Upheaval in dance: Vladimir Malakhov leaves the State Ballet. Sasha Waltz could take over – and stay in Berlin. A crisis meeting with Minister of Culture André Schmitz is already scheduled. [Source]
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BALLET20.COM 
This is my bet: they will regret this. Vladimir Malakhov made this company great, berliners love classical ballet, the critics criticize and say that this company should take contemporary ballet. The critics are not ballet lovers and it’s not the critics who fill in the theatres. Soon the audience rooms will be half empty just as they were before Malakhov took the direction of the company. After so many years of disgrace before Malakhov, I feel like saying: “They don’t know what they want!”
I fully agree. I am a ballet traveller and I did not have Berlin in my yearly visit plan before Malakhov turned this company into one of the best and most interesting in Europe. I cannot watch Esmeralda or Peri in anywhere else and I should add they are great productions! They have a very balanced mixed repertoire and the dancers are good in both classical and contempo ballets. It is not a good decision to let him go. I also wonder howcome someone like Benjamin Millepied with no experience in directing a classical ballet company is appointed to be the director of POB while someone like Malakhov who has proved his success is not even considered.