BALLET HEADLINERS OF THE YEAR From the Desk of Genevieve Bresson, Jean-Etienne Flamand, Luba Terechenko, Vladimir Pedrovich and Florence Desmoulins

A WORLD LEGEND IS WITHOUT A JOB!! WHAT A SHAME!! By Theodore Balle

The promise of an extended career on the artistic staff of the Boston Ballet ended quickly for Eva Evdokimova. The world-renowned ballerina and ballet teacher who served the Boston Ballet as ballet mistress this past season was fired for economic reasons less than a year after being brought to Boston by new Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen. The layoff occurred immediately after the May 11 matinee of Boston Ballet's ``Romeo and Juliet'' when Evdokimova received word that Nissinen wanted to speak to her. Evdokimova, making rare appearances during the run as Lady Capulet, was shocked when Nissinen told her he had decided to eliminate her position. ``He told me that he felt very badly,'' Evdokimova said,``but, due to the company being in, I think, several million more dollars shortfall or debt, I'm not quite sure what words he used, he was forced to cut my position on the artistic staff. ``You know, several times during the year at our artistic staff meetings, we were assured that our positions would be guaranteed for the next year. In April, (Nissinen) assured us all that it would not affect the jobs of the artistic staff.'' Contacted for comment, Nissinen replied, ``Due to a difficult economic climate, all arts organizations nationwide are cutting back. This staff cut was made strictly due to financial difficulties.'' When Nissinen announced Evdokimova's appointment last June along with those of the other artistic staff members (Trinidad Vives, Raymond Lukens and Anthony Randazzo), he described all of them as ``among the world's finest teachers,'' and said their ``talent and expertise will be an amazing addition to the company, and an extraordinary gift to the dancers.'' Evdokimova is the only member of the present artistic staff, however, whose position has been eliminated. Undisputedly one of the world's finest ballet teachers, Evdokimova is also one of the most acclaimed performers in recent history. Born in 1948, she was the first American to win a gold medal at the 1970 International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria. She went on to dance with such prominent companies as the Royal Danish Ballet, The Kirov, Paris Opera Ballet, American Ballet Theater and National Ballet of Canada, to mention only a few. While at the Berlin Opera Ballet, she was given the prestigious title ``Prima Ballerina'' by the German government. Her accomplishments in both the classic and modern repertory, performed in so many different countries, finally earned her the additional title ``Assoluta'' (absolute), an honor reserved for few artists in the dance world. She is the subject of a 1982 biography by German author Annemarie Kleinert. Evdokimova said Nissinen approached her in early 2002 to join his company. ``He had heard of me from many sources,'' said Evdokimova. ``In Europe, Russia and Japan, I am known as one of the top in my field. I have danced hundreds of performances with Nureyev, and I still have a huge reputation.''

After coming on board in August 2002, she says she was satisfied with the working environment. ``There was a lot of work to be done, and so many talented members of the company. I tried to be, in every way, an equal team member. I felt from the very beginning, though, that my past achievements were totally hushed over, I think, and the (Boston Ballet) board members, most of the company, the press and the dance public were totally uninformed about my international stature,'' Evdokimova said. Ballet public relations manager Tiffany Kehayoglou said, ``Ms. Evdokimova was highlighted in many marketing and press materials, an announcement was released about her arrival, her photo, info, and announcement of her arrival, along with the other new artistic staff members, appeared in our fall issue of Sightlines, and we included a quote from her in the `Onegin' press release. ``The writer of Sightlines wanted to write a larger story about Ms. Evdokimova, but Ms. Evdokimova was unavailable to meet with the writer on many occasions, which conflicted with deadlines for the publication.'' Unhappy with the May 11 verbal dismissal, Evdokimova's husband and manager, Michael Gregori, requested written notification from Boston Ballet administration. On May 13, Evdokimova said she received letters from both Nissinen and the company's executive director, Valerie Wilder. Wilder's letter describes Boston Ballet as ``an imperiled organization,'' and continues on, saying, ``artistic excellence requires a platform of financial stability. We do not have that stability, and at this point the company's future is far from certain. Every decision we have made has been given considerable and deliberate thought. This has been an extremely difficult one.'' Evdokimova says she responded to Nissinen in writing, requesting a severance package that equals at least what members of the corps de ballet receive, namely, three months' paid salary from the date of dismissal. ``As well, I asked for moving costs (to New York City) and one month of health insurance, because I don't know if I'll have any health insurance for a while,'' she said. She says Jack Feivou, Boston Ballet's chief operating officer and director of artistic operations, replied instead of Nissinen, offering her four weeks paid salary, $2,000 for reimbursement of relocation expenses, and exemption from the one- or two-week salary furloughs that have been implemented throughout the organization. Evdokimova hasn't yet accepted the package, but says at the present time she is not contemplating legal action against Boston Ballet.