Curious about Muntagirov

[John Mallinson]

But isn't that what the board is for?  Discussion, information gathering, debate, etc....

 

Depends what you mean by etc! Innuendo, rumour, gossip, unattributed quotes may be removed.

[Balletfanp]

No doubt some contributors to this board will be going to the In Conversation with Vadim Muntagirov in the Clore at the ROH this coming Tuesday and will hear some explanations from the man himself.

I will be there. I'll let you know if he sheds any light on this discussion!

[loveclassics]

Depends what you mean by etc! Innuendo, rumour, gossip, unattributed quotes may be removed.

 

Well isn't that the main strength of Ballet.co?  Everyone can contribute their ideas, suggestions and opinions as long as they don't express them unreasonably or without respect for others.  I think our moderators do a great job stemming any abuse without reducing the site to mere fan worship.  But if people don't think they can say what they think, within the guidelines of course, it will become a very dull site and ultimately, one which will be abandoned for something more stimulating.

 

IMHO, naturally!

 

Linda

[alison]

Generally, I think we're pretty tolerant about people saying what they think, even if it doesn't necessarily please everyone.  It's the "Innuendo, rumour, gossip" side of things that can be a problem.

[Mary]

Maybe. I think sometimes there is a danger that 'saying what one thinks' without any actual knowledge or evidence might sometimes be unwise.

 

I like to read about performances myself, rather than speculation about what might be going on behnd the scenes.

 

Performances are  what it is all about. They happen in public- we can all see them (as much as possible anyway) and comment freely. When we can't get to them we have the pleasure of reading one another's views of them,  good or bad.

 

But the speculation about promotions etc is just speculation. It is all very well to criticise what this or that Director of a company did or did not do etc but we usually don't know for  a fact what happened, or what all the factors were. The people concerned may not be in a position to set the record straight,  which is not really fair on them.

[capybara]

I'm really sorry to see that a thread about Muntagirov has turned into yet another one about whether we should say this or that on the forum.

 

I hope that, in due course, and perhaps especially during this season when more of us will have seen more of his wonderful dancing, we shall be able properly to celebrate Vadim's talent on here.

[Sim]

I am posting below the text of an interview I did with Vadim in 2011. I can't access the final version that was on ballet.co because its archive is closed. For some reason it seems impossible to copy and paste a Word or PDF document onto this site, so this is the only way I can think of to share it with you for now.

 

 

 

INTERVIEW WITH VADIM MUNTAGIROV, 10 JUNE 2011 – MARKOVA HOUSE

Vadim Muntagirov was born in Chenabinsk, Russia, 21 years ago. His parents were both professional dancers, so he and his sister began learning from very young. At the age of 9, he went away to Perm to begin taking his ballet lessons seriously, and spent the last 3 years of his training at the Royal Ballet School in London. English National Ballet’s Artistic Director, Wayne Eagling, and Maina Gielgud attended his class’s end of year show, and afterwards Eagling offered him a contract, promising him that he’d be dancing Albrecht the following Christmas….which he did. What also happened is something that only happens to most dancers after years of searching: he began his career by finding his perfect partner, in Senior Principal Dancer Daria Klimentova. In less than two years they have established an artistic connection that has all the elements: trust, understanding, technical parity and the pure joy of dancing together. Vadim knows that with Daria’s 40th birthday around the corner he faces many professional years without her, and he can’t even bear to think about that yet. This shy, softly-spoken young man finds it hard to put into words how much confidence she has given him, how much he has learned from her. On his own, he has made headlines for his technical prowess and his elegant style. He admits that, being so young, there is a lot more drama and emotion inside that he has to learn to let out, but he wants it to happen naturally and not be forced, because he knows the audience can feel that. Many ballet fans are looking forward to following this talented dancer’s career for many years to come, but we start many years ago….

You left home at the age of 9 to go to Perm Ballet School. Did you think at this point that you wanted ballet to be your career?

I never really thought about it, at any age. It just kind of happened slowly, year by year. My sister is now a soloist at Chernabinsk Ballet, so it happened to us both. My parents never pushed us, so it was a natural thing. When I started doing solos and bits of principal roles at school, around 15, I think I knew that this is what I wanted to do.

In the recent BBC programme The Agony and the Ecstasy, about ENB, you appear to have said that you used to get ‘beaten’ at ballet school in Russia. Is this true?

No, not beaten. Of course, we used to get yelled at a lot. We were little boys, and little boys can be naughty. But we needed that, to learn discipline. You can’t be a dancer without discipline. So although we got yelled at, one day we will thank those teachers. Nowadays they don’t use sticks, just voices!

At 16, you left Perm to come to the Royal Ballet School in London. What was that like, arriving here speaking no English, and having to learn a very different style of training and dancing?

Well, it was very difficult, not speaking any English. But it was very exciting. The School was very difficult; a very different technique. I’m not saying it was bad, just very different. The dancing is much faster than we do in Russia, where it is slower and calmer. But it is very good to know both ways. For speaking English, I had a good friend at the school, Ben Ella; at first we spoke in a strange kind of language, but he helped me a lot with my English. I did miss my family, but having been away in Perm for 5 years, I was used to it.

ENB is a touring company; do you enjoy that aspect of it?

Well, it depends on how busy you are. It can be very boring, and usually we don’t have time to see anything, it’s just theatre, hotel, theatre, hotel. I like seeing different places, but I like being in London because the stages are so big – the Coliseum, the Albert Hall…

You clearly like big stages; what is your favourite role that you have danced on these stages thus far?

Hmmmm. I think Romeo. Not because I like it better than the others, but because of Daria, my partner. She made it wonderful for me, and when I dance it with her I feel there is no-one else there, and that she IS my Juliet, and I AM her Romeo. That’s why I’ve loved it.

And of the roles you haven’t yet danced, are there any you would particularly like to do?

That is hard to say. Each year I learn one or two new ballets, and I like each one. Maybe two years ago I’d have said Don Quixote, but now I think maybe Des Grieux in Manon; I like the dramatic love stories much more….but that’s because of Daria!

Do you have a dancer, either past or present, whom you particularly admire?

Baryshnikov. When I was young I always watched dancers on YouTube, but he is the one I watched again and again. I can see him do something a thousand times and it still inspires me. He was very special, very rare; he had everything. Then of course there’s Daria…

Please tell me a bit about your partnership with Daria….how did it start, and how much does it mean to you?

Well, it was luck. I am so lucky. I was supposed to do Giselle with someone else, and when she got sick they gave me Daria. At first I was so nervous; what was she going to think? I was a young boy, just out of school, and she is a prima ballerina. I couldn’t concentrate on my steps, I wanted to make sure she was happy; I put myself under much pressure. But, after a couple of rehearsals, we felt good with each other. We only had three or four rehearsals before the show, but afterwards she invited me to partner her in her gala, so luckily she was happy, and so was I! Then we danced other things together: Cinderella, Nutcracker, and each show was better and better. We laugh a lot; she is so funny, and also she never makes me feel pressured. When we dance together, I forget about everything and everyone else. When I am dancing with her, I am confident, and never worried about ‘will it work’. When we danced R&J, I didn’t even think about the steps (and Nureyev’s version is very difficult). It was an unbelievable feeling; she is Juliet and I am Romeo, and it was amazing. I will never forget that. And I will never forget that my first Siegfried was with her, in the Albert Hall. Polina Semionova missed the first night because of visa problems, so they gave me Daria, and I was so happy, and so lucky!

The build-up to that first night was the subject of the first instalment of Agony and ecstasy. Did the programme accurately reflect what happened?

Well…..I think it was made with TV viewers in mind, to make it more interesting for them. Yes, it showed Derek yelling at me, and Daria crying, but it was just once or twice, but they didn’t show us laughing and joking afterwards; we support each other. It didn’t upset me at all, in Russia teachers always yelled because they wanted more out of me, so I never take it personally. In ballet, you have to be tough or you don’t survive.

How do you prepare for a new role, and do you get stage fright?

It depends on the ballet. When I was learning Albrecht, I watched videos of Baryshnikov many times. I concentrated on learning the steps and my solos, but the drama and emotion I never think about because with Daria it is just there, it is natural. I don’t really get stage fright. Maybe a little, everyone gets a little, but for me it is just at first. After a little while, I am fine, and if Daria is next to me I am confident and comfortable and never worried.

I hate to ask this, but have you given any thought to what happens when Daria retires?

No, I don’t want to! I just hope that we can dance many, many shows together before that happens, and that it will be unforgettable for her and for me.

And by that time you will be a stronger and more confident dancer?

Yes, each show gets better, and my stamina improves, and I find the partnering getting easier…and I will be more experienced with all the roles, so I suppose I will be dancing with other girls…but for now, Daria and I both hope that Wayne will let us dance together a lot. I am always fighting with myself to find better ways of doing steps, or for preparing for an entrance, so yes, I have much still to learn. I think the older you get, the better you get technically, but for acting, I don’t know if age matters, I think it is inside you or it isn’t, and I think a lot of that has to do with the partner. If you don’t feel it with your partner, it will show….it doesn’t really matter how old you are.

You are currently appearing in Strictly Gershwin at the Albert Hall. What is that like?

Well, I like the big stage. But you only feel it’s big during a pas de deux or a solo. In Gershwin, there are many people onstage much of the time. It is quite difficult for me to learn all the steps because I am in two or three different pieces, and it is very different for me. You can’t concentrate on one dance; we rehearse one, then 10 minutes later we are doing another one; it’s complicated. I’m not enjoying it much at the moment, but I think it will come.

I often wonder how dancers remember every step in so many different ballets? How do you manage?

Every dancer is different I think. In some roles, I wasn’t really taught them; I’d just seen them so many times that I knew them. Of course I needed coaching, but the steps were just there inside me. But in ballets such as Giselle, each company has its own version, so the steps are different, so sometimes if I am guesting somewhere I forget that I am doing their version instead of ENB’s, and I forget some of the steps or do the wrong ones….it is a lot to remember!

This summer you will be dancing in the Roland Petit programme at the Coliseum. What will you be dancing?

L’Arlesienne, with Elena Gljurdidze. I haven’t heard much about it yet, but I think that is the only one. I am looking forward to it because we don’t get to dance much Petit here in England.

Have you tried contemporary dance, and do you enjoy it?

Mmmmm. Well, I have tried it a little bit, and I suppose I enjoyed it, but it is very difficult for me because I never trained in it at all, and my body finds it very hard to do those moves. Maybe if someone really rehearsed with me I would like it more, but classical ballet is what I love… especially if Daria is next to me.

And when you are not dancing ballet, what are you doing?

Oh, I have so little free time. I call my family, talk to them, talk to other friends on Skype, organise guestings. I would really like to just go somewhere and rest, and forget about ballet for two weeks. When I was at school I would go away to a nice beach with my family, but for three years I haven’t had a holiday. There is always something happening. This summer Daria and I are guesting in Capetown in Swan Lake, so I have to be in shape, so no rest for me! But maybe I can go to the beach there…

Has your family been able to come and see you dance yet?

No, it is difficult with getting visas, but I am working on it, writing letters of invitation. Also, it is a time problem…either we are touring, or I am guesting. I’ve started guesting this year, mostly with Daria. My first year in ENB no-one knew me, and I was learning, but now I am getting known, and my partnership with Daria means people trust me so they invite me to guest….mostly with her. But I hope they will come soon.

Of course, you are at the beginning of your career so haven’t thought about life after dance yet, but if you couldn’t dance anymore, or when you reach retirement, what might you do then?

Hmmm. I think I would like to teach. I really feel it inside of me, and I want to give something back. It is so important to keep teaching the next generation, and it is not always easy to find a good teacher. In Russia, a principal will have one teacher who prepares them for all the principal roles. He is like a second father and you can be very close. Here, you move from teacher to teacher. If a dancer is clever, they will take good things from everybody and use them. But the teacher has to be able to give you those things. Just because you can dance, doesn’t mean you can teach, but I hope I can.

And if you weren’t a dancer now, what would you be doing?

Well, I can say that I love basketball. I always watch highlights on the internet, and always check what’s happening. I love the energy, the stamina, I love the way they jump…

Sounds just like a ballet dancer….

Ah, ha, ha that must be why I like it so much! Yes, I think I would be doing some sport if I didn’t dance. But not basketball, I am too short!

 

 

Copyright Simonetta Dixon 2011. No part of this interview may be used or reproduced without prior agreement of the author.

[capybara]

Thank you posting this, Sim, and for all the trouble you have taken to do so. I'm sure we all appreciate that very much.

[Sim]

Thanks Capybara...it's my pleasure!

[Fonty]

Depends what you mean by etc! Innuendo, rumour, gossip, unattributed quotes may be removed.

 

Oh dear.  I can see that innuendo, rumour and unattributed quotes might cause a problem, but if you take out gossip as well then I think some of the threads might be a bit short!

 

[Coated]

That was a lovely interview, thanks for reposting it. I'm always glad that I managed to see him and Daria a few times, fingers crossed that will one day find someone at the RB that he's equally in tune with. Though obviously from a purely dancing point of view, I thought he looked good with pretty much any RB partner he had so far. I always feel he makes his partner look good as well

Edited October 25, 2015 by Coated

[penelopesimpson]

Depends what you mean by etc! Innuendo, rumour, gossip, unattributed quotes may be removed.

May I just gently point out that innuendo is your word not mine?  I want to learn more about ballet and appreciate what I have learnt on this board which is full of wonderful background.  Discussion and debate is what I have asked for.

[penelopesimpson]

I am posting below the text of an interview I did with Vadim in 2011. I can't access the final version that was on ballet.co because its archive is closed. For some reason it seems impossible to copy and paste a Word or PDF document onto this site, so this is the only way I can think of to share it with you for now.

 

 

 

INTERVIEW WITH VADIM MUNTAGIROV, 10 JUNE 2011 – MARKOVA HOUSE

Vadim Muntagirov was born in Chenabinsk, Russia, 21 years ago. His parents were both professional dancers, so he and his sister began learning from very young. At the age of 9, he went away to Perm to begin taking his ballet lessons seriously, and spent the last 3 years of his training at the Royal Ballet School in London. English National Ballet’s Artistic Director, Wayne Eagling, and Maina Gielgud attended his class’s end of year show, and afterwards Eagling offered him a contract, promising him that he’d be dancing Albrecht the following Christmas….which he did. What also happened is something that only happens to most dancers after years of searching: he began his career by finding his perfect partner, in Senior Principal Dancer Daria Klimentova. In less than two years they have established an artistic connection that has all the elements: trust, understanding, technical parity and the pure joy of dancing together. Vadim knows that with Daria’s 40th birthday around the corner he faces many professional years without her, and he can’t even bear to think about that yet. This shy, softly-spoken young man finds it hard to put into words how much confidence she has given him, how much he has learned from her. On his own, he has made headlines for his technical prowess and his elegant style. He admits that, being so young, there is a lot more drama and emotion inside that he has to learn to let out, but he wants it to happen naturally and not be forced, because he knows the audience can feel that. Many ballet fans are looking forward to following this talented dancer’s career for many years to come, but we start many years ago….

You left home at the age of 9 to go to Perm Ballet School. Did you think at this point that you wanted ballet to be your career?

I never really thought about it, at any age. It just kind of happened slowly, year by year. My sister is now a soloist at Chernabinsk Ballet, so it happened to us both. My parents never pushed us, so it was a natural thing. When I started doing solos and bits of principal roles at school, around 15, I think I knew that this is what I wanted to do.

In the recent BBC programme The Agony and the Ecstasy, about ENB, you appear to have said that you used to get ‘beaten’ at ballet school in Russia. Is this true?

No, not beaten. Of course, we used to get yelled at a lot. We were little boys, and little boys can be naughty. But we needed that, to learn discipline. You can’t be a dancer without discipline. So although we got yelled at, one day we will thank those teachers. Nowadays they don’t use sticks, just voices!

At 16, you left Perm to come to the Royal Ballet School in London. What was that like, arriving here speaking no English, and having to learn a very different style of training and dancing?

Well, it was very difficult, not speaking any English. But it was very exciting. The School was very difficult; a very different technique. I’m not saying it was bad, just very different. The dancing is much faster than we do in Russia, where it is slower and calmer. But it is very good to know both ways. For speaking English, I had a good friend at the school, Ben Ella; at first we spoke in a strange kind of language, but he helped me a lot with my English. I did miss my family, but having been away in Perm for 5 years, I was used to it.

ENB is a touring company; do you enjoy that aspect of it?

Well, it depends on how busy you are. It can be very boring, and usually we don’t have time to see anything, it’s just theatre, hotel, theatre, hotel. I like seeing different places, but I like being in London because the stages are so big – the Coliseum, the Albert Hall…

You clearly like big stages; what is your favourite role that you have danced on these stages thus far?

Hmmmm. I think Romeo. Not because I like it better than the others, but because of Daria, my partner. She made it wonderful for me, and when I dance it with her I feel there is no-one else there, and that she IS my Juliet, and I AM her Romeo. That’s why I’ve loved it.

And of the roles you haven’t yet danced, are there any you would particularly like to do?

That is hard to say. Each year I learn one or two new ballets, and I like each one. Maybe two years ago I’d have said Don Quixote, but now I think maybe Des Grieux in Manon; I like the dramatic love stories much more….but that’s because of Daria!

Do you have a dancer, either past or present, whom you particularly admire?

Baryshnikov. When I was young I always watched dancers on YouTube, but he is the one I watched again and again. I can see him do something a thousand times and it still inspires me. He was very special, very rare; he had everything. Then of course there’s Daria…

Please tell me a bit about your partnership with Daria….how did it start, and how much does it mean to you?

Well, it was luck. I am so lucky. I was supposed to do Giselle with someone else, and when she got sick they gave me Daria. At first I was so nervous; what was she going to think? I was a young boy, just out of school, and she is a prima ballerina. I couldn’t concentrate on my steps, I wanted to make sure she was happy; I put myself under much pressure. But, after a couple of rehearsals, we felt good with each other. We only had three or four rehearsals before the show, but afterwards she invited me to partner her in her gala, so luckily she was happy, and so was I! Then we danced other things together: Cinderella, Nutcracker, and each show was better and better. We laugh a lot; she is so funny, and also she never makes me feel pressured. When we dance together, I forget about everything and everyone else. When I am dancing with her, I am confident, and never worried about ‘will it work’. When we danced R&J, I didn’t even think about the steps (and Nureyev’s version is very difficult). It was an unbelievable feeling; she is Juliet and I am Romeo, and it was amazing. I will never forget that. And I will never forget that my first Siegfried was with her, in the Albert Hall. Polina Semionova missed the first night because of visa problems, so they gave me Daria, and I was so happy, and so lucky!

The build-up to that first night was the subject of the first instalment of Agony and ecstasy. Did the programme accurately reflect what happened?

Well…..I think it was made with TV viewers in mind, to make it more interesting for them. Yes, it showed Derek yelling at me, and Daria crying, but it was just once or twice, but they didn’t show us laughing and joking afterwards; we support each other. It didn’t upset me at all, in Russia teachers always yelled because they wanted more out of me, so I never take it personally. In ballet, you have to be tough or you don’t survive.

How do you prepare for a new role, and do you get stage fright?

It depends on the ballet. When I was learning Albrecht, I watched videos of Baryshnikov many times. I concentrated on learning the steps and my solos, but the drama and emotion I never think about because with Daria it is just there, it is natural. I don’t really get stage fright. Maybe a little, everyone gets a little, but for me it is just at first. After a little while, I am fine, and if Daria is next to me I am confident and comfortable and never worried.

I hate to ask this, but have you given any thought to what happens when Daria retires?

No, I don’t want to! I just hope that we can dance many, many shows together before that happens, and that it will be unforgettable for her and for me.

And by that time you will be a stronger and more confident dancer?

Yes, each show gets better, and my stamina improves, and I find the partnering getting easier…and I will be more experienced with all the roles, so I suppose I will be dancing with other girls…but for now, Daria and I both hope that Wayne will let us dance together a lot. I am always fighting with myself to find better ways of doing steps, or for preparing for an entrance, so yes, I have much still to learn. I think the older you get, the better you get technically, but for acting, I don’t know if age matters, I think it is inside you or it isn’t, and I think a lot of that has to do with the partner. If you don’t feel it with your partner, it will show….it doesn’t really matter how old you are.

You are currently appearing in Strictly Gershwin at the Albert Hall. What is that like?

Well, I like the big stage. But you only feel it’s big during a pas de deux or a solo. In Gershwin, there are many people onstage much of the time. It is quite difficult for me to learn all the steps because I am in two or three different pieces, and it is very different for me. You can’t concentrate on one dance; we rehearse one, then 10 minutes later we are doing another one; it’s complicated. I’m not enjoying it much at the moment, but I think it will come.

I often wonder how dancers remember every step in so many different ballets? How do you manage?

Every dancer is different I think. In some roles, I wasn’t really taught them; I’d just seen them so many times that I knew them. Of course I needed coaching, but the steps were just there inside me. But in ballets such as Giselle, each company has its own version, so the steps are different, so sometimes if I am guesting somewhere I forget that I am doing their version instead of ENB’s, and I forget some of the steps or do the wrong ones….it is a lot to remember!

This summer you will be dancing in the Roland Petit programme at the Coliseum. What will you be dancing?

L’Arlesienne, with Elena Gljurdidze. I haven’t heard much about it yet, but I think that is the only one. I am looking forward to it because we don’t get to dance much Petit here in England.

Have you tried contemporary dance, and do you enjoy it?

Mmmmm. Well, I have tried it a little bit, and I suppose I enjoyed it, but it is very difficult for me because I never trained in it at all, and my body finds it very hard to do those moves. Maybe if someone really rehearsed with me I would like it more, but classical ballet is what I love… especially if Daria is next to me.

And when you are not dancing ballet, what are you doing?

Oh, I have so little free time. I call my family, talk to them, talk to other friends on Skype, organise guestings. I would really like to just go somewhere and rest, and forget about ballet for two weeks. When I was at school I would go away to a nice beach with my family, but for three years I haven’t had a holiday. There is always something happening. This summer Daria and I are guesting in Capetown in Swan Lake, so I have to be in shape, so no rest for me! But maybe I can go to the beach there…

Has your family been able to come and see you dance yet?

No, it is difficult with getting visas, but I am working on it, writing letters of invitation. Also, it is a time problem…either we are touring, or I am guesting. I’ve started guesting this year, mostly with Daria. My first year in ENB no-one knew me, and I was learning, but now I am getting known, and my partnership with Daria means people trust me so they invite me to guest….mostly with her. But I hope they will come soon.

Of course, you are at the beginning of your career so haven’t thought about life after dance yet, but if you couldn’t dance anymore, or when you reach retirement, what might you do then?

Hmmm. I think I would like to teach. I really feel it inside of me, and I want to give something back. It is so important to keep teaching the next generation, and it is not always easy to find a good teacher. In Russia, a principal will have one teacher who prepares them for all the principal roles. He is like a second father and you can be very close. Here, you move from teacher to teacher. If a dancer is clever, they will take good things from everybody and use them. But the teacher has to be able to give you those things. Just because you can dance, doesn’t mean you can teach, but I hope I can.

And if you weren’t a dancer now, what would you be doing?

Well, I can say that I love basketball. I always watch highlights on the internet, and always check what’s happening. I love the energy, the stamina, I love the way they jump…

Sounds just like a ballet dancer….

Ah, ha, ha that must be why I like it so much! Yes, I think I would be doing some sport if I didn’t dance. But not basketball, I am too short!

 

 

Copyright Simonetta Dixon 2011. No part of this interview may be used or reproduced without prior agreement of the author.

 

I am posting below the text of an interview I did with Vadim in 2011. I can't access the final version that was on ballet.co because its archive is closed. For some reason it seems impossible to copy and paste a Word or PDF document onto this site, so this is the only way I can think of to share it with you for now.

 

 

 

INTERVIEW WITH VADIM MUNTAGIROV, 10 JUNE 2011 – MARKOVA HOUSE

Vadim Muntagirov was born in Chenabinsk, Russia, 21 years ago. His parents were both professional dancers, so he and his sister began learning from very young. At the age of 9, he went away to Perm to begin taking his ballet lessons seriously, and spent the last 3 years of his training at the Royal Ballet School in London. English National Ballet’s Artistic Director, Wayne Eagling, and Maina Gielgud attended his class’s end of year show, and afterwards Eagling offered him a contract, promising him that he’d be dancing Albrecht the following Christmas….which he did. What also happened is something that only happens to most dancers after years of searching: he began his career by finding his perfect partner, in Senior Principal Dancer Daria Klimentova. In less than two years they have established an artistic connection that has all the elements: trust, understanding, technical parity and the pure joy of dancing together. Vadim knows that with Daria’s 40th birthday around the corner he faces many professional years without her, and he can’t even bear to think about that yet. This shy, softly-spoken young man finds it hard to put into words how much confidence she has given him, how much he has learned from her. On his own, he has made headlines for his technical prowess and his elegant style. He admits that, being so young, there is a lot more drama and emotion inside that he has to learn to let out, but he wants it to happen naturally and not be forced, because he knows the audience can feel that. Many ballet fans are looking forward to following this talented dancer’s career for many years to come, but we start many years ago….

You left home at the age of 9 to go to Perm Ballet School. Did you think at this point that you wanted ballet to be your career?

I never really thought about it, at any age. It just kind of happened slowly, year by year. My sister is now a soloist at Chernabinsk Ballet, so it happened to us both. My parents never pushed us, so it was a natural thing. When I started doing solos and bits of principal roles at school, around 15, I think I knew that this is what I wanted to do.

In the recent BBC programme The Agony and the Ecstasy, about ENB, you appear to have said that you used to get ‘beaten’ at ballet school in Russia. Is this true?

No, not beaten. Of course, we used to get yelled at a lot. We were little boys, and little boys can be naughty. But we needed that, to learn discipline. You can’t be a dancer without discipline. So although we got yelled at, one day we will thank those teachers. Nowadays they don’t use sticks, just voices!

At 16, you left Perm to come to the Royal Ballet School in London. What was that like, arriving here speaking no English, and having to learn a very different style of training and dancing?

Well, it was very difficult, not speaking any English. But it was very exciting. The School was very difficult; a very different technique. I’m not saying it was bad, just very different. The dancing is much faster than we do in Russia, where it is slower and calmer. But it is very good to know both ways. For speaking English, I had a good friend at the school, Ben Ella; at first we spoke in a strange kind of language, but he helped me a lot with my English. I did miss my family, but having been away in Perm for 5 years, I was used to it.

ENB is a touring company; do you enjoy that aspect of it?

Well, it depends on how busy you are. It can be very boring, and usually we don’t have time to see anything, it’s just theatre, hotel, theatre, hotel. I like seeing different places, but I like being in London because the stages are so big – the Coliseum, the Albert Hall…

You clearly like big stages; what is your favourite role that you have danced on these stages thus far?

Hmmmm. I think Romeo. Not because I like it better than the others, but because of Daria, my partner. She made it wonderful for me, and when I dance it with her I feel there is no-one else there, and that she IS my Juliet, and I AM her Romeo. That’s why I’ve loved it.

And of the roles you haven’t yet danced, are there any you would particularly like to do?

That is hard to say. Each year I learn one or two new ballets, and I like each one. Maybe two years ago I’d have said Don Quixote, but now I think maybe Des Grieux in Manon; I like the dramatic love stories much more….but that’s because of Daria!

Do you have a dancer, either past or present, whom you particularly admire?

Baryshnikov. When I was young I always watched dancers on YouTube, but he is the one I watched again and again. I can see him do something a thousand times and it still inspires me. He was very special, very rare; he had everything. Then of course there’s Daria…

Please tell me a bit about your partnership with Daria….how did it start, and how much does it mean to you?

Well, it was luck. I am so lucky. I was supposed to do Giselle with someone else, and when she got sick they gave me Daria. At first I was so nervous; what was she going to think? I was a young boy, just out of school, and she is a prima ballerina. I couldn’t concentrate on my steps, I wanted to make sure she was happy; I put myself under much pressure. But, after a couple of rehearsals, we felt good with each other. We only had three or four rehearsals before the show, but afterwards she invited me to partner her in her gala, so luckily she was happy, and so was I! Then we danced other things together: Cinderella, Nutcracker, and each show was better and better. We laugh a lot; she is so funny, and also she never makes me feel pressured. When we dance together, I forget about everything and everyone else. When I am dancing with her, I am confident, and never worried about ‘will it work’. When we danced R&J, I didn’t even think about the steps (and Nureyev’s version is very difficult). It was an unbelievable feeling; she is Juliet and I am Romeo, and it was amazing. I will never forget that. And I will never forget that my first Siegfried was with her, in the Albert Hall. Polina Semionova missed the first night because of visa problems, so they gave me Daria, and I was so happy, and so lucky!

The build-up to that first night was the subject of the first instalment of Agony and ecstasy. Did the programme accurately reflect what happened?

Well…..I think it was made with TV viewers in mind, to make it more interesting for them. Yes, it showed Derek yelling at me, and Daria crying, but it was just once or twice, but they didn’t show us laughing and joking afterwards; we support each other. It didn’t upset me at all, in Russia teachers always yelled because they wanted more out of me, so I never take it personally. In ballet, you have to be tough or you don’t survive.

How do you prepare for a new role, and do you get stage fright?

It depends on the ballet. When I was learning Albrecht, I watched videos of Baryshnikov many times. I concentrated on learning the steps and my solos, but the drama and emotion I never think about because with Daria it is just there, it is natural. I don’t really get stage fright. Maybe a little, everyone gets a little, but for me it is just at first. After a little while, I am fine, and if Daria is next to me I am confident and comfortable and never worried.

I hate to ask this, but have you given any thought to what happens when Daria retires?

No, I don’t want to! I just hope that we can dance many, many shows together before that happens, and that it will be unforgettable for her and for me.

And by that time you will be a stronger and more confident dancer?

Yes, each show gets better, and my stamina improves, and I find the partnering getting easier…and I will be more experienced with all the roles, so I suppose I will be dancing with other girls…but for now, Daria and I both hope that Wayne will let us dance together a lot. I am always fighting with myself to find better ways of doing steps, or for preparing for an entrance, so yes, I have much still to learn. I think the older you get, the better you get technically, but for acting, I don’t know if age matters, I think it is inside you or it isn’t, and I think a lot of that has to do with the partner. If you don’t feel it with your partner, it will show….it doesn’t really matter how old you are.

You are currently appearing in Strictly Gershwin at the Albert Hall. What is that like?

Well, I like the big stage. But you only feel it’s big during a pas de deux or a solo. In Gershwin, there are many people onstage much of the time. It is quite difficult for me to learn all the steps because I am in two or three different pieces, and it is very different for me. You can’t concentrate on one dance; we rehearse one, then 10 minutes later we are doing another one; it’s complicated. I’m not enjoying it much at the moment, but I think it will come.

I often wonder how dancers remember every step in so many different ballets? How do you manage?

Every dancer is different I think. In some roles, I wasn’t really taught them; I’d just seen them so many times that I knew them. Of course I needed coaching, but the steps were just there inside me. But in ballets such as Giselle, each company has its own version, so the steps are different, so sometimes if I am guesting somewhere I forget that I am doing their version instead of ENB’s, and I forget some of the steps or do the wrong ones….it is a lot to remember!

This summer you will be dancing in the Roland Petit programme at the Coliseum. What will you be dancing?

L’Arlesienne, with Elena Gljurdidze. I haven’t heard much about it yet, but I think that is the only one. I am looking forward to it because we don’t get to dance much Petit here in England.

Have you tried contemporary dance, and do you enjoy it?

Mmmmm. Well, I have tried it a little bit, and I suppose I enjoyed it, but it is very difficult for me because I never trained in it at all, and my body finds it very hard to do those moves. Maybe if someone really rehearsed with me I would like it more, but classical ballet is what I love… especially if Daria is next to me.

And when you are not dancing ballet, what are you doing?

Oh, I have so little free time. I call my family, talk to them, talk to other friends on Skype, organise guestings. I would really like to just go somewhere and rest, and forget about ballet for two weeks. When I was at school I would go away to a nice beach with my family, but for three years I haven’t had a holiday. There is always something happening. This summer Daria and I are guesting in Capetown in Swan Lake, so I have to be in shape, so no rest for me! But maybe I can go to the beach there…

Has your family been able to come and see you dance yet?

No, it is difficult with getting visas, but I am working on it, writing letters of invitation. Also, it is a time problem…either we are touring, or I am guesting. I’ve started guesting this year, mostly with Daria. My first year in ENB no-one knew me, and I was learning, but now I am getting known, and my partnership with Daria means people trust me so they invite me to guest….mostly with her. But I hope they will come soon.

Of course, you are at the beginning of your career so haven’t thought about life after dance yet, but if you couldn’t dance anymore, or when you reach retirement, what might you do then?

Hmmm. I think I would like to teach. I really feel it inside of me, and I want to give something back. It is so important to keep teaching the next generation, and it is not always easy to find a good teacher. In Russia, a principal will have one teacher who prepares them for all the principal roles. He is like a second father and you can be very close. Here, you move from teacher to teacher. If a dancer is clever, they will take good things from everybody and use them. But the teacher has to be able to give you those things. Just because you can dance, doesn’t mean you can teach, but I hope I can.

And if you weren’t a dancer now, what would you be doing?

Well, I can say that I love basketball. I always watch highlights on the internet, and always check what’s happening. I love the energy, the stamina, I love the way they jump…

Sounds just like a ballet dancer….

Ah, ha, ha that must be why I like it so much! Yes, I think I would be doing some sport if I didn’t dance. But not basketball, I am too short!

 

 

Copyright Simonetta Dixon 2011. No part of this interview may be used or reproduced without prior agreement of the author.

Deeply appreciative of you taking the time and trouble to post this.

[Balletfanp]

Ditto, Sim!

[alison]

Oh dear.  I can see that innuendo, rumour and unattributed quotes might cause a problem, but if you take out gossip as well then I think some of the threads might be a bit short!

 

There is, thankfully, very little gossip on this site, so I doubt it would make much difference to the length of threads

[Irmgard]

I have just seen this post about Vadim Muntagirov.  As the person responsible for Mary Skeaping’s “Giselle” on behalf of her estate, Wayne Eagling was chatting to me in the spring of 2009 about the casting of the ballet during the next season.  He told me there would be TEN Albrechts, and one was a Russian student just about to graduate from the Royal Ballet School.  This, of course, was Vadim.  Eagling said in his usual, honest fashion, “The Royal Ballet don’t want him, so I’ve grabbed him”.  The carrot was that he would dance Albrecht during his first season with ENB.  He was originally partnered with Anais Chalendard but an injury prevented her dancing during the autumn.  They did dance the ballet together in Glasgow in 2010 but sadly I had to miss their performances as the Skeaping “Giselle” was being staged in Tokyo.  There was never any question about his amazing technique, which often brought spontaneous applause from the other dancers when he would practice multiple pirouettes or jumps in the short break the dancers have at the end of class.  The bonus was that he turned out to be a very strong and reliable partner.  The only thing that he really had to work on was his acting, as he had never had to be a character before.  I remember when most of the company went to Greece to perform the reduced version of “Giselle” and Vadim was one of the dancers left behind for intensive rehearsals with Antony Dowson, and I sat in on them to help out with things specific to the Skeaping version.  Vadim was very shy and quiet but I remember the day we had a breakthrough on how to do Albrecht’s first entrance in Act I which is, of course, all acting.  I think it was after the Liverpool performances, when Klimentova danced with Berlanga, that she was asked to also do Vadim’s scheduled performances with him.  She was very candid in her book about the situation and we did talk about it at the time that she, as a senior principal, was being asked to dance with a first year company member.  However, she soon discovered in rehearsal what a wonderful partner he was (there was one particular sequence in Act II which he did better than any of the Albrechts) although, as she has said, their first performance together was not hugely satisfying for either of them, and I am sure he will not mind me saying that it took him some time to develop the character of Albrecht but he was always willing to accept advice about this.  Anyway, by the time of his Coliseum performance with Klimentova, it was clear that this was a special partnership and I was delighted to have the opportunity to watch it develop in the rehearsal room, as well as on stage.

[alison]

I saw his Albrecht debut.  It will be interesting to see how much he's developed in the role since then - and in a different production.

[JennyTaylor]

I saw Vadim make his debut in Swan Lake with the ENB quite by accident. I always book for ENB at the Albert Hall and this just happened to be THE performance.  How lucky was I!!  Followed him subsequently and hugely privileged to see him partner Daria in her farewell performance in R&J.  He was just phenomenal - as was she.  What an afternoon  - the emotion!  When he knelt down and held out his arms in the balcony scene...........ahhh

 

Thrilled to bits when he joined the RB and is a very high priority for me in booking tickets. Think he needs to gel with a partner, not sure that has happened yet, but very happy to gaze at his performances even so.  Agree with others, that actually not going to the RB straight away was the best thing.  Not sure what that says about their ability to spot talent and move on quickly though.  

[Balletfanp]

When he knelt down and held out his arms in the balcony scene...........ahhh

 

Yes, that is the moment that sticks with me too. I was already a bit tearful because of the emotion they were both showing, but that nearly did for me! Had to fight hard not to embarrass myself by breaking into loud sobs... The expression on his face....!

 

I am just relaxing after having been lucky enough to attend the Insight evening "In conversation with Vadim Muntagirov". Well, he may be a shy person but it didn't show; he seemed relaxed, talkative, very honest, funny - he has a great sense of humour! A really charming young man - even if he did keep talking about "getting older" at the age of 25!

 

It didn't really emerge why the Royal Ballet didn't take him initially, and I'm afraid I was too self conscious to ask. But it was a really entertaining evening.

 

They showed a clip of him dancing Colas - does anyone know the best contact at the ROH to ask them to put it on YouTube? I don't think it is there already, although the other clips they showed are.

[aileen]

I don't suppose that he knows (although he may speculate) why the RB didn't offer him a contract when he graduated from the RBS. It's all in the past now, anyway, and so I personally don't feel that there is any point in keeping discussing this. Regarding partners at the RB, I have liked him with Stix-Brunell the most, although the partnership with Lamb worked well in Manon and Faun.

[Minxette]

Can anyone remember who Vadim partnered in "Fille" last season please? Was it Morera?

[capybara]

Can anyone remember who Vadim partnered in "Fille" last season please? Was it Morera?

 

Yes and it really seemed to work as a  partnership.

[bangorballetboy]

I don't suppose that he knows (although he may speculate) why the RB didn't offer him a contract when he graduated from the RBS. It's all in the past now, anyway, and so I personally don't feel that there is any point in keeping discussing this. Regarding partners at the RB, I have liked him with Stix-Brunell the most, although the partnership with Lamb worked well in Manon and Faun.

 

I also think the Muntagirov/Stix-Brunell partnership has a lot of potential.

[Balletfanp]

He also stood in for one performance of Fille to partner Marquez - they were pretty good together although the height difference was marked.