52 replies to this topic

[Jane Simpson]

... with immediate effect, according to a press release from the company.

Why??? And where is he going???

[annamicro]

ABT?

That's a true disaster for the Royal Ballet, they remain without young top male dancers.

[Natalia]

He may have 'pulled a Solymosi' and gotten tired of being assigned 'heave-ho duty' for big-boned, tall ballerinas. Whatever the reason -- sad news.

[Helene]

I can't imagine that he won't resurface soon. He'd be a gift to any ballet company.

[Jane Simpson]

Well it certainly creates lots of nice job opportunities - anyone out there knows Ashton's Oberon and would like to do the revival first night next week? with Alina Cojocaru? Or Month in the Country, with Cojocaru, later on? Ballo della Regina, with Nunez? La Sylphide with Sarah Lamb? Alice, with a new solo specially written for you? Worldwide cinema relay of Romeo?

[mussel]

ABT?

That's a true disaster for the Royal Ballet, they remain without young top male dancers.

ABT not likely as the MET season is almost all casted. It could be Mikhailovsky. If that's the case, MB needs to poach more women.

[Helene]

Well, Cojocaru certainly isn't a "heave-ho" candidate. I don't remember how tall Lamb is.

[Mme. Hermine]

not tall.

[Natalia]

We're hardly referring to Cojocaru or Lamb. (ha-ha)

Am I the only one who has noticed that Polunin is the 'heave-ho artist' lifting the "English Rose of Choice" in Live-in-Cinemas? Solymosi experienced similar duties in the ROH not so long ago, as did Matvienko and Ivanchenko at the Bolshoi. Nuff said.

[ami1436]

Wow, I find that unnecessarily vitriolic. If we are calling a dancer who could sit on my shoulder a heave-ho? I mean, I'm 5'1 (so yes, she's taller than me), but tiny, and...well. This is unnecessary.

From what I can gather, there are several reasons, including his own other ambitions. The speculation can be fun, but can also detract from the fact that: HE RESIGNED. And, interesting, he seems to have been planning this for a while, but apparently gave the company just a few hours' notice.

[annamicro]

Wow, I find that unnecessarily vitriolic.

I don't think that's the reason too. He was dancing with Cuthbertson also in galas.
As far as I know in the past he has been requested for guesting by some top companies, but his ambitions have always been frustrated: that could be a better reason.
Also the fact that the company is largely promoting British mediocre stuff and not its best talents can play a role. But who knows, maybe only Sergei.

[Helene]

I don't know how many times male dancers have said that it's not the size of the ballerina, but how she holds herself and how much she helps to get into the lifts, and that some small, thin ballerinas are like lifting dead weight, because they don't help.

[annamicro]

I don't know how many times male dancers have said that it's not the size of the ballerina, but how she holds herself and how much she helps to get into the lifts, and that some small, thin ballerinas are like lifting dead weight, because they don't help.

in any case it has little sense to talk of that since none of the mentioned ladies is really heavy to lift. And the less light of Polunin partners has not been mentioned at all: in any case, it seems that they loved to dance together and I think they are/were also planning to dance together at Tokyo World Ballet Festival.
There are many more "reasonable" reasons for a young brilliant dancer to make such a decision than the weight of one or two of his partners...
And the focal point remains the complete disaster that this means for the Royal Ballet, at least from a non British perspective. I'm happy I've not bought the flights for some Polunin shows I was planning to see, now I have just to sell the already bought theatre tickets. Of course I'm not selling the tickets for Cojocau's Dream, but I was really looking forward this patnership and I'm now really worried for the change of cast. :-(

[Helene]

Head West, young man, head West. (But stop at the Pacific Ocean and no farther south than San Francisco.)

[ksk04]

I read an interview from him last summer about how he received an invite from ABT and was not allowed to go by the management at the Royal. I'd assume that type of stuff has something to do with it. He did have his pick of casting though this season, and honestly, while he is clearly a talented up and comer he's not at the level of many international male dancers. If he is to continue dancing he needs a lot of coaching at this time in his career and I hope he picks wisely.