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Osipova


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Seems she should know walking by yourself late at night in any big city is not a good idea. And even more unbelievable to me is that no one (whoever she was with before beginning her solo walk) didn't offer to walk her home.

I've lived in four big cities in a row, and I travel extensively on my own. If I thought walking alone late at night in a city was a bad idea without question or regard to specific circumstances, I'd never get to the ballet or opera.

Comments in the artsbeat blog on the times are now revolving around this issue...

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At this point, after what happened, Osipova would be escorted back to anywhere at night, but most youngish people don't do that anymore, and it was written about extensively not too long ago that Hollywood starlets, who are much more famous as well as less gifted than Osipova, don't want an entourage--and, as we well know, they in particular need one (at least ONE sober person) to drive them home somtimes so they don't have to do any more time in L.A. County Jail. I think that's basically good, though, and Osipova had been here a few weeks, was only walking a few blocks, and I doubt she wanted to be escorted. I hardly think anyone at all was derelict (outside the delinquents), since this is pretty much the mode by now. I think escorts are mainly for the 'old legend types' in whatever field, but I bet Rosemary Harris walked home from the theater whenever she was in the mood.

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...Hollywood starlets, who are much more famous as well as less gifted than Osipova, don't want an entourage--and, as we well know, they in particular need one (at least ONE sober person) to drive them home somtimes so they don't have to do any more time in L.A. County Jail.

Perhaps. As we all know, it's a long trek from the front door to the car the valet or chauffeur has just pulled up. Who, in LA, walks???

I think there are some details to note here. First, that she was assaulted "early Tuesday morning," meaning after midnight. The Met locks its front (Plaza-facing) doors as the last patrons exit a performance, making it necessary for anyone who might have been in the building (staff, dancers, guests) to exit through the rear. I don't know in which hotel Osipova is staying, but I can't think of a likely one that would have her on Amsterdam Avenue, a residential stretch with no nightlife and, at the moment, a large construction site (badly lit and with lots of shadowy hiding places) -- in other words, a bit desolate, at least in comparison with other central Manhattan areas. It might be a better idea for the Met to keep a security guard on call in the front lobby to allow people to leave the theater more safely at any hour. That way, someone can go out through the Plaza (which is well lit and patrolled, in the easterly direction, directly toward the restaurants, traffic and hotels convenient to Lincoln Center.

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...Hollywood starlets, who are much more famous as well as less gifted than Osipova, don't want an entourage--and, as we well know, they in particular need one (at least ONE sober person) to drive them home somtimes so they don't have to do any more time in L.A. County Jail.

Perhaps. As we all know, it's a long trek from the front door to the car the valet or chauffeur has just pulled up. Who, in LA, walks???

We're not talking about where the starlets walk, but rather that they tend to want to drive by themselves, without entourages (they need these to drive them in their cars, not to escort them to their cars--because they've been drinking at the clubs, even if just to slight excess.) It was a parallel to walking here unescorted (though leading to arrest instead of mugging), but there is a lot more walking in LA than the stereotype lets us know (it's acc. to the neighborhood, there's lots of walking in Hollywood and Downtown (where all the high culture institutions are, and which are all close to extremely dangerous neighborhoods, including that vast Skid Row), Chinatown, and lots of walking in the commercial sections of Beverly Hills/Rodeo. It's not nearly all gated. The subway is expanding rapidly, and people walk home from from there (in notorious sections like Compton and other sections served by the Blue Line), the bus system is enormous, albeit mostly those who can't afford cars (or myself, who likes to walk and does so there as well).

So that, whether driving unescorted or walking unescorted, many of the younger generations have decided it's more fun to do it 'as if they were purely private persons', and sometimes go to the supermarket alone, and expect fans to leave them alone (fine, but they won't sometimes). In the case of the Hollywood bimbos, they're noticed wherever they do go, in the case of Osipova, the thugs wouldn't have the slightest idea (I wouldn't know her on the street either, and probably not many of the ballerinas I'm more familiar with.)

So the problem is that they want to drive their own cars, that they won't use valets or chauffeurs, which led to DUI arrests of Nicole Ritchie, Paris Hilton, lunatic car chases by Lindsay Lohan, and hit and runs by Britney Spears. They're not old-school, and I imagine that ballerinas in New York, at least, would not expect to be or want to be escorted around. That's 'old people' stuff.

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Perhaps. As we all know, it's a long trek from the front door to the car the valet or chauffeur has just pulled up. Who, in LA, walks???

I think there are some details to note here. First, that she was assaulted "early Tuesday morning," meaning after midnight. The Met locks its front (Plaza-facing) doors as the last patrons exit a performance, making it necessary for anyone who might have been in the building (staff, dancers, guests) to exit through the rear. I don't know in which hotel Osipova is staying, but I can't think of a likely one that would have her on Amsterdam Avenue, a residential stretch with no nightlife and, at the moment, a large construction site (badly lit and with lots of shadowy hiding places) -- in other words, a bit desolate, at least in comparison with other central Manhattan areas. It might be a better idea for the Met to keep a security guard on call in the front lobby to allow people to leave the theater more safely at any hour. That way, someone can go out through the Plaza (which is well lit and patrolled, in the easterly direction, directly toward the restaurants, traffic and hotels convenient to Lincoln Center.

Good points, and an excellent solution.

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Carbro, I like your suggestion about keeping the Met plaza doors open later. Several years ago when my daughter first moved to Manhattan she wanted me to come with her to find a cab after an evening ballet at the Met. We ended up having to walk several blocks and wait quite awhile for an available cab. I was parked in the Met underground lot and when I finally made my way back alone the front plaza door was locked up tight. I was a little unnerved finding my way around to 65th and into the underground lot where most of the cars had already exited. PS - my daughter is now an expert cab-finder and knows the subway system like the back of her hand. And she always takes a cab if she's on her own and out late at night. Since mothers never stop worrying about their children, no matter what their age, this makes me very happy.

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I agree with Sunday that ABT should hire an escort for Osipova. Hopefully this will not make her think twice about returning to NY.

Let's hope the same thing doesn't happen to Cojacaru.

Heck, no! Let her be afraid enough to go to work to the peaceful Segovian countryside!

What? :blink:

Did you see the smiley in the header of the post?

Corella Ballet is based in La Granja, a little town in Segovia province, Spain.

So, that was intended as a (perhaps lame) joke

I understood it. But sorry, a little lame. I would rather dancers came to Corella Ballet because they want to, not because they feel threatened/afraid elsewhere and had to.

This whole thing with Osipova has unnerved me a bit, because several times I have walked the 5-7 blocks from LCtr back to my hotel alone at 1 or 2am. And I'm the same height she is, though probably not as diminutive otherwise.

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I understood it. But sorry, a little lame. I would rather dancers came to Corella Ballet because they want to, not because they feel threatened/afraid elsewhere and had to.

No offense taken. I'd like that, of course

This whole thing with Osipova has unnerved me a bit, because several times I have walked the 5-7 blocks from LCtr back to my hotel alone at 1 or 2am. And I'm the same height she is, though probably not as diminutive otherwise.

I'm sorry you did not find anyone gentlemanly enough. Pity the old trick with the NRA cap ceased to work, as someone told to me.

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Not to dismiss the horrible act that happened in NYC...but I cannot imagine that this sort of thing does not happen in Moscow and that a celebrity such as Osipova has not been targetted before. It certainly happens in St Petersburg -- usually to the well-to-do and/or celebrities -- with the perpetrators usually linked to the local Mafia. If you are a celebrity and do not grease the right palms, then you WILL be mugged when walking the streets at night or maybe even worse. If a rival has "friends in mob places," watch out. [Of course, there's no Russian Mob in NYC, eh?]

Ex- AD of the Kirov-Mariinsky, Oleg Vinogradov, was mugged and beaten up pretty badly in the mid-1990s.

Not a mugging, but Diana Vishneva's house was burglarized one year ago, with her precious jewelry stolen. The thief knew exactly where to go.

Famous figure skaters have had their autos blown up.

I vaguely recall some incident with Bolshoi star Tsiskaridze hurt, a few years ago.

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I find the whole thing rather hard to swallow... first that she was walking alone... she's a mega-star after all and this is NY... no one around Lincoln Center recognized her? With all the cameras everywhere, seems like there'd be a shot of it. Someone punch a girl in the face and no one around her object? Must have been awfully fast. I'm suspicious. But I hope she is okay!!

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She's not a mega-star in the practical sense, the American sense. She's a mega-star in the ballet world, and that's not being a mega-star in the world of fame. I never even heard of her till two weeks ago--not that I'm a ballet expert, but just hanging around BT is enough to finally hear of her, and I still don't know what she looks like. And ballet stars don't usually keep dressing as ballet stars when they're offstage; I wouldn't have recognized Veronika Part or David Hallberg an hour after I saw them dance on Saturday, most likely. And guards and police aren't going to know who a dancer is. I don't happen to be suspicious of any of it, she just ran into some random thugs, might indeed have been from the projects, we get more of those types in the West Village, where there are much more recognizable types of celebs living (Hollywood types, Martha Stewart, etc.). The walking alone is probably also personality. Hard to imagine Natalia Makarova not thinking everybody would recognize her back in the day (they wouldn't have--no, I take that back, she was pretty flamboyant and had a lot of projection, but still only balletophiles of lesser or greater magnitude would even know to be looking for her anywhere) but easy to imagine Julie Kent or Gillian Murphy knowing that they're not going to be recognized by most. Nina Ananiashvili also was a mega-star, I bet she was almost never recognized around Lincoln Center once dressed down. I think that was over with Nureyev, Fonteyn and Baryshnikov.

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As Michael says, the public housing in the area covers several blocks. Coming out of the Met stage door area or lower entrance, it is not exceptionally well- lit or peopled. There is scaffolding all around LaGuardia high school right now and it's very dark. I don't know where she is staying while in town, but there are not hotels in the direction she was heading. It is a very sketch area, and late at night there may not have been too many bystanders. As she is a guest artist here, perhaps management ought to arrange for a cab from the Plaza side, at least.

There are many 'recognizable' people in the area, but midnight on Amsterdam & 64/65th is not red-carpet time.....

Still, a very unfortunate situation and one hopes that it will be corrected by escorts or cabs from now on.

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BTW: for those who want to know how Osipova is doing: she was at NYCB tonight (Thursday 6/17). She attended a program of Donizetti Variations/Interplay/After the Rain but left before Scotch Symphony. Osipova looked fine with no bruises on her face. She was in the company of Daniil Simkin and seemed to be enjoying the program. So she doesn't seem to have any visible injuries (she was wearing little or no makeup) and is going out.

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Ballet stars are not pop/media-stars in the USA--even in NY. The majority population of NYC does not know or care. Several times I've walked on NYC streets in that neighborhood or rode subways with a so-called "ballet star" and no one recognized anyone. I've never seen ABT provide an escort for D.Vishneva or other guest artists. Most of the stars seem to leave after a performance with family, business colleagues, or friends--NOT some escort service provided by ABT/Met/NYPD whoever. Whether security cameras cover all those LCtr neighborhood streets is something I guess only Homeland Security or NY City Hall knows.

I've also seen many "stars" of ballet on the streets of NYC in broad daylight too, and no one recognized them or stoppped them going about their business. Like many Hollywood 'stars', during the day I think most are glad of the anonymity and chance to do errands/whatever without interruption. But late-night, maybe not. (As I wrote above, the streets are rather dark and empty then--esp. Amsterdam, but Columbus/Bway aren't much better. I used to be afraid to pass CP until I noticed the NYPD vehicles usually park around Columbus Circle at night.)

PS. Thanks "sunday" for wishing for gentlemanly accompaniment, but since I usually go to the ballet alone, I don't expect anyone afterwards.

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This is not a medical assessment, but .... she's fine. She paid a visit to NYCB Thursday, looked relaxed, unscathed and perfectly fine.

In New York City, she is not a huge star. Put her on the subway, and I doubt more than one or two people would recognize her. Ballet dancers who are more well known, whose images are on bus stop shelters and phone booths (illuminated, no less), walk around on their own all the time.

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In New York City, she is not a huge star. Put her on the subway, and I doubt more than one or two people would recognize her. Ballet dancers who are more well known, whose images are on bus stop shelters and phone booths (illuminated, no less), walk around on their own all the time.

Not only on the subway. Several weeks ago, while picking up my tickets for La bayadere I saw Osipova walk through the Met lobby with Hallberg and Simkin. It was about half an hour before the performance and there was a lot of people around. No one but me seemed to recognize or pay any attention to them, and we're talking not regular New Yorkers, but ballet fans getting ready to attend an ABT performance.

As for the mugging story, I can only thank God it didn't result in a true tragedy and hope it will not stop N.O. from coming back to NYC.

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The New York Times has a nice feature story on Osipova that includes a little more information about the mugging:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/18/arts/dan...sipova.html?hpw

"The crime of different countries is an unpleasant extra; after the mugging, close to her rented apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, she said she was simply relieved that only her face had been bruised. “It was so quick that I think I felt more shock the next day,” she said. “But now I am thinking only about my first performance of ‘The Sleeping Beauty.’ ”

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Natalia could be right in her theory as there is a huge amount of venom directed at Osipova on some of the Russian websites (You tube too). Not beyond the bounds of possibility she was targeted on purpose.

By the way this made the free London newspaper Metro today, but the picture claiming to be Osipova wasn't actually of her. Typical sloppy journalism.

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Not to dismiss the horrible act that happened in NYC...but I cannot imagine that this sort of thing does not happen in Moscow and that a celebrity such as Osipova has not been targetted before. It certainly happens in St Petersburg -- usually to the well-to-do and/or celebrities -- with the perpetrators usually linked to the local Mafia. If you are a celebrity and do not grease the right palms, then you WILL be mugged when walking the streets at night or maybe even worse. If a rival has "friends in mob places," watch out. [Of course, there's no Russian Mob in NYC, eh?]

Ex- AD of the Kirov-Mariinsky, Oleg Vinogradov, was mugged and beaten up pretty badly in the mid-1990s.

Not a mugging, but Diana Vishneva's house was burglarized one year ago, with her precious jewelry stolen. The thief knew exactly where to go.

Famous figure skaters have had their autos blown up.

I vaguely recall some incident with Bolshoi star Tsiskaridze hurt, a few years ago.

Re St. Pete and Moscow: Natalia, you're telling the truth. I'm so thankful that Osipova is okay. I hope NYPD gets the perps as soon as possible.

Mashinka wrote:

Natalia could be right in her theory as there is a huge amount of venom directed at Osipova on some of the Russian websites (You tube too). Not beyond the bounds of possibility she was targeted on purpose.

That thought had crossed my mind too :sweatingbullets: .

As an L.A. native I totally agree with you Papeetapatrick: The "noire" factor you mentioned is very real. The mad dash to get out of Downtown L.A. at 5 pm is a sight to behold. As far as ballet, opera and the orchestra are concerned, the exodus is even faster after evening performances at Disney Concert Hall and the Music Center. After the Lakers won the NBA Finals last night, there was the obligatory riot. I can only imagine what would've happened if the Celtics had won - and they almost did. Increasingly, major companies are re-routing their engagements to Orange County Center for the Performing Arts approximately 57 miles southeast of Los Angeles. The after-hours safety issue may be just one of the reasons for this, in addition to the superior facilities at the Center and the adjacent hotels in that complex. In Downtown L.A. the best hotels are several blocks away from the Music Center. It's also true that L.A.'s pedestrians and drivers are subjected to DUI entertainers. The best way to avoid our cultural elite and the papparazi who chase them, is to stay away from their haunts.

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