62 replies to this topic

[vipa]

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.

[Barbara]

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.

[Alexandra]

Cable news junkies will note that Rachel Maddow closed her show with a mention of this incident.

[4mrdncr]

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?

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.

[Mme. Hermine]

WNBC covered it last night and it's on their site (tho no video)

http://www.nbcnewyor...n-96506519.html

Rachel Maddow:

http://www.msnbc.msn...15908/#37744780

[sunday]

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.

[Michael]

. . . 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) --

Also the housing project is right there

[mussel]

What are the chances that the mugging was staged by her NY rivals to scare her off of New York?

[Natalia]

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.

[Amy Reusch]

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!!

[papeetepatrick]

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.

[Juliet]

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.

[FauxPas]

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.

[4mrdncr]

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.

[carbro]

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.