Companies

Unstoppable

“Spartacus”
Ballet of the Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre
Hvorostovsky Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre
Krasnoyarsk, Russia
October 18, 2024 (video)

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2024 by Ilona Landgraf

Photos: 1. Y.Kudryavtsev (Crassus) and ensemble, “Spartacus” by Y.Grigorovich, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024, photo by E.Koryukin © Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet TheatreThis October, the Krasnoyarsk Ballet revived Yuri Grigorovich’s epic Spartacus, which had been absent from their stage for seventeen years. The production was therefore announced as a premiere. As Spartacus has rarely been danced by Western companies (the Bavarian State Ballet performed it in 2017, and the Ballet of the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma in 2018), I was glad to view a video of the opening night in Krasnoyarsk.

Spartacus is an icon of Russian ballet culture. Its title character, the captive King of Thrace, leads the slave uprising in the Third Servile War (73-71 BC) against the Roman consul Crassus. A man of honor and principles, Spartacus fights for freedom no matter what. But female intrigue undermines the strength of his army and leads to his execution in an unjust one-against-many showdown. Spartacus’s unfaltering—and ultimately self-sacrificial—courage resonates with Russians who have great esteem for their war heroes. Perhaps that’s why the story of Spartacus was choreographed twice—first by Leonid Yacobson in 1956 and two years later by Igor Moiseyev—before Grigorovich also turned his attention to it in 1968. His version, like its predecessors, is accompanied by Aram Khachaturyan’s sweeping score and became the most acclaimed.

3. Y.Kudryavtsev (Crassus) and ensemble, “Spartacus” by Y.Grigorovich, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024, photo by E.Koryukin © Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2. Y.Kudryavtsev (Crassus) and ensemble, “Spartacus” by Y.Grigorovich, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024, photo by E.Koryukin © Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet TheatreWhat makes Grigorovich stand out as a choreographer is his profound knowledge of the human soul. The depth to which he plumbs the psyche of the protagonists and the way he translates it into movement is stunning. In Spartacus, each of the four protagonists (Spartacus, his wife, Phrygia, Crassus, and Crassus’s concubine, Aegina) is characterized by danced monologues of different lengths. Against Simon Virsaladze’s minimalist design, their spirit and intensity deepen. The solos (and some spectacular pas de deux) are intertwined with group scenes of various patterns and styles. Combat-ready Roman legionaries step in sync, then gritty feet pound the floor in the rebels’ camp. Inevitably, the parties clash.
4. M.Nikishaev (Spartacus), “Spartacus” by Y.Grigorovich, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024, photo by E.Koryukin © Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 5. M.Nikishaev (Spartacus), “Spartacus” by Y.Grigorovich, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024, photo by E.Koryukin © Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet TheatreSpartacus
is a story about good versus evil. Whip-wielding wardens force the slaves into obedience, buoyant shepherds celebrate life (before joining Spartacus’s men), and a procession of apparently dignified patricians moves through Crassus’s decadent villa. It resembles Sodom and Gomorrah. Lecherous courtesans prostitute themselves, clownish mimes mock defenseless slaves, and the master of the house, Crassus, enjoys a corrupt gladiator fight (as evidenced by the match between the blindfolded Spartacus and his likewise blindfolded comrade). By contrast, Spartacus and his followers radiate purity and integrity despite being enslaved.

6. M.Nikishaev (Spartacus) and ensemble, “Spartacus” by Y.Grigorovich, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024, photo by E.Koryukin © Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre Irreconcilable differences separate the leading couples. Crassus is a mentally unstable power player consumed with pride. Causing others’ pain turns him on. His lust for Aegina’s flesh becomes a frenzy (and allows her to manipulate him). Spartacus, however, is the epitome of physical and spiritual strength, which inspires the masses, even if some of his followers fall prey to Aegina’s seductive scheming. Respect and care characterize Spartacus’s love for Phrygia. Compared to Aegina, Phrygia doesn’t need a stylish, glittery facade. She has depth, virtue, and a heart.

7. M.Nikishaev (Spartacus) and E.Bulgutova (Phrygia), “Spartacus” by Y.Grigorovich, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024, photo by E.Koryukin © Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 8. M.Nikishaev (Spartacus) and E.Bulgutova (Phrygia), “Spartacus” by Y.Grigorovich, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024, photo by E.Koryukin © Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet TheatreThe premiere’s Spartacus, Matvey Nikishaev, radiated strength even through the hope and resoluteness in his eyes. Prudent and wary, he reflected on himself before acting. Realizing that he had smitten his comrade (Olexiy Skalyun) when forced into a gladiator duel, he hurled accusations against himself. But he regained clarity and knew that he had to fight his way out of captivity. An inaudible “Aargh!” seemed to emanate from his leaps as he mustered his force. And whether slaves or shepherds, as resolute and lightning-fast as his guys were, victory seemed certain.
10. Y.Kudryavtsev (Crassus), O.Aldonina (Aegina), and ensemble; “Spartacus” by Y.Grigorovich, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024, photo by E.Koryukin © Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre9. Y.Kudryavtsev (Crassus), O.Aldonina (Aegina), and ensemble, “Spartacus” by Y.Grigorovich, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024, photo by E.Koryukin © Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet TheatreNo doubt, Crassus’s army was better equipped, but they sashayed in formation as if combat was a mere play to show off their spiffy shields.
Nikishaev’s Spartacus was both tough and soft. As soon as he was acknowledged as the revolt’s leader, his thoughts shifted to Phrygia (Ekaterina Bulgutova, Honored Artist of Russia) and, as if having read his mind, she ran to sit at his feet and leaned her head toward his knee, protected by his hand.
When stretched out, Bulgutova’s expressive arms wavered between begging for mercy, pleading for divine help, and reaching out for superior justice. Several times, her arms opened wide as if blessing everyone around her. The purity of Phrygia’s soul was especially striking when she was mocked by the perverts at Crassus’s villa.
11. Y.Kudryavtsev (Crassus), “Spartacus” by Y.Grigorovich, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024, photo by E.Koryukin © Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre12. Y.Kudryavtsev (Crassus), M.Nikishaev (Spartacus), and ensemble; “Spartacus” by Y.Grigorovich, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024, photo by E.Koryukin © Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet TheatreYury Kudryavtsev’s Crassus was a young, vigorous leader who carried the legion’s aquila in front of him like a tool of self-affirmation. He often lost control as if he were driven by demons and, overwhelmed by wrath or horniness, his handsome face distorted into an ugly grimace. Although he deserved credit for being ready to die when he was defeated by Spartacus, his final reckoning revealed his weakness. Had he been a true man, he wouldn’t have commanded a whole troupe to spear a single man while watching idly.

14. Y.Kudryavtsev (Crassus), O.Aldonina (Aegina), and ensemble; “Spartacus” by Y.Grigorovich, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024, photo by E.Koryukin © Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre13. M.Nikishaev (Spartacus), “Spartacus” by Y.Grigorovich, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024, photo by E.Koryukin © Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet TheatreIt was Aegina (Olesya Aldonina, Honored Worker of Culture of the Krasnoyarsk Territory) who broke through Crassus’s humiliation and disgrace from his initial defeat. Slowly but determinedly, she pushed him toward revenge (a brilliantly constructed pas de deux!). Each fiber of Aegina’s being was phony, each action calculated. Sadly, she was victorious. But, as it turned out, time restored justice.

Dmitry Yurovsky and the Orchestra of the Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre provided Khachaturyan’s score with a triumphant force that was at times softened by a romantic sound.
15. E.Bulgutova (Phrygia), M.Nikishaev (Spartacus), and ensemble; “Spartacus” by Y.Grigorovich, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024, photo by E.Koryukin © Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre

Links: Website of the Hvorostovsky Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre
Vesti, The ballet “Spartacus” returns to the Krasnoyarsk stage (video)
TC Yenisei, News, The performance “Spartacus” returns to the stage of the Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theater (video)
People’s Artist of Bashkortostan, Arkady Zinov, as Crassus (2007)
Photos: 1. Yury Kudryavtsev (Crassus) and ensemble, Spartacus” by Yuri Grigorovich, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024
2. Yury Kudryavtsev (Crassus) and ensemble, Spartacus” by Yuri Grigorovich, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024
3. Yury Kudryavtsev (Crassus) and ensemble, Spartacus” by Yuri Grigorovich, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024
4. Matvey Nikishaev (Spartacus), Spartacus” by Yuri Grigorovich, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024
5. Matvey Nikishaev (Spartacus), Spartacus” by Yuri Grigorovich, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024
6. Matvey Nikishaev (Spartacus) and ensemble, Spartacus” by Yuri Grigorovich, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024
7. Matvey Nikishaev (Spartacus) and Ekaterina Bulgutova (Phrygia), Spartacus” by Yuri Grigorovich, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024
8. Matvey Nikishaev (Spartacus) and Ekaterina Bulgutova (Phrygia), Spartacus” by Yuri Grigorovich, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024
9. Yury Kudryavtsev (Crassus), Olesya Aldonina (Aegina), and ensemble, Spartacus” by Yuri Grigorovich, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024
10. Yury Kudryavtsev (Crassus), Olesya Aldonina (Aegina), and ensemble; Spartacus” by Yuri Grigorovich, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024
11. Yury Kudryavtsev (Crassus), Spartacus” by Yuri Grigorovich, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024
12. Yury Kudryavtsev (Crassus), Matvey Nikishaev (Spartacus), and ensemble; Spartacus” by Yuri Grigorovich, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024
13. Matvey Nikishaev (Spartacus), Spartacus” by Yuri Grigorovich, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024
14. Yury Kudryavtsev (Crassus), Olesya Aldonina (Aegina), and ensemble; Spartacus” by Yuri Grigorovich, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024
15. Ekaterina Bulgutova (Phrygia), Matvey Nikishaev (Spartacus), and ensemble; Spartacus” by Yuri Grigorovich, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024
all photos by Evgeny Koryukin © Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre
Editing: Kayla Kauffman

Battling Self-Doubt

“Cyrano de Bergerac”
Ballet NdB (Národní divadlo Brno)
National Theatre Brno
Brno, Czech Republic
October 27, 2024

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2024 by Ilona Landgraf

1. Ensemble, “Cyrano de Bergerac” by J.Bubeníček, Ballet NdB 2024 © Ballet NdB Ten years ago, I watched one of Jiří Bubeníček’s early ballets—The Picture of Dorian Gray—which he created and danced with his twin brother, Otto. Since then, the Bubeníčeks regularly cooperated on many productions, with Jiří usually contributing the choreography and Otto the design. Their latest ballet, Cyrano de Bergerac for the Ballet of the National Theatre Brno in the Czech Republic, is also a product of family cooperation, especially given that Jiří’s wife and longstanding artistic collaborator, Nadina Cojocaru, joined the team as costume designer.

Cyrano de Bergerac is based on the eponymous 1897 romantic-comedy verse drama by the French dramatist Edmond Rostand (1868-1918). Rostand modeled the hero after Hector-Savinien de Cyrano (1619-1655), nicknamed Cyrano de Bergerac. A fabulously heroic swordsman, he served in various regiments before quitting the cadet’s life and dedicating himself exclusively to writing prose and love poetry. The prominent nose that affected the love life of his literary representative also graced the real de Cyrano, though it was more moderately sized. (more…)

The Abuse of Women

“Troja” (“Troy”)
State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater, Munich
Forum Ludwigsburg
Ludwigsburg, Germany
October 12, 2024

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2024 by Ilona Landgraf

1. Ensemble, “Troja” by A.Foniadakis, State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater 2024 © M.-L.Briane As in previous years, the Forum Ludwigsburg has made an effort to invite a wide range of dance companies to Ludwigsburg (which is about seven and a half miles north of Stuttgart) during this season. Munich’s State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater was the first troupe to pay a visit. They presented their recently premiered one-act piece Troja (Troy) by Andonis Foniadakis. The Greek-born Foniadakis danced with the Béjart Ballet and the Ballet de l’Opéra de Lyon during which time he also began to choreograph. In 2003 he founded his own company, Apotosoma, and from 2016 to 2018 he was the artistic director of the Greek National Opera.
Troja is based on Euripides’s tragedy, The Trojan Women, the intricate plot of which Foniadakis distilled to two overarching themes: the aftermath of war in general and the fate of the women—on the loser’s side in particular. (more…)

Fighting Evil

“The Sun, the Moon and the Wind”
Czech National Ballet
The Estates Theatre
Prague, Czech Republic
October 10, 2024 (matinee)

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2024 by Ilona Landgraf

1. P.Holeček (Triglav), “The Sun, the Moon and the Wind” by V.Konvalinka and Š.Benyovszký, Czech National Ballet 2024 © S.Gherciu “It has been written that the shrewdest thing Evil can do is to trick us into believing that it does not exist,” warned Štěpán Benyovszký who, together with Viktor Konvalinka, wrote the libretto and directed the Czech National Ballet’s new ballet, The Sun, the Moon and the Wind. It is based on a fairy tale that was first recorded in 1845 in the Czech Collection National Tales and Legends by Božena Němcová who later incorporated elements of Slavik versions. Although the ballet is meant to attract a young audience, it is entertaining for adults as well.

Benyovszký’s and Konvalinka’s adaption tells of the star of creation that illuminated primeval darkness. It split into four parts from which the sun, the moon, the wind, and Zora, the dawn princess, arose. Yet Zora’s part was stolen by Triglav, the vicious Dragon Lord of Time, who kidnapped and bewitched her. Determined to get ahold of the other three quarters of the star and thereby seize world power, Triglav regularly had to suck the souls of young men to stay young and strong. He singled out Prince Jan as a victim, but Jan’s three sisters, Rufflette, Sparkette, and Pallidette set off to rescue their brother. (more…)

Deeper than Thought

“Land of Body”
Laterna magika
The New Stage
Prague, Czech Republic
October 05, 2024

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2024 by Ilona Landgraf

1. J.Kotěšovský (Old Dancer), “Land of Body” by R.Vizváry, Laterna magika 2024 © V.BrtnickýThe sharp sound of wind and a blaze of Arctic white on eleven video screens of various sizes scattered across the stage opened Laterna magika’s 2022 production, Land of Body. Radim Vizváry, artistic director of Laterna magika, was in charge of the theme, choreography, and staging. As the title suggests, Land of Body considers the body as a metaphor for landscapes. Artists of three generations and different genres portrayed a body’s formations and cycles of nature and life.
Some dancers lay motionless on the twilit ground when a senior dancer (Josef Kotěšovský), with an elderly, insecure gait, flipped a mobile phone camera open. Perhaps the solemn voiceover, which seemed to convey a mystical message, belonged to the video he watched on the small camera screen. In any case, a fog of dry ice suddenly wafted across the video screens and seemed to spread onto stage. Drum rolls followed by atmospheric sounds (music by Robert Jíša, sound design by Jan Brambůrek) accompanied a gray-haired man (Matěj Petrák) who moved on old fours like a primordial human. Brawny and nimble, he carried the lifeless bodies of a man and a woman onto the stage. (more…)

Tangled

“Tales of Perrault”
Ural Opera Ballet
Ekaterinburg State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre
Ekaterinburg, Russia
April/September 2024 (video)

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2024 by Ilona Landgraf

1. N.Shamshurina (Mushroom Fairy), “Tales of Perrault” by M.Petrov, K.Khlebnikov, and A.Merkushev; Ural Opera Ballet 2024 © Ural Opera BalletLast week, the Ural Opera Ballet’s joint production, Tales of Perrault, returned to the stage. It combines four fairy tales by Perrault—Puss in Boots, Little Red Riding Hood, Bluebeard, and Little Thumb—that are newly interpreted by three choreographers. Two of them, Konstantin Khlebnikov and Alexandr Merkushev, are junior choreographers from the company’s ranks of dancers; the third, Maksim Petrov, choreographed for the Mariinsky Ballet before succeeding the Ural Opera Ballet’s then-artistic director, Vyacheslav Samodurov, in August 2023.
Perrault’s fairy tales are often dark and scary (which is why Tales of Perrault is reserved for an adult audience and children aged twelve and older) but with a poetic note. From their wide range of meanings, the choreographers distilled a core message that combines all four fairy tales: regardless of one’s physicality, conduct, and wit, everyone deserves love and sympathy. (more…)

An Opening Salute

“The Sleeping Beauty”
Bolshoi Ballet
Bolshoi Theatre
Moscow, Russia
September 07, 2024 (live stream)

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2024 by Ilona Landgraf

 1. Y.Ostrovsky (Catalabutte) and ensemble, “The Sleeping Beauty” by Y.Grigorovich after M.Petipa, Bolshoi Ballet 2024 © Bolshoi Theatre/P.Rychkov The Bolshoi Ballet opened its 249th season with a revival of Yuri Grigorovich’s The Sleeping Beauty, which has been absent from the stage for four years. Because of the thorough change of décor, the production was announced as a premiere. It swapped the opulent (and often criticized) sets and costumes that Ezio Frigerio and Franca Squarciapino designed for the 2011 revival (celebrating the reopening of the theater’s Historic Stage after six years of refurbishment) for the restrained décor that Simon Virsaladze (1909–1989) created for Grigorovich’s second version of the ballet in 1973. The subdued hues and aquarelle-ish style of its courtly surroundings direct the gaze toward the colorful costumes (recalling French court fashion from King Louis XIII’s to the Sun King, Louis XIV’s, reign), beautiful flower garlands and bouquets at Aurora’s birthday party, and, most importantly, the dancers and their performances. Raising the curtain didn’t elicit oohs and aahs from the audience as, for example, Jürgen Rose’s décor for Marcia Haydée’s Sleeping Beauty regularly has done on Western stages. (more…)

Reassuring

Sochi Olympics 2014
Sochi, Russia
August 2024

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2024 by Ilona Landgraf

Given the nauseating freak show at the opening of the Paris Olympics last week, re-watching the ceremony held ten years ago at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi helps to restore belief in culture. It included the mini-ballet Natasha Rostov’s First Ball (choreographed by Radu Poklitaru, Andriy Musorin, and Oleksandr Leshchenko), which was based on Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Russia’s finest dancers were featured next to the two hundred couples waltzing to Eugen Doga’s film music for A Hunting Accident (Russian title: Мой ласковый и нежный зверь, meaning, My Sweet and Tender Beast). The Bolshoi Ballet’s Svetlana Zakharova danced the young, romantic beauty, Natasha Rostova; ballet legend Vladimir Vasiliev played her father, Count Rostov.

The Mariinsky Ballet’s Danila Korsuntsev performed the role of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky; Alexander Petukhov portrayed Pierre Bezukhov; as the dashing hussar, Anatoly Kuragin, Ivan Vasiliev delivered breathtaking jumps that made the audience cheer. The ball came to an abrupt end when Alfred Schnittke’s Concerto Grosso No. 1 ushered in the dark times that subsequently swept over Russia. (more…)

Present-day Perspectives

“Snow Maiden. Myth and Reality” (“Another Light”/“Refraction”)
Ballet of the Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre
Hvorostovsky Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre
Krasnoyarsk, Russia
July 2024 (video)

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2024 by Ilona Landgraf

1. Portrait of Alexander Ostrovsky by Vasily Perov, 18712. Book cover of Alexander Ostrovsky’s “The Snow Maiden”In March last year, the Russian playwright Alexander Ostrovsky (1823-1886) would have celebrated his bicentenary. Around one hundred and fifty years ago, in September 1873, he published The Snow Maiden, a work of narrative poetry about a fairy-tale, fantasy tsardom in prehistoric times for which Tchaikovsky wrote the music. A few years later, it was adapted into an opera by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The Snow Maiden deals with the opposition between eternal forces of nature (represented by the mythological characters of Grandfather Frost, Spring Beauty, the Sun God Yarilo, and a wood sprite), humans (a merchant and citizens), and those in-between (half-real, half-mythological characters, like Snow Maiden and the shepherd boy, Lel). The title character, daughter of Grandfather Frost and Spring Beauty, decides to live among the people, whom her beauty enchants. She is, however, unable to feel love, which complicates her interactions with humans. After her mother grants her the ability to love, Snow Maiden’s passion for the merchant, Mizgir, is ignited. As her hearts warms and she declares her love, a bright ray of sunlight hits her and she melts. Her demise conciliates the Sun God, Yarilo, who, angered by her sheer existence, had withheld sun and warmth. Consequently, the forces of nature become rebalanced. (more…)

Tempestuous

“Le Corsaire”
Ballet of the Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre
Hvorostovsky Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre
Krasnoyarsk, Russia
July 2024 (video)

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2024 by Ilona Landgraf

1. K.Litvinenko (Seyd Pasha) and ensemble, “Le Corsaire” by Y.Malkhasyants, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024 © Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre2. E.Mikheecheva, R.Abolmasov (Pas d’Esclave), and ensemble, “Le Corsaire” by Y.Malkhasyants, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024 © Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet TheatreThis July, the Ballet of the Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre traveled 2.400 miles eastward to tour their Catharsis Dante at the Helikon Theatre in Moscow. I wasn’t able to fly to Moscow but, by chance, I had the opportunity to watch videos of two of their recent premieres. One of them was a new Le Corsaire by Yuliana Malkhasyants, which premiered on May 19th. It’s based on Petipa’s 1858 version for the Mariinsky Theatre from which Malkhasyants kept seven of the most famous fragments, such as the Pas d’Esclave and the Le Corsaire Pas de Deux for Medora and Conrad. The Jardin animé was refashioned, and the libretto was pruned for better understanding. Malkhasyants dropped the figure of Conrad’s young, faithful slave, Ali, and streamlined Medora’s and Conrad’s escape from Seyd Pasha’s harem. (more…)

Ambivalent

“Manon”
Ballet Company of Teatro alla Scala
Teatro alla Scala
Milan, Italy
July 08, 2024 (live stream)

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2024 by Ilona Landgraf

 1. N.Manni (Manon) and R.Clarke (Des Grieux), “Manon” by K.MacMillan, Teatro alla Scala 2024, photo by Brescia and Amisano © Teatro alla Scala Given the mind-boggling speed with which Western culture is changing, La Scala’s live stream of Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon felt like a relic from the good old days of ballet. Unlike other staples of the classical repertory—Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, or The Nutcracker, for example—with a spiritual dimension that serves as a source of inspiration in difficult times, Manon has the opposite effect. Based on Abbé Prévost’s novel Manon Lescaut (1731), it dives deeply into the social swamp of early-18th-century France and in the real swamps near the then-French colony of Louisiana. Rabble and the poor crowd the streets and the upper class’s silk and satin façade barely hides their rotten morals. Sex, money, and power reign in everyday life, and, for women, alluring men is the only way to secure an existence. Not a single soul remains untainted in the sex-and-crime-ridden love tragedy of Manon. (more…)

Prix Benois Laureates 2024

Prix Benois de la Danse
Bolshoi Theatre (Historic Stage)
Moscow, Russia
June 25, 2024

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2024 by Ilona Landgraf

1. Jurors, S.Zakharova, nominees, and laureates, Prix Benois 2024 © Benois Center On Tuesday evening, this year’s Prix Benois laureates were announced on the Historic Stage of the Bolshoi Theatre.
The Mariinsky Ballet’s Olesya Novikova won the prize for best female dancer for her performance as Aspiccia in La Fille du Pharaon (Marius Petipa’s version as reconstructed by Toni Candeloro). Gergő Ármin Balázsi (Hungarian National Ballet) and Artemy Belyakov (Bolshoi Ballet) shared the prize for best male dancer. Balázsi was nominated for his performance as Leon in Boris Eifman’s The Pygmalion Effect and Belyakov for his performance as Ivan IV in Yuri Grigorovich’s Ivan the Terrible. Marco Goecke was awarded the prize for best choreography in absentia for In the Dutch Mountains, a creation for the Nederlands Dans Theater. (more…)

Dancer Nominees for the Prix Benois 2024

Prix Benois de la Danse
Bolshoi Theatre (Historic Stage)
Moscow, Russia
June 2024

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2024 by Ilona Landgraf

1. Bolshoi Theatre © D.Yusupov/Bolshoi Theatre 2. Statuette of the Prix Benois de la Danse, design by Igor Ustinov © Benois Center Thirteen dancers from eight companies are nominated for this year’s Prix Benois. Of the seven women and six men, two dance in China, Hungary, and Italy; one dances in Japan, and six in Russia. Next week, the laureates will be announced in an award ceremony at the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow.

Here’s a short overview of the nominees in alphabetical order by company names:
(more…)

Choreographer Nominees for the Prix Benois 2024

Prix Benois de la Danse
Martin Chaix, Marco Goecke, Jo Kanamori, Yuri Possokhov, and Maxim Sevagin
Bolshoi Theatre (Historic Stage)
Moscow, Russia
June 2024

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2024 by Ilona Landgraf

1. Bolshoi Theatre © Damir Yusupov/Bolshoi Theatre2. Statuette of the Prix Benois de la Danse, design by Igor Ustinov © Benois Center On June 25th, the Bolshoi Theatre will host the annual Prix Benois charity gala and awards ceremony. It will be followed by a gala concert on June 26th during which laureates of previous years will perform. Prizes will be awarded to the best choreographer and the best female and male dancers. Below is an overview of the five nominated choreographers in alphabetical order. A report on the nominated dancers will follow. (more…)

At a Gallop

“The Pygmalion Effect”
Hungarian National Ballet
Hungarian State Opera
Budapest, Hungary
June 01, 2024 (matinee)

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2024 by Ilona Landgraf

1. A.Szegő (Holmes) and ensemble, “The Pygmalion Effect” by B.Eifman, Hungarian National Ballet 2024 © V.Berecz/Hungarian State Opera Boris Eifman’s The Pygmalion Effect took my breath away. The dancers of the Hungarian National Ballet whizzed through two, at times terrifically fast, acts and then appeared at the curtain call as if they had merely finished warming up. Hats off! Budapest’s audience has loved the ballet, which was created for Eifman’s home company in St. Petersburg in 2019 and has been in the Hungarian National Ballet’s repertory since June 2023. At Saturday’s matinee, the house was packed to the roof.

Greek mythology has two Pygmalions; one was the son of King Belus of Tyros, and the other is from Ovid’s Metamorphoses and was a sculptor who fell in love with his creation. This creation—a statue of a woman who was later called Galatea—subsequently came to life. Eifman took inspiration from Ovid’s Pygmalion and the so-called Pygmalion Effect, a psychological phenomenon that was observed in classrooms showing that a teacher’s anticipated judgments about students will cause them to become true. (more…)