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Pontois seems to have been the most popular POB principal in the 70s with Thesmar, but I've only seen her in a video of "Petrouchka" with Nureyev and Jude (and, being young and stupid then, I didn't record that!
) She officially retired in 1983, but still danced as a guest until 1993. Her daughter Miteki Kudo, now about 30, is a soloist with the company, by the way (I haven't seen her much, but she has a lovely silhouette and seems to have a very poetic, fluid style).I've only seen Atanassoff in a mime role (recently), but he danced both character roles (Quasimodo and Frollo in Petit's "Notre-Dame de Paris", for example) and "noble" roles (partnering Chauvire in "Giselle", Pontois in "Swan Lake" or "La Sylphide"...)
Bessy still is at the school, and from what a dancer told me, she chose virtually all dancers since the beginning of her directorship (and seems to have a wonderful eye for that). But once in the company, it's the direction who chooses to push this or that dancer, gives the roles, etc. Also I guess the male candidates are far less numerous than the female ones... Anyway, I don't see any real potential "prince" now among the present soloists, but I don't see the company often enough to know the younger dancers well, so perhaps my fears are excessive.
