B. Y. Bregvadze

[rg]

it would seem from the stats i have seen that there is some special interest in the kirov dancer, BORIS YAKOVLEVICH BREGVADZE, and since the pictures in the 'album' concentrating on him, i'm posting the link for anyone who remains curious about this dancer and teacher who seems far too unknown outside russia.

[EDITED by Admin to add that the link, which is no longer active, has been removed as of 12 Jan 07. However, later in this thread are active photos.] Please scroll down to see them.]

[sandik]

Those are stunning photographs -- your comment that he's a candidate for the "swagger" portrait is right on target. Thinking about the current aesthetic in dance photography for the unposed shot and how different it is from these composed pictures. Yikes.

[coda]

Dear RG, thank you for the link.

It was mentioned there that no films with Bregvadze exist. I also haven't heard of any full film ballets featuring him, however, you can see a recording of him dancing in "THE GLORY OF THE KIROV" videofilm (1995):

Viennese Waltz by Yakobson: Kurgapkina, Bregvadze (1960)

[rg]

yes, thanks coda, for that reminder. i think it was marc who noted the perf. by B.Y.B. on the "Glory" tape. it's something, which is better than nothing. too bad there isn't more but one mustn't be too greedy.

[rg]

since i posted this link, i have acquired and now posted three new pictures of B.Y.B.

[rg]

FYI: earlier this week i acquired, scanned and posted a new portrait photo - what the soviets called, i think, a publicity card: a deckle-edge matte photo - showing an evidently young BYB in a spanish-styled costume. it can be found w/ other pix of BYB in the 'album' linked at the top of this thread.

[rg]

it's been a while since i first posted some photos of this kirov dancer, whose career only became familiar to me of late.

i've recently gotten this photo of B.Y. Bregvadze and (probably) Kaleria Fedicheva (the handwritten caption seems wrong - one colleague very familiar with Shelest's career says Shelest only ever danced Cleopatra, and that only once - and not the Veronika role shown here) in what passed for Fokine's EGYPTIAN NIGHTS in the soviet era - the production was apparently billed as being 'Lopukhov after Fokine'.

This photo, 8x10" (not a postcard) would seem to have been from a publisher's archive, as it includes retouching strokes of brush and ink.

it is undated.

also included here is a smaller photo of B.Y.B. and Emma Vladimirovna Minchyenok (who later? married B.Y.B). they are shown as Ferhad and Shirin in LEGEND OF LOVE (by Grigorovich).

B.Y.B. is prominent in the recently shown GEORGIANS AT THE MARYINSKY (Dance on Camera, 2007) where he speaks about his fellow Georgian V. M. Chabukiani - the costumes for LEGEND are by Virisiladze, another Georgian who worked at the Maryinksy to some acclaim and who is featured in the Georgians/Maryinsky film.

p.s. the link given in my initial posting is no longer active.

[sandik]

Oh these are stunning. I love them both, but especially the bookend quality of the Egyptian image. Many thanks!