Beguiling tales of legendary male dancers are the backbone of gossip among balletomanes. It’s the one thing we have in common – fond memories of great nights at the ballet. Did Njinksy really seem to fly when he leapt through the window in Le Spectre de la Rose? I never saw Njinsky, but I did see Baryshnikov’s London debut (Coppelia pas de deux) when his soaring leaps drew gasps from the audience. Soon afterwards he defected to the West. Likewise, Rudolf Nureyev who excited the Royal Ballet audience in the 60s in the Corsair pas de deux when he seemed to stop mid-air and hover in the first three jumps in his variation. Well now we have new legend in the making – Ivan Vassilief, the young superstar of the Bolshoi, who has amazed London audiences with his electrifying performances. In Spartacus his stunning leaps, turning like a helicopter, his back arched mid-air and blazing passion brought the house down at Covent Garden. Romans versus Thracians, this overblown ballet may be vulgar to some, but there can be no doubt about the glory of Vassilief’s mesmerising performance in the title role. He knows no fear, his charisma fills the theatre, he also acts in the air, and technical boundaries don’t exist. The Daily’s were ecstatic and the season sold out overnight.
      Vassilief has an advantage over his legendary predecessors. He has a partner who is technically his equal, the young superstar ballerina, Natalya Osipova. She too can do anything; soaring jumps, diamond-cut pirouettes, dazzling fouettes and fine acting (Giselle). But it was in Don Quixote, as the runaway lovers, that they surpassed all expectations. Never has Act One been so exciting as, tongue-in-cheek, they relished out-doing each other. Gasp after gasp in the audience and applause all the way. In the final Grand pas they topped their own stunning pyrotechnics in Act One; Osipova with 32 fouettes fired up with multiple turns, Vassilief ending his solo with humanly impossible (until now) travelling pirouettes through the air. Do I sound as if I’m going over the top? Find out where they are dancing next and book your plane tickets now.
      Olympian dancing it is on a technical level, but what makes it so exciting is the combination of prodigious technical prowess and supreme artistry. In Don Quixote they were full of joy, having fun devouring the stage, each with a smile that would light up Piccadilly Circus. But at all times they were on top form musically with an impeccable line and involved in telling the story. They became their characters, Kitri and Basilio in a ballet which has gained a reputation as a lumbering warhorse. But now we have seen it anew, as it might have been at the Bolshoi and the Kirov long before our time.
      Le Corsair was equally transformed, not only by Osipova and Vassilief, but also in a fine new production by Bolshoi director, Alexei Ratmansky and Yuri Buriaka. Designed by Boris Kaminsky, this is the Bolshoi as we have never seen it before – luscious sets in good taste. But the main joy is the original Petipa choreography for Act Three (Le Jardin Anime) which has been restored and is a revelation. Le Jardin Anime is a ballet within a ballet, as is The Kingdom of the Shades in La Bayadere. Again we have the full corps in white costumes in, and I say it respectfully, a Busby Berkeley spectacular. A huge cast, garlands galore, real fountains and Osipova assuming the grand manner as the prima ballerina. In Act one, Osipova had thrilled us in the famous Corsair pas de deux, partnered by Vassilief; and, yes, in his solo the first jump drew gasps, the second more gasp and applause on the third. From Osipova more dazzling fouettes which she could perform on a sixpence, at the end looking as if she could do it all over again. No wonder they were applauded as they entered the Ivy Restaurant less than hour later, fashionably groomed without a hair out of place.
      In Giselle, Osipova showed us what a fine dance-actress she is. In Act One, totally convincing the mad scene. In Act Two, ethereal, airborne and of course technically assured.
Max Farber