Jayne

In some of the threads about Fateyev people have bemoaned the lack of opportunities for Julia Makhalina - even though she is still listed as a principal. This is the most recent performance I can find, of Leonid Yakobsen's "Spartak". She looks pretty good! I'm not sure what theatre is hosting her. The videos were posted in Dec.2012.

La Scala version (full length) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LFZpWixreI PNB (excerpt)

She has far more potential in adagio than these soubrette roles that require snap, flair, and personality. Dancers are like athletes, and we should keep in mind that many rookies make mistakes that they use as learning experiences. I think in the days before youtube and phone cameras, most of the flubs were never mentioned except by audience members to friends at work the next Monday. Now the whole world gets to see the edited broadcast. I'm reminded of the Michael Jordan quote:

I spoke to several Russian friends about this interview, and they did not feel that the Grigorovich years were "clean". They recall plenty of rumors of sexual favors with government officials in return for lobbying Yuri for roles. On the other hand, sometimes people with less than pristine work histories are telling the truth about scandals. No one believed Jose Canseco for years about the "juicing" in baseball.

Some of the maneuvering by interested parties may appear to favor Mr. Tsiskaridze, but I think some of them are just opportunists, trying for a power grab. If they win, that doesn't mean Tsiskaridze gets the top spot. It means the opportunists' apparatchnik gets the top spot. BTW if you subscribe to Facebook, "like" Odette's Ordeal. The administrator has a gorgeous photo of Sergei Filin today, no shirt, no trousers, no smalls, and the photo cuts off just in the right place on the bottom to make it FB-policy-compliant.

The conspiracy theories, in absence of more information from the police, are running rampant. I have a hard time keeping track of them. But I feel badly for Mr. Tsiskaridze that his apartment was burgled. I've had it happen, and the feeling of insecurity doesn't ever go away if you continue to live there.

I'll have to view the rest this weekend. Thanks for finding them all!

Even literature makes them out to be sexual objects to be used and thrown aside.

Thank you for that wonderful video, I really enjoyed it (and wish PNB would revive it soon!!!!)

volcano, I had similar thoughts earlier today: maybe all the players are participating in both bad and good deeds at different times. Maybe Mr. Dmitrichenko has been a wonderful friend to all the workers. Maybe - as his girlfriend noted - he was helpful to anyone in need. Maybe he did speak up for them and put his own career at risk. And....maybe he did ask the two goons to beat up Sergei Filin. I believe it is 100% factual that Sergei Filin was attacked and badly burned - what would he have to gain if otherwise? His job wasn't on the chopping block. He had successfully survived Nikolai Tsiskaradze's badly managed end-run around him, in a bid to get Anatoly Iksanov's job. German doctors are not really known for participating in these types of conspiracies. Still, perhaps he had his hand in various cookie jars - because that's the only way he saw to make money in Russia. I do think he was making good artistic programming decisions. I don't know much about the salary, performance, bonus or guesting fees for the Bolshoi. I have doubts that Mr. Filin was totally in control of that money. Usually the Business Manager and General Director (Mr. Iksanov) have something to say about it . Also, being hated and vilified is an occupational hazard for AD's. Many hate Peter Martins at NYCB, others disliked various Royal Ballet managers, and even Nikolaj Hubbe, who always seems calm cool and collected, has been criticized by some dancers. Anastacia Volochkova has made these statements before, but no other dancer has backed her up. She wasn't personally asked to have sex for roles. But she got involved with a Billionaire, who advocated on her behalf. She just "heard" from other dancers that this happened. But none have come forward after 10 years of accusations. To paraphrase Goebbels: that if you repeat a (rumor) long enough, it becomes truth. The dancers want proof of Mr. Filin's injuries, but I think they are very evident in his appearances. Further, he has strong medical privacy protections in Germany, and it is apparent that the German doctors are following that law carefully. But I want proof of the accusations made by Ms. Volochkova and Mr. Tsiskaradze. What is his knowledge of architectural restoration? How is this Mr. Filin's fault? Or even Mr. Iksanov's fault? If the restoration was faulty, then by all means, they should sue the contractors and force them to come back, free of charge, and fix what is wrong. But we all know that the construction general manager (and various state ministers) were the real ones choosing contractors and supervising. Certainly that wasn't Mr. Filin's job, and he only came into the job 2 years ago, when reconstruction was nearly completed. Regarding the "one director" statement, this doesn't make any sense. Yuri Grigorovich was the only director of the Bolshoi for 30 odd years. He was a dictator to be sure. And I think this is the type of management style that dancers could expect from Mr. Tsiskaradeze. He may appear to be sympathetic to the dancers now, but once he gets some real power, I think it will go to his head (as fame has already done). Further, I just see him pissing off people in the Kremlin if he does become GM. He won't last long if he gets the job. He may have some allies now, but eventually he will use up their good will with his drama and accusations. So I still think Mr. Tsiskaradze's statements are unprofessional and unsympathetic. But perhaps they are quite normal by Russian standards (or Georgian standards). Right now I think the best thing for the current management to do is to allow a "Barbara Walters" style interview with Maria Provrich, her children, his mother, and the security guard. Let them explain what happened and pull some heart strings. And Mr. Iksanov needs to rally his powerbase and file some lawsuits against Mr Tsiskaradze and Ms Volochova. They are defaming his character and have no proof.

I was reading something else, and this article was suggested. It's been 10 1/2 years since Robert Gottlieb wrote this. Any thoughts on how NYCB has evolved since then? http://observer.com/2002/07/city-ballet-balanchine-and-a-legacy-imperiled/

I'm so, so sorry that I didn't get to see Carrie Imler in Balanchine. And....here she is (along with Carla Korbes): This video is hypnotic:

Interesting Vid from the Royal Ballet:

I'm looking forward to the seaso n, although I would prefer a different story ballet in April. I don't hate MSND by any consideration, but I've seen it often and long for something new in the long-form story category. This season will be full of ballets that showcase Kaori Nakamura. As sad as I am to type it, don't be surprised if she retires after Giselle.

NBC has lost some national funding in budget cuts, yet it managed to travel to LA and DC with "Alice", but not the west coast of Canada. Maybe they should change their names to the Eastern Ballet of Canada.

so maybe the problem is the greying of the subscribers? They are living on limited pensions, have limited mobility and limited tolerance for evening events. So the Met HD broadcasts help keep them involved.

Jilliana - Calliope Francia Russell - Polyhymnia (she had red hair back then) I'm really enjoying these links, hope they don't disappear too quickly!

I think opera buffs love the art - whether live or broadcast to the cinema, TV, etc. I think we've heard for about 125 years now that technology is destroying the audiences for live performances. But is that really the case? Most of my friends who go to the opera HD performances attend the local opera as well.... For those who only attend the HD cinemas, it is because of the Great Recession, not the lack of passion to see live opera. They are thankful for the HD broadcasts and the local classical radio station that does a broadcast of the Seattle opera performances. They just wish they made more money so they could resume buying opera season tickets. Has a decent Ring ever *not* sold out? Because the 2013 Ring in Seattle is selling really well: http://seattleopera....ility_chart.pdf (check out all the lavender colored "SOLD OUT" seating sections Like the Nutcracker at Christmastime, or Book of Mormon on Broadway or on tour, some operas just sell better than others. And people are willing to pay high prices. Plus it is the 200 year anniversary for Wagner, so there is more media interest this year. Finally, this is fun eye candy look at Georg Solti recording with the Vienna Phil: I think he's trying to kill himself.

There are quite few photos from the 1930's, 1940's and 1950's showing Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret attending the ballet with their parents. I have read that Queen Elizabeth (royal consort) was on friendly terms with Frederick Ashton. Here is a video from 1959 at the RB: http://www.britishpa...query/Elizabeth And for the 100th Birthday bash: http://news.bbc.co.u...news/865646.stm I do think the "royal" patent adds some gravitas to the company's recognition for tourists, etc. Was the NBC originally called Toronto Ballet? Google is really amazing, one quick search and I found all of Prince Charles' 400 charities. He is patron of the following ballet companies: Scottish Ballet (starting 2009) Birmingham Royal Ballet (starting 2003) Global Board of the Mariinsky Theatre (starting 1999) Royal Ballet (starting 2003, currently president) In addition, there are quite a few other cultural institutions. I think it's great that he's willing to take this on, with 400 charities - how exactly does his patronage help? Is he spreading himself too thin? I'd love to see the Duchess of Cambridge take on the ENB patronage and host some fundraising events. I know she has a bairn on the way, but ENB has taken a major funding cut, and some star quality help would be great for them. How does it work at Dutch National Ballet? Do any of the Spanish companies have royal patronage? I would think adding ballet and actively participating in fundraising outreach would only help burnish the royal reputations, as well as helping the companies' bottom lines.

sets will match the original illustrations as well

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.

Over ten years ago, Ballet Alert! had a thread regarding Princess Margaret's patronage of the Royal Ballet. The Queen of Denmark regularly attends RDB performances, and even designs sets for RDB, including their latest Nutcracker set. In the 21st century, what companies have Royal Patronage? What is involved? Just a donation? Direct fundraising? Hosting private dinners to encourage donations? How much of a "boost" does royal patronage provide? Do they ever step over the boundaries and try to influence casting or programming?

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

but you bring up a good point - royal patronage. I will start new thread...

If the mastermind is an older person, will they be able to track back to this person using technology? I ask because many times older people are not using email, facebook or cell phones at all. I think Mr Dmitrichenko will be 'leaned' on heavily to reveal the mastermind. That said, it's also possible that there was no further mastermind beyond Mr Dmitrichenko. The refrain "I can't believe he'd do such a thing" is pretty common after crimes as well. Sometimes people have dark sides (just read the confession section of Reddit to slip down the rabbit hole of bizarre behavior).