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Tsis­karidze & Lopatk­ina at the Vag­an­ova Bal­let Academy


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Stanislav Belyayevsky, a teacher at the Vaganova who has published some lovely coffee table books of the Academy, has put out a strong statement on his public Facebook page:

DEAR GRADUATES of the ACADEMY of RUSSIAN BALLET! DEAR TEACHERS!

I think that among you there is no one who would agree with the opinion on the appointment of the Rector of Nikolay Tsiskaridze (in other words "experienced Manager") of the Academy of Russian Ballet!

Tell you a short anecdote, which I was a witness, describing the attitude of this beautiful Russian artist (in the past) to our St. Petersburg alma mater: "once upon a time, a beautiful November morning, the Bolshoi Theatre, I visited the lesson of classical dance, which gave the Artist and educator Nikolay Maksimovich. Except for me, of our famous schools named after a. Vaganova, this lesson was attended by Yevgenia Obraztsova, Mikhail Lobuhin, Philip Stepin, Elena evseeva, as well as wonderful performers of the Bolshoi Theatre, including his student (at the time), Denis Rodkin. His pedagogical talent n.m. sent his apprentice, with sharp, witty phrases. One very bright crashed into my memory. Nicholas didn't like how demi plié, as Denis and pointing at us, he said: "If you are not correct, it will be similar to those with" vagankovo cemetery ".

A joke? A year passes and he our walls will take on raising kids.

Dear graduates, dear teachers! write, if you are of another opinion. If there are any among you who support this nomination, I will be truly surprised

His page has also been filled with his own personal photos of Asylmuratova teaching students.

Correction: that statement was not made by Belyaevsky. He was reposting Yuri Smekalov's post. Yuri was the one who witnessed that event.

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"But who would write the music?"

Isn't it forgone?: Gergiev

Touché. Only, Gergiev isn't a composer. I'd say Rodion Shchedrin has the right audial cadence for this soundtrack.

It looks like the only outlet for dissent on this matter is social media (for now). You have to tread carefully where you post, what you post, how you post and against whom.

Marc Haegeman interviewed Altynai on 11/16/01. I think one of the most telling sections of the interview is that she didn't ask for the position: The faculty requested that she take it.

http://www.for-ballet-lovers-only.com/interviews-asylmuratova.html

Cela dit tout.

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Judith Mackrell weighed in for "The Guardian":

Fired Bolshoi dance Nikolai Tsiskaridze gets controversial new job: Star's appointment to head up the prestigious Vaganova dance academy raises stark questions about the future of Russian ballet

and the content and the headline match.

Dmitirichenko should be cheering, since Tsiskaridze will likely get out of testifying, although I don't know why he is testifying, and I would not be surprised if this was part of the reason for the timing now and if Dmitrichenko's case were to be swept under the rug.

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I hope ABT would swoop in and hire Asylmuratova & Zaklinksy as ballet master/mistress and to run JKO.

I don't. What is happening to them is a complete disgrace and they deserve major appointments in Russia if anywhere. They should be staying where they are at Vaganova, where they have both done outstanding jobs, regardless of the disgraceful attempts to blacken Altynai's reputation This should not be happening at all. More evidence of the complete corruption and political intrigue surrounding Russian ballet.

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I hope ABT would swoop in and hire Asylmuratova & Zaklinksy as ballet master/mistress and to run JKO.

I was thinking the same thing. Some lucky ballet company and/or academy will nab them. They have nothing about which to worry, financially. Yet, I'm sure that they would love to stay in StP and see their daughter performing on the stage of the Mariinsky. The question is: Would they leave home?

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Diana Vishneva says: "I am painfully aware that this change in leadership of our legendary school could be a bargaining chip in someone's political game, and does not have any relation to the good of the Academy." adding, "I'd like to believe that this is not the end of a great school." Brava!!! Courage to speak her mind!

http://www.gramilano.com/2013/10/diana-vishneva-outraged-appointment-tsiskaridze-vaganova-academy/

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Vishneva posted the full statement in English to her public Facebook Page:

Here is my statement in reference of recent changes at Vaganova Ballet Academy:

"The Vaganova Academy means a lot for the world of ballet and for me personally. It is hugely disappointing that the leadership change may have been used as a bargaining chip for the dealings that had nothing to do with the school itself.

I am equally outraged with the lack of grace this change was carried out. This sentiment is being shared by all those who treasure the ballet tradition of the school, those who teach there and those who represent the school on stage and spread the love of ballet that was engrained in them by the school.

There were neither compelling reasons for the change in school's leadership nor there was a dialogue with the ballet professionals of St Petersburg. Simply put and at a very minimum, one has to have suitable academic credentials to become the Dean of the Vaganovsk Academy. And above all, leading the school involves dealing with the fragility of children and its leader has to be morally irreproachable.

I would so much like to believe that this is not the end of the great school."

What is happening to them is a complete disgrace and they deserve major appointments in Russia if anywhere. They should be staying where they are at Vaganova, where they have both done outstanding jobs, regardless of the disgraceful attempts to blacken Altynai's reputation This should not be happening at all.

But it is, and it is entirely up to Tsiskaridze whether to allow them to stay at all. If he does allow them to stay, they might not like what he offers.

Their daughter Nastya is not a pet dog, but a 20 year old woman with thoughts, feelings and a career of her own, and who worked hard for 9 years at Vaganova to get into Mariinsky Theatre ...

Whether it is still comfortable for her there after what happened to her parents is questionable. She may want to join them somewhere else, or she may want to stay. Other dancers who worked hard for 9 years at Vaganova to get into the Mariinsky Ballet have left, and other dancers who worked hard for 9 years at Vaganova to get into the Mariinsky Ballet thought better of it and never joined.

If the school in Moscow has really deteriorated, perhaps Moscow would snap them up. Considering how many Mariinsky trained dancers are joining the Bolshoi, they could cut out the middleman and give them the same excellent training as students.

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At this point, Diana like (slightly off%20topic.gif- Anna Netrebko), can pretty much speak her mind without fear of V.G. sanction, or that of his Praetorian Guard in The M.B. Uliana could choose to do so also, but within limits. Reason being, even though the Mariinsky is her HQ, Diana isn't really considered an "in-house" Prima like Uliana is. Gergiev lauds and fetes them both, but Uliana has Gergiev's ear. Diana's situation is slightly nuanced because she has long since gone global. Whereas Uliana has always preferred to stay close to home and has rarely ventured out on her own beyond The M.T.

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Vishneva also weighed in on Tsiskaridze, according to this article in "The Telegraph":

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/10415329/Ballerina-Diana-Vishneva-criticises-change-at-Vaganova-Ballet-Academy.html

"The rector of the Vaganova Academy needs to be a person who has the necessary education for this. It should not be forgotten that this is a school – for children – and its leader should be morally irreproachable."
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Am I the only one who thinks that maybe Tsiskaridze and Lopatkina are potentially incompatible as co-leaders? I mean Lopatkina sees herself as the High Priestess of the Kirov/Mariinsky tradition and Tsiskaridze is very much from a different tradition. Also, both are very strong-willed stars with very different personal styles. Lopatkina is very focused, expresses herself carefully, is self-contained, deeply religious and in most respects, to the external view, quite conservative. Tsiskaridze is flamboyant, outspoken, aggressive, individualistic and not always truthful or direct. This is a bad combination in my eyes. Give them a few months together - no a few weeks - and the fur will fly.

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I think there are personality-related reason why the two might clash, but they're not co-leaders: as rector, he'd be her boss.

From an artistic point of view, Tsiskaridze's teacher, Semyonova, studied directly with Vaganova. The NYT obituary for Semyonova said,

Ms. Semyonova is often credited with pushing the classical ballet tradition in Russia into the modern age. Technically virtuosic and majestically expressive, she brought new dynamism to the performance of canonical roles and changed the way classics were danced, showing it was possible to dance 19th-century ballet in the modern world.

From Catherine Pawlick's book on Vaganova, Vaganova did the same as a teacher and director. If there's a difference in tradition, it's the difference between evolution and stasis.

Tsiskaridze has made a point of espousing his religion. I'm not sure whether he is devout or culturally affiliated with Russian Orthodoxy, but he used it in his published attacks on Iksanov.

They both have very negative opinions of historical reconstructions and are loyal to the versions of the ballets on which they were raised.

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