PRESS RELEASE (draft)

THE BOLSHOI BALLET RETURNS TO LONDON FOR
THREE-WEEK SUMMER SEASON

PRESENTED BY VICTOR HOCHHAUSER - JULY 30 – AUGUST 18, 2007

LONDON COLISEUM, LONDON WC2

- New Corsaire opens season;
- New ballet by Christopher Wheeldon

The Bolshoi Ballet returns to London for a three-week summer season at the London Coliseum from July 30 – August 18, 2007, presented by Victor Hochhauser. Last year’s sold-out season of the Bolshoi Ballet in London was a critical triumph, leaving an enthusiastic public clamouring for more. At the recent National Dance Awards the Bolshoi won the award for the Best Foreign Dance Company of 2006.

The company’s 2007 programme opens with a lavish new recreation of 19th century classic Le Corsaire by the Bolshoi’s Artistic Director Alexei Ratmansky working with ballet master/restorer Yuri Burlaka, and the season also includes a new short ballet by the greatly admired British choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, which will be presented as part of a mixed bill.

Ratmansky’s rollicking full-length ballet, The Bright Stream, hailed as ‘the best new ballet to come out of Russia in years’, and voted Best Classical Choreography of 2006 by the Critics’ Circle, returns by overwhelming popular demand. There’s also a chance to savour two other pillars of the Bolshoi’s classical repertoire – La Bayadère and Don Quixote.

All the company’ leading dancers will appear during the 2007 season headed by the remarkable Svetlana Zakharova. At the top of the new generation of Bolshoi dancers is 20 year old Natalia Osipova, whose exuberant performance as Kitri on the final night of the 2006 London season was unforgettable. She will be joined by prodigiously gifted newcomer -17 year old Ivan Vasiliev, who joined the company only last year.

Victor Hochhauser and the Bolshoi look forward to renewing their association with the London Coliseum, where the company last performed in 1999. Since then the 2300-seat theatre has been handsomely restored. It will offer a fitting frame for one of the world’s leading ballet companies.

Victor and Lilian Hochhauser have been associated with the best of Russian culture for over 50 years. Last autumn their unique role as cultural ambassadors was recognised by the Russian Government with the award of a special medal for promoting a positive image of Russian culture in the Britain.

Booking for the season opens late March 2007.
www.victorhochhauser.co.uk

Press contact:

FAITH WILSON ARTS PUBLICITY
Tel: 0207 403 8240 m: 0794 113 7453
e: faith@faithwilson.demon.co.uk

Can anyone confirm that the Triple Bill including the new Wheeldon Misericordia will also include Massine's Les Presages and Messerer's Class Concert? Also is Carlos Acosta to make his UK debut in Spartacus?

Wow!!! I am coming to London... Spartacus is my fav. Bolshoi piece. I also adore Acosta

http://www.carlosacosta.com/gallery.html

Wonder, if he’ll have a chance to choose his Phrygia? And if yes, who would it be?

Bloomberg Interview with Carlos Acosta.

Am I correct in thinking that he danced with Maria Alexandrova on occasions?

I must say, that today’s generation of Bolshoi dancers is not of … well, heroic built, so to speak. Look at their new star Vasiliev. Can you imagine him as Russell Crowe?
http://fedora101.livejournal.com/2007/03/01/

Carlos on the other hand has this determined look about him… Don’t know how to explain …

edited: link added & Russell's name corrected

I'll second this: it's such an exciting company and season, I think we'll all be trying to see as much as we can. I can't wait!

thay seem to think we are made of money but then again with tickets
for the rb getting on for £80+ i gess we are

I wonder from a regular purchaser's perspective, how much discount would people hope for on multiple tickets and what limit would you (in all reason, given that the company and promoters have to make ends meet) like to see on ticket prices? If the Hochhausers are reading, it would be nice if we could offer them some friendly advice from its core audience...

Also I wonder whether costs for the season could be kept down if it included a one-off gala performance with increased prices. Looking at the audience at the Grigorovich Gala last month, it is clear there are some very wealthy Russians in London keen to support Russian companies and not sniffy about prices. Make money on a gala for Abramovitch and his colleagues and keep ticket prices low for the rest of the season. That might be an idea...

edited to add last paragraph

Bolshoi Ballet at the London Coliseum 2007

The full complement of the Bolshoi's leading dancers - including Svetlana Zakharova, Svetlana Lunkina, Maria Alexandrova, Maria Allash, Ekaterina Shipulina, Anastasia Yatsenko, and Natalia Osipova, Nikolai Tsiskaridze, Sergei Filin, Andrei Uvarov, Dmitri Belogolovtsev, Dmitri Gudanov, Yuri Klevtsov, Denis Matvienko and Ruslan Skvortsov - will all dance in London, together with Guest Artist Carlos Acosta. In total, the company will bring over 240 artists to London this summer.

Public Booking opens on March 26th. For more details see www.victorhochhauser.co.uk

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Monday 30 July 7.30pm	Le Corsaire
Tuesday 31 July 7.30pm	Le Corsaire
Wednesday 1 August 7.30pm	Le Corsaire
Thursday 2 August 7.30pm	La Bayadere
Friday 3 August 7.30pm	La Bayadere
Saturday 4 August 2.30 and 7.30pm	La Bayadere
Monday 6 August 7.30pm	Spartacus
Tuesday 7 August 7.30pm	Spartacus
Wednesday 8 August 7.30pm	Spartacus
Thursday 9 August 7.30pm	Don Quixote
Friday 10 August 7.30pm	Don Quixote
Saturday 11 August 2.30 and 7.30pm	Don Quixote
Monday 13 August 7.30pm	Triple Bill
Tuesday 14 August 7.30pm	Triple Bill
Wednesday 15 August 2.00 and 7.30pm