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Oleg Vinogradov: The Man behind the Kirov
| Article
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20019 |
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Section : |
THE ARTS
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| Issue
Date : |
12 / 1992 |
1,844 Words |
| Author
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Maya Wallach
Maya Wallach is a dance writer, critic, and photographer
currently based in Los Angeles |
Oleg Vinogradov, the 53-year-old artistic director of St. Petersburg's Kirov Ballet, was easy to sport--all in white, except for the blue stripes on his shirt and the gold chains on his shiny white loafers--but hard to catch. A tense, contained man--he reminded me of Baryshnikov--he prowled backstage at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium like a restless wolf, alert for any sign of trouble. Silent and unsmiling, he was most animated during rehearsals, jumping out of his chair every twenty seconds to exaggerate each wrong gesture. The moment rehearsal was over, he detoured to examine a set model for a future production, and then he was off prowling the wings again.
It took three press agents and days of patience to lure him into his dressing room during an intermission in Swan Lake for the following interview on May 30, 1992. But even with him sitting across from me, he was only half there. He sat on the edge of his chair, eager to escape back the stage. His answers were even more elusive, hinting rather than stating, leaving much between the lines.
Maya Wallach: Can you tell me how the company is changing in light of Russia's current political changes?
Oleg Vinogradov: The company is changing very quickly--it is impossible not to. Everything is changing in the world, and who decided the Kirov shouldn't change? Many people back at home didn't want our company to change, and several years ago it was impossible to change, really. We were ready for change in the company for a long time. And as soon as it really became possible, we changed.
But we did not lose what is very valuable to us. Not only for us, but for the general culture of the world. Because the repertory of our company is very rare. You would not see it in any other company of the world, the choice of productions.
We are changing while keeping together the repertoire which is important for us, which is the best.
Wallach: This company has repertory that is unlike any other company's, but you don't bring that repertory here?
Vinogradov: Of course not, because our repertoire is very large. We have more than thirty productions on the roster, and every year something is added to the repertoire. That's why each year we bring something
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