Anastasiya Volochkova tries being the wife of a poet and politician
Kyiv has played a major role in the life of famed Russian ballerina Anastasiya Volochkova, currently a soloist with the Bolshoi. In fact, her victory at the Serge Lifar de la Dance in 1996 marked a spectacular turn in her career. Critics can discuss the Volochkova phenomenon, as she has succeeded in adding show business elements to her concert programs, bringing the high art of ballet closer to mass audiences. Her repertoire boasts classics (Swan Lake, La Bayadere, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, Raymonda) and modern works (Eifman’s Russian Hamlet, Khisamov’s Angel, Ursuliak’s Joke, Smirnova’s Death of the Gods: Vilisa, etc.) True ballet devotees attack her populism while the latter wins her packed houses.
Anastasiya is a charming woman, with tremendous stage presence. Also, she is tough; she knows exactly what she is after and how to reach her goals. Of course, real talent, once recognized, is increasingly in the public eye. At present, one can hardly find another ballet dancer attracting as much critical attention in the CIS states; her every step is closely followed by both well and ill-wishers, hence the praise and pans in views and reviews.
Anastasiya is very much in the limelight with the print media. This adds to her publicity. She says she is flattered and admits that she often uses this to promote her own projects. She does not deny unpleasant gossip, nor does she challenge bad reviews. This author happened to meet Anastasiya when she was just starting her ballet career. She was markedly sociable at the time, saying she could not imagine her life without ballet. We met several times later, when not Anastasiya was quitting the Maryinsky and joining Bolshoi, and then dancing with the Metropolitan Opera.
She danced at the Ukraine Palace in mid-May 2003, presenting her new project “To You My Real Inspiration” (sponsored by Khlibny DarTM). She agreed to an interview only after recognizing me. She was quite frank, but I could see much sorrow in her eyes. She had visited the Pechersk Lavra Monestery of the Caves the day before the concert. It was not a tourist visit, she had met with His Eminence Bishop Pavlo of Vyshhorod, Vicar of the Dormition Cathedral under the Metropolitan of Kyiv, and received his blessings.
Her program in Kyiv included a number familiar to the local devotees: Death of the Gods: Vilisa with which she had won the Lifar contest. One could describe it as Anastasiya’s mascot. Needless to say, it is invariably cheered by the audience.
“While in Kyiv, I met Alex Ursuliak, an excellent choreographer,” recalls Anastasiya Volochkova. “We prepared several numbers. In addition to the composition commemorating Prince Diane, he staged the merry Joke dance, and the Dance with a Scarf to a pop music accompaniment. I met Askold Makarov at the [Lifar] contest (he passed away recently). The very fact of taking part in the contest seemed to add to my strength. Yury Grigorovich, head of the jury, was interested by my performance and I would then receive the gold medal from him. As fate would have it, he offered me a contract with the Bolshoi after the gala concert in Austria. In fact, I trust in fate and chance. As for Kyiv, it is one of my best-loved cities. I have relatives here and I have 75% Ukrainian blood running through my veins; my grandparents are of Ukrainian parentage. My mother was born in Lviv oblast and my father in Zaporizhzhia. I enjoy visiting Kyiv and I wish I could perform not only in concerts, but also at the National Opera of Ukraine. I have the right kind of experience, I have performed in Don Quixote and La Bayadere with Kyiv dancers. And I have acted in a number of programs organized by Vadym Pysarev in Donetsk.
Your repertoire at the Bolshoi appears to have been enriched with Yury Grigorovich’s updated version of Raymonda of late. What is going on at the troupe? Why is there so much talk about a bad creative atmosphere (your name has been mentioned on several occasions, not in a very gratifying context)?
Anastasiya: The theater is a living organism. There are ups and downs. The Bolshoi may not be living through the best of times, but I still consider it a great temple of art. I had my debut on its stage in March 1998, dancing as Swan Princess in Swan Lake. That versions belonged to the then artistic director Vladimir Vasilyev. Yury Grigorovich renewed his version two years ago. I am glad it turned out an event for the Bolshoi and ballet devotees at large. And then it was Raymonda. There was a creative atmosphere about every rehearsal. We put our hearts into our work, forgetting about time. I think it was the happiest time of my life. The stage props and the wardrobe were renovated. Some nuances were added to our dancing. I was assisted by Nadiya Pavlova. She is a very good friend of mine, professionally and otherwise. It is extremely important for every ballet dancer to have a good teacher. It has taken me a long time, but I have been lucky with my teachers [Anastasiya studied at the Vaganova Russian Dance Academy, taught by the famous Prof. Dudinskaya — Author]. I am happy that Grigorovich, this outstanding maestro, is bringing his choreography back to Russia’s main ballet company. After all, his productions made the Soviet school of ballet famous and journalists started quoting Yury Vizbor’s “we are also ahead of the planet in the sphere of ballet.” I am also happy to know that Swan Lake, Raymonda, and Sleeping Beauty are the Bolshoi’s calling cards. These beautiful renditions are included in the repertoire of my every foreign tour.
About the atmosphere — it’s not easy to handle any creative team. For me, the important thing is that the company allows me to work with great people: Yury Grigorovich, Boris Eifman, Vladimir Vasilyev, Natalia Bezsmertnova, and others. At the same time, I can be involved in the staging of great productions on the greatest scene of Russia. As to what’s happening backstage, I try to take everything negative in stride. After all, there is no way to protect yourself from any of this. It’s all around me, in the media, in my daily life. Trying to find some kind of protection or to strike back would be insane on my part. If you start wasting energy on things like that, you won’t find enough energy to do good things. Remember Princess Di? She held the highest position, she had power, yet she couldn’t protect herself from gutter journalism. In the end she died, trying to hide from all those paparazzi. So what am I supposed to do? Anyone finding oneself in the limelight has a cross to bear, a heavy one. I try to remain calm and reasonable. I try not to become aggressive. I’m doing a job I like and know how to do well, and I try to ignore everything else. I make no secret of my desire to have a big and admiring audience, so I make programs meant for that big audience.
You have a contract with the Bolshoi. Any other contracts?
Anastasiya: I am a Bolshoi soloist, but I can appear on other stages with my programs and concerts. There are several projects involving St. Petersburg. Also, I would like to establish creative ties with Kyiv. My immediate plans include a world tour.
Anastasiya, you have a wide repertoire. What parts do you prefer to dance?
Anastasiya: I consider myself a classical ballet dancer, so I like to dance in Swan Lake, La Bayadere, Giselle, and Don Quixote. But I also like modern compositions, for I can improvise there, making the best of eurhythmics. I like diversity, onstage as well as in real life. I think that a ballet dancer should never be content with what has been attained and try various genres. Classical ballet dancers have an advantage; for them mastering modern choreography is easier. Those concentrating on modern dancing techniques are worse off, because they lack the classical technique.
In ballet it’s difficult to avoid injury. Have you insured your body?
Anastasiya: The best insurance policy is trusting in the Lord God to protect you. I am convinced that he looks over me and nothing bad will happen. The main thing is to do good to others and never harm anyone, not even have any ill wishes. In that case you will be protected. I used to bruise my legs and sprain my ankles. Nothing too serious, although I think that every such injury is a signal, meaning I’ve done something wrong and that I have to stop and think.
I read in the press that you had put on quite some weight. I can see that you have stayed a Thumbelina. That press coverage also claimed that Bolshoi male dancers didn’t want you as a partner, and that one of them had suffered a vertebral trauma because of your weight.
Anastasiya: Oh, they’re up to their old tricks. I don’t understand why the press should be so fond of writing such rubbish. They keep writing about how I look, how many plastic surgeries I’ve had. Very few articles are about me as a ballet dancer. I thinks that journalists start imagining things simply because that can’t find any real pretexts. I wish they wrote more about my ballet performances.
Your way to the top has not been exactly straight and smooth. You couldn’t even get enrolled in a school of choreography at first.
Anastasiya: Trusting one’s ability and talent is the main thing. It’s true that I was twice shown the door, but I wanted to become a ballet dancer so much that my parents hired ballet instructors. Thinking back, I believe it was a test of strength. I had to do it the hard way, per aspera ad astra. I worked hard, I had to struggle with myself. One thing I can wish all those trying to make professional dancers: Always trust in yourself. My own example shows that physical characteristics aren’t always the main thing. You can surmount all obstacles if you are prepared to sacrifice yourself for the sake of ballet. If you are, you’re sure to win. You have to develop that self-discipline, so you are always in class at 10 o’clock sharp. I can’t afford any days off, I’m in a hurry to carry out countless creative plans while I’m still young.
When we first met I told you that you had tremendous stage presence, I also said that you should act in commercials and movies. You’ve now done all that. You are starring in Anatoly Ivanov’s production. What’s your part?
Anastasiya: The title is Chorny Prints [The Black Prince]. It’s a story about Aleksandr Pushkin. The movie is expected to be made available this summer, to commemorate the Russian poet’s 300th jubilee in St. Petersburg. I’m playing his wife, Natalia Goncharova. A very interesting role, allowing me to portray a young [Russian] noblewoman in various temporal and historical parameters. The script shows her in the nineteenth century and then miraculously transfers her to the present day. I’m thrilled by this role. The shooting started last fall, then we had a pause. Anatoly Ivanov lives in San Francisco. The cast includes American, Georgian, and Russian actors, and we can’t always get together. Pushkin is played by Uchaneishvili (our audiences remember him from The Oligarch). The Blind Musician is played by Ray Charles, Jr. Among the supporting actors are Masha Kalinina, who won the first beauty contest in USSR in 1987. A former Moscow resident, she has lived in the United States for over fifteen years. And Romaz Chkhoadze from onetime Soviet Georgia. We will have to do the wedding scene in June, because our schedule coincided with the Eastern Orthodox Easter, when no fancy shooting was allowed in church. All the pavilion footage is ready, so I won’t be surprised to see newspapers with my photos as a fiancО and more stories about my real-life marriage or something. So I might as well tell you that it’s not true.
You are in your prime [Anastasiya marked her 26th birthday in April —Author], but we know that a ballet dancer has a short time onstage (save for Galina Ulanova who danced at 50, or Maya Plisetskaya, now over 70 and still around). What will you do when it comes time to quit?
Anastasiya: I’ll hope to remain creative. I might set up a private drama company or a ballet school; I might continue with my movie career. I’m interested in television. I think that our television lacks serious programs — apart from what we have in terms of politics and entertainment. I might take up politics — but only when I am aware of being able to do something useful. I have been asked to support the United Russia Party during the election campaign. I agreed. I think that their ideology is close to mine. I also think that an election campaign, that of a town or the whole country, depends not only on the candidate, but also on the role played by every individual.
Quite a few actors say they are totally apolitical. Obviously, you aren’t one of them. You took part in Vladimir Pozner’s talk shows on ORT and felt quite confident discussing political issues as an expert in attendance.
Anastasiya: I don’t live in some castle in the air. I am worried by issues of war and peace, and about where Russia is headed. It’s true that the arts should be outside politics. The arts are more independent than politics. Politicians come and go, but the arts remain forever. Their power is considerably greater than that of politics. I’m a simple mortal with my passions. That’s why I agreed to support United Russia, because I believe that a combination of two forces could bear fruit. Above all, I want to do something for the good of my country.
