BALLET-PARADE
THE BALLET-PARADE COLUMN presents a detailed analysis of the fairly crowded ‘autumnal marathon’ of the contemporary dance festivals. The beginning of the theatrical season was marked by the Dance Inversion international festival. It was held for the forth time and this year received a new name, expanded its geographical span and somewhat modified its goals: whereas previously stakes have been high exclusively for experimental works, now it was decided to introduce genuinely theatrical performances as well.
The writers of the review share their reflections upon the ways of contemporary choreography and upon artistic merits of the works that were offered to the public. Concluding the analytical material is an interview with Vladimir Urin, Festival’s director. The analysis of the programs that were presented at the festival has lead to several general conclusions. First, that all the participating groups have demonstrated talent and diversity. Second, that the festival has proved the relevance of its title and hence its theme. The feeling of kind of invertedness of the world is shared by all choreographers and dancers at the beginning of the 21st century. Third, and one that has manifested itself during special sessions called “Coffee with a Choreographer”, that each non-Russian choreographer has something personal that links him or her with Russia and the Russian dance culture, and each one has a dream of staging a production here.
The second article of the column (The Second Step by Pavel Yashchenkov) relates of the Grand Pas Festival that featured some famous troupes: Ballet Prelgocag of France, Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company of Israel, and Rambert Dance Company of UK. “The ballet androgyns, the figurines that the participants were awarded, symbolize duality. Not only the festival itself and the performances presented were ambiguous but the impressions they left were ambivalent as well. Genuine and sublime art went side by side with ostentatious provocativeness and mediocre standards. Nonetheless, this year’s festival program did become a high spot”.
A Ballet Class relates of the Workshop-3, a summer school of contemporary dance. This is an event that choreographers, dancers and all who care about contemporary dance await most eagerly. During two weeks in Moscow, in four dance halls, leading choreographers and dancers of Russia, America, Western and Eastern Europe give master-classes on the techniques of contemporary dance; nouveau; contact improvisation; East-African dance; and hip-hop. Choreographers and dancers from various countries gather here to share their experiences and latest achievements in their respective dance streams.
This past summer the subjects studied here had been gravitation, balance, weight, and body position in space. The school had attracted many of those from all over Russia who aspire to create their own inimitable and individual language of plastique.
“The idea is quite simple. Such schools exist everywhere. The best known are the Tanzwochin in Vienna and the American Dance Festival, which are well attended by many a Russian dancer. The thing is, the organizers have experimented upon an existing model. It turned out a needful, useful and interesting development.”
Choreographers and teachers from various countries share their impressions of the summer school and of Russia’s significance in the context of world dance. Among them are such Russian masters as Alexander Pepelyaev, Albert Albert, and Alexandra Kinnikova, whose interviews are also printed in this issue.
Youth America Grand Prix: More Than Just a Competition is an article by Segrei Gordeev. “As opposed to the habitual reverence in which most Americans hold ballet, a spectator who chanced to attend the recent (fourth) Youth America Grand Prix ballet competition in New York might have thought that she had mistakenly got to a rock concert: so boisterous and enthusiastic was audience’s reaction to almost every piece shown by the participants from all parts of the world.
“Represented at the competition were such countries as Brazil, Canada, France, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Switzerland, Ukraine, USA, and, of course, Russia. The total of 220 finalists had been selected at the semifinals that took place in six major American cities, as well as by the jurors’ having viewed almost a thousand video recordings that had been submitted to them from all over the world.
“The competition went on for five days. Its program, besides the competition proper, included master classes by internationally renowned jurors, seminars, discussion groups, and meetings with leading ballet dancers and teachers…
“The competition’s success came both as joy and a surprise for the organizers. Both of them, prior to moving to America, danced at the Bolshoy Theater. ‘When we were first conceiving the competition, we couldn’t even imagine that a mere five years later in would become such an important event in the world of dance’, says Gennady Saveliev, who, together with his wife Larissa, has founded the Youth America Grand Prix…
“Participants are given a rare opportunity to take master classes with such Russian stars as Tatiana Legat, Alla Osipenko, Tatiana Terekhova, and Shamil Yagudin.
“Natalia Makarova regards the Youth America Grand Prix competition an important stage in the development of the American dance education and training”.
BALLET TIME
This year happens to be replete with centennials. All the articles of THE BALLET TIME COLUMN are dedicated to those who would’ve turned a hundred this year.
“Seven decades of his life Acaf Mikhailovich Messerer had committed to the art of classical dance as a performer, a teacher, and a choreographer. He has become a legend of the Russian ballet. But what kind of person was the Grand Maestro in class, on stage, in life? Olga Lepeshinskaya, Raisa Struchkova, and Mikhail Lavrovsky, who knew him well, answer this question”. Their articles will be included into a forthcoming book being compiled by V. Ivanov and dedicated to Messerer.
The Kholfins is a famous Moscow ballet family. Among its members there have been dancers, teachers and choreographers, who during the entire 20th century have loyally served the art of Russian ballet. And not only Russian, either; Nikolai Sergeevich Kholfin, in particular, has done a lot for the development of Kirghiz and Turkmen dance culture and indeed has revived their ethnic choreographic arts. Printed in this issue is a sketch by his brother and colleague Anatoly Tolsky entitled A Word about My Big Brother.
“Natalia Ilyinichna Satz is a unique person: hardly could there be found in the history of the world theater another one who, being so multifaceted and gifted an artist as she was, would commit his or her life to a ‘sole but fervent passion’ – children’s theater.
“Last decades of her life Natalia Satz had invested into the building up of perhaps the most difficult yet the most dear of her creatures, the Children’s Musical Theater. And today there hovers over Moscow the Blue Bird, the bird of her dream and her joy, the bird on the spire of the Natalia Satz State Academic Children’s Musical Theater.
“The year of Natalia Satz closed with two premieres: a concert-spectacle dedicated to her beloved composer Sergei Rakhmaninoff and the ballet A Day is Leaving the Earth (to the music of P. Tchaikovsky) staged by young choreographer Anatoli Yemelyanov and performed by The Crown of Russian Ballet, a private dance company under the aegis of the Children’s Musical Theater”. It’s these two interesting performances that Galina Inozemtseva reflects upon in her article Natalia Ilyinichna would’ve been Happy.
The NAME IN BALLET COLUMN presents Svetlana Zakharova, a new prima ballerina of the Bolshoy. The sketch by Igor Stupnikov describes her as “an amazing new talent”. Special attention is paid to the part of Giselle, which has become the ballerina’s “identity card”. “Zakharova’s dancing in this production is marked by clarity and a peculiarly vibrant youthful purity”.
THE BALLET WORLD COLUMN opens with the story To Nureyev from Neumeier by Elena Solominskaya, reporting from Dusseldorf, about a magnificent gala night on stage of the Hamburg Opera as a closing event of the 29th Hamburg Ballet Days. 
- Figure-skater Igor Bobrin, a European champion, a world championship bronze medal winner, has celebrated
his 50th birthday. Fans remember him as both a distinguished athlete and a gifted actor, who was able
to make every figure-skating performance a veritable theatrical show. It came at no surprise that having completed his athletic career Igor Bobrin went on as an actor, a choreographer, and leader of his own of Miniatures Ice Theater. Reporter Stanislava Shchukova reflects upon productions of that unique theater. 
- Natalia Sugoyd-Tresviatskaia’s sketch-interview Sergei Filin’s Japanese Voyage relates of the International Ballet Festival in Tokyo. “The main feature of the Festival is the participation of the world stars. In August 2003 it was held for the tenth time”. Sergei Filin, a star of Bolshoy Ballet, spoke to the reporter. “The principal task that the organizers take upon themselves”, he said, “is attracting the young generation of artistes. The audience are given an opportunity to get acquainted with dancers of the most famous troupes in the world while the diversity of schools makes it possible to see the difference between, say, Russian and French techniques and dance styles. Concerning the artistes, I must say that no one who had been invited had failed to participate. We all share our professional experiences, do classes together. The Festival organizers demonstrate a great love of the art of ballet.”
- A cketch by Yulia Strizhekurova is dedicated to the artistic biography and life adventures of Morikhiro Ivata. “Much in the life history of this Japanese dancer, now of the Bolshoy Theater, has been happening ‘in spite’: in spite of his origin, of his nature, contrary to conventional ways of becoming a ballet artist, even against his own understanding of his destiny.”