Vasiliev's dance is like a choreographic melody - flowing movements, a plastic cantilena. It may be either passionate, or heroic, or nostalgically thoughtful. And it always carries within it great depth of thought and power of feeling.


I have never seen a dancer like Vasiliev. He has everything: virtuosity, technique, dramatic talent, versatility and strength.

The person for whom my admiration knows no bounds is Volodiya Vasiliev. (...) Vasiliev stands considerably higher both in terms of the potential of his technique, his intellect and culture than the greatest of my "gods": Mordkin, Volinin, Nijinsky and others. To the halo of this outstandingly talented artist should be added a marvelous character, keen powers of observation, curiosity and the gifts of a choreographer.

Volodiya Vasiliev dances not just with his entire body, but with its every cell. His dance pulsates with rhythm, fire and explosive force. This is not just a matter of a lavishly endowed temperament, it is an intelligent, victorious battle waged by classical, virtuoso form against the bubbling-up like-lava and irrepressibly passionate energy of dance.

In using the word "God" in relation to Vasiliev I have in mind... a miracle in art, perfection... In terms of his versatility, there is no one to compare with him. His predecessors lacked such a broad range of potential... He is tenor, and baritone and, if you like, bass.

When Vladimir Vasiliev "flies" it is poetry, for what we have here is an upsurge of the spirit. He is a dancer, with perfect technique and a sensitive feel for the music, who takes possession of the stage, painting a vivid picture on it in a free sweep, as the artist does with his brush. The ability to "converse" in this way is what the profession of artist is all about.

"Vladimir Vasiliev's Spartacus... At the age of twenty eight he created a role which immediately joined the select ranks of performances pos- sessing a universally cultural and timeless significance, such as Anna Pavlova's Swan, Galina Ulanova's Juiliet, May a Plisetskaya's Carmen. It has the same high mission: to comprehend the world and through dance, plasticity to give expression to this comprehension... ...At rehearsals too, Vasiliev demonstrates the same fine standards and impetuosity. He infects, electrifies those who surround him with his spiritual energy, his indomitable willpower.



VLADIMIR VASILIEV - one of the Bolshoi Theatre's most brilliant stars, he epitomizes its worldwide fame and history. Having linked his life and work with Russia, Vladimir Vasiliev, today, personifies the nation's talent. I admire him not only as a dancer of genius, but also as a person to whom God has given universal gifts - the ability to paint, write verse and the special gift of being a sincere and faithful friend. With all my heart I wish for Vladimir Vasiliev, my friend, a most noble Human being, who has retained in full measure all the passion of youth and an irrepressible energy, many long years of creative work

The century has come to an end and we are in no doubt: Vasiliev is its number one dancer, be represents a height of perfection that is unobtainable to others. He belongs to the chosen few who are responsible for the century's highest achievements, its groundbreaking discoveries. For me the secret of Vasiliev's art, lies in his phenomenal plasticity, in his ability to invest each movement, each gesture with maximum dramatic power. His body possesses infinite plastic powers of expression. This cannot be put down to the dancer's acting ability. It is a quality shared only by music. When dancing love, Vasiliev radiates passion and tenderness with all his being and, in heroic roles - energy, strength and unheard of courage. His versatility is limitless. A divine plasticity...Think of the movements of Michelangelo's figures in the Medici Chapel. They are equivalent in terms of their dramatic expression and the intense charge of their feeling to Shakespeare's tragedies. Do you love Vladimir Vasiliev as much as I do? If you do, then you and I are kindred spirits.

For me, Vladimir Vasiliev - with his mighty talent, boldness, openness, his kindness and his rage, his inability to compromise and his wisdom -is the personification of the true Russian man. It is quite possible that it is his art of which the Bard sang: "[His] song is irreproachable - it speaks for itself: To the delight of his friends and the dismay of his foes". He has been blessed by God who, certainly, will never forsake him. I have deep respect for him and I love him dearly.

Vladimir Vasiliev has been very generously endowed by nature. He is a great dancer and actor: the best dancer in the world of his generation. Although he does not look on himself as such. People raved over his performances and cried. He was the first person, at the beginning of the 70's, to produce ergei Slonimsky's 'Icare", at a time when this music was virtually banned -and he won the battle! Extraordinary plasticity! When we conceived of the ballet, "The Creation of the World", we had Maksimova and Vasiliev in mind for the lead roles. What a pity we were not destined to create the ballet for him....As a dancer, Vasiliev was always extremely demanding of himself, he would not tolerate imperfection in dance. During the shooting of our television film, "Choreographic Novellas", we did 18 takes of the first sequence of a fragment from "The Creation of the World": he would go on rehearsing until the dance had become perfect. Everything Vasiliev does, he does with passion, he gives himself totally to what he is doing. It was with this sense of commitment that, in 1995, he took over the artistic directorship of the Bolshoi Theatre. And it was with similar passion that be set about building a bouse next to ours at Snegiry, here his concern was for the landscape into which the house was to be set. He writes verse and paints. He was the best diver, the best football and volley-ball player in the Theatre. Our wish for Vladimir Vasiliev is that he should preserve for many long years ahead this passionate attitude to life and to everything that life may give him.