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Vaganova Academy Graduation Concerts 2014


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Great to hear that Zhiganshina will be joining the Bolshoi. Although I lament the loss of the MT, but I've always feel that Bolshoi suits her style better, and they must already have prepared a program for her development in the company, like what happened to Olga Smirnova.

It is hard to predict what will happen to Ksenia Zhiganshina at the Bolshoi. The whole landscape is currently changing there, eroding the unique power previously concentrated in the hands of Sergei Filin and a narrow circle around him. I don't think any kind of repetition of the "Smirnova scenario" will be possible. There was no "program" in the case of Olga to begin with, she was obviously miscast in her first "big" role. It was rather Filin's own fascination with her that gave Olga the opportunities for the development of her career that others could only dream of. Already at the Academy of Russian Ballet Olga was known to be a remarkably serious girl, a "workaholic", ready to give everything to achieve her dreams. And she also had a strong character. Those qualities proved essential in the atmosphere of the Bolshoi plagued by deep divisions and tensions within the troupe. There were times when she must have felt disoriented artistically, as was attested by contradictory patterns of her performances, but her upward drive was never diminished.

At the Bolshoi Ksenia will be arriving already a "professional", not an "apprentice". From now on she must be directing all her energies towards refining her technique and artistic means of expression, work on her "physique" and, of course, not miss any opportunities she may be presented with in near future.

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There will never be a scenario where the AD's fascination with a given dancer will go away, nor his pushing here ahead. Even at Paris Opera Ballet, where dancers have to pass a committee's promotion test, that speaks to nominal rank and compensation, not casting, prominence, or PR. Add to that the fascination with new productions, and as long as AD stands back when a guest choreographer or stager casts the ballets, like Filin did when the Cranko people refused to give the premiere to Zakharova, and dancers that are not popular with management suddenly have prominence.

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Here is the appropriate information on the subject, Helene.

Вместе с тем источник «Известий» в ГАБТе отметил, что если бы дело было в решении постановщиков, балерина, «известная уважительным отношением к коллегам», с ним бы согласилась. Однако, по словам собеседника издания, балерина полагает, что художественные интересы в данном случае не главные, а постановщики поддались давлению руководства балета, пожелавшему видеть в первом составе других танцовщиков, «в данный момент особенно активно раскручиваемых».

My own literal translation:
According to the source of the «Izvestia» at the Bolshoi, if the issue was decided by the producers [from Stuttgart], the ballerina, "known for her respectful attitude towards her colleagues", would have accepted it. However, according to the source, in ballerina's judgment not the artistic interests in this case played the main role, the producers succumbed to the pressure of the ballet troupe management who desired to see in the first cast other dancers, (those who are) "at the moment singularly actively promoted".
Zakharova is really speaking here herself, but she prefers that she is not named. Thus, "Filin standing back", when his "singularly actively promoted" dancers are chosen while Zakharova — neither his protegé nor belonging to his inner circle — is sidelined, sounds like an oxymoron. In this case, by the way, the "management" is not just Sergei Filin alone. It is as much Dinara Timergazina. Along with the preparations for the premiere of «Onegin» in July 2013, she was also preparing the wedding of her son to Smirnova (the wedding occurred shortly after the Bolshoi returned from London). The scandal caused an earthquake at the Bolshoi. Its "nonremovable" until then director, Anatoli Iksanov, was dismissed by the minister. New director, Vladimir Urin, who replaced him, first limited powers of Filin, later in the Fall dismissed Timergazina altogether and removed the position she occupied at the theatre.
I agree with your comment about fascination or, at least, preferences that artistic directors always had and will have with certain dancers. That's normal and expected. The matter is in the degrees, or rather in avoiding situations when such artists become "singularly actively promoted".
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Of course Zakharova felt that it was Bolshoi management's decision, a feeling that was attributed to her in this Izvestia interview with Reid Anderson, the Stuttgart's AD, who said that he made the decision, and then told Filin about his decision. Filin did not try to overrule his decision, but I would think Anderson would be aware that there would be issues that Filin would have to deal with.

http://www.ismeneb.com/Blog/Entries/2013/7/5_Anderson_says_not_even_Zakharova_can_dictate_Onegin_casts.html

Ismene Brown translated the article into English.

At the Bolshoi Theatre there are certain traditions - in particular, that the first performance of a premiere, as a rule, will be danced by the prima ballerina and leading dancer. When you put on Cranko ballets, do you take any notice of company traditions?

My main priority is that Cranko's ballets should be accurately staged, rehearsed and performed. I do not take account of any hierarchy in any company. So artists have to make compromises in order to preserve the integrity of John Cranko's ballets. I have chosen artists whom I considered necessary to get the best performances of the roles. Svetlana Zakharova was among the casts. If the implication of Bolshoi Theatre traditions is that any dancer may demand to be put in the first cast or interfere with casting decisions, then no, I don't uphold this kind of tradition. My understanding of the Bolshoi Theatre traditions - independent of the number of casts or ranking of dancers - is that absolutely everything will be danced with utmost dedication and fulfilment of their artistic potential, with absolute respect of the choreographer's vision and the very highest quality.

Zakharova opened up the can of worms. As Melanie Griffiths' character said to Alec Baldwin's in Working Girl, "If you want a different answer, ask a different girl."

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It is hard to predict what will happen to Ksenia Zhiganshina at the Bolshoi. The whole landscape is currently changing there, eroding the unique power previously concentrated in the hands of Sergei Filin and a narrow circle around him.

At the Bolshoi Ksenia will be arriving already a "professional", not an "apprentice". From now on she must be directing all her energies towards refining her technique and artistic means of expression, work on her "physique" and, of course, not miss any opportunities she may be presented with in near future.

Agreed that the landscape is changing in the Bolshoi and that Zhiganshina has to work very hard to make best use of opportunities. But I am impressed that despite the change, they still manage to get in a Vaganova top-grad in directly as a soloist (for how many top-grads in Moscow who worked hard for a number of years are waiting for promotion). Also, judging from the opportunities Zhiganshina has been receiving at the MT in the past several years, Fateev's offer should also be very advantageous. Yet she finds something in the Bolshoi offer more promising. I don't know if her new rector at the Vaganova made her some recommendations or suggestions or not.

Regarding Smirnova, despite the initial miscasts, I have the impression that Filin was having the leads of Diamonds in mind when he made the hire. For at the time, there were not much Bolshoi dancers who fits that part better than Smirnova at school. (This is only a guess, but I cannot think of anyone better in that part at the Bolshoi except Zakharova, and perhaps Obraztsova, another Vaganova grad) Zhiganshina is not a pure Vaganova production, but I wonder if someone in the Bolshoi recognized something in her, other than fame and fancy, to be able to make the offer convincingly, given the change of landscape.

And again, I am curious about with whom she will be working with, and wish her best luck!

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To say that the Bolshoi offered her much better terms would be an understatement. The terms offered by Fateev were truly humiliating. Ksenia was provided with a number of great opportunities by Fateev earlier. When she was ready to graduate his interest in Ksenia, sadly, diminished.

The interest that the Vaganova Academy graduates evoke at Bolshoi has a simple explanation: their own graduates (by which I mean the graduates of the Moscow State Academy of Choreography) haven't been particularly impressive in recent years. Thus the desire to get the best from elsewhere. I expect this trend to continue in the future. One cannot even blame them for "stealing" the best from the Vaganova's Academy. The one to blame is the reckless acting director of Mariinsky Ballet.

The next year promises to be very interesting, with Nika Ckhvitaria, Svetlana Strebko, Renata Shakirova, and above all Anastasia Lukina, all graduating. I just hope that the girls will be able to control their physical development better than this year graduates. If Fateev doesn't reverse his policy of active lack of interest in giving opportunities for growth to the best Vaganova graduates, I am afraid these girls should be looking elsewhere or are doomed.

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The Russian "side" of the Mariinsky webside has a news item that two of this year's graduates, Vitaly Amelishko and Roman Beishenaliev, are dancing the male soloist parts in act 1 of Fountain of Bakhchisarai on 13th and 14th August, yet the corps de ballet still has not been updated to include their names, or any of the other Vaganova graduates.

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Apparently Ksenia has been hired at the Bolshoi as a choryphe but as the Bolshoi's website doesn't make any difference between corps and choryphe, she is listed amongst the corps. She danced the neapolitan bride on September 21 and will be dancing one of the two Sylphs in the ballet "La Sylphide" on October 11. She seems to have some great opportunities. Let's hope it continues!

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