Mashinka

I would like to reassure the Canadian posters that Karen Kain is still remembered with admiration and affection for her performances here in London.

First of all, a word about the Soviet choreographers: The Bolshoi recently revived Lavrovsky's "Paganini" and brought it to London in '99 and a few years ago I saw another Lavrovsky piece danced to Prokofiev's 1st Symphony performed by students of the Bolshoi school. What both these pieces had in common was pretty relentless dancing requiring a high degree of technique from the dancers. Paganini had a slightly dated look but was redeemed by the dancing. Goliezovsky had a very difficult life as he was out of favour with the authorities for much of his career. Some of his very early work exists in snippets on video. He seems to have been rediscovered shortly before his death and is now regarded with reverence in Russia. His version of the Polovtsian Dances is simply stunning and if it were better known I firmly believe it could assume the status of a classic. His solo work "Narcissus" was performed by the Bolshoi in London in May and was very well received by both audiences and critics. One choreographer I rate highly is Christopher Bruce. In my opinion he is the finest British born dance maker working today. However as most of his career was spent with Ballet Rambert, I suppose he could easily be classified as a modern rather than classical choreographer. How is he rated in the US? He is quite unique. He produces work with a social conscience and his ballets Swan Song and Ghost Dances are to my mind masterpieces.

Just for the record Kevin, Vaziev did come on stage after the last performance. He stepped out of the wings a few paces, took a couple of bows and then exited. Anyone blinking would have missed him. Sadly I can confirm that none of the coaches or teachers appeared on stage.

On the very last day of the Kirov season the company treated us to a very unexpected debut at the matinee - Nikolai Tsiskaridze in the role of the Golden Slave. He was very impressive indeed. His Georgian sensuality was perfectly suited to a role where simmering sexuality is such an essential element and his actual dancing transformed an old warhorse of a ballet into something vibrant and alive. He was rewarded by a terrific ovation from the audience and was no less impressive when he (again unexpectedly) repeated his performance in the evening. I know that many fans were upset at the start of the evening, when they discovered Ruzimatov was not dancing, but you would never guess that from the well deserved applause that he and Nioradze received at the end. It was if anything, even greater than they received in the afternoon and Tsiskaridze rewarded us with a fabulous jete during his curtain calls. One small complaint about the evening though. On last nights it is customary for the entire company to assemble on stage for the applause and torrents of flowers. We like to say "thank you" to everyone, not just those dancing in the final work of the evening (Firebird) but to show appreciation for all the company members. That didn't happen and a number of people expressed their disappointment. So please, Kirov management, allow us to pay homage to EVERYONE next time.

I’m trying to remember exactly how many productions of Swan Lake I have actually seen. I can clearly recall about 12, but think I may have seen more. We all think we know the ballet well, but the sheer diversity of these productions means that we see a whole new concept every time. Over the years I have seen ballets starting with a prologue showing Odette becoming a swan; first acts with/ without a jester; second acts with/without Benno; third acts with a different dancer as Odile and fourth acts with totally different endings. With Odette and Seigfried both dying/one dying/going to heaven/remaining alive. In addition I have seen male swans, a nude female Rothbart and (most recently) a production that centred around Rothbart (he was renamed the King and was Seigfried’s father) All this has been in addition to the tinkering with the choreography which you come to expect in a new production. For the record, my favourite production was the old RB one, with the Leslie Hurry designs, but the best production currently to be seen is the Kirov version, which shares a lot similarities to the RB one that I loved so much.

I love to go abroad to see performances and have travelled extensively throughout Europe to see favourite dancers, new productions etc. My favourite destination is also Paris, it’s the city I love best and there is always so much to do and see there Every summer there are a number of arts festivals held in some outstanding locations. I particularly recommend Athens, where the performances take place in an ancient amphitheatre built into the slopes of the Acropolis. I have seen the Royal Ballet and the Bolshoi Ballet there and it was an unforgettable experience.. Russia is a problematic destination for a number of reasons, but once you get there you will have a wonderful time. Basically you have two travel options. Either you go on an all-inclusive tour, which will be expensive and possibly regimented, or you can go as an independent traveller. The latter option is fraught with problems as all your travel arrangements must be in place before you can start to apply for a visa and the cost of your visa will depend on the length of time remaining before departure. Travel agents specializing in Eastern Europe can help but will try to put you into an up market hotel and their flights are rarely the cheapest. Be sure to read the Time Out Guide or the Lonely Planet guide when choosing a hotel. I haven’t been to St P. for many years but am reliably told by ballet fans that the cheapest tourist hotels are a considerable distance from the city. Be prepared for unusual sights at your hotel such as heavily armed security men and lobbies full of call girls. I often travel to Moscow and imagine that ticket arrangements in St P. are the same as those in Moscow. You buy your tickets on the street outside the theatre. The ticket touts are actually more knowledgeable than the box office staff and they will all speak English to you. However always be prepared for sudden cast and programme changes. If you know any Russian dancers ask them for information about the dance scene in the city, they will tell you all the latest news about performances that you would otherwise miss. Finally, the best advice I can give is to learn some Russian before you go. Without a basic knowledge of the language and the alphabet, Russia will seem a very bewildering place.

Seeing how Rozhdestvensky started his career at the Bolshoi as a ballet conductor, his attitude to Daughter of the Pharaoh is hard to understand. The Pugni music for that ballet is tuneful and charming. A delightful example of 19th century ballet music. Last year I attended the first two performances of this ballet in Moscow. I loved it and it seemed to please the Moscow audience too. However one of the dancers told me that the dancers did not like it because they felt Lacottes choregraphy wasn't sufficiently "authentic". That may be so but it was highly enjoyable and I suspect that the real reason for their dislike was that the choregraphy made technical demands that they weren't used to. I do hope that this production isn't simply cast away as I feel it has too much to offer to be thrown back into oblivion