Obviously, ballet is not extremely popular in Boston. Boston Ballet has been attempting to work around this problem for many seasons. Last Thursday was the opening night of Boston Ballet's new production of La Bayadere. But, even on the opening night of the new production, half the audience had not yet taken their seats when the curtain was scheduled to open.
Past artistic directors of the Boston Ballet, especially Bruce Marks, have been known to experiment with different strategies to engage the Boston ballet-going crowd. Marks updated the classical ballets with new choreography and even Americanized the titles on occasion. In her third season as artistic director, Anna-Marie Holmes follows in Marks' footsteps, especially in her rendition of La Bayadere.
Originally choreographed by Marius Petipa, La Bayadere has been criticized for its lack of action and, until recently, only the third act was performed as an excerpt. However, Holmes feels, "It is one of the big classical ballets that should be in every major company's repertoire."
She attempts to stay true to the original, best preserved by the Kirov Ballet in Russia, by enlisting the aid of six former Kirov dancers. Holmes expertly cuts the dead time, however, and adds flavor where she deems appropriate - parrots in Act II, opium in Act III. While not without fault, Holmes' rendition of La Bayadere will definitely not put you to sleep.
Set in India, La Bayadere is the story of the warrior Solor, who is in love with a temple dancer (bayadere) Nikiya, played last Thursday by Yury Yanowsky and Larissa Ponomarenko. The first act is set outside the temple, where Solor and Nikiya meet and pledge their love for one another.
The first act as a whole is particularly impressive. Unlike other versions, Boston Ballet's rendition does not include lengthy acting and non-balletic dancing sections. The highlight of this act, without question, is Ponomarenko. Although her slight figure is somewhat distracting, her delicate footwork and lingering balances render her character absolutely breathtaking.
The second scene in Act I is set in the Rajah's palace. Solor is offered the hand of the Rajah's daughter Gamzatti, played by April Ball, and is unable to refuse. This scene presents typical Russian acting, which is gloriously dramatic. The weakest part of this scene is the corps. Though accurate in its performance of the choreography, the corps was distractingly not together.
At the end of the first act, Gamzatti learns of Solor's affection for the bayadere. During the second act, at the ceremony celebrating the betrothal of Solor to Gamzatti, Gamzatti sends Nikiya a basket containing a poisonous snake. While Nikiya is dancing, she is bitten by the snake and dies.
The first dance presented in the ceremony of the second act is the parrot dance, which features the dancers holding live parrots. The next dance is the pas de quatre. Two of the four corps dancers Holmes cast, Romi Beppu and Rie Ichikawa, are an absolute delight to watch. Though all four dance with very precise technique, Beppu and Ichikawa steal the spotlight with their brilliant smiles.
Given their excessive applause, it would appear that the Boston audience was impressed by the Golden Idol dance. However, to some who are familiar with the ballet, it is a disappointing rendition. The Golden Idol dance is traditionally a virtuosi variation of leaps and turns, and Holmes gives the coveted opening-night casting to Christopher Budzynski, a soloist with the company. This was a mistake, as Budzynski's technique is not nearly as virtuosi as some of the other company members cast to perform on later dates.
Yanowsky and Ball steal the show with their pas de deux towards the end of this act. Ball's soft yet impeccable style is a beautiful complement to Yanowsky's elastic jump. Even the two other couples that accompany the leads in the Pas D'Action do not detract from the glorious style of this duet.
The pas de deux in Act III does not match the level set in Act II. In Act III, an opium-induced hallucination leads Solor to the Kingdom of the Shades, where visions of Nikiya and memories of their love haunt him. Perhaps Ponomarenko was exhausted from the first Act; perhaps it was opening night jitters. Whatever the reason, the pas de deux was not perfect. The corps, however, was in perfect unison. The 32 dancers successfully appear as mirror images of one another.
The ballet ends when it comes time for Solor to marry Gamzatti. He sees a vision of Nikiya, rushes to his den, and takes his life. Together, Solor and Nikiya ascend to paradise united in eternal love.
Despite some shaky moments, the Boston Ballet's production of La Bayadere remains an elegant one, full of dramatic gestures and elaborate sets. The production even includes a Jumbo - Solor arrives at the celebration on a giant elephant. And at the student rush ticket price of $12.50, you can't beat it. Especially when nightlife on campus seems so dreary... But that's another story.
