Samuelovich

Having just re-read my own words, I apologize for the numerous typographical and grammatical errors I found present at subsequent viewing. I wrote the above text in great haste between various meetings and rehearsals. Forgive me for my less-than-representative penmanship. Again, I ask for your continued understanding and support of the Mariinsky Ballet. All of us here thank you in resounding unison. With best regards, Noah D. Gelber

Hello everyone at Ballet Talk. An acquaintance of mine alerted me to this particular discussion thread. I hope I am not overstepping some tacit boundary of acceptable internet-interaction behavior, but I felt compelled to make an addition. I herewith report that rehearsals for Golden Age at the Mariinsky Theater are progressing steadily. I can state this with confidence, because I am the choreographer of whom you recently speak. I hope I’m not intruding by including my thoughts here, but I thought it might be interesting for you to hear some words from this proverbial horse’s mouth. Thank you all for your devotion to the ballet artform and your support of the dancers, specifically those here at the Kirov Ballet. Thank you Chiapuris, for your faith in my work, and for presenting examples of the Russian reviews for my last ballet “Overcoat”. The response to my first Kirov premier was overwhelming, to say the least. I never fathomed things would turn out so favorably, and I suspect I’m even somewhat still in shock... But subsequent developments have unrolled with such unexpected velocity that I have barely had time to reflect on the significance of it all. Where to begin? I can only tell you what I know – from an admittedly concentrated viewpoint within the whirlwind of responsibilities with which I am confronted these days. The artists of the Kirov Ballet and I are all aimed pointedly at our goal: to have Golden Age ready for the stage for its premier on June 28th. I am in St. Petersburg now rehearsing 8-9 hours a day, sometimes without a break. The groups of dancers change every 2 hours or so, but I remain in the studio. I personally get no free days during this process. Only thus will Golden Age be ready on time. I commenced actually choreographing it on April 26th. That means I will have had only 2 months to create this completely new mamoth of a 3 act ballet. There are 2 and a half hours of music. It is a major undertaking, bordering on impossible. But when the artistic direction of the Kirov proposed this ballet to me I had no choice but to accept their invitation. I was just about leave St. Petersburg following my premier of Overcoat and rehearsals for the Forsythe program, and they asked me not to go; to stay on. I am doing it out of sheer affection for the dancers of this company, who have touched me so profoundly throughout my recent 3 years of interaction with them. This is my 6th working process with the Kirov, and they have grown to occupy a place in my heart unlike any other group of dancers ever has. My work with them stems from a source deep within my being, which I daresay I had previously been unaware I possessed. As for practical matters, I am happy to report that as of yesterday - work day 14 - we now have 37 minutes of the ballet finished. That’s quite fast even for my standards. (Overcoat, 50 minutes in length, was created in 24 days.) Although I feel we have lost time since there’s a tendency here for dancers to miss rehearsals. Subsequent rehearsals are slowed considerably by having to reteach already-taught material to those who arrived late, or just did’t come. However, if we maintain our present speed, I am hopeful that the ballet will be ready for viewing in full, with time enough to then go back and clarify, modify and beautify it. It’s imperative to first have the skeleton of the structure in place, in order to see what needs alteration or embellishment. Right now, I am simultaneously creating 5 different scenes, between which I alternate throughout the day. I am choreographing the ballet completely out of it’s intended chronological order, due to the sporadic availability of many dancers. As soon as one scene is finished, I film it for later reference, and we simply must move on. No time for lengthly deliberation. Presently I also am rehearsing Overcoat again for the upcoming show on May 13th, with some new cast members. (Look out for Anton Pimonov in the role of Akaky Akakievich!!) This is of course, not to mention the plethora of other various meetings for Golden Age which demand my presence: discussions of the new libretto, costumes, sets, lights, casting, musical concerns etc. So the days here within the walls of the Mariinsky Theater are very long and there’s hardly ever a dull moment. All the night security guards know me because I usually leave the theater after midnight. (This is no joke.) I would like to state here, in response to some things I have read recently, that my aim is not to tear apart the classic aesthetic of the Kirov. I aim to show them at their best, exercising the great respect I have for their special qualities. However, as an artist with the background and experience which my curriculum vitae reveals, it is clearly also my aim to challenge them technically and provide them with new food for growth and development. And please believe me: they WANT this. They tell me this almost every day. I am making this ballet predominantly as a gift for them, for their artistic progress. In that I ultimately love them so much, how could I do other than aim to create a ballet which I hope they will enjoy dancing, and feel proud to present themselves in? That is my intention. All my efforts are to this effect, as was the case with Overcoat. I sincerely hope that the end results of these weeks of intense work will please you as an adoring public. In the end, I know it is each individual’s personal choice whether they like the ballet or not as a whole. I am perfectly willing to accept genuine opinions, even if they are not always complementary. I understand that one aspect of a ballet which a particular individual might prefer to see otherwise, often is the very same aspect that makes another individual intensely enjoy what they see. And there is a place for all opinions to be voiced, as it should be. But from my point of departure, I state again that I am here doing this because I sincerely love these dancers. They have accepted me as one of “their own”. And this is something for which I am grateful and thankful, every single day. It is an honor to be here. I am a new man, because of their support. I hope you will all join me in the joy of celebrating them, for what I hope will be their success. As my schedule does not allow for significant time spent on the internet, I cannot promise that I will be back often to see if there is any response to this inclusion of mine. But I hope perhaps I might be able to answer questions, if you have them and if time does permit. Again please understand that I cannot promise anything, but I will aim to do so. Forgive me if I fall silent in this intense work period. Thanks in advance for your understanding and for your support. See you at the premier in St. Petersburg or in London? Best wishes, Noah D. Gelber P.S. Yes, I very well may accompany the Kirov on tour to Washington! They invited me to oversee the Forsythe performances, which they have previously invited me to oversee in London and in Paris. Plans are being made for me to be there at kennedy Center. I will only not attend, if Golden Age demands my presence in St. Petersburg at that time.