Photo: The Golden Age, the role Boris. A ballet created on Irek as an exemplar of Soviet courage and daring, fea. Natalya-Bessmertnova.
Okay, this is my opinion but obviously it affects the way I view other dancers. For me, Mr M. sets the "Gold Standard" for males in ballet. If a dancer can give me even 1/10th of what Mr M. has then he's done a good job. I am only posting the link to my review of the Mayerling ballet that was posted on The Winger several months ago.
What I like about Irek Mukhamedov is his extraordinary ability to emote & partner many different ballerinas.
Here is an old published dance review of Irek that I just found today, but it basically echoes what I feel about this dancer.
Irek Mukhamedov is his own kind of dancer: an artist, a phenomenon, a force, a man. Noting this, Bolshoi Ballet's Yuri Grigorovich cast him as the noble slave Spartacus, and, when creating one of his major works, The Golden Age, set on him the role of Boris, the ballet's exemplar of Soviet courage and daring. Later, the Royal Ballet's Sir Kenneth MacMillan found Mukhamedov similarly inspiring. Here, he sensed, was that rare danseur who could breathe life into his most psychologically complex works, an artist with an uncommon capacity to infuse a role with fire, nuance, and meaning.
From the start, Mukhamedov has known how to thrill, bestir, and astonish, how to match the sheer power of successive barrel turns with a stunning abundance of emotion conveyed through fingers, hands, and eyes. As much a painstakingly schooled and skilled technician as an elemental force, he rivets audiences with a combination of physical power, raw emotion, and magnetism equaled by few dancers. Above all, he is blessed with the artist's fundamental gift: an ability to reveal himself at will, and by so doing, to take his audience anywhere he wants it to go.
From the start, Mukhamedov has known how to thrill, bestir, and astonish, how to match the sheer power of successive barrel turns with a stunning abundance of emotion conveyed through fingers, hands, and eyes. As much a painstakingly schooled and skilled technician as an elemental force, he rivets audiences with a combination of physical power, raw emotion, and magnetism equaled by few dancers. Above all, he is blessed with the artist's fundamental gift: an ability to reveal himself at will, and by so doing, to take his audience anywhere he wants it to go.
I've had to revise this post over time from greatest to a great male dancer as I've now seen a fair number of amazing ballerinos over the years. For me, Mr M. still sets the gold standard for males in ballet.
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