|
|
|
| Current Issue |
|
|
| Resources |
|
|
|
The Bolshoi: Streamlined for Success
| Article
# : |
20522 |
|
|
Section : |
THE ARTS
|
| Issue
Date : |
11 / 1992 |
1,743 Words |
| Author
: |
Susan Tenaglia
Susan Tenaglia, currently based in New York City, is a dance
writer, critic, and historian. |
Every summer for the last thirty-five years a swarm of musicians, dancers, actors, and performers of all imaginable art forms has gathered in the tranquil Umbrian hill town of Spoleto, Italy, to participate in what is considered one of the most unique multiart events of the year: Gian Carlo Menotti's Festival of the Two Worlds.
For three weeks the narrow, winding streets of the medieval town explode with the sounds of opera, symphonies, chamber music, and concerts, while the Piazza del Duomo comes alive with the colorful sights of ballet and theater performed by companies from all continents. Gian Carlo Menotti--the founder and president of the festival as well as a composer, playwright, and artistic director in his own right--succeeds in weaving a certain kind of magic at Spoleto. Like an Italian Merlin, Menotti sits at the balcony of one of his Spoleto homes, overlooking the enchantment he has created by placing art in the midst of a medieval city.
An appropriate background for the two mesmerizing performances by the Bolshoi Ballet, or shall I say New Bolshoi Ballet--for the dancers that the company's artistic director, Yuri Grigorovich, chose to bring to Spoleto were not the 250 ballerinas from Moscow's traditional Bolshoi Ballet Company, but a smaller group consisting of 60 young professional dancers ranging in ages from nineteen to twenty-five. The Bolshoi Theater-Grigorovich Ballet, an offspring of the original company founded by Grigorovich two years ago in the favorable climate of perestroika, is fresh and energetic, and it is touring the world. This smaller company is still connected in many ways to its "alma mater" back in Moscow--it uses the same rehearsal space as the older company, its performances are held at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, and often dancers from the older troupe perform with the younger company if a particular ballet requires the presence of older dancers. Grigorovich has not renounced his position as the Bolshoi's director; rather, he oversees the artistic programs from both the older company and his new creation.
The main difference between the two companies consists in the autonomous position of the younger troupe: The Bolshoi Theater--Grigorovich Ballet is a private ballet company and receives no financial aid from the Russian government, something unimaginable two years ago. The company has two sponsors--the Moscow Bank and ICI, a private English company, and supports itself through its frequent tours. Often because of the economic difficulties plaguing Russia, the company finds itself struggling to make ends meet (at the press conference, Grigorovich would never relinquish his
...
Read Full Article
Look for this article in Ask.com
|
|
