Choreographer

Oleg Briansky projected a bristling and electrifying personality as Mephisto and gave all dramatic point to the work. Briansky at this moment of history has very nearly the most beautiful dancing body anywhere on the Western stage; he dances completely, projects a modest and pleasing personality sand was the thing the connaisseurs went for night after night. Partnering Toumanova or Arova in the Don Quichotte, he unaffectedly and unsconsciously made the male role equally scintillating with that of the ballerina.
Dance News New York May 1952

Briansky tall, handsome, lithe and virile is the most exciting male classical dancer in England today. His technique is magnificent, strong and certain, but with a refinement which lifts it from the realms of competence
Ballet –September 1952 London

Oleg Briansky,the other newcomer ,excited the audience into wild applause by his confident vertical leaps in “ Don Quichotte” They were certainly impressive.
London 1952

Oleg Briansky Don Quichotte has become the Rudolph Valentino of ballet. I should like to see him play Albrecht, Giselle seducer in a big romantic way.
Observer –Richard Buckle –London January 1953

Oleg Briansky’s vitality in the “Polovstian Dances” from Prince Igor was more than astonishing and rousing. Every turn of his shoulder conveyed warrior-like power; this was no dancer miming a ruthless chief ,but a fighter whose temperament was expressed in dance.
Northern Whig- Belfast, Ireland March 1953

Oleg Briansky migh tbe tried out as the Slave in Scheherazade since he has at least twice as much sex appeal a any other dancer seen in London since the war. The result should be sensational.
The Stage August 1952

Alicia Markova danced Giselle, giving her usual impeccable and inimitable performance. She was partnered by Oleg Briansky, who was dancing Albrecht for the first time in London. Being a head taller than Markova, he is admirably suited to be her cavalier and his romantic appearance blends with her ethereal beauty to make a stage picture nothing short of poetic in its conception...Mr. Briansky is a dancer of style-essentially an aristocrat in his approach to his art- and his remarkably relaxed limbs create a delightful fluency of movement. The characterization is never forgotten for an instant, nor is this dancer’s innate sense of theatre. There is a tender infatuation about his Albrecht in the opening scenes and later,when driven by the Queen of the Wilis to dance till death his realistic falls catch the breath of the onlookers.
Theatre World -London 1958

Briansky was perfectly cast as Mephisto, his height, saturnine features and incredible verve made him into everybody’s devil.
Dance and Dancers-- London June,1952

The “Mephisto” of Oleg Briansky is as masterly as his later performance in a production new to Edinburgh of the pas de deux from “Don Quichotte”. In this the brilliance of his precision and batterie gets full scope and his skill does not overshadow the ability of his partner Sonia Arova.
Evening Dispatch-- Edinburgh, Scotland March, 1953

I have never heard an audience break into spontaneous applause in the very middle of a dance as they did for Briansky’s brilliant entrechats in his solo.
Bristol, England 1952

Oleg Briansky is a rare phenomenon-a male dancer fortunate enough to be gifted with youth, good looks, a superb physique, a dazzling technique ands a magnetic presence. This 23 year old Russian artist, now appearing with the Festival Ballet at the Royal Festival Hall is one of the major box-office draws on the contemporary ballet stage.
Theatre World- London September 1953

It was Oleg Briansky’s evening, as the debonair Danilo. (The Merry Widow) Here is a dancer with a tremendous personality, who possesses that most valuable of all theatrical assets, Panache. He uses the choreographer’s steps as stepping stones to create a character of devastating charm that runs away with the ballet.
The Stage –London July 1953

Oleg Briansky ,well known by the Parisians shows his magnificent technical improvement and expressiveness in the role of the young fisherman, in love; he has become a star with restraint and tact.
Dinah Maggie COMBAT 9/24/1954

However in tall Oleg Briansky, the Londoners have a gifted dancer whose appearance more or less approximates a child’s idea of a fairy prince. He had elasticity in his leg movements and scored particular success in his solo variation in the pas de deux.
San Francisco News. 12/8/1954

The lyric dancing of Nora Kovach and Oleg Briansky was appropriately tasteful and impressive. Briansky, with his imposing physique and mercurial grace was the outstanding male dancer of the evening.
Philadelphia Daily News 1/29/1955

Toumanova and Briansky prove stellar artists. Their work was the high point of the evening from the standpoint of dance artistry. Briansky displayed great prowess and scored no less of an ovation than did Miss Toumanova.
San Francisco News. 12/11/1954

Briansky ,tall and commanding of presence, was vigorous and full of bounce in the florid dancing allotted to him.
Oakland California Tribuine 12/11/1954

The dancing was dominated by Oleg Briansky, who comes closer to being an authentic personality than any of the new dancers; he suggests the style and form of Igor Youskevitch.
Los Angeles Times 12/31/1954

Briansky has a bravura style and fleetness of foot,and a sensitiveness to rhythmical impulse which rivets the attention.
Winnipeg Tribune. Canada. 12/11/1954

Briansky interests. The most interesting aspect of the pas de deux from Don Quichotte” was the dancing of Oleg Briansky, a young man with a genuine balletic personality and the foundation of a real virtuosity.
Los Angeles Times-- 12/29/1954

In an evening of much excellent male dancing, Oleg Briansky was the outstanding male. He has elegance and finesse as well as strength, the elasticity of ballon as well as elevation in his long clean jump.
Ann Barzel, Chicago Tribune

And for the clean, free ,controlled delights and virile beauty of line one had to wait for Briansky in the variation from”Don Quichotte”
Waco Texas 1/7/1955

The artistry and radiance of the ballerina were handsomely matched by the miraculous vitality of Oleg Briansky. Magnificent….but before this there was one dance that cannot pass unremarked. The “Dance of the Ribbon” was a spectacular novelty piece- Chinese, it looked in origin, of considerable beauty, the like of which Durban has not seen. With this Oleg Briansky etched his name indelibly in the memory.
Natal Mercury 8/29/1957

Miss Grey was excellently partnered by Oleg Briansky, surely one of the most convincing and brilliant Albrecht of today.
The Stage. London 8/14/1958

Beryl Grey…supported by the admirable partnering of Oleg Briansky. Briansky rendered his own variation splendidly, particularly his beats and elevation; one series of traveling leaps brought him a well-merited ovation
The Sunday Times London. Cyril Beaumont 8/3/1958

Briansky ,a marvel of disciplined agility, incredible elevation and flashing speed.
Natal Daily News. Durban. South Africa 8/29/1957

In Briansky, with his magnificent physique and broad technical range, we find a superb classical danseur, noble, and a perfect partner. He accomplishes feats of virtuosity with the utmost ease and with precise timing.
Salisbury. Southern Rhodesia. 10/6/1957

Grand Manner….Briansky’s “Ribbon Dance” with its single streaming banner” flouting the sky” was done with great panache and precision, an so, of course were the “Black Swan” variation. Here was the grand manner. Briansky was a wonderful foil to Miss Grey and danced his own solos beautifully. This was to me, the most exciting thing of the evening.
Cape Times. Capetown. S. Africa. 9/19/1957

How lucky ,she is in her partner! Oleg Briansky Apart from his height build and looks, he is the best male dancer to visit this country since the Russians were hereThe statuesque steadiness with which he lifts the ballerina is a impressive as his leaps. He often stays in the air long enough to change attitudes without seeming in a hurry.
Johannesburg-- 9/8/1957

Oleg Briansky in his vartiation from “ Sylvia” did enormous scissors leap which spanned half the stage, did it again and again and had the applause of the house leaping at him in response.
Johhanneburg-- 9/4/1957

Oleg Briansky filled the role of Mephisto with dancing ,acting and personality and made this ballet in every sense a Mephistophelian victory.
Continental Daily Mail April 1952, England

Oleg Briansky as Mephisto. He is a dancer of dynamic quality a young man, I believe with a great future.
Evening News-- London April,1952

Oleg Briansky demoniac turns had a sinister buyoncy that tinged this performance as Mephisto with the supernatural, so that he towered above the two frail humans.
The Stage-- April, 1952 London