By Emma Krasov
The opening of the Cal Performances’ 2012-2013 Danceseason at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley mid-October came as a precious gift to the Bay Area viewers – a gift like no other. It is no overstatement that Mariinsky Ballet & Orchestra’s Swan Lake coming from St. Petersburg, Russia, is an event of a lifetime, and a highlight of any balletomane’s trophy list. Tchaikovsky’s undying classic finds its rightful home at the Russia’s historic theatre that had never lost its importance in the course of centuries, generations, and rapidly changing political regimes. The original Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov production of 1895, revised by Konstantin Sergeyev in 1950 with the added happy ending, seems expressly relevant and heart-warming today, maybe because in the 21stcentury we are wary of tragic losses more than ever before or maybe because the sheer beauty of the opulent show fills us with new hopes. Childish as it sounds, we don’t want the gracious swan to die in the hands of evil sorcerer. We want perfect love to endure and overcome obstacles, we want beauty to triumph.
At a Saturday matinee performed to a full house, tall, lithe Ekaterina Kondaurova as Odette/Odile showed off her impressive dramatic talent on top of her dancing virtuosity. The sparkly black outfit of Odile never looked so good as it did on this fiery redhead, smiling her winning red-lipstick smile to Prince Siegfried (Danila Korsuntsev) – reduced to a love-sick schoolboy under her magic spell.
Rothbart (Konstantin Zverev) countered the leads with his commanding presence, exquisite costume and makeup, and gravity-defying leaps.
A feather-light jester (Ilya Petrov) provided a needed comic relief effortlessly twirling around the stage and playing the part with his entire body, face, and soul.
Another glorious moment came from a text-book dance of cygnets. Anastasia Mikheykina, Svetlana Ivanova, Elena Chmil, and Maria Shirinkina were practically one in their lightning-speed leg movements, extraordinarily synchronized to the effect of spontaneous screams of delighted delirium from the audience.
And speaking of synchronicity, Mariinsky’s enormously skilled corps de ballet was at the top of its game, simultaneously accepting the most poetic poses with subtle movements of perfectly turned heads and outstretched arms as if weaving a magic thread of white light through the fairy-tale scenes by the lake – turning the stage into an ethereal unearthly dreamland, into a shiny happy place attainable only in a dream or in art.
Artistic & General Director Valery Gergiev, Interim Ballet Director Yury Fateev, Conductor Mikhail Agrest.
Coming up in Dance at Cal Performances:
Joffrey Ballet – Jan. 26-27, 2013
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago – Feb. 1-2, 2013
Trisha Brown Dance Company – March 15, 2013
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater – April 23-28, 2013
Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg – May 10-12, 2013
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