The Avedon photos were a sensation at the time, and Nureyev's rule breaking disdain for norms and unbelievable sexual charisma were a big part of his persona; you bet he made people uncomfortable.
But actually--scene after scene from the dress rehearsal posted on instagram does not seem to feature this full frontal photo. Maybe it does play a key role in much or all of the ballet, we don't know really.....but that is also not the point. For that matter, maybe the ballet is a piece of crap. Also not the point.
The point? If 400,000 dollars was really spent on rights to the Avedon photo, am I supposed to believe that only a few days before the premier was the first time anyone in the Bolshoi administration noticed it or undersood its importance to the ballet? That beggars belief. …show more content…
They scheduled the ballet knowing it was a rush and then let it develop to within DAYS of the premier. Then they postpone it (after a long conversation with the minister of culture no less) -- it's either unfortunate politics or unfortunate incompetence or a mix of both.
I would probably feel differently if the creative team had quickly stepped forward and said 'Thank you Bolshoi for this courageous decision. We really did need more time. People will see in May.' (Although with Serebrennikov's potential legal problems and those of the Gogol center I might always have been a little suspicious. And now anything the creators say will come after a long delay.)
New ballets by serious artists are sometimes risky and often don't work. I can believe that a potentially scandalous ballet had the Bolshoi worried. But they made their bed and then refused to lie in it. The anguish of the dancers who have posted in social media suggests no clear consensus concerning the work's unreadiness
But actually--scene after scene from the dress rehearsal posted on instagram does not seem to feature this full frontal photo. Maybe it does play a key role in much or all of the ballet, we don't know really.....but that is also not the point. For that matter, maybe the ballet is a piece of crap. Also not the point.
The point? If 400,000 dollars was really spent on rights to the Avedon photo, am I supposed to believe that only a few days before the premier was the first time anyone in the Bolshoi administration noticed it or undersood its importance to the ballet? That beggars belief. …show more content…
They scheduled the ballet knowing it was a rush and then let it develop to within DAYS of the premier. Then they postpone it (after a long conversation with the minister of culture no less) -- it's either unfortunate politics or unfortunate incompetence or a mix of both.
I would probably feel differently if the creative team had quickly stepped forward and said 'Thank you Bolshoi for this courageous decision. We really did need more time. People will see in May.' (Although with Serebrennikov's potential legal problems and those of the Gogol center I might always have been a little suspicious. And now anything the creators say will come after a long delay.)
New ballets by serious artists are sometimes risky and often don't work. I can believe that a potentially scandalous ballet had the Bolshoi worried. But they made their bed and then refused to lie in it. The anguish of the dancers who have posted in social media suggests no clear consensus concerning the work's unreadiness