Russians pay last respects to ballet maestro Grigorovich
By Nika Khutsieva and Lev Sergeev
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russians paid their last respects to dance legend Yuri Grigorovich on Friday at the Bolshoi Theatre where he reigned for decades as artistic director of one of the world's most famous ballet companies.
Grigorovich, considered one of the most influential choreographers of the 20th century, died on Monday at the age of 98.
Leading figures from the Russian arts world gathered inside the gilded auditorium of the Bolshoi to pay tribute to him. Grigorovich's coffin was placed in front of the stage, where a giant photograph of the puckish, white-haired ballet master was displayed.
Hundreds of Muscovites, many carrying flowers, were waiting outside the theatre in central Moscow. They applauded as his casket was carried down the steps, accompanied by a portrait of Grigorovich and three huge floral wreaths.
"I really loved him. He was a genius... so I could not miss this farewell," said pensioner Alexandra Tretyakova.
Grigorovich was famed for productions of Spartacus, Ivan the Terrible, Romeo and Juliet and many other ballets that were staged in Russia and around the world. He was especially noted for male roles requiring extraordinary strength and technique.
Ballerina Lyubov Filippova told Reuters that the late choreographer was a "colossus" and an idol.
"This person will always remain with us, in our hearts, in our lives. And we should continue to learn from his ballets," she said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
International Pride Orchestra plays outside DC in rebuff to Trump snub at Kennedy Center
An event by the International Pride Orchestra this week swung from classical Gershwin favorites to choral patriotism to high drag in a rebuff to Donald Trump's takeover of the Kennedy Center and its subsequent snub of the LBGTQ+ ensemble. The spirited celebration of WorldPride, the peripatetic biennial international festival in support of LGBTQ+ rights which kicks off this month and is taking place in Washington DC, was staged instead at the Strathmore Music Center in Maryland, just north of the capital. Related: Four queer business owners on Pride under Trump: 'Our joy is resistance' Sequin-clad drag queen Peaches Christ acted as host and New York drag queen Thorgy Thor played a violin solo to Beyoncé's Crazy in Love to an audience of 1,166 people. The orchestra had hoped to play at the Kennedy Center, Washington's premier performing arts center, but shortly after returning to the White House, Donald Trump pledged on social media that there would be, in all-caps: 'No more drag shows, or other anti-American propaganda' at the public-private arts space. The Trump administration has issued executive orders limiting transgender rights, banned transgender people from serving in the armed forces, and rescinded anti-discrimination policies for LGBTQ+ people as part of a campaign to repeal diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Michael Roest, conductor and founder of the International Pride Orchestra, a non-profit, reminded the audience that 'people don't feel safe to live and love openly'. 'That is the reason why we have this orchestra,' he said. During the event, the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington sang American the Beautiful, and a pianist, Sara Davis Buechner, who is transgender, dazzled while leading the orchestra on grand piano in the Gershwin favorite Rhapsody in Blue. Both Stars and Stripes and rainbow flags were hoisted at the close. Trump in February fired the leadership of the Kennedy Center, named himself chair and put a loyalist in charge. The center then sent Roest a message that said: 'We are not in a position at this time to advance a contract,' according to an email chain seen by Reuters, after months of prior negotiations. Considering themselves 'disinvited', event organizers began looking for alternative venues and the Strathmore offered its space, an orchestra spokesperson said. A Kennedy Center spokesperson referred Reuters to an X post from leadership saying it had not actually canceled any shows.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Social media users react to Musk-Trump feud
President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's war of words has left Washington analyzing how quickly their once close relationship deteriorated and the implications. But social media users around the world took out their popcorn, flocked to their devices, and chimed in as the feud played out on social media. From Musk and Trump's supporters cheering each of them on, with others telling them to cool things off, to memes from other internet users relishing in the back and forth, platforms like X, Truth Social, and BlueSky have allowed the public to watch it all unfold and weigh in in real time. "They see this as a catfight," Jennifer Grygiel, an associate professor of communications at Syracuse University, told ABC News. "The one reason people are tuning in is because we are watching mutual destruction." MORE: Trump tells ABC Musk 'lost his mind'; 'not particularly' interested in talking to him Grygiel noted that while some of the social media engagement might be all fun and games, it does speak to a larger issue about the public's dissatisfaction with the current state of politics and civic engagement. More important, the professor pointed out, it does distract from the bigger political issues and debates going on. As soon as Musk's and Trump's posts dropped Thursday afternoon, social media users started to post themselves. "This is like Drake and Kendrick Lamar but they're both Drake," Anna Hughes, a Canadian Ocean conservation researcher in a viral BlueSky post. One famous support of both Trump and Musk urged them to stop. "Broooos please noooooo 🫂 We love you both so much," rapper Ye posted on X. Others started making memes, some of which used AI-generated images, of Trump and Musk fighting or appearing as a couple breaking up. "LET ME HOST THE REUNION!" late night talk show host Andy Cohen posted on X. On the serious side, Republicans on the Hill, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Vice President JD Vance, put out statements on X defending the president and the spending bill. "There are many lies the corporate media tells about President Trump. One of the most glaring is that he's impulsive or short-tempered. Anyone who has seen him operate under pressure knows that's ridiculous," Vance posted. Conservative commentator Jack Posobiec claimed in an X post that the pair's back-and-forth was blown out of proportion. "Some of y'all cant handle 2 high agency males going at it and it really shows," he said. Some Democrats took to social media to gloat. MORE: Trump Musk feud explodes with claim president is in Epstein files "Siri, play 'Bad Blood,'" Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer posted on BlueSky Thursday evening, referencing the Taylor Swift song about a relationship on the rocks. The online peanut gallery wasn't limited to American spectators. Dmitri Medvedev, the former Russian president and Russian prime minister, took to X early Friday morning with a georpolitical dose of sarcasm. "We are ready to facilitate the conclusion of a peace deal between D and E for a reasonable fee and to accept Starlink shares as payment. Don't fight, guys," he said. Grygiel said Trump and Musk knew they would stir up their political bases and the general public by taking their quarrels to their respective social media platforms, likening it to how media tycoons owners used the magazines and newspaper they owned at the turn of the 20th century. "It's almost like all of these social media platforms are sports teams, with their own personalities," they said. "If anything both men obviously know the importance of tweaking public opinion." Grant Reeher, professor of political science at Syracuse University, told ABC News that Musk and Trump's use of social media has encouraged this political engagement for years. "I think it's very emblematic of the whole process of a lot of big changes in political communication and campaigning rhetoric. Grygiel, however, said the posts and comments by some social media users show the public's increased distrust and frustration with their elected leaders. MORE: CBO estimates Trump's bill could add $2.4T to deficit, leave 11 million without health insurance "The jokes speak to a lack of disengagement and how we feel like this is ridiculous," they said. Grygiel, however, warned the engagement over the spat is overall detrimental to the general public as other pressing issues, including Trump's budget cuts, which set off the feud in the first place. Connecticut Democrat Sen. Chris Murphy echoed this sentiment in a blunt BlueSky post Thursday. "When 15 million Americans lose their health care and plunge into personal crisis, none of them are going to give a s--- about a made-for-clicks Twitter fight between two billionaires arguing," he said.
6 hours ago
Social media users react to Musk-Trump feud
President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's war of words has left Washington analyzing how quickly their once close relationship deteriorated and the implications. But social media users around the world took out their popcorn, flocked to their devices, and chimed in as the feud played out on social media. From Musk and Trump's supporters cheering each of them on, with others telling them to cool things off, to memes from other internet users relishing in the back and forth, platforms like X, Truth Social, and BlueSky have allowed the public to watch it all unfold and weigh in in real time. "They see this as a catfight," Jennifer Grygiel, an associate professor of communications at Syracuse University, told ABC News. "The one reason people are tuning in is because we are watching mutual destruction." Grygiel noted that while some of the social media engagement might be all fun and games, it does speak to a larger issue about the public's dissatisfaction with the current state of politics and civic engagement. More important, the professor pointed out, it does distract from the bigger political issues and debates going on. As soon as Musk's and Trump's posts dropped Thursday afternoon, social media users started to post themselves. "This is like Drake and Kendrick Lamar but they're both Drake," Anna Hughes, a Canadian Ocean conservation researcher in a viral BlueSky post. One famous support of both Trump and Musk urged them to stop. "Broooos please noooooo 🫂 We love you both so much," rapper Ye posted on X. Others started making memes, some of which used AI-generated images, of Trump and Musk fighting or appearing as a couple breaking up. "LET ME HOST THE REUNION!" late night talk show host Andy Cohen posted on X. On the serious side, Republicans on the Hill, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Vice President JD Vance, put out statements on X defending the president and the spending bill. "There are many lies the corporate media tells about President Trump. One of the most glaring is that he's impulsive or short-tempered. Anyone who has seen him operate under pressure knows that's ridiculous," Vance posted. Conservative commentator Jack Posobiec claimed in an X post that the pair's back-and-forth was blown out of proportion. "Some of y'all cant handle 2 high agency males going at it and it really shows," he said. Some Democrats took to social media to gloat. "Siri, play 'Bad Blood,'" Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer posted on BlueSky Thursday evening, referencing the Taylor Swift song about a relationship on the rocks. The online peanut gallery wasn't limited to American spectators. Dmitri Medvedev, the former Russian president and Russian prime minister, took to X early Friday morning with a georpolitical dose of sarcasm. "We are ready to facilitate the conclusion of a peace deal between D and E for a reasonable fee and to accept Starlink shares as payment. Don't fight, guys," he said. Grygiel said Trump and Musk knew they would stir up their political bases and the general public by taking their quarrels to their respective social media platforms, likening it to how media tycoons owners used the magazines and newspaper they owned at the turn of the 20th century. "It's almost like all of these social media platforms are sports teams, with their own personalities," they said. "If anything both men obviously know the importance of tweaking public opinion." Grant Reeher, professor of political science at Syracuse University, told ABC News that Musk and Trump's use of social media has encouraged this political engagement for years. "I think it's very emblematic of the whole process of a lot of big changes in political communication and campaigning rhetoric. Grygiel, however, said the posts and comments by some social media users show the public's increased distrust and frustration with their elected leaders. "The jokes speak to a lack of disengagement and how we feel like this is ridiculous," they said. Grygiel, however, warned the engagement over the spat is overall detrimental to the general public as other pressing issues, including Trump's budget cuts, which set off the feud in the first place. Connecticut Democrat Sen. Chris Murphy echoed this sentiment in a blunt BlueSky post Thursday. "When 15 million Americans lose their health care and plunge into personal crisis, none of them are going to give a s--- about a made-for-clicks Twitter fight between two billionaires arguing," he said.
