“It was difficult for the choreographers to find a common language with the artists of the Bolshoi”

On the New Stage of the Bolshoi Theater, the production company MuzArts will present the premiere of the Labyrinth project tomorrow. In addition to the ballet The Minotaur to the music of Max Richter staged by Patrick de Bahn, the program will include performances by contemporary authors: Olga Labovkina staged The Shining by Ilya Dyagel, Anna Shchekleina staged Nerve by Vasily Peshkov. Tatyana Kuznetsova asked the producer Yuri Baranov about the peculiarities of working at the Bolshoi Theatre, about relations with Western choreographers and the prospects of touring in modern conditions.

– Your previous projects, Postscript and Postscript II, consisted of already recognized performances by Western authors. Putting in a new one is like buying a pig in a poke. And in the “Labyrinth” you have three new items. Is it forced? Because of the current situation?

— This Postscript was forced. We did it after the pandemic and understood that we would not have time to create anything new: there was not enough rehearsal time. And we decided to produce ready-made performances with one world premiere in the program.

– “Who are “we?

– Okay, me. But I always consult with colleagues. We have already released five projects – both original and mixed. And now I still took the risk of making three new ballets.

— Two of your choreographers, Olga Labovkina from Minsk and Anna Shchekleina from Chelyabinsk, have never worked with “classic” artists before. Why did you choose them?

— I was advised by Nastya Yatsenko (curator of the competition of contemporary choreographers of the festival Context.— “b”). She sent me videos, I watched them, then talked to the choreographers. I chose Olya and Anya because there is drama in their productions, there are relationships. The storyline may not always be written, but it is emotionally readable. It is important for me that the performance has an inner story that the artists can tell through plasticity.

— You could not engage foreigners now or make a Russian project — a fundamental decision?

– You know what the international situation is. Previously, we have always relied on international projects. But now Western choreographers are afraid to cooperate with us. They want it themselves, but public opinion in the West is sharply against it. Choreographers say: “If they find out that we are working with you, we will have big problems.” They say they are looking forward to when the situation changes and they can continue our cooperation. Of course, everyone has a different opinion: someone is aggressive, someone understands everything …

And who is loyal? How many?

— Three. Names, of course, I do not want to name. For me, the period has come when I want to experiment, and not to stagnate. In general, I decided: it’s time to enter the discomfort zone.

Did the choreographers you chose live up to your expectations?

Let’s see November 15th. Of course, I saw the rehearsals and I really like their vision and approach. Honestly, it was difficult for Anya and Olya to find a common language with the artists of the Bolshoi. Firstly, the status – all soloists, premieres. Secondly, different specifics, different manner and approach to work.

– What is the difference?

Well, the choreographers asked the artists to improvise in order to understand what their bodies are capable of. And our people are used to being given tasks: you tell us what to do, we will do it. At the casting, the choreographers turned on the music and said: do something. Artists look at me in a slight stupor. Well, somehow we figured it out: the choreographers showed combinations, the artists began to repeat them.

– Do choreographers use the classical skills of artists or, on the contrary, struggle with them?

– They use it, there are even pirouettes, fouettes. The girls make a synchro, then from this synchro they go out to a hard contemporary … Shchekleina generally dances on her fingers. Given her creepy, squat style, I specifically chose two tall girls. Alena Kovaleva and Vika Brileva have very long leverage (arms and legs.— “b”), it’s so hard for them in this choreography, but this heaviness is just needed and justified.

— Do you have several compositions?

– We were able to prepare two squads only for the Minotaur. The theater has a very busy repertory schedule. And although the leadership in everything goes towards us, we rehearse only early in the morning or late in the evening: the whole day both the halls are busy and the artists. We have seven people in each performance, but two or three people come to staged rehearsals – those who are free. Of course, the choreographers were shocked: “What is it, it’s impossible to work like that!” I say: everyone worked like that. And they seem to have reconciled.

– It’s always like this at the Bolshoi, even at the theater’s own productions. Will you have decorations?

— Olya Labovkina suggested inflatable decorations for Aerodinamika. We will have an object seven meters high – it turned out spectacularly. And it’s easy to travel. And in Nerva, Anya Shchekleina has set designer and costume designer Galya Solodovnikova. There we did everything on projection screens, on grids and on suspended structures.

– So, only Dashi Namdakov put a real tree on the stage for you. More specifically, a sculpture. By the way, how did Namdakov get into ballet?

– Thanks to Igor Chapurin, he is a costume designer at Minotaur. Igor showed me a photo of Dasha’s head of the Minotaur, and told him about our project. I came to his workshop, Dashi was very busy and offered to adapt the finished work for the stage – this head. But I wanted exclusive. I sent him music, videos from rehearsals, he was inspired and immediately began to offer different options. As a result, the art object, personifying the bull, the father of the Minotaur, turned out to be in full growth: Karelian pine is burnt, painted with red paint, and on top are huge six-meter silver horns.

– “Minotaur” is staged by a foreigner – Patrick de Bana. Is he not afraid of ostracism or does he not work in the West?

– Why not? He just released a premiere at La Scala. He just has his own point of view: he does not see world ballet without Russian, he staged a lot here, he loves our artists very much and was extremely happy that he again had the opportunity to return to Russia. Agreed immediately.

– Your favorite will dance the Minotaur – Ildar Gainutdinov, Faun from the previous project? Winner of TV contests, a nugget without a classical education?

– In the first composition we have the Minotaur – the Prime Minister of the Bolshoi Denis Savin. Ildar in the second composition. You know, he’s special. And we are doing ballet not according to myth, but according to Cortazar, based on his play “The Kings”. There, the Minotaur is also not like everyone else. He lives in his own world, which can be called a labyrinth. His mother understands that the outside world does not accept him, she suffers, but this makes her love her son even more. And Ariadne is trying to get the Minotaur out of his labyrinth. This is such a dramatic story.

— How many seasons does it take for the project to pay off?

– Two years. But this is with a good deal. Our longest-running project turned out to be the first project “Amore” with Svetlana Zakharova, we traveled all over the world with him for three years. They still want to see him. And Chanel too.

– At the Bolshoi Theater, you and Svetlana Zakharova also staged an international gala in favor of the Kyiv Choreographic School. Did you both study there?

Yes, we studied in the 1990s. And the gala was held in 2016, and even then there were difficulties. The idea for the concert came when Sveta and Sergei Polunin danced Giselle at the National Opera of Ukraine at my invitation. Back in 2014. They then visited the Kiev school and saw that nothing had changed there since the 1990s: wooden floors in the halls, huge windows do not open and close, hot in summer, cold in winter – the water on the floor freezes. Svetlana offered to gather Kyiv graduates – they are scattered all over the world – and make a charity concert in Kyiv to renovate the school. But then the Orange Revolution happened. And I had an idea to hold this concert at the Bolshoi Theatre. Vladimir Georgievich (Urin.— “b”) immediately supported us. The guys responded, a lot of people came – Nina Zmievets, Ryabko from Hamburg, Yana Salenko from Berlin, Alina Cojocaru, Ivan Putrov from London, with him Natasha Osipova, Lenya Sarafanov from Mikhailovsky, Artem Ovcharenko, Dino Tamazlakaru. They danced for minimal fees, many of them for free. They collected money, but the director of the school refused them at the direction of the Kyiv authorities.

– Well, where do you put them?

“Perhaps we can tell now. Brought to Kyiv in cash. They hired a team and made repairs: they replaced the windows, covered the floors with linoleum, made new toilets. Spent it through the parent committee of the school.

– In the “Labyrinth” you have soloists, even the premieres of the Bolshoi Theater. How can you roll it? Recently, a two-day march of the Bolshoi premiers to a concert in Tashkent caused a big scandal.

– You just need to coordinate the tour with the theater management in advance. If there is no damage to the repertoire, Mahar Khasanovich (Vaziev.— “b”) always goes forward and lets everyone go.

– What tours can you expect now?

– I think Russia, the East. Hong Kong, Singapore, United Arab Emirates. We are already starting negotiations with Hong Kong.

– Theater directors and producers complain that it has become difficult with the public – the audience is getting poorer, there is no former demand. Are you having problems with this too?

– In the Bolshoi, the most expensive tickets were sold out – 20 thousand each. And the cheapest. The middle segment – 8-10 thousand – sags, but sales are still going on.