The Bolshoi Ballet

January, 1969

The Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow and the Kirov in Leningrad enjoy a status unknown to any other troupe in the world-they are, in fact, a national pastime. "The pride these cities take in their companies," says roving artist LeRoy Neiman, "exceeds Green Bay's regard for the Packers. When natives of Moscow and Leningrad meet while vacationing in the Crimea, the discussions of the relative merits of their companies reach the shouting point and beyond." From the czars to the commissa...