- main
- forum
- criticaldance
- features
- reviews
- interviews
- links
- gallery
- whoweare
- search
Subscribe to the monthly for free!
|
![]() |
Stars of the White Nights Festival
A Century of Balanchine: "Jewels"
by Catherine Pawlick
June 5, 2004 -- Mariinsky
Theatre, St. Petersburg, Russia
How long ago it seems already,
when last fall the Bay Area saw the Kirov in Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall.
While we weren't able to see the "La Bayadere" reconstruction,
we were treated to the all-Fokine program, and Balanchine's "Jewels."
On night four of the "Century of Balanchine" celebration in
St. Petersburg, the latter ballet was offered as ode to its choreographer.
Once the viewer recovered from the dazzling backdrop of jewels hanging
from the ceiling, and the sparkling costumes, what was left was the dancing,
in slightly less perfect form than last fall, but performed in a more
"Balanchinean" style -- with adequate abandon and jazz influence
where needed.
In "Emeralds," Daria Sukhurova moved in one continuous stream,
dancing with more freedom and precision than last fall. Those traits are
two aspects of dancing seemingly at odds, but not in this ballet, and
not in anything Balanchine. Her liquid arms were beautiful, but she added
touches of hip here and there, overall providing more flow to her dancing
than before. The effect was one of more centeredness in the music and
choreography, and quite pleasant to watch. Her partner for the pas de
deux was Dmitri Pixachov, and together they suggested the courtly splendor
of "Sleeping Beauty," aided in part by Gabriel Faure's beautiful
violins.
Sofia Gumerova had the first variation and managed to float through one
of the pique attitudes in perfection. Her pas de deux with Denis Firsov
featured the theme of time – arms ticking like the hands of a clock, and
then her leg doing the same, into a penchee. In sum, Gumerova appeared
a bit more relaxed in the coda than in previous performances.
The trio was danced by Anton Korsakov with Yanna Selina and Svetlana Ivanova.
Selina is a perky red-head, and Ivanova a calmer, smiling blonde, shorter
of stature but longer of leg, and with a split jete well past 180 degrees.
Together they fit well in this pas de trois.
And then there was red. "Rubies" was danced by Diana Vishneva
and Leonid Sarafanov, now so at ease in their roles that the fun – and
personal expression -- shines through. The more one watches "Jewels,"
the more one begins to notice different themes in the choreography. In
"Rubies," the lowest bass chords are predominantly danced by
the second girl, in this case again performed by Gumerova. The higher
notes, as well as the main pas de deux, are done by the leading couple
(Vishneva and Sarafanov). Vishneva's arms are the most toned of any ballerina
at the Kirov, and she uses "Rubies" as a playground for gymnastic
effects. Her battements front nearly hit her head, and she bends, at various
points, in two directions at once, always stretching, elongating, moving.
Sarafanov, in like fashion, played not only with the music but with his
four male counterparts, looking back at them in a large boyish grin as
they traipsed around the stage in balletic runs. The pas de deux between
Sarafanov and Vishneva has a new intimacy that was not before present.
Having mastered the steps and even the Balanchine technique, the couple
has also managed to add some personal expression to the dance. Sarafanov
acts as if he is courting her, and when not a gymnastic concourse, "Rubies"
reads as a passionate pas de deux.
Of course what is "Jewels" without the regal "Diamonds"
to conclude the evening? Again, upon additional viewings, patterns and
themes here begin to assert themselves more visibly. The arching back,
a la "Swan Lake," speaks more of classical ballet than anything
neoclassical, although the remainder of the steps lie clearly within Balanchine's
habitual vocabulary.
As part of the "Stars of the White Nights" festival, which frequently
imports guest performers from leading ballet companies, Jose Martinez
of the Paris Opera Ballet guest-partnered Uliana Lopatkina, the tall,
popular Kirov ballerina in "Diamonds." Their opening promenades together
were gracious, and Martinez' jetes drew appreciation from the audience.
Lopatkina's rendition of this section is different from other versions,
more continuous, with less separation of movement. The effect is fluidity
but with a loss of clarity as to the separate steps. While perhaps a more
mature interpretation, depending on one's preference, there may be a predilection
for a more clear, separate approach to the choreography.
It isn't clear how much rehearsing
was allotted for the new partnership, but judging from their timing, they
must have desired more practice . Martinez was a helpful, enthusiastic
partner, but Lopatkina was on a different musical plane. The result was
that much of their pas de deux was ever-so-slightly uncoordinated, and
this detracted from the grandeur that "Diamonds" can hold. Luckily
that grandeur was recovered in the finale procession by the corps de ballet
of 16 couples, when the women don white gloves, and all parade around
the stage in a courtly manner. That image, reminiscent of Imperial Russia,
was an apt symbol for the classical ballet traditions that gave Mr. Balanchine
his start in the world of theatre and dance.
Edited by Mary Ellen Hunt
Read related
stories in the press and see what others are saying. Click here.
|
