NINA AND BOLSHOI PRINCIPALS AT THE JACOB'S PILLOW DANCE FESTIVAL 1999 |
| Nina Ananiashvili and Principals from the Bolshoi Ballet
performed at the Ted Shawn Theatre from August 25 to 29, 1999, bringing two new ballets by
Alexei Ratmansky. The Friends caught two of the sold-out performances: August 28 at 8:30
p.m., and the last performance, August 29 at 2 p.m. Charms of Mannerism (1997) Dreams about Japan (1998)
There was palpable excitement at Jacob's Pillow last August when Nina's select company of principal dancers performed at the famous dance festival. It was the first chance for U.S. audiences to see some of Russia's top classical dancers in contemporary works, and Alexei Ratmansky's pieces did not disappoint. Charms of Mannerism, a plotless ballet was danced by Nina, Tatiana Terekhova, Sergei Filin and Andrei Uvarov. Though it has no story line as such, Charms is nevertheless far from abstract. Rather, it presents the dancers with copious opportunities to take a lighthearted look at the conventions and stylized movements of ballet. Ratmansky has given them an extended dance vocabulary --- with especially expressive hand and arm movements --- that allows them to tweak their art by means of gentle parody, exaggeration and irony--all done with the speed and technical polish only top classical dancers can provide. The dancers begin and end as mannequin-like figures who take on the mannerisms of familiar ballet characters. Terekhova was a wittily comic ingenue, while Nina played a somewhat off-kilter, lovelorn character. Uvarov was given a series of Bournonville type jumps, while Filin's solo strongly hinted of the lovesick James in La Sylphide. The knowledgeable audience reveled in quotes from this ballet, as well as from Giselle, Taming of the Shrew and others. Adding to the humor of the piece were some twists on male rivalries which had the rivals bonding and the women sort of left in the lurch. As The New York Times' Jennifer Dunning wrote, it's a ballet "so sunny its seems un-Russian." Dreams About Japan is another matter altogether. As most dance-lovers know, Nina is beloved by Japanese balletomanes, and Nina has obviously fallen in love with Japan through her many visits to that country. Dreams is a tribute to Japanese culture--especially dance and Kabuki. Though parts of the ballet were inspired by famous Kabuki tales, it by no means copies Kabuki movements. The stories seem to have simply been a springboard for the imagination of dancer and choreographer. A taiko drum ensemble onstage supports a wide variety of images and ideas --- from a mysterious Heron Maiden; to a pair of abandoned lovers whose agitated spirits combine into a single evil spirit to wreak vengeance; to the frightening tale of a woman (Nina) whose love is rejected by a monk, and who turns herself into a a Fire Snake, pursuing and killing the monk. A highly energetic Lion Dance provides a breathtakingly swift and technically brilliant finale. The appeal of Dreams is its amalgam of strong emotions, expressed by strong leg beats and arm gestures, coupled with rhythmic complexity; the primal sound of drums, other percussion instruments and finally, grunts from the players drive the piece. These elements are augmented by colorful costumes and masks hinting of Japanese origins without being literal adaptations. The lighting--including a large moon---established mood and emotional context. These contrasting pieces invite repeated viewings and signal the arrival of an important choreographic talent. It will be a pleasure to anticipate further collaborations between Ratmansky and the Bolshoi. |