elena

one thing I noticed in the pictures is the massive swelling in Mr Filin's face. Normally he has extremely low body fat, high cheekbones and a chiseled profile. Now he looks extremely swollen. From the articles earlier in this thread, it was stated that the acid mostly went to the scalp and eyes.

How horrible that Mr Filin is getting the best expert treatment in all of Europe - only to have that excellent treatment result used against him, as if his injuries are all a hoax!

Agreed... you can see his face is very swollen compared to how he looked before. His skin may be clear, but he looks different.

I personally don't understand the whole hoax theory. I don't see what he has to gain from this at all. I do see, however, what he has to lose - his eyesight, his job and ability work in what he is passionate about. He'd give that up to stage some elaborate hoax why exactly?

Talk about adding insult to injury. Just my opinion.

If I'm understanding the chronology, according to Dmitrichenko, he had a conversation with Zarutsky, in which he railed against Filin, and Zarutsky offered to beat Filin up, to which Dmitrichenko agreed. Nothing happened for months, at which point Dmitrichenko stopped thinking about it, but during which time, Zarutsky planned the attack, buying the car battery and cooking down the battery acid to make it potent.

Then Zartusky demanded payment and Dmitrichenko's help in staking out Filin to see when he'd leave the party. Dmitrichenko said he feared not paying him, and it's quite possible he was afraid not to do the stake-out. He enlisted a fellow dancer who has admitted to being in the car and described Dmitrichenko's behavior; this dancer was never arrested, and even if Dmitrichenko's defenders are arguing the police beat or coerced a false confession from him, the police did not have the fellow dancer in custody to do the same.

Dmitrichenko had to do three things: 1. accept Zarutsky's offer 2. pay Zarutsky and 3. do the stakeout, and he told a judge he had done the first two, and there's a witness to the third. The first two required zero planning or attention span on his part. I don't understand the argument that Dmitrichenko couldn't possibly have been involved because he was one to lash out and that was the end of it: he did lash out to Zarutsky, and he was too frightened to cross Zarutsky by not paying him when Zarutsky contacted him after months. The only thing that required any initiative on his part was the stake-out, for which he enlisted a fellow dancer (without telling his colleague what it was about).

As far as him not plotting, he vented, a thug offered to beat up the enemy, and how is a guy, especially one with a short fuse, supposed to turn down that offer without looking like a wimp? A guy who says he has nothing for which to apologize because he only wanted his boss beaten up, not attacked with acid, is generally not the kind of guy who would say to a thug, "That wouldn't be right."

Sounds about right to me.

The detail I can't ever seem to forget (and which I think changes things a lot) is that Zarutsky was jailed for beating someone so badly they later died. He seems like a very violent person; by associating with him, venting about Filin to him, and accepting the offer to have him beaten, it seems like he knew great harm would come to Filin in some way - whether acid was talked about or not. Of course, this is just my opinion.

I apologize if this has already been mentioned, but if it hasn't: Those who hum along with the orchestra.

Birdsall mentioned that the Russians comment alot during performances. This is true, at home and

when the companies tour here.

When I saw this thread this is what I thought of immediately! We barely ever have big classical productions here where I live, recently they did a SL after ELEVEN years of not showing it... and I got stuck next to a guy that was humming along all night. He kept ruining the moment for me, especially since he only hummed along the famous bits, he was just trying to show off IMO which made it even more aggravating.

Also was stuck behind a lady that decided to hack and cough to clear her throat during Odette and Siegfried's PDD... it wasn't a couching fit she couldn't control. I was very annoyed.

Not to mention a bunch of people that showed up late and were let in (I'd say about 15 people) and caused an interruption getting to their seats in the middle of Act 1.

Rude. Especially since there barely ever are productions like these here, don't know when I'll be able to see a big classical ballet production again, so I wanted to enjoy the moment a lot. Not to say it wouldn't be rude otherwise...

Personally I don't see her as cold in these clips (just my opinion). I thought it was a lovely debut from her and hope she gets to dance it more and keep developing.

So I am scheduled to see Viengsay and Osiel dance here in Puerto Rico, they will be doing Swan Lake with the company Ballet Concierto, I will see it on Friday. I have not seen either of them or a Swan Lake live (I own many DVD's of it, and seen other clips online, but never in person!) I know that because of logistics and company size it will be different than what I have seen on video but I am very excited for this anyway

Pst-viewing edit* I was always impressed by what I had seen of Viengsay (and Osiel) online, but nothing beats the live experience - strong technically, musical and passionate! Blown away and feeling lucky I got to see this Ballet Concierto and their dancers did really good as well, it's been 11 years since they staged a SL... I was very impressed and happy to see this in my country!

More news this morning on Filin's treatment: http://rbth.ru/news/...on_i_24475.html

Sergei Filin, the ballet director of the Bolshoi Theater, who suffered an acid attack in Moscow in January and who is currently receiving treatment in Germany, is to undergo a complicated surgery involving eye tissue transplantation.

"A major operation on the right eye involving tissue transplantation is ahead. Doctors pin great hopes on this operation," Filin's lawyer Tatyana Stukalova told Interfax.

Thanks for this update, I hope it is a great success and that his recovery keeps going strong.

Genia truly shines as Aurora, I always love to see clips of her dance this... I wish that the the BT broadcast and thus the DVD had her instead of Sveta (though I don't even remember if she was with BT at that point, a girl can wish).

I echo your thoughts. She was delicate and completely controlled, and yet looked so innocent, just as Aurora should. Is she wearing a salmon-pink dress to match her red hair? I think the dress looks different than the candy pink color that Sveta wore.

It could be because of the camera, though it does look a different shade of pink

Genia truly shines as Aurora, I always love to see clips of her dance this... I wish that the the BT broadcast and thus the DVD had her instead of Sveta (though I don't even remember if she was with BT at that point, a girl can wish).

Personally I do not doubt that there are legitimate grievances at such a company (as there are in many other large institutions), but I still feel how this is unfolding is quite bizarre.

It also seems that, in recent history (and perhaps not so recent), no ones leadership is that popular within the troupe (whose would be in such a company with egos, competition, different factions with different loyalties, etc.). As the investigator said in one of the articles posted in previous pages, there are official channels in which to take these accusations against Filin so they are investigated. But these publicity stunts questioning his injuries etc. really leave a bad taste and don't really appear to be panning any results in the official sense, just smearing his reputation and exploiting the situation to move forward a specific ideological agenda. (Edit - perhaps "ideological agenda" is not the correct phrase, but certainly one of the most vocal people in all this openly wants a leadership position and is very loyal to one person and their legacy so they have a clear vision of how they want things to be, at this point things have to be taken with a grain of salt). It is not to say these accusations can't be possible at all, I am not so naive, but that is not the whole point.

Just my opinion.

This all keeps getting more bizarre as time goes on, not less... I really cannot believe some of these quotes I am reading, or that Dmitrichenko was elected. Not to say people can't have doubts about the methods used by the police - but the true victim in all of this seems to be getting lost while there is a tug of war for control. How can he go back to such an environment to work when it seems he is being undermined more and more as the days go on?

I really do not understand.

These latest reports about all the layers of his skin being destroyed and the anticipation of severe scarring contradict the encouraging reports about the condition of his skin at the hospital in Moscow. From what I understood after a couple of skin grafts it was decided that his skin was doing well enough that it should be able to heal on its own. So I'm a bit confused with these latest statements - especially the part about the anticipation of MORE scarring. Does that mean they expect his scarring to get even worse? But I agree the main concern is his eyesight. I wonder if he'll eventually be able to see well enough not only to return to work, but also to be able to do normal things like read a book, watch a movie, drive a car and play with his sons. It makes me sick when I think about what's been done to him.

I agree... it truly is a heinous thing and he has many months (and perhaps a lifetime) of dealing with this. Over what? All the reasons and motives seem so petty, pride and egos (not that there can ever be a true reason to throw acid on someone anyway).

My heart goes out to him and his family, it truly is a very very sick thing to do to another human being. I really hope he gets to come back and continue to do his work - but I also imagine going back into such an environment will not be easy for him.

......to me it leaves one person that does wield a lot of power, a person that others may fear because of his influence, a person who has those who are very loyal to him - a source of conflict when it comes to leadership within the troupe. .....

Yes, the person for whom a very important ballet competition in Sochi is named (which he happens to chair), whose top winners rise up fairly quickly through the Bolshoi ranks, after winning said competition. The person who casts his ballets, which happen to constitute at least 50% of the repertoire of full-evening-length works. Of course, we cannot actually name him because we're all scarred stiff that our friends, family, former students, etc. now employed by the company may be hurt, so he remains "Mr. X."

Indeed.

I can't say whether he was or wasn't involved of course, but I can't say I haven't wondered about the fact he seems to be a common denominator in a lot of this. (Also, combined with what FIlin has said about there being more behind this). Perhaps I am being unfair in my assessment, time may tell.

Personally I have thought that Dmitrichenko seems like a pawn (not to say he has no fault or guilt) - mainly because of what Filin has said himself in believing there is more behind this, and what was posted above about him perhaps not wanting to return if this is not solved to the end; not to mention the doubts that seem to be bubbling just beneath the surface of those that work there.

Filin has said he doesn't believe Tsiskaridze is involved, so if we eliminate him from the equation, to me it leaves one person that does wield a lot of power, a person that others may fear because of his influence, a person who has those who are very loyal to him - a source of conflict when it comes to leadership within the troupe. However I may be completely misreading and misunderstanding what was posted and if so I will edit this...

It may be my own bias because I have questioned in my own mind why he has barely been brought up, when clearly the power struggles seem to revolve around him in many ways.

Tonight Olga Esina Was An Absolute Gem In "Swan Lake" !

The quiet, yet subtle, airy fineness of her dancing along with often sublime, outreaching highlighting made her performance perhaps the most *Beautiful* that I've seen at this year's Festival.

I just saw the clips of this (uploaded by the user ksk04 mentioned) and she truly was very lovely - how I wish I could have seen it in person.

I also noticed she did the the double frappe into fondu after the pirouette en attittude in Odile's variation (I remember reading a conversation on this forum about how not many dancers are doing this and omit it so now I notice whenever someone does it).

http://lifenews.ru/news/111507

I don't have time to translate the whole thing, but here is an excerpt that has to do with Mr. Annadurdyev.

On January 17 Dmitrichenko, together with dancer Batyr Annadurdyev and musician Alexander Yurasov, was going to go to his dacha in the Stupinsky district. In the afternoon he accidentally overheard at the theater that Sergey Filin was going to attend a gala at MHAT.

"We were sitting with Annadurdyev in a car in a parking lot and were watching some show, periodically re-parking in order to get a better Internet reception," said Dmitrichenko. "All this time I was watching Filin's car. Around 10:30pm I called Zarutsky to call everything off, but just at that moment I saw that Filin was approaching his car. And I told Zarutsky that he, most likely, was going home."

After awhile, according to Dmitrichenko, Zarutsky called him and said: "That's it, [translator's note: here he used a slang verb which I am powerless to translate into English and which can mean a broad array of things, including the infliction of unspecified bodily harm on someone]," without specifying what exactly they did to Filin. The accomplices met up, Dmitrichenko gave Zarutsky 3000 rubles for gasoline which he took from Annadurdyev under the pretext of buying Spice.

"At home, I heard a phone conversation of Anzhelina Vorontsova during which Nikolai Tsiskaridze told her that Filin was doused with acid," Pavel summed up.

There seems to be so much conflicting information... previous articles quote Dmitrichenko as saying he had asked Zarutsky to beat Filin up in the fall and then forgot about until he was surprised by the acid attack. Now this article speaks of Dmitrichenko having contact with Zarutsky on that day and watching Filin's car, telling Zarutsky he wanted to call everything off and that Filin was most likely going home.

I feel bad for whoever has to make sense of all of this, honestly...

I wonder how formal thar conversation was when Dmitrichenko agreed to pay once the deed was done... and I agree with Helene, that Dmitrichenko might have felt he needed to not be on the wrong side of the hit man. What happens to people who contract hit men and then don't pay up? Perhaps he wanted the guy to menace Filin (if Dmitrichenko felt Filin were acting like the mob, might Dmitrichenko hire a mob type to counter-menace him?) I'm not advocating any of this, just trying to figure out the thinking behind it... which seems so very twisted.

The telling thing to me is that the entire troupe of dancers gathered, asked questions and didn't feel they were answered squarely... so there is more afoot here than has yet come out. Filin's side seems to think so, by saying they believed more people were involved.

Could there be two mob forces working counter to each other here? ... with the artists in question (with their various rivalries) the mere pawns?

Having just finished reading the different links posted, I do think it is a bit odd so many dancers are unsatisfied with how this case has been "solved." It does seem a lot of things don't really add up, and as you mention Filin himself has said he believes there are more involved.

Very sad state of affairs indeed.

This also caught my attention from Ismene Brown's blog linked above

The company manager Ruslan Pronin is also reported to have surprised the troupe by announcing that Filin yesterday had a phone conversation with another Bolshoi dancer, Batyr Annadurdyev, which has resulted in him being asked to make a statement to investigators.

I do hope eventually it all comes to light, but it seems a shadow will be hanging over the Bolshoi for a while yet.

He doesn't believe he has anything to be sorry for because he allegedly only asked for a beating? Can't believe I read that correctly.

Acid in the face is a very personal type of crime; acid in the eyes of an Artistic Director only makes the context even more particular. From the start it seemed like the goal of the attack was to get Filin out and unable to do his work. This Zarutsky guy apparently beat someone so badly that person died later on - so this whole "I just paid for a ['harmless'] beating" type of thing seems like a lame excuse to me.

Of course, stranger things have happened and he might be telling the truth; it just doesn't add up for me so far. He should be very sorry for setting these wheels in motion if in fact he did not know, not be trying to justify it.

The problem with trying to parse this out is one ends up inside his logic. Let's play along and not assume he is lying. Hiring someone to beat someone up? I think even dancers at the Bolshoi might agree that's probably technically a crime and considered morally wrong!!! And yes, Elena, one ought to be very sorry indeed for even those hideous consequences of one's actions that one didn't have in mind--maybe it might even give one pause about something as trivial as having someone beaten up. Add to that the fact that hiring someone who managed to kill the last person he "merely" beat up suggests one was never very worried about consequences anyway...Oh well, perhaps Dmitrichenko didn't know the guy's background? Because that, of course, would make it all so much more understandable.

Never mind. Clearly, we should give him a break because he doesn't intend to sound like a psychopath...

Thank you Drew, for putting it much more eloquently than I could. I was just truly shocked at reading these statements! We are in March and Filin is still battling to save his eyesight, it really is a heinous crime in every sense and I can't understand why he is making these comments that show so little remorse.

Ismene Brown reports in an opinion piece in theartsdesk.com that

Dmitrichenko does not believe he has anything to be sorry for, because he paid 50000 rubles for Filin to be beaten up and didn't know about the acid plans, which he would have expected to cost more.

Dmitrichenko is a computer whiz and has been hacking into Bolshoi management's email accounts to expose what he claims is an extortion scheme by at least Filin in which dancers must pay fees to get roles and permission to dance overseas. (This is discussed in an article in "Izvetsia", which appears in translation on Brown's blog: http://www.ismeneb.c...lin_attack.html)

Dmitrichenko was involved in the attacks on Filin last fall: cyberattacks, phone messages, and slashed tires. She doesn't mention the cyberattacks on Yanin.

He doesn't believe he has anything to be sorry for because he allegedly only asked for a beating? Can't believe I read that correctly.

Acid in the face is a very personal type of crime; acid in the eyes of an Artistic Director only makes the context even more particular. From the start it seemed like the goal of the attack was to get Filin out and unable to do his work. This Zarutsky guy apparently beat someone so badly that person died later on - so this whole "I just paid for a ['harmless'] beating" type of thing seems like a lame excuse to me.

Of course, stranger things have happened and he might be telling the truth; it just doesn't add up for me so far. He should be very sorry for setting these wheels in motion if in fact he did not know, not be trying to justify it.

This whole situation is beyond my comprehension... all I can feel is sadness for Filin who is still battling to save his eyesight and sadness for the Bolshoi whose image has been tarnished. Dmitrichenko has thrown away his life and career for what, and Vorontsova will have this shadow hanging on her always (if in fact she did not know anything). I really don't know what to think or say about Tsiskaridze so I will leave that to the rest of you and read in silence.

I really would like to think there are no more people involved in this situation.

Stepanova as Queen of the Dryads really is a queen, very regal and graceful in her carriage. I am glad she is being given more opportunities. When it comes to Kampa, I just cannot get over her upper body and strange use of hands. Although she appeared to do a bit better this time around, I still think Kitri might have been one of the worst choices for her. I associate Kitri (as perhaps most people do) - with a fiery personality and explosive jumps... I just didn't see any of that (in these clips anyway).

I do wish Kampa well, she certainly is beautiful and it's not as if she is technically deficient, perhaps with time she will fit in more. I just wish they'd given her more time to smooth the edges before they threw her out there. But if it's true they are filming a documentary about her, that could explain why these choices have been made now rather than later.

So I had never seen a full version of Raymonda (only clips on Youtube and the Dancer's Dream Documentary) and decided that had to be remedied. I bought this version with Novikova (and I understand it is a reconstruction) and loved it! I cannot believe I waited so long to see the full ballet. I really enjoyed to see the different style of tutu as well as the sets. I already was expecting the weird piano split screen during the third act variation so it didn't throw me as much, but I also wish it had not been included in such a way.

I find Novikova to be lovely and wonder if perhaps she will ever be made principal at MT...

I am about to go on a Raymonda spree this weekend, next on the list is the Kirov version with Kolpakova. I have read the comments on it so I am excited, and I do enjoy all the footage I have seen of Kolpakova thus far

A longer clip, for those who want to see

Interesting thread, I have enjoyed reading it. Personally when I think of the definition of ballet I too think of line, placement, turn out, the equilibrium of the body, a specific codified vocabulary. This to me is the foundation that unifies all ballet - be it classical ballet, neoclassical or contemporary. The more a choreographer "plays with" or "breaks" these rules, the more they separate the piece from what ballet is; though at what point it stops being ballet and turns into something else is difficult to pinpoint and that is the grey area that causes difficulty when trying to form a strict definition.

Congrats to him!! He is such a talent...

I loved to see this! Thanks for sharing... I enjoyed when she opened the curtains and window at the end, she really did look as if she was dreaming away her ideal Chopiniana/Les Sylphides