#mekhemene banu

[miss-mollys-ballet-blog]

Look, I love Legend of Love with all my heart, I’m probably one of the few outside of Russia who do and close to the only one on tumblr that does. However, Mekhemene Banu’s monologue is PAINFUL when danced by someone with no passion and acting and emotion. I’m watching Maria Bulanova perform it and while physically she looks awesome in the choreography, she offers nothing in terms of artistry and I want to scream. This is such a powerful piece and the music builds perfectly, I don’t understand how anyone can’t put everything into it. She just has the doe in the headlights sad face and it makes me want to scream.

[balletomaneblog]

Exciting that Kristina Kretova is debuting Mekhemene Banu soon! I hope there will be some good footage.

[galina-ulanova]

Yekaterina Shipulina as Mekhemene Banu, and Vladislav Lantratov as Ferkhad, in The Legend of Love (Bolshoi Ballet)

[miss-mollys-ballet-blog]

Maria Ilyushkina is debuting as Mekhemene Banu with Nikita Korneyev as Ferkhad...

Hopefully their candle lift goes better than it did in the Moscow Ballet Competition last year. That's all I have to say about this.

[miss-mollys-ballet-blog]

hey! i don't know if anyone asked you this, but if you could choose any production and partner, which dream role would you want to interpret? my dream would be to dance as juliet and roberto bolle would be romeo hehe🥰🧡

Hello! I have so many dream roles lol, so I'll list three:

Queen Mekhemene Banu in A Legend of Love with Andrey Ermakov as Ferkhad and Alexander Sergeyev as the Vizier.

Nikiya from La Bayadere with Vladislav Lantratov as Solor.

Marguerite from La Dame Aux Camelias with Philipp Stepin as Armand, even though he's never danced the role I just KNOW he would be great lol.

[miss-mollys-ballet-blog]

So I found videos of Maria Ilyushkina’s Mekhemene Banu debut and oh my god. I…I NEED TO STOP DOUBTING MY FAVORITE DANCERS ISTG.

Fucking hell, her monologue was brilliant. Absolutely devastating in the best possible way.

[miss-mollys-ballet-blog]

It makes me sad when ballerinas try too hard to make Mekhemene Banu be fierce and scary and powerful.  All it does is look awkward and uncomfortable and bad.

[miss-mollys-ballet-blog]

Maria Iliushkina, First Prize and Gold Medal in the duet category of the Moscow Ballet Competition, 2022.  

Her partner was Nikita Korneyev who earned Third Prize and Bronze Medal in the same competition.

Round 1: Grand Pas Classique

Round 2: Black Swan Pas de Deux

Contemporary: Trois Gnossiennes

Round 3: Raymonda 

Grigorovich Round: Legend of Love, adagio of Mekhemene Banu and Ferkhad

[miss-mollys-ballet-blog]

A video celebrating 20 years of Viktoria Tereshkina at the Mariinsky!  Viktoria graduated from the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet in the class of Marina Vasilieva in 2001 and joined the Mariinsky Theatre the same year.  5 years later, in 2006, she was promoted to prima ballerina and has been the favorite of audiences not only in Saint Petersburg, but the world over.  This video shows 4 clips ranging from 2003 to 2021.  She is known particularly for her brilliant technique and powerful acting, with her favorite roles being dramatic such as Queen Mekhemene Banu from A Legend of Love.  However, she also likes the roles people are surprised to see her in, including Juliet and Giselle, and her dream role is Manon.

The clips in this video:

2003: Second Shade variation in La Bayadere

2010: Medora variation in Le Corsaire

2015: Queen Mekhemene Banu in A Legend of Love

2021: Kitri in Don Quixote

[miss-mollys-ballet-blog]

That moment when you were having a really good morning so far and then you look to see that Alena Kovaleva is dancing Mekhemene Banu in Legend of Love...

[miss-mollys-ballet-blog]

Thoughts on David Motta Soares’ debut of Ferkhad?

So I've watched a LOT of different performances of Legend of Love; it's probably my most watched ballet to be honest. I've seen many different Ferkhads, ranging from the incredibly masculine Bolshoi Ferkhads of the past such as Irek Mukhamedov to more refined and charming Ferkhads at the Mariinsky such as Kimin Kim or Vladimir Shklyarov and an incredible mix of the best of both theatres in Mikhail Lobukhin. I've seen almost every single video on the internet of this ballet.

What I have never seen is a Ferkhad like Motta Soares and I mean that in the best possible way. He turned the role into something very different, it's hard to put into words. Ferkhad wasn't a MAN, he was a young man, very early 20s, who was very naive but also self-assured with the joie de vivre only young people have. He didn't show up at the palace to take it over and show off, he came almost as a surprise and thought, "well, let's go have fun and flirt with a beautiful princess" and his transition to, "I actually am incredibly deeply in love with this young woman" while keeping that youth was amazing. He and Stashkevich made such an amazing pair as well, they were so wrapped up in each other there wasn't any room for Mekhemene Banu. Normally the story is told in a way that the Queen dominates and Shirin kind of sneaks in and separates the Queen and Ferkhad. In this performance, the Queen was on the outside attempting to sneak in between Shirin and Ferkhad who didn't spare a single glance at her.

I was nervous for how he and Ekaterina Krysanova would be together because she is so powerful and sexy and strong as Mekhemene Banu and he is very young. However, they played that perfectly; David's Ferkhad had zero use for Mekhemene Banu and it wasn't until the final pas de deux that they even had any sort of connection. And even during that pas de deux you never forgot that Ferkhad was only in her dream, that she brought him and he did not willingly come. His Ferkhad seemed overwhelmed by her Mekhemene and that furthered the story of the Queen being completely overlooked. It was so good to watch, I loved it.

As for the non-emotional stuff, it was great seeing him in a full ballet and showing his partnering skills, which he has a LOT of. Honestly, the debut of any Ferkhad is shaky in the incredibly difficult Grigorovich pas de deux, but he handled them so well. His jumps were outstanding and he danced the choreography instead of letting the choreography overwhelm him.

Basically, I adored it, I want to see him dance it again and again, and I would pay a lot to see him live. One of my favorite Ferkhads.

[miss-mollys-ballet-blog]

Ballet Asks

“Between the ballerinos at the Mariinsky, who do you think will someday be promoted to principal?”

Philipp Stepin, Roman Belyakov, and Nikita Korneyev are my top 3.  Maybe Caixeta eventually, but he has a long way to go.

“Who are your favorite ballerinas at the Bolshoi?”

Ekaterina Shipulina, Svetlana Zakharova, and Kristina Kretova with Anna Nikulina as my favorite Grigorovich ballerina.

“what are your thoughts on eleonora sevenard?”

I think she is incredibly talented and has done a very good job transitioning from the Academy to the theatre and I am watching her career very closely.  She made a huge improvement from her first two years in the company.

“If you could be a ballerina and choose your ballet school and teacher, theater, coach, first debut and first partnership, how would you choose?”

School and Teacher: Vaganova and Tatiana Udalenkova

Theatre and Coach: Mariinsky and Olga Moiseyeva or Lyubov Kunakova

First debut: Mekhemene Banu in A Legend of Love and classical debut would be Raymonda

First partnership: Andrey Ermakov or Alexander Sergeyev

[miss-mollys-ballet-blog]

A Youtube channel posted a video of Jacopo Tissi and Olga Marchenkova in the Legend of Love pas de deux of Mekhemene Banu and Ferkhad.  I tried watching it and honestly it reminded me of just how much I hated that ballet the first few times I watched it.  Just...oh my god, it is so bad.

[galina-ulanova]

Svetlana Zakharova as Queen Mekhemene Banu in The Legend of Love (Bolshoi Ballet)

[miss-mollys-ballet-blog]

A Legend of Love full ballet

Queen Mekhemene Banu: Uliana Lopatkina Shirin: Ekaterina Osmolkina Ferkhad: Mikhail Lobukhin Vizier: Ilya Kuznetsov

Act 1

Act 2

Act 3

@strechanadi

[miss-mollys-ballet-blog]

So I’m really freaking impressed with Ekaterina Chebykina’s Mekhemene Banu.  Like, really impressed.  I’ve been wondering who will take over that mantle once Tereshkina and Kondaurova retire, but I think I’ve found my answer.  And Alexander Romanchikov is an awesome Vizier.  I wish Chebykina would get a partner that is not Timur Askerov.  Literally anyone else is better.  I would even prefer Ivanchenko over Askerov in this role.