with max von essen's gleb (as much as i loved him he was also a miscast, i believe he's said the same) both yelling at anya the whole time with the mediocre 1nt cast,,,, of course you have people walking away from the show going 'so,,, what the hell was that. i could've just watched the movie.'

this is just speculation but i truly believe if i had to pinpoint an origin as to why the show isn't open anymore i would say principal zadkins at such a crucial time was their downfall. the second year is so important to get people to come back and to get new audience members at the same time and they botched it. instead of bringing in new talent they just stuck with mediocre people who already knew the tracks. the show had all the ingredients for being the next wicked, but damn. casting for anya, dmitry, and gleb are so important. you really need people who Get It to portray them, and if you have one weak link the whole show falls flat. and for several months, before cody was brought on and before constantine returned to play principal gleb, christy altomare was carrying the whole thing on her little shoulders.

and THEN you have the whole year two Red Dress marketing campaign, which misinterpretted the show So Badly as ~just another princess show~ to compete with frozen across the street... yeah of course it tanked. but that's another topic.

so! in conclusion........,,, summer-winter 2018 was a dark time for fanastasias ashldkjfjk we were in the Trenches

i would also like to let the record show the fact that we got masters who returned Twice in the same month to film derek/obc in september 2017, which are the bootlegs that are probably the most circulated other than hartford, and returned again in january 2019 to film cody and constantine, and returned AGAIN for closing in march. two whole bootlegs of my guy cody simpson and uhhhh zero for zadkins <3 as god intended <3

this isn't even half of it but this is what i remember from The Dark Time. anyone else is welcome to chime in, this is a safe space to be a hashtag hater <3