Bolshoi Ballet Visits Fermilab
Nineteen members of the famed Bolshoi Ballet visited Fermilab Thursday, July 10, 1975 for a tour of the Laboratory. Nine of the artists performed four short demonstrations at a noon-hour seminar for Fermilab people.
The Ballet, on its eighth tour of the United States since 1956, played to capacity audiences at every performance in the United States. The Ballet appeared in Chicago for three performances last week. Celebrating its 200th anniversary in 1976, the Bolshoi Theater, the home of the Ballet, is considered the cultural center of Moscow.
The guests were welcomed by Robert R. Wilson, Director of the Laboratory, for what he called an artist-to-artist visit. "Indeed the science of the atom which we study here is more of an art than a science," he said.
The distinguished troupe was invited to visit Fermilab by the more than a dozen Soviet scientists now working at Fermilab. "We hope this will be the first of many such presentations of our arts," the leader of Soviet physicists' group. Dr. Serge Mukhin, commented, "because we want not only to work for science but also for cultural exchanges between our countries."
Semen Kaufman, who acted as master of ceremonies for the Bolshoi, told the audience, "The Bolshoi is always looking for new forms and structures of expression. We think the arts should reflect contemporary human beings." The visitors played to a packed house in the Fermilab auditorium.
Following their performance, the Soviet visitors toured the Fermilab accelerator before returning to Chicago.
