Bavarian Appointed Zelensky as New AD

[mussel]

Igor Zelensky has been appointed as artistic director for Bavarian State Ballet in Munich effective 9/1/16: http://www.bayerische.staatsoper.de/867-ZG9tPWRvbTImbD1lbg-~staatsballett~staatsballett_aktuell~aktuelles_ballett.html

So who will succeed Zelensky at Stanislavsky?

[Helene]

Will he take Polunin with him?

[volcanohunter]

Dance Europe magazine is reporting that 27 29 dancers will be leaving the Bavarian State Ballet at the end of the season, including principal dancers and soloists Daria Sukhorukova, Ekaterina Petina, Lukas Slavický, Cyril Pierre, Zuzana Zahradníková, Katherina Markowskaja, Léonard Engel, Stephanie Hancox, Ilia Sarkisov, Maxim Chashchegorov, Lucia Lacarra and Marlon Dino. This is a huge turnover, constituting more than a third of the company's roster, including two-thirds of its principal ranks and three-quarters of first soloists. In a significant sense, it won't be the same company once Zelensky takes over.

https://www.facebook.com/DanceEurope/photos/a.762806220476174.1073741828.762675407155922/1035181209905339/?type=1&theater

[Helene]

Re: deleted posts

Official news (with source) only.

[volcanohunter]

During the current season's run of Paquita the company's social media feeds made references to "the last" and "the very last" performances of the ballet, which prompted a bit of a panic in response. These formulations turned out to be a result of imperfect English usage, but the company confirmed that the "piece will be paused for the next seasons," so that's part of your answer. Zelensky has programmed Patrice Bart's (not quite) reconstruction of La Bayadère.

[volcanohunter]

Yes, when Paquita returns, it will be without Ratmansky's first-cast Daria Sukhorukova. Dance Europe isn't saying whether it's the dancers who don't want to work with Zelensky, or whether Zelensky doesn't want to work with these dancers. In the case of Cyril Pierre, who is in his mid-40s, his departure may have been predictable, but many of the others are significantly younger, and a number of them even share Vaganova-school training with Zelensky. In any case, the company will now be without most of the dancers who have been carrying the bulk of the repertoire, which will inevitably leave a big knowledge gap.

The company currently performs Neumeier's Illusions - like Swan Lake, which has a more authentic lakeside scene than most, but it remains to be seen whether Zelensky intends to keep the company's Cranko-Neumeier heritage.

[volcanohunter]

A press release on the theater site indicates that it's actually 29 dancers who are leaving. (Dance Europe counted incorrectly, and I didn't double check the list either. Oops. ) And at the end there's a note that adds absolutely no clarity to the situtation:

This announcement names the company members who will be leaving the Bayerisches Staatsballett at the end of the season without distinction. It does not specify whether the change for the upcoming season is due to the dancer’s own decision or an initiative of the new director.

https://www.staatsoper.de/en/press/press-information/press-information-ballet/news/news/june-farewells.html

[Helene]

From the Ballet Video forum, volcanohunter has posted an update on the performance of Le Corsaire that will be livestreamed on June 12: it has moved to the matinee (9am ET/6am PT) and will feature several of the dancers who are leaving the company. Click here for details.

http://balletalert.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/40730-le-corsaire-live-stream-bavarian-state-ballet/?p=370541

[volcanohunter]

The company has been playing up the departing dancers in recent days and encouraging audiences to come see their favorites one last time.
https://www.staatsoper.de/en/info-service/aktuelles/meldung/news/farewells-in-june.html?no_cache=1

Yesterday there was an album of photos from the Lady of the Camellias featuring Lacarra, Dino, Sukhorukova, Chashchegorov and Markowskaja.

https://www.facebook.com/staatsballett/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10154275698029743
https://www.facebook.com/staatsballett/photos/a.234889279742.135528.191195124742/10154266164589743/?type=3&theater

Today it's Sukhorukova and Pierre.
https://www.facebook.com/staatsballett/photos/a.234889279742.135528.191195124742/10154278695359743/?type=3&theater

[volcanohunter]

Thanks to naomikage for spotting this news.

Irène Lejeune, the biggest private sponsor of the Bavarian State Ballet, has withdrawn her financial backing from the company, stating that she wants "no Russian State Ballet." Her annual cumulative eight-year donation of €1.3 million is significant for a company with a budget of €7.3 million. Apparently Lejeune had spent more than a year trying to arrange a meeting with Zelensky, and when she finally did, he had only bad things to say about the company, which triggered her decision to withdraw her support. The intendant of the opera house tried to persuade her to switch her sponsporship to its orchestra, but she declined since she feels no emotional attachment to it.
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/nationaltheater-bayerisches-staatsballett-verliert-grosssponsorin-1.3021945

Lucia Lacarra and Marlon Dino also cited Zelensky's leadership style and lack of communication skills among their reasons for leaving.
https://www.br-klassik.de/aktuell/news-kritik/bayerisches-staatballett-taenzer-abschied-100.html
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/tanz-herzloses-regime-1.3017181

[Dreamer]

The article in the "Sueddeutsche Zeitung" provides no details as to what exactly Zelenksy said about the company to be considered negative, only an indirect quote about too few dancers and too few performances. All I can conclude from this article is that Frau Lejeune is big supporter of Ivan Liska and obviously not a fan of Russian ballet.

[MadameP]

Zelensky had better brush up his communication skills quickly. He needs to think of his audience. They must be furious at the prospect of so many loved dancers leaving, and especially their stars, Lacarra and Dino.

[MadameP]

I will be only too pleased if he takes Skorik!

[mussel]

Thanks to naomikage for spotting this news.

Irène Lejeune, the biggest private sponsor of the Bavarian State Ballet, has withdrawn her financial backing from the company, stating that she wants "no Russian State Ballet." Her annual donation of €1.3 million is significant for a company with a budget of €7.3 million. Apparently Lejeune had spent more than a year trying to arrange a meeting with Zelensky, and when she finally did, he had only bad things to say about the company, which triggered her decision to withdraw her support. The intendant of the opera house tried to persuade her to switch her sponsporship to its orchestra, but she declined since she feels no emotional attachment to it.

http://www.sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/nationaltheater-bayerisches-staatsballett-verliert-grosssponsorin-1.3021945

Lucia Lacarra and Marlon Dino also cited Zelensky's leadership style and lack of communication skills among their reasons for leaving.

https://www.br-klassik.de/aktuell/news-kritik/bayerisches-staatballett-taenzer-abschied-100.html

http://www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/tanz-herzloses-regime-1.3017181

I thought European countries have a much higher level of employee protection than the US, that employees can't be easily dismissed. May be there's an artistic clause exception in the case of theater?

I am surprised to find out Bavarian State Ballet's budget is only a small fraction of NYCB's or ABT's.

[volcanohunter]

I'm also puzzled by the 7.3 million figure cited by Sueddeutsche Zeitung. The National Ballet of Canada is a company of comparable size, and it has a budget of about 32 million CAD, or 22 million EUR. Granted, the National Ballet has to rent an opera house, and if I'm reading its budget correctly, it also has substantial expenditures on its rehearsal space and its production facility, and perhaps the Bavarian State Ballet doesn't have to pay for any of that, but even so, this would account for about one million EUR in additional expenditures, not 15 million. Regardless, the loss of 1.3 million EUR in funding would be tough on any arts organization.

And I, too, am surprised that dancers in Pennsylvania apparently enjoy greater labor protections than their colleagues in Bavaria.

[naomikage]

One thing that must be said is about the 15 year clause (which some of you must be aware), a German opera house has to provide lifetime employment if a personnel is hired over 15 years. So many companies do not renew contract for dancers who have worked almost 15 years.

This explains some of the departures at Stuttgart Ballet. (and usually you are in your mid-thirties, if you worked for 15 years you would be in your mid-thirties which means it will be difficult to have another job as a dancer so some seek to move before that)

Apparently, some of the departures (4 or 5 dancers) this time is related to this.

[Fosca]

Her annual donation of €1.3 million is significant for a company with a budget of €7.3 million.

The 1,3 million was not an annual donation, but the whole of her donation in eight years. See the correction under the article of the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

[volcanohunter]

Thank you for pointing out the newspaper's correction. Indeed, only a handful of zillionaires could afford to make such massive donations annually, although an average annual donation of 162,500 is still significant.

The dancers who would seem to fall under the "fire before 15" practice would be Lucia Lacarra, Marlon Dino, Cyril Pierre and Vittorio Alberton, all of whom joined the company in 2002, although it appears that Lacarra and Dino are leaving of their own volition. Lukáš Slavický and Zuzana Zahradníková, who are also leaving, have been with the company longer than 15 years. (Special treatment by virtue of being Czechs? )

Perhaps principal dancers are treated differently on this score. At the Hamburg Ballet, two-thirds of its principals have been with the company 15 years or longer: Silvia Azzoni (since 1993), Hélène Bouchet (1998), Anna Laudere (2001), Carsten Jung (1994), Alexandre Riabko (1996), Lloyd Riggins (1995), Ivan Urban (1994). But only one member of the corps has been with the company for close to that length of time, which isn't unusual in most countries.

[diane]

just pointing out a few things.... as I have been in Germany for so long.....

As far as I can make it out, in German theatres there is always the possibility - especially if one is a soloist, as are all actors (DH, for example) to work out an "extra contract" which enables them to keep working past the 15 year mark (has to be the same theatre), but without the benefit of being "unkündbar" (irredeemable?) for the years after that time. So, just before the fifteen year mark arrives, they would sign a special contract stipulating that they would be allowed to work for X more years but then would have to leave and perhaps get "guest contracts". They can also get special contracts, worked out individually, as they are soloists and the company is not (necessarily) bound to follow the contracts drawn up by the unions, etc.

The fact that there are quite a few dancers in some larger companies who have been there far longer than the fifteen years is - I think - very nice.

As to the rent for the buildings, that is - usually! - taken care of by the state or city or a combination of both; part of the substantial subventions of cultural institutions.

-t-

[sz]

Amy,

Why shouldn't Igor Zelensky bring Osipova and Polunin and Zkorik into his company along with Shklyarov and Shirinkina?

[volcanohunter]

As far as I can make it out, in German theatres there is always the possibility - especially if one is a soloist, as are all actors (DH, for example) to work out an "extra contract" which enables them to keep working past the 15 year mark

I am glad some companies find a way to work around this. It's a shame a regulation that was no doubt intended to protect employees can result in dancers being turfed out during their prime years. In the case of actors, sending them packing after 14-15 years seems completely nonsensical. (How is a 30-year-old actor supposed to play King Lear?) Surely the ministry of culture is aware of the difficulties this regulation causes and the acrobatics theaters engage it to circumvent it.

[Fosca]

Volcanohunter, the 15 year rule was enforced by the German trade union for stagecraft and artistic workers in order to ensure a steady job after a certain time in a theatre. They were thinking of opera singers (mainly the chorus) and actors, the rule is not good for dancers, but the lobby inside the union seems to be too small to change it. And there are few dancers who really stay so long with a company, it only applies for the big companies, not for the smaller oder modern ones. As you know, Germany is the country with the most state subsidized theatres in the world - actors and singers keep moving from theatre to theatre after 5 years, after 10 years, so they have lots of possibilities to play King Lear or sing Klytaemnestra

Diane, there is no exception from the 15 year rule, you can add 4 extra years, but after that, a dancer has to be hired for the rest of his working career, that is until he or she is 65 years old.

[naomikage]

Cyril Pierre joined the faculty of Kirov Academy in Washington D.C.

http://kirovacademydc.org/explore-kirov/dance-faculty/

https://www.facebook.com/KirovAcademyofBalletDC/posts/1197964190228107

[volcanohunter]

Some photos from what was the final performance for many of the departing dancers.
https://www.facebook.com/staatsballett/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10154321130169743

[volcanohunter]

naomikage has spotted that the new roster of the Bavarian State Ballet has finally been posted. In addition to the previously reported signings of Maria Shirinkina and Vladimir Shklyarov, new principals include Ksenia Ryzhkova and Dmitry Sobolevskiy, previously of the Stanislavsky, and Osiel Gouneo. Natalia Osipova and Svetlana Zakharova are listed as "guests," Sergei Polunin as a "permanent guest." New soloists include Elizaveta Kruteleva, formerly of the Bolshoi, and Alexey Popov, formerly of the Mariinsky. Vaganova graduate Vera Segova has joined the corps, as has recent Moscow Ballet School graduate Dmitry Vyskubenko, who was interviewed during the Bolshoi segment of last autumn's World Ballet Day. No sign of Oksana Skorik, however.

 

https://www.staatsoper.de/staatsballett/ensemble.html