Ex-Royal Ballet dancer Ivan Putrov states that the company’s dancers are not artists, but defecting colleague Sergei Polunin is…

ByGramilano Reading Time: 1 minute

General Monica MasonCommenting on ‘s surprise exit from the , fellow Ukrainian and ex-Royal principal , has probably upset a number of his dancer colleagues. In an interview with the BBC he said,

Being in a company has this element that you are sometimes told what to do. If you want to be part of the company you have to, maybe, shut-up and do what you’re supposed to do. If you want to be an artist… an artist creates. A craftsman just does what he’s told, an artist creates. Sergei is an artist and he likes to create.

While being a craftsmen is an excellent and noble quality, Royal Ballet company members such as , , , ,  and , will be surprised to learn that Putrov doesn’t consider them to be artists. General Mason gives her orders and they just do as they’re told.

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Graham Spicer, aka 'Gramilano', is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Italian ballerina Carla Fracci.

Graham also works as a dance photographer, and his photos have appeared in many books, theatre programmes, and magazines, including Dancing Times, Dance Spirit and Ballet2000, as well as all the major Italian newspapers.

He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.

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