Blaze of Glory

Thrilling, expansive, heroic—few styles are as distinctive as the Bolshoi’s. So there was intense buzz last January when Southern California’s Segerstrom Center for the Arts presented “Reflections,” a showcase for seven remarkable ballerinas who all trained at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy. The stars flew in from around the ballet world to rehearse and perform work by cutting-edge choreographers like Aszure Barton, Jorma Elo and Mauro Bigonzetti, some of it tailor-made to their talents. Several dancers had not been in the same studio since they graduated, making a unique event also a reunion. In true Bolshoi style, the dancers unhesitatingly pushed the envelope in new work.