May Nagahisa Promoted to 1st Soloist of the Mariinsky Ballet 2021!

Subscribe: ‪@TheBunduBallerina‬ May Nagahisa, the Japanese ballet prodigy dancing at the Mariinsky Ballet was recently promoted to First Soloist, one rank below Principal Dancer. Here she is performing pas de deux from the following ballets:
Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty (Bluebird pdd), Giselle Act 2, In the Night and Spartacus. Thanks go to the uploaders of the following videos:
Bluebird (Princess Florine):
• 2июня2019.Мей Нагахиса...
Giselle:
• 1марта2019.Мей Нагахис...
In the Night:
• 7мая2019 Мей Нагахиса ...
Spartacus:
• 5февраля2020.Мей Нагах...
Thanks to Emma Kauldhar for the thumbnail image.
Please inform me if you know the link to the original Nutcracker pas de deux video of Nagahisa.
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[@dancingbluecrane2813]

Such a lovely stage personality PLUS delicate technocal perfection AND musicality makes her a wonderful dancer with great further potential. Her balances are unusually well held. Dancing at a slower musical pace requires greater cleanliness and control than faster dancing. It also allows her to show off her balancing moments to greater advantage. Thanks for another most enjoyable compilation.

[@bernardlhuillier4294]

She is so beautiful and delicate, great musicality. Wonderful technique and a future étoile. Brava

[@annicarbone6643]

Magicamente May.....che meraviglia... amo moltissimo questa ballerina qui agli esordi ma gia' cosi' grande. E' grazia, eleganza, eccellenza tecnica, grande musicalita'

[@curriepederson2141]

as a former member of Ballet Theatre and a ballet teacher of many years, I find May's technique is superlative - she is young and maturity does not happen overnight.

[@gregj831]

The Cavalier though, completely torpedoes the entire act. Cavaliers dancing the lead role here need to exude rugged masculinity and strength and NOT allow their personal 'Gay' side to come out. Director should have caught this and corrected it on the spot.

[@user-bu2vm6ec8f]

Everything is harmonious and soothing to look at. May's grace and technique is unbelievable for a 17-year-old at the time✨

[@joyanngoddard2033]

Her use of the top of her back, her head and arms, coupled with her strong legs and feet combine into something so beautiful! To think she was only 17 in the Nutcracker pas de deux is astonishing.

[@williamdeng1870]

The Mariinsky Ballet Theatre has so many excellent ballerinas. Nagahisa is young, small and exquisite. Renata's dancing is full of passion and will soon bring the audience into the plot. Khoreva has an elegant appearance and a beautiful temperament, but her performance is a bit quiet. I wish them all success.

[@dancingbluecrane2813]

So well observed and well said. I agree fully with how you describe the different gifts of these ballerinas.

[@martyjones5750]

Well said! Fine analysis of these ballerinas

[@francescadarimini1430]

It’s all about her upper body ! Magnificent and rare beauty of the headline,neck, shoulders,epaulement🌹

[@casteretpollux]

True but I was struck by her beautiful expressive arms and hands.

[@francescadarimini1430]

Very well deserved promotion. Congratulations Mai Nagahasi

[@nicolehourcade]

Congratulations to May Nagahisa She really deserves it.Bravissimo good job🌺💐🍀👏

[@kristinmoreno9203]

May Nagahisa is POETRY in Motion! Absolutely Stunning Perfection🌹🌹🌹🌹

[@mariapspadopulou9898]

This is great news! She is such a lovely ballerina!!! 💖💖💖💖👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@callistasetiawan4737]

She's my fav ballerina right now, and I love her lovely dancing! Amazing footwork, beautiful lines, PLUS amazing stage performance. Bravo May, I hope you the best in the future :D

[@kristinmoreno9203]

What a technically Brilliant and Beautiful Ballerina! She's got Gorgeous Extensions, especially in Arabesque!⭐🌷⭐🌷⭐🌷⭐ BRAVO!

[@AraCod]

Congratulations May! Tiny and perfect in so many ways ✨😍💖. I hope you have a long and brilliant career.

[@lsky4446]

As an aging professional dancer it ABSOLUTELY warms my heart to view May Nagahisa!!! JUST a LOVELY ballerina and so young which only means she'll improve exponentially!!! NOT that she needs to either! GO MAY!!!🔥🔥🔥

[@leonardodavinchi6799]

Абсолютно согласен с вами! У этой девочки великое будущее! Это настоящий балет.

[@lsky4446]

In English??🤔@@leonardodavinchi6799

[@cmilus892]

I didn't exactly like May before because she wasn't Vaganova-trained, but my opinion of her kept changing the more I watched her. She's beautiful. She deserves this!

[@user-bu2vm6ec8f]

Thank you for the wonderful video editing. I was impressed by the elegance of her arm movements.

[@TheBunduBallerina]

Thank you too for your lovely comment!

[@candidacarino669]

I really enjoyed watching May Nagahisa - - dance - - she's comparable to many principal dancers in the world. And to BB - - it's lovely to chat to you - - via your ballet channel - - you always provide an even-handed opinion about ballet. Thank you BB.

[@mariechance5655]

I enjoyed this immensely. So glad to see strong feet, not overly flexible and bendy weak.

[@DavidLeBlanc]

She's young. Imagine the future for her. Thanks for the fine compilation and the work you do to keep us entertained.

[@Jules-ix9ih]

Truly brilliant, marvellous, sharp turns and a wonderful and enjoyable pas de deux from two magnificent dancers. Enjoyed every minute.

[@minissa2009]

Thank you for this lovely compilation! She really does seem to have the whole package, including style and dramatic range. Her movement quality also "fits" the style of the different pieces, eg, quintessentially Romantic for Giselle and contemporary for Robbins. I think too many Russians try to superimpose a "Russian" aesthetic when they perform Balanchine, Robbins, and even Ashton. Hard to believe she's at the start of her career, and I look forward to seeing her develop!

[@TheBunduBallerina]

Thanks for your lovely comment! I totally agree! :)

[@user-nq2cn4rk9k]

Эта балерина - просто чудо!!!

[@normamimosa5991]

Well deserved, but so incredibly remiss that it took them so long to promote Olesya Novikova to principal. At least that oversight is rectified now.

[@Dima.Demidov]

Such a brilliant news! She is so much of a captivating and unique dancer, literally.

[@casteretpollux]

Let's hear it for the musicians of the Mariinsky Orchestra! Superb in their own right and simply wonderful at making music that dances, for dancers 👏👏👏👏. For the work of prima ballerina to be done, a great partner who shows her off, and a great orchestra, are prerequisites. Happy for Mai, she's an exquisite dancer, but hope the Mariinsky overall will keep its solid core and blend of deep emotion and theatricality as well as musicality and technique.

[@susanfreeman7516]

She is enchanting.

[@gabryc.3004]

È una coppia stupenda... Tecnica, leggerezza, grazia.. Tutto l'insieme da vedere rivedere senza stancarsi mai.... GRAZIE per aver inserito questo video

[@TheBunduBallerina]

Grazie!

[@hernanasami8591]

Thank you again for the excellent video!!!! Just amazing!!!!

[@TheBunduBallerina]

Thank you for your kind comment!

[@nicolehourcade]

With Shkyarov, a dream pair in Nutcracker.I like his elegance and he always to be benevolent with young partners🌞🎶👏🔥

[@v.britton4445]

Very clean

[@valentinahalytska3378]

Прекрасная балерина!!! Спасибо русскому балету !!!Огромное удовольствие!!! Слава русской балетной школе и ее преподавателям!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@smurf902]

So STRONG. My goodness

[@veramentegina]

oh, one of my most favorite dancers. Most deserved.. yay!!

[@pediatrapaola]

hi gina how are you ? are you on facebook?

[@Digeroo123]

I would very much like to see a video of her dancing Aurora before she gets too old.

[@jophillips111]

Thankyou for another enjoyable compilation, I really appreciate this series. I also found several of the comments thoughtful and instructive. Many thanks Bundu for your efforts to develop such a good channel and also to those who participate in the commentary.

[@inessantos8629]

Magnifica 👌👌👌🧡🌷

[@dmswan3172]

Exquisite musicality - sublime and perfect!💕🦢🩰

[@nikoll8558]

Лучшая среди равных!

[@louisespencer9889]

So controlled, so flexible; what a treat! Thank you for posting this!

[@a.phillips6892]

Very happy for May💓💯💕

[@user-nn5xf4uy4h]

Потрясающая балерина,воздушная,красивая,она ещё всем покажет!!!

[@xiscapalmersegura3743]

Gran espectáculo!!!!

[@gabryc.3004]

Sembra impossibile che alla sua giovane età abbia già acquistato tanta grazia e leggerezza.....bravissima... Grazie per aver inserito questo video

[@TheBunduBallerina]

Grazie!

[@giangualbertopi7381]

totally captivating. and, off topic as it sounds, l get from her a sense of "Sacre" as from no one else but a Fracci, a Plisetskaja, at times MFonteyn. (and no more, though a few more have a sort of pagan sacrality, the case of Asylmuratova and DVishneva). ty

[@irinasandegard8946]

Балерина от Бога! Просто завораживает! Какая лёгкость и грация движений!

[@paulwilfridhunt]

Great

[@mariadelcarmeamat3264]

La danza ma's hermosa que yo haya visto en mi vida Mis la'agrimas resbalaban ante tants belleza .

[@eerindiraarora6921]

Exquisite

[@ulrichopfermann4148]

She is equal to Khoreva--- convinced since having seen both dancing pas de trois Swansee

[@makhnonatalie2600]

Жаль, что на вилео нет вариации из Пахиты - на мой вщгляд, на сегодня лучше Мей ее никто не исполняет в театре.

[@TheBunduBallerina]

Spasiba! Da, I agree. The video of Paquita is here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gHupXqN7ZZpnpZY

[@Erin-el1gi]

A well deserved promotion!

[@xuansha9953]

She is like a Asian-Mariinsky Nina Kaptsova-her Florine😍so fluffy and full of joy and delight… I love her Giselle Act 1, full of pleasant joy as a teenaged girl. But her Giselle Act 2 isn’t my favourite, I like Maria Khoreva Act 2 interpretations more Anyway she is amazing😍 Edit: Cool I found Maria and May are close friends I saw they like tagging and take selfie’s with each other wow what an adorable friendship💓 Hope one day they can dance together on stage as main roles👏🏻 e.g. Maria as Banu, May as Shyrin:)

[@giangualbertopi7381]

she's total AWARENESS. the first ballerina ever who conveyed to me The Sense of Sacre..

[@user-xe7rk2hm5b]

Помним, что юность быстро проходит. Умничка

[@raymonda5476]

The nutcracker choreography resembles the rose adagio in its structure. Very odd.

[@moe209]

軽いなー。軽いのにしっとりさが出るところが素晴らしいです。

[@leonardodavinchi6799]

Браво! Слава Богу, балет жив! Какая потрясающая музакальная кантилена в каждом движении у этой девочки! Это однозначно будет по-настоящему великая балерина. Каждое движение дышит и пропущено через сердце.

[@TheBunduBallerina]

Da. Spasiba.

[@user-xc5st5nr5h]

For me the "Mariinsky /Kiev" style people are talking about means "large, heavy and serious" just as classic Russian novels I guess. On the other hand, Nagahisa's "nowadays" style is natural and even nonchalant. For the eyes that serious and emotional is ”the" style, Nagahisa's style look very different I imagine. Nagahisa conveys her emotion in such a natural way, so people who would like to see "acting" in ballet are not satisfied. In my opinion Khoreva falls in to other category, even though she might be look slimier as Naghisa in terms of acting. She look emotionless or at least she doesn't know how to express emotion in her performance.

[@ninapaulina39]

Ещё бы Кимин Кима в партнёры - две пушинки на сцене!

[@cocohenderson3446]

Tengo una pregunta porque la verdad desconozco un poco: ¿Por qué una primera solista puede bailar roles principales sin ser principal? He visto a varias pirmeras solistas hacerlo pero no entiendo porqué, ¿son equivalentes a lo que se les llama "prima ballerinas"? Muchas gracias por sus respuestas. Excelente videos y una futura estrella con un futuro muy prometedor❣💕

[@TheBunduBallerina]

Gracias. At companies like the Mariinsky and Bolshoi, Soloists are often given lead roles as a chance to show whether they are worthy of becoming Prima Ballerinas. They are not yet equal to that rank. Soloists do still dance e.g. Bluebird, Myrtha or Lilac Fairy. When they are promoted to Prima Ballerina, they are paid more and they rise in status. Thank you for your interest.

[@user-rn6bo4kp7l]

低評価されている方の意味がわかりません🤔

[@DianaMoon11428]

How often do non-Russians get contracts with the top Russian companies?

[@TheBunduBallerina]

Kimin Kim from South Korea and Xander Parish from England are both Principals of the Mariinsky Ballet, so it does happen :)

[@michaelangel8133]

Who is this male partner?

[@TheBunduBallerina]

Which pas de deux are you referring to? There are five in this compilation and the male partner is named in the video headings before each pas de deux.

[@user-vn9ln3rb4h]

携帯は切っておいて( ；∀；) よりによってジゼル２幕でブーブー鳴ってるとか最悪😞⤵⤵

[@jillgoldman447]

Painfully thin. Maybe if she gained a bit more she would energy to jump higher.

[@bubbybets9336]

she has always been slim, and asian women are usually genetically slim too.

[@kellyantoniadou8897]

I am not a fan, I have to say. She does not project any personality in my opinion, same as Khoreva but Khoreva is better than her in stage presence and I enjoy her dance a lot more. Another thing I do not like, is that she seems to be dancing in a much slower tempo (even for Mariinsky standards if that is possible). For me, Maria Iliushkina seemed more worthy of such a promotion, out of the few things I have seen in videos. Nevertheless, Nagahisa has a good technique and can pull off long ballets with confidence, which is remarkable for her age. Thank you for your compilation!

[@Pearlaceous]

I agree with you that Khoreva is better and, like you, I also wish that Maria Iliushkina had had this promotion. Ilyushkina is far more deserving and far more a St Petersburg ballerina. I also prefer her to Khoreva. As I see it, May Nagahisa does not have the lines or physique generally to make her suitable for many principal roles, she certainly lacks the stamina, and she has limited acting ability and little stage presence. She was especially unsuited to a Diamonds - another role which I think Ilyushkina is perfect for.

[@kellyantoniadou8897]

​@@Pearlaceous Thank you for your comment! I did not see any low stamina from Nagahisa in any video, she is just very delicate but perhaps you have seen more or even live performances. I too, prefer Iliushkina to Khoreva, she has something to say everytime she dances! Even if not promoted yet, at least she is given a lot of chances to dance principal roles. That is promising for her development.

[@mochabubble]

I agree. I think she is good in the smaller roles but principle roles? I don't see it. I wasn't a fan of her Giselle. I don't particularly enjoy Khoreva either, but I think there's more potential there to be an artist that with Nagahisa. She is, of course, very very young and may yet grow into being a 1st soloist. Still, I can think of a few more dancers below her rank that are more interesting to watch. I feel like I never get to see Iliushkina take on better roles.

[@kellyantoniadou8897]

@@mochabubble Yeah, she did not seem fit or ready for Giselle and the fact that she was given Askerov (the most boring male Mariinsky principal after Ivanchenko) as her partner did not do her any good. On the contrary, I really enjoyed the night PDD with Stepin, this was my favourite of this compilation

[@FK_loving]

Totally agree. To me she is boring, I don’t see any personality in her dance. Same with Horeva but as you said I enjoy her a bit more. Also agree about Askerov.

[@classicalaid1]

I am probably the only one in this comment section to give May a thumbs down. She fails to truly comprehend the Russian style. She represents the usual overly-refined Asian way. The Asians, particularly the Japanese, are not cultural creators. They are cultural appropriators. They take the creations of other cultures and refine them still further. With Russian ballet this does not work. Give me Lopatkina, Alexandrova, Zakarova, Plisetskaya, Struchkova, Ulanova, Samova and others, but not Nagahisa.

[@Ch.189]

absolutely agree with your opinion.

[@yaroslavapottosina6941]

Yes. She conveyed the same emotions in all the different parts. She is the same, and that’s not Russian ballet per ce😢

[@KsuKsu333]

Руки удивительные! Не каждая балерина имеет такую мягкость в руках, у некоторых руки как палки. Ну и легкость, воздушность невероятные!

[@leonardodavinchi6799]

У большинства балерин руки как палки - к сожалению это так. Эта девочка - редчайшее для нашего времени исключение. И ноги, и руки, и движения головы очень музыкальны и пластичны.