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Perm State BalletApril 2003 Cupertino, Flint Theater by Renee Renouf |
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Casting is at the bottom Whatever the conventional historical record, Perm is famous in ballet history as Sergei Diaghilev's birthplace. The Kirov Ballet Company was evacuated to this city during World War II, giving an impetus to the modest institution which already existed. An international competition called Arabesque was organized within the last twenty years. While the competitors are largely Russian, others have come, including Vanessa Zahorian named a year ago as a principal dancer for San Francisco Ballet. Directed by Igor Makhaev, Diaghilev's family home has been converted into a museum, acquiring memorabilia from various ballet notables, not only from Russia, but also from members of the Russian Diaspora, such as George Zoritch and Irina Baronova. In 1996 Perm was the site of a two-day Symposium titled "The Theater of George Balanchine: Creations, Epoch and Contemporaries." Said Symposium was noted, according to informants, for the U.S. delegates' assumption Balanchine's inventions lacked precedents in his formative environment in St. Petersburg/ Petrograd/Leningrad. I was told abundant contrary evidence was presented. Like one-time San Francisco, Perm may be regional, but possesses its own vein of culture and cultivated sensibilities. For its two-week California tour Perm Ballet brought their production of Sleeping Beauty with its moments of magic and conviction. The two-week tour was a god send, two five or six performance runs at both ends of the state and the remaining one-night stands in Central and Southern California city-towns. Igor Levine of Hollywood International Management, Inc. may have found a formula giving exposure to companies, balancing box office with the stamina of dancers. What are the dancers like? They mostly are small, with uniformly beautifully proportioned legs and admirable unity of style. This engendered intimacy, with the assumption of rank and behavior usually absent in American ballet companies. My memories of seeing Sadler's Wells production of Sleeping Beauty the fall 0f 1950 were stirred. The curtain gave us large columns and a vaulted ceiling, reeking of a symmetry and rational order in a never-never land where behavior, naturally, went according to hoyle. The shallow stage created some problem for the company; the lighting was ill- coordinated. A spotlight tardily came to the fore in the prologue half-way through the Lilac Fairy's variation, and should have been utilized for each of the variations. The vision scene occurs in the late afternoon without a time lapse from the hunting scene. No one could fault the style and accuracy of the costumes if the colors seemed a little strange; satin seemed to be the preferred choice for the four prospective princes. The tutus of some of the dancers flopped distinctly. The orchestra and a conductor straight from Perm must know the score by heart. My sole objection there was a labored tempo for the Blue Bird pas de deux. Catalbutte was the most animated of major-domos, someone you'd see in a five-star hotel, discreetly hovering to see that the exact item appeared at the appropriate moment. With his pointed foot, things were just so, if his wig was ginger color and hopelessly straight. But obvious enthusiasm for the infant Aurora, his carrying her with evident interest was far more human than the ponderous parading Catalabute frequent in Western productions. His degree of concern naturally contrasted with the inadvertent insult to Carabosse gives the entire fairy tale its raison d'etre. Like Desire, the King belongs to the tallest dancers. Lordly, he managed to convey an appealing degree of caring, particularly in the pantomime with the knitters at the beginning of Act I; his gestures with the cloak exhibited the touch of regal disdain. Yulia Mashkina made a small, if impressive Lilac Fairy, switching in the vision scene to the clinging crepe chiffon which signifies something dream-like in the Russian costume lexicon. She also carried an obvious lilac blossom. Missing from her enchainements were the sweeping fouette arabesque turns which make such for such visual blessing. Tatiana Bolshukhina with her two substantial variations stretched too much in her grand jetes, landing with too little plie and adistinct thud. In Violente, (the finger variation ?), Natalie Makina gestured strongly; but I remembered Maryon Lane with the Royal and her energetic attack. Elena Levina sparkled in her two variations, clearly possessed of a personality and stage presence. Dramatically, one can't fault the production with its mixture of classicism and drama. The musical tempo permitted gestural rendering; while the mime may have been shortened, it was rendered clearly and fully. The mime of Aurora at her birthday party was unaffected. Carabosse strode around with overly long strides, accompanied by what looked like bats, his mime quite full. One terrific place occurred after Carabosse had accomplished her mischief and rushed off. The four suitors drew their swords and pledged revenge in front of the king before rushing into the wings. Another startling bit was when Desire drew his sword just before leaning down to awaken Aurora with a kiss. Aurora's bed was formed by the bent knees of four courtiers, possibly a touring resolution. Where the company faltered were in the Act III character sketches. The Pussie Cat and Puss in Boots danced antiseptically where Western cats employ body contact and the Wolf and Red Riding Hood also seemed conventional. The Blue Bird pas de deux had lovely port de bras, but Sergei Mershin and Yaroslava Araptanova seemed to err on the side of correctness, and Mershin's blue chiffon wings added nothing to the illusion. I sympathize with Western productions which have beefed up Desire's role with a variation in the hunting scene. This Desire, tall and somewhat long waisted, was given little except to look noble, do grand jetes around the stage and the usual series of double tours. Natalia Moiseeva's Aurora was sugar-spun pastel and distinctly consistent. Her hand in the Rose Adagio never strayed in height or tempo from one supported turn to the next, nor did she seem to need to hasten or slur steps. There were one or two moments in the Vision Scene and again in the Wedding Adagio where her arabesque seemed to crystalize in eternity and the finishing of a phrase in an attitude en avant accomplished magic with its slightly accented finish. She possesses remarkably strong technique considering the arch of her foot and knees which are hyperextended, all praise going to careful training and her own discipline. Her consistency and evenness reminded me of Fonteyn when I saw her first, although Fonteyn's presence was stronger and more radiant. While Perm's traveling production values were not equivalent to what I am used to, the dancing made me anticipate seeing the company again
King: Igor Shesterikov |
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