The Mikhailovsky Theatre Ballet Company is coming to the London Coliseum at the end of March with a programme that includes Giselle, Don Quixote, Laurencia (described as a production from the ‘golden age’ of Soviet ballet) and a selection of pieces by their artistic director, Nacho Duato.
The Mikhailovsky used be a bit of a poor relation among the Russian ballet companies, coming a poor third behind the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky. But that all changed when millionaire fruit tycoon Vladimir Kekhman, who once described himself as ‘the banana emperor of Russia’, became General Director six years ago.
He used his millions to lure top artists away from other companies, causing a sensation in the ballet world when he snared young superstars Ivan Vasiliev and Natalia Osipova. London saw the couple perform with the Bolshoi at the Royal Opera House in 2010, when people fought to get tickets for Vasiliev’s muscular (in both the literal and figurative sense) Spartacus, and Osipova’s haunting Giselle. The pair, partners both on and off the stage, dazzled with their pyrotechnics in Don Quixote. We couldn’t wait to welcome them back but never expected it would be as stars of the Mikhailovsky.
This irresistible couple will be appearing in Giselle on 26 March in a staging by Nikita Dolgushin. On 30 and 31 March (eve) they will reprise their roles as Kitri and Basilio in Don Quixote, and on 2 and 3 April they’ll appear in Laurencia.
The Mikhailovsky is bringing some other stars too, notably Leonid Sarafanov, poached from the Mariinsky, and guest principal dancer Polina Semionova. They will be dancing together in Duato’s two-act ballet Multiplicity. Forms of Silence and Emptiness, which was created in 1999 in Weimar as part of the city’s programme as Cultural Capital of Europe. It is inspired by the life and work of Johann Sebastian Bach and interprets his music through the medium of contemporary dance.
The company are also bringing over their own orchestra.
It’s not clear how long the Mikhailovsky’s good fortune can continue. Kekhman was declared bankrupt in the British Courts in December 2012 though he says the Ballet Company will be unaffected. All the same, I’d take this chance to see them while you can.
Tickets are on sale now on the ENO website. The season runs from 26 March to 7 April.
About Fran Pickering
