For my Japanese fellows: I have a photo book out which you now can order at Amazon JP ^_^
Here a sneak-peak:

Besides, I’m on NHK Worldnet News today at around 6.10pm Japanese time. Tune in!

#004 – Slippers

?

Quote of the day:

“The closer one gets to the top, the more one finds there is no ‘top.’” – Nancy Barcus

via @allgreatquotes

#003 – Class at Tokyo Ballet

Quote of the day:
“People will love you, people will hate you, and none of it will have anything to do with you.” ~Abraham-Hicks
via @allowhappiness

]]> http://www.daniilsimkin.com/17/08/2010/of-the-day-3/feed/ 1 35.6894875 139.6917064 http://www.daniilsimkin.com/13/08/2010/of-the-day-2/ http://www.daniilsimkin.com/13/08/2010/of-the-day-2/#comments Fri, 13 Aug 2010 01:25:32 +0000 Daniil http://www.daniilsimkin.com/?p=533 #002 – Royan in the south of France

Quote of the day:
“Nothing in life has to be taken seriously – except the joy of life.” – Maharishi
via @DAVID_LYNCH

Link of the day:
3 Effective Ways to Enhance Your Willpower: http://bit.ly/bcyI7Q
via @zappos

#001 – Tokyo at night

Quote of the day:
“We choose our destiny in the way we treat others.” ~Wit

via @tinybuddha

I know I’m super late with these photos, but better late than never, right? They were taken on our LA tour with ABT, where we performed Sleeping Beauty.
After that I’ve been to Tokyo, Frankfurt, Royan, New York, Vail, and am now back in Tokyo. So as you might guess there are quite a substantial number of pictures to come, so please stay tuned

I’m doing well actually, rehearsing currently the full-length DonQ with Tokyo ballet which I’ll be performing on August 20th and 22nd in the Youport hall! After that I continue in Taipei…but one set of pictures at a time

Hope all is well with everyone! Cheers!

The season at the Metropolitan Opera, which always lasts 2 months in the year in the summer here in the currently hot and humid New York, is on the one side my favorite time of the year… on the other side I feel like all of us dancers at ABT definitely grow a couple of extra gray hairs in the process.

I feel extremely privileged to perform on such a special stage in front of up to 4000 viewers each night. Every week we perform different ballets, which means we rehearse one ballet and perform another one (or even various roles) in the evening (which differs from the usual European system…) To a certain degree there are times when everyone is on edge, physically and of course mentally. To put it in concrete terms, I performed in 11 different things in the course of this season. In the middle of it I suffered a minor ankle injury (from which I am still slightly recovering). I cried… I laughed… and I felt every and anything in between.

Nevertheless it is a special kind of sensation (and I’m trying now not  to be too clichée ) to be finished with the season. When it begins it seems it’s never-ending. When it ends, it seems like the time flew by like nothing.

To be honest I feel I cannot express myself in words well enough. I’m not a words person. I appreciate the written word, but am incapable of creating something worth of what I am trying to say.  I better stop and go to sleep. Enjoy the pictures. They hopefully capture a teeny-tiny-little bit of my life.
No more, no less.

Nevertheless here is the sum-up of the Chicago tour. First the couple of reviews we received with ABT and then my photos. The photos are not what you might expect, just so you know
Anyway here you go.

“In three breathtaking solo turns, Daniil Simkin (a dancer whose compact frame and airtight style are reminiscent of Baryshnikov’s) [...] made every gesture count and every moment pop in this quintessentially American street scene of a ballet. Glorious. “

- Hedy Weiss for the Chicago Sun-Times ,April 16, 2010

“Sparkly Daniil Simkin, a rising ABT spitfire, was electric as the first
sailor, flawless in the double spins and glissando-like split that
Robbins assigned the character.”

- Sid Smith for the Chicago Tribune ,April 16, 2010

“ABT is coming to town! In addition to a seven-performance run of Swan Lake (yes!), the New York-based troupe will present a one-night-only showcase of American choreographers. The All-American Celebration featuring works by Jerome Robbins, Paul Taylor and Twyla Tharp, is also the Chicago debut for 22-year-old soloist Daniil Simkin. This Russian-born wunderkind has exquisite technique, an inextinguishable creative curiosity and oodles of charm. Think of him as a mini Misha.”

- Vicki Crain for the Ruminations by a Rogue Ballerina Blog ,April 10, 2010

“[...]Now 22, Simkin makes his debut as one of three sailors in Robbins’ “Fancy Free” on Wednesday. “It’s iconic, and very American,” he says of the part…[...]“

- Sid Smith for the Chicago Tribune ,April 11, 2010

And here are the photos:

And here are the promised photos of my ‘Dance Open’ gala in St. Petersburg, Russia on April 2nd. All photos by me…please don’t get too excited, they just give you a little glimpse of the trip…obviously I was too lazy to actually post-correct most of the pictures. I hope you enjoy them anyway…

Besides that we’re getting ready with ABT to tour to Chicago, where I’ll be performing the first sailor in Jerome Robbin’s Fancy Free for the first time! I’m a little tense and excited at the same time ! Anyway I’ll try to keep you posted on Twitter and here as much as possible!

Good night and see you back soon,
-Daniil

• Signed, used, old, stinky, hole-y (that means with holes in them haha), personal ballet slippers which I’ve worn onstage or in the studio are being sold at ABT’s website. They are 75$ a pair and proceeds benefit ABT and The Dancers’ Emergency Fund
• I bought a Panasonic Lumix GF1 camera, so you can expect photos from my trips abroad here on the blog…
• I updated the schedule and the press section of my website…Resume section to follow…
• My next stops are the Dance Open Festival in St. Petersburg on April 2nd, then my Fancy Free debut and a couple of Swan Lakes in Chicago and then the closing gala at the X Mariinsky Ballet Festival again in St. Petersburg
• Oh and all the wonderful drawings you see are from Michael Arthur who drew me some months ago in the studio…

Hope you enjoy you the blog design With the very best wishes,

Daniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiil

Here are the clips of the aforementioned ‘INTENSIO’ performance in Athens, December 2009: