Latest news with #MariinskyBallet
Boston Globe
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Yuri Grigorivich, giant of Soviet ballet, is dead at 98
The ballet told the story of the enslaved gladiator Spartacus, who led a failed revolt in ancient Rome, a tale that might bring to mind another revolution, one that did not fail: the Russian Revolution of 1917. Compared with earlier Soviet productions set to Aram Khachaturian's 1954 score, Mr. Grigorovich's was streamlined and simplified, with obvious good guys (Spartacus and his wife) and bad guys (the rich Crassus and his courtesan mistress). Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up What made the work most distinctive, though, was the style of dancing: It was big and bold, epic in scale and emotion. Advertisement Masses of men filled the stage, in armor or bare-chested, marching, kicking, jumping. Spartacus and Crassus, in soliloquy-like solos, spun like tornadoes and leaped impossibly high, with slashing, stage-spanning, split-kick jumps. Their climactic battle was a dance-off to end all dance-offs. In its emphasis on dancing -- and dancing as athletic spectacle -- Mr. Grigorovich's choreography departed from the previously dominant style of Soviet ballet: dramatic ballet, or 'drambalet.' To conform to political strictures around art -- under Socialist Realism, abstraction was to be avoided -- drambalet de-emphasized dance steps in favor of gestural storytelling, and favored acting influenced by the school of Konstantin Stanislavsky. (His approach, which stressed the actor's use of lived experience, would become the basis of Method acting.) The height of drambalet was a 1940 production of 'Romeo and Juliet' by Leonid Lavrovsky, the man Mr. Grigorovich replaced as artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet in 1964. Advertisement The attention to male dancers in 'Spartacus' was also new. 'At last the Bolshoi men are allowed to dance,' Barnes wrote, 'and indeed the ballet is as much for them as, say, 'Swan Lake' is for women.' 'Spartacus' was a huge hit, at home and abroad, as was a 1975 ballet film featuring the heroically explosive Vladimir Vasiliev in the title role. The production became the Bolshoi Ballet's signature piece, as well as the model for later Grigorovich works, including his 1975 version of 'Ivan the Terrible.' Mr. Grigorovich's ballets were popular nearly everywhere, and he was considered a genius by most Russian critics. Some Western critics came close to agreeing. Barnes hailed him as 'the most talented Russian choreographer since Mikhail Fokine,' of the Mariinsky Ballet in St. Petersburg and the Ballets Russes in Paris. Many Western critics, though, found his choreography lacking in subtlety and taste -- especially those in America, where the Russian-born choreographer George Balanchine set the aesthetic standards. 'What it's designed for is force,' Arlene Croce wrote of 'Spartacus' in a 1975 review in The New Yorker. She called the work relentless and repetitive, describing it as a 'bludgeoning,' yet she praised the passionate dancers. 'Even in trash like 'Spartacus,'' she wrote, 'Bolshoi dancers can impress you with their love of theater, their rage to perform.' Advertisement In his 1982 version of 'The Golden Age,' a tale of Communist youth facing corrupt gangsters, set in the 1920s to a 1930 score by Shostakovich, Mr. Grigorovich provided starring roles for his new protégé, Irek Mukhamedov, and Natalia Bessmertnova, whom he married in 1968 after divorcing his first wife, the esteemed ballerina Alla Shelest. But 'The Golden Age' would be his last new work. In the late 1980s and the 1990s, amid various internal power struggles at the Bolshoi, Mr. Grigorovich faced accusations that he had dried up creatively and was an arrogant, inflexible autocrat who would not allow other choreographers into the company. Prominent dancers, including the aging star Maya Plisetskaya and Mr. Grigorovich's former protégé, Vasiliev, openly criticized him. For years, Mr. Grigorovich had clashed with the Bolshoi management. In 1995, objecting to changes in the hiring of dancers, and to the hiring of Vasiliev as the artistic director of the Bolshoi Theater, Mr. Grigorovich resigned. The day after the announcement, Bolshoi dancers refused to perform. It was the closest thing to a strike in the company's history. To many, he remained a hero. Yuri Nikolayevich Grigorovich was born on Jan. 2, 1927, in the city then called Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). His father, Nikolai, was an accountant, and his mother, Klaudia (Rozai) Grigorovich, was a dancer from a family of dancers and circus entertainers. Her brother, Gyorgi Rozai, was an acclaimed character-style dancer in the Ballets Russes. Yuri trained at the Leningrad Ballet School (later the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet). Upon graduating in 1946, he joined the Kirov Ballet (now the Mariinsky). Short in stature, he performed demi-character roles like the Golden Idol in 'La Bayadère' and a Chinese dancer in 'The Nutcracker.' Advertisement Mentored by choreographer Fyodor Lopukhov -- who advocated a Russian classical approach and had also mentored Balanchine in the 1920s, but whose work had been classified as 'formalist,' a taboo in the Soviet Union -- Mr. Grigorovich began presenting his choreography in 1956. The following year, the Kirov debuted 'The Stone Flower,' his remake of a drambalet with the addition of abstract dancing. It received the official sanction of being remounted at the Bolshoi. His 1961 work, 'Legend of Love,' was also a success. Soon after, during the upheaval over the Kirov star Rudolf Nureyev's defection to the West, Mr. Grigorovich became the chief ballet master at the Kirov. Then, at 37, he moved to Moscow to lead the Bolshoi. After resigning from the Bolshoi in 1995, Mr. Grigorovich moved to the southern Russian city of Krasnodar to start a new ballet company under his own name. He headed juries at several international ballet competitions, including the Benois de la Danse in Moscow. In 2005, Alexei Ratmansky, then the artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet, brought Grigorovich's 'The Golden Age' back into the repertory, and Mr. Grigorovich visited the company as an honored guest. Mr. Grigorovich has no immediate survivors. His wife, Bessmertnova, died in 2008, and he had no children. After Ratmansky's resignation from the Bolshoi in 2008, Mr. Grigorovich returned to the company as a choreographer and ballet master, a position he retained until his death. This article originally appeared in Advertisement
Asahi Shimbun
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Asahi Shimbun
Japanese ballet dancer a bridge with Russia during wartime
Kohei Fukuda performs in the Novosibirsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre in Novosibirsk, Russia, on Feb. 15. (Hitoki Nakagawa) NOVOSIBIRSK, Russia--Japanese ballet dancer Kohei Fukuda has been in an ambivalent position since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Japanese public sentiment is so strong against Moscow that there was an atmosphere of avoiding even Russian artworks in protest. But Fukuda is also concerned about how his fellow Russian dancers of the Novosibirsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre in Siberia are dealing with the situation. Fukuda had spent six years of his ballet career at the Russian theater, and he has fond memories of the dancers there warmly supporting him when he was struggling. It pained him to think that his colleagues were going through tough times because of their government's actions. Fukuda returned to Japan after the invasion of Ukraine. Some of the Russian dancers have called him to find out how he was faring. A pleasant surprise came on an autumn day in 2022 when the artistic director of the theater called and asked Fukuda if he could come back to Russia. 'Yes,' he immediately replied. 'I was convinced of the importance of continuing cultural exchanges between the two countries all the more because of the difficult period,' Fukuda said. STARTED IN LONDON Fukuda first encountered ballet when he was 10 years old and living in London due to his father's job. It was 'Swan Lake' by the Mariinsky Ballet, a world-renowned Russian ballet company based in St. Petersburg. Fukuda was mesmerized by what unfolded on the stage. As the lights gradually dimmed and the beautiful music started, dancers in gorgeous costumes performed onstage, evoking a fairy-tale setting. 'It just felt like watching a picture book in motion,' he recalled. 'I fell in love with ballet in an instant.' Fukuda took ballet lessons in London and continued after he and his family returned to Japan. After attending a famous ballet academy, he signed a contract with a Japanese ballet company. Before long, he came to perform leading roles there as he was recognized for his soaring jumps and dynamic style. But he started to feel hampered in his pursuit to take his ballet to the new level. Each ballet company in Japan has its own schedule of stage performances and training sessions for members. The setup leaves dancers with little flexibility to participate in programs of other companies. In addition, ballet dancing is not a financially stable career in Japan, even for professional dancers with job contracts. Fukuda's desire to reach his full potential took him to Europe in 2016, where ballet dancing originated. With no connection with theaters there, he traveled through France and other European countries, sending emails to theaters of various sizes to inquire about vacancies. Fukuda, whose strength was in classical ballet, found himself at a disadvantage because contemporary productions are mainstream in the European ballet world. Coupled with the difficulty of gaining a work visa, he spent months with no prospect of landing a contract. Fukuda grew increasingly desperate for work, any work, at a theater. 'Please offer me a job,' he said in emails to theater operators. 'I am willing to do cleaning if a position as a dancer is not available.' The final count of emails he had written was 120 over three months. He crisscrossed Europe for interviews with 30 prospective employers. Finally, his patience and perseverance paid off, and he received offers from four theaters. DIFFICULT FIRST YEAR One of them was the Novosibirsk theater, a revered state-run ballet company in Siberia. Located in the center of Novosibirsk, the third largest city in Russia, the theater was built when the Soviet Union was fighting the Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany in World War II. The theater opened May 12, 1945, shortly after Germany's surrender. Fukuda was thrilled by the idea of performing in the gorgeous grand theater, the largest in Russia. But his first year was difficult and lonely. He could not speak Russian, and no performing role was offered. Fukuda also had to adjust to the Russian way of training, which was quite different from Japan's. In Russia, dancers are trained under a uniform classical dance education system, which is structured and codified down to the smallest detail. When dancers are told to take a numbered position of the feet, for example, they all know exactly what they are expected to do. They turn their feet outward at a certain angle with their heels apart or together and stand in identical positions. Fukuda needed to master these steps first and pass certification examinations for dancers' techniques. Night after night, he practiced assiduously behind the stage where other members performed. The competition was tough. Two other foreigners joined the company around the same time as he did, but they soon quit and returned to their home countries. Fukuda persisted, and he landed a role in 'corps de ballet,' a dance performed in a group. A year and a half after he joined the Novosibirsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre, he was finally selected as one of four dancers to play the part of a clown in the premier of a new work. But Fukuda ended up playing the clown role all by himself during the four-day program because the three other dancers, all more experienced than him, suffered injuries one after another. He practiced the part with all his heart at least twice a day until opening day. His dedication, he said, changed the way his peers viewed him. 'It takes time for Russians to open up to others,' Fukuda said. 'But they, like Japanese, like people who work hard.' Fukuda gradually learned how to speak Russian by himself. That made it easier to make friends with other dancers, and some treated him like a family member. He sometimes went out with theater members for drinks late into the night. But that did not prevent him from training the following day as hard as he usually does, earning him a reputation that he is 'samurai.' DIFFERENT TRAINING REGIMENS As Fukuda gained more experience in performing onstage, he took note of the Russian way of professionalism. In Japan, dancers rehearse together over and over as a team for three to four months before a stage performance. Russian dancers, however, stick to their own preparations before the actual performance. Some train at gyms while others rehearse their parts individually. But once the curtain is raised at 7 p.m. and the performance starts, their dancing is presented in perfect harmony, Fukuda said. As he settled into a life in Russia, Fukuda began to set his sights beyond just performing. Hoping to expand cultural exchanges between Japan and Russia, he started an initiative called Spasibo Project in 2019 to help young Japanese students learn ballet dancing at schools in Russia. At one time, more than 10 Japanese dancers were accepted by Russian academies with his assistance. When the war broke out, Fukuda managed to get all the Japanese students safely back to Japan. Despite the war and the country's tarnished image in the international community, Russia remains a preferred destination for aspiring young Japanese dancers. Fukuda said the number of Japanese youngsters wishing to train in Russia is rising again. He noted that tuition and fees are much cheaper in Russia than in ballet schools in other parts of Europe. In addition, graduates from Russian academies have a better chance to be hired by the 100 or so theaters across the country. Those who win contracts with theaters can make a decent living. As part of the project, Fukuda also offered ballet lessons in Japan with lead dancers at their Novosibirsk theater, and he organized tours for Japanese to see performances in Russia. At 34, Fukuda noted that he is approaching retirement age. The physical toll of constant dancing and training is enormous. But he aims to remain a bridge between the two countries. 'Cultural exchanges must be continued between Japan and Russia,' he said.
Korea Herald
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Jeon Min-chul wins top prize at ballet's Youth America Grand Prix
South Korean dancer Jeon Min-chul won the Grand Prix title at the 2025 Youth America Grand Prix, the world's largest student ballet competition in Tampa, Florida, on Friday. Jeon competed in the senior men's division held April 21-27 and was named the overall Grand Prix winner -- the highest award given across all divisions and age groups. Jeon performed Albrecht's variation from "Giselle" in the finals, a piece he had recently danced with the Universal Ballet on April 18 and 20. Jeon's win marks the fifth time a South Korean dancer has claimed the top honor at the prestigious international competition, following Seo Hee (2003), principal dancer of American Ballet Theatre; Kim Ki-min (2012), principal at the Mariinsky Ballet; Jun Joon-hyuk (2016), soloist with The Royal Ballet; and Park Geon-hee (2024) of Korea National University of Arts. Jeon previously competed in the YAGP junior division in 2019, reaching the finals, and returned in 2023 to claim first place in the senior classical pas de deux and third place in the senior solo category. The 20-year-old dancer made headlines last year when it was announced he would join the Mariinsky Ballet Company, becoming only the second Korean to do so after Kim Ki-min in 2012. Founded in 2000, the Youth America Grand Prix is the largest international ballet competition, open to dancers aged 9 to 19. This year, more than 12,000 dancers from around the world participated in the preliminary rounds, with approximately 2,000 dancers from 41 countries advancing to the finals.
Korea Herald
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Interview: Prince in progress, Jeon Min-chul finds his own Albrecht
Ballerino Jeon Min-chul is on the cusp of a major career leap. In June, he will join the Mariinsky Ballet -- only the second Korean to do so after Kim Ki-min. Before that, he takes the final stage this week in Korea in two sold-out performances of "Giselle" with principal dancer Hong Hyang-gee, on Friday and Sunday. This is his second full-length ballet after Solor in "La Bayadere" last September. 'Giselle was the very first ballet I ever saw, actually,' Jeon said in a separate phone interview. 'And it's the ballet I've seen the most since then.' Taking on the romantic lead, he knew from the start that he wanted to shape a version that felt true to both the character and to himself, at age 20. "I kept asking myself: What kind of Albrecht can I portray best at this point in my life? He's young, maybe reckless. And I don't think his actions come from cruelty, but from not knowing what to do." Jeon was drawn to Albrecht's emotional contradictions. Rather than portraying a perfectly polished prince, he leaned into the character's youthful uncertainty and flawed humanity. 'When you meet someone like Giselle, so pure, you wonder: is it love, or are you just pulled in by the feeling, the moment?' he said. 'From the outside, it may look like love. But inside, I think there's confusion as well. That's the side I wanted to explore.' For Jeon, 2024 was the year everything changed. After making headlines in July, performance after performance sold out within minutes, as audiences flocked to see the young dancer bound for Russia. The whirlwind of success also brought a sense of growth, not only as an artist, but as a person. "It felt like everything changed so suddenly and dramatically," said Jeon. 'My perspective expanded so much. I don't think I'll ever forget the year.' "It's thrilling to imagine dancing in a completely new environment. Of course, I have concerns -- how I'll adapt, how I'll find my rhythm -- but I'm not someone who fears change. I trust that I'll find my way.' hwangdh@ [{"ART_ID":10468017,"MAIN_THUMB":"\/news\/cms\/2025\/04\/17\/ Jeon Min-chul is on the cusp of a major career leap. In June, he will join the Mariinsky Ballet -- only the second Korean to do so after Kim Ki-min. Before that, he takes the final stage this week in Korea in two sold-out performances of \"Giselle\" with principal dancer Hong Hyang-gee, on Friday and Sunday. This is his second full-length ballet after Solor in \"La Bayadere\" last September. \u201CGiselle was the very first ballet I ever saw, actually,\u201D Jeon said in a separate phone interview. ","SERVICE_MM":"04","SERVICE_DD":"17","WRITERS":"Hwang Dong-hee","CONTENT_ATTR":"1","TITLE":"Interview: Prince in progress, Jeon Min-chul finds his own Albrecht","CODE_GRADE":"M","REG_ID":"2022013","SERVICE_MD":"04-17","SERVICE_DAYTIME":"2025-04-17 17:59:14","CODE_NM":"Herald Interview"},{"ART_ID":10468010,"MAIN_THUMB":"\/news\/cms\/2025\/04\/17\/news-p.v1.20250417.93d7c49c09e1414896eb9ec0477d94ec_T1.jpg","CODE_TYPE":"S","CODE_ID":"S410406","SERVICE_FLAG":"Y","CODE_NM_CATE":"Performance","CODE_ENG_NM":"","LINK_URL":"","SERVICE_YMD":"2025-04-17","VIEW_YN":"Y","SUB_TITLE":"Riding standout 2024, soloists Lee You-rim, Lim Sun-u soar into 2025 with a story of romance, regret and redemption","SUMMARY":"Few works in the classical ballet canon are as enduring or as emotionally charged as \u201CGiselle.\u201D A quintessential romantic masterpiece, the ballet tells the story of a beautiful peasant girl named Giselle, who falls in love with a nobleman in disguise, Albrecht, only to die of heartbreak upon discovering he is betrothed to another. While the first act is filled with youthful first love, celebration and a radiant atmosphere, the second act marks a dramatic shift, unfolding at Giselle\u2019s grave, stee","SERVICE_MM":"04","SERVICE_DD":"17","WRITERS":"Hwang Dong-hee","CONTENT_ATTR":"1","TITLE":"Interview: Rising ballet stars step into tragedy of 'Giselle'","CODE_GRADE":"M","REG_ID":"2022013","SERVICE_MD":"04-17","SERVICE_DAYTIME":"2025-04-17 17:50:28","CODE_NM":"Herald Interview"}] Herald Interview A series of in-depth interviews. Subscribe + Would you like to subscribe? Yes No
South China Morning Post
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Mariinsky Ballet's Maria Khoreva dazzles in Rudolf Nureyev tribute at Hong Kong festival
More than 30 years after his untimely death in 1993, Rudolf Nureyev's name has lost none of its magic. Nureyev & Friends – A Ballet Gala Tribute revisits a project Nureyev himself created in which a group of dancers would tour with a programme of short pieces, presenting top-notch ballet around the world. Advertisement The repertoire consisted of works drawn from Nureyev's career. It ranged from the familiar, with some of ballet's most famous pas de deux, to lesser-known pieces and featured some of Nureyev's own choreography, making for an interestingly eclectic programme. Fittingly, the performers included dancers from the three companies with which Nureyev was most closely associated: the Paris Opera Ballet, Britain's Royal Ballet and what is now St Petersburg's Mariinsky Ballet – Leningrad's Kirov Ballet when Nureyev was there. After its initial revival in Vienna in 2024, this first Asian edition had as artistic adviser Paris Opera Ballet 'Étoile' Charles Jude, a protégé of Nureyev who danced in those original tours; the artistic director was former Royal Ballet principal David Makhateli; and the project manager was Hong Kong's own Lam Chun-wing , the first Chinese dancer to join the Paris Opera Ballet. Mathieu Ganio, formerly of Paris Opera Ballet, and one of the troupe's star ballerinas, Dorothée Gilbert, dance the duet from Act IV of Swan Lake as part of Nureyev & Friends – a Ballet Gala Tribute. Photo: Tony Luk, courtesy of the Hong Kong Arts Festival Galas are, inevitably, a lucky dip – some of the dancing was sublime, some good; if some was disappointing, the high points made up for it.
