volcanohunter
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If it's true that the Board is giving artistic orders, as Lavrovsky suggests, then it's a serious problem. He isn't blaming the Trustees for Osipova, Vasiliev, Tsiskaridze or Zakharova. But I think he is saying that Iksanov did not stand up to the Board when they started interfering in artistic matters, and he seems to be suggesting that Iksanov was not able to keep problems between dancers and the leadership in check.
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On the other hand, the oligarchs on the Board of Trustees shouldn't be in the position of dictating anything either.
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The handover looked very civilized.
http://izvestia.ru/news/553359
Mikhail Lavrovsky had some interesting things to say.
"It's difficult for me to say why Anatoly Iksanov was dismissed just now. During the 13 years of his directorship of the Bolshoi Theater I had no serious disagreements with him. And as an actor I can agree with him in some things and disagree about others.
"But to this day there are things that I cannot understand, for example, why dancers such as Ivan Vasiliev and Natalia Osipova were forced to leave the theater. Good artists cannot be thrown away, regardless of whether you like them or not. Tastes are the personal matter of the leadership, but the Bolshoi Theater is the face of our country.
"I do not understand why a star like Tsiskaridze was dismissed. I do not understand why Zakharova is not performing in Onegin. I'm not saying that Iksanov was directly responsible for all these episodes, but they all happened on his watch.
"Iksanov is a good administrator. He engages in questions of management and does not understand anything about opera or choreography or the orchestra. Because the director cannot be the artistic face of the theater.
"I know Mr Urin from his good side; he is a worthy person and has won a high office on merit. However, how he will behave from here is unknown. Currently the situation is complicated because we are run by a Board of Trustees. They are good people; deep gratitude to them for giving us money, but they are not professionals. The Board of Trustees cannot issue orders about who is to dance and who isn't. If Urin is somehow able to correct this situation, everything will be alright.
"I hope for the best. Vladimir Georgievich [urin] is a strong person, and if he does not fall under someone's influence and behaves himself correctly, I think he will become a good director. As an administrator, in any case."
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Perhaps the suggestion is that Iksanov should not have allowed the situation to reach the point of Zakharova demonstratively leaving the production. The next paragraph notes that whatever conflicts may exist within the Stanislavsky, Urin manages to keep them under wraps.
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- What do you think of Nikolai Tsiskaridze's dismissal?
- In light of recent events it's an absolutely normal [or perhaps 'forseeable'] situation. For me personally this dismissal is conditional, because Kolya is the irreplaceable [literally: 'unoverthrowable'] idol of the Bolshoi.
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There are a couple of interesting details in that story. First, that Valery Gergiev was supposedly offered directorship of the Bolshoi, and he was willing to take it, on the condition that he could also keep his post at the Mariinsky. (Good Lord.) Secondly, that people within the Bolshoi were genuinely surprised by the suddenness of the decision to fire Iksanov. In particular, Boris Akimov questions the wisdom of making such a change on the eve of the premiere of Onegin and the Bolshoi's London tour.
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ITAR-TASS sources in the Ministry of Culture say that three possible candidates other than Urin include former Minister of Culture Mikhail Shvydkoy, Bolshoi Trustee Alexander Budberg and Vladimir Vasiliev, whom Iksanov had replaced 13 years ago.
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It was noted that when Nikolai Tsiskaridze appeared at the Bakhrushin Theatrical Museum last week he seemed to be in a very good mood and strangely undistressed about his dismissal from the Bolshoi. A few journalists speculated that he must have known something everyone else did not.
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Anton Korsakov, who notes that he hasn't had much work at the Mariinsky lately, sounds off:
- You no longer like it at the Mariinsky?
- I worry about our team, on which I've worked for so many years. But what's happening now is a mess. The troupe is being rejuvenated, new people are coming. This is a normal process. But under Vaziev these were people were from the Academy of Russian Ballet, with the Russian spirit, school, tradition. Now we have an international troupe - there is a Korean, an Englishman. Even though they are not dancing leading roles, I do not understand the hype. For small variations, our artists would be sufficient. Previously there was a creative spirit of competition between soloists on stage; each had to prove himself worthy of his place under the sun. Now the mess consists in everyone dancing whatever they want. People are used to plug up holes to prevent the stream of performances from stopping. I don't really understand such troupe management. People want to see big names. And names have to be built up.
- Not long ago, the union members of the Mariinsky Ballet wrote to the Minister of Culture with a request to look into these situations.
- Unfortunately, at the time I was away and could not participate in the appeal. But nothing has changed; everything has remained as it was. This is yet another reflection of the management's attitude toward artists, toward soloists, who to some extent built the glory of the Mariinsky, and to the theater itself. I feel sorry for the artists, because many people are simply wasting their time. -
It's been noted that Iksanov occasionally makes verbal slips. In a recent interview (about 1:15 in) he referred to The Pharaoh's Daughter as an opera. Unless, of course, he was using the word in its most basic meaning as a "work."
http://www.vesti.ru/only_video.html?vid=517833+-+%D0%98%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2
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P.S. It is now very interesting to see who will be opening the tours in London and New York. The administration will not have the excuse of 'this is the decision of the Cranko people' anymore, so they can't hide behind it no longer. Neither can Zakharova, of course, which makes both sides' positions much more difficult.
Here's part of the answer. The Bolshoi has just posted a video, presumably made for domestic consumption, about its forthcoming visit to London. It's all about Smirnova, which has the potential to tick off not only Zakharova, but also every other principal ballerina on the tour.
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The Metropolitan Opera has computerized cast lists for every one of its performances over the last 130 years. However, they have archived only their own performances, and not the thousands of ballet performances that have taken place on its stages over the years. So the Metropolitan Opera on tour in Japan: yes; the Royal Danish Ballet on tour at the Met: no.
It would be up to ABT to compile an online archive of its performances, and they have not done so yet. The "Library" in the "Education and Training" section of ABT's web site includes a repertory archive that lists the first cast to perform the ballets in ABT's rep, and the first casts to perform them with ABT, but it does not include a catalogue of each and every performance. http://www.abt.org/education/archive/index.html
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Ballet performances are rather more numerous than films, so there is no one comprehensive database. However, several opera houses have online archives your can search.
For the Royal Opera House there is http://www.rohcollections.org.uk
The Paris Opera has online archives going back to 1989 http://www.memopera.fr
The Bolshoi Theater has cast lists going back about five years. However these are not comprehensive because things like galas, festivals and performances by visiting companies are not included. http://www.bolshoi.ru/en/performances/#ballet
La Scala has a searchable archive going back to the 1950s. It includes scanned posters with full casts and watermarked photos. Accessing the archives requires creating an account and password. http://www.archiviolascala.org
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Reid Anderson's version of events.
- In announcing the refusal of Svetlana Zakharova to dance in Onegin, the Bolshoi spokeswoman said that the theater "had no influence over the selection of artists, and all casts were determined by the stagers, in particular, Stuttgart Ballet director Reid Anderson." However, in a February interview with Izvestia Bolshoi Ballet artistic director Sergei Filin, responding to a question about preparations for the premiere, said: "The final lists of artists will be determined by myself and Reid Anderson." What really happened?
- I made the decisions, discussed them with Sergei Filin, and we confirmed them together.
- Were you in contact with Sergei Filin during rehearsals for Onegin?
- Yes.
- Sergei Filin left Moscow in February and has not yet returned. In the spring you brought the Stuttgart Ballet to Moscow on tour and gave an interview to our newspaper. Speaking about the preparations for Onegin, you said that auditions took place January and that now, at the end of April, rehearsals were taking place, but that you were not participating. Since then you have not been in Moscow. You approved the casts and their sequence without seeing the dancers in action?
- When I came to get acquainted with the company a few months ago, I managed to see all the dancers. My assistants [Agneta and Victor Valcu] remained in Moscow to rehearse the ballet with them. Based on their reports and accounts all casts were definitively decided. I will be in Moscow next week for the final rehearsals. I have also seen many Bolshoi dancers in other productions, so I have an idea of some of them.
- At the Bolshoi Theater there are certain traditions, in particular, the first night of a premiere, as a rule, is danced by principals. When you mount Cranko ballets, do you pay attention to the traditions of companies?
- My main priority is that Cranko ballets are staged, rehearsed and performed accurately. I do not take into account the hierarchy of any company. So artists have to make compromises in order to preserve the image of John Cranko’s ballets. I selected artists as I thought necessary for the best performance of their roles. Svetlana Zakharova was cast. If the traditions of the Bolshoi Theater imply that any dancer can demand to be included in the first cast or interfere with casting decisions, then no, I do not stick to these traditions. My understanding of the traditions of the Bolshoi Theater is that regardless of cast sequence or dancer rank, absolutely everyone dances with complete dedication and the full use of their own artistic potential, with absolute respect for the choreographer’s vision and at highest level of quality.
- Have there been similar scandals in your productions of the Cranko heritage?
- No, never. But I do not think a scandal took place here either. -
On Wednesday Tsiskaridze participated in a meet-the-artist night at the Bakhrushin Theatrical Museum in Moscow. The museum hosts such evenings with actors, singers and dancers fairly regularly. In case it's significant, the evening with Tsiskaridze had been announced on June 23.
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If Izvestia's anonymous source is to be believed, if the casting "had been in the decision of the stagers, the ballerina, 'known for her respectful attitude toward colleagues,' would have agreed with it. However, according to the publication's source, the ballerina believes that artistic interests in this case were not primary, and the stagers gave in to pressure from the ballet company's leadership, which wished to see in the first cast other dancers, 'who are currently being promoted especially actively.'" The press office of the Stuttgart Ballet insists that the casting decisions were made by Reid Anderson, though apparently he had not yet arrived in Moscow at the time they were announced.
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The Russian service of Radio Liberty has published an extensive article on the myriad problems of the Bolshoi Theater. In addition to the ballet company, it covers the theater's reconstruction and ticket scalpers. I'm not inclined to translate the whole thing because I rather hope that RFE/RL will provide a translation of its own. However, these are the passages dealing with the ballet company.
"The investigator has already indicated a sentence: 8-10 years. But he holds firm and does not intend to give up," said relatives of Pavel Dmitrichenko. Dmitrichenko initially made a confession of organizing the attack on Filin, then repudiated it. On social networks "crowd-funding" to pay for Dmitrichenko’s legal costs has been announced, and at the Bolshoi Theater nearly three hundred people signed a letter in support of him, risking their careers. "All who openly sympathized with Dmitrichenko will be dismissed," said Georgy Geraskin, the former head of the theater’s union, who recently completed his career at the Bolshoi.
Prior to the attack on the artistic director of the ballet Dmitrichenko had managed to establish himself as a defender of artists’ rights, quarreling with Filin because of the latter’s boorish treatment of the company and arbitrary distribution of salaries. Therefore some artists are convinced that "Pavel was framed" and that all possible versions of the attack must be investigated, while others say that "Filin had shortcomings, but this is no way to respond," referring to the acid.Bolshoi primas versus the "newbies"
Artists do not rush to communicate with the press; after the story with Tsiskaridze’s reprimands, no one is brave enough for an interview.
On condition of anonymity, one of the [female] artists of the ballet said: "Many artists are deprived of roles because they don’t toe the line, for example, many of our prima ballerinas have little to do in the repertoire: Marianna Ryzhkina, Anna Antonicheva, Elena Andrienko, Maria Allash. Maria Alexandrova is also being harassed, but she is standing firm for now. All of this is because the troupe took in a lot of artists from other theaters: the Kremlin Ballet, the Stanislavsky Theater, from the Mariinsky. But if the Mariinsky Theater is one of the best, the other troupes are weaker. Soloists of these theaters come the Bolshoi and immediately occupy leading positions, thereby depriving our prima ballerinas of performances. And believe me, the replacement is not unequivocal..."
Vladislav Moskalev, the husband of ballerina Svetlana Lunkina and former business partner of Vladimir Vinokur, cites the example of Anastasia Vinokur, who was promoted under Sergei Filin:
"Nastya got a job at the Bolshoi Theater with the help of her dad, Vladimir Vinokur. He lobbied for her and told me about it. Nastya has spent 10 years in the corps de ballet. In my presence daddy called Filin twice, in May and June of 2012, and spent a long time persuading him to promote Nastya in rank. Filin complied with this request after Vinokur gave Filin a job at his foundation (the Vladimir Vinokur Foundation - RL) and, of course, paid Filin money. "
"Such artists ought to be in the theater," former ballet dancer Alexey Koryagin said sarcastically. He left the Bolshoi Theater of his own volition at the beginning of the season. "There are parts she can perform better than anyone else. For example, the languid Dacha Dweller, 40-50 years old with large breasts, in the ballet The Bright Stream." She manages marvelously. And so artists appeared as to whose standards there are doubts.Awards, Filin and Dmitrichenko
On March 21 the newspaper "Izvestia" reported that the Accounts Chamber was auditing the Bolshoi Theater. The paper speculated that inspectors were checking Pavel Dmitrichenko’s accusations about the unfair calculation of salaries at the Bolshoi Theater, as well as allegations that Filin was embezzling a portion of the bonus pool. However, the results of audit, which the Chamber called routine, were not officially reported.
The former head of the trade union of the Bolshoi Theater, soloist Georgy Geraskin, retired six months ago. He described the salary system at the Bolshoi: "The base salary of an artist is very small - no more than 15,000 roubles [$450]. Bonuses come from presidential grants and 'points' for performances. The size of grants ranges from 8 to 24 thousand roubles [$240-720]. But the grants are calculated in such a way that there is an unused fund that each month goes toward awards. Prior to the establishment of grants commission under former artistic director Gennady Yanin the system was a complete mess. Later we managed to establish a grants commission, which included the head of the union, that is, me. On balance order was established, although some inconsistencies remained. Then I retired and left Pavel Dmitrichenko in my place. Filin again began to manipulate, there was even a scandal with Pavel... It’s a good thing I left, or else I would be sitting in jail with Dmitrichenko. I would also be accused of the attack," said Geraskin.
He is not the only one calling for a more thorough investigation of the attack because "Dmitrichenko could not do such a thing." Businessman Vladislav Moskalev, husband of émigré Bolshoi ballerina Svetlana Lunkina, talks about Sergei Filin’s employment at the Vladimir Vinokur Foundation, which involves large sums of money. Moskalev proposes investigating all possibilities of who might have benefited from an attack on the artistic director of the ballet, including the version connected with the fight for the funds of the Vinokur Foundation. At present the Vinokur Foundation and producer Vladislav Moskalev are suing each other.
Trade unionism is not conducive to a careerGeorgy Geraskin became head of the independent trade union of the Bolshoi Theater in 2004. His union activities coincided with an absence of invitations to participate in performances: "That’s how it coincided. How can you prove anything?" smiles Geraskin.
At one point there were two trade unions at the Bolshoi. In 2008 Filin began creating an "elite" trade union, which would include only artists of the opera and ballet. He then retired as a dancer and became artistic director of the Stanislavsky Theater. Returning to the Bolshoi as artistic director in 2011, he remained head of the theater’s "parallel" trade union.
The situation was not normal, and Dmitrichenko wanted, first, to make the trade union independent, and second, that there be only one. "We had taken steps to elect Dmitrichenko head of the trade union, and in theory, this procedure was completed when he was already in custody," said Georgy Geraskin.
Promising young dancer Alexey Koryagin resigned from the Bolshoi Theater during his fifth season. According to him, artists were paid "kopecks."
"There is a salary and there is a bonus, constant and variable. The salary is ludicrous: 4-5 thousand roubles [$120-150], depending on category, plus a "permanent" grant, plus a variable grant—money distributed by the management at its own discretion. They may not grant it, and this is absolutely typical. In total I was receiving 30-40 thousand roubles [$900-1,200], having worked four seasons. Kopecks. At the beginning of the fifth season I resigned. Sergei Yuryevich [Filin] offered me a salary increase and more roles. Well, that would have been a few more kopecks. Why should I bother? I happened to learn that our cleaning lady received a New Year's bonus bigger than mine."
But the main reason for his resignation was exhaustion, says Koryagin. "We sometimes gave 30 performances a month. An astronomical number. Filin shouted at rehearsals. He did not like that some people came to rehearsals at less than full strength. Even though, for example, artists had already been dancing from morning to evening all month long, they were tired. Once Filin began to scream: "Do you think you can’t be replaced?" Then Dmitrichenko asked for some politeness, "What is this? Can’t artists be treated like human beings?"Alexey Koryagin does not hide that he was one of the few who attended Nikolai Tsiskaridze’s class. It was considered an "oppositional" gesture.
[An account of the controversies surrounding the Bolshoi’s reconstruction and programming follows.]
"Creative meat"
One of the points of criticism raised by artists are the difficult working conditions in the theater.
"Concerning means of rehabilitation and general physical support. The masseurs’ salary is 14,000 [$420]; that's ridiculous. Naturally, all massage therapists work part-time and work additionally in commercial ventures. Properly equipped rooms for fitness classes or post-injury rehabilitation are nowhere to be found, although this issue has been raised repeatedly by employees. The physiotherapy room is equipped with obsolete machines, so there was talk of closing it. In general, artists are creative meat," says former Bolshoi soloist Georgy Geraskin.
"Dead Souls" and socks for 2,000 roubles
"During the revival of Ivan the Terrible there was a murky story with costumes. They began to be sewn, then they suddenly stopped being sewn, the costumes were gone, they had to be rented from the Paris Opera, but they did not all fit. The dress rehearsal was taking place, Grigorovich was sitting there and needing the artists to appear, and some simply could not go out on stage – they couldn’t get into their costumes. Though money had been allocated... Sometimes we got hold of budgets: men's socks – 2,000 roubles [$60], blindfold – 4,000 [$120]... What sort of prices are these? Clearly Russia’s universal problem—corruption—did not pass by the Bolshoi Theater..." says former Bolshoi Theater artist Alexey Koryagin.
"When I worked in the theater there were a couple of ‘dead souls.’ Usually artists who had actually retired, but retained a salary” says Geraskin. “But how much did the curtain for The Golden Cockerel cost!”[What follows is a section on ticket scalpers and Anastasia Volochkova’s accusations of dancers used as escorts, which Geraskin largely dismisses.]
In response to the question "What is to be done?" Georgy Geraskin answers briefly: "Save the country, and the theater will follow."
Alexey Koryagin says he wrote an open letter to Dmitri Medvedev. There were pickets at the theater demanding the resignation of the leadership, organized by audience members.
As for working artists, a rebellion is not possible at present.“If they’re going to rebel, then all together, immediately, once and for all. Today that’s not possible, not in the theater and not in the country. There is a cult of leadership, everyone is afraid. Once we were detained at a dress rehearsal. Artists rebelled: let's demand compensation! Eight people set off to see the administration and two arrived. Someone slipped on a string, right in the hallway, someone jumped into a crevice... What can I say?” sums up Alexey Koryagin.
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This is just killing me. I've waited all year in the hopes of seeing Hallberg in Moscow, and I have tickets for the 17th and 20th - such joy! Only to have it dashed away.
Tickets for the 21st are still available.
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The programme “Great Expectations” on RUSSIA 24 TV channel today:
http://www.vesti.ru/videos?vid=519252&cid=460
had interviews with the acting artistic director Galina Stepanenko and the former ballet company manager Ruslan Pronin
The interesting detail revealed is that the Bolshoi had offered to renew Vorontsova's contract for only six months. This makes the Bolshoi's claim that it hadn't intended to terminate Vorontsova's contract sound a little disingenuous. No wonder she left.
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July 12, 18: Smirnova / Lantratov / Tikhomirova / Chudin
July 13, 16: Obraztsova / Volchkov / Stashkevich / Gudanov
July 14, 17: Kaptsova / Skvortsov / Kretova / Ovcharenko
July 19: Vishneva / Gomes / Kretova / Ovcharenko
July 20: Amatriain / McKie / Osadcenko / Vogel
July 21: Obraztsova / Hallberg / Khokhlova / Alexeyev
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Zakharova is out after all. Casts have been shuffled around right, left and center. Obraztsova will dance two performances with Volchkov and the final one with Hallberg.
The Bolshoi has admitted that Zakharova has walked out. For now she isn't saying anything, and her coach Lyudmila Semenyaka is refusing to comment.
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For some clarity (hopefully), here is an excerpt from a recent interview by Bolshoi coryphée Ivan Alexeyev, which he gave to the hometown press in Voronezh.
At the Bolshoi, I had to start from scratch, admitted Ivan Alexeyev. If in Voronezh I performed as a soloist, had friends and parents here, at the Bolshoi I became an artist of the first category. After a season, I was promoted to a different category, and now I'm a coryphée, which is a rank below that of soloist. Now I'm dancing in the corps de ballet and performing leading roles. For example, at the Bolshoi Theater I was given the opportunity to dance José in "Carmen Suite", I have a solo part in the ballet "Jewels", and I returned to my favorite role as the Student in "Anyuta."
http://www.moe-online.ru/news/view/258668.html
There is nothing inconsistent in Vorontsova's story. She says she joined the Bolshoi as a coryphée, which would have had her listed among the members of the corps de ballet, as Alexeyev is, and in May 2012 she was promoted to the rank of soloist. You can find that information in the Bolshoi news feed for May 1, 2012.
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She and Khokhlova are the only two 09 grads who proceed to soloist level in the last two years(before that she was listed as a corps-de-ballet, indicating she lied in her interview)
Where do you believe she lied in the interview? If we're thinking of the same passage, she said she joined the company at coryphée rank. "It's a little lower in rank than a soloist, but the pay is practically the same" (p. 18 in the original text). At the Bolshoi coryphées are members of the corps de ballet. The Bolshoi corps has three internal ranks: "artist of the ballet," "artist of the ballet 1st category" and "artist of the ballet 1st category - coryphée." Looking at an alphabetical listing of the Bolshoi's corps you would not be able to tell which of the dancers belongs to which category. After that comes the rank of "artist of the ballet higher category," i.e., soloist, then "artist of the ballet higher category - first soloist," followed by "artist of the ballet, leading master of the stage - leading soloist," and "artist of the ballet, leading master of the stage - ballerinas and premiers," or principals in English.
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To be sure, I hope he succeeds for the sake of the dancers of the Bolshoi, the Mariinsky and every other company in Russia. We just shouldn't assume that any plan he devises has the government's imprimatur and must therefore be accepted by the Bolshoi's administration.
Anatoly Iksanov fired?
in Ballet News & Issues
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All things considered, Lavrovsky is being remarkably non-partisan. After all, it was his pupil Vladislav Lantratov who ended up as the opening-night Onegin opposite Olga Smirnova. As pleased as he must be with that outcome, his bigger-picture view is that something ought to have been done to accommodate Zakharova.