Posted on 05/10/2005 1:31:42 PM PDT by lizol
Poles shun Bolshoi over 'slight'
Russia's famed Bolshoi Ballet has cut short a tour of Poland after tensions with Moscow boiled over into a boycott of its performances by local fans. Mass ticket cancellations followed protests at the absence of a mention of Poland's war role at the WWII 60th anniversary victory parade in Moscow.
But President Aleksander Kwasniewski played down reports that Polish veterans had been slighted.
A Polish impresario for the Bolshoi said the boycott was "scandalous".
"It is scandalous to mix politics and art," Cezary Szyjko told AFP news agency.
Tour organiser Wojciech Wojtanowski told Reuters news agency that six of the remaining 15 shows had been cancelled.
"Ticket sales dropped faster and faster as the date of the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow approached," he said.
"Even though Poles love the Bolshoi Theatre, they decided to boycott the show."
'Other nations'
Polish opposition politicians had criticised President Kwasniewski for attending Monday's events in Moscow, which were attended by about 50 national leaders.
Correspondents say their indignation grew even further when Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to mention by name Polish forces, who fought on different fronts throughout the war.
In his speech on Red Square, Mr Putin mentioned the US, UK and France, and then referred to "other nations of the anti-Hitler coalition and German and Italian anti-fascists".
Returning to Warsaw, Mr Kwasniewski told reporters there was "no reason to think that Poland and Polish veterans were presented badly or falsely" in Moscow.
Ties with Russia, he said, had been strained by "Poland's and the European Union's involvement in solving the Ukrainian [election] crisis" last year.
Calling for the "best possible relations" with Moscow, he warned against "irresponsible statements or actions".
What a shame. These dancers have nothing to do with what the Russian goverment has done.
I'm sure that Russians are terrified :)
I think that the people have a right to expect the oppressors to treat them as exslaves rather than as ongoing paths for their feet.
I hope that the Poles rise up as a people and demand the respect they deserve.
Ping
Lizol I propose that out of protest poles would stop to read Dostoevsky and Tolstoi. Stopped to listen musics of Chaikovskii and Shostkovich and other russian composers and writers. And so on.
We in Russia will do same to polish authors and composers. We won't suffer much since there are no too many of worth polish authors anyway. (I respect only 2: Shopen and Senkevich.)
But I presume that will be wonderful picture which will suit poles. Am I right?
Entire world noticed the Balts, who refused to go to Moscow, showing, that they have guts.
And what Kwasnieski achieved? Only humiliation.===
Kwasnevskii did right thing. I respect him.
If Poles would gett together with those SS men from baltics then that would be shame.
Since Kwasnevskii came then he showed that for Poland it is victory too.
For baltics it is no victory since their side lost.
Lizol, Grzegorz--this is a case of "punishing innocents and rewarding undeserved". If Polish public wanted to protest Kwasnewski going to Moscow, they could stage their demonstration against Kwasnewski. They could also write letters of protests saying that this visit is not appropriate because Putin refuses simply to acknowledge dark aspects of WWII Soviet Role toward Poland and E.Europe. What happened is that Kwasnewski rewarded with his visit undeserving Putin and Poles in turn punished "Bolshoi Theatre"--completely wrong people to punish.
The only Polish accent during yesterday's ceremonies in Moscow was when Putin honoured General with a commemorative medal. There are dozens of thousands of WW2 veterans still alive in Poland (like fomer President of Poland in exile for example), but Russians chose a communist, pro-Soviet aparatchik, responsible for invading Chechoslovakia in 1968, for shooting at workers in Gdask in 1970 (an killing many of them), for martial law in 1981 and crushing "Solidarity" movement.==
But was Wojciech Jaruzelski war veteran or not?
I think Putin would give medal Ryszard Kaczorowski if he come. But he didn't.
What do you think if man didn't go to Russia to celebrate who will honor him in Moscow?
He didn't go, because he wasn't invited. The only invited ones from Poland were Jaruzelski and 5 others like him.
The only invited ones from Poland were Jaruzelski and 5 others like him.==
I agree that it is shame. But what is responsible? Today level of polish-russian relations.
Too many rebukes, anger and so on. Look on our discussion here.
Let see many be with time everything calm down?
Dzieki
My husband do will write now Thank you all
"I had chance to meet our President couple times and he is very level headed guy, as far as his trip to Moscow goes, he represented us; though I was watching carefully how he would be treated; rest is history. After all we were fighting on different fronts; and we had underground movement, though two different groups emerged; Armia Krajowa which was continuation of our struggle against fascism and later after war against Stalin occupation and of course Armia Ludowa which was representing Stalin regime. Nonetheless, when it comes to culture exchange I disagree. This is childish on our part; Baryshnikov is one of well know dancer in ballet, and he left Russia to live in US; and brought new style of ballet to US and the world; and nobody would think it twice to projected him as communistic spy; this would go same way if we would represent our painter Matejko in Moscow or other parts of the world, and people would boycott this event. Art is beautiful, it expresses human nature; also there are also many great writers from Russia;Dostojewski;Tolstoj;Puszkin and from us of course who can forget; Sienkiewicza, Mickiewicza, Slowackiego, Dabrowicza, Stalskiego etc.. When it comes to culture each country brings its own people with great thinking and they should be respected; like for instance; for US is Hemingway; Mark Twain; like for instance for England is well know writer and poet Shakespeare and there is so many of them."
Thank you all/Dzieki wam wszystkim
if we would represent our painter Matejko in Moscow or other parts of the world, and people would boycott this event.==
Matejko is indead good too. I forgot to count him.
Thank you"RusIvan"my husband do will write now
"I enjoy reading books. Dostoevsky books are very psychological and very deep in thought of what he was thinking while writing this in XIX century; and Tolstoy War and Peace is my favorite one since it deals with military thinking, which was applied in WWII. I also enjoy reading other people writers, it opens horizon for you; in this way you can understand other people cultures and their point of view. So if you sit and debate with them, you can actually understand what they are talking about."
Thank you good friend
I am disappointed in him but continue to pray, Lizol, that
in the pressures of all this those who are not courageous will be revealed and that the people will be able to distinguish between men so that Poland can get some men of faith and courage for leadership.
You need statesmen, but men of principles to stand up to those who continue to want to dominate and degrade. It is not simple. God help us all.
I will go to your page now. Thanks...
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