The Influence Of Osipova

I think a great dancer--even one coming in from an alien tradition--always contributes in substantial ways to the artistic life or "health" of a company. (I prefer the term "life" to "health.") I imagine many ballet fans would have lot to say about which dancers' departures would most impact their favorite companies too.

I don't think the Royal needs Osipova or, in the past, "needed" Guillem. But having a remarkable external talent also has an impact on a company. In fact, I should think it's likelier to be a healthy impact when the company has talent from within its traditions that are keeping those traditions strong. But the days seem long past when everyone at the Royal had uniform training and backgrounds -- in that context, bringing Osipova always seemed to me a rather imaginative gesture that has added to the company's life. And based on what I
Her being a "star" means (I think) that she has a lot of charisma--something I must admit I never hold against a dancer
No...Just to be crystal clear I don't think she is above criticism: I thought her Giselle with the Mikhailovsky in NY fell a wee bit short of what I had seen her dance at ABT; it seemed a touch less spontaneous, and she added a jumping detail that seemed strange to me during her Act II entrance as well -- folding her legs up underneath her skirt. It did make her look as if she were flying through the air on an invisible magic carpet and yet I'm not sure the artifice of the jump wasn't too apparent. She also had less chemistry with her partner than I had seen her have with Hallberg. With the Royal in New York the wildness of her Titania seemed to me very true to Ashton's vision (more so than the Victorian Picture postcard I've seen from other ballerinas in the role) but at least one of the performances I saw was something much less than