Vladimir Derevianko is an exceptional dancer and he was the ideal interpreter for my ballet "Adame Miroir". The first dancer to ever dance this role was Roland Petit in 1948 and I had to modify the choreography for Valdimir because his technique is by far greater than Petit's was. Vladimir obviously has the grand Russian technique, but he is different from the typical Russian dancers who are always so flashy and acrobatic. Vladimir, on the other hand, never makes performs a movement in dance just for the sake of it, he never goes over the top when it comes to jumps and turns just for the sake of getting the audience to clap harder. On the contrary, he puts meaning into every step he takes.
Moreover, Vladimir is very, very refined - and refinement, when it comes to male dancers, is a very rare quality indeed. He makes me think of beautiful, delicately-made lace....
Derevianko is expressive, moving and poetic. In "Adame Miroir" he reminded me of the great French mime artists Jean-Louis Barrault and Marcel Marceau. He is very deep and, what's more, he's an artist from head to toe. Slender and delicate, he was so lovable in his sailor-suit. He was a real Pierrot Lunaire.