Denis Rodkin. Photo – Damir Yusupov
For the Prime Minister Bolshoi Theater Denis Rodkin this March turned out to be rich important events: he has just danced Vronsky in John Neumeier’s ballet “Anna Karenina” and received news of the Presidential Prize for young cultural figures for his contribution to the preservation, enhancement and popularization of the achievements of Russian choreographic art.
— What emotions did you experience when you learned about the award?
— Very pleasant, because in fact this is recognition of what I have done in seven years at the Bolshoi Theater. The award does not relax me at all; on the contrary, it forces me to move on and prove that I deserved it. The audience will watch and think whether it’s worthy.
— Do awards influence your artistic life?
— The more awards and the higher the regalia, the more difficult it is on stage - no one will forgive you for your mistakes. In general, awards help at least by stirring up interest in the name.
— How did you see your Vronsky?
- Strong and charismatic. He is handsome and confident, which is why Anna falls in love with him, but he is a little flighty: he does not want to burden himself with serious relationships and responsibilities. Having met Anna, he realizes that she is the ideal woman he dreamed of. She turns his inner world upside down.
— Is your hero disappointed in Anna?
- Not that he's disappointed. It becomes difficult for him to be with her: she begins to be wildly jealous of him, withdraws into her thoughts, and is tormented by her love for her son, whom she does not see. Vronsky gets tired of this - for normal person such a reaction is natural.
— You didn’t internally resist transferring the plot of Leo Tolstoy to our days?
“At first I didn’t understand why. But when they started rehearsing and got involved in active work, Neumeier’s reading was captivating and seemed interesting. John is absolutely immersed in the novel.
It is important for him to show how the world of the heroes is changing: the successful politician Karenin, the athlete Vronsky, Anna, at the beginning an exemplary wife and mother, and then... I think this is the exclusive vision of the choreographer, and I realized that you don’t need to listen to anyone - just him.
— Choreographers are divided into dictators, who demand the strict implementation of their ideas, and democrats, who listen to the suggestions of the performers. What is John Neumeier like?
Svetlana Zakharova (Anna), Denis Rodkin (Vronsky). Photo – Damir Yusupov “He doesn’t interfere with the artists, but if he doesn’t like something or notices a deviation, even the slightest, from the choreography, he immediately makes it clear that this cannot be done. So it has both. John is a gentle person, never puts pressure, it’s pleasant to work with him, there is no feeling of panic. Calm emanates from him.
—Are you a calm person yourself?
- When and how.
— It’s hard to imagine you being noisy, irritated...
- Probably, this is the appearance. In the theater, for example, they know that I am not the calmest soloist and can show character when the costume, for example, is made to grow, as happened in Karenina. I don’t understand why. After all, I regularly went to all the fittings.
— How did a boy from an intelligent family, but far from the theater, end up in ballet?
— I am a Muscovite, I grew up in the Pokrovskoye-Streshnevo area. Mom wanted to keep me busy with something, so she enrolled me in a guitar club and step dance classes. Then she found out that on the first floor of our house, and we lived on the third, a municipal children's nursery was opened ballet school, and classes are absolutely free. That's where I was assigned.
Who knew that in 2003 this school at the Moscow Gzhel Dance Theater would acquire the status of a state choreographic school with a professional diploma. At first I studied without much pleasure and without any specific aspiration - to become the premier of the Bolshoi Theater, for example. Everything went as usual, gradually and correctly.
— When did you want to become a ballet dancer?
— I was studying in a preparatory group when I was taken to the Kremlin for “ Swan Lake" I slept through the whole performance; it all seemed very boring to me. In the lobby they sold cassettes with recordings of performances; there were no discs then. Mom asked which one I should buy. I answered: “Ballet, where men jump more.”
They recommended Yuri Grigorovich's Spartak to us. When I watched this powerful performance with Ekaterina Maksimova and Vladimir Vasiliev, I realized - only ballet and nothing more. Then I got involved in classical music and wanted to dance it.
— Spartak’s half-century anniversary is coming soon, and you are in the title role.
— My first strong impression at the Bolshoi Theater was the run-through of “Spartacus.” The orchestra started playing two steps away from me, the action captured me, Grigorovich’s demanding voice sounded - I sat with my mouth open, it was so large-scale and strong. Then I couldn’t even believe that I would one day dance Spartacus.
Years passed, and one fine day Yuri Nikolaevich invited me to prepare this role. I myself came to the second rehearsal - a shock happened to me, I shrank with fear: there was something unreal in the fact that Grigorovich was nearby, in the hall. For me, this choreographer is the second Petipa, they are on the same page.
— Of course, the history of ballet in the second half of the 20th century was determined by Yuri Grigorovich...
- I'll say more. If it were not for Yuri Nikolaevich, there would not be the Bolshoi Theater that we now have. He took ballet to unprecedented height. I am grateful to him for trusting me with his performances. At first he looked at me with caution, but then he began to treat me warmly, I feel it. I want to reciprocate and please him.
When his ballets are performed at a high artistic level, his mood immediately changes, he becomes different. During the orchestral run-throughs, he scolds everyone, but if this had not happened, the performances would have been weaker. He knows how to assemble a troupe.
— You are the pride of the Gzhel school. Its founder, choreographer Vladimir Zakharov, was proud of you and showed you as a talented boy. Usually such people are transferred to the Academy of Choreography, but you remained at your alma mater. Why?
Denis Rodkin and Anna Nikulina in "Raymonda". Photo – Maya Farafonova - They offered me, but I was a patriot, and I didn’t want to betray Vladimir Mikhailovich. I dreamed that I would have my own destiny - a graduate of the young Gzhel school who had achieved something. I didn’t want to repeat the standard path of a boy from the Moscow State Academy of Arts who came to the corps de ballet of the Bolshoi Theater...
— Are you the first from Gzhel to get to the Bolshoi Theater?
- Yes. Vladimir Mikhailovich loved me very much and often said: “You should dance with Svetlana Zakharova.”
- Like looking into the water.
— Unfortunately, he did not live to see our duet with Svetlana. I think if he had sat in the audience at our Swan Lake, he would have cried with joy throughout the performance. He was a romantic and very sentimental. I remember when Zakharov read poetry, he always shed a tear.
— If you had not become a ballet dancer, what profession would you have chosen?
— Children's fantasies - a train driver and a football player. When I grew up, I had no doubt that the path of a ballet dancer was mine, and there could be no other way.
— How did you end up in the Bolshoi troupe?
- Accidentally. IN graduating class I went to St. Petersburg to look at the Eifman Theater. Boris Yakovlevich took me and even offered me two roles - Lensky in Onegin and Basil in Don Quixote. I had a second viewing planned - at the Bolshoi Theater, although I knew there was no 90 percent chance, apparently the remaining ten worked.
- Really? main theater countries chose dancers from the first graduating classes of young alternative schools?
— Andrey Evdokimov, my teacher, Bolshoi soloist, gave me a pass and agreed that I would show up. I was very worried, but I reassured myself that, as they say, they don’t take money for demand.
Three months later, when we found ourselves with Gzhel on a school tour in Syria, there was no war there yet, a phone call came from the then head ballet troupe Gennady Yanina: “We are taking you, we need tall and well-built guys for the corps de ballet.” Warmth, sun, swimming pool and such happiness - an invitation to the Bolshoi.
— Can you name a few events that turned your stage life?
- I was going to be expelled from preparatory group schools. The teacher didn’t like me, it happens, she didn’t like me - and that’s all. Zakharov intervened: “Let’s leave it for now, the boy is fine, maybe things will work out for him.”
The second point is the class of Nikolai Tsiskaridze. Many people dissuaded him - it’s not worth it, he puts pressure on him with his authority and is too strict. I was taught strict discipline at Gzhel, so the advice didn’t stop me.
Nikolai Maksimovich immediately said: “If you want to dance well, start thinking with your head.” I've been stuck with this. The third piece of luck was meeting with Grigorovich’s performances. Then there was a difficult moment at the Bolshoi - everyone remembers these events ( attack on Sergei Filin. - "Culture"), and they didn’t really want to include me, Tsiskaridze’s student, in the repertoire. Then the run-through of “Ivan the Terrible” took place, Grigorovich praised my Kurbsky in front of everyone. He walked home inspired. Almost immediately, Yuri Nikolaevich trusted Spartak.
The fourth happiness is a duet with Svetlana Zakharova. After Andrei Uvarov’s retirement, she was left without a partner, I also experienced difficult emotions: they promised me the Prince in “The Nutcracker,” then they removed her from the cast, it was a shame. I jumped at Svetlana’s offer to learn the role of Jose in Carmen Suite for an evening at the Mariinsky Theater.
We danced and liked our duet. And so it began - they began to put together performances, all kinds of different ones. Now I feel next to Svetlana not like a stranger, we have become family and people who understand each other.
— Do you communicate with Nikolai Tsiskaridze?
- Yes. Some crazy people thought that I betrayed him by not following him to St. Petersburg. But Nikolai Maksimovich and I discussed the future, and he said that I needed to stay at the Bolshoi and work hard. He believed in my success.
— You are a classical dancer and perform many parts of the modern repertoire. It's difficult to work in these different systems?
“Today, after the modern Anna Karenina, I can hardly imagine how I’ll put on tights and dance Swan Lake.” I felt the same way when, a week after “Ivan the Terrible,” “Pharaoh’s Daughters” was supposed to come out. The transition from modern choreography to classics is hellishly difficult, unlike the way back. The purest classic helps the body to be in excellent shape.
— It’s a strange situation, everyone considers themselves right to criticize the leadership of the Bolshoi - at first they were brought to clean water the former, now the proposals of the present are perceived with hostility. As if some bacillus of irritation had started. Do you feel it inside the theater?
— A leader cannot be good for everyone, and life consists not only of pleasant events. It seems that no artist has ever succeeded without difficulties. Everyone wants ideal relationship to yourself, but it doesn’t work that way. And people with ambitions work here, each with their own ideas.
They are not always justified and feasible. Always attracted to the Bolshoi Theater great attention. No matter what happens, they begin to make mountains out of molehills. I think it’s a waste to wash dirty linen in public; I will never publicly scold the management - even if I don’t like it.
— People are increasingly talking about the special character of ballet. What is he wearing?
— For example, today I couldn’t get out of bed - after rehearsals and run-throughs of “Karenina” with heavy lifts, fatigue set in and my neck hurt. But he got up. Every morning you force yourself - this is where your character shows.
— What is more important - luck or working up a sweat?
“It’s impossible without luck, but you can’t survive on it alone.” When things didn’t work out for me, I continued to work, although it seemed like it was in vain, but in the end, daily work turned out to be a plus for me.
— Can ballet dancers of the same theater be bound by strong ties of friendship?
“Legend of Love.” Shirin - Anna Nikulina, Ferkhad - Denis Rodkin. Photo – Mikhail Logvinov — Friendship depends on people. Therefore, it is possible, but now, in my opinion, we do not have strong alliances. Maybe partly because of competition. The professional life is short, everyone wants to dance something quickly, one gets a role, another doesn’t, jealousy and resentment appear, and sincere friendship cannot live in such a climate.
— Why did you refuse to participate in “Nureyev”?
— Eric Brun's role is very small - only five minutes on stage. And I didn’t like being Nureyev’s shadow.
— Would you agree to the title role?
— I doubt that I could create the image of Nureyev. We know him - this is not Spartak, not a prince, not Prince Kurbsky. Nureyev's dance was captured on video, preserved large number documentary chronicle, a lot has been written about him. He is such an extraordinary personality that, in my opinion, it is impossible to portray. I think I would have refused anyway.
— Film directors have not yet become interested in your spectacular appearance?
— They invited me to auditions, but somehow I didn’t get to them.
— How do you spend your day off?
— Lately I have a lot of work, and on Monday I sleep and rest. I like to watch movies.
- This can also be done while lying in bed...
— When time allows, I go to the opera, but not to the Bolshoi. There is a place of work, and the events of going to a performance do not work out. I’m going to the Stanislavsky Musical Theater to see “Khovanshchina”, “The Tales of Hoffmann” or “ Queen of Spades", V " New Opera“I recently listened to Faust and Romeo and Juliet.
— Your parents were shown to me more than once in the hall. Have they become balletomanes?
“Especially dad, although he used to get bored with ballet, didn’t understand it, and didn’t even like it.” But Spartak with his son leading role changed his worldview. Now he goes to all the performances and enjoys it.
Denis, in six months you will become a graduate of the Moscow Academy of Choreography. How do you feel in anticipation of such an event? What are your plans for this period?
Time is very fleeting, of course. It seems that just recently I entered the academy, but here I am already graduation year, and very soon I will graduate and start working in the theater. I have a great sense of responsibility for what I have to do. Of course, I feel proud that I am graduating from such a great and famous academy, from which many world stars have emerged.
I have a lot of work to do now.
At the beginning of February you dance in the play “Sleeping Beauty” on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater. It is an extremely rare case when an academy student comes out on the theater stage. But you honestly earned this chance at the Russian Ballet competition, becoming the Grand Prix winner, and you got the opportunity, being student to intern and perform at the Bolshoi Theater. Were you ready for such a development that you would dance in the play?
I didn’t even think about it, the work and its result are important to me. Of course it's an honor for me. I was surprised when they told me that I would be participating in a Bolshoi Theater performance, much less appearing in such a serious role ( approx. ed. Denis will dance the Blue Bird pas de deux in the ballet « sleeping Beauty » ). I didn't know this was even possible, so this is a huge event.
Especially,you have said more than onceWhatDo you dream of working at the Bolshoi Theater...
Yes, this has been a dream since childhood. This is the goal in life. As a child, I still understood that I would go towards this goal, going through any difficulties. To be in this legendary theater is already happiness.
During the New Year holidays, you rested for two days, and then went to study every day. Whatthis is fanaticismor necessity?
I just can’t rest, I feel bad without exercise, I have nowhere to put my energy. I also understand that I’m wasting time, plus, it’s better to keep yourself in shape than to get into it again later.
You said that since childhood you have set yourself a goal to go big. While studying in Ufa, did you strive to end up in Moscow? Did you understand that you need to get into the Moscow Academy of Choreography to achieve this goal?
When I first learned about ballet, I didn’t think that I would go to Moscow. I just practiced and loved what I did. Much later I learned about the academy, and I wanted to become one of its students.
How did you get into the Moscow State Academy of Arts?
I studied at Rudolf Nureyev College, and after the fourth grade, my mother and I decided that I needed to move on. Just then Yuri Burlaka arrived in Ufa, and he rehearsed with me. At one of the rehearsals, I asked him: “Where will they teach me men’s dance?” And he said that I should go to the Moscow Academy, because it was there that they would teach me male dance and the true traditions of classical ballet.
I decided to go to Moscow and try to enroll. They took me, and I ended up in Denis Medvedev’s class.
With teacher Denis Medvedev
Judging by your work, the meeting turned out to be fateful? Such a tandem of teacher and student rarely happens.
Yes. This is great luck. From the first day, the job I dreamed of began. Denis Vladimirovich, he is more than just a teacher to me, he is like a father to me. He will always listen and give good advice and I hope that we will continue to work with him in the future.
Is this possible?
I will be very glad if I am allowed to work with him in the theater. Because he figured out the right approach to working with me. Carrot and stick, as he says (laughs). It is impossible to be arrogant with him, and I am very grateful to him for the fact that for the most part he is strict with me. His tight gloves prevent him from getting loose and help him see the target clearly. At the same time, he is absolutely humane and emotional.
You mentioned your mom. Parents are often behind every artist. What role did your mother play in your life?
She never insisted that I do ballet. She just took me to the theater. Of course, I came out after the performance and said that I want to get into this world. Now she is very supportive of me and knows a lot about ballet. It seems to me that she knows a lot more about ballet than I do.
What exactly attracted you to the theater?
This special spirit, indescribable... In the theater there is an atmosphere of another world.
Now you are an adult, you have learned and seen a lot. Has your attitude towards theater changed?
Certainly, the world around us changes and changes a person's perception of various things. But when I come to the theater, the work is important to me, not what is happening inside it. In my opinion, you need to prove what you are capable of not behind the scenes, but on stage.
In your opinion, what qualities are necessary to become a real artist?
To quote Maya Plisetskaya: “Character is destiny.” I absolutely agree with this statement. If you don't have a strong and persistent character, nothing will work out. After all, the life of an artist is very fickle, there are different periods in life, when you need to take your will into a fist and move on no matter what.
And, of course, love for your work. Can't do without her!
If you treatto success, as in a formula in which threecomponents: talent, hard work and luck. In what ratio would you arrange them?
Hard work, first of all. Of course, there must be luck... (thinks). I think I would compare this formula for success to a pyramid that is constantly spinning.
Blitz
First appearance on stage
The Little Arab danced in the opera "Aida"
I don't like
Weather outside
INmy playlist
Various music
I've never tried
Skydive
I always have these three things with me
Passport, phone and everything
Favorite city
I'm proud
With my girlfriend
Bright moment from childhood
Amusement park, first bike ride
I'm reading
Science fiction, classics
Dream
Become a premier of the Bolshoi Theater
The secret of success
Attitude towards criticism
Adequate
Incident on stage
It happened (laughs)
Ability you would like to have
Stop time
Perfect day
When I did everything I planned and to the maximum
Character
Purposeful
The secret of happiness
From October 30 to November 4, 2016, the All-Russian Competition of Ballet Dancers and Choreographers was held in Moscow.
In 2013, the All-Union Competition of Ballet Dancers and Choreographers, always held in Concert hall them. P.I. Tchaikovsky on the eve of the famous Moscow competition. Now a platform All-Russian competition became the Children's stage musical theater them. N.I. Sats, and the competition itself, with a two-year periodicity, focuses attention either on classical performers or on characteristic dance, then on the art of choreographers. This time the turn of academic dancers arrived, bringing the “Ballet Dancers” nomination to the forefront. This is a kind of qualifying stage preparing for the XIII Moscow International Competition of Ballet Dancers and Choreographers, which is coming in June 2017.
In October, the first round of the All-Russian competition took place using video recordings. Live screenings of rounds II and III were evaluated by a jury chaired by Yuri Grigorovich. Composed of – artistic directors Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theater - Sergei Bobrov, Russian Ballet theaters - Vyacheslav Gordeev, Kremlin Ballet - Andrey Petrov, Tatar Opera and Ballet Theater - Vladimir Yakovlev, Mari Opera and Ballet Theater - Konstantin Ivanov, Bolshoi Theater teachers and tutors Yuri Vasyuchenko and Lyudmila Semenyaka, rectors of the Moscow State Academy of Choreography Marina Leonova and the Academy of Russian Ballet. A.Ya. Vaganova Nikolai Tsiskaridze, chief choreographers of the Moscow State Academy of Administrative Art named after. N.I. Sats - Vladimir Kirillov, Astrakhan Opera and Ballet Theater - Konstantin Uralsky. Responsible secretary of the jury – General manager International Federation ballet competitions Sergey Usanov.
The competition jury chaired by Yuri Grigorovich
Twenty-nine contestants in the younger age category and thirty-five in the older age category were planning to appear before the judges of so many and authoritative judges. Unfortunately, some of them, four to be exact, remained behind the scenes.
Participants junior group They didn’t reach professional standards. Angelina Sivtseva (Yakutsk) got lost in the finale of the variation of Aurora from the ballet “The Sleeping Beauty”; Anna Grigorieva, from Perm, did not have time to fit the movements into the musical tempo of the variation of Aurora from Perm. The work on freeing the body should be continued by Grigory Ikonnikov (Moscow), who showed off his good spin. Muscovite Ilya Vladimirov, without thinking about the required head positions, did not complete the jete en tournan in the variation from the ballet “Satanilla”, the design of which was also far from ideal. Denis Belyaev (Voronezh) surprised with a strange edition of the third part of Peter’s variation (“Cavalry Rest”). However, these are no longer reproaches to a young artist, but rather to the teacher. A good impression was made by Muscovite Irina Zakharova, who gracefully performed the “Butterfly” variation from Fokine’s “Carnival,” and Marina Korotchenkova from Voronezh, who turned to the “Raymonda” variation as revised by Konstantin Sergeev.
The “seniors” (age range from 18 to 26 years) set a higher competition bar, but here, too, professional competition has not intensified.
Denis Zakharov (1st prize). Photo by Igor Zakharkin
Irina Tochilshchikova from St. Petersburg barely coped with the Kitri variation (ballet “Don Quixote”), Muscovite Liliya Zhernilskaya failed the test of the rhythmic releve of Esmeralda (chorus N. Berezova). Victoria Gorbacheva (Moscow) performed the Odalisque variation from “The Corsair” in the finale, spinning modestly and not keeping up with the music; she did not even perfect the lead for the variation of the Lady of the Dryads from “Don Quixote.” Elizaveta Nazimova (Moscow) did not pay attention to the game of angles in variations from the ballet “Flower Festival in Genzano”.
Failure befell experienced competitors - Muscovites Marat Nafikov, who made a mistake in the rotations of the Franz variation (“Coppelia”), and Saryal Afanasyev, who stumbled in the Solor variation (“La Bayadère”). “Little Nuclear Power Plant” Nikita Ksenofontov tore passions and excessively “fussed his face” in the image of Philip (“Flames of Paris”).
Despite several interesting works, modern choreography Overall, it left a very pitiful impression, presenting the jury with the problem of choosing from the “cash available.”
Seventeen participants in the junior category and eighteen in the senior category reached the third round.
It is gratifying to see dancers competing in the role of romantic princes at the competition. These are the speakers senior group tall, stately Astrakhan resident Artem Pugachev and tall Muscovite Ivan Titov with beautiful legs and flexible, neat feet.
But perhaps the greatest positive emotions and Denis Zakharov raised hopes. A student of the Moscow Academy of Choreography, skillfully nurtured by teacher Denis Medvedev, he demonstrated good training, academic form and technical equipment in the variations of Jean de Brienne and Count Cherry, and in the number “On the Way Home” (music by A. Schnittke, chorus by R. Kotin ) – convincing acting. There is an example of a skillful approach to the choice of repertoire, thoughtful work on its development and implementation by the student and mentor.
The competition was again not without confusion about authorship. An obvious incident is the variation of the Shadow from La Bayadère, attributed to Tchaikovsky. But flaws in attribution were revealed in the presentation, for example, of the variation of the Queen of the Waters, composed by Marius Petipa, and not Arthur Saint-Leon, to the music of Minkus, not Pugna. The music of Franz's variation belongs to E. Guiraud, and not Leo Delibes, and the audience saw Swanilda's variation in the choreography of Gorsky, and not of Saint-Leon. Well, justice requires, with all due respect to Petipa and his divertissement “Paquita,” to name Mikhail Fokin as the author of the variation of Armida’s Confidant (“Armida’s Pavilion” by N. Tcherepnin).
Yuri Kudryavtsev (II Prize) and Ekaterina Bulgutova (Prize “For Partnership”). Photo by Igor Zakharkin
Based on the results of the performances of the participants in the third round, the jury awarded the following prizes:
Junior group:
Girls:
1st Prize:
Osipyuk Arina (Moscow)
2nd prize:
Egorova Diana (Voronezh)
Klyavlina Ekaterina (Moscow)
III Prize:
Grigorieva Anna (Perm)
Lazareva Alesya (Moscow)
Diplomas:
Platonova Anastasia (Yakutsk)
Gracheva Galina (Voronezh)
Zakharova Irina (Voronezh)
Certificates for participation in the finals:
Borisova Alina (Moscow)
Korotchenkova Marina (Voronezh)
Boys:
1st Prize:
Zakharov Denis (Moscow)
2nd prize:
Vladimirov Ilya (Moscow)
III Prize
Ikonnikov Grigory (Moscow)
Diplomas:
Efimov Aital (Moscow)
Belyaev Denis (Voronezh)
Rogov Nikita (Yakutsk)
Senior group:
Women:
1st Prize:
Khabinets Ksenia (Moscow)
Markova Anna (Moscow)
2nd prize:
Kaicheva Alina (Moscow)
Serova Varvara (Moscow)
III Prize:
Bek Maria (Moscow)
Baybaeva Ekaterina (Yoshkar-Ola)
Diplomas:
Fedotova Venera (Yakutsk)
Mulukina Vita (Rostov-on-Don)
Nazimova Elizaveta (Moscow)
Men:
1st Prize:
Ksenofontov Nikita (Novosibirsk)
Afanasyev Saryal (Moscow)
2nd prize:
Kudryavtsev Yuri (Krasnoyarsk)
Titov Ivan (Moscow)
III Prize:
Nafikov Marat (Moscow)
Pugachev Artem (Astrakhan)
Diplomas:
Khomushku Subudai (Moscow)
Kalmykov Sergey (Krasnodar)
Arefiev Mstislav (Moscow)
Special awards:
“For successful preparation of the competition participant”
Medvedev Denis (Moscow) – junior group
Bogoroditskaya Zhanna (Moscow) – senior group
“For partnership” – Ekaterina Bulgutova (Krasnoyarsk)
"For best choreography» – Nikita Ivanov (Moscow), Vyacheslav Pegarev (Moscow), Nina Madan (Moscow)
I don’t have time to write, but all the time I’m replaying in my head the impressions of what I saw, I probably still need to let it out. Over the past shock week, “Giselle” at BT was my third performance with the participation of Zakharova and Polunin, including La Bayadère in Stasik and The Sleeping Beauty in the Rock. But this third performance became a real apotheosis. The performance was not perfect. But he was unusually inspired and sensual. Magnificent. Of course, the highest skill of Svetlana, Sergei and the entire Bolshoi Theater troupe is pride and incredible pleasure. Everything was accepted and seemed organic.
Zakharova and Polunin are virtuosos with unique talent, individual dance style, and luxurious lines. Impossibly beautiful hands, a unique cantilena and, excuse me, the best feet I have ever seen, in tandem, on one stage - just my personal balletomanic paradise.
Previously, Act 1 performed by Zakharova was not one of my preferences; I was confused by the “aristocrat diligently portrays a naive simpleton” effect. And in this performance on October 11th I was able to see a touching girl in love. The duet with Polunin was amazing. I liked the interpretation - sincere feeling Count.
For Albert Polunin, meeting Giselle this time is not a cold-blooded flirtation. He is deeply passionate and gives in to impulse, experiencing incredible tenderness. And he really falls in love. Giselle glows with happiness, is embarrassed, worried, and rejoices. But already in the first act there is a fragment that predetermines the inevitability of tragedy. During a conversation with her mother, when she talks about the danger of dancing, Giselle stops, and suddenly for some moments she takes on the look of a jeep. Doomed to death. Later, at the moment of the tragedy, Albert, shocked, having accused Hans, rushes about, rushes to Giselle’s friends, desperately asking why no one said that she was terminally ill, that she could die. Albert comes to the grave, shocked, lost and doomed, takes a knee, bows his head and folds his hands in a plea for either forgiveness or reunion. He rushes about, feeling the presence of his beloved, trying, but not being able to touch her. Even before this, she had not left him in his thoughts with a vision, but now he is passionately excited, not understanding the boundaries of reality, following the Phantom, and then stopping, realizing that this is impossible, but without ceasing to look for the image of his beloved with his eyes. This time I saw that Albert was not dancing to save himself, but was dancing because She was nearby. And while he feels HER, he will fight, try to stay with HER. And this whole struggle with Myrta is a piercing desire to delay the moment of separation at least for a moment. In this story, Albert does not go into the world saved and enlightened. He remains there, next to Giselle's last gift - a lily in his hand, a cloak left on the grave.
The images of the heroes are created in a filigree and three-dimensional manner. Range found expressive means infinite. Lots of nuances, placed accents, the smallest details - touches, glances, precisely found gestures, air kisses, changes in tempo, freezing.
So, in the 1st act, both heroes have a smile on their faces, and in the dance, movement and facial expressions there is awe and delight of the feeling that has overtaken them.
Albert's inspiration and love were also supported by special plasticity. And the exorbitant amplitude and sharpness of the entreche, followed by landing in an arabesque. Moreover, despite the movement away from Giselle, his body is directed - reaching towards her. And Sergei’s signature technique, a contrast in pace, when before moving he pauses for a split second, and then breaks into a jump at an accelerated pace, or, on the contrary, having started impulsively, he slows down. This is an excellent paint for verbalizing the power of emotion, creating the effect of enthusiasm and euphoria.
Albert Polunina this time was especially gentle and ardent. In the scene where he catches Giselle's hand, she playfully slips away, but he still hugs her - he catches her, and she freezes, happy and embarrassed. And Svetlana’s swift, airy rotations diagonally towards the calling, attracting Albert.
In the scene of the dance of Albert and Giselle, before her heart ache, Count Polunina so unusually earnestly, youthfully enthusiastically strives into the whirlwind of the round dance - feelings, but suddenly stops, embarrassed, and sincerely worried about the girl’s illness. He sits you on your knee and strokes your cheek soothingly.
A wonderful moment when Albert “argues” with Berthe, trying to take Giselle away. Sergei's performance brought a smile. So sincerely and tenderly, he pulls the girl behind her mother’s back, and as soon as Bertha’s gaze falls on him, he bows respectfully, but mischievously.
I realized that my last Giselles were not in BT, they were mostly on-site, so I forgot that Bathilda does not leave during a collision with Giselle in the madness scene, as happens in other editions. And although Bathilda’s part is further written somewhat strangely, she awaits the denouement, statically frozen, holding the hand of someone from the retinue. But overall this works in favor of the interpretation of Albert's line. He, despite the presence of the bride, rushes to the “wounded” beloved, and he is restrained by a “cordon” not only of the squire, but also of several gentlemen of the retinue. In other editions, the count often appears restless, and his further visit to the cemetery looks somewhat illogical.
And this time I was simply amazed by the scene of madness. Fright, loss, and tears in Svetlana’s eyes. Piercingly, to the point of a lump in the throat. And Albert, showering the lifeless girl with kisses, rushing about in despair, trying not to let her go, even if he was holding the hem of her dress in his hands.
The choice of performers of the peasant traffic rules is not ideal, in my opinion, but Igor and Daria tried very hard and did it. Dasha likes her hands, and her softness and cantilena. The second part of her variation turned out wonderfully. Close to my internal standard - “elf”. Suddenly I especially noticed the scattering of brightly executed delicious pantomime scenes. The Duke performed by Alexei Loparevich is another jewel of this performance.
The second act captivated me with its impeccable cord dance. And what fabulous jeeps of Angelina Karpova and Anna Turazashvili. Girls with amazing lines, movement, and jumps. I sincerely hope to see them in leading roles, but this dream is not new...
Myrta Ekaterina Shipulina smelled cold. Her entrance in a minute pas de bore, stately and otherworldly, was promising. But in execution I lacked lightness and a jump with advancement. And the landings from the audience looked difficult, to put it mildly.
Denis Savin in the role of Hans created a bright, rustic peasant image, elaborate and expressive. And technically the part was performed more than adequately. But in the second act, the gestures seemed to me too active, deliberately grotesque, and therefore inorganic. I would say I overacted a little.
Giselle Zakharova in the second act is supermundane, incorporeal, truly a spirit. Their duets with Polunin create a complete illusion of the ghostliness of Giselle’s jeep. This lightness, flight, absolute effortlessness of supports, is more than a cantilena, ductility, fluidity of movements. Fantastically beautiful posing and incredible smoothness and softness of the adagio. The dance performance of the duet is amazing. And Sergei, of course, is a fantastic partner. He is incredibly sensitive towards his partner and presents her as a truly floating ghost, fragile and priceless. But there were also Albert’s variation, executed in true proportion to the image, extraordinary entrechat, tall cabrioles, aerial tours with impeccable landings, and a Poluninsky jump with a hover “like in slow motion.”
I am immensely grateful to the Bolshoi Theater, the recording company, and all the artists for the opportunity to see such a ballet on stage best scene. And after the curtain closed, my neighbor said, “Does anyone dare say anything else about the BT level...”
These were my feelings from the audience. I was able to watch the recording only last night. I was terribly upset. It was necessary to film SUCH a performance. Ugly angle. From this “angle” the amplitude and height of the jump are not visible. Absolutely. I repeat, I watched in the hall from the 3rd row of the stalls, in close proximity. In the recording, Sveta does not have a jump at all, although in reality she was simply floating, and after leaving the house she fluttered across the stage like a fairy. Sergei’s tall, softest jump is also simply incredibly “flattened” and grounded from close angles. After Svetlana’s unfortunate fall, slowing down for a moment, but realizing that everything was in order, Polunin soared extremely high, we laughed, said that on adrenaline he flew under the roof of the BT, but this is not even close to visible in the recording. And it’s clear why. This is a rare professional find to film a jump from the front. Albert's entrance in the second act should be broadcast from a distant angle, when a small lonely figure moves in the gigantic space of a huge stage, although this is potentially one of the key moments for close-ups - also a “brilliant” decision.
Of course, during the Giselle variation, and in the scene of madness, it is logical to film the ballerina, but to take a couple of close-ups of Albert admiring the girl’s dance, and, more importantly, the Count, who in desperation rushes to the dying Beloved (it was obvious to those watching in the hall that Albert had made his choice) Still, in my opinion, it is logical. At least so that the semantic outline of the performance is clear.
Absence close-up in the finale of the 1st act, during the most piercing dominant scene, when Albert showers kisses on the body dead girl- in general a crime against humanity.
Why show the face of Mirta Shipulina trying to cope with sweat, desperately miming - I can’t even imagine. It was as if it was not the world’s leading team specializing in recording classical performances that was working, but a team from the “scandals, intrigues, investigations” program, maliciously filling the air with anti-aesthetic footage.
But perhaps this is temporary disappointment and resentment, while the memories are fresh, and the gap between what was seen in the hall and what ended up on the screen is noticeable. Still, I am grateful to everyone involved for the opportunity to become the owner of a professional video. And even more so because my ballet friends in Rostov, Krasnodar, Novosibirsk, St. Petersburg, Milan, Rome, London and New York were able to share the joy of seeing the unique duet of Zakharova and Polunin on the Bolshoi stage.
Concert competition
The Moscow Children's Musical Theater named after Natalya Sats hosted an award ceremony and a gala concert for the winners of the 2013-2016 competition. TATYANA KUZNETSOVA talks about the results of the four-year competitive movement.
Under Soviet rule, when ballet was one of the weapons of state propaganda, contestants for international battles were selected with great care. A year before the Moscow international competition (it is still held every four years, the next one will take place in June 2017 at the Bolshoi Theater), the country organized a review of choreographic forces: troupes and choreographic schools sent their representatives to the capital for the all-Union competition, the winners were sent to international competition. Mikhail Baryshnikov, Nadezhda Pavlova, Alexander Godunov, Lyudmila Semenyaka and many other stars were among the first triumphs. In the post-Soviet free times, ballet people were left to their own devices - everyone entered the international competition. However, in the 2000s, the winners were not weak: one can recall that the unique Natalya Osipova only reached the third prize in 2005.
However, over time, the organizers of the Moscow international competition managed to convince the Ministry of Culture of the need for systematic monitoring of the country’s ballet affairs, and in 2013 the internal selection was revived, having undergone significant changes. From now on, the competition is intended to cover the entire diversity of the country's choreographic activities. The competition has been held for four years: in 2013, young choreographers were examined, in 2014 - representatives of folk character dance, last year “contemporary” choreographers competed, this year it was the turn of ballet dancers in two age categories- younger (up to 18 years old) and older (up to 26 years old). The jury includes artistic directors of several theaters headed by Yuri Grigorovich and rectors of the main ballet academies, Moscow and St. Petersburg. The results of the four-year cycle were presented at a gala concert at the Children's Musical Theater - they turned out to be predictable.
After all, without any competitions, it is clear that Moiseev’s ensemble is in the lead in the genre of folk character dance. At the concert this truth was confirmed in once again: the number “Gaucho”, performed by the young artists of the ensemble, turned out to be the only one not branded with the seal of apprenticeship. It is also common knowledge that there is a problem with talented young choreographers in the country. But the winners of the competition in the section " Modern dance"looked completely old-fashioned - their numbers looked like mossy pop miniatures from the times of the cheerful youth of the venerable members of the panel of judges. As for the ballet dancers, the young talents of the leading theaters traditionally ignore the fuss of competition: a tournament, even an international one, does not guarantee a career take-off; it is more practical to forge a career in native theater. In essence, Moscow ballet battles are a labor fair and a social elevator: having appeared in Moscow, artists from the regions or gifted school graduates have a chance to receive an offer from the capital’s theaters.
So there was no need to be surprised at the modest level of the participants in the all-Russian tournament. First place was taken by the premieres of the Children's Musical Theater Anna Markova and Ivan Titov, who danced a pas de deux to Auber's music with careful caution. Against the backdrop of weak competitors, their leadership looked completely justified (and this despite the technical errors of their partner, whose beautiful soft legs could not withstand the test of a large pirouette and the nervous finale of their partner, who panicked in the code for the “grand tour-double fouetté”).
The winning schoolchildren demonstrated an amazing range of natural abilities and skills. For example, 16-year-old Ekaterina Klyavlina from the Gzhel school (by the way, this folk school regularly supplies its graduates to the academic market - just mention Denis Rodkin, the premiere and main "hero-lover" of the Bolshoi Theater) danced a variation from "Paquita" not without sin. She never did the required entrechat six; on big tours her attitude invariably jumped, but she distinguished herself by the meticulousness of her training and the subtle work of well-trained hands (which, in fact, is required: the perfection of tours is a gain). Second place was shared with this exemplary student by Diana Egorova from Voronezh, a stately girl with catastrophic gaps in her ballet education - arms twisted by tension, abandoned feet, dirty connecting movements. The criteria by which the professional jury compared these contestants remained a mystery. Only the leader of the junior group, 17-year-old Denis Zakharov, who studied first in Bashkiria, and since 2014 at the Moscow Academy, did not raise any doubts about the victory. This long-legged, harmoniously built young man has excellent natural abilities, which his teacher Denis Medvedev hones with leisurely care. He presented his ward in Count Cherry's variation - not as virtuosic as some Solor's, but it fit the young dancer like a custom-made dress. However, the gifted Denis Zakharov would not have gone unnoticed by potential employers even without the first place.
The gala concert following the results of a four-year competitive marathon convincingly proved that, despite state patronage and the participation of prominent people of the Soviet Union in the work of the jury ballet theater, the competition itself remains a marginal event: weak in terms of the level of participants and conservative in artistic criteria, it does not have any noticeable impact on the life of modern ballet theater. But it seems that the people really need a regular Moscow congress. At the concert hall children's theater was crowded with ballet specialists, active fans and spectators with dancing children. Ballet professionals scattered across the country experienced a delightful sense of belonging to the common state cause, and gullible amateurs convinced themselves that in the field of ballet Russia was still ahead of the rest. Perhaps there is no need to destroy these illusions. Who knows - maybe in the future international competition Russia will yet show itself in all its consistently academic glory.