London Ballet Circle
Gennadi Yanin
First Soloist and Assistant Ballet Artistic Director
Bolshoi Ballet
Friday 6 August 2010
Allison Potts, Chairman of the London Ballet Circle, welcomed guest speaker Gennadi
Yanin and introduced LBC member Lucile Powell who had kindly agreed to act as
interpreter for this interview which was given in Russian.
Gennadi was born in Serpukhov in the Moscow region. Allison asked how he had come to
study at the Moscow Choreographic School.
GY: I knew nothing about ballet at age ten. It was really my parents who decided that there
was prestige in studying at the ballet school and sent me there and they were proved right as I did
well at the school and later in my ballet career.
AP:
Can you tell us about the curriculum of the Moscow Choreographic School?
GY: There was general education plus different additional subjects such as choreography,
foreign languages (French for instance) and musical education. All pupils started together with
the same programme, studying general education, dance, music, drama and then, according to
their particular gifts, they specialised in one of the branches: music, opera, ballet or drama. This
is how that sort of education is done in Russia and it seems to give pretty good results.
AP:
Where was your first job?
GY: It was at the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Music Theatre in Moscow in 1986
- where I worked for nine years. Some of you may know that company because it came to
London on tour quite recently. I had excellent directors and teachers during my working
experience there.
AP:
You also worked at the Kremlin Ballet.
GY:
Yes, but not regularly - only for a few ballets because my wife was working there.
AP:
How were you invited to join the Bolshoi?
GY: In 1995 there was assort of ‘palace coup’ and Yuri Grigorovich left and Vladimir
Vasiliev came (and yes it is the same name as Ivan Vasiliev but they are not related). I asked
Vladimir Vasiliev if I could come and have a look around.
AP:
Did you audition?
GY: Yes and I was very scared. It is a big obstacle to overcome when you join the Bolshoi – a
very difficult transition. The intrigues are awful. People were envious and unpleasant to me as I
came into the company as a Soloist so my first year was very hard.
AP: When you auditioned for the company, was it only for the director or some
principals too – a commission?
GY: Now, I have changed the way auditions are organised – now more than one person
decides – a commission decides.
AP:
Do you remember your first role at the Bolshoi?
GY: I was dancing the Jester in The Legend of Love and I was very scared. I felt that my
methods were completely different and that I did not fit in at all and I would have to re-learn
everything. My second ballet was a pas de deux in Giselle and when I prepared a pause for a
variation someone made a loud noise (theatrically clearing their throat) and, of course,
everybody laughed and I felt very ill at ease. I still remember who did it.
AP:
Tell us which roles you enjoyed most at the beginning of your career.
GY: This is an interesting question as I have now had a long career for a ballet dancer. I am
42 and from the age of 35-37 it’s all downhill; at 38 you seriously think of retiring from dancing.
Until I was 35 the Jester in Swan Lake and the pas de deux in Giselle were roles I liked because
of the technical complications, the pirouettes and jumping.
Then Alexander Grant came to introduce us to La Fille Mal Gardee and I enjoyed the character
roles of Simone and Alain because you do not have to jump high and you can dance for your
own enjoyment and still get much applause – I thought that was wonderful. During my
childhood they were the roles I dreamt about. I also love the part of the bad fairy Carabosse in
The Sleeping Beauty. But I love playing the mother in La Fille Mal Gardee.
AP:
Alexander Grant was our previous guest speaker.
GY: Working with him was quite demanding - you have to be very precise. La Fille Mal
Gardee is a delightful ballet. I particularly like Russian ballet but I learned to love this British
ballet.
AP:
What British choreographers do you like?
GY: Ashton and MacMillan, of course – they are the two names you have seriously to think
about.
AP:
What works were created on you?
GY: I danced in all the first productions of Vladimir Vasiliev – Swan Lake, Giselle and the La
Traviata ballet and Vasiliev’s production of Cinderella at the Kremlin Ballet where I danced the
Stepmother. Then also I danced in all the ballets of Alexey Ratmansky. I won the Golden Mask
Award for my part as the accordion player in The Bright Stream. This was the peak of my
career. I used to love acting the Jester, then the Stepmother and now all these character parts are
what I enjoy most.
AP:
How difficult is it to combine your work as a company manager and as a dancer?
GY: I find my rest when I go on stage. All day long I have problems to solve and so many
tasks I have to do. When the moment comes to go on stage, I feel I can relax at last.
AP:
Do you still do class?
GY:
it.
I don’t really have to but I do it for pleasure. No-one is going to tell me off if I don’t do
AP:
Have you thought of teaching?
I have thought about it but I cannot do everything: management, acting and the joy of dancing on
stage. I have to give up something and for the time being it is teaching.
AP: Can you explain your tasks as a manager? What are the problems you have to
solve? For example, are you involved in casting?
GY: I cast all the roles except the principals; these I leave to the artistic director but I do all
the others. I deal with discipline, I keep records of who is present and not, who has rehearsed,
costumes, etc.
AP: In such a large company of dancers, perhaps there are a number who do not get to
dance very much?
GY: Yes, many are not on stage. Some are very old now; others say that their legs hurt; others
have headaches while others are pregnant or have got their periods. For these three days a month
the women are entitled not to work.
AP: Who decides the programmes when you go on tour? For example, who decided the
programme that would be shown in London?
GY: I do take part but it is not only me. The Hochhausers have taken part in the
programming. Lilian knows what the public in Britain likes plus Yuri Burlaka and Anatoly
Iksanov. It was Lilian Hochhauser who felt that Giselle was always played with something else,
mostly Serenade.
AP:
How do you find the London audiences? Did you think they had changed?
GY: No, I think since 1956 and 1959 when the Bolshoi first came to London, the public must
always have remained so good. In Paris too but in London the public shows more its
appreciation and they do nothing if they do not like it.
AP:
What work does the Bolshoi company like doing most?
GY: For over 200 years the Bolshoi Ballet was the best in the world at dancing classical
ballets so that is what they prefer.
There are not so many modern choreographers in Russia. There are instead reconstructions of
old classical ballets. For instance Le Corsaire was given a new staging.
AP: In the UK there is a charity (The Dancers’ Career Development Fund) which helps
dancers to retrain for another career after they retire from the stage. Is there something
similar in Russia?
GY: In Russia there is very little money available for that purpose. It is a great problem for an
artist to prepare to retire. An artist is supposed to be eligible for a pension after 20 years in the
company but pensions are very low. If invited to retire, dancers will say ‘Already? I am not
prepared.’ It is understandable as they all have families and children. The question is what to do
afterwards?
AP:
While they are still dancing, are Russian dancers well paid?
GY: Fairly well, although nowadays there is a recession. We’ve noticed its impact on First
Nights - there used to be a big banquet now there is only a little Russian champagne on stage.
AP:
Are any ballet companies closing due to lack of funds?
GY: No, they go on as there is no other choice for the dancers. Sometimes they even dance
for free to keep it going.
AP: Touring a ballet company is expensive. When the Bolshoi comes to London is it
doing it for prestige or does it allow the company to make money?
GY: There seems to be five cities in the world where a ballet company must appear for
prestige: Paris, London, Moscow, New York and Tokyo. I am not a financial expert but artists
are paid on tour as they are in Russia but they earn more because there are more performances.
AP:
Do you take your new dancers from the Moscow Choreographic School?
GY:
Yes, but not only from there – we take all the best in Russia.
AP:
How do you find them?
GY: We attend the final examinations all over Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine – all the former
Soviet Union - and we talk to the parents.
Amongst our young dancers, I can give you the name of one of our future great ballerinas – she
is Angelina Vorontsova. She has got all the qualities required: she is very beautiful, her figure is
perfect, her dancing is great and she has long arms and a good musical sense.
AP: Will the company continue to tour as much when the new Bolshoi Theatre is
opened?
GY:
Time will tell. Tours are planned until 2013.
AP:
Are you looking forward to working in your new theatre?
GY: A good part of it is already finished but some is still left to be built. I have looked around
the new theatre a bit but I have not yet been in the wings. When the old theatre closed the roof
was about to collapse and they had to ban access – it was frightening. To the audience it will
look the same, it is a listed building. The red colour will remain – they will just have
strengthened the upper circles and the roof.
The Chairman thanked Gennadi for taking time out of his hectic schedule to spend time
with us and on behalf of the audience wished him every success for the future.
©London Ballet Circle 2010