I was fortunate enough to see Maris Liepa dance his most iconic role, Crassus, in “Spartacus”, at the Coliseum; very theatre where this gala took place. It was the early ‘70s and one had to run the gauntlet of Soviet Weekly sellers and pro-Israeli demonstrators even to get into the (…)
“You’ll never confuse him with another dancer. He’s a dancer of great individuality – always clean, elegant … noble.” Marina Semyonova (the first Soviet trained Prima Ballerina, Bolshoi Ballet, on the late Maris Liepa) Following the sensational success of the Diaghilev Festival in 2011, Saison Russes de XXIe Siècle presents (…)
From the boisterous Crassus in Spartacus to the sensual prince from The Swan Lake, and cheerful Basilio in Don Quixote – these are just a few of the many characters brought to life by one of the USSR’s most talented ballet artists, and in which he was fondly remembered by (…)
Ballet galas might be the dream of every spectacle-craving balletomane, but they can easily become a nightmarishly boring series of ‘party pieces’ if they are not properly organised. Luckily, this is not the case when a company such as Ensemble Production takes over, as demonstrated by a number of recent (…)
I must be forgiven for reminding you that “Gala” has been translated in an Italian dictionary as “a frill or tucker”. So I report that Sunday night’s gala at the Coliseum, in memory of the fine Bolshoi dancer Maris Liepa and in aid of the Raisa Gorbachev Foundation, which funds (…)
