The key facts

  • The most difficult work for Klinsky was the second act — the hell scene
  • The choreographer built the scene together with the dancers, relying on their images and individuality
  • He staged the first and third acts with ready-made material

The hell scene proved to be the most difficult episode of the production

Choreographer Igor Klinsky said that while working on Mephistopheles at the Bolshoi Theatre, the most difficult part for him was staging the second act. According to him, the material for the first and third acts he brought to rehearsals already finished and understood the course of the working process, whereas in the second act the task was to build 'complete chaos' — showing many different actions on stage at the same time without destroying the overall rhythm. Klinsky spoke about this in an interview with Life.ru, as noted by Gazeta.Ru.

How the scene was built

'When we were making hell, I said: Guys, now we will create this scene together. It is important for me to rely on your images, characters, and each person's individuality,' Gazeta.Ru quoted the choreographer as saying. He admitted that he had starting points and 'pictures in his head,' but the hell scene required 'a great deal of everything, all different at once.' Klinsky also noted that he took much into the work from the dancers and their capabilities: he paid attention to the dancers' hypermobile shoulders, and during the casting — to their height.