Bucharest opera chief raises petition against her ballet director

Bucharest opera chief raises petition against her ballet director

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norman lebrecht

June 06, 2016

The nefarious history of Bucharest National Opera continues.

Part XVII. Johann Kobborg, the Danish ballet director ousted by a xenophobic campaign and supposedly reinstated by the ‘neutral’ new boss, Beatrice Rancea, writes:

Just heard that instead of managing ONB with vision and courage, Mrs. Rancea seems to have asked her employees raise signatures against my presence in ONB. She probably wants to prove what she told me last week in a meeting –
that people don’t like me and don’t want me back.

It’s actually a contradiction here – instead of asking higher salaries, better work environment and other professional stuff, they work around backing up with papers what seems to be a personal vendetta. Could the fact that Dance
Europe Magazines nominated the “ONB Ballet Company” as ballet company of the year 2015, have stirred their rage and negative feelings so much? Maybe… I have to apologize for not being able to do things so that we don’t get such
praising headlines. Still wondering where my place really is – in this country or….

johan kobborg

Comments

  • Proud Romanian says:

    The petition was not raised by the Director, but by the members of the Ballet. And here is the petition in English in full:https://adevaruldelaopera.wordpress.com/2016/05/06/press-release-of-ballet-department-bucharest-national-opera-house/

  • Nijinsky says:

    Mr.Kobborg who goes around whining and complaining should pack his bags and go elswhere if he is so much in demand as he pretends. It is his patronising attitude and arrogance that contributed to alienate everybody. It is really annoying to see how everytime he goes abroad for support instead of having the courage to face the reality in Romania!

    • Truth says:

      The fact that Kobborg was kicked out of the Royal Opera House (Covent Garden) is very conveniently forgotten. Very conveniently.

      Finally Kobborg was not ousted by Romanian xenophobes as Lebrecht claims, he RESIGNED in a fit of rage after his inexistent title of Artistic Director was removed from the ONB website. He was never appointed as an Artistic Director of the ONB, contrary of what Kobborg claims.

      • norman lebrecht says:

        Most of this is, on a verifiable factual basis, untrue.

        • Truth says:

          Norman Lebrecht, what is factually untrue?

          Kobborg left ROH on short notice. Big Opera Houses do not release their stars on short notice unless something serious has happened. Kobborg left ROH on short notice, in unexplained circumstances. This is a fact.

          Kobborg never had the role Artistic Director of the Ballet Department at the ONB because there was not such role at the ONB. He was not ousted but resigned when the ONB website removed his inexistent title of Artistic Director. This is again a fact, see
          http://dancemagazine.com/news/kobborg-bucharest-know-far/
          Why Dance Magazine would lie about Kobborg?

          Can you be precise exactly which of my claims are untrue? Please bring me checkable evidence.

          • Proud Internationalist says:

            Your first statement is a fabrication. You lead with an unverifiable statement that “Kobborg was kicked out”. You then try to justify this little piece of disinformation by following up with conjecture that he “left at short notice” Di facto he is guilty of some onerous crime. Perhaps it wasn’t unexplained, just a gentlemans agreement to keep the reasons private. However, the circumstances of his departure are not the issue. I am glad you referred to dance magazine.org which refers in glowing terms to the amazing positive changes he has brought to the ONB, how it is valued Internationally and how some would prefer to take it backward rather than forward. I assume “Truth” is from the latter. Why so upset at a title???

  • Proud Internationalist says:

    Could either of the previous contributors explain how under Kobborgs direction the ONB ballet company was nominated for Ballet Company of the year2015?What is there to be proud of “proud Romanian” . Perhaps xenophobe of the year?? I have seen the amazing improvement in performance since his arrival, taking a shambolic wreck of a company to international recognition. Keep your tiny minded,unimportant ,little nationalist Company and sit and applaud each other. Now there’s a visionary future to look forward to.

  • Proud Romanian says:

    @Proud Internationalist

    I am sure you are a proud internationalist, namely a member of the Communist International, known as Comintern. I wish you every success in advocating world communism.

  • Proud Internationalist says:

    Oh dear, poor “proud Romanian”.
    If people just focused on facts rather than personal insults, it might help them focus their anger where it belongs. It would appear 51 members of the Company have signed a statement which includes such bold statements of how good they were before Kobborg. Stand out occasions noted were in 1980, probably most were not born then and if they were they must be well past their best. Another Standout date was 2004! Not much mentioned since! It is noticeable that International Choreographers, Dancers, Directors across the world of dance, have without exception commented and supported the amazing talent of Kobborg. They are responding with disgust , to the treatment of Kobborg, who undeniably has improved the Companies International Recognition through vastly improved performances. The complainants refer to process, systems and job titles. Perhaps they should focus on their sub standard dancing. This is their primary motive, reduce the standard of dance, keep themselves in a job with a sub standard Company. No vision, no creative talent, celebrate mediocrity and tell the world it’s because you are a proud Romanian. No, you are angry because talent will always prosper and those with lesser talent get jealous and angry. They get bitter rather than better!!

  • Truth says:

    @Proud Cominternationalist

    Are you Kobborg PR or marketing representative? Is Kobborg your idol?

    As I said before, Kobborg left with short and no explanation from the ROH. Anyone who lives and work in the UK knows that short notice with immediate departure is given to important people guilty of gross misconduct, to avoid scandal. Kobborg has never explained why he left ROH. Why? I tell you why: because he couldn’t bring into disrepute a famous opera house like the ROH. The ROH can afford the best solicitors and barristers to fight Kobborg.

    The ONB petition shows the great discontent of the Ballet members, not only Romanians but foreigners as well. Most likely, the same behavior that forced the ROH to give short notice was displayed in full at the ONB. He may have merits as artist and choreographer but his behaviour was sub-standard. He did not hesitate to claim that he was ousted by xenophobes when in reality he resigned himself over a dispute on a role he officially never had. He was the facto Artistic Director of the Ballet but not de jure. He deliberately brought ONB into disrepute because ONB was a soft target unlike the ROH.

    Romanian ballet was not born with Kobborg and won’t die with him. And your rantings about the Romanian ballet shows that you have never seen a performance at the ONB in your entire life. But you love Kobborg and think that is enough to insult Romanians in general and Romanian artists in general. You have an excuse: in the UK hate campaign against Romanians are seen as normal. Nigel Farage and the UKIP demonstrated that you can insult Romanians in any way and blame them for everything without any consequence. You are no better than ukippers.

    And that is my final word. No matter what you will write and insult me, I won’t reply to you.

  • Truth says:

    @Proud Cominternationalist

    Are you Kobborg PR or marketing representative? Is Kobborg your idol?

    As I said before, Kobborg left with short and no explanation from the ROH. Anyone who lives and work in the UK knows that short notice with immediate departure is given to important people guilty of gross misconduct, to avoid scandal. Kobborg has never explained why he left ROH. Why? I tell you why: because he couldn’t bring into disrepute a famous opera house like the ROH. The ROH can afford the best solicitors and barristers to fight Kobborg.

    The ONB petition shows the great discontent of the Ballet members, not only Romanians but foreigners as well. Most likely, the same behavior that forced the ROH to give short notice was displayed in full at the ONB. He may have merits as artist and choreographer but his behaviour was sub-standard. He did not hesitate to claim that he was ousted by xenophobes when in reality he resigned himself over a dispute on a role he officially never had. He was the facto Artistic Director of the Ballet but not de jure. He deliberately brought ONB into disrepute because ONB was a soft target unlike the ROH.

    Romanian ballet was not born with Kobborg and won’t die with him. And your ranting about the Romanian ballet shows that you have never seen a performance at the ONB in your entire life. But you love Kobborg and think that is enough to insult Romanians in general and Romanian artists in general. You have an excuse: in the UK hate campaign against Romanians are seen as normal. Nigel Farage and the UKIP demonstrated that you can insult Romanians in any way and blame them for everything without any consequence. You are no better than ukippers.

    And that is my final word. No matter what you will write and insult me, I won’t reply to you.

  • AWP says:

    @TRUTH (or should that be PRAVDA?)

    “As I said before, Kobborg left with short and no explanation from the ROH. Anyone who lives and work in the UK knows that short notice with immediate departure is given to important people guilty of gross misconduct, to avoid scandal. Kobborg has never explained why he left ROH. ”

    And 2+2=7. The logic behind your inferences escapes me, and the flaws in your argument are big enough to drive a bus through. “Immediate departure” means just that – it doesn’t leave you time to give a farewell performance, and certainly not enough to go on tour with the company afterwards and perform with them several weeks later. There were distinct indications that Kobborg was planning to leave several months before that. As I understand it, dancers are only required to give one month’s notice.

    • Proud Internationalist says:

      You can’t even be honest about it being your last word. You are also wrong I have attended numerous performances. I’ve never met Kobborg and most certainly would vote to stay in the EU if I could vote.
      This is my last comment and I wish you all happiness and hope you recover from this period of negativity.

  • Monica Balasoiu says:

    Meanwhile in Bucharest Opera the great critic :)))) Alexandru Patrascu and His people came to the Performance to boooo! Great image!
    I m in tears!

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