Metropolitan Classical Ballet Recent Reviews

Alexander Vetrov commands the ballet
Friday, February 20, 2004

By MARGARET PUTNAM / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News

ARLINGTON - Alexander Vetrov flips on the ballet tape, moves to the barre and begins the day. On this cold January morning, he's doing two things at once - teaching company class for Ballet Arlington and keeping in shape himself. The few corrections he gives are mostly in English, for the benefit of the three American dancers, with Russian remarks aimed at the nine Russians. The steps, of course, are all French.

The novelty of an outpost of Russian ballet in Arlington still fascinates local dance lovers. They've come to appreciate what that means: well-trained dancers, frequent guest artists from abroad and a repertory that includes 20th-century Russian works seldom seen in the United States.

As co-artistic director, with Paul Mejia, Mr. Vetrov has wide-ranging responsibilities. He teaches, selects the repertory with Mr. Mejia, stages ballets and still performs. At this stage of his career, the 42-year-old former principal dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet works hard to cram it all in.

Next weekend, one of his most ambitious projects, the full-length Creation of the World, makes its Texas debut. Originally created for the Bolshoi in 1971, the piece was prohibited because of its religious motif. Choreographers Natalya Kasatkina and Vladimir Vasilyov offered it to the Kirov Ballet, where Mikhail Baryshnikov danced Adam in its premiere.

"I like everything about the ballet - the story, the music, the choreography," Mr. Vetrov says.

Modest and unassuming, Mr. Vetrov puts his passion into dance. His parents, both members of the Bolshoi, discouraged him from pursuing their difficult career. But he persisted. "You have to fire your soul," he says. He auditioned for the Moscow Academic School when he was 10. "I was a very thin boy, with long legs," he says. "I wasn't outstanding at first. I would spend the summer at the Black Sea with my mother and jump on the sand to make my legs strong."

Those long, strong legs propelled him into the Bolshoi, where his soaring leaps and whiplike turns - along with his tall, imposing carriage - made him a natural for classical roles. He excelled in dramatic parts.

As he got older, he danced less. "I was in perfect shape, but I'd perform once and then wait two months before the next ballet. The director did not want me to dance elsewhere as a guest, either."

"I never wanted to leave Russia," he says, but when asked to join Ballet International Indianapolis in 1997, he changed his mind.

Later, Ballet Arlington discovered him, and for two years he appeared as a guest. He joined Ballet Arlington as principal dancer in 2000, and in 2002 the ballet board asked him and Mr. Mejia to become artistic directors. His wife, Yelena Borisova, another former Bolshoi dancer, directs Ballet Arlington Academy. Their 10-year-old son, Glen, danced the role of Fritz in The Nutcracker in December, but Glen is more interested in gymnastics than ballet.

"I will choreograph when I am no longer dancing, because you need time, ideas and music," Mr. Vetrov says. He maintains close connections with the Bolshoi and returns to Russia regularly. There, he scouts for new music, choreography, décor, and of course, dancers.