562 replies to this topic

[abatt]

Do the people who signed the letter assume that there would not be a fair investigation and trial without the letter?  The Russian legal system is perplexing, to say the least.

[Mme. Hermine]

abatt, on 12 March 2013 - 10:21 AM, said:

Do the people who signed the letter assume that there would not be a fair investigation and trial without the letter?  The Russian legal system is perplexing, to say the least.

Quote

We hope that the real causes and circumstances of the crime will be established, and that the opinion of the staff of the Bolshoi Theatre, where the tragedy occurred, will help the public to see the situation in a much more objective light, without a media prone to sensationalism and possible pressure from judicial and executive authorities who want to put a quick end to this matter.

that's how the above sounded to me.

[bart]

With this call for an "independent commission," are they also saying, in effect, that they do not trust the ordinary judicial process?

[Drew]

The idea that Dmitrichenko "only" arranging to have Filin beat up is not a big enough deal to have him fired is just appalling to me and if, indeed what happens is that he is found guilty but kept on at Bolshoi since that is "all" he did, I fear that  guarantees that an atmosphere of lawlessness in and around the theater will persist. [Edited to add: when I wrote this I had misunderstood Iksanov's very proper remarks that if Dmitrichenko is acquitted then he can have his job back.]  I realize the dancers are claiming they think Dmitrichenko may be innocent of any wrongdoing whatsoever: I've yet to hear or read anything that makes it seem as if that's the case.

I agree with Jayne that dancers saying "Pavel Dmitrichenko would never do this" is not evidence one way or another: people rarely believe those they work with are capable of vicious crimes. And some of the same dancers have been quoted as more or less accepting of criminal behavior that fell short of an acid attack--slashed tires etc. I'm sure that they don't trust the judicial system and that they have reason not to do so, but that doesn't make Dmitrichenko  innocent.  Perhaps more will come out...

(I'm sure people remember reports of the scene in court. When a reporter yelled out to Dmitrichenko asking if he was "sorry" for what he did, he was certainly under no obligation to answer--but he did. And what did he say--"What for?" It's not the police who relayed this, but journalists.)

As far as saying (suggested above) that all Grigorivich had to do was aggravate a dancer like Dmitrichenko and let the rest take its course--for myself I don't see that as necessarily anything more than the kind of thing Tsiskaridze has been said to have done.  Even if I believed this is what happened or could have happened -- I would say it's ugly and worthy of criticism, but it's not a crime.

I understand that the point that concerns many is that Dmitrichenko may not be a big villain, but may be just a bit player. Fair enough: but if that turns out to be the case--he would still be a bit player in a big crime and, to my mind, with very little apparent excuse. Of course, it's essential for the good of the Bolshoi (and ... uh... the rule of law) that the entire truth be uncovered. Though I'm not sure it will be and not sure that even if it is, it will become public record.

Regarding Tsiskaridze: given yet another opportunity to say something halfway human about Filin by David Remnick (as quoted in New Yorker article) he volunteered that he doesn't care what happened to Filin, and repeated his litany of complaints -- justified or otherwise.  Are we to admire his lack of hypocrisy?  For that matter, he wants to direct a major theater with super-fraught politics and yet can't even come up with something neutral to say like "Such crimes are always terrible."

[Drew]

Apologies for supplemental post but just saw Miriam Elder's piece in Guardian which I did not see mentioned in this most recent part of discussion.  In it she quotes Filin saying to Russian television on Tuesday that "Every time, every moment, every meeting with Pavel Dmitrichenko was, for me, yet another threat, yet another demonstration of hostility."

http://www.guardian....-support-dancer

[Jayne]

NPR Talk of the Nation has a radio segment interviewing David Remneck of The New Yorker regarding his article "Danse Macabre", lasts about 15 minutes.  Interesting stuff about the oligarchs and how their money keeps the ballet afloat, but causes problems of influence and expectations of influence.  I didn't know that he edited his article to eliminate the name of a dancer who is gay and gets quoted.  The dancer contacted him and begged him passionately to delete his name, because of the increasing homophobia in Russia.  

http://www.npr.org/2...-bolshoi-ballet

[solo]

Yuri Grigorovich was mentioned here several times, even as someone “knowing which buttons to push (in this case, seeking out a disgruntled dancer) and letting the rest play itself out.”
Grigorovich is not like that. He is a person of an explosive temperament. As soon as he was unhappy, he would snap, tell people off and roar orders. When he was upset with something, it was better to keep out of his way. At the same time his authority was incontestable and he enjoyed overwhelming and genuine respect in the company. Even when he appears at the Bolshoi now, just a few times a year, the atmosphere there changes. People start informing each other: ‘Grig is in the theatre today’, and some dancers admit that they do their class more conscientiously.
Here is some information on what Grigorovich was up to in recent months.
Very soon after the opening night of ‘Ivan the Terrible’ in November 2012 the choreographer was taken ill. Doctors discovered that he had 90% constriction of the inner surface of the carotid artery, which could lead to severe paralysis or may be death. On the 5th of December, he was operated at the clinic of the First Moscow State Medical University. http://www.rg.ru/201...ovich-site.html
The 2nd of January 2013 saw his 86th birthday. He went to recuperate after the operation to Anapa, a Black Sea resort.
On the 3rd of March ITAR-TASS reported that Grigorovich did casting and began work on his production of ‘Coppelia’ at his ballet theatre in Krasnodar, in the south of Russia:  http://www.itar-tass...culture&i=39650
As long as I saw and remember Grig’s rise and reign in Russian ballet it would be impossible for me to imagine him pushing any dancer, especially the dancer he has chosen in the corps and fostered and promoted to the top roles, towards criminal actions.

[Jayne]

solo, your comments lead me to believe that the impetus for the attack was not necessarily "Grig", but disgruntled people (or a person) within the current Bolshoi Theatre.  The lack of money seems to be the motivator.  But does Mr Filin control the purse strings?  I thought that responsibility lays with the general director, Mr. Iksanov.  

Can anyone enlighten us with the pay structure at the Bolshoi?  Compare it to a "Western" company's salary and payment structure?

How does this lifetime tenure work?  Is it only for principals?  Or also soloists and corps dancers?  How much is the stipend after they retire from performances?  How do the apartment assignments work?  Are they lifelong?

This money issue seems to indicate to me that the workers at the Bolshoi don't have a functioning union that can adequately bargain for them.  Yes, this sounds so obvious, but violence isn't going to effect the type of change that Russia needs to help labor interests.  I am too cynical about Russia United to believe it would shepherd legislation through the Duma that would help.  What are the strike rules in Russia?  A strike by the Bolshoi dancers would surely be an international media event.

[Amy Reusch]

All the talk about pay and control over freedom to go abroad and earn guesting income makes me think back to Osipova and Vasiliev leaving the company.  Wasn't there something about getting their schedules to work with their guesting obligations overseas and limitations to performing in Moscow?  Perhaps they really did get considerably more freedom by leaving the Bolshoi.

[Mme. Hermine]

This text, machine translated, was posted below this video:
<p><span id="result_box" lang="en">With journalists Sergei Filin met in Holland. Under German law, shooting at the clinic banned, so the meeting was held in a room near the hotel.

To this day, is in a German clinic in Aachen Sergei Filin journalists did not communicate. Kept medical secret and surgeons who have operated on him.

"It was much more difficult than one would imagine. Treatment now goes to the very active. My doctors are doing everything possible and impossible. I try to help them in this," - said Sergey Filin.

In the words of Sergei Filin, the doctors did not tell him how long it takes for treatment. Sergei Filin said that the last time he got a lot of messages with wishes for a speedy recovery as the artists of the theater, and from the common people.

"As soon as they tell me:" Sergey, you are free! You can go further, "I assure you, I will once again be in order, I will come back to the Bolshoi Theater," - he promised.

[angelica]

In the March 18th issue of The New Yorker magazine, there is a long, detailed article about the attack on Filin by David Remnick, a longtime New Yorker writer and possibly on the editorial board (I can't find the masthead just now). Remnick lived in Moscow "in the last years of the Soviet era, when tickets to the Bolshoi were cheap, and I used to go whenever I could...." I just started to read the article, but wanted to post this here so that everyone who is interested can go out and buy a copy while it's still on the newsstands.

[Ilya]

volcanohunter, on 12 March 2013 - 10:16 AM, said:

This is a translation of an open letter by employees of the Bolshoi Theater demanding a fair investigation and trial of Pavel Dmitrichenko. It is said to have been signed by more than 300 employees.

volcanohunter, on 12 March 2013 - 10:16 AM, said:

http://www.mk.ru/cul...itrichenko.html

It is certainly said to have been signed by more than 300 employees, but in fact the letter (or at least its published version) is anonymous (it's quite ironic that they are calling it an "open letter").  I have not seen any evidence that this number is anywhere close to reality.  The article cited above names the following signers: Alexandrova, Allash, Antonicheva, Volchkov, and Tsiskaridze.  That's five.  Who are the remaining 295+?

[Amy Reusch]

Isn't Remnick the editor-in-chief of The New Yorker?

[volcanohunter]

Ilya, on 13 March 2013 - 06:48 PM, said:

It is certainly said to have been signed by more than 300 employees, but in fact the letter (or at least its published version) is anonymous (it's quite ironic that they are calling it an "open letter").  I have not seen any evidence that this number is anywhere close to reality.  The article cited above names the following signers: Alexandrova, Allash, Antonicheva, Volchkov, and Tsiskaridze.  That's five.  Who are the remaining 295+?

Izvestia has published one sheet of signatures, and no doubt this particular one was chosen because it includes Tsiskaridze's. It claims there are 35 more sheets. All of the signatories on the published sheet--Kochkina, Baranov, Kochan, Tsiskaridze, Barichka, Bochkareva, Zhidkov, Zelenko, Oppengeym, Savichev--are members of the ballet company.

http://izvestia.ru/news/546485

[Drew]

The new "artistic council" that has been put in place seems potentially a victory for the pro-Grigorovich (or anti-Filin) forces in the company -- Ismene Browne has an interesting commentary on her blog.