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DVD Review: La Bayadere – The Bolshoi Ballet

July 2, 2014 by 4dancers

blu_bay_bolby Emily Kate Long

The impressive sets and exquisite costumes for Yuri Grigorovich’s staging of La Bayadere primed me to be blown away by the whole production. It’s superbly danced, but some just-missed dramatic moments left me wanting more at the final curtain.

In scale and technical execution, the ballet is outstanding, as should be expected from one of the world’s top companies. Parades of dancers with scarves, fans, drums, birds, and water jugs fill the first two acts in strings of divertissements celebrating the engagement of Gamzatti (Maria Alexandrova) and Solor (Vladislav Lantratov). When the High Brahmin reveals Solor’s involvement with Nikiya, a temple dancer (Svetlana Zakharova), Gamzatti vows to seek revenge. After Nikiya’s death by snakebite, Solor falls into an opium dream in which Nikiya is multiplied by thirty-five shadows. His guilt and despair remain unresolved as the curtain closes on the third act.

Few companies display character dances as energetic as the Bolshoi, and those in Bayadere are no exception. The drum dance is a highlight of the Act 2 variations. The dances for the bridal attendants look crisp and fresh. Soloists in all three acts excel dancing to tempi that bit excitingly at their heels.

As Gamzatti, Alexandrova commands the palace scenes. She’s a haughty woman, fully in control of her body, her kingdom, and her future. Her rage toward Nikiya is unsettling, lending suspense to her forced composure as the Bayadere dances. Lantratov’s Solor seems youthful in comparison to her power.

Zakharova’s extreme flexibility is hypnotizing, but her Nikiya is frequently unreadable. She really opens up in a solo in Act 2, dancing a plea to the gods accompanied by a lone cello. Her prayer is in vain; after an inconvenient dance with a basket of flowers, a snake hidden inside the basket bites her fatally. In this version, Gamzatti is never implicated. Who would dare accuse Alexandrova?

After the extravagance of the first two acts, I looked forward to the simplicity of the Kingdom of the Shades. The Shades’ entrance—32 white tutus , one arabesque after another, snaking down a three-tiered ramp to assemble in a wispy, reverent block—is worth the wait. There’s nothing flat or tedious here, just a dreamy treat for the eyes and ears.

The highlight for Zakharova and Lantratov’s chemistry is her scarf solo in Act 3. It says as much about Solor as Nikiya; her sensitive footwork and phrasing make her no more or less than an extension of the opium smoke that brought about his delirium. I wanted that connection to continue through the end. The rest of the dance-mime in the act is beautifully musical but lacks candor.

If the purpose of remounting the classics is to transport the viewer to the past, the Bolshoi’s production does so. This performance is expertly danced, though it raises few questions about the principal characters.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: bolshoi ballet, dvd review, la bayadere, yuri grigorovich

Joffrey Triumphs With ‘La Bayadere’

October 18, 2013 by 4dancers

april daly_erica lynette edwards_jeremy taulbee
April Daly, Erica Lynette Edwards and Jeremy Taulbee in Joffrey’s La Bayadere. Photo by Cheryl Mann.

by Catherine L. Tully

Even when choosing a large-scale ballet Joffrey is unique–and “La Bayadere” is certainly a bold choice. The ballet was first performed in 1877 at the Bolshoi Theatre in St. Petersburg, and it was choreographed by Marius Petipa. This version has been updated by Houston Ballet’s marvelous Stanton Welch, and it is easy to see why he is one of the most sought after choreographers of our generation. He has the ability to create such interesting movement that one wishes they had two sets of eyes to see it all–especially when the stage is filled with dancers.

Although the three-act plot seems convoluted, at the center of it all it’s really just a tragic love triangle between Nikiya (the temple dancer, Victoria Jaiani), Solor (the warrior prince, Dylan Gutierrez) and Gamzatti (the Rajah’s daughter, April Daly). The first act is set in India and it traces the forbidden love story of Nikiya and Solor–and the plot to bring about her death, crafted by Gamzatti and her servant Ajah.

Jaiani is achingly supple–offering her submission to Solor with tender, fluttering arms and yielding bends of the torso. Gutierrez, although an able partner, was at his best when soaring and bounding across the stage with passionate abandon.

Welch’s choreography is both brilliant and difficult with demanding lifts, whiplash turns and unexpected combinations. In the first act, the dance for the four men was especially impressive, but the group dancing was also a joy to watch. Instead of tutus, tights and tiaras there are dazzling bras and colorful, flowing fabrics everywhere. The bright, jeweled costumes and lush scenery by Peter Farmer add quite a bit to the visual appeal of this ballet and Scott Speck and the Chicago Philharmonic added depth and drama with their mastery of the musical score by Minkus.

Fabrice Calmels is the perfect choice for the High Brahmin–radiating authority and confidence and dominating the stage with his presence. Also compelling were the musical John Mark Giragosian as Agni the Fire God and Erica Lynette Edwards as the maniacal Ajah.

The second act is set at the palace gardens as the wedding preparations for Solor and the princess Gamzatti take place. Daly was spectacular as she whipped off a triumphant series of fouettés and Jaiani was limp and heartbroken as she danced before the couple prior to her death.

victoria jaiani_dylan gutierrez3
Victoria Jaiani and Dylan Gutierrez in Joffrey’s La Bayadere. Photo by Cheryl Mann.

The beginning of the third act is in stark contrast to the color and vibrant atmosphere of the other two–especially in the “Kingdom of the Shades” where women in all white tutus–ghostly images–dance in unison. One by one these figures come down a long ramp in arabesque, balancing, bending back, balancing again. A trance-like scene, this is where Joffrey was at its most impressive. With only a slight sway or quiver here and there, the company triumphed over one of the more difficult corps de ballet scenes in classical ballet. They moved as one.

The three “shade solos” were all danced with verve. Cara Marie Gary bounced fluently, Amber Neumann floated lightly and Amanda Assucena’s solid balance and incredible extension appeared effortless.

Once Solor returns to reality the end of this ballet becomes a whirlwind–exciting and dramatic, if somewhat frenzied after the otherworldly scene before it.

La Bayadere runs through October 27th at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago.

 

 

Filed Under: Performance Reviews, Uncategorized Tagged With: april daly, auditorium theatre, chicago philharmonic, dylan gutierrez, joffrey ballet, la bayadere, scott speck, stanton welch, victoria jaiani

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