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VADIM MUNTAGIROV AUTOBIOGRAPHY

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capybara

capybara

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53 minutes ago, oncnp said:

 

Me as well. Shipping to the US costs as much as the book itself and with the pound at a new high $65+ is a bit more than I want to spend for a book. Hoping for a Kindle edition. 


amazon.com?

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Guest oncnp

Guest oncnp

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7 minutes ago, capybara said:


amazon.com?

He'll have retired by the time they get it 😀

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Guest oncnp

Guest oncnp

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50 minutes ago, Sim said:

Think I will have to wait for the paperback version!  😫

I'll send you mine after I finish it.....

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Guest oncnp

Guest oncnp

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47 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:


I’ve known this before - if they think it is too niche they don’t stock.  

 

Niche and self-published so I don't blame them

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Balletfanp

Balletfanp

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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.

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Guest oncnp

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6 minutes ago, Balletfanp said:

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.

Thanks for the review. Interesting he mentions the trolls, who were very nasty indeed. 

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Jan McNulty

Jan McNulty

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43 minutes ago, Balletfanp said:

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

 

Done.  

 

When I do the links, I copy from a document and I always have to regularise the font before I post - we use Arial 14pt.

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Balletfanp

Balletfanp

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41 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

Done.  

 

When I do the links, I copy from a document and I always have to regularise the font before I post - we use Arial 14pt.


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

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Emeralds

Emeralds

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Saw many copies of the book at the ROH shop when we attended Sleeping Beauty but didn’t have the space to carry it home on the train- wanted to get a DVD, a programme and the June issue of Dance Europe as it had interviews with Brandon Lawrence, Aaron S Watkin, David Hallberg, etc etc and reviews of Laura Morera’s Cinderella (with lovely picture of her in Act 1 costume with broom) and BRB2, and worried these might not be available on my next visit (pity about the Dance Europe cover - Anna Rose O’Sullivan is beautiful and her grand jete glorious, but the Spring Act 1 costume from Cinderella looks hideous in close up: a yellow exercise leotard with a skirt and wings of clashing material attached to it in a tacky and haphazard design, looking like a student project where they have to turn a yellow PE leotard into a costume with a £10 budget limit!)

 

Vadim’s book has a far nicer costume on the cover (of course) and a quick glance inside looks like it’s a fascinating read, with lots of interesting anecdotes, facts and insights that students of dance or performing arts - or those interested in the preparations for performances and competition - might find useful and riveting. I might buy it when we’re next at ROH if our local bookshop isn’t ordering it in. PS the shop is doing discounts on some ballet and opera DVDs and CDs - some are more than 50% off! Worth a look. 

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LBC

LBC

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The interview and book-signing with Vadim hosted by the London Ballet Circle is on Tuesday 13 June at 7.30pm

 

Members attending the event can purchase the book at a discount (£25) and queue to have it signed by Vadim.  Lucky members!  There are some tickets remaining at the time of writing.  
 

Non-members may join the zoom link.
 

(Unfortunately it is not possible for us to offer a book purchasing or signing facility and postage service to those not attending in person.)

 

Further info and booking links here

https://www.tlbc.org.uk/events/vadim-muntagirov-book-event

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Sophoife

Sophoife

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Incidentally, am I the only person not to know there's a 5 year old mare racing in the UK called Vadream? She's entered for some prestigious races at Royal Ascot later in June, coming off a decent win at Newmarket.

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Guest oncnp

Guest oncnp

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3 minutes ago, Sophoife said:

Incidentally, am I the only person not to know there's a 5 year old mare racing in the UK called Vadream? She's entered for some prestigious races at Royal Ascot later in June, coming off a decent win at Newmarket.

 

There was a thread on it titled "Horse" if I remember correctly but the site won't let me search at the moment. And one of the Forum members has a prize-winning show dog with same name 

 

Here it is 

 

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Silver Capricorn

Silver Capricorn

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36 minutes ago, oncnp said:

 

There was a thread on it titled "Horse" if I remember correctly but the site won't let me search at the moment. And one of the Forum members has a prize-winning show dog with same name 

 

Here it is 

 

It's me, the one with the dog 😄. But his petname is Vadim, not Vadream.  I also learned about the horse from a book.

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Guest oncnp

Guest oncnp

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Just now, Silver Capricorn said:

It's me, the one with the dog 😄. But his petname is Vadim, not Vadream.  I also learned about the horse from a book.

 

 

 

oops. Sorry!

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Balletfanp

Balletfanp

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I’m not sure Danceworks intend this as a ‘public’ event - I think it’s aimed at their students, specifically the ones in the class he is doing immediately before. I don’t think they’ll be expecting people to just turn up!

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Guest oncnp

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34 minutes ago, Balletfanp said:

I’m not sure Danceworks intend this as a ‘public’ event - I think it’s aimed at their students, specifically the ones in the class he is doing immediately before. I don’t think they’ll be expecting people to just turn up!

I wouldn't have thought they would put it on IG were it not intended to be public but that's a good point. I've asked them. 

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Guest oncnp

Guest oncnp

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5 hours ago, Balletfanp said:

I’m not sure Danceworks intend this as a ‘public’ event - I think it’s aimed at their students, specifically the ones in the class he is doing immediately before. I don’t think they’ll be expecting people to just turn up!

Have heard back from Danceworks and it is a public event. If you bring a previously purchased book, however, you go to the end of the queue

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