The Bolshoi's claim to fame is associated with the 20th century when Moscow once again became the capital of Russia. In 3 sessions, we will showcase two greatest dancers whose destinies were shaped by their unmatched talent, resistance to power and courage: the principal dancer of the Bolshoi Nicholas Tzeskaridze of the Post-Soviet era, now the director of Vaganova Dance Academy in St. Petersburg, and the prima ballerina assoluta Maya Plisetskaya, of the Soviet era.
We will examine the origins of the Russian classical ballet and it's influence on ballet around the world and see how these traditions are upheld in vigorous training that young talents have to undergo in order to be accepted to the Bolshoi. We'll have a chance to watch and discuss some famous ballets like Carmen, Queen of Spades, Spartacus and others. Excerpts from these ballets can be watched together on Zoom, while the links to the whole productions will be available for home viewing.
Week 1
The origins and the principles of the Romantic Ballet genre. Diagelev's Ballets Russes seasons in Paris. The survival of the Russian classical ballet after the Revolution and the shift from St. Petersburg to Moscow. Lenin, Stalin and Putin's direct influence on the Bolshoi and the lives of its artists. Viewing a film how the classical dancers are trained in order to be accepted in the Bolshoi.
Week 2
The Principal Dancer Nikolay Tsiskaridze: his extraordinary life and career as a ballet superstar; a teacher and director of the academy; an intellectual with a profound knowledge of ballet, opera, drama, literature, and visual arts; a tireless educator and promoter of arts; an outspoken critic of post-Soviet corruption in arts. Viewing his performances in Giselle; Queen of Spades, Sleeping Beauty, Notre-Dame de Paris, Bright Spring and other famous ballets. Discussion of the film about training male Bolshoi Ballet Dancers.
Week 3
Maya Plisetskaya - Prima Ballerina Asoluta. Her extraordinary courage both in art and life.
Her groundbreaking performances in Dying Swan, Swan Lake, Carman, Spartacus and other productions. Bolshoi today: new times and new challenges.
Note: If you don't have access to the Zoom application on a computer, tablet or smart phone, Zoom presentations are also available by dialing in using a landline or cellphone. On the day and time of the course, call 778-907-2071 (within Metro Vancouver) and enter the Meeting ID and Passcode that were given after registering for the course. If you live outside of metro Vancouver, please look up the local phone number for your location at https://zoom.us/u/akJIpJnoy (The calls are muted when you join the meeting, to unmute yourself, please press *6 (as per instructions on the phone).