Bolshoi Theatre, literally translated – the grand theatre – is a highly reputed opera and ballet houses. The ballet company was created in 1776 by Prince Pyotr Ouroussoff and Michael Maddox by order of the empress Katarina II. Having more than 250 members, the Bolshoi Ballet is one of the most prestigious classical dance company in the world. It inspires amateurs of ballet and gathers the greatest dancers of the former USSR.
In 2005, the Bolshoi of Moscow was only a shadow of its glorious past; the facades covered with stains, the foundations crumbling, and the sparkle fading. During six years, architects, engineers and builders have joined hands in order make the biggest face lift, which the media calls “the construction site of the century”. In 2011, the Bolshoi gave carte blanche to three photographers: Peter Lindbergh, Sarah Moon and Gérard Uféras, and edited a book in order to celebrate its re-opening. This collectors’ book was given as a gift only to the special guests of the re-opening gala, and the pictures were never exhibited before until now.
The images by Gérard Uféras, now presented at Uppsala Foto Festival, follow the same line as other works he has produced in the past twenty years in the world of Opera, theatre and ballet. He has lived the life of dancers’ day in and day out, assisting classes in the mornings, then going to repetitions and finally performances in the evening. Uféras is here fascinated by the theatre and its backstage, and therefore he tries to recreate the magic which surrounds whomever passes the artists’ entrance to this world ruled by passion for dance and the magic spell of the theatre.
Gérard Uféras, Bolshoi Song
Uppsala Foto Festival
September 21-24, 2017
Uppsala, Sweden
