Once upon a time, the Choreography High School in Cluj was renowned for the quality of the dancers who graduated there, as if in Transylvania there were more handsome, gifted boys than elsewhere. For once, in 1973, the Bucharest Opera opened its doors to an exceptional generation from Cluj, signing up a select bunch of boys: George Bodnarciuc, Gheorghe Angheluş, Marin Boeru.Specialization courses at Kirov Theater in Leningrad, some of the most coveted prizes at International Ballet Contests (1st Prize at Varna in 1976, 2nd Prize in Moscow in 1978, Special Prize in Tokyo) are marks of Boeru's debut. A "small, quick" type, he played an exceptional Buffoon in Swan Lake, and barely touching ground in Invitation to Waltz by Weber or as Bluebird in The Sleeping Beauty (roles created by Nijinsky at the beginning of the 20th century). Continually perfecting his technique, with his youthful look he easily tackled leading parts in Giselle, Spartacus, or Romeo and Juliet. The depopulation of Romanian ballet companies had in fact started long before the December 1989 revolution, as more and more first-rate dancers were leaving for countries that offered more generous contracts and work conditions. Marin Boeru's first stopover was with Roland Petit's Company in Marseille, followed by Maurice Béjart's Ballet of the 20th Century. "An excellent dancer – and what a temperament!" exclaimed a nostalgic and smiling Maurice Béjart, who created for him a series of "fitting" roles (among which a memorable Papageno in the choreographic version of the Magic Flute), as mentioned in the TV film made by Silvia Ciurescu.In the USA, he took up leading parts with the Pennsylvania Ballet, Miami City Ballet, and Carolina Ballet, in choreographies signed by George Balanchine, Edward Villella, Peter Martins. He went on tours with the American Ballet Theater and Universal Ballet in Seoul. He was invited to festivals all around the world with partners such as Carla Fracci, Susan Jaffe or Leslie Brown. He also featured in filmed ballets, TV shows, documentaries. In Romania he only danced once more, in Giselle, in 1990, on the stage of the National Opera in Bucharest, at the International George Enescu Festival. I found him unchanged then, only with a brighter halo of glory. The same apparent fragility, the same noble deportment, the same easy leap and enjoyable presence. More than a decade later, as he was receiving the Knight Rank Star of Romania Order from the hands of President Iliescu, I had the impression that another Buffoon was playing a joke on him, asking him to wear a grizzled wig…
by Vivia Săndulescu
