Cygnet

This is a huge honor for her! Congratulations to you Genichka

The work that leaves me asking the question is Eternal Damnation to Sancho and Sanchez by Javier de Frutos and I am in something of a quandary here as I don’t think the moderators would allow me to describe in exact detail what I actually saw. Without going into graphic detail; a Pope with grotesque prosthetic belly and buttocks sexually violates two male acolytes and three pregnant women and encourages them to perform further acts of physical and sexual violence on one another whilst everyone chants prayers in Spanish interspersed with the screaming of obscenities. The whole thing culminates with the beating to death and garrotting of one of the women. It was danced to Ravel's La Valse, a piece I shall have difficulty ever listening to again . . .

What?! Unbelievable .

I hadn't seen this mentioned, so just thought I would write about it here:

The highly thought of Maryinsky coryphée, Maria Chugai has left Maryinsky ballet and is now dancing with Dutch National Ballet - she joined the Company this season, as a coryphée, presumably a bit late since she was still with the Mariinsky in London.

Masha won first prize in the 6th International Vaganova Grand prix, and joined the Maryinsky in 2006. Since then, she was attracting a lot of attention for her performances in coryphee, soloist roles and divertissements. She is certainly a really beautiful dancer, very musical, not at all the long legs/big extension type which the Maryingky management has favoured lately.

Certainly a good aquisition for Dutch National Ballet, and I'm sure Masha will be missed in St P! Good luck to her!

Congratulations to Maria Chugai for her bold career move! Obviously, she must have made some important contacts during the Amsterdam leg of the summer tour . Good for her! She's a very promising dancer, very academic with wonderful Vaganova technique. Therefore, she's one of the throw backs to the 'good old days.' DNB was blessed to have acquired Larissa Lezhnina; and they are blessed to have acquired Masha!

Where to begin? Relentless touring is taking its toll. For the last decade the company has

become top heavy in the coryphee, 2nd and 1st soloist ranks. Within these ranks there are "pockets" of extremely talented dancers. Some of these have high potential, others have un-tapped potential, and then there are the neglected, those who sadly should have moved up to Principal rank, and now probably never will. Is the Maryinsky too big? Well, in Russia company size isn't an issue; and size shouldn't be an issue - if the management can "handle" the numbers. The Bolshoi is bigger and for all their former problems in the 80s and 90s, they've never ever "forgotten" how to develop promising dancers in their proper emploi.

At the MT, there is an almighty "They" who make the inexplicable casting decisions; and Fateev rubber stamps these decisions. During a season, the company has the A Team that tours the major capitols and venues. There's the B Team that tours remote parts of the world, and the C Team that stays home. The almighty "They" team is the A Team.

IMO I think the Maryinsky is going through another period where various in-house factions are vying for power, because there seems to be, IMO, no coherent artistic vision or as Bart stated, "quality control." The last time this happened was in the early and mid

70s before Vinogradov came on the scene. Vaziev's regime started this ecclectic paradigm we see today.

Also, there's a dissonance of style among the Principals: There are a number of them who are not Vaganova products. That's the norm now. This trend also started under Vaziev. There's alot of great work being done by some dancers, such as Tereshkina, Kondaurova, Obratzova, Shyklarov to name a few. But the Director "back up" just isn't there for them as much as others. Excellence with consistency used to be rewarded with more opportunities. Today, if one is known for producing comedies of error onstage, that person is rewarded with more opportunities.

The following is a good example of the factions at work. The 09-10 season opens with the Soviet redux "Shurale" on Sept 29. Golub will open the new season as Simbiuke. She

was second cast during the White Nights Festival, and didn't fare well. Obratzova danced

the revival premiere during the Festival and triumphed. Obratzova will be second

cast Sept 30. I suspect that the almighty "They" reasoned thus: 'Obratzova got the revival; so we'll give 2009-2010 opening night to Golub.' That - and the process of elimination based on who they had to choose from, *(see note above on top heavy ranks and undeveloped dancers). Naturally, it doesn't matter that Genichka has far more artistic and technical mileage than Irina, and to spare. Is there a Principal who has covered, (or) is covering Simbiuke? It doesn't seem to me that Fateev thinks ahead.

It would make sense to start with Obratzova. She, along with Vicky and Katya Kondaurova practically saved the London engagement. Obratzova was the Juliet and Aurora of the Covent Garden season, and is the best and most critically acclaimed Juliet and Aurora of her generation in the Maryinsky Theatre. She excelled in the role of Simbiuke at the Festival revival. Given these facts, why not reward her with the season opening in this ballet? Could it be that that would be too much like the right thing to do? Never fear: October 8 the first "Swan Lake" of the year is "TBA." "TBA" casting is another management affectation that shouldn't be the norm. They should announce the O/Os that captured London's imagingation: Kondaurova, Vicky, (or Dasha Pavlenko - a Principal who, btw, has never, ever opened a season at home in "Lake" or any other ballet). My educated guess is that Alina will be O/O on Oct 8, and eventually she'll essay Simbiuke; most likely this year. She's so ubiquitous, she's become inevitable. There's no other way to describe it.

Thank you so much DeborahB for your on site reviews! I wish I could have been there. Except for a few outstanding

performances, on the whole, the media & eyewitness reviews for this engagement were mixed at best. IMO, I think the next time the Maryinsky comes to Covent Garden, the management and producers should bring ballets that won't conflict with British tradition or British sensibilities . You don't come to the Land of Shakespeare, or the House of MacMillan & Ashton with a "mediocre" "Romeo & Juliet," however its historic value as the original production. If you do, you don't open (or close) the season with an unproven debutante. Moreover, you don't come to Covent Garden with the mimeless Sergeyev "Beauty," after the sumptuous 1890 or Oliver Messel reconstructions. The program was decided before Vaziev's departure. However, there was plenty of time to carefully reconsider the schedule and the casting. Next time, Fateev needs to do some serious homework and research his host audience.

Personally, I highly recommend the full length Sergeyev "Raymonda," "Giselle," Lacotte's version of "Ondine," a Balanchine program and the brand new "Little Humpbacked Horse." I would've booked & travelled for that type of schedule. IMO, these and the Balanchine ballets that were given, would have been far superior to the programs that were presented. "LHH, " and "Ondine" are definitely worth touring. The Maryinsky's "Giselle" always works (theoretically - it depends who is leading the cast and the chemistry with the Albrecht). Plus the "Giselle," "Ondine," Balanchine mixed bill and "LHH," would have ended before the trains stopped service for the night. The ROH tries to end performances around 10:30 p.m.ish, or a little after. "Beauty" & "R & J" run 3.5 hours with the long intervals; "Swan Lake" is only slighty shorter. The Sergeyev "Raymonda" full-length is rarely given at home, let alone abroad, but it would be a novelty for London. London has seen Grigorovich's complete version with the Bolshoi.

Thanks Mashinka for the link . Here's the intro to Reese Thompson's review of Vishneva & Gomes' "Romeo & Juliet"

at the Met last month. http://www.ballet.co.uk/magazines/yr_09/au...0709.htm#bigpic

The following incident shows what happens when Golden Rules 1 & 2 are ignored. *(Bold emphases are mine).

Like any type of theatre, Ballet is a contract between performer and audience. Often when we hear a comic refer to a good crowd, it usually means the audience is supplying a sufficient amount of attention and energy from which he can draw upon to bolster his performance. Theatre (not just ballet) is like a waltz where the artists on stage lead the audience around the floor a few times. If it was a good performance, we (the audience) leave the dance floor slightly dizzy but exhilarated. This is also true for ballet, where the emotion and excitement of an audience responding collectively to great artistic and acrobatic feats can create a sort of electrical current between performer and spectator. And since a lack of energy from the crowd can often sap the energy of artists on stage, a review of a performance is, implicitly, a review of the audience. Which is why I'm sorry to have to begin by saying how incredible it is that anyone, whether they're watching a comic perform in a bar or sitting in the orchestra section of the Metropolitan Opera, would ever answer their cell phone during a performance.

This is what happened during the first act of ABT's Romeo and Juliet. Actually it happened twice. And it was the same woman. I suppose it can happen. I myself, a card carrying Wagnerian, once received a call during those heart-stopping climatic moments of "Die Walkure." I should mention that my ringtone at the time, Gwen Stefani's Hollaback Girl, meshed surprisingly well with Wagner's Magic Fire Music - though not everyone thought so. Needless to say, I was mortified. So I take it for granted, whenever someone's phone rings, that it simply must have slipped that person's mind, and wait patiently for them to fish out their mobile device and shut it off. I don't, however, expect the next thing I hear to be: "Hello?" Even after a blitzkrieg of some of the most violent shushing I've ever heard in my life, I swear I thought I heard the lady-in-question continue by saying: "Sure, I can talk. I'm just at the ballet." Joking aside, the culprit looked well past the age of knowing better and even seemed unapologetic when approached by an usher. I wish I could say that this was the only incident of inappropriate audience noise at the ballet.

The Maryinsky Prima Ballerina has launched her website. The English side isn't up yet.

http://uliana-lopatkina.com/biography.html

Off topic: Hi Leonid. My thought is that he didn't like it, not even a little bit . His Cycle is very non-traditional,

and it has evolved into what its become, since he first mounted it a few years ago. London saw the latest installment. He takes great pride in his Ring Cycle and his singers. When he has a program and he believes in it, he won't be deterred. For example, do you remember the Shostakovich opera and ballet season at the Coliseum a few summers ago? That didn't go well, especially when the Maryinsky companies appeared at the same time as the Bolshoi at Covent Garden. Yet, his questionable choice of programs didn't stop him from pushing it. Call it tenacity or being stubborn, but there it is. As far as the Ballet was concerned, the unanimous critical failure of Gelber's "Golden Age" in London, and the "Swan Lake" marathon at last year's Maryinsky Festival, (no new ballets presented), had alot to do with the Ballet Director change. Gergiev made that change. Additionally, there were other internal issues spanning Vaziev's 15 year tenure, culminating in his ouster. For example, the subsequent departures not only of Zakharova, but Sologub, Dmitri Semionov, Matvienko (who has since returned with his wife) and others.

Back to topic: Fateev was interim Director until the Maestro appointed him Vaziev's successor. Vaziev's title was

Director of the Ballet, not AD. IMO more thought could have gone into the appointment, and a more exhaustive internal search could have been mounted. Fateev was (and is) a company teacher, who also coaches Andrian Fadeyev. The deputy director title appeared shortly after the beginning of the 08/09 season. As an administrator, Fateev's comparable to Vaziev - okay but not outstanding. Compared to them, Oleg Vinogradov was excellent. He was also a noted and credited choreographer. In 1977 Vinogradov was officially appointed to lead the Ballet. At that time, Gergiev was still a staff conductor in the theatre. Vinogradov had already been an AD, first for the Novosibirsk Ballet, then the Maly Ballet, (now the Mikhailovsky); ergo he held the Artistic Director title until his departure. Vaziev (former Principal), and Fateev (ballet master) aren't choreographers, and up until their appointments didn't have AD experience. Fateev's appointment represented continuity for the company after the NY City Center engagement and Vaziev's eventual transition to La Scala last year. Monday night's disgrace doesn't absolve him. The awesome responsibility of leading this company has never changed. Given all that's happened over the past several years, leading up to and including Monday night, were Fateev or Vaziev good judges of potential and talent? In Somova's case, absolutely not.

True. But "Ballerina" was made five years ago when Somova was still a corps member. It's the Deputy Director of the Ballet's decision who gets promoted in the Ballet. What Fateev has done is continue the policies of the former Director, Makhar Vaziev. Fateev explained the reason why he promoted Somova in the May 12, 2009 edition of the St. Petersburg Times:

"Last autumn, Fateyev promoted Alina Somova to a principal. It was a controversial decision, as there has been a lot of criticism of Somova distorting the classical line in her dancing. Fateyev explained, “I thought that by that time Somova had really grown and deserved the status of a principal.”

That's a remarkable statement. Now weigh that statement against the full context of the article.

http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=...;story_id=28987.

Maestro Gergiev has gone on record that he's not a balletomane, but he does have general knowledge of the subject as a Russian and as a layperson. He has the highest respect for the Maryinsky Ballet, but admits he's no "expert." Gergiev's main focus is the music, the orchestra and the Opera - and these in no particular order. Gergiev delegates the administration of the ballet to the Deputy Director, and trusts the judgement of that person until he learns otherwise. There's something else that's in play here: Gergiev pays very close attention to bad reviews, and if necessary he (eventually) intervenes. He takes the reputation of the Maryinsky personally. London is important to him: He's also Principal Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra.

Maybe the choice of the opening cast was done by somebody willing to finally get rid of the "anti-ballerina."

That's a plausible conspiracy theory. Do we have the Hochhausers to "thank" for underscoring Fateev's protogee to open and close the season - and lead most of the programs in between? Do we have the producers to thank for this ? If so, their plan is working. In a perverse way we owe the Hochhausers a debt of gratitude for speeding up the inevitable.

Breaking news! Hopefully, there are some UK BT'ers who were eyewitnesses and will post. Until then, what a difference 24 hrs. makes! Let's leave the "anti-ballerina" for the real one; the ridiculous for the sublime. Obratzova and Matvienko triumphed in "Romeo & Juliet" last night! It's criminal that she, with either Matvienko or Shklyarov, didn't open the season Monday night. Well done and congratulations to Obratzova and Matvienko! Here's David Bellan's review in the Oxford Times:

http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/leisure/45304...__Covent_Gardn/

NOW LET THE GAMES BEGIN! :blush:

If we could leave Alina Somova aside for a moment, because c'mon guys we all knew she'd be awful, it's worth noting that in this mornings papers the critics are hailing Vladimir Shklyarov as a star.

Mashinka, the critics are unanimous on both your points. 2009 Moscow IBC Gold Medalist Shklyarov is the new male star . It's too bad he couldn't clone himself and dance Juliet as well - then it would've been a triumph. Hindsight is 20/20. What's done can't be undone.

The Times: http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol...icle6738737.ece

The Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertai...on-1767250.html

Clement Crisp, Financial Times: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a10a7cba-8157-11...144feabdc0.html

The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2009/aug/0...d-juliet-review

The Daily Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre...den-review.html

The Stage: http://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/review.p...omeo-and-juliet

What's On Stage: http://www.whatsonstage.com/reviews/theatr...%26+Juliet.html

I'm also ready for some good news. Any reports from Obraztsova's performance?

For real! Will the real Juliet please stand up?! The good news is she did last night: Obratzova took the stage with Denis Matvienko. The bad news is it wasn't opening night, and it should have been. We know opening night is when the media turns out en masse. Hopefully, some of the critics listed above came back last night to recover from their withdrawals.

Somova made her debut as Juliet yesterday evening at Covent Garden. The first verdict is in from London's Evening Standard.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/theatre/show...viewId=23727804

Je suis d'accord avec vous, Ms. Frater - in absentia . Frater isn't one of the old guard like Clement Crisp; she's one of the dance "liberals" in the UK's critical circles. It has come to this. This was an unnecessary and mis-calculated risk that failed spectacularly. If someone took Yuri Fateev aside, one and one, and said "I told you so," my guess is that it still wouldn't compute. Covent Garden is used to excellent Juliets. Unfortunately, for the Maryinsky Ballet and Volodya Shklyarov, "Juliet" just didn't cut it last night. This was a most inauspicious start for the Covent Garden engagement. There will be more reports to follow as they come in.

. . . It's now after 7pm, London time. We are rapidly approaching ZERO HOUR.

Yes. D-Day (debut day) at Covent Garden has begun. Shklyarov will be hand-cuffed to the wrong Juliet.

It will be either one extreme or the other - there will be no gray area. God him.

I thank you also Lidewij for your report! It sounds like it was a wonderful performance. Congratulations to

Kondaurova and Kolb as the leads I'm especially glad to hear that Tatiana Tkachenko

was showcased in the pdt and big swans, and that Elena Chmil was brought forward in the little swans dance.

Chmil was an outstanding young pupil. She was filmed while she was a 3rd year student in the "Nutcracker" pdt

in both the 1994 Vainonen dvd with Lezhnina as Masha, and the 1992 "Welcome Back St. Petersburg" dvd filmed

at Covent Garden.

Helene & Canbelto, I totally agree with your points. Of the two films, "Etoiles" seemed to get to the bottom of each Paris Opera principal's personality & motivation. For me, the

most insightful interview was Osta's in her dressing room. Furthermore, "Etoiles" closed the circle with the retirement performance of Elisabeth Platel's Sylph, and the company reception afterwards.

Normand stated at the time that he wanted to capture the different stages of the professional life of a Maryinsky female dancer. Both Somova and Obratzova weren't too forthcoming, but Obratzova was indeed the most "on" and animated of the two. True, when a dancer is just starting out, and they aren't established, they have to watch what they say. They won't open up. Obratzova admitted this with a nervous smile. She said, ". . . it's hard to know what others think of you. You may think things are alright, but they aren't necessarily. You have to be careful." The established primas, Uliana, Diana and Sveta didn't seem to volunteer anymore than what was asked by Normand.

I'm very excited! Will Ulyana Lopatkina be dancing as well? It's really bad, the website of the venue (Carré Amsterdam) won't show any more information like the casting list.

Hi 'hydraulix' ! Lopatkina isn't in Amsterdam; she's scheduled to dance Giselle July 27 in Petersburg. She'll join the company at Covent Garden starting August 3. The Carré site is wonderful - except for cast omissions. According to my source, the (most current) Amsterdam lineup is as follows. *(Siegfrieds "TBA")

July 22, Romeo & Juliet - Obratzova/Shklyarov

July 23, Romeo & Juliet - Tereshkina/Matvienko

July 24, Romeo & Juliet - Vishneva/Kolb

July 25, Swan Lake - Somova/*

July 26, Swan Lake - Kondaurova/*

July 28, Sleeping Beauty - Tereshkina/Sarafanov

July 29, Sleeping Beauty - Kolegova/Ivanchenko

July 30, Sleeping Beauty - Matvienko/Shklyarov

July 31, Don Quixote - Somova/Ivanchenko

August 1m, Don Quixote - Kolegova/Lobhukin

August 1e Don Quixote - Matvienko/Matvienko

Many doctors do what they know is wrong out of the conviction that there are others even less responsible. If I don't provide the service/drug, there are others out there who will do so carelessly. If I do this wrong thing, I can do it in a way to minimize risk.

They're right, but that's an flimsy rationalization. And since medical boards are the ultimate enforcers (at least in theory), there isn't much that can be done to rein in any but the most egregious malpractitioners.

"Depend upon it, there is nothing so unnatural as the commonplace." Sherlock Holmes.

("A Case of Identity," by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle).

The memorial was very, very moving. This whole tragic scenario is classic death by entourage. Instead of calling 911 immediately, staff tend to call lawyers and others for advice. According to reports from reputable MDs and specialists (anesthesiologists) regarding the potency of Diprovan, he had to have died long before 911 was called.

Michael carried, not just luggage, but alot of cargo. IMO I think that he never really confronted his need to unload and unpack that cargo for himself. He touched on some of it in his lyrics, but he never unpacked it all IRL for himself. Now that he's gone, the dissection of his troubled personal life has just begun. Unfortunately, this is only the beginning. There is an unmentionable, but "understood" sub-culture here in Hollywood that tolerates illicit self-medication by rogue MDs. Perhaps the sole positive outcome of this Greco-Shakespearean tragedy, will be that this time, the doctor(s) responsible will be brought to account and made example of.

BTW: How old was . . . Seymour . . . Gable?

They were both 25 at the time of MacMillan's London premiere in February 1965, one month before their 26th birthdays.

Both dancers were born in March, 1939: Lynn on March 8, and Chris on March 13.

Here's the problem with Obraztsova--she's just a tad too short to be matched with most of male dancers with Principal status at the Mariinsky (Obraztsova with Danila Korsuntsev in Swan Lake? I don't think so!).

Now, if Obraztsova can do Swan Lake she needs to be matched with a shorter male ballet dancer like her husband, Vladimir Skylyarov. Now THAT would work quite well indeed.

Many of the shorter Mariinsky male Principals would do perfectly: Sarafanov, Kolb or (when back to good health) Fadeev. Obraztsova also dances very well with the 'middle height' men like Matvienko (the recent Shurale) and, as you pointed out, Schklyarov. [schklyarov is not Obraztsova's husband, by the way, but definitely a friend and professional partner. I learned this during my recent visit to St. Petersburg. Some of the early publicity from St. Petersburg Times newspaper and Kultura TV 2-3 years ago reported this erroneously.]

Genichka would be an excellent O/O. If she has to outsource this role the way Diana Vishneva has, then she should definitely look into it. To date Genichka has had to outsource her debuts as Aurora (Kazan), Raymonda (Bangkok), and Kitri (Tokyo). The only full length Aurora she has danced at home this season, was at her mother's alma mater the Mikhailovsky Ballet, not the Maryinsky. Ruzimatov is the Mikhailovksy's Artistic Director.

Vishneva wasn't granted O/O at the Maryinsky for a number of years because in the beginning the management's verdict was that she was a soubrette, and that her legs and feet were deemed unsightly. To her credit, Diana didn't let this deter her from essaying the role elsewhere. I hope that Genichka's success in "Shurale" will prompt the authorities to grant her the opportunity to dance "Swan Lake" on her home stage. Natalia, I agree that the gentlemen you named would all be the perfect foils for her. I would also like to add to your list Sasha Sergeev, (Pavlenko's husband), who made his magnificent debut as Albrecht opposite Genichka's sublime Giselle. I hope that Genichka doesn't have to wait a decade to essay the role on her home stage like Katya Osmolkina. Consider this: Alina Somova was thrust into O/O, making her debut within six months of her graduation from the Academy. That fact puts this issue of "emploi" and Maryinsky casting policy in the proper perspective, doesn't it?

Michael Jackson, gone . It's been been five days, and I'm still processing this. I grieve for him and for his children. For me, he was absolutely superlative, number one, the best, the total package of what an all around entertainer should be. Quite simply, Michael was a perfectionist. He was the total performer. He was the complete singer & dancer. I can say for myself, that when he hit the stage in concert, he hit it hard and never let up. He was happiest and most comfortable onstage, and there he gave his all, he poured out everything that was in him. His music is the soundtrack of my life. I choose to remember and celebrate only the positive things about him, and the enormous contribution that he gave to music, dance, videos, (and before his descent), his philanthropy.

Results are up . . .

Thanks Natalia for your report! This is great news: Congratulations to ALL the winners! Special XOXOs from me to you Volodya Schklyarov ! It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy! Well done!

I'm late to the Gate on this one! I'm so happy for Veronika! Congratulations Veronika !

Didn't Maya Plisetskaya have an affair with an English diplomat and try to defect unsuccessfully? She wasn't allowed to tour the West until the 1960's when she was almost 40.

In Gennady Smakov's "The Greatest Russian Dancers" (Knopf, 1984), he learned from Plisetskaya herself that it was simply political mischief mixed with a very nasty dose of anti-Semitism that effected her early career. In his essay, she told him the following: "The only weapon I had was my dancing. With that I fought like a general without an army. If I could have saved all the energy I wasted on my struggle it would have sufficed me to cover a dozen ballets." (Smakov, 1984).

Smakov further noted that at her performances, the KGB was scattered throughout the theatre, intimidating her fans from applauding. They actively tried to find defamatory (or) fabricated information about her to circulate. The authorities deemed her a high flight risk, precisely because she was extremely popular with the Moscow public. Primarily, they took into account the fact that she was the daughter of an engineer who was "disappeared" during the purges, and her mother, a film actress was a labor camp inmate. This made her politically unreliable and left unchecked a liability to the regime. The Bolshoi stars Sulamith and Asaf Messerer were her Aunt and Uncle, but that didn't matter in her case; it was she who was isolated for persecution. Her name was on everyone's lips, but under Stalin, she wasn't granted the privileges that were 'due' a Bolshoi prima at that time. For example, she had to share a communal apartment with one bathroom and seven families. This type of living arrangement might have been the norm for many Soviet citizens, but for an established Bolshoi prima and distinguished and titled member of the cultural elite? No. The authorities felt that her passionate dancing, outspoken non-submission to the system, and charisma were too much to handle. She had the tendancy to 'rage against the machine,' and therefore, since they felt she was unpredictable, they thought it best to keep a lid on her. When Khurshchev had settled into power, the "thaw" began, and she was finally allowed to come to the West.

The complete stories and private feelings may never be known because the dancers who stayed in Russia were forced to tow the government line. Ulanova was accused of extremely deferential behavior to the Soviet authorities and probably never shared her deepest feelings on a number of subjects publicly. She played the political game and well unlike others who had a tougher time. As an older woman she started to make some guardedly critical comments in interviews - she didn't express enthusiasm for Grigorovich's choreography for Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet" which replaced the Lavrovsky that she created at the Kirov. In another Bolshoi documentary she said that if the ballet doesn't go forward, it will go backward. Clearly a swipe at the artistic conservatism of the late Grigorovich period where creativity stagnated at the Bolshoi along with the choreographic powers of its head.

Ulanova didn't care for Grigorovich's "Ivan The Terrible" either. In a rare, candid moment on the "Prokofiev 100th Anniversary Gala" dvd (Kultur 1991), she was cornered by this question during intermission backstage: "What do you think of Grigorovich's "Ivan?" To which she rolled her eyes and replied a very dismissive: "Well . . . hah, I guess every ballet has something interesting in it." After that comment the interviewer quickly changed the subject to her pupils in the company. By that time Grigorovich's "Ivan" and "R & J" had both become staples in the Bolshoi rep.

Uh oh. I'm having another Charlie Brown moment. Here it is: .