Word: bolshoi
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...that he is arbitrary and dictatorial, plays too many favorites and tampers heavyhandedly with the traditional repertory, while stifling new choreography by reserving the major assignments for himself. Prima Ballerina Maya Plisetskaya, now 54 and a revered figure in the U.S.S.R., has become leader of a rebellious faction of Bolshoi veterans, including Maris Liepa and Mikhail Lavrovsky. Many younger dancers, not outspoken, are nevertheless known to feel that Grigorovich denies them opportunities if they fail to catch his capricious favor...
...some of Grigorovich's problems appear to be backstage ego jostling, many others involve fundamental questions of policy. A former character dancer, he came to the Bolshoi in 1964 from its great rival, the Kirov, bringing successful new works with him. Then as now, the Kirov exemplified the ideal of a pure, classical style. The Bolshoi, by contrast, championed a more soulfully Slavic style, often bold and gaudy. Grigorovich seemed to offer the hope of synthesizing the best of both companies. In 1968 he created a hit, Spartacus, with its surging mass movements, virile male roles and a long...
Grigorovich had a lot riding on last year's U.S. tour. A smashing success could have reconfirmed the Bolshoi's stature, boosted morale and quieted the critics. His dancers certainly won their share of bravos: his wife Natalya Bessmertnova, Godunov before his departure, and the young ballerina Lyudmila Semenyaka. In particular, audiences took to their hearts the husband-wife team of Vyacheslav Gordeyev and Nadezhda Pavlova. But Grigorovich's choreography only came in for more lumps. Then there were the defections. Grigorovich returned to Moscow more embattled than ever. He is well connected in the bureaucracy...
...Bolshoi's ten-month season, which normally finishes in June, is being extended through Aug. 3 this year to accommodate Olympics visitors. To the international audiences that will soon flock to the Bolshoi Theater, the company may still seem to be a marvel of Moscow, an institution that glories in lavish productions and virtuoso dancing. But to dance buffs, the current season has been lackluster, relying heavily on stock repertory and a dwindling pool of leading dancers. The most eagerly anticipated new production, Plisetskaya's The Sea Gull, which she performed to music composed by her husband, Rodion...
Particularly with Godunov gone, there is a shortage of up-and-coming stars. Hence all eyes are on Gordeyev and his wife Pavlova -"Slava" and "Nadya," as they are affectionately known-the young comets of the company. Gordeyev, 32, a Muscovite and a product of the Bolshoi's school, has been dancing with the company since 1969. Pavlova, 23, is an example of the Bolshoi's growing need to reach out to regional companies for new soloists. A former co-winner of the U.S.S.R.'s national dance competition, she was recruited in 1975 from the ballet company...