Lilian Hochhauser, who with her husband has been bringing the Bolshoi to London for 50 years: “It’s always been a fairly explosive company … They never hid their feelings, if you like. … But the most incredible thing is that nothing affects the dancing. The Mariinsky have also had their internal problems, but they’re rather quieter, you know, they’re calm. These are excitable people, the Bolshoi.”