Great Male Dancers #2

[Manhattnik]

Malakhov is a very great dancer, and a great stylist. He works his roles out very carefully, and you get the feeling he always knows exactly who his character is, and what he should be doing, at any moment. It's a treat to watch him, not just for his technique and lovely line, but because of the many subtle and carefully realized details with which he'll reward the observant.

In some ways, he makes me think of a super-charged Ivan Nagy. (I guess I'm showing my age here...)

However, having said that, I must also admit that Malakhov's technique can be somewhat lacking in the truly difficult stuff. He sometimes reaches a level where, if he goes beyond it in difficulty, the poise and grace go away, however briefly. It's jarring, and, while on most onther dancers, Malahkov's slight lapses at the top end of the technical spectrum would still be quite an accomplishment, for Malakhov, well, I always find myself wishing he'd be so perfect through the entire spectrum of his technique.

[Lillian]

Estelle I believe that may be so. I remember hearing both his parents were dancers and teachers.

[Guest Angela]

I agree completely on Malakhov: if you have seen how perfect his dance be in some very precious moments, you get a feeling he is not always dancing to the full amount of his ability. Too often he seems tired or not concentrated. I think he has too many things on his mind, he is not able to concentrate long enough on a certain role or on a certain choreographer's technique. He visits here and there, always eager to learn but never really staying long enough.

But nevertheless: his lyrical quality is truly unique, so are his high, soft and incredibly slow jumps, his wonderful arms, the lightness of all his dancing. And he is a great dramatic dancer, too, for example as Romeo or as Armand in John Neumeiers "Lady of the Camelias".

Did you know he staged "La Bayadère" at the Vienna Opera House recently? But is was not so great, because the whole company is so terribly bad.

[Kevin Ng]

Angela and Manhattnik, I agree that Malakhov is one of the greatest male dancers today. I was told that he is the favourite and highest paid guest star in Japan.

I can still remember my first viewing of Malakhov in London in the summer of 1988, when he danced Siegfried with the Moscow Classical Ballet of which he was then a member. He had such an effortless high jump. I saw his Siegfried again in 1990 when Moscow Classical returned to Sadler's Wells in London.

I saw relatively little of him in recent years. I saw him once with ABT in New York in 1996. Last year (1998), I saw him in "Giselle", "Etudes", and "La Sylphide" Act 2 with ABT. His Albrecht was most moving. I can still remember one highlight of his amazing virtuosity. In his Act 2 solo, it was unforgettable to see Malakhov, after each cabriole, land on the ground arching his body so far backward - I hadn't seen this step from any other danseur before.

I read in the Japanese monthly "Dance Magazine" that Malakhov is to dance Giselle with Alessandra Ferri in Tokyo in early Sept. However, since I don't know Japanese, I cannot figure out with which ballet company they are dancing.