Pas de drama

I love ballet. I also love gossipy tell-alls from bitter ex-employees. So when the Globe and Mail had an interview with James Kudelka, the former artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada, they combined the two, and the results were pure, bitchy fabulousness.

There's so much that I like about the article. Here are some of the best bits:

His nickname for the National Ballet is "the evil empire." Meow.

He says that "dance is not a lively art any more, particularly in Toronto." Meow!

On his replacement, Karen Kain: "Karen is more attractive than I am, which makes her a formidable fundraiser." - Meow, meow, meow!

Note to Kudelka: Ad hominem attacks in a national newspaper may not be a good idea if you ever need a letter of reference from your former bosses. Although, he did call Kain attractive, and I'm unsure of whether that's really an insult or a compliment. Whatever it is, it's definitely sexist. And true. Karen Kain is beautiful.

Now that he's stepped down as artistic director and his position as resident choreographer has ended, he's distanced himself from the ballet. He hasn't even gone to see a performance at the new opera house. He recently opened up a bakery near Lake Erie, which is about as far away from dance as you can get. Perhaps after years in the ballet world, first as a dancer and then as a choreographer, he's decided that he deserves to indulge in the fatty goodness of croissants.

And frankly, considering that many of his problems with the company related to budget fights, I think that running a business may help him understand that compromises on artistic quality are sometimes necessary. The ballet, despite its government funding and donations, is still subject to the market, and I think that artists should appreciate that more. And I also hope that Kudelka finds his way back to the ballet world. His version of A Merry Widow is amazing.