Category: dance

With Johan Kobborg chased out of the artistic directorship of the ballet at the Bucharest National Opera and star Alina Cojocaru leading a rebellion among the dancers, upcoming runs of Giselle and La Fille mal gardée have been called off, along with a major gala on April 28. Rights holders to four more upcoming productions are threatening to withdraw permission for performances, saying that they consented only to a company led by Kobborg. (in Romanian; Google Translate version here)

Responding on Facebook to an open letter from Alina Cojocaru, prime minister Dacian Cioloş said he hopes that “the ensuing dialogue of today (which will continue in coming days) with Culture Minister Vlad Alexandrescu will find a solution to the situation at the [Bucharest National] Opera.” Alexandrescu, also writing on Facebook, said, “The Ministry of Culture wishes to continue working with Johan Kobborg and Alina Cojocaru … [and] is currently looking for solutions that … respect artistic quality, creative freedom, and the international nature of the projects at the Opera … The Ministry intends to use this opportunity to re-launch and re-calibrate the relationship between creators and administration within the institutions under its authority.” (Emphasis added.) (in Romanian; Google Translate version here)

“MCB is also one of the most diverse companies in the United States without us trying to be. One thing is saying I believe in diversity and I’m going to seek it out and another thing is saying it is who we are. When you look at the roster of MCB, half of them are from Latin America, the other half is from the US and we have a few from Europe.”

“‘I look petrified,’ Salim Gauwloos says in the film as he watches the old footage of himself play on a computer screen. ‘I can’t wait to get offstage.'” And he had reason to be.

Two years ago, Dawid Trzensimiech left a promising career at London’s Royal Ballet to follow Johan Kobborg to the Bucharest National Opera. Wednesday, one day after Kobborg’s final resignation as the ballet company’s artistic director – and an evening confrontation where company dancers from abroad who had threatened to follow Kobborg out the door were greeted with shouts of “Foreigners out of the country!” – Trzensimiech announced his departure. (in Romanian; Google Translate version here)

“Unfortunately, I [now] understand that our country is not ready for what Johan [Kobborg] and I have offered these two years … We hoped that what were doing was a break from the circle of malice and destruction in which our country finds itself. … But it seems I was wrong. Few are willing to see and accept that there are people like Johan who aren’t self-interested – quite the contrary.” (in Romanian; Google Translate version here)

Lesley Stahl does a 13-minute segment on the star choreographer. (video plus transcript)

Tuesday evening, after Johan Kobborg formally resigned as artistic director of the ballet company at the Bucharest National Opera, about 30 dancers (many of them from abroad) joined Alina Cojocaru – the country’s leading ballerina and Kobborg’s fiancée – to protest the situation; all of them agreed that they would not stay with the company if Kobborg were not brought back. Meanwhile, some other opera house employees counter-demonstrated, booing the dancers and shouting, “Foreigners out of the country! This is the Romanian National Opera!” (in Romanian; Google Translate version here)

“Administrative tumult, a prominent snub on the Bucharest National Opera’s website and questions over artistic direction have cost the Romanian national ballet company its two biggest stars: Johan Kobborg and Alina Cojocaru.” Michael Cooper gives an English-language recap of the situation as of Tuesday morning.

The “Barbs” is a certifiable hit in the Middle East. A fun mix of hip-hop and early 1980s-style break dancing melded with Arabic rhythms, the routine is performed by a bunch of young Saudis, including one wearing a dark suit and bright red high-top sneakers. Their video has gone viral.