Balletfanp

Ah, thanks - that’s what I did - I’ll make a mental note for next time!

Aargh - mods, please can you ‘normalise’ the font? Not sure why it keeps doing that!

I thought I would give my impressions for anyone who is interested, or who might be dithering over whether to buy - I highly recommend it! It’s a very easy read - and I mean that in the most complimentary sense. It’s engaging from the start and once started, I wanted to keep reading. Vadim’s personality and thoughts, his modesty and complete honesty come through very strongly, and it feels like him speaking. The Foreword explains how the book came about and there is a very touching dedication to his father along with an account of his Dad’s importance and status in Russian ballet - a very distinguished gentleman! There is a detailed account of his very happy childhood, with some delightful photos of Vadim as a baby and a child. He describes himself at one point as a “naughty child” (Vadim, naughty??), but in reality he just sounds like he was a typically mischievous boy! Accounts of life in Chelyabinsk, but more so, holidays at the family dacha (which his Instagram followers will be familiar with following his visit back there in 2021) with his extended family set the scene for the rest of the book. It’s interesting to hear later on that two ballets in which his performances have been particularly lauded (“Winter Dreams” and “Month in the Country”) really resonated with him because they took him right back ‘home’ to life in the dacha. This idyllic childhood contrasts sharply with the harsh regime when he went to Perm. Some of this makes very sad reading - my heart was breaking in parts, not just for Vadim but for all the children there who experienced this. Once he gets to London, his account of life at the RBS and his subsequent professional career makes absorbing reading, with plenty of insights into roles, partnering and his own performances (he’s very hard on himself!). An account of some nasty online harrassment for which he was on the receiving end makes sobering reading, but it really highlights how little protection there currently is from these things, either from the social media organisations, the police, or the law. Very unsettling. General things I liked about the book - I liked that the photos are all interspersed in the text where they are relevant. I find books where all the photos are grouped in the middle very annoying when a reference is made to one of them and you have to go hunting for it! There are QR codes scattered throughout the book that link to his relevant Instagram posts. I think this is a great idea, although those without the facility to scan the codes might not be so keen - but they can all be seen anyway on Vadim’s Instagram account! Overall, the book is a fascinating read and a real insight into one of the world’s top dancers who also happens to be a delightful person.

Totally agree with this!

My copy arrived this morning - haven’t had time to do more than just dip into it as yet but it looks as though it’s going to be really interesting! And I have the long weekend to read it.

How awful 😢. I don’t understand why they would need the eggs.

Yes! One of my never-to-be-forgotten performances…..

Muntagirov is very much more than just a technician. Obviously different people see different things in different dancers, but he has danced so many performances (some listed above) that demonstrate his considerable acting abilities along with his undisputed dancing prowess and which gave a lot of pleasure to many people. I for one am always delighted to see him as he often brings something very different and unexpected to a role - witness his Rudolf, that made me see the whole ballet (not previously one I was keen on) in a completely different light. He might not have been trained in the Ashton tradition, but as @capybara says above, nothing can stand still, and there have been performances to treasure, not just from Muntagirov, but from other dancers in the company. Purists are entitled not to enjoy them, but many others will (and do!). I find it very sad to see the constant and detrimental comparisons of today’s wonderful dancers to “the good old days” when in fact today’s dancers bring something new and equally good in different ways to the table.

Also, the LBC have announced that there will be an interview and book signing event with Vadim on 13th June - members only at present. I’ll leave it to them to post the details!

The baby one is adorable!

Speaking as a librarian who orders books on a daily basis, I’m unfazed by publication inconsistencies! It will appear in due course 🙂

I doubt it’s Vadim’s swan song just yet!

Why not? The story so far….

Yes, he says available for pre-order ‘soon.’

Exciting news for Muntagirov afficionados! Vadim has just announced on his Instagram account that he has a book coming out entitled “From Small Steps to Big Leaps” on 1st June. https://www.instagram.com/p/CrsPB0xMFyl/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Laura and Vadim have only danced together on a few occasions and, on paper, seem like an unlikely partnership - but they seem to have a special spark when they dance together and I think it’s a huge shame they didn’t have more opportunities to do so. They were wonderful in Fille, and as for their Month in the Country, that was easily one of the most moving performances I have ever seen. I didn’t want it to end. It’s so sad thinking about all the roles Laura would have been fantastic in, but for some mad reason wasn’t ever given the opportunity.

I always have a problem with the Best Male/Best Female Dancer categories because you always seem to get nominees who may only have danced in one ballet/performance - and that’s not to say that they weren’t brilliant. But surely they should be in the Best Performance categories. I always feel that the Best Male/Female Dancer categories should be for dancers who have performed to a consistent standard in multiple performances all year, not just in one thing.

Were the emails from the theatre or from BRB?

I must say I saw no evidence of that in Plymouth - it certainly wasn’t advertised. But I suppose if people asked if they could swap to another performance, there would be no reason to refuse that. And that would be their choice. I didn’t see anything in the advertising that was offensive, personally.

There was certainly one well known critic who shared her thoughts about Vadim’s performance on Twitter, but when asked (not by me!) if she would be writing a review, said no, she couldn’t as she had already reviewed the opening night cast. Graham Watts also shared his thoughts on social media, but again, had already reviewed the first cast and only wrote a review on Vadim’s cast in a Japanese dance mag (in Japanese!). Also, given that Fumi’s Swan Lake debut was also Bonelli’s final performance, it’s very possible that some critics attended under their own steam, so to speak, simply because of the occasion.

Well, I echo the praise for Naghdi, she does some blinding performances but unfairly never seems to get nominated. On the flip side, I’m delighted to see Fumi’s two nominations, but also Laura in the mix. And I am thrilled to see Vadim’s nomination for Rudolf. So well deserved, but I wasn’t expecting it given how few official reviews there were for that cast - but more critics must have seen it than it seemed.

Actually the pun wasn’t intended - I’m obviously slow off the mark today! They could use the oranges instead…. And in fact their dressing room antics (basketball and otherwise) became a real feature of Instagram! They are hilarious together 😂

Not McRae and Muntagirov - Campbell and Muntagirov! Now, that would be a hoot 😂 Given the way they bounce off each other offstage, I’m sure they (and us!) would have an absolute ball! 😂

I think I might be correct in saying that Daria Klimentova was taken into the Czech National Ballet (or whatever it was called then) as a Principal at the age of 18 and never danced in the corps?

I seem to recall from the story that the mice became horses, but wasn’t another animal transformed into a couple of footmen and a coach driver? Cats?