Q&A
When did you start dancing?
I do not remember… probably at the same time that I began to walk.
Why did you start dancing?
As a child my mother dreamt of the ballet, so I started to make her dream come true.
Which artists influenced you the most as a child?
Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Which dancer do you most admire?
I have no idols in ballet.
What is your favourite role?
Solor in La Bayadère.
What role have you never played but would like to?
Danilo in the ballet The Stone Flower.
What's your favourite ballet to watch?
Symphony in C (Bizet, choreographed by Balanchine)
Who is your favourite choreographer?
Petipa.
Who is your favourite writer?
Shakespeare.
Who is your favourite film or theatre director?
Cinema – Aleksei Balabanov (he made Brother and Brother 2 starring Sergei Bodrov, Jr).
Who is your favourite actor?
Sergei Bodrov, Jr.
Who is your favourite singer, the singer?
Mezzo-soprano Olga Borodina, singing Delilah.
What is your favourite book?
The Bible.
What is your favourite film?
Kickboxer, from 1989.
Which is your favourite city?
St Petersburg.
What do you like most about yourself?
My modesty.
What do you dislike about yourself?
My modesty
What was your proudest moment?
I am still waiting for that moment.
When and where were you happiest?
When my sisters were born – Xenia, and then Masha.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My family – my mother, my father and my sisters.
What is your greatest fear?
I am not afraid of anything.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I would like to have a little more patience.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
In my job: that I am an artist of the Mariinsky Theatre.
What is your most treasured possession?
Life.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Well, maybe, spending too much time not on the right people and not on the right things.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Humility.
On what occasion do you lie?
If it is a white lie.
If you hadn't been a dancer what would you have liked to be?
An entrepreneur.
What is your most marked characteristic?
I think a lot.
What quality do you most value in a friend?
Loyalty.
What quality do you most value in a colleague?
Professionalism.
Which historical figure do you most admire?
Peter I.
Which living person do you most admire?
This is no one.
What do you most dislike?
Stupidity.
What talent would you most like to have?
To be able to make people happy.
What's your idea of perfect happiness?
Peace on Earth and in my soul.
How would you like to die?
Surrounded by my children and grandchildren.
What is your motto?
‘Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.'
Вопросы и ответы
Когда вы начали танцевать?
Не помню, наверно, тогда же, когда начал ходить.
Почему вы начали танцевать?
Мама в детстве мечтала о балете, ну а осуществить ее мечту довелось мне.
Кто из артистов повлиял на вас больше всего в детстве?
Жан-Клод Ван Дамм
Кем из артистов (балета, современного танца) вы восхищаетесь?
У меня нет кумиров в балете.
Ваша любимая роль?
Солор в Баядерке
Какую роль вы никогда не исполняли, но хотели бы сыграть?
Динила-мастер в балете «Каменный цветок»
Какой балет вы смотрите с удовольствием?
Симфония До мажор (Ж. Бизе, хореография Баланчина)
Ваш любимый хореограф?
Петипа
Ваш любимый писатель?
Шекспир
Ваш любимый кино- и театральный режиссёр?
Кино – Алексей Балабанов (он поставил Брат и Брат-2).
Ваш любимый актёр (театра, кино)?
Сергей Бодров-младший
Ваш любимый певец, певица?
меццо-сопрано Ольга Бородина, в партии Далилы.
Ваша любимая книга?
Библия
Ваш любимый фильм?
Кикбоксер (Kickboxer, 1989)
Ваш любимый город?
Санкт – Петербург
Что вам нравится в себе больше всего?
Скромность
Что вам не нравится в себе больше всего?
Скромность
Ваш момент для гордости?
Жду такого момента
Когда и где вы были самым счастливым?
Когда у меня родились сестры – Ксения, а потом Маша.
Что или кто – любовь всей вашей жизни?
Мои родные – мать, отец, сестры.
Чего вы больше всего боитесь?
Я ничего не боюсь
Если бы вы могли изменить в себе что-то одно, что бы это было?
Я бы добавил себе чуть больше терпения.
Ваше самое большое достижение?
В работе – то, что я артист Мариинского театра.
Самая большая ценность, которой вы обладаете?
Жизнь.
Самая большое расточительство, которое вы совершили?
Ну, возможно, время, потраченное не на то и не на тех.
Какая добродетель, по вашему мнению, переоценена?
Смирение.
По какому случаю вы можете солгать?
Если эта ложь во спасение.
Если бы вы не были танцовщиком, кем бы вы хотели быть?
Предпринимателем.
Ваша самая характерная черта?
Думаю много.
Какое качество вы больше всего цените в друзьях?
Преданность.
Какое качество вы больше всего цените в коллегах?
Профессионализм.
Ваш любимый исторический персонаж?
Петр I.
Ваш любимый герой в реальной жизни?
Такого пока нет.
Что вы больше всего ненавидите?
Глупость.
Каким талантом вы хотели бы обладать?
Делать людей счастливыми.
Что для вас счастье?
Мир на Земле и в душЕ.
Как бы вы хотели умереть?
Окруженный детьми и внуками.
Ваш девиз?
‘Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.' Вчера – это прошлое, завтра – это тайна, а сегодня – это дар Божий, поэтому мы зовем его Настоящее.
Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.
His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.
Beautiful Dancer! Merci…:)
Thank you very much.
Another underrated artist of Fateyev, he deserves the rank of principal. If it hadn’t been for Lopatkina, we would have not seen him much. It’s great to see him dance with Zakharova, Ferri,… last July.
Interesting interview in that his responses were so clipped rather than the more expansive answers your questions usually elicit. I have done interviews such as that before where it seemed the subject couldn’t wait to get it over with. With full-blown personality interviews, you can usually avoid showing that caustic attitude to the readers. In a questionaire format, readers get the real personality, “warts and all.” Personality aside, his is a tremendous talent.
I am really sorry to interfere, but this specific style of”clipped responses” was exactly what Graham requested for this questionnaire. I know that for sure, from this particular dancer and also by reading previous Gramilano’s questionnaires. That’s why I am not sure “the more expansive answers your questions usually elicit” is a right statement, sorry. Anyway, thanks for your impressions and interesting thoughts and opinions, although some of them didn’t seem quite right to me.
Peter, the answers are written so that people can mull over their responses (not easy to answer, what is your favourite book? if you read a lot!) and my ‘instructions are: make your answers long or short, serious/ironic/funny whatever. This way the personality of the person comes through… their timidness, expansiveness, etc So yes, some have given long answers, but it’s not required 🙂
Gramilano – ballet, opera, photography Thanks Graham. It was just that these responses seemed so curt, almost rude. That was why I was concerned and so, commented, Usually (see James Whiteside interview) the responses reveal more character giving insight into the person as well as their relation to their art and the world in general. I often wish, when reading some of these, that you could do them as an in-person feature interview. Have you maybe considered that mode in some cases where it would be more appropriate? Going through the library of your interviews is such a wonderful experience. Thank you for doing these over the years. They create a permanent catalogue of so many of today’s artists. Regards — Peter Crossley, Toronto.
Thank you Graham and Andrey. I liked so much this interview and I admire Andrey’s dance. A very nice dancer and person.