An Interview with
by Jack Walker An Interview with
Makhar Vaziev is a principal dancer with the Kirov Ballet, and due to a dramatic turn of events, he is now the company manager, a powerful position. In this interview he talks about Farouk Ruzimatov, ballet school days, and the future of the Kirov.
The Upheaval
In April of 1995, the Kirov Ballet held a company meeting. In a small rehearsal hall, just past the cafe on the second floor of the Mariinsky Theatre, Oleg Vinogradov talked on for an hour or so about minor concerns and problems. Most in attendance did not see the point of this gathering.
The group overflowed into an outer room where Genadiy Shraber, company manger of many years, chatted with an administrative assistant. Shraber never entered the room. Inside, Makhar Vaziev, a principal dancer, sat with the most important people present, and he looked unusually dapper: black pants, deep wine-colored jacket, gelled and slicked back long, black hair.
When the meeting broke up and dancers flowed out, Shraber learned to be fact what he must have feared. Vinogradov had closed the proceedings with an apparent afterthought: "By the way," he said, pointing to Vaziev, "this is our new company manager. If anyone has questions, ask them. Otherwise, all details will be clear in due time."
Shortly after, Shraber reported to the theater's medical facility. There were rumors that he had had a heart attack. In the ensuing hours he was locked behind closed doors with top officials of the Kirov. Final result: Genadiy Shraber was out of a job. Makharbeq Vaziev had replaced him.
There were more rumors and snide comments that circulated the next months, many of them reported by the press. In the Russian society that previously had lain on a net of KGB and now is riddled by Mafia shenanigans, the truth about administrative upheavals can be stranger than any imaginings.
On the other hand, change is inevitable. The Kirov Ballet experienced a difficult five years immediately following the end of the Soviet Union. With the company on new footing in a capitalist environment, fresh energy and new vision are naturally sought.
Makharbeq Vaziev is a product of the Soviet system. Now his job is to help guide the great Russian ballet tradition into a new era. His perspective on things is worth attention.
(Photograph above: Makhar Vaziev in his office at the Mariinsky Theatre.)
To The Interview
Copyright © 1996 Jack Walker. All rights reserved. P.O. Box 2826, Hollywood, CA 90078, U.S.A. e-mail: jack@kirov.com