Aside from the big-name stars, perhaps the truest indicator of a company's strength is the quality of its corps de ballet. In Giselle, the members of the Kirov corps glow while portraying a band of the ghosts of jilted women who entice men into a mesmerizing dance to the death under the moonlight. In these moments the Kirov corps resembles a field of corn being wafted by a gentle breeze, a perfectly matched body of dancers breathing and moving together. If there is one flaw with this company, it is that production details are frequently regarded as being of minor importance. Costumes are often poorly designed and made of low-quality materials.
Some costumes look as though they have been borrowed from an amateur production.
Write it off as arrogance or stinginess, but the exceptional quality of the dancing makes audiences largely blind to these shortcomings. Two years ago, the problems facing the Kirov were far less transparent than an inexpensive overskirt. Artistic director Oleg Vinogradov was physically attacked twice and never went anywhere without bodyguards. Rumors surfaced that the Russian Mafiya had interests in the ballet company and were trying to remove him. As several dancers attempted to wrest control from a weakened Vinogradov, the company suffered from an almost disastrous lack of direction.