Current News

March 14, 2011

The previous update to Current News was dated March 14, 2010 and among other things provided information in regard to the then upcoming Centenary Celebration of the artist Fyodor Denisovich Konstantinov (1910-1997), People’s Artist of USSR and Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Arts. The late artist was the husband of Tatiana Georgievna Birukova-Konstantinova (Principal Colleague of Robert G. Hoffman Productions) and the father of Tatiana Fyodorovna Konstantinova (Chief Consulting Artist of Robert G. Hoffman Productions). There were a number of related events in Konstantinov’s native town of Zaraisk. In Moscow, a Celebration Exhibition of representative works of Konstantinov opened on May 15, 2010 at a branch of the famous Bakhrushin Theatre Museum…the branch called Memorial House of Shepkin (the eminent Russian actor at the beginning of the 19^th century). Bob Hoffman - in Moscow at the time and invited by Tatiana Birukova-Konstantinova - attended the opening of this well-attended exhibition at which laudatory speeches were made by prominent art executives and appreciative lovers of Konstantinov Art, including an impassioned speech by Tatiana Birukova-Konstantinova stressing her husband’s loyalty to classical tradition in his portrayal of nature, man and their harmonious interaction. The exhibition showed the breadth of the late artist’s talent – displaying engravings, oil paintings, watercolors, drawings and art prints, until closing on June 29, 2010.

Tatiana Birukova-Konstantinova and her daughter Tatiana Konstantinova have made further progress in choosing and assembling representative pieces of Konstantinov Art for the purpose of Bob Hoffman’s participation with the Konstantinov family in the Konstantinov Art Project planned to take place in the United States and possibly in other countries as well.

In April 2010, Bob Hoffman enjoyed an afternoon visiting choreographer Madame Phyllis Latin while she conducted her dance class in the National Museum of Dance in Saratoga Springs, New York. It was a great visit followed by a social dinner. Although Madame Latin does not intend to participate in creating the choreography of the planned Sequel to Pater Olympian, as always she was gracious in offering Bob advice for this Project.

While Bob was in Moscow in May 2010, he participated in a number of cultural activities with the Artistic Team, Principal Colleagues and other friends. Bob was also invited to private dinners at the apartments of some of the Team Members. The subject of a Documentary on Bob’s life arose again at a preliminary meeting Bob had with another television industry contact of Tatiana Konstantinova. This possibility is scheduled to be further explored during Bob’s upcoming trip to Russia scheduled to begin in April 2011.

By May 2010, more than seven years had passed following the December 6, 2002 World Premiere performance of the ballet Pater Olympian in Moscow, whereupon Bob Hoffman decided it was time to give back to those who helped so much in the success of the Project. Accordingly he invited a group (about 20 persons) of artistic friends to the 4th Reunion Reception (see “Photos”) for a private viewing of the newly created DVD of the Premiere, the first such viewing of the DVD in Russia. The Reception took place in the beautiful open atrium of Hotel Marriott Tverskaya in Moscow where the invited guests were first served with a beautifully prepared buffet consisting of an array of delicious cold and warm hors d’oeuvres and a variety of dinner dishes with selected bartended wine.

The guests then took seats in front of a wide television screen where the DVD was about to be played. Following Bob’s greeting remarks the group sat silently transfixed on the playing of the DVD for about an hour as it viewed the thrilling Premiere performance of the Ballet integrated seamlessly with awesome voiceovers as well as Bob’s introductory and post-performance remarks live on screen. At the close, the audience rose with applause with some making short speeches in regard to the excellence and professionalism of what they had just enjoyably witnessed (the DVD) and thanking and congratulating Bob for his never-ending efforts in the field of ballet over the previous 10 years and for bringing the attending group of ballet lovers together as friends time and time again at such wonderful Reunions. The group concluded by asking Bob when the Sequel to Pater Olympian would be written.

Late in May 2010 a few days before Bob left Moscow, he invited the Russian Team Members to a “Goodbye Dinner” at a very nice restaurant in the City. Without his prior knowledge, Bob was suddenly confronted by a “masked” woman who asked him if this was the “Party of Bob Hoffman.” Bob responded “Yes!” then the mask came off and it was Bob’s very first Russian colleague and friend Zhenya Romanova (See “Principal Colleagues” and “Art Defeats Terrorism”) whom Bob had not seen since she married and moved to India about two years earlier. This “surprise” had been engineered by Helen Roudneva, also a close friend of Zhenya.

For the past year in New York Bob had cultivated an association with an experienced Promotion Consultant who was prepared to become a key Principal Colleague in February 2011. However and unfortunately in late February 2011 she found it necessary to withdraw from the association due to the increasingly successful progress in her own television show. However she carried through on a long-time promise to Bob and on March 1, 2011 she arranged a live recording of a 10 minute interview she personally conducted of Bob to be aired on her television show in the near future and which will probably be integrated into this Robert G. Hoffman Productions website within a few months. In addition, she had arranged for the production of a second run of a moderate number of DVDs of the World Premiere performance of the ballet Pater Olympian…this time with the revised Wrapper that was newly and beautifully designed for the DVD case by Tatiana Konstantinova during the preceding months.

During the past many months and into early 2011, Robert G. Hoffman Productions has been working to create a new consulting group with the title “Friends of the Project.” So far there are at least 5 such “Friends” in Moscow, St. Petersburg, New York City, Florence, Italy, and California. The members of this enthusiastic group have expressed impatience to make contributions to the Project. Regrettably, for internal administrative reasons, assignments to these “Friends” to specific activities have not been given out, but it is planned they soon will participate in the sales and distribution of DVDs and Blue Books.

Bob has finally begun to put together an initial conceptual framework for writing the Ballet Sequel to Pater Olympian. He found that this framework turned out to be somewhat different from an even earlier concept he had. But this is to be expected and is really not a surprise at all - and more of the same is likely to follow. Unfortunately, Bob in recent months has been too occupied with administrative duties and the like given the expansion of the activities of Robert G. Hoffman Productions. Nevertheless, it is important the Sequel Story be completed early enough in 2012 so the schedule will be timely met to provide ample time for a Russian producer to consider the production of a full-length Ballet Movie “Pater Olympian II” to be introduced at the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia in February 2014 (see “Upcoming Projects”).

As of January 1, 2011, Helen (Elena) Roudneva has been appointed “Chief Consultant – Russia” and Tatiana (Tanya) Konstantinova has been appointed “Chief Consulting Artist.” Helen and Tanya will take on the principal consulting management and consulting artistic roles, respectively. The members of the Artistic Team on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean have made contributions to the Project in their individual areas of expertise – there are so many contributions it is difficult to single out any one. However, in addition to Helen Roudneva and Tanya Konstantinova, recognition should be given to Julie Petry for her continuous flow of valuable critiques and suggestions in regard to the many varied aspects of the Project. And in regard to education and artistic accomplishment it is a pleasure to announce that Tanya Konstantinova received her Diploma in "Art and Journalistic Photography" in November 2010.

Bob Hoffman has engaged the services of a long-time (beginning in 1981) business colleague and close personal friend in New York as Executive Consultant...and she has agreed to become a Principal Colleague as well. The primary purpose in this regard is to strengthen the core group of Robert G. Hoffman Productions LLC going forward.

Bob has recently completed travel arrangements to Moscow once again. This trip – Bob’s 29^th to Russia starting in October 2000 - will begin April 14, 2011 and last until May 5, 2011 and the activities are well into the planning stage in accordance with arrangements being put into place by Helen Roudneva and Tanya Konstantinova. The results of the trip will be reported upon in “Current News” in due course.