Her radiant Kitri was ravishing, and her dancing had a delicious freshness that was such a delight to watch.
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Svetlana Lunkina...
Bolshoi Ballet
by Kevin Ng
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Svetlana Lunkina, the new 20-year-old Bolshoi Ballet star who at 18 reportedly became the youngest Giselle in the company's history, was described last summer by "The Times" as "the Bolshoi's current wunderkind". Lunkina was a last-minute replacement for the prima ballerina Nina Ananiashvili, who had flu and was unable to fly to Hong Kong last autumn to dance the first night of the Bolshoi Ballet's "Don Quixote".
Miss Lunkina was in the second cast and danced the third and final performance with the noble Andrei Uvarov on 27 November 1999. Her radiant Kitri was ravishing, and her dancing had a delicious freshness that was such a delight to watch.
I met Lunkina inside the Shatin Town Hall at around 4:15 pm on 25 November 1999 after her rehearsal on stage. The interpreter was the young Lyuba Zolotova from Moscow who came to Hong Kong with the Bolshoi party. Lunkina said she was slightly hungry and would like to have some fish, and so I suggested having supper together at the restaurant inside the hotel right next to the Town Hall. Our interview was conducted over supper.
I started off by telling Lunkina how moved I was by her performance of Giselle in London last July with Nikolai Tsiskaridze. That was the only performance of her that I managed to see in that Bolshoi season. She must have benefited from the coaching of Ekaterina Maximova, the great Bolshoi ballerina whose partnership with her husband Vladimir Vasiliev (now the artistic director of the Bolshoi Theatre) spanning three decades from the 1960s onwards was legendary.
"Madame Maximova is more than a coach to me. She is very important to me as a person too. She works with me everyday (as well as with Anna Antonicheva). She makes me see those little nuances and tiny details. Madame has now been coaching me for three years."
Lunkina actually celebrated her 20th birthday in London last summer. Was it a grand party? She replied, "No, it was only a small gathering with my good friends." Her month-long stay in London was rewarding. "I saw the Royal Ballet at one of their dress rehearsals. It wasn't a full-length ballet that they were performing, but a triple bill programme featuring ballets by young choreographers."
Lunkina has done a fair amount of touring since she joined the Bolshoi. "I toured Japan with the Bolshoi in October. I have also performed in a gala in China, and I have toured America with the 'Stars of the Bolshoi Ballet'."
Lunkina prefers dramatic roles to pure dance roles. "Drama and acting are very important to me, and in fact I treat them as my priority. In 20th century ballets by e.g. Balanchine, Bejart, the technique is undoubtedly very important. But for the 19th century ballets such as "Giselle" and "Don Quixote", the drama is equally important. Generally, there seems nowadays to be a trend to focus on the technique, which does not seem quite reasonable to me. This is what I like about the Bolshoi, our dramatic tradition is passed down from generation to generation. I certainly don't want to leave the Bolshoi."
I then asked Lunkina what particular roles she particularly longs to dance. "Juliet in the Lavrovsky version, and the ballerina role in Balanchine's ballet 'Mozartiana'" was her reply.
Lunkina then expanded on her understanding of the stylistic differences in the ballerina roles. "There is a notion that there are two types of dancers - emotional and lyrical. (Aegina and Kitri are emotional roles for instance, Phrygia and Giselle are lyrical roles.) I am taken more as a lyrical adagio ballerina, since all my previous roles were more lyrical in style. A true ballerina should encompass both the emotional and lyrical sides."
Svetlana Lunkina
photo Vladimir Glynin
She impressed me by her eagerness to "dance as many emotionally different roles as possible." She explained, "In ballet it's important to try new things. Dancing different roles is an artistic development. If one stops developing artistically, then even the audience can sense this and will wonder what's wrong with the dancer."
Lunkina's favourite partner in the Bolshoi is Sergei Filin. Her role models are "Maximova, Ulanova and Plisetskaya." And what about Western ballerinas? "Monique Loudieres, she is a good friend of mine. Sylvie Guillem in some roles, e.g. 'Grand Pas Classique'. She is really unique."
I also wondered if she has any contact at all with the Kirov Ballet, the Bolshoi's illustrious rival. "I am a friend of Svetlana Zakharova," Lunkina told me.
Turning to 20th century choreographers, Lunkina said, "I admire Balanchine the most. I really admired his "Symphony in C" when I watched it. But since I got to dance in this ballet, I have come to admire it even more. I have discovered things that I didn't see as a spectator. The ballet is so thoroughly thought out, so perfect that only an exceptional choreographer can manage it." Interestingly Lunkina compared this Balanchine masterpiece to "The Sleeping Beauty". "I find that my role in the first movement of "Symphony in C" is a good preparation for me to dance "The Sleeping Beauty". I danced the first movement, but people kept saying that I am more suited to the second movement. Although "Symphony in C" and "Beauty" are different ballets, they are really similar in style."
Lunkina was most enthusiastic on Balanchine's choreography based on her own experience. "The very special feature of Balanchine's choreography is that it makes you feel your body right up to your fingers and toes! Balanchine's choreography has helped me to feel more confident about my body."
It is gratifying to learn too that Lunkina has a lot of outside interests, and that she has an interesting life outside the dance world. "I like different types of music, especially Russian traditional music. I don't go to the cinema much, but I watch videos of movies, depending on the stars. I love going to museums too, especially when I need an emotional preparation for certain roles. I also like to spend time taking a walk." Lunkina also plays the guitar. "I really adore Russian romantic guitar music."
I asked if she has actually guested with any company outside the Bolshoi. "Not yet. I don't consider myself that strong technically yet, and I am convinced that there are some technical mistakes that I need to work hard to correct. In order to guest with a foreign company, it's important to be professionally strong. Also one must at least have a repertory. I don't yet have sufficient experience."
Still, I am curious as to what companies Lunkina hopes to guest with in future. "The Paris Opera Ballet, Royal Ballet, and New York City Ballet" was her answer.
At the end of our two-hour interview, Lunkina mentioned about her schedule in the near future. "I will be dancing in "Symphony in C" again when I am back in Moscow. We will be rehearsed by Tatiana Terekhova (a former Kirov ballerina), who rehearsed us when this ballet was first staged in Moscow last season. And Maximova will work with me on "The Sleeping Beauty" which I'll dance in spring."
To follow the blossoming of Svetlana Lunkina's artistry in her exciting career ahead should prove a joy not only for the Bolshoi Ballet fans, but for balletomanes all over the world as well.
http://www.ballet.co.uk/magazines/yr_00 ... unkina.htm
