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After the premieres of "Le Reveil de Flore" and the two Miroshnichenko ballets in the first two days, it was a pleasure to see the regular repertory ballets danced by this year's guest stars alongside the Kirov's own stars. The highlight for me was a distinguished performance of "Giselle" led by Olesia Novikova and the noble Paris Opera Ballet star Mathieu Ganio. Ganio is a real 'danseur noble' with his pure-bred classical style and formidable technique. He was a most ardent and moving Albrecht. This performance was much more impressive than his Basilio in last year's Mariinsky Festival. He and Novikova again formed a fine partnership.

Novikova was most splendid as Giselle. Her mad scene was deeply moving; and she was warm and tender as the Wili. Novikova and Ganio were intensely moving in the pas de deux. This performance really showed off the whole Kirov company at its best. Viktoria Tereshkina was outstandingly good as Myrtha. Her solo was impeccably danced. Vladimir Shklyarov sparkled in the peasant pas de deux with Ekaterina Osmolkina. And the Kirov's corps de ballet of Wilis was as usual awesome in the unformity in their upper-body carriage, projecting a powerful collective force. The Mariinsky's corps de ballet is still the greatest in the world!
 

The Royal Ballet stars Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg, who are extremely popular with the Mariinsky public, made fine debuts in the Kirov's Lavrovsky version of "Romeo and Juliet". However I found the Kirov's own star Evgenia Obraztsova more satisfying as Juliet. Kobborg strongly partnered Cojocaru as usual, and was intense in his acting in the last act. Leonid Sarafanov was a light, breezy, and quite brilliant Mercutio. Galina Rakhmanova was superb in her character-dance solo in the market square scene. The troubadour pas de deux was impressively danced by Maxim Zyuzin and Xenia Ostreikovskaya.

"La Bayadere", shown in the shorter Soviet version instead of the better reconstructed Imperial version of Vikharev, starred Uliana Lopatkina and the Bolshoi star Nikolai Tsiskaridze. Tsiskaridze was a stellar Solor, but his technique on this occasion was below expectation. In the 'grand pas' he was outshone by his Bolshoi colleague Maria Alexandrova, who dazzled as Gamzatti. In the Kingdom of the Shades scene, Tsiskaridze's virtuosity was not particularly thrilling either.

Lopatkina, with her perfect ethereal figure, was a superlative Nikiya. She was divine in the Shades scene; her technique had a diamantine brilliance. Praise must be given again to the Mariinsky's corps de ballet. The 32 shades were simply magnificent and most deservedly warmly applauded.

The third Bolshoi guest, Natalia Osipova, appeared as Kitri in "Don Quixote". This extremely talented 22-year-old Bolshoi soloist won the hearts of the St. Petersburg public with her prodigious technique. Her jumps and multiple 'fouettes' were most spectacular, and she danced every step full-out. No wonder she even did an encore of the 'fouettes'. And how rewarding to see her in this Mariinsky version of "Don Quixote" which is superior to the current Bolshoi production in terms of dramatic logic and choreography. Leonid Sarafanov danced with much excitement as Basilio as usual. Alina Somova was impressive as the Queen of the Dryads and in the variation in the final act. The Kirov's character dancing was as always distinguished. Ti-Yon Riu was tremendous in the Oriental dance.

I missed the Balanchine programme with the New York City Ballet stars - Maria Kowroski, Damian Woetzel, and Philip Neal. But I saw earlier in the Festival a splendid performance of "Apollo" danced by the Kirov star Andrian Fadeyev who was most poetic in the role. Sofia Gumerova was wonderfully alive as Calliope. Tatiana Tkachenko danced Polyhymnia with wit. And Viktoria Tereshkina was a sublime Terpsichore. Her vibrant dancing had a joyful abandon, and her limbs shone radiantly.

The Forsythe programme had some rewarding cast changes for the Mariinsky's own dancers, without featuring any guest dancers at all. In "Steptext" Daria Pavlenko impressed in the ballerina role. Anton Pimonov was quite good in the male role taken in the past by Igor Kolb. However Alexander Sergeyev, taking Andrei Merkuriev's role, wasn't his equal. As the leading male soloist in "In The Middle, Somewhat Elevated", Mikhail Lobukhin's dancing was coarse compared to Merkuriev in the past. (Merkuriev did later dance the pas de deux from "In The Middle" with Uliana Lopatkina in this festival's closing Gala, which I missed.)
 

In "Approximate Sonata", Viktoria Tereshkina was particularly outstanding. Ekaterina Petina was also exciting, her dancing was sharp and incisive. In "The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude", the two male soloists' roles, danced by Andrian Fadeyev and Leonid Sarafanov in the premiere, were taken on this occasion by Maxim Zyuzin and Vladimir Shklyarov respectively. It was a fine debut in the Sarafanov role by Shklyarov, who used to dance the Fadeyev role.

This year's Mariinsky Festival was laudable for the consistently excellent performances by the whole Kirov troupe, and its own stars complemented by the visiting guest stars. It is reassuring to see that the Kirov is currently on such top form.