After the first concert of prima-ballerina Viktoria Tereshkina and Ekaterina Kondaurova, first soloist Maria Khoreva and head of the ballet troupe of the Mariinsky theatre Yuri Fateev shared with “RG” his thoughts about how he survived the quarantine, its consequences for the ballet.
Viktoria Tereshkina: I remember my last performance on March 13, we talked about the situation in America and were convinced that nothing would happen. A few days later, we closed, we were deprived of our purpose, and began apathy. I missed so much. It’s one thing when you’re injured and need a break to recover. But when you’re full of energy and they take all, it is difficult to realize, and the worst part, not knowing when it will end. Ordeal was the work of the house. For classes, there are halls, come up to the machine. House – lounge, family, child who requires constant attention, winds around his legs. Thanks to her husband, which I did press. Of course, I made, otherwise the form is lost, the weight crept. When the opportunity came to engage in the theatre, it was just happiness, but about any performances it was not. For 5 days we were told about the gala. Suddenly allowed to touch each other, hold hands, we worked with social distance. On the one hand, I was so delighted, on the other – doubt, and can dance something or other pas de Deux. The scene takes a lot of energy, need to control yourself, these feelings are also lost. We have been out of work 115 days. When a sudden load is important to approach it wisely and stay injury free. In any case, for me the joy to go on stage, even so, almost in a state of shock. Like a second birth.
Ekaterina Kondaurova The hardest part was to understand what was happening. The first 2-3 weeks you don’t understand what you’re in camp, panicked or calm, and how to be. But man – the sound, the body adapts. One thought was constantly the need to continue to work, albeit nowhere – there is no theatre, where you live, what you live, it was hard. Few imagined that we can do without that feeds us. Worked at home, trying to find some new ways of development of your body and not only your body, but also the head, this was a plus, because suddenly there was time for that which is not time in real life, for thoughts, for books, for yourself, for the world around, the beauty of nature. Home 2×2 piece of linoleum and a ballet Barre, I was doing online classes that were led by teachers from our theater, joined the lessons of the Bolshoi theatre. But the fill not more than one third of a normal load. So I tried other practices, yoga, helped out Jogging with the dog. Tried to do everything he could to support me in my�� physical form. Today will be remembered. Before going I was nervous, as always. I spent many years on stage, and every time I come as the first – the excitement, the thrill, legs tremble, but the scene is overtaken by the feeling of complete happiness. Today viewers each met especially. We felt that the people in the hall waited a very long time, and for them, this day is special. As for us.
Maria Khoreva: I did and tried not to stop for the day. Someone quarantine even gave impetus to the development when the first wave of disappointment passed, there was some kind of initiative, inspiration. Finally started my YouTube channel where I spend videosrate fitness. Fitness, if properly compose exercises can increase the strength of the artist, to give him control over the other muscles and ligaments. During the quarantine, which seemed to last forever, I was asked to prepare for the competition “Big ballet”. I don’t even think it will be a competition that needs a win. The main thing – to perform at 150 percent. Clear what the responsibility to represent the Mariinsky theatre on this project. My partner is Vladimir Shklyarov. We have chosen excerpts from the plays I performed in the theatre, but there will be two new rooms – miniature Alexander Sergeyev and Christopher Wheeldon.
Yuri Fateyev, head of the ballet troupe of the Mariinsky theatre
what was the impact of quarantine on the state of the company?
– we are not aware of all the negative consequences of such a break from work to ballet. After all, ballet dancers are linked to a number of conditions: they have to bear great physical activity, so that the audience could see the light dance and movement, and to work in partnership – not only together, but with the corps de ballet. Our basic workflow is rehearsing, from the French rpter – repeat countless number of times to repeat the movements, combinations, choreography, the lyrics, to go on stage to do them automatically, with pleasure, filling with emotion and life. My teacher in school. Vaganova Semyon Solomonovich Kaplan, when sickness or foolishness we missed the lessons of classical dance, said: “if the artist missed one day, he remained in place, if two days, he took two steps back, if he missed a week, then your levels will not return”. And what about the pass in 4 months? And no rehearsal will not replace the feeling of performance neither in physical nor in mental and emotional terms. One performance with an audience is worth 10 rehearsals and run-throughs. Onstage in this psychological burden under the spotlight, under the gun thousands of eyes, under the weight of responsibility to ourselves and to the theater necessary to create a beautiful image and play, it’s quite a different feeling than in sports or rehearsal room. It is also Ter��is. Such a huge break in the never at anybody was not. We tried to maintain physical fitness artists through online classes, and once given permission, may 28, we became engaged in classrooms 2-3 of the artist’s Studio teacher and accompanist. And the only reason they managed today, almost back to that form in which he left on March 17, when we had the last performance. Suffers most of all from the corps de ballet. It is not allowed to engage in the halls. Specifics of work ballet dancer in close contact, physical exercise is accompanied by enhanced respiration. When a lot of artists will gather together in one room and will be intensively breathe, God forbid, one person will be a carrier of this virus – sick all. First and foremost, we need to think about how to maintain health. They all want to work to get back on stage, and hot reaction of the auditorium today – the audience missed. I miss the actors, the impression that I had experienced every night for the shows. They are all masters, and today they demonstrated that they in shape in spite of a 4-month break.
