Just Keep Swimming: "Buddha" at the Bolshoi Ballet Workshops

I went on a cool behind-the-scenes-tour of the workshops where the sets and shoes are made for the Bolshoi Ballet with the AWO yesterday.

The building where they do all this amazing stuff is totally non-descript and you would really never know from the outside. Not to mention, it's only about 10 or 15 minutes walking from our apartment. Right in the center of Moscow!

Building exterior for the Bolshoi Workshops. Pretty basic and indistinguishable from any other building in the neighborhood.

First stop on the tour was a huge room where they design and paint all the sets / backdrops. Apparently it's unique in that it has windows on 3 sides and allows the artists to get a bird's eye view of things from the "catwalks" as they work.

catwalk

angels and clouds for upcoming premiere of Bolshoi's Cosi fan Tutti Mozart opera

Babushka with strange underbite showing us the to-scale models for the backdrops being worked on (see above).

Another interesting and very odd stop on the tour (probably the most interesting, really :-)) was a visit with the "Buddha" who, for 22 years, has made 4 pairs of pointe shoes per day, by hand. Each pair is custom-made for a specific ballerina using a mold of her feet. See photos below to understand immediately why he's called the "Buddha."

No words. Just LOOK at this guy. See why he's called the "Buddha?"

And why oh why does the shirt need to be open!?

layers of netting and special homemade glue in the toe area

carefully eyeing his work

tap, tap, tapping to smooth it all out

finished product

The dancers are so rough on the shoes that the shoes this guy makes only last for one performance (if that) or for a few days of practice.

BIG pile of dead pointe shoes (photo credit: google images).

On the other hand, we were also told that many of the Russian dancers are now buying American-made high-tech pointe shoes that are lighter, quieter, more comfortable, machine-washable and last for months at a time. Needless to say, the local Russian artisans like the Buddha are not happy about this shift.

That's right, made in U.S.A.!

Gaynor Minden is one of the popular American high-tech brands.

“It is wonderful to dance all day with comfortable feet, and to have that extra ease in balancing. What I especially love about Gaynor Mindens is no noise! I am free to jump with as much power and brilliance as I possibly can because I know my landings will be soft and delicate. - Natalia Osipova, Soloist, Bolshoi Ballet”

We were then shown the costume workshop rooms. These were not very exciting because the Bolshoi is in between premieres and the seamstresses were just sitting around doing nothing.

Babushka seamstress reading.

newspaper and tools of the trade

Last but not least, we saw the printing presses which they use to print all the posters and programs for every ballet and opera at the Bolshoi. So interesting that they still do all this (pointe shoes, costumes, sets, programs) in-house and in such a small, unmarked building! The main press for large-sized posters and programs is from 1905 and is from Germany.