Bolshoi cancels McGregor Rite of Spring

[kbarber]

balletincinema.com just posted this to their facebook page:

ANNOUNCEMENT: BOLSHOI BALLET CANCELS “RITE OF SPRING” IN WAKE OF ATTACK ON SERGEI FILIN

EMERGING PICTURES, EXCLUSIVE U.S. DISTRIBUTOR FOR BOLSHOI BALLET, WILL REVAMP “BALLET IN CINEMA” SPRING SCHEDULE

New York – January 31, 2013 --- Emerging Pictures, the largest

all-digital specialty film and alternative content network of theatres

in the U.S., today announced that its scheduled presentation of

the Bolshoi Ballet’s new production of “The Rite of Spring” has been

cancelled as the result of the attack on Bolshoi artistic director

Sergei Filin. Earlier this month, Filin was savagely assaulted near his

Moscow home by a masked attacker who threw acid in his face. He

suffered third-degree burns and will very likely lose sight in one eye;

his recovery will take at least six months.

A new production with

commissioned choreography by Wayne McGregor was planned to celebrate the

100th anniversary of “The Rite of Spring.” The performance was to have

been screened as part of Emerging Pictures’s Ballet in Cinema series in

approximately 300 U.S. theatres beginning April 21.

Barry Rebo,

managing partner at Emerging Pictures, said, “We very much regret this

unavoidable cancellation. Our thoughts are with Mr. Filin and all his

colleagues at the Boshoi, and hope for his fullest possible and speedy

recovery. A suitable performance will be substituted for ‘The Rite of

Spring’ in Emerging network theatres.”

The official release from the Bolshoi read, in part:

“The Directorship of the Bolshoi theatre of Russia, with the

production crew headed by the choreographer Wayne McGregor, has come to a

joint decision to postpone the production of ‘The Rite of Spring’ due

to the fact that the artistic director of the ballet company of the

Bolshoi Theatre of Russia, Mr. Sergei Filin, is hospitalized. The date

of the production will be determined after the artistic director of the

ballet returns back to the theatre.”

The live broadcast, which we would have seen in Canada, was scheduled for March 31.

[Stage Right]

I am not quite sure what the rationale behind this cancellation is? Does it somehow protest the acid attack? Honor Sergei Filin? And if so, how? I think that it would be better to show the film, show the immense talent and artistry of the Bolshoi ballet, accentuate the positive. But I am sure others have other opinions.

[kbarber]

I am not quite sure what the rationale behind this cancellation is? Does it somehow protest the acid attack? Honor Sergei Filin? And if so, how? I think that it would be better to show the film, show the immense talent and artistry of the Bolshoi ballet, accentuate the positive. But I am sure others have other opinions.

It's not the film that has been cancelled, it's the actual production, which was supposed to premiere in March.

[Helene]

In addition to how shaken the dancers are and how disruptive this has been to their work, a lot of administration energy and focus that goes into a new production, especially one that is expected to be broadcast worldwide, and the administration of the Bolshoi has been focused on an emergency and an aberration.

The Bolshoi "La Bayadere" was broadcast this past Sunday in Vancouver, but this is a production that the dancers know well.

I wonder if they will broadcast the replacement program on the 31 March, or if they will broadcast a different production on another date. "The Rite of Spring" was scheduled for the New Stage, not the Main Stage. "Jewels" and "Sleeping Beauty" are scheduled for earlier in March on the Main Stage, and Tchaikovky's opera "The Enchantress" is scheduled for the Main Stage during "Rite"'s canceled run in March, and then Verdi's "La Traviata" during the some of the originally scheduled "Rite" performances in April.

Other ballets scheduled for the New Stage are: "Giselle", triple bill of "Apollo", Possokhov's "Classical Symphony", and Elo's "Dream of Dream", later in April a triple bill of "The Four Temperaments," "In the Middle Somewhat Elevated," and Kylian's "Bella Figura," and, later in May, "Anyuta." I think if they want to appeal to the audience who bought movie tickets to "Rite," the Balanchine/Forsythe/Kylian program would be a good choice, if they can get permissions from various Powers That Be, including choreographers, all of which would be a lovely gesture of support for Filin and the Bolshoi, were that the Bolshoi's preference.

[volcanohunter]

In France, at least, the Bolshoi's distributor Pathé Live is going with a repeat of last season's Esmeralda.

http://www.pathelive...re-du-printemps

[Helene]

Thank you for the update. I'm disappointed: I wish they'd re-broadcast "Le Corsaire" in Canada, because in Vancouver, we lost the transmission before the fan dance in the last act, which I never got to see in the abridged version the Bolshoi brought to the Kennedy Center. I saw it on YouTube, but I'd love to see it on the big screen.

[kbarber]

Thank you for the update. I'm disappointed: I wish they'd re-broadcast "Le Corsaire" in Canada, because in Vancouver, we lost the transmission before the fan dance in the last act, which I never got to see in the abridged version the Bolshoi brought to the Kennedy Center. I saw it on YouTube, but I'd love to see it on the big screen.

I have left a message with Cineplex to let me know what their plans are for Canada.

[Natalia]

A very wise decision by Mr. Macgregor et al.

[Stage Right]

Thanks, kbarber, for clarifying that. I didn't realize it was a new production live, and it makes good sense to cancel that.

[Amy Reusch]

I'm not clear on why the McGregor premiere has been postponed... It seems slightly more likely to do with the Svetlana Lunkina fleeing to Canada to avoid threats? Are there threats in multiple directions? Was Lunkina's filmmaker husband involved in the Rite broadcast? It is all rather confusing. Is he not a filmmaker but rather a producer?

[Helene]

The Bolshoi has made a formal statement and any ties to Lunkina are speculation, unless confirmed with official news from the Bolshoi or other journalistic sources, ballet professional blogs, sites, Facebook, tweets, etc.

Logically, they could have continued with the premiere without canceling the production, which is costly in its own right.

[Helene]

Critic Ismene Brown has been tweeting about "Rite of Spring" and the context of the cancellation for the last twp weel, some in response to other members of the Twitterie:

Much intrigue revealed in Kommersant dance writer's commentary today...

Feb 3

Update: Rumours tt Wayne McGregor canned new

#

Bolshoi

Rite of Spring bec English in fear of working there dismissed by Kommersant...

Feb 3

.McGregor not there till Feb 18, assistants adrift with no authority. Meanwhile inhuman perf sched for dancers flat out...

Feb 3

...Kuznetsova finally says nxt season another prestige outside creation Maillot cannot afford to go wrong after this. Warning signs.

Feb 3

Authoritative Kuznetsova comments project jeopardised long ago by crazy schedule due to Culture minister demanding more perfs

#

Bolshoi

...

Feb 3

She tends to blame Culture Min for forcing Iksanov to increase perfs & reduce rehearsals. Half

#

Bolshoi

's 220 dancers sick

Feb 3

[End of Kommersant discussion]

Corps is prob more importnt in Rite? Hard to shift as a pack if old coaches set against & Filin not there. McG repute on line

FEb 3

If I read this correctly, she means, When the cat is away, the mice will obstruct.

#

Bolshoi

: Stepanenko Izvestia int: Tsiskaridze continues to work, McGregor Rite postponed till Filin back, subst Baganova is a "brave woman"

Feb 11

also, regarding Lunkina -- I believe she's still referring to a report in Izvestia,

..Lunkina threats connected to husband's film work

#

Bolshoi

#

Filin

Jan 28

Brown also tweeted a link to an article in "Dancing Times," which said that "Jewels' has replaced the originally-scheduled triple-bill including "Rite of Spring" for the Bolshoi's London 2013 tour. I've opened up a thread for the London tour here:

[sandik]

Lordy.

[Helene]

According to the handout at today's "Met in HD" performance of "Parsifal," they're doing "Esmeralda" in Vancouver, too.

[kbarber]

Yes, Cineplex told me that it would be Esmeralda rebroadcast in all their cinemas in Canada.

[ascballerina]

It's been changed on the official website: http://www.cineplex.com/Events/DanceSeries/Home.aspx

[Pamela Moberg]

DD just called to say that she had bought tix for Esmeralda on Easter Sunday (31 March) . Bolshoi is fine with us, the screening will be at 5 p.m. here, quite decent hour, whereas Met is not so convenient from our point of view. No way we would have spent money on Rite of Spring, if it comes to that we would be able to see it live at our opera house. But neither DD nor I are fans of Rite of Spring. We are very much looking forward to Easter Sunday and I do hope that everyone seeing that screening will post their impressions.

[volcanohunter]

In an interview published yesterday, McGregor says he no longer plans to stage a Rite for the Bolshoi. The "moment has passed," and the company now has a different version in its repertoire. He does plan to stage one of his works for the company in 2015, but won't say which one.

http://izvestia.ru/news/566064

[sandik]

I'm sorry to hear this -- as a Sacre geek, I'm always curious to see what people do with the score.