Dance Review by D. L. Groover

ICE AND FIRE:

Houston Ballet World Premiere of Snow Maiden

In his definitive book on fairy tales and their impact on us, The Uses of Enchantment, Bruno Bettelheim states that the human world and the world of nature can never truly mix without disastrous consequences. They are destined to remain separate but equal, no matter how much they desire to become something else, be they mermaid, nixie, dryad, swan, or just your basic fairy. Human emotion (i.e., love) is alien to them, and must remain so. Once pursued, doom follows. Ben Stevenson’s splendid full-length production of The Snow Maiden, given its world premiere by the Houston Ballet, follows these rules and creates a fairy tale in dance that will live for a long time to come...

The title role was created for the celebrated Bolshoi prima ballerina Nina Ananiashvili, and the opening night Houston audience was treated to a legendary performance. Truly an ethereal creature, her Snow Maiden was not of this world. Needless to say, neither was her dancing. Ananiashvili possesses a gamin-like quality, coupled with a flawless technique, that could melt ice. Whether skimming en pointe across the frozen winter landscape, or posing with a beguiling playful sensuality as if lolling in a snow bank, she amply demonstrated all the reasons why she is revered as one of the world’s leading dancers. Captivating is what she is.

...Misgir was danced by Carlos Acosta, a force of nature all by himself. When he is "on" and dancing with his own idiosyncratic style, he can hold his own and literally dance rings around anyone on stage today...

The production is magnificently realized by the theatrical wizardry of Desmond Heeley, whose sets and costumes are his final work after a lifetime designing for the stage. Scintillating icy-blue impressionistic sets, resembling translucent sculptures encrusted by frost, are complemented by opulent costumes of brocade and crushed velvet for the humans and a shimmering, almost wistful, look for the Snow Maiden. That other crafty stage magician, John Lanchbery, has assembled a most evocative score from a myriad of Tchaikovsky’s works...

Houston audiences are notorious for their indiscriminate use of standing ovations. If you cross the street at the right moment, you’re likely to receive one. At the premiere of The Snow Maiden the audience was on its feet before the curtain touched the stage floor. This time their assessment was correct. Audiences will be applauding this ballet for a great many years to come.

Bravo.