#roy stepanov

[stateofsport211]

Santos Ch D QF: Roy Stepanov/Andres Urrea [3] def. Pedro Boscardin Dias/Dmitry Popko 6-4, 6-4 Match Stats

📸 ATP official website

Another episode where R. Stepanov/A. Urrea turned out to be in control even if they had to face a break point earlier in the match out of an unforced error. Through here, they managed to find their balance until P. Boscardin Dias/D. Popko got passed from the baseline, finding their way to break as the latter got outhit. This way, the third seeds converted 40% of their 5 break points, while despite the latter pair forced several deciding points throughout the match, they were not able to convert 3 of their break points as a result.

Interestingly, both pairs had different service game strengths as the match progressed. The third seeds mostly relied on their first serves to avoid or manage some troubles, with an exceptional 87% winning percentage aided by their 3 aces compared to P. Boscardin Dias/D. Popko's 1. On the other hand, the latter pair had a 1% more second serve winning percentage compared to their first serves with 67%, 8% more than R. Stepanov/A. Urrea as the match progressed even if they double-faulted 4 times than the latter's 2.

In their maiden Challenger-level doubles semifinals both as an individual and as a pair, R. Stepanov/A. Urrea will face the winner between Aziz Ouakaa/Leonid Sheyngezikht and Franco Roncadelli/Luciano Emanuel Ambrogi, which match will be played several timeslots after F. Roncadelli's ongoing second-round singles match against Hady Habib. While this could be intriguing for a lot of reasons, game-wise, this could put a good test on their balance, especially in transition from the baseline to the net. Should be one of those fun doubles matches to look forward to!

[seriouslycromulent]

So now that I've finally watched The Blacklist series finale ...

... I thought I'd share my Top 15 favorite episodes out of all 10 seasons it was on the air.

What? I fangirl hard. I won't apologize for that. 😏

Don't worry. I didn't just remember all of these episodes off the top of my head. I basically did a series 3-9 rewatch last fall before the final 10th season started. Then, I did a rewatch of the first 2 seasons while the 10th season ran because I couldn't remember some of those details they kept referencing.

Enough dilly dallying. Let's dive in, shall we?

Btw, these are in chronological order, and I've pinched the brief descriptions of each episode from IMDB.com:

Luther Braxton (s2, e9)

The task force tries to save Red when he's arrested and taken to a secret detention facility. At the facility, Red tangles with a thief with whom he shared a complicated history. Guest star: Ron Perlman as Luther Braxton

T. Earl King VI (s2, e14)

A former paramour involves Reddington in a deadly game with a wealthy and powerful family dynasty whose ill-begotten fortune was amassed from an underground auction of human and material contraband. Meanwhile, Tom takes on a new mission.

Marvin Gerard (s3, e2)

As Liz pleads for her safety in the Russian Embassy, Red discovers a new plan devised by the Cabal to kill her. A familiar face reaches out to Ressler. Guest star: Fisher Stevens as Marvin Gerard

Kings of the Highway (s3, e8)

Red and Liz are separated when Red falls into a perilous situation. Elsewhere, Samar makes a risky choice to help Liz, and Tom and Cooper continue their quest to exonerate Liz.

Mr. Gregory Devry (s3, e11)

With her name finally cleared, Liz attempts to reclaim her former life. Red works with the task force to infiltrate an assembly of high-level criminals at large in a rare, risky opportunity to capture the heads of the world's most lethal organized crime syndicates. Guest star: Jake Weber as Gregory Devry

The Apothecary (s4, e15)

Red has to figure out who betrayed him when he's poisoned; Liz and the task force look for the toxin's designer to save Red's life. Note: Even though season 4 had my favorite "Big Bad" of the entire series, I could only choose one episode from this season to include in my top 15.

Abraham Stern (s5, e11)

Red goes on the hunt for a legendary treasure; Liz studies the methods of one of the Blacklist's most dangerous criminals. Guest star: Nathan Lane as Abraham Stern

The Osterman Umbrella Company (s6, e14)

Red directs Liz to investigate a secret organization of assassins hired by global intelligence agencies to eliminate former agents, a case with ramifications that will change the task force forever. Note: This episode is probably the one that broke my heart the most. If you've seen it, then you'll know why.

Cornelius Ruck (s7, e12)

Secluded on a private island, Red reunites with an old flame and a ring of thieves in a plot to make millions off of stolen art. Plans are quickly derailed, however, when guests on the island mysteriously show up dead. Guest star: Joely Richardson as Cassandra Bianchi Note: I really liked this one as a nice one-off from the usual formula the show followed.

The Wellstone Agency (s8, e6)

Red and Dembe go to great lengths to fulfill the final wishes of a dear friend; Aram goes undercover as an interpreter to a company that provides services to criminals; Park helps a friend in trouble. Note: The sweetest goodbye I've ever seen a TV series give to a recurring character since The Big Bang Theory.

Anne (s8, e13)

Red enjoys a quiet visit with a friend at her home in rural America. Note: Another great one-off with an ending that made me hate Liz even more than I already did.

Ivan Stepanov (s8, e17)

Red tries desperately to rescue an old friend at all costs, while Liz and Townsend conduct an interrogation. Guest stars: David E. Harrison as Ivan Stepanov and Rana Roy as Priya Laghari

The SPK (s9, e3)

A new case involving stolen artifacts reunites Red with a former Blacklister. Aram faces a difficult decision. Guest star: Stacy Keach as Robert Vesco

Eva Mason (s9, e14)

While searching for Senator Panabaker's missing daughter-in-law, the task force learns there may be a larger pattern of abductions. Red continues to piece together the mystery behind Liz's death. Guest star: Lea DeLaria as Nurse Binstock

The Four Guns (s10, e3)

An assassination attempt on Sen. Panabaker leads the Task Force to a group of renowned pickpockets; Red sends a dangerous gift to an old friend in custody. Guest stars: Stacy Keach as Robert Vesco and Jacob Pitts as Quentin Dodd Note: The scene between Reddington and Quentin where the latter "reads" the former on command and almost perfectly characterizes him is one of my favorite scenes of the entire 10th season.

And that's it folks! I've liked a lot of episodes over the show's run, even when Liz made me want to pull my hair out or when the writing was not as strong as I hoped.

But these 15 episodes above are probably the ones I would recommend to someone who has never seen the show, but wants to know what I liked about it so much that made me stick with it until the end.

As I mentioned before, season 4 had my favorite major villain (aka "Big Bad") but I only picked one episode from that season to add to this list. And although I think season 8 was the most infuriating in terms of characterization, it actually had a lot of great episodes that I would watch over and over again.

I think it's interesting that I didn't have any episodes from season 1 on my list. 🤔

I'm not going to review the series finale or the show overall. I just wanted to mark the occasion and say that I'm happy to see the show sunset, and I will be forever grateful that it gave us 10 years of James Spader on my television.

Yes, I hated that they didn't answer any of my questions about who Red really was to Liz, but I'm still feeling very, very grateful because this character was one for the ages.

[kiss-my-freckle]

8x16 Rewatch: Nicholas Obenrader

IRS storyline. Red’s friendly thief talks about someone going to Boston University. Another one going to college. Agnes will tie into their college storylines somehow. I love Red’s comment about Ressler. “Black shoes, cheap suit, flat stomach, regulation cut - don’t get me wrong, he’s bent, just not as bent as we’d like him to be.”

“Why must you always be early?” This ties in Ressler’s comment to Liz in Brothers. “Not on my watch.” Whatever happens, he’ll be early. Ressler informs the team. He knows a great deal about the Yakuza because of Mako Tanida. 

Espinosa was building his golden parachute like The Director did. He takes a 10% cut from the 40% cut the crew is supposed to get. Red’s friend informs Neville. He’s boxing Espinosa just like he did Rudigger. Neville’s people have no reason to doubt Liz. He already knew she was an agent.

“She’s really good. But I think we’ll all be a lot better when this is done.” A nice hit to the note the woman from Paris left for Red. “You’re good. I’m better.” The worst has yet to come.  “Liz’s mom abandoned her. She would never do the same to Agnes.” Aram has no clue why Katarina gave Liz up for adoption. She had no choice. Liz will realize this soon enough when her own child ends up in danger because Neville wants to kill her. Katarina didn’t make a mistake, Liz did. 

The whole brother of Charles at the lake house reminds me of Liz’s comment about Ressler’s lake house when she spoke to Laurel Hitchin in 4x19. 

Liz is so disrespectful. Anyway... Cooper sent Aram to Paris because he’s still unofficially working with Liz. Ressler last week, Aram this week. Cooper basically knew Aram would be meeting with Liz. I will blame the entire task force along with Liz for whatever happens to her and/or Agnes and/or Jennifer because they failed to arrest her and chose to work against Red instead. He’s their CI. Liz is not. Red put her on the blacklist for a reason. Panabaker put her on the wanted list for a reason. 

“If I were you, I’d like the finish line.” Red’s comment is a nice kick back to his comment to Liz in Devlin’s episode, S5. “Our sprint to the finish. The bag is just out of reach now.”

I love Aram’s care for Agnes in this episode, but I laugh at Liz’s comment.  “Where we live is quiet and peaceful.” A nice kickback to the scene cut in 7x13 for their War and Peace theme. Ressler's "But maybe this will help us." US being Keenler. A hearing aid that blocks out sound. Cut to Agnes' name on her passport meaning Peace. “Your daddy just always taught me to be ready for a rainy day.” This runs through The Freelancer in 8x5. “There's a number pre-programmed. You ask for Charlotte. You tell them you got caught in the rain and need to dry off.” It won’t be quiet and peaceful for long. Charlotte’s web is about to get tangled. 

“I’ve done some awful things.” Liz kicking back to S3... again. “I have done... so many terrible things. I have hurt so many people."

“Whoever said crime doesn’t pay wasn’t very good at it.” When crime nearly costs Liz her daughter... she’ll understand what that truly means. It’s a dialogue that kicks back to The Ethicist in S6. “He did a cost-benefit analysis on these people, figured that the cost outweighed the benefits, and killed them because of it." Liz believes the benefit outweighs the cost. It doesn’t. 

Finally, some Ressler action in a lake house. 

Sikorsky’s official name is Ivan Stepanov. Red’s friend in the East. Officially, he’s SVR. Unofficially, he’s a high-ranking member of Zaslon. running black-ops around the globe. “Mobilize assets.”

Red doesn't expect Obenrader to reveal anything meaningful about Neville's organization. Obenrader knows the blowback it’ll have on his loved ones if he does. This is what Liz will have to worry about later. The blowback on her loved ones. More specifically, Jennifer and Agnes. 

Whoever their inside man is, it’ll be a low-level agent like The Director’s friend in Zal Bin Hasaan’s episode. I’m expecting someone outside the task force, but close enough to tap the phone. They know Liz is using burners, so they had to tap Ressler’s. Yeah, another kickback to S3. 

The task force can’t arrest Stepanov, so they’re letting Liz extract him. Because they chose to work with Liz and Ressler contacted her about Stepanov while having a tap on his phone, Neville’s own people got their hands on him first. Precisely the point. They just put Liz in the direct line of fire because Katarina was N-13 and she’s very much alive. I thought it’d be Paula who got into his line, but it was Neville’s people. Guarantee Stepanov can prove Katarina was N-13, and knows the identity of imposter Katarina. This knowing will be Liz’s downfall. He’s going to protect Red at all costs (tortured or not) because he and Red have been working on this project together for the past 30 years.

“Oh, my stars” is a common quote from Red. He used it in Lord Baltimore with Yaabari. "Let me guess, I stole something from you. A painting, jewelry.... your heart."  Red’s new asset is gorgeous as hell. Priya Laghari. 

“I want to be your angel.” - Red

Red pulls a fake shooting on Ressler and Park so as not to look like a CI in bed with the FBI. “Of course, a mystery is only as good as the story around it.” Red saying exactly what I’ve been saying about his real identity. It has to fit the story around it. 

Alina Park is pretending to read Just Fly Away by Andrew McCarthy. “A powerful story about family secrets, first love, the limits of forgiveness, and finding your way in the world.”

“Like taking candy from a kid.” A hit to Rizal’s episode. This is where Agnes falls in, along with the dialogues about spoiling her rotten. 

“You think you’re giving her a rope to hang herself. I fear you may be giving her a rope to hang all of us.” A nice hit back to 8x14. “I’m responsible for Mary Bremmer’s murder, Dembe’s torture, and I got nothing to show for it, except for another reminder that no matter how tight the noose, Reddington will always cheat the hangman." To be clear, Liz fully accepting responsibility for the murder of Mary Bremmer, so what comes to Jennifer will be on her. That whole washer necklace choking Mary through Liz’s Cyranoid. She didn’t specify that it brought her good luck, only that it brought her luck... because Tom Keen is bad luck. 

A noose for Jennifer Reddington. Then Liz will have something to show for it. 

Red is worried about Priya. He hired her to assassinate Neville. 

He should be worried. This focal shot is a kickback to Roy Cain's episode in S7. His "knock on wood" will push back to Liz and her fate.

Purposeful stuff. 

A kiss of death... like the woman from Paris kissing Red before injecting him. It also makes me think of The Apothecary, the Scotch. Just throw it in the bottle while he's gone and be done with it. While she may not kill Neville, I do think she’ll be the reason Red’s friend Ivan will survive. She’s a thief. "Items” include people. That's what Neville wants Priya to steal. She's gonna steal Ivan Stepanov. "Item" is how Red referred to Raymond’s bones in S5 and how they referred to Karakurt when he came in country in S2... items. Rakitin wasn’t worth the save. 

The Stranger by Albert Gamus. The book Dembe was reading that Red starts to read. The novel is famous for its first lines: “Mother died today. Or maybe it was yesterday, I don’t know.”

"Katarina Rostova was N-13. And Katarina Rostova is dead." Ivan Stepanov speaks truth. Red is N-13 because he's Katarina. SHE has been dead for 30 years. Of all people, the person who created the archive can prove who stole it in 1990. Expect Neville to be pissed because he's been chasing the wrong woman for 30 years. Ivan can reveal it all without revealing Red's real identity.

Neville’s comment about her innocence. “But Katarina Rostova was framed. Which means I dedicated my life to the hatred of an innocent woman.” This pushes back to Red’s comment in 8x2. “Is that the story she told you? She's a victim? An innocent wrongly accused?" What Ivan will be revealing to Neville. The real Katarina Rostova was no innocent. He knows Red is Katarina and he knows he’s dead either way because he created the archive that took Neville’s family. "Do you know who I am? Because I know who you are. You're the one who created the archive that destroyed my family." He’s gonna put Liz on the chopping block. "And I asked you to fly here so I could look you in the eye and tell you: I agree... for now." Because he has no idea she’s Katarina’s daughter, which means he has no idea she’s Red’s daughter.  

Full drive through the rest of the season. The first person Neville would kill... is Liz. 

[melmothblog]

“Paquita”

Last week, I received a question about the Vaganova Ballet Academy’s graduation performance. Specifically, about the additional variations which were included in Act III of “Paquita”.  

I couldn’t give a reason for the inclusion of these particular variations. A few days later, Francesca (@macframa​) sent me a message and shared all the research she’s done on the subject. I wanted to share Francesca’s findings on this blog, as I’m sure there are peeps out there who’ll find this information fascinating.

Thank you for all your hard work Francesca!

"Paquita" debuted in 1846 at the Operà de Paris with a libretto of Joseph Mazilier and music by Deldevez. It was later presented in Saint Petersburg in 1847, and again in 1881, with music by Ludwig Minkus and some adjustments and additions in the third act by Marius Petipa:

a Prelude;

the Children’s Mazurka;

the Entrée for eight dancers of the corps de ballet and Paquita;

a Grand Adage of Paquita and Lucien with the corps;

a “Ballabile” for fourteen dancers (two groups of four ballerinas of the corps and two groups of three soloists);

only one variation for Paquita;

and finally the coda with the corps, soloists and children.

Later on, in 1896 Petipa staged a renewed and extended version of the third act of this ballet on the 100th anniversary of the death of Catherine II the Great. In this representation in the role of Paquita there was... Mathilde Kschessinskaya! (It's very fitting that now Eleonora Sevenard is dancing the same role on her graduation performances, and not a coincidence I guess!). Anyway, alongside Mathilde Kschessinskaya a lot of ballerinas wanted to take part in the event, so Petipa added more soloist variations for them and he choose them from other ballets to better accentuate the soloists’ talent. From this moment, it became usual to stage the extended version of the third act of the ballet as a divertissement, called “Grand Pas Classique” or “Grand Pas from Paquita”, and the prima and the soloist could choose their favourite variation to perform. In this way, over the years a group of 13/14 variations that were constantly repeated came to be consolidated.

In 2008, Yuri Burlaka reconstructed the third act thanks to the Stepanov Notation of the original choreographies by Petipa, and he reconstructed eleven of these variations. (Fun fact for real ballet history addicted: this notation, among other notations of various ballets, was “stolen” and brought in the United States by the choreographer Nikolaj Sergeyev during the years of the Russian Revolution, and is now part of the Theatrical Collection of the Harvard University).

These eleven variations reconstructed by Burlaka are:

The blu anemone variation* from “Ondine”;

The arp variation of Queen Nyssia in “Le Roi Candaule” (originally written for Anna Pavlova);

Another variation from “Le Roi Candaule”;

Cupid variation from “Don Chisciotte”;

A variation from another act of “Paquita” (sometimes used as a male variation);

Variation from “Le Pavillon d’Armide”;

The Jetés variation from “Trilby”;

A variation from “La Sylhide”;

A variation from “Armida” by Perrot (that sometimes can also be included in the IV act of “Don Chisciotte”);

A variation from “La Camargo” (originally written for the last performance of Pierina Legnani);

A variation from the pas de trois from the I act of “Paquita”.

It seems that in the Bolshoi version of the Grand Pas six soloists and “Paquita” can choose their favourite variations among these eleven, indeed in the Mariinsky production the same seven variations are always repeated (but I wouldn’t know which).

It is also my understanding that the four variations danced in the Graduation Performance, that have already been mentioned in the responses below, are always taken from this eleven and that he additions made by Tsiskaridze and Burlaka for our beloved students are mainly in the historical dances, but, of course, I could be wrong because I didn’t find out enough infos about it!

*For the love of accuracy, I just noticed that I made a little mistake regarding the first variation that I mentioned: it is indeed from the ballet "Ondine", but it was later inserted in the ballet "The Little Humpbacked Horse" in the scene under the scene for the blue anemone variation. I guess I did a "cut and mix" of the two things.

And another fun fact that I was forgetting (How could I!) is that Petipa staged the Grand Pas from “Paquita” a second time in 1902 in honour of Enrico Cecchetti that in that year left the School of Imperial Ballet to become the director of the Ballet School in Warsaw. On that occasion every etoiles wanted to pay their homage to Cecchetti and it appears (unfortunately no one could find the exact confirmation) that 25 soloists danced a variation! What a number!!

Francesca’s sources (in Italian) for anyone wishing to do further reading: Source 1, Source 2, Source 3 

Some Extra Info from Me

According to Yuri Burlaka, the tradition of adding extra variation into the third act dates all the way back to 1881, when the Mariinsky prima-ballerina Ekaterina Vazem and her colleagues chose their own variations to perform within the grand pas. The tradition has been kept alive all these years, and the dancers now have around fifteen variations to chose from when it comes to the grand pas.

Ekaterina Vazem in her “Paquita” costume:

Fun Fact: Vaslav Nijinsky made his very first appearance on the Mariinsky stage in the children’s Mazurka. He was the first cavalier, and made a real impression on the audience.

[thepoolscene]

The Pool Scene - Eklent Kaci, Jouni Tahti, Kristina Tkach, Pijus Labutis - Euro-Tour

New Post on https://thepoolscene.com/?p=54519

8-ball titles awarded at the Dynamic Billard European Championships

The 8-ball competition at this year’s Dynamic Billard European Championships have been decided. The matches in the different divisions contained everything from expectations to drama and highly thrilling matches.

The final match in the men’s division was played between Eklent Kaci (ALB) and Ralf Souquet (GER). This match was not only the encounter of two high profile athletes but also a clash of two generations. While „The Kaiser“ Ralf Souquet has already won an unbelievable number of 22 Gold Medals at European Championships, Kaci was still waiting on his first one. Souquet has achieved almost everything that a pool billiard player can achieve while Kaci is still on the start of his career. On the other hand, Kaci has won some prestigious events throughout last year and can considered to be „on fire“ currently while Souquet is on his regular level. This constellation was the interesting starting position of the match. Tonight, Kaci had the better day and after seven racks, he was already leading 6:1 over Souquet. Needing only two more points, it would be hard for just anyone to stop Kaci. But Souquet still tried and managed to get some excitement back into a match which seemed to be long time decided. He fought back and pulled some racks back from Kaci to get to 4:6 and 6:7. When Kaci was on the hill at 7:6, he made no more mistakes and pocketed the final 8-ball which made him a European 8-Ball Champion for the first time in his life.

Top 8 Men’s 8-ball 1. Eklent Kaci ALB 2. Ralf Souquet GER 3. Fabio Rizzi FRA     Sanjin Pehlivanovic BIH 5. Mats Schjetne NOR     Fedor Gorst RUS     Joao Grilo POR     Niels Feijen NED

The women’s final quickly turned into a nightmare for Kristina Tkach (RUS) in the beginning. She was up against Jasmin Ouschan (AUT) and could not get a foot on the floor. She actually had the better break but could not turn that into points. Tkach even committed a foul using too much time for her shot since the match was on shot-clock and she simply exceeded the time permitted for her shot. On the other hand, Ouschan started out as focussed and composed as usual. Even though the break did not work for Ouschan, she managed to snatch the points from Tkach one by one. It took until rack five was played before Tkach got on the board, reducing the gap to 1:4. When opening rack six, Tkach scratched and again gave ball in hand to Ouschan. This time, Ouschan could not clear the table and allowed Tkach back into the table, missing the 6-ball. Tkach pocketed all balls of her group and made the 8-ball to get to 2:4 with Ouschan’s break shot coming up. Jasmin had two balls down on the break shot but again was not able to finish the rack, leaving another point on the table for Tkach to pick it up. However, both players committed several mistakes during this rack which is a clear indication for the pressure that was on both of them. Tkach managed to win the rack, getting to 3:4. In the next rack, Tkach had the chance to level the match but she miscued and once more gave ball in hand to Jasmin Ouschan with a wide open table. Ouschan played up to her abilities and finished the rack, getting on the hill with 5:3. In the next rack, Ouschan had her first good break shot of the match with balls down and a nice and comfortable layout in front of her. That was a huge chance for Ouschan to finish the match win the title. But to her and the audiences surprise she missed her first shot. What an unusual performance by Ouschan in this final. Tkach now used her chance and ran the table, getting to 4:5 in this match. The next rack, Tkach broke and ran out to make the match a 5:5 hill-hill thriller with Jasmin Ouschan’s break shot coming up. One more time Ouschan did not make a ball on the break and handed an open table to Tkach. The unbelievable happened in that rack. After having trailed 1:4, Kristina Tkach won another rack and took the match and the title 6:5 over Jasmin Ouschan.

Top 8 Women’s 8-ball 1. Kristina Tkach RUS 2. Jasmin Ouschan AUT 3. Yana Shut BLR     Kristina Zlateva BUL 5. Veronika Hubrtova CZE     Vania Franco POR     Sara Rocha POR     Oliwia Czuprynska POL

In the wheelchair division, the match between Jouni Tahti (FIN) and Roy Kimberley (GBR) went according to the expectations. Tahti dominated Southern from start to the end and lead 3:0 and 4:1. The exceptional player from Finland never gave a chance to Southern who simply could not find any way to prevent Tahti from winning racks. When Tahti pocketed the final 8-ball, the scoreboard displayed a 5:2 final score in his favour. Tonight Jouni Tahti won his 25th Gold Medal on European level.

Top 8 Wheelchair 8-ball 1. Jouni Tahti FIN 2. Roy Kimberley GBR 3. Henrik Larsson SWE     Tony Southern GBR 5. Matej Brajkovic SLO     Maksim Suchanov LTU     Leszek Blumczynski POL     Kaspars Turks LAT

In the Under 23 division, Pijus Labutis (LTU) met Vitaliy Patsura (UKR). Patsura had already taken a Gold Medal in Men’s 8-ball, Junior’s 10-ball and last year in Under 23 9-ball. He was definitely favoured in this match. Labutis on the other hand has won two silver and one bronze medal but no title yet. That was one fact that the young Lithuanian wanted to change tonight. He quickly got to a 3:1 lead and he always kept Patsura at a 2-rack distance away from him. When leading 5:3, Labutis won a key rack in the match and got to 7:3. The pressure with Labutis being on the hill was too much for Patsura. He won another rack but then Labutis sealed the deal for tonight, winning the match and his first title ever with 8:4.

Top 8 Under 23 8-ball 1. Pijus Labutis LTU 2. Vitaliy Patsura UKR 3. Casper Matikainen FIN     Luca Menn GER 5. Johannes Schmitt GER     Daniel Resch AUT     Jan van Lierop NED     Aleks Pecelj SRB

The medal table after 3 of 5 events displays Poland still on top with 2 Gold, one Silver and one Bronze Medal with Russia right up their neck, only one Bronze Medal short. Finland is currently ranked third with one medal of each colour.

Earlier today, the first team matches have been played. The women’s team matches did not come up with big surprises. The two closest matches were Sweden defeated The Netherlands 2:1 while Russia remained the upper hand over Belarus 2:1. In the men’s team competition, some close and exciting matches already happened in this early stage of the tournament. Team Russia overcame defending Champion Team Poland in a heartbreaker with 2:1 (Gorst v Fortunski 6:8, Stepanov v Skowerski 8:7, Lutsker v Juszczyszyn 9:8) while Team Germany had a tough time in taking down Team Albania with 2:1 (Hohmann v Kaci 5:8, Souquet v Zaja 8:7, Filler v Spahiu 9:5). Probably the biggest surprise was Team Denmark winning over Team the Netherlands with 2:1 (Krause v Saris 8:3, Lotfy v van den Berg 6:7, Lentz v Bijsterbosch 9:5).

The Dynamic Billard European Championships 2019 for men, women, U23 and wheelchair athletes will commence tomorrow morning at 09:00 CET with matches in the 9-ball individuals competition Women and Under 23s.

Left to right: Eklent Kaci, Jouni Tahti, Kristina Tkach and Pijus Labutis

The Championships are played on 24 tables which are all streamed LIVE throughout the whole event. In order to be able to follow all the action LIVE, premium membership can be obtained at www.kozoom.com. Once a premium membership is held, all events for the respective period of time can be viewed LIVE. Additionally, a huge video gallery is contained in the website.

The event is hosted by the European Governing Body for Pool, the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF) and organized by International Billiard Promotion (IBP). For further information and reference please go to the federation website www.epconline.eu or visit us on Facebook for regular news clips or contact our press office press@epbf.com.

[reseau-actu]

Le 11 novembre, le président a préféré le Kosovo à notre ancien allié serbe

Le 11 novembre dernier, le président serbe, Aleksandar Vucic avait « la gorge serrée ». Lors des commémorations de l’armistice de la Première Guerre mondiale, Emmanuel Macron a, en effet, choisi de l’isoler dans une tribune annexe, quand le représentant du Kosovo était, lui, placé en bonne compagnie dans la tribune officielle. Une humiliation qui fait de l’ombre au souvenir de l’amitié franco-serbe, notamment développée sur le front entre 1914 et 1918. 

Cent ans après la libération de la capitale serbe par l’Armée d’Orient, les autorités françaises et serbes ont commémoré en grande pompe un des événements majeurs de la Première Guerre mondiale. Alors qu’en France on peine à trouver le moindre trace de la formidable percée du front de Salonique dans le flot de commémorations et écrits, hormis un chapitre dans le très bon livre du colonel Porte et une émission tardive sur France 3, Belgrade s’apprêtait à célébrer comme il se doit un des faits majeurs de la percée héroïque du général Tranié et du maréchal Franchet d’Esperey.

« Nous aimons la France comme elle nous a aimés »

Sous un soleil quasi printanier, Belgrade s’était, ce 1er novembre 2018, parée de ses plus beaux atours. Au matin, la délégation française, constituée du récent ambassadeur Mondoloni et de la secrétaire aux Anciens combattants, Geneviève Darrieussecq, avait déjà honoré un monument qui est unique : placé au cœur du parc du Kalemegdan, face à l’imposante ambassade de France, la grande statue érigée par le sculpteur Ivan Mestrovic à la fin des années 1930, fait écho au monument au roi Alexandre Ier de Yougoslavie, sis place de la Muette à Paris. Dans un style très néo-réaliste, il scelle à jamais le tribut donné par plus de 600 000 soldats, dont 130 000 Serbes, à la victoire ultime obtenue dès le 15 septembre par le premier succès décisif contre les austro-allemands sur le massif du Dobro Polje, puis à la percée en 45 jours de plus de 500 kilomètres entre Salonique en mer Egée et Belgrade sur le Danube, fait unique dans l’histoire militaire. Mais surtout c’est un monument unique sur l’amour indéfectible d’un peuple envers un autre : en contrebas on peut y lire : « Nous aimons la France comme elle nous a aimés. »

A lire aussi: Le général de Castelnau, l’anti-Pétain que Macron aurait dû honorer

Plein de ce moment très émouvant, la même délégation se rendit dans l’équivalent du cimetière du Père Lachaise, le cimetière du Novo Groblje planté sur une des sept collines de Belgrade. Ses vastes allées bordées de majestueux platanes abritent les tombes des grands hommes d’Etat, peintres et intellectuels serbes, mais aussi des généraux de la Première Guerre comme Putnik ou Stepanovic. La liberté de pensée des Serbes et leur absence totale d’esprit revanchard a permis, à mon grand étonnement, que des tombes autrichiennes ou hongroises, soient érigées à côté des carrés militaires russe, britannique ou français. Au début de ce cimetière imposant, se situe le carré militaire français, avec plus de 400 tombes de nos « poilus » d’Orient. Bien alignés et allongés devant le drapeau français, ils semblaient en ce jour de commémoration répondre à la devise inscrite sur le monument principal : « Aux soldats français morts pour la France et pour ses alliés. » La délégation franco-serbe marqua ce 1er novembre 2018 un salut solennel à ces soldats morts très loin de leur patrie, dans le but de défendre les idéaux de la République et de lutter contre la barbarie impériale qui avait, pendant quatre ans, marqué le sol des Balkans de son sang. Qu’ils étaient courageux ces Bretons, Auvergnats et autres Parisiens, mais aussi Algériens, Malgaches et Sénégalais, partis à l’autre bout de l’Europe pour défendre les idées de liberté et d’égalité.

La rencontre de Corfou

C’est donc avec le cœur empli de sentiments forts que nous nous dirigeâmes au Centre Sava, à l’invitation des autorités serbes, pour assister à la grande soirée pour le Centenaire de la Première Guerre mondiale. Le ton n’était pas, ce soir-là, à la contrition et à l’éloge de la paix, nous fêtions la Victoire qui, dans ces contrées de Macédoine et de Serbie, avait été durement acquise : 28 % de la population serbe avait, par son sacrifice, contribué à la victoire et plus de 62 % de la population masculine avait péri pendant le conflit. La fanfare militaire joua des partitions militaires victorieuses entonnées par toute la salle ; c’est avec une émotion intacte que les 2000 invités reprirent le « Tamo daleko » (« Là-bas au loin »), ode à ces soldats qui, en 1915, avaient, en suivant leur roi et leur patriarche, abandonné leurs familles et sacrifié une partie de leur vie, mais pour un but ultime : ils savaient qu’ils allaient libérer leur pays qu’elles qu’en soient les conditions.

Après l’échec des Dardanelles à l’été 1915, une partie du corps expéditionnaire franco-britannique fut ramenée dans le port grec de Salonique. Le 25 novembre 1915 fut donné l’ordre historique de retraite de l’armée serbe par le roi Pierre Ier, qui refusait la capitulation. Commença alors un épisode tragique qui se terminera seulement le 15 janvier 1916 : la traversée de l’armée et de la cour royale serbes à travers les montagnes d’Albanie. Assaillie par le froid et les maladies, un tiers de l’armée serbe périra. Le lieutenant-colonel Broussaud signalait l’ « épuisement physique et moral complet » et des « coups de fusils des comitadjis albanais » ; il évoquait aussi la mort de jeunes recrues par centaines le long des routes. Or ce fut l’armée française qui, sur 120 000 soldats serbes arrivés à pied sur la côte albanaise, en récupéra 90 000 pour les transférer sur l’île grecque de Corfou.

Entre le 15 janvier et le 20 février 1916, furent ainsi évacués à Corfou plus de 135 000 soldats serbes. Lorsqu’ils débarquèrent sur l’île grecque, on pouvait lire dans le carnet de route du 6° chasseurs alpins que « l’état d’épuisement des malheureux soldats serbes [était] extrême : il en mourait 40 par jour ». A Corfou, les médecins allaient entièrement rétablir cette armée en guenilles et les instructeurs la remettre sur pieds : deux hôpitaux militaires furent dès lors installés et, fin mars, plus aucune épidémie n’était à l’œuvre.

« Les Serbes savent aujourd’hui ce qu’est la France. Jusqu’ici, ils ne connaissaient que la Russie »

Svetozar Aleksić, paysan du centre de la Serbie, fut réjoui d’avoir été, durant le transport de Corfou, rasé, lavé et habillé comme de neuf. « Qu’ils [les Français] bénissent leur mère-patrie, la France. Ils nous ont alors sauvé la vie. » 1 La même reconnaissance se retrouve dans la lettre du ministre serbe de la Guerre au général Mondésir, responsable de l’évacuation de Corfou. Le 24 avril 1916, il affirmait que « les chasseurs, pendant leur séjour à Corfou, ont gagné les cœurs des soldats et de leurs chefs par leur dévouement inlassable envers leurs camarades serbes ». Ce dévouement explique que « les Français portaient à leurs camarades serbes leurs équipements et leur donnaient la plus grande partie de leur pain ».2 De plus, les Français, si proches et attentionnés avaient créé des liens indéfectibles. Le prince Alexandre dit, en avril 1916, à Auguste Boppe : « Les Serbes savent aujourd’hui ce qu’est la France. Jusqu’ici, ils ne connaissaient que la Russie. Or, nulle part ils n’ont vu les Russes, partout ils ont trouvé des Français : à Salonique pour leur tendre la main, en Albanie pour les accueillir, à Corfou pour les sauver. » 3

En fait, les slavisants de renom multiplièrent seulement au milieu de la guerre  les conférences et firent ainsi connaître les peuples balkaniques. L’historien Ernest Denis publia son livre célèbre sur « la Serbie » en 1915 et Victor Bérard  en 1916. Et puis les journalistes spécialisés allaient mieux faire connaître les réalités serbes. Henry Barby, correspondant de guerre au Journal, écrivit en 1915 une série d’articles sur les batailles menées à Kumanovo et à Bregalnitza pendant les guerres balkaniques. Charles Diehl, dans son ouvrage de vulgarisation L’Héroïque Serbie qui parut en février 1915, relatait les victoires serbes à Tser et Kolubara.4

Auguste Albert, mitrailleur sur le front de Salonique, était étonné par l’amour du Serbe pour sa terre. Lorsqu’il se battait contre les Bulgares, le Serbe criait : « C’est ma terre, ne l’oublie pas. » Puis Auguste Albert  ajoutait : « Dans l’offensive attendue depuis longtemps [ndlr : la percée du front], j’ai été frappé par des choses étonnantes. J’ai remarqué comment le soldat serbe s’agenouille sur son sol natal et l’embrasse. Ses yeux sont pleins de larmes et je l’entends dire : ‘Ma terre’5. » Il faut savoir que les Bulgares avaient occupé de 1915 à 1918 tout le sud-est de la Serbie.

« Quand un soldat serbe se relève et lance une bombe, il le fait pour moi, il défend ma vie ! »

Les conférences en Sorbonne par de grands slavistes devenaient plus fréquentes en 1916. Emile Haumant et Victor Bérard, qui avaient créé le « Comité Franco-serbe »,  y développaient leurs idées généreuses sur la Serbie. En Sorbonne se tinrent aussi des manifestations réunissant universitaires, hommes de lettres et responsables politiques. L’historien Ernest Denis prononcera, rien qu’en 1916, pas moins de trois conférences sur les Serbes et la Yougoslavie6 : le 27 janvier 1916, le président de la République, Raymond Poincaré, y assista. Le 8 février 1917, l’ « Effort serbe » fut organisé par le comité l’ « Effort de la France et ses alliés » : cette initiative permit d’envoyer plus de 67 000 vêtements aux sinistrés de 1916. Enfin, le gouvernement organisa, le 25 mars 1915 et le 28 juin 1916, des « Journées franco-serbes » dans toutes les écoles pour faire connaître notre allié lointain.7

En septembre 1918, les colonnes du Général Tranié et du Maréchal Franchet d’Esperey perçaient le front de Salonique dans le massif de la Moglena et, en l’espace de trois semaines, libéraient la Macédoine et la Serbie. Le général allemand Mackensen déclarait lors de cet événement : « Nous avons perdu la guerre à Salonique. »

Ces opérations militaires menées ensemble finirent de souder les liens entre Serbes et « poilus » d’Orient et de nouer une amitié indéfectible. Paul Roi, élève-officier dans l’artillerie, évoquait l’habitude des combats qui avait fini de rapprocher les deux armées. « La joie des Français et des Serbes dès le moment où les canons tonnent. Ces canons ont comme redonné espoir aux soldats serbes dans la pensée du retour proche dans leur patrie. Nous, Français, avions une patrie. Tous les soldats français étaient conscients de cette situation ; de là leur volonté de se battre épaule contre épaule pour la liberté de la terre serbe. » 8

Georges Schweitzer, officier-artilleur à Monastir en 1916 puis à la Moglena en septembre 1918, racontait l’abnégation des soldats serbes pendant la bataille. Blessé et perdu dans une tranchée dans le massif de la Moglena, Schweitzer fut sauvé d’une mort assurée par plusieurs Serbes venus le soigner dans la tranchée. « D’un coup, j’ai compris que j’étais entouré d’amis, de gens fantastiques, des soldats serbes qui sont maintenant là, à côté de moi. » Les Bulgares continuèrent à s’approcher en lançant des grenades, mais sa peur avait disparu. « Mes blessures sont soignées, le sang ne coule plus mais ce qui est le plus important : je ne suis plus seul. C’est maintenant la lutte pour moi : quand un soldat serbe se relève et lance une bombe, il le fait pour moi, il défend ma vie ! » 9 Georges Schweitzer, dans une hallucination extatique, éprouvait toute sa reconnaissance à l’esprit de sacrifice et de corps des soldats serbes accourus pour le sauver. A ce moment-là de la guerre, la solidité des liens entre Serbes et Français expliquait en partie la victoire obtenue par Franchet d’Esperey.

« Aux libérateurs de la Serbie »

Le général Tranié, qui libéra Skoplje en Macédoine puis Djakovo et Mitrovica au Kosovo-Métochie, nous a laissé des témoignages saisissants de l’amour d’un peuple pour son libérateur. A Kuršumlija, sur la route qui menait de Mitrovica à Niš, « les gens sont habillés pauvrement, les enfants presque nus, mais la population nous offre ce qu’elle a, les maisons sont largement ouvertes aux Français. » Partout sur la route menant à Niš, des scènes d’accolade, des offrandes de pain, de vin et de fromage, toujours données de bon cœur par un peuple pourtant touché par la disette. Arrivés à Niš, la seconde ville serbe, les soldats de l’Armée d’Orient furent accueillis avec tous les honneurs : les plus vieux ne laissaient pas le général Tranié remonter à cheval et l’embrassaient comme s’il était leur fils.

Puis en remontant la vallée de la Morava, des actes symboliques très forts, qui allaient continuer de sceller l’amitié franco-serbe, émaillaient le chemin. A Aleksinac, le général Tranié fut enthousiasmé par l’accueil qui lui fut réservé : « De jeunes filles chantent la Marseillaise et m’entraînent dans la ronde dansée par tout le village. » Plus loin, à Čuprija, le maire de la ville fit un discours en français et les soldats serbes offrirent en guise de cadeau à l’Armée d’Orient des foulards ; à Svilajnac, des demoiselles offrirent au général Tranié un drapeau brodé de lettres d’or par leurs mères où il fut écrit en lettres cyrilliques : « Aux libérateurs de la Serbie, les demoiselles de Resava ! »10

Macron préfère le Kosovo

Mais ces souvenirs glorieux semblent s’être estompés dans le magma des célébrations placées sous le signe de la paix, pour des « civils qu’on a armés », selon Emmanuel Macron.

Quelle triste image, par contraste avec les célébrations joyeuses placées sous le signe de la victoire, donnée par ce jour pluvieux du 11 novembre 2018 à Paris, donnée par cette mascarade de commémoration. Comment expliquer la lecture d’un texte en chinois, pays non engagé en 1914 dans le conflit mondial, et aucune référence à la participation de la Russie et de la Serbie aux côtés de la France en 1914-1918. Les 450 000 soldats serbes morts et 800 000 civils fauchés par le typhus ou morts dans les geôles autrichiennes sont-ils morts pour rien, eux dont les descendants apprennent encore à leurs enfants « Krece se ladza francuska » (« Le navire français part ») en remerciement à l’opération de sauvetage de l’armée serbe par la marine française en 1915.

Mais au-delà de tout signe de reconnaissance envers les Alliés, c’est la célébration, devant la tombe du soldat inconnu, des perdants et donc des pays agresseurs qui choque une grande partie de l’opinion française. Comment expliquer la présence d’Angela Merkel, et l’absence de parade militaire, autrement que par un amour suicidaire pour les puissances centrales qui semblent sur le terrain prendre leur revanche sur l’humiliation subie en 1918 puis à nouveau en 1944. Les troupes allemandes, outrepassant leur rôle purement défensif qui leur avait été attribué en 1945, occupent exactement les mêmes localités au Kosovo et en Métochie qu’en 1944. Que diraient aujourd’hui, face à cette soumission devant l’Allemagne, Franchet d’Esperey, grand vainqueur de 1918, ou De Gaulle, compagnon d’armes du chef résistant serbe Draza Mihajlovic ?

Mais la France s’est définitivement humiliée avec l’honneur fait à un Etat mafieux et à ses représentants. Qui était ce grand homme placé juste derrière notre président, sur la tribune officielle du 11 novembre ? Ni plus ni moins qu’Hashim Thaçi, poursuivi depuis plusieurs années par les tribunaux suisses pour trafic d’armes, et serbes pour trafic d’organes. Pour boucler la boucle de cet abaissement macronien ne manquait plus que ce symbole ultime : pendant sept jours, dans la basilique Notre-Dame a été placé le drapeau du pseudo-Etat du Kosovo, toujours non-reconnu à l’ONU et trou noir de l’Europe. Quel choc des symboles quand on sait que c’est dans cette même cathédrale qu’en juin 1389 ont sonné les cloches à l’annonce des premières victoires serbes contre l’Empire ottoman, lequel était entre autres aidé par des unités albanaises.

L’avenir très proche nous dira si ce choix manifeste, au nom de la paix, d’honorer les agresseurs et d’oublier nos alliés les plus précieux aura une quelconque incidence. Mais déjà il est sûr que plus jamais les liens entre la France et la Serbie ne seront les mêmes.

[gramilano]

Shadows In La Bayadére, Photo By Damir Yusupov, 2008

After an 11-year absence, the Bolshoi Ballet returns to Milan.

In 2007, the company came with La Fille du Pharaon and The Bright Stream. From 7 to 13 September they will be at La Scala with La Bayadère in the Grigorovich production, and Jean-Christophe Maillot’s The Taming of the Shrew.

Svetlana Zakharova and Denis Rodkin, Olga Smirnova and Semyon Chudin, and Alyona Kovalyova and Jacopo Tissi will dance Nikiya and Solor; Ekaterina Krysanova, Margarita Shrainer and Olga Marchenkova will be Gamzatti; and Vyacheslav Lopatin will be the Bronze Idol.

Alyona Kovalyova In La Bayadére, Photo By Damir Yusupov 2018

Olga Smirnova As Nikiya In La Bayadére, Photo By Damir Yusupov, 2018 01

Svetlana Zakharova As Nikiya In La Bayadére, Photo By Damir Yusupov, 2004

Olga Smirnova As Nikiya In La Bayadére, Photo By Damir Yusupov 2018

Beginning in 1964 a regular series of cultural exchanges has resulted in La Scala visiting Moscow nine times, and the Bolshoi coming to Milan 7 times.

The company have only been twice on La Scala’s stage however: in the autumn of 1970, they brought Swan Lake, Spartacus and The Nutcracker to La Scala with casts including Maya Plisetskaya and Vladimir Vasiliev; then in October 1973 the Bolshoi toured to Milan with five operas and the ballet Anna Karenina.

Svetlana Zakharova As Nikiya In La Bayadére, Photo By Mikhail Logvinov, 2012

Alyona Kovalyova In La Bayadére, Photo By Damir Yusupov, 2018

Alyona Kovalyova With Alexander Fadeyechev In La Bayadére, Photo By Damir Yusupov, 2018

Olga Smirnova As Nikiya In La Bayadére, Photo By Damir Yusupov, 2018

Théophile Gautier:

The very word ‘bayadère’ evokes notions of sunshine, perfume and beauty even to the most prosaic and bourgeois mind… and through the pale smoke of burning incense appear the unfamiliar silhouettes of the East. Until now bayaderes had remained a poetic mystery like the hours of Muhammad’s paradise. They were remote, splendid, fairy like, fascinating.

Ekaterina Krysanova As Gamzatti In La Bayadére, Photo By Elena Fetisova, Bolshoi Theatre 2007

Ekaterina Krysanova As Gamzatti In La Bayadére, Photo By Elena Fetisova, Bolshoi Theatre, 2007

Margarita Shrainer as Gamzatti In La Bayadére, Photo By Damir Yusupov 2018

Ekaterina Krysanova As Gamzatti In La Bayadére, Photo By Damir Yusupov, Bolshoi Theatre, 2007

Olga Marchenkova As Gamzatti In La Bayadére, Photo By Damir Yusupov, 2016

Olga Marchenkova As Gamzatti In La Bayadére, Photo By Damir Yusupov 2017

La Bayadère was first staged in 1877 by French choreographer Marius Petipa to the music of Ludwig Minkus at the Bolshoi Theatre in St Petersburg. Nikiya was created by Ekaterina Vazem, Solor by Lev Ivanov, and Gamzatti by Maria Gorshenkova.

Petipa’s final revival of the ballet was in 1900 and about 1905 it was recorded by Stepanov notation and is part of the Sergeyev Collection.

Jacopo Tissi In La Bayadére, Photo By Damir Yusupov, 2018

Semyon Chudin As Solor In La Bayadére, Photo By Mikhail Logvinov, 2012

Denis Rodkin In La Bayadére, Photo By Mikhail Logvinov 2016

The ballet wasn’t seen in the West until 1961 in Paris when the Kirov Ballet was on tour. Two years later, Rudolf Nureyev staged The Kingdom of the Shades for the Royal Ballet with Margot Fonteyn as Nikiya. Minkus’s music was re-orchestrated by the Royal Opera House’s conductor John Lanchbery.

Clive Barnes wrote in Dance & Dancers:

Only two years after his ‘leap into the West’, Nureyev is already stimulating the Royal Ballet, he is helping all the dancers progress and he inspires our prima ballerina assoluta – Margot Fonteyn – who has a complete mastery of her technique that she had not yet revealed; he has encouraged a new spirit of competition among the soloists. With this Act III of La Bayadère, Nureyev offers us a little-known ballet that is well worth discovering, a major classic to cherish and – just as important – he has taught us how to dance it.

Alyona Kovalyova And Jacopo Tissi In La Bayadére, Photo By Damir Yusupov 2018

Alyona Kovalyova And Jacopo Tissi In La Bayadére, Photo By Damir Yusupov, 2018

Olga Smirnova And Semyon Chudin In La Bayadére, Photo By Damir Yusupov, 2018

Denis Rodkin And Svetlana Zakharova In La Bayadére, Photo By Mikhail Logvinov, 2016

This is from the Petipa Society website and illustrates how Petipa’s ballets are versions of versions and what to keep in or exclude in restagings are always a matter of opinion:

The famous variation for Solor in the Act 4 Grand Pas d’action was originally composed by Minkus for Petipa’s 1874 revival of Jacques Offenbach’s and Marie Taglioni’s two-act ballet Le Papillon. Minkus composed new music for this revival, expanding the ballet from two acts to four, and one of the new compositions was a variation for the lead male role, Prince Djalma. This variation later became the famous Variation of Solor in Petipa’s 1900 revival of La Bayadère when Nikolai Legat interpolated it into the Act 4 Grand Pas d’action and it has remained Solor’s variation ever since. Today, the Grand Pas d’action is traditionally danced in Act 2 where it was transferred to by Ponomarev and Chabukiani in their 1941 revival.

The traditional variation danced by Gamzatti in the Grand Pas d’action in modern productions today is not the original variation composed by Minkus. It is actually a variation composed by Riccardo Drigo for Queen Nisia in the Pas de Vénus from Le Roi Candaule. The famous traditional choreography for this variation that is commonly danced today is by Pyotr Gusev.

Vyacheslav Lopatin As The Bronze Idol In La Bayadére, Photo By Elena Fetisova, 2018

The  Dance of the Golden Idol that is traditionally danced today was not created by Petipa but by the Russian dancer Nikolai Zubkovsky in 1948 for the Kirov production. Like the music for Solor’s variation, the music for the Golden Idol’s dance is also taken from Petipa’s 1874 revival of Le Papillon – it is a Persian march that Minkus composed for the revival. Interestingly, the music is not even a march, but a waltz in 5/4 time. In the 19th century, composers used the 5/4 time signature when they needed to portray ‘the exotic’.

The Entrance of the Shades was inspired by Gustav Doré’s illustrations for Dante’s Paradiso from The Divine Comedy. Each of the 32 dancers made her entrance down a long winding ramp with a simple arabesque cambré, followed by an arching of the torso with arms in fifth position, followed by two steps forward. With the last two steps, she made room for the next dancer, and the combination would continue.

Shadows In La Bayadére, Photo By Mikhail Logvinov, 2005

La Bayadére Photo By Damir Yusupov, 2018

Margarita Shrainer As Gamzatti In La Bayadére, Photo By Damir Yusupov, 2018

Photo Album and casting – Bolshoi dancers in Milan After an 11-year absence, the Bolshoi Ballet returns to Milan. In 2007, the company came with…

[bongda247vn]

M.U góp 3 gương mặt

Đội hình thảm họa Ngoại hạng Anh được sắp xếp theo sơ đồ 3-5-2. Đáng chú ý, hai đội bóng giàu thành tích nhất kỷ nguyên Ngoại hạng Anh là Manchester United và Arsenal chính là hai đội bóng đóng góp nhiều gương mặt nhất. M.U có 3 cầu thủ còn Arsenal là 2.

Không phải ai khác ngoài thảm họa Massimo Taibi của M.U chính là người trấn giữ khung thành. Taibi vốn được kỳ vọng là người kế tục huyền thoại Peter Schmeichel song ấn tượng anh để lại là tình huống "đẻ trứng" sau cú dứt điểm của Matt Le Tissier.

Djemba-Djemba thì được kỳ vọng sẽ kế thừa vị trí của thủ quân Roy Keane khi gia nhập M.U vào mùa Hè 2003 bởi lối chơi máu lửa. Tuy nhiên, cầu thủ người Cameroon này có phong cách hiếu chiến hơn là máu lửa. Cái tên cuối cùng của M.U góp mặt trong đội hình là bản hợp đồng trị giá 7 triệu bảng mang tên Bebe. Về cái tên này, hẳn không cần giới thiệu nhiều.

2 cái tên của Arsenal góp mặt trong đội hình thảm họa là hậu vệ Stepanovs và tiền đạo Park Chu Young. Stepanovs ra sân 17 lần trong 4 năm khoác áo Pháo thủ và không may hiện diện trong thảm bại 1-6 trước M.U. Trong khi đó, Park tuy được trao áo số 9 nhưng chỉ ra sân 1 lần trong 3 mùa.

Những gương mặt còn lại là Per Kroldrup (Everton), Winston Bogarde (Chelsea), Christian Negouai (Manchester City), Ali Dia (Southampton), Bruno Cheyrou (Liverpool) và Bosko Balaban (Aston Villa).

Đội hình thảm họa của Ngoại hạng Anh

Nguồn: http://ift.tt/2u736Fl

Coi nguyên bài viết ở : M.U góp 3 gương mặt

[stateofsport211]

📸 🎥 ATP official website

P. Boscardin Dias/D. Popko somehow had an unstable start to the second set, where there was a failed smash somewhere before their forehand errors caused R. Stepanov/A. Urrea to break early to 1-0. It took a deciding point for the third seeds to consolidate their lead to 2-0, and the former pair put their names on the board once they survived another deciding point through an unreturned serve (2-1).

In the subsequent game, P. Boscardin Dias/D. Popko notably responded to the preceding smash with a backhand pass before A. Urrea came up with a lob response to P. Boscardin Dias' volley, followed by D. Popko's forehand to precede R. Stepanov's poach from the net for an equalizer before the third seeds held their serves to 3-1. Surviving several sets of deciding points midway, R. Stepanov/A. Urrea then earned their chance to serve for the match, which they successfully did with a 0-hold (6-4) to secure their spot in the semifinals.

[stateofsport211]

📸 ATP official website

Third seeds Roy Stepanov/Andres Urrea, who previously defeated wild cards Luis (Guto) Miguel/Joao Pedro Prudencio 6-2, 6-2 in the first round, faced Pedro Boscardin Dias/Dmitry Popko, who also confidently defeated another wild card pair in Rai Vicente de Araujo/Lucas Vidaller Ranciaro 6-3, 6-0 in the previous round. While this match turning into chaos was a likelihood, this depended on their pacing and point construction, which turned out to play a factor in some important moments on return.

Earlier in this match, R. Stepanov/A. Urrea had to survive a break point due to their unforced error, which was saved through R. Stepanov's cross-court forehand winner before holding the said service game. Five games in, their patience and responsiveness started to pay off as P. Boscardin Dias' failed volleys not only minimized the gap but also secured the break of serve (3-2). They then consolidated the said break to 4-2.

Somehow, even though there were several moments along the way, the third seeds stayed solid on serve until they earned an opportunity to serve for the first set. They had a flawless service game by the end of the set, marked by a 0-hold to take the first set 6-4, securing their headstart to this match.

[stateofsport211]

Santos Ch D R1: Roy Stepanov/Andres Urrea [3] def. Joao Pedro Prudencio/Luis (Guto) Miguel [WC] 6-2, 6-2 Match Stats

📸 ATP official website

The match might have started chaotically with the 3 consecutive breaks, but a steady service game allowed R. Stepanov/A. Urrea to finally control the whole flow. Through their balance, not only they notably scored crucial points at the net (including the volleys and smashes), but also brought Luis/Prudencio off-balance as their first strike got the latter to miss their third shots. As a result, the third seeds generated 9 break points compared to the Brazilian wild card's 5, converting 5 of them throughout both sets.

Besides, the third seeds' serving statistics turned out to look slightly smoother. Albeit scoring just one ace, R. Stepanov/A. Urrea had an exceptional first serve winning percentage at 74%, 22% more than Luis/Prudencio. Interestingly, despite double-faulting 5 times than Luis/Prudencio's 4, R. Stepanov/A. Urrea still appeared consistent in their second serves while the Brazilian pair could only win 44% of their second serve points due to their frequent third-shot errors, possibly rushing their final shots while trying to deal with the former pair's deep returns.

A possible chaos awaits in tomorrow's quarterfinals as Pedro Boscardin Dias/Dmitry Popko defeated another wild card pair in Rai Vicente de Araujo/Lucas Vidaller Ranciaro 6-3, 6-0 in a confident showing. While competitiveness depends on how serious they take this match, it all came down to how they executed the final shots as things might unfold in one way or another. Should be a fun ride coming up in the quarterfinals!

[stateofsport211]

📸 🎥 ATP official website

Almost similarly to the first set, a +1 forehand error from Prudencio/Luis caused the deciding point among anything else (including a double fault and a failed smash) before R. Stepanov/A. Urrea broke early thanks to R. Stepanov's working volley (1-0). Surviving a deciding point to hold their serves to 2-0, the third seeds kept dominating the flow as they smashed their way to generate their break point, ultimately doubling the break to 4-1.

It took three more games before R. Stepanov/A. Urrea earned their opportunities to serve for the second set (and the match). Even though Luis/Prudencio came up with a rare forehand pass to A. Urrea's volley error, the latter made the spotlight with his drop volley finish after quite a net exchange (and a lob) to create their match point. Finally, R. Stepanov/A. Urrea fired an unreturned serve to seal the match, taking the second set 6-2 to secure their second quarterfinals in a month.

[stateofsport211]

📸 ATP official website

The doubles first-round action continued with third seeds Roy Stepanov/Andres Urrea, whose partnership went on for almost a month since the start of the San Miguel de Tucuman Challenger, taking on wild cards Luis (Guto) Miguel/Joao Pedro Prudencio for a spot in the quarterfinals. Several parts of the match turned out to be chaotic, but sometimes it took some decent point constructions to stand out by the end of the match.

Already in the first game, A. Urrea fired a forehand return ace to convert the break point right at the deciding point (1-0) only to be broken back after he got passed by Luis/Prudencio's forehand sides (1-1). However, R. Stepanov/A. Urrea managed to bounce back by dominating the flow through their successful volleys at the start of the game, before backhand-lobbing their way to generate their break point.

Ultimately, the third seeds doubled the break to 4-1 and despite having to survive a deciding point midway, they held their serves to 5-1. Almost breadsticking after having a set point on return, an unreturned serve secured Luis/Prudencio his hold before R. Stepanov/A. Urrea earned an opportunity to serve for the first set, which they did (6-2) to put themselves ahead in this match.

[stateofsport211]

Porto Alegre Ch D R1: Leonardo Aboian/Valerio Aboian [Alt] def. Roy Stepanov/Andres Urrea 6-4, 6-4 Match Stats

📸 ATP official website

While this might have been a more competitive showing from R. Stepanov/A. Urrea compared to the second set of their last meeting, the Aboian brothers still nailed their point construction in the important moments. The former had some fair chances in both sets, but the latter's notable final point execution assisted them to not only create 5 break points but also converted 40% of them in the middle of both sets. R. Stepanov/A. Urrea almost did the craziest as they saved just one match point, but it was insufficient for them to prolong the match further.

Interestingly, the Aboian brothers had an exceptional first serve winning percentage at 80%, 19% more than R. Stepanov/A. Urrea despite just firing a single ace throughout the whole match, where most of their unreturned serves helped them to escape some difficult situations. However, even though the latter pair double-faulted thrice, it turned out that they won 5% more second serve points than the Aboian brothers, and the inability to land their first serves cost them some of their moments along the way.

In the quarterfinals match played later tonight (local time), the Aboian brothers will face second seeds Luis Britto/Gonzalo Villanueva, who earlier stunned alternates Franco Ribero/Leonid Sheyngezikht 6-0, 6-2 in a straightforward manner. This should make an exciting match featuring their point construction, with their pacing also being tested as it all might have come down to their final shot execution once again. Should be one of those occasions to close tonight (local time) with!

[stateofsport211]

📸 🎥 ATP official website

The Aboian brothers struck again with their point construction, this time nailing the net exchange in the second game of the second set to hold their serves 1-1 as they finished the point with a working smash from Leonardo despite having to survive Valerio's second serve problems. Several games later, while capitalizing on A. Urrea's second serve problems, they managed to break to 4-3 thanks to Valerio's cross-court backhand, which was responded to by A. Urrea's volley, followed by Leonardo's timely volley response right on deciding point, marking their outstanding point construction under pressure.

However, R. Stepanov had to take a medical timeout, but he and A. Urrea still managed to keep things competitive within the next few games. Somehow, they managed to save a match point thanks to A. Urrea's working volley, but it was insufficient as Valerio managed to serve it out for the Aboian brothers to take the second set 6-4, thus securing them the match and their qualification to the quarterfinals.

[stateofsport211]

📸 ATP official website

Roy Stepanov/Andres Urrea initially had to face Hady Habib/Trey Hildebrand, where H. Habib ended up withdrawing due to illness before the match started, thus the Aboian brothers (Leonardo/Valerio) played as alternates in this first-round doubles match instead. This turned out to be a rematch of their San Miguel de Tucuman first-round match, where the first set looked competitive for both pairs until the Aboian brothers dominated the first-set tie-breaker until the second set thanks to their point construction and to some extent, pacing.

The case might have been repeated at the start of this match, where Valerio successfully fired a backhand lob for their one-point lead before R. Stepanov/A. Urrea held their serves to 1-0. The latter pair then answered two games later thanks to A. Urrea's successful lob for their game point, but his problematic second serves halted their efforts to hold the service game. This was also added by Valerio's backhand winner to minimize another gap 2 points before A. Urrea's double-fault secured the Aboian brothers' break to 2-1. Subsequently, the Argentinean alternates managed to hold their serves to 3-1.

R. Stepanov/A. Urrea had their fair chances in the sixth game as A. Urrea perfectly poached the ball with a volley after R. Stepanov successfully handled the baseline department, but the Aboian brothers stayed solid on serve to hold their serves to 4-2. Eventually, the Aboian brothers earned the opportunity to serve for the first set, which they eventually did (6-4) to affirm their solid start to the match.