With its gorgeous sets and lavish, jewel toned costumes, Opéra
Bastille became a portal to an exotic and mysterious new world in Rudolph
Nureyev’s La Bayadère.
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| Opéra Bastille, home of La Bayadère |
The sweeping dance, intriguing characters and grand score
by Ludwig Minkus all combined with the talents of the Paris Opéra Ballet to
tell the tragic tale of love between temple dancer (la bayadère) Nikiya and the
warrior Solor.
When Gamzatti, the daughter
of the Rajah, who is also betrothed to Solor, discovers her future husband
loves another, she swears vengeance and plots the death of Nikiya. At their
extravagant engagement celebration, Nikiya must dance for all their invited
guests. She is given a basket of flowers, which she believes is from Solor, but
unbeknownst to her, Gamzatti put a poisonous snake amongst the blossoms. When
Nikiya is fatally bitten, she dies helplessly in Solor’s arms.
Solor then has an apparition
of Nikya’s spirit in the ballet’s most famous act, The Kingdom of Shades. In
this vision, the two lovers are able to be happy together for a brief moment
before the dream ends and Solor is alone.
This production is truly a
full company affair as it features many students from the Ballet School of the
Opéra National de Paris in supporting roles at the betrothal celebration. No
doubt it is an exciting opportunity for the students to perform alongside
seasoned company members and I’m sure emotions and nerves were high as they
took to the stage. They rose to the occasion and grew more and more confidant
with each variation; the small slips in timing, stiff arms and heavy landings
will sort themselves out in time and it’s safe to say the future of the company
is in good hands.
There’s a reason The Kingdom
of Shades is the most famous act of this ballet – it is an absolutely exquisite
piece of ensemble ballet. One by one, the spirits file onstage - with their
legs and arms for days - descending from a ramp in simple walks, graceful port de bras, and
beautiful, sustained arabesques. As more and more dancers enter, the dancers
form crisscrossing lines by changing directions and the effect of controlled
extensions in perfect unison is utterly mesmerizing. This continues for
several minutes until the entire corps de ballet is onstage and then they
perform a pristine center adage, beginning with a gorgeous, sky-high developée
in second position. It’s interesting to note The Kingdom of Shades act was
traditionally performed independently as its own one-act ballet, dating back to
its premiere performance in 1903 at Peterhof Palace in Russia.
Rudolph Nureyev’s La Bayadère is a special production for
the Paris Opéra Ballet since it was created especially for the company when
Nureyev was the Artistic Director in the early 1990s. Its 1992 production was
even critically acclaimed and won many awards, which makes it even more
bittersweet since it was Nureyev’s last ballet before his death three months
after it premiered.
Going to this performance on
November 20th was the first time my husband and I had been back into
Paris since the November 13 attacks. It’s worth mentioning extra security measures have been added to both Palais Garnier and Opéra Bastille and they
provide the necessary reassurance to patrons to be able to enjoy the performances.
But beyond the extra metal
detectors and security guards, the biggest reassurance for me was to see the
theatre packed with an excited and appreciative audience and to feel the dancers and musicians feed on their energy. Great art and beauty are
always being celebrated in this incredible city, no matter what else occurs, be
it the death of a beloved ballet master or an attack on Paris itself. It was
very moving to witness the dancers and musicians performing with such passion and I can’t think of a better way to than that to honor the unconquerable spirit
of the French.
The curtain will rise again
in 2016 and I can’t wait to see what new joys will be presented in this magnificent
city of dance, art and culture.
May there be peace and
happiness in the New Year for all. Joyeux Fêtes!
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| The curtain will always rise again |
For other posts on the Paris Opéra Ballet 2015-2016 season, check out:
