Vladimir Urin (left) and Makhar Vaziev (right) in the Bolshoi studios. Photo by Damir Yusupov, courtesy Bolshoi. Earlier this year, the Bolshoi Ballet saw yet another regime change: Makhar Vaziev, the former La Scala and Mariinsky artistic director, took over Sergei Filin’s job. Not many insiders were surprised when Filin got pushed out, since he […]

In two weeks, Sergei Filin’s contract as artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet will expire, and Makhar Vaziev will take over. When Bolshoi theater director Vladimir Urin announced last July that Filin’s contract would not be renewed, few were surprised—the two men have a long history of feuding, and Filin’s reign at the Bolshoi has not […]

Makhar Vaziev takes leadership at the ballet. Vaziev hopes to modernize the Bolshoi’s conservative repertoire. Photo by Damir Yusupov, Courtesy Lincoln Center. Another director has entered into the Bolshoi Ballet’s tangled politics. Two and a half years after the acid attack on its artistic director Sergei Filin, the Russian company decided to eliminate his position […]

What do Americans get out of training at Bolshoi Ballet Academy? Waiting in the wings during rehearsal for an end-of-term BBA performance. Photo by James Hill/Contact Press Images Moscow is at least eight times zones away from any city in the contiguous United States. The Russian language has a different alphabet. The floors are raked. […]

Leriche in Kyle Abraham’s Counterpoint. Photo by Todd Rosenberg, Courtesy HSDC. Emilie Leriche Both delicate and strong, Emilie Leriche can move with the softness of a cool puff of air or strike a pose worthy of the mythic huntress Diana. She crystallizes moments in time with the magic of a born performer. And she’s whip-smart—as […]