FionaM

More double standards. Nobody gave a hoot about Zeisel and others from Europe performing in Sevastopol between 2014 and 2022. Maybe because Sevastopol has always had special status being the main base of the Russian naval fleet, even when Sevastopol and Crimea were under Ukraine administration.

As I’ve mentioned elsewhere sanctions only apply from some countries (NATO and allies), and sanctions only apply to some products. There are many exemptions … humanitarian needs such as food and health products, plus commodities such as aluminium, nickel, palladium, gold and silver. All exempt. I’m also told there are still M&S and Clarks shoes shops in Moscow malls. (No doubt they have some way of justifying that). This gala is arranged by Bolshoi artists with Bolshoi technical team. So it is Russian in Cyprus. (Not the part in dispute and administrated by Turkey.) It is not the only Russian / NATO collaboration going on. I assume many here will be going to see Roberto Bolle in Manon with Marianela Nuñez. Bolle performed with Maria Khoreva, Mariinsky first soloist in Argentina and Italy earlier this year. https://www.instagram.com/p/CupH9KDoeOT/?igshid=MWZjMTM2ODFkZg== (photo by RB’s dancersdiary) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs8-BHsI5T5/?igshid=MWZjMTM2ODFkZg== Then there was Julian Mackay inviting Mikhailovsky dancer Anastasia Smirnova to perform with him in USA at both his own family arranged gala in Montana (covered by Graham Watts) and also a YAGP one at Segerstrom Arts Centre in California https://www.instagram.com/reel/CvvJ3bfto-k/?igshid=MWZjMTM2ODFkZg== Personally I think it is immoral to persecute these dance collaborations, when our own govts and many corporations have ongoing relationships with Russia at financial levels that dwarf anything going on in the arts. Even if NATO govts and corporates were to cease all collaborations (unlikely as the financial impact would be too huge … NATO stock markets would collapse. It is always about the money), I don’t agree with art being subservient to politics, or worse, being a tool of politicians. Arts and literature should be free to entertain, but also to be thought provoking and to challenge the status quo. So I say bravo to those brave souls who are going against the tide, keeping connections and building bridges by collaborating in whatever way, including Kevin O’Hare who presumably is well aware of the organisers of these galas. He must have approved participation in prior galas by RB dancers that also had Russian artists alongside. Art could and should lead the way to a better world.

Quite possibly the theatre themselves wish to avoid negative publicity from Natalia’s non-appearance. Many fans travel great distances to see her.

All the dancers get glowing reports 👍. A masterclass in how to sell your gala on social media!

News of a ballet gala to take place in the ancient Kourion amphitheater near Limassol in Cyprus on 7 and 8 October 2023. It is produced by Igor Tsvirko, Bolshoi principal and includes Royal Ballet principals Reece Clarke and Yasmine Naghdi amongst the performers. More info on their website https://celebritygala.eu/#artist and on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CxX1tFCNSAN/?igshid=MWZjMTM2ODFkZg== Igor also produced an earlier gala indoors in Cyprus in February 2023, which included principals from Bolshoi, Mikhailovsky, Dutch National, Kremlin Palace, Astana Opera, Berlin State Ballet and English National Ballet. ENB dancers were Gabrielle Frola and Natasha Mair. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cowir-Zo62g/?igshid=MWZjMTM2ODFkZg==

auto-generated by YouTube. It can’t cope with mix of languages … French ballet terms and English. it is possible for the ROH to replace them later with their own correct subtitles. Some uploaded fo this. I don’t know if ROH will?

Agree. The sound and look of his ballets are too samey. I hope this one is closer to Winter’s Tale in its use of drama and dance … and without theatrical gimmicks.

@zxDaveM that’ll teach me for not watching the whole thing! Not the same music at all.

@Lizbie1 I take your last paragraph to mean you wish to belittle my contribution here by association and because I happen to follow closely what Sergei Polunin does. I’ve said before that I DON’T agree with all his opinions and actions. What he is doing in dance IS interesting. Your last paragraph is a personal attack and I’d hope the moderators will remove your comment and ask you to desist in future.

apologies for typos I didn’t notice. “This is their pdd”

Yes that is they’re odd from ‘Untitled’ … same costumes, same music, same moves that I can remember. and agree on cutaways. These filmmakers don’t understand that you lose the arc of the piece by not following the dancers entirely. They wouldn’t cut off the sound for an actor or singer. Why why why don’t they understand this !!!

3rd from right?

thank goodness for the Livestream 👏

If anyone wishes to see video clips and read reviews of the gala you can find plenty in ‘Sergei Polunin Universe’. Here’s one from YouTube. Beware it’s a Russian news channel (or is that Ukrainian as it’s in Sevastopol?) so you may be supporting the war by watching. Oh wait … YouTube can’t pay advertisement fees across the financial sanction divide, so it’s ok. Or do they pay another way? Who knows 🤷🏼‍♀️, I certainly don’t. As you can tell, my cynicism of the difference between what we are told via our media (whichever side) and what is actually happening amongst corporations and governments is high. Meanwhile hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians and Russian die. War is mindless destruction. You’d think the world leaders would focus on issues that actually matter. Let’s just enjoy the ballet. In order of appearance: - Ksenia Ryzkova & Jonah Cook (STANMUS) - Olga Marchenkova & Klim Efimov (Bolshoi) - Semyon Chudin & Eugenia Obratsova (Bolshoi) - Prisca Zeisel & Dmitry Sobolevsky (now both independent) - Marchenkova & Efimov - Obratsova & Chudin - Vladimir Shklyarov & Maria Shirinkina (Mariinsky) - Sergei Polunin (independent) No idea why they included the one moment where he trips on a crease in the flooring!

We do not KNOW that she breached her contract. I heard (yes, hearsay) that she did speak to her AD in advance and he did say that she was free to do as she wishes whether or not he agreed. Most contracts do not specify that a dancer is obliged to have permission from their AD for whatever they do in their time off and holidays. And it’s quite right that contracts should not. It’s high time the artists had more say over their short dancing careers than being dictated by company management. Opera singers do. Theatre actors do. Musicians do. I really hope this incident does NOT revert to contracts dictating what employees do in their time off. (I wouldn’t agree to it in my work. My weekends and holidays are mine. I’d hope you’d all agree with this principle.) Regarding being tall, I imagine this might be one of the reasons for Jacob Feyferlik joining the company from Dutch National. I hear he is an excellent partner from the posts made by his fellow principals there. She had been partnered frequently by Jinhao Zhang (ex-ENB) in Munich. No problems with their relative heights, see photos here https://www.instagram.com/p/CtENpZbIQV5/?igshid=MWZjMTM2ODFkZg== She’s performed many super roles as seen in the photos of the leaving statement by the company …. Nikiya, Gamzatti, Myrtha, Diamonds, Aegina, Giselle, Odette/Odile, lead roles in Wayne McGregor and Neumeier. She was originally cast in the opening night of the season in Paquita on stage next week. This fact in itself is relevant, as the casting was only put up last week, so something has happened at the theatre in the last week or so to change their mind about her participation.

Whether or not I worship Polunin is irrelevant to Prisca’s predicament. It also does not follow that I support Polunin’s support of Putin, nor does it follow that I support Putin in my own right. It’s true that I know something about these performances because I follow Sergei. I follow other dancers, which does not mean I support their government leaders either. I am disappointed in the speculation above. Prisca does not deserve this witch hunt. No dancer does. They have short careers .. in my opinion they must go where their artistic passions are best fulfilled. She is highly talented, having been a principal since her mid 20s.

No, my source is not a Polunin fan group. If you can access the full article you will read that SZ actually says that its information comes from a Polunin fan group on facebook !!! I don’t know which one. There are at least 5 groups on Facebook, not counting his own social media. It’s open knowledge that there were two galas in Tauric Chersonesos in Sevastopol in July 2023 and Prisca was advertised to dance in them. She did perform one of the shows. The other was cancelled due to torrential rain. My source is somebody connected with an employee in the Bavarian State Ballet. I can’t say anymore, as it is all hearsay, so there is no point in continuing.

@Angela @oncnp Yes that was my point … I was declaring mine as hearsay. And that the hearsay was less hurtful than the speculations by others. I can see I wasn’t clear. Apologies.

I’m sure my few hundred pounds spent there turn to near zero after the staff have been paid. And certainly my spend counts for nothing compared to the ongoing $3billion of annual trade between UK and Russia post the 2022 invasion. (There is a long list of exemptions from sanctions.). Plus the ongoing trade between USA/NATO and Russia.

This is hearsay … but there are many highly speculative comments above which are derogatory to Prisca’s character. These should probably also be removed if this hearsay is. I’ve since heard that Prisca did talk to her AD about it in advance, that she was told she was free to do as she chooses in her vacation. So it sounds to me like she didn’t breach her contract. If she had, the press release would have said so.

Let us know when they have something new !!!

Then you won’t like this post from today either … it’s Ed Watson and Wayne McGregor at the ROH with Ildar Young who is the best contemporary dancer by a mile from Russia. He won the Dance Revolution 2 series of which Sergei Polunin was 1 of 3 judges. Ildar has performed with the Bolshoi and Svetlana Zakharova’s shows … accompanying many principal ballerinas. Last month he was filming a Hollywood movie in Italy with Anthony Hopkins. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxIkYjEOKGg/?igshid=MWZjMTM2ODFkZg== The dance world is open to collaboration and balletomanes here are behind the curve. I refer you back to Sabine’s comment about the Minister of Culture in Berlin. He’s with the new openness for arts.

There are many Ukrainians living in Russia and in particular many in the Russian ballet companies … dancers who had excellent training (despite poor facilities) in Kyiv.

well then you’ll be delighted to know that I travelled to Russia this summer … to see ballet.

I guess the press beg to differ. They want to shout it everywhere that it’s a political decision of the ballet management at the Bavarian Opera House. Which it is. I’m guessing the UK press will pick it up, probably with a photo of Sergei Polunin.