#sofya valiullina

[elegantballetalk]

I know this might be a year too late and everyone is getting tired of it, but what do you think about Bolshoi's 2023 girls (Maria Koshkareva, Sofya Valiullina, Yaroslavna Kuprina, Taisia Konovalova, Polina Netsvetaeva-Dolgalyova), especially after 1.5 year? My personal favourite is Sofya, I always find her dancing enjoyable to watch. Sometimes I'm sad that it seems like she's the only one who's being left behind among those five, like the four others are debuting major (and even leading) roles one after another, but Sofya gets much less and it's mostly minor soloist roles. On the other hand, I'm relieved that it's actually better for her growth artistically, but still... I wonder if she will ever get major/leading roles someday :")

It’s not too late—never is. Actually, I think following a dancer for many years makes it more and more exciting.

Maria Koshkareva, Sofya Valiullina, and Yaroslavna Kuprina are all really good dancers, and one must consider the difficulties of moving to a new city and getting used to company life, which must be especially tough in a place like the Bolshoi.

Maria and Sofya are really good friends; they have been in class together since their first year at Vaganova, and they continue to be friends now, so at least they have that. Last season, they danced the Swan Lake Pas de Trois many times together, and I always found it very nice. But look how visible their style differences are! They both danced the Orange Fairy in Sleeping Beauty, but they looked so different—not in a bad way, just stylistically. They are completely different types of dancers, even though they’ve been trained together since they were about 10ish.

Yaroslavna Kuprina suffered a serious injury almost at the beginning of last year’s season, but this year she started with a bang, debuting as Aurora. I wish we were in managements head to see why they were like: ah yes, let's have this young girl debut aurora randomly at the start of what basically is her first season. I would love to know hwat goes on behind the scenes. But here is a video on YouTube from last year of her and Sofya dancing the Three Swans from Swan Lake, which you might find interesting.

So my opinions:

Maria Koshkareva: She is the "favored" one. Now we can only guess why—maybe it's her attitude, personality, luck, or her association with Kovaleva/Tsiskaridze. Who knows? Perhaps they see something in her, perceive in her a spark of something rare, something worth cultivating. Or maybe, since she won that competition and has gained a bit of a following, they think that if they push her, she could become a future star. For a theater, having these "famous" dancers offers prestige and helps sell tickets, especially on tour. And one can only become a famous dancer if the theater actively markets you that way—by giving you major roles, high-profile performances, and constant visibility. This is likely why they keep casting her in significant roles, even if it might be better to wait a few years before giving her such pressure. The theater seems to be fast-tracking her career, not necessarily because she’s ready, but because they believe they can shape her into a star if they position her as one early on.

Regarding her dancing: I don't really know how to explain this, but she's so Russian and so Bolshoi. Her dancing is so Russian; it almost gives you a feel of how dancers used to dance in the past—bold and free, compromising technique to make you feel something (while simultaneously, obviously, having so much technique that they can afford to command the stage as they wish). I think she has that freedom to give her star quality. But sometimes I don’t love her facial expressions on stage, but that’s just my personal opinion.

What I do admire, without question, is the way she doth grace her movements with the cambre—that deep, arching of the back. Oh, Maria, thou art a master of the cambre! It doth add such elegance and beauty to her already magnificent dancing. More cambres, please!

In general watching her is not relaxing for me, like she doesn't give the lyricism that I so often crave when watching ballet. BUT:

I really, really, really liked her as Angela in Marco Spada. I think she was full of energy, and especially considering it was a debut, I think it was really good.

Same thing with Kitri: I really enjoyed it. There was a youthful exuberance in her portrayal, and the spirit of the character was conveyed with great veracity.

I also really liked her dancing as Juliette's friend at the Mariinsky. I thought her lines looked beautiful.

She did one of the fairies a few times in Sleeping Beauty as well. I liked it—nothing stood out in a good or bad way.

Gamzatti: I think her Italian fouettés are really cool, but her regular fouettés... less so? They don’t look easy on her... they seemed somewhat laboured.

Princess Masha: Her elegance and grace suited the role well, and I was pleased with what I saw.

She obviously did more roles, like Swanilda, but no opinions on her in these or other roles come to mind. She also did diamonds, but I can't remember if i saw anyhting.

I also hope she improves her pas de deux, but I don’t think it’s her fault. I do not fault her; nor her partner, its just that this is a skill that comes with time and experience. For example, at minute 1:46:04, you can see Maria and her partner getting coached, but Maria's very young coach can barely get a word in. P.S. At the start of this video, you can see Maria and Sofya in class together, and gravitating toward each other when it’s time to do center. There is something most endearing about this quiet camaraderie.

Sofya Valiullina is also amongst my favourites, I must confess. She has a soft soft in my heart, or because also I feel this fear for her not being valued enough, I fear shadows might cloud her, but she's bright! I love her so, perhaps it is because she appears so happy and assured in her dancing, always carrying herself with an air of capability. There is not a trace of frailty in her; indeed, she exudes classical grace in every movement! I find her work thoroughly enjoyable, and her musicality particularly striking. Oddly enough—and I must admit, it does seem strange—I would pay a considerable sum for her hair colour. Ordinarily, I would say that brunette or black locks suit ballerinas best, yet she is the exception to this rule.

In truth, I do not believe she lags behind the others in any sense. While she may not have been entrusted with roles as grand as Aurora or Kitri, she is frequently on stage, constantly honing her craft, and always looks splendid in whatever part she performs. This is not to say she has been without her own share of significant roles—far from it, especially this season. She has danced numerous solos for opera performances, and I must say, the videos she has posted are filled with such energy; I have watched them on several occasions.

Her recent debut as the Spanish Bride in Swan Lake was remarkably strong, and her portrayal of Naina’s Magical Garden was most enchanting. Her jumps are magnificent, her ballon sublime, though I do wish her arms were occasionally a touch more fluid.

I noticed she is slated to perform as Countess Cherry in Cipollino on December 6—how delightful! I shall be most curious to see how that unfolds.

And let us not forget: when we wonder why certain artists are not appearing as frequently, it does not always imply they have fallen out of favour. Perhaps they are engaged in rigorous rehearsals for something new, recovering from a minor injury, or simply not posting updates. Often, we are left in the dark.

I know it sounds rather peculiar, but I do follow Sofya’s and Maria’s physiotherapist on Instagram (@gasoarovalex). From time to time, he shares performances of Sofya’s that she herself does not. Were I not following him, I would never have been the wiser! In fact, I also follow her mother on the platform—though I admit, that may be slightly odd. But what else is a person to do when they are far from Russia, unable to speak the language, and unable to witness the performances in person? Insider information is a precious commodity.

Was it not last year that Sofya made her debut as Myrtha, as well as in Chopiniana? I do not remember the details with perfect clarity, but the recollection is a pleasant one. I believe she also danced two parts in The Nutcracker, the Waltz and Spanish Doll, though I have yet to see any footage of those performances, and so I cannot offer an opinion.

But don't you worry. Sofia's career is already more active than many other corp members. She's not "buried" in the corps. Truth is that careers in the theatre are slow, it's the fast tracking careers that are the anomaly. Sofia is already doing much more in her second season than others in their fifth or season! Take Svetlana Savelieva as an example. She's been at the mariinsky since 2019, and only yesterday promoted to Coryphee, even though Savelieva has an enormous, romantic like, talent. But things go like this, sometimes they are unfair, or management thinks that mentally or physically the dancer is not "ready" yet. And except for Kuprina's random Aurora (which she only performed once) its not like Kuprina has had much different roles than Valiullina.

As for Yaroslavna Kuprina—oh, how she was criticised and trashed she was for her debut as Aurora! But I, for one, found it perfectly acceptable, mediocre, I would say... fine. Not a performance to be remembered for its brilliance, certainly, but neither was it a disaster. It was simply... fine. I did find it very random that she went from having an injury to literally having Aurora be her comeback moment, but good for her. Personally, I'm less familiar with her—she seems to be more private. I wish I could see her Vaganova exam to get more of feeling of her technical capabilities in the studio. (If anyone should have a link, do send it my way!) If one were to peruse the playbill, one would often see her name listed for soloist roles or smaller parts, though she posts very little, and thus I am left with no footage unless a fellow theatre-goer kindly shares a recording. I think she debuted Gamzatti? Never saw it.

I must say, however, I did quite enjoy her portrayal of Juliet’s friend. She has such beautiful lines. Her arabesque and attitude are simply exquisite, and her port de bras—those graceful arms, wrists, and fingers—are nothing short of sublime. Yet, I do feel her expression sometimes betrays her; there are moments when she looks as though she is in some discomfort, she looks like she's in pain.

Now, I must admit to being unfamiliar with Taisia Konovalova and Polina Netsvetaeva-Dolgalyova, as I do not pay much heed to the students of the Bolshoi. My apologies! However, I do follow one particular 2024 graduate from the Bolshoi, Darina Moseeva, who has extraordinary jumps and legs. She was due to debut as Gamzatti, but unfortunately, for reasons of health, she didn't. A curious tidbit: Darina Moseeva was once a student at the Eifman Academy, same class of Yesenia Anushenkova, the 2023 trainee with Mariinsky who has since graduated from Eifman in 2024 and is now a coryphée at Mariinsky alongside Alisa Barinova.

One can’t help but be intrigued by the journey of Kamila Sultangareeva, a graduate of the BBA. Her departure from Vaganova in 2023 stirred quite a bit of drama, and so I am most curious to see what she makes of her career. So far, however, it seems she has been largely inactive, though she is listed in the Bolshoi corps.

I’m also interested in following Elisabetta Nallin (italian) and Maria Mia Zakota’s journeys at the Bolshoi. They are Vaganova 2024 grads, and the two girls are also really good friends in real life. So far, they’ve had a lot of roles and have shared the stage numerous times. Cute.

[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]

Sofia Valiullina seems to be doing splendidly this second second season at the bolshoi!

Yes I saw many videos of her dancing Congo in Pharoah’s Daughter and she did really well. Still has her stage presence and cool nerves. 😊

Hoping we can see her in more soloist roles so she can get that promotion.

[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.

[ballet-symphonie]

Have you seen the clips of Koshkareva's, Kuprina's, and Valiullina's Paquita debuts with the Bolshoi? What are your opinions?

Personally, I think Kuprina's variation is the most difficult. The opening jump diagonal is tricky, doing that fouette out of the entrelace and back into another one requires very precise weight transfers. It's not easy to make it look good, and Kuprina handled the challenges elegantly with double a la seconde pirouettes to boot.

Valiullina looked strong and made a good impression with powerful grand battements and extended jetes and temps levé. Sometimes the second part of this variation gets convoluted but Valiullina's 5th position were precise and her transitions were crisp.

I was unfortunately the least impressed by Koshkareva. The diagonal of opening jumps was stunning but a sloppy, turned-in diagonal of tour piqué muddled the whole thing.

[balletomaneblog]

Have you watched Sofya valiullina’s Chopiniana today? I saw some clips on ig and think that she really suit this style of ballet! Think she will make a good Giselle too honestly 🥺

So sorry for the late reply! Yes, I absolutely loved Valiullina's Chopiniana debut. You're right that she's a great fit for this ballet. Valiullina is very versatile, she's one of the few dancers who can perform soft adagio style roles as well as fast-paced jumping parts.

I also totally agree with you that she'd make a wonderful Giselle! It's probably the principal role I'd most like her to debut. She currently has Myrtha in her repertoire, and while I felt the debut went quite well, I believe she's more naturally suited for Giselle.

[patricedumonde]

Have you watched Sofya valiullina’s Chopiniana today? I saw some clips on ig and think that she really suit this style of ballet! Think she will make a good Giselle for this reason too honestly 🥺

Omg I can’t express how much I love her and hope she get the promotion she deserves in the future and will grow into a beautiful dancer in bolshoi ❤️

Yes I’ve seen some clips! The series of jumps/cabrioles were lovely 🥰 And just her general stage presence was perfect for this role. She did look nervous though on her turns. First turn was good, the second one she lacked a bit of push so she landed on a turned in leg. Then I think it psyched her out a bit so she didn’t stick her landing when she ended in fourth. Absolutely understandable with these fresh graduates. I love love love Sofya 💕

[miss-mollys-ballet-blog]

Sofya Valiullina, Ruslan Stenyushkin, and students of the Vaganova Ballet Academy in Raymonda.

[tikitania]

Lots of Asks….

Catching up to my inbox. I've been super busy at work, but a lot of these have been on my mind. Thoughts on Yulia Stepnova, initially at the Mariinsky now at the Bolshoi. I have no idea what the politics were at the Mariinsky the impeded her career. Stepanova was dancing soloist roles at the Mariinksy, but a promotion was elusive. She moved to Moscow, first with MAMT (Stanislavsky), and then the Bolshoi and now she's a prima. Clearly, the move was a good one for her. I think she's a wonderful dancer, nuanced, subtle. However, I find that she's such a fish out of water in Moscow—she just doesn't have the big bravado Bolshoi vibe. She's definitely a Mariinsky ballerina and I wish her career could have flourished there, but glad she's a prima. I really like her a lot. Wondering if I think Sofya Valiullina made a mistake by going to the Bolshoi rather than the Mariinsky because she has a so-so teacher and Kuprina and Koshkaryova are getting more featured roles… I am living in an alternate universe in which Valiulina accepted a contract with the Mariinksy and fast-tracked to soloist, eventually becoming a star. She has the Mariinsky elegance with a nice splash of bravado that would make her a real stand-out. Alas, that's not happening. I also wonder if she's not as favored as the other two because she doesn't have the requisite Bolshoi body (extremely thin, very leggy.) Valiullina has some curves and Vaziev's obsession with Zakharova lookalikes makes for some really lousy casting choices and bewildering promotions. (Kovaleva, Denisova, Sergeenkova). Another alternate universe is one in which she returns to the Mariinsky after a few years at the Bolshoi….has anyone done that? Usually the migration is the other way, but one can dream. Daria Kulikova's debut in The Nutcracker. Wrote about it here. I only saw small snippets and I really liked it. I mean…she'd only graduated a month prior, but she was sweet, has lovely stage presence. Looking forward to seeing her career develop.

Do I read into the scheduling of Khoreva's (afternoon) and Shakirova's (evening) most recent Swan Lake performances? No, not really. Lots of questions about my thoughts on Khoreva's Swan Lake…

It was…middling. I just think Khoreva is a bit of a self-absorbed dancer and she really needs to develop strong, emotional connections with her partner, especially for Swan Lake. From the short clips that I saw she can do the technical things, but performances seem flat on video. Maybe there is more spark in the theater? She's not my fave, but it seems her career is ascendant not matter what. So many questions on the recent Vaganova Grads….

As for the careers of this year's crop of Vaganova graduates other than the BIG 3, we'll see them all soon on the stage and I wish them all luck! I imagine that the transition from school life to theater life is quite a shift…even shock. I try to imagine what it's like for them at 18/19, having to find apartments, make friends, figure out the politics at a company. They were big fish in a small pond, and now they're in a much bigger pond with so many talented dancers around them, all vying for roles. It can really mess with their heads. That's why I've always felt that they need a several years in the corps to just grow up as people and artists. That said, I think the Big 3 will likely be fine. they're going to need some time to adjust and settle. I'm not worried about their careers….but I think the Vaganova hype can be a double-edged sword, perhaps. Putting intense early pressure on them without giving them time and space to develop artistry…we shall see.

[tikitania]

Opinions on Sofya valiullina and Maria koshkareva debut in chopiniana and paquita respectively?

Maria: From the short clip I saw online, I didn’t love it. Mostly due to a lack of of finesse with her epaulement and port de bras. I found myself drawn to some of the corps dancers’ port de bras, which seemed more refined. But Koshkaryova does exude confidence!

Sofya: the clip was only one-minute long, but she looked pretty good, very soft and romantic. Would love to see more.

[ballet-symphonie]

Oh?? There's a new star at vaganova, her name is Daria Kulikova? Shes under Kasenkova's class. Formerly from Bolshoi ballet I think? She's the other Masha at this year's nutcracker. Ive seen her dance the Lilac Fairy at hermitage, promising future, but not as good as Koshkareva. So... Kuprina and Valiullina as snowflakes, guess we are wrong at guessing the castings. lol

Yes, I remember noting her when I watched her in the Class Concert, a few bumps still but some very strong lines and an excellent foundation. It's not too surprising that VBA cast someone younger, they generally like to have one old and one new Masha each year although I would have liked to watch the more mature Kuprina or Valiullina.

Those two dance SO well together, they don't have the most similar style but their height and coordination just match up so well, I thought they were fabulous together in the two snowflakes.

[tikitania]

So... I might just have read that Koshkareva and Kuprina are going to BT. Wow. I didn't see that one coming! Koshkareva is basically the next Vishneva in every aspect, so she fits very well in both theaters. But Kuprina has such a similar style to the MT! I hope this announcement helps the other girls (Karamysheva, Kulikova, Rissanen and Sharova) find a place at the MT. I'm almost sure that Valiulina is also confirmed to be going to the BT, but I'll wait to be sure. At the same time, I'm shocked for Koshkareva and Kuprina, because they were trainees at the MT!!! I'm hopeful for the other girls, though, specially for Kulikova who resembles Lopatkina so much in my opinion :) and Karamysheva who dances with so much joy and passion, that she is basically a mix between Shakirova and Obraztsova. Sharova would make a great contemporary/character dancer from what I have seen. And Rissanen has great technique, but due to her height, she would probably get stuck with 'typical short girl' parts and variations at the MT.

I am also shocked and a bit disappointed. I really wanted to see them perform on the Mariinsky stage, especially Kuprina. I think she's just so elegant. I really like her. I'm going to wait to reserve judgment until it's "official," but it seems pretty likely, right? I read the same on Iranaba's Telegram channel — and she's a pretty good source of gossip information. Maybe they are drawn to Moscow because of its bigger stage and larger repertoire? Maybe their families are from there and it makes more sense for them? Maybe they were promised immediate soloist roles? (I think that is more likely.) Maybe they were underwhelmed by their "intern/trainee" year at the Mariinsky? I have no idea, but I am bummed about this likely outcome. I think the companies will announce new hires, no? Or do they wait until after all of the graduation performances? The suspense is killing me!

[miss-mollys-ballet-blog]

Just found a recording of VBA’s 2022 grad performance where they did act 3 of Raymonda and holy shit Sofya Valiullina’s Raymonda was so good for her age.

[patricedumonde]

Let's play a game: I’ll name common famous dancers and you say what that says about that person:

If my fav dancer is:

Anna Pavlova—

Alessandra Ferri-

Carla Fracci-

Maria Taglioni-

Sylvie Guillem-

Maria Khoreva—

Diana Vishneva—

Gallina Ulanova-

Marianela Nuñez—

Maria Bulanova —

Altynai Asylmuratova-

Ulyana Lopatkina—

Olga Smirnova-

Ekaterina Maximova -

Evgenia Obraztsova -

Nicoletta Manni—

Natalia Ospipova -

Sofya Valiullina-

Maya Plisetskaya-

Svetlana Zakharova

Alina Somova —

Alexandra Khiteeva—

Victoria Tereshkina—

Renata Shakirova —

Galina Ulanova-

Maria Koshkaryova-

Maria Iliushkina—

Eleonora Saveyard-

Elena Svinko-

Svetlana Savalieva -

Nina Kapstova-

Elisabetta Nallin—

Angelina Vorontsova -

Yulia Makhalina—

May Nagahisa -

Kristina Shapran—

Camilla Mazzi-

Oxana Skorik-

So I've been wanting to answer this one but boy this is a long list but I'll try my best.

If this is your favorite dancer, then you:

Anna Pavlova - are swan obsessed

Alessandra Ferri - have impeccable taste and you love her interpretation of Juliet

Carla Fracci - are Giselle obsessed

Maria Taglioni - are dead

Sylvie Guillem - love trail blazers, and appreciate a mix of classical ballet and contemporary

Maria Khoreva - are chronically online

Diana Vishneva - love an objectively (nearly) perfect dancer

Gallina Ulanova - are an old soul

Marianela Nuñez - love a clean turn and a well rounded dancer

Maria Bulanova - love jumper and turners

Altynai Asylmuratova - nostalgic of Kirov days and love a dancer who can do a good Medora and Nikiya

Ulyana Lopatkina - love love love Russian ballet

Olga Smirnova - also love Russian ballet but you weren't old enough to see Ulyana Lopatkina in her prime

Ekaterina Maximova - love passionate dancers and good Kitris

Evgenia Obraztsova - love a charming stage presence

Nicoletta Manni - are well researched and love a technically proficient dancer

Natalia Osipova - love bravura roles but you also appreciate seeing dancers who grow tremendously out of their box

Sofya Valiullina - are new here lol! But you love a technically proficient dancer

Maya Plisetskaya - are deep into your research and you love strong dancers

Svetlana Zakharova - are obsessed with naturally gifted dancers.

Alina Somova - Love hyperextensions

Alexandra Khiteeva - Love a killer port de bras!

Victoria Tereshkina - are obsessed with strong dancers who can do no wrong!!!

Renata Shakirova - Love a versatile dancer

Maria Koshkaryova - are new here! But you're Vaganova obsessed.

Maria Iliushkina - Love dancers with emotional depth

Eleonora Sevenard - learned about her from when you got into Vaganova in 2017 and you've been obsessed ever since

Elena Svinko - (I'm sorry I don't know her well enough)

Svetlana Savalieva - a hopeless romatic and believes she deserved a fair chance into soloist territory!

Nina Kapstova - are a fan of absolutely flawless dancers

Elisabetta Nallin - are new here!

Angelina Vorontsova - prefer Mikhailovsky over Mariinsky and Bolshoi, and you're probably better off for that. Respect.

Yulia Makhalina - are ME and are CORRECT, but seriously though. You have good taste and you wished there were more clips of her out there.

May Nagahisa - love a perfect Aurora interpretation

Camilla Mazzi - don't love a perfect Aurora interpretation. Yeesh it got spicy here.

Kristina Shapran - You have faith in Mariinsky's next generation of principal dancers

Oxana Skorik - are Catherine Pollak. LOL. But actually, you have good taste and you just weren't around during Yulia Makhalina's time.

[tikitania]

I feel like sofya valiullina seems to suit overseas ballet companies more. Not sure why but I can see her dancing in Royal ballet (but this is most probably not happening in the current state of Russia)

What a thought experiment — maybe you can manifest this! But I want to see her dance more roles in the Bolshoi stage before shipping her London, so don't try too hard. Haha!