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Around The World Ballet at the Mikhailovsky
Ballet at the Mikhailovsky
The inaugural Grand Prix Mikhailovsky Theatre
Gala Concert, on October 24th, 2009, was the
culmination of a week of auditions.
By: Mary Gostelow
Mikhailovsky Theatre, on Arts Square, is only five minutes’ walk
from Grand Hotel Europe. The theater was built in 1833 for
Tsar Nicholas I. It was incredibly run down until, in 2007,
Vladimir Kekhman was appointed General Director.
Kekhman is a colorful character who is Chairman and CEO of food
importer Joint Fruit Company (usually simply called JFC) – he is
sometimes known as Mr Banana, and apparently 25% of bananas
imported to St Petersburg come from Russian-owned plantations in
Costa Rica or Ecuador. Anyway, he donated the equivalent of $12
million for the renovation of the theater, which is horseshoe shaped,
with boxes soaring up through five tiers to a painted ceiling that is,
somewhat surprisingly, divided into seven parterres.
I was told what a pity it was to have missed earlier presentations during
the competition stages. Tonight, all had been chosen. First, we had the
prize-giving. Six young women, all with legs that seemed five feet high,
atop high-high stilettos, and all as sleek as gazelles, and one young man
(what can one say? He looked like a 15-year old teenager, in non-fitting
baggy jeans, a slouching t-shirt and trainers), these were the winners.
All received big bouquets from flunkies in white wigs and orange 18th
century formal attire, with white stockings. The best prize of all was
handed over by Thomas Noll, with his Russian wife Tanya, in a sleek Jill
Sander number, translating. As it happened his winner was fortunately
the avant-garde dancer, a woman who was more yoga-contortionist
than standing on your toes.
Next came a concert of competitors. All competitors combined for a
stunning palest-pink and palest-gray Nutcracker Suite. Then came solos
by the prize winners, and above-mentioned teenager, now transformed
in peppermint tights, was truly a whizz at leaping in the air and twirling
around. After this we all needed a break, and the Russians who packed
every seat of the Mikhailovsky Theatre stood in line for drinks service.
We were ushered aside, by Vladimir Kechman personally, into a room
about ten by ten feet square but 20 ft high, instantly memorable for its
cigarette aroma. We asked for water, got champagne, but I met the
owner of Russia’s most important health club business.
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The second half of the concert did, one could – and did – admit was just
a little too long. There were 11 acts, all for two people. Performers
came, I order, from the Moscow Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko
Music Theatre, the Mikhailovsky Ballet, the Bolshoi Ballet, The English
National ballet at the Royal Ballet Covent Garden, Opéra National de
Paris, the Mikhailovsky Ballet the Bolshoi, the Mikhailovsky Ballet and,
the finale, the breath-taking finale, from the Bolshoi. The audience
went wild for this last number, Pas De Deux from Le Corsaire,
choreographed by Marius Petipa, with Ivan Vassiliev – bare-topped,
palest pink-purple pyjama bottoms – and Natalia Osipova, in floating
pale peppermint, twirling and lifting, effortless apparently. This is the
greatest partnership in the world at the moment. Ivan Vassiliev, born in
Vladivostok, was trained first by the Belarussian State Choreographic
College and then the National Academic Bolshoi Ballet Theatre of
Belarus. Moscow-born Natalia Osipova originally planned to be a gymnast
but a back ailment side-tracked her to ballet, and she was trained by the
Moscow Choreographic Academy.
Oh yes, the audience. Who were they? Family members, also groups of
ardent early-teen school girls, society names, the local represent of the
President of Russia, the head of Vogue Russia, VIPs as well as genuine
enthusiasts. Afterwards, the elected few went onstage to meet the
dancers, and then apparently there was a cocktail but, still being on
Hong Kong time, I walked back to my lovely room, sorry suite, at Grand
Hotel Europe.
Grand Hotel Europe, St. Petersburg, Russia
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