Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Swan Lake - Southampton, Birmingham, Salford, Sunderland, Plymouth, Edinburgh (Feb-Apr 2023)

[capybara]

6 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said:

Furthermore, isn't it the widely observed custom that dancers approach the potential new company -  as they are fully entitled to do! - rather than the other way around?

 

Yes - William Bracewell has said in interviews that he was in sporadic discussions with Kevin O’Hare for some considerable time.

[LinMM]

Is it actually a known fact that Muntagirov was definitely not offered a contract with either RB or BRB

I seem to have a recollection that he chose to go back to Russia for a while but whether this decision was before or after “not” being offered a contract Im not sure. 
 

[Guest oncnp]

4 minutes ago, LinMM said:

Is it actually a known fact that Muntagirov was definitely not offered a contract with either RB or BRB

I seem to have a recollection that he chose to go back to Russia for a while but whether this decision was before or after “not” being offered a contract Im not sure. 
 

Yes and I believe he went straight to the ENB - and was dancing Albrecht 3 months later. 

Edited April 8, 2023 by oncnp

[LinMM]

He had to come back from Russia though to dance with ENB…I saw one of his early performances in Nutcracker that year and remember all the hassle about visas he had …didn’t he even miss a performance because of this or made it by the skin of his teeth!!! 

[Guest oncnp]

2 minutes ago, LinMM said:

He had to come back from Russia though to dance with ENB…I saw one of his early performances in Nutcracker that year and remember all the hassle about visas he had …didn’t he even miss a performance because of this or made it by the skin of his teeth!!! 

Sorry - I thought you meant joined a Russian company which I don't think he did. 

[Jan McNulty]

Just as a point of interest Alex Yap joined Northern Ballet on graduation then moved on to BRB and sow seems to be doing well at Hong Kong Ballet.

[LinMM]

I don’t think he actually joined a Company though may have taken part in performances with a local company at the time…I’m not sure. 
I can’t remember where his dad was teaching at the time ….possibly Perm but can’t remember ….but thought he went back to be with family for a while 

He just looked so young in those days and although he has always been a fine dancer perhaps not the level he is at now!! Many gifted dancers can be late developers in early part of career. 

[Bluebird]

A comment on a 2015 Vadim Muntagirov thread is probably close to the truth as it comes from a member of the Forum who was, at the time, closely associated with ENB:

 

Edited April 8, 2023 by Bluebird

[LinMM]

Just seen your post Bluebird which seems to confirm what I said above!!! 

[Tango Dancer]

4 minutes ago, LinMM said:

I don’t think he actually joined a Company though may have taken part in performances with a local company at the time…I’m not sure. 
I can’t remember where his dad was teaching at the time ….possibly Perm but can’t remember ….but thought he went back to be with family for a while 

He just looked so young in those days and although he has always been a fine dancer perhaps not the level he is at now!! Many gifted dancers can be late developers in early part of career. 

 

He looks pretty young now still.  I do the masterclasses at Danceworks and especially the ones Vadim teaches (also Brandon Lawrence's who is another good teacher).  Vadim still looks ridiculously young and unassuming when he's teaching in leggings and a t-shirt and could pass for early 20s pretty easily.  He's a lovely teacher as well, kind and supportive and gives really good constructive comments on technique.  

[capybara]

12 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

Just as a point of interest Alex Yap joined Northern Ballet on graduation then moved on to BRB and sow seems to be doing well at Hong Kong Ballet.

I was so sorry he left BRB.

If I were Carlos Acosta, I would have chained him to the Don Q scenery (where he was a terrific Espada) and never let him go!

[Tango Dancer]

6 hours ago, Benjamin said:

Yeah That’s why I said Borrow (and never bring back) I still think it’s unfair for the companies that invited and nurtured them but they can do what ever they want (with a little or a lot of bribery)

 

People have to follow their own career.  In my work (which is very non-ballet) we took on a young person (let's call her Margot) as an apprentice. We gave her good experiences, mentored and supported her and exposed her to a range of things that were challenging for her and at which she excelled.  I supported Margot in going for development programmes to help her get on and she soaked up learning like a sponge.  She has now got a more senior job in another parallel organisation in the same field. 

 

I could be a mardy cow and moan about "after everything we've done for her Margot deserts us."  But I don't.  I'm please she got the more senior job and glad we gave her experiences that she could use to get promoted.  At the end of the day people have to do what's right for their careers and developments and it's a tribute to the support given them when they do well with it. 

Edited April 8, 2023 by Tango Dancer

[Odyssey]

Just read the latest comments on this thread, which has taken an interesting turn. I’d just add that there’s a bigger picture to consider. How many dancers return to companies they’ve been associated with earlier in their career to teach, choreograph or indeed direct a company?  Who’d have thought the wonderful Alessandra Ferri would return to the company that trained her and nurtured her early career to create a new role in her sixties? 

[Emeralds]

5 hours ago, LinMM said:

Is it actually a known fact that Muntagirov was definitely not offered a contract with either RB or BRB

I seem to have a recollection that he chose to go back to Russia for a while but whether this decision was before or after “not” being offered a contract Im not sure. 
 

Eagling said on camera (the Agony and Ecstasy documentary) that he heard and was surprised that Royal Ballet (ie artistic director Monica Mason) hadn’t offered Vadim a contract on graduation. Having seen his wonderful technique and talent (my description because I can’t remember Eagling’s exact adjectives- talented? brilliant?) he moved in quickly to offer Vadim a contract immediately, as First Artist, not Artist. With the numerous opportunities to perform lead roles or cover roles while performing with ENB in London and on tour, Vadim flourished. I do notice that his partnership with Daria Klimentova, herself an expressive artist and masterful (but not “show off” type) technician, and an experienced guest principal around the world, helped him develop as a confident performer and artist. I don’t know about BRB. But ENB was his first job. He also continued to do guest performances with Daria after she left ENB and after he joined RB. Maybe he was just in Russia on holiday to visit his parents and siblings?

 

While we’re on the topic of guesting, I’d love to see Cesar Morales in some guest performances in London. I don’t mind who- RB, ENB etc. Because of the numerous rail strikes, I missed too many of his performances! (Managed to catch him in the Forgotten Land triple bill, but that’s still not enough. 😊) 

[Emeralds]

5 hours ago, capybara said:

I was so sorry he left BRB.

If I were Carlos Acosta, I would have chained him to the Don Q scenery (where he was a terrific Espada) and never let him go!

Another one here sad to lose Alexander Yap! 😢 I agree he was a fantastic Espada and I’d enjoyed his other performances too. But the job offered at Hong Kong Ballet is a step up/promotion to Soloist with the opportunities and new repertoire that come with it, so perfectly understandable that he’d take it. Maybe fingers crossed 🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀 he might return to Britain later on when a first soloist or principal dancer position comes up somewhere here in due course.

Edited April 8, 2023 by Emeralds

[LinMM]

Thanks for that clarification Emeralds that Muntagirov was definitely not offered a contract when he left RBS 

I was never sure whether it was his choice or not in that he wasn’t ready to make that choice at the time if it was offered! 
On the other hand having already chosen to come all the way to UK to train at RBS Upper School it wouldn’t make sense to turn down any contract with RB or BRB which may have been offered. 
I saw that Eagling interview as well…so much for my memory lol! 

[capybara]

I appreciate that there are many and varied views on the subject of companies bringing in guests but, in this regard, Alexander Yap has posted a telling comment on his IG account:

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CtCM8rvAn3K/

 

[Incidentally, since Vadim Muntagirov's first post after graduating from the RBS has been discussed on this thread, this subject is covered in his book From Small Steps to Big Leaps which has just been published.]