- I've performed all classical ballet pieces. Corsair is one of the pieces that has been the most rewarding for me. There are works I enjoy performing, others not so much, and I have to pretend I like them. I had a very nice experience in Vienna, where I had already performed in Fille mal gardee, Swan Lake and Giselle. One day, the director told me we were scheduled to stage Don Quixote at year's end. I am not a fan of Quixote, it's not my favorite ballet piece, and, six months before the performance, I was already having nightmares, obsessed with the fact I had to dance in this piece.The thing is, I am a blue prince kind of dancer, that's my style, it's what I strive to do. Dancing in lyrical pieces is much easier for me than taking on any other kind of work. At the time, I thought my best performances were in works with these characteristics. After I had performed in Quixote in Vienna, the audience and my friends came up to me after the show and said to me: "Vladimir, your best work to date by far is Don Quixote."
- Something quite interesting happened when I finished school. I wasn't admitted into the Bolshoi, but into the second most important ballet company in the country. At the time, everyone was asking themselves why I hadn't been admitted into the top ballet academy in Russia. It wasn't because of anything related to my dancing, as one would suppose. I wasn't accepted at the Bolshoi quite simply because I was Ukrainian - they were set on only admitting Russian-born dancers at the time. As time went by, it happened that things started going very well for me at the company I was dancing in - I was winning the most important ballet competitions in the world. It was then that the Bolshoi called me to offer me a contract, and I replied it was too late: "You turned me down the first chance you had and now I don't want to work with you." You only get one opportunity. If you miss it, you miss it.
- As you can see, I am an open person, and not evil, so there are gaps between me and Carabosse - and this is the biggest problem. But I am really looking forward to seeing Mizuka dance Princess Aurora with Dan Tsukamoto as the prince. I also picked the young dancers Mamiko Kawashima and super-talented Hideo Kishimoto (respectively) for those roles, and I'm expecting so much of them.
- I'm a classical dancer, but my mind and my heart are open and I am willing to take on just about every kind of artistic endeavor, especially dance-related. For me, it is important that people enjoy what they dance. Seeing any type of dance performed with love and affection fills me with joy. I've performed every classical ballet role. As I've grown older, I've realized that it's easier for me to dance more contemporary pieces now. You have to be very precise and exact to do classical ballet. I've already passed that stage, it's behind me now. I'm starting to enjoy contemporary works by choreographers who create pieces for me, who create new pieces for me to perform. It's very important for me that, at the end of my career, people say I was a flawless classical dancer and that I left the ballet scene at the right time, when I was still performing well. I want to be remembered as a good classical dancer. I don't want people to retain the image of an emaciated dancer who ceased enjoying what he did, which is more or less what happened to Rudolf Nureyev, someone who didn't know when to end his career.
- Yet though it's hard work taking care of many dancers, I enjoy it very much. And as I have danced many works with many partners during my career, I can put all my experiences into teaching.
- When I give energy to the audience, they give it to me. In the past, that's made me dance better and jump higher, and I thank god for those wonderful years. Still now I try to do my best as my physical condition permits.
- "In my free time when I'm not taking classes or conducting rehearsals, I like to go to theaters and museums - or just go shopping and visit different parts of the city" .
- And at work, I have my Malakhov Cuisine Hour every Monday, when I cook for the dancers and staff - and they seem to love it! I've made burgers, pate, borscht and lots of other things, and I am so happy to cook for my friends. I always wanted to do this one day - and finally, in Tokyo, it's happened.
- I was lucky to have one teacher train me the first 8 years of my career. This rarely happens. At the Bolshoi, you generally go through different teachers. This helped me grow as an artist and dancer. Having the same ballet teacher for so long helps to define you as a dancer, and I am grateful, because, to a great extent, this teacher helped me become who I am on stage today.
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