Stuart Macbeth meets the man mapping Russian steps

‘I was part of the great mechanism bound for success,” says Sergei Bobrov, reflecting on his time as principal dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet in the 1980s. “It’s a feeling that’s still present now I work with the Russian State Ballet.”

Bobrov has held the artistic directorship of the company since 2002. Now 51, he’s known to have grand ambitions for it. The Russian State Ballet has seized worldwide acclaim for its unique interpretations of dramatic and comic roles. Bobrov’s dancers deliver performances of stunning emotional and dramatic integrity. They’ve been in the UK since January, conducting their 13th UK tour in as many years. It’s a gruelling schedule.

More than 40 dancers and 30 musicians will arrive at the New Theatre next week. All are expected to share Bobrov’s enthusiasm and passion for classical ballet. They’ve travelled from Krasnoyarsk in Siberia, where temperatures can sink below -40C. “On a typical day I’ll work with the team from 10 in the morning and until the end of the evening perfor-mance or rehea-rsal. But there is a rest on the days when we stage ballet. While the dancers rest, I work with the art workshops, because each performance requires very spectacular costumes and scenery. So my workload is non-stop from morning until late evening.”

How does being on a UK tour compare? “During a tour like this everything is clear and calm, because we come completely prepared. My task here is only to maintain the quality. However, there are a great number of performances when we come to the UK compared to the number we stage at home in Krasnoyarsk. So it’s not easy.”

Next week in Oxford the company performs Swan Lake and La Fille Mal Gardée, both big hits when the Russian State Ballet has toured the UK in the past. How does Bobrov select the ballets to be performed? “Well, it’s been 13 years now so we are strongly attached to the tastes of the British audience. Swan Lake is always popular. In fact Rothbart, the evil genius in Swan Lake, was also my favourite role to perform as a dancer.”

“La Fille Mal Gardée is a comic ballet in which true love crushes all obstacles — even a mother’s wish to marry her daughter to a rich fiancé. It’s one of the oldest ballets still in frequent performance today.”

When he choreographs works like these for the Russian State Ballet how long does the process take?

“From the moment of conception of the idea to realisation of the performance, it will take around a year and half. For example, my first conversation about The Snow Maiden with our promoter Raymond Gubbay took place last year, and the premiere will be held in the UK in December.”

The soloists and corps de ballet in Bobrov’s productions are renowned. The costumes are dazzling. It’s an impressive spectacle, especially for young people training to dance, who would delight to be on that stage with the company. What would Bobrov advise a young ballerina aiming for a career as a dancer?

“Be totally focused on the profession. I’d advise them to work very hard and try to meet and work with masters. Most importantly, to dance well you should try as hard as possible to get up and dance on the stage in front of an audience.”

Russian State Ballet: La Fille Mal Gardée & Swan Lake
New Theatre, Oxford
La Fille Mal Gardée, Monday, 7.30pm
Swan Lake, Tuesday 7.30pm, Wednesday 2.30 and 7.30pm