Canberra
Theatre May 5th and 6th 2014
Reviewed by
Bill Stephens
The Imperial
Russian Ballet Company annually undertakes extensive international tours,
including annual visits to Australia, presenting ambitious productions of popular
classical ballets with its troupe of some 40 dancers drawn from all over
Russia. Over the years the company has built up a loyal following in Australia,
especially among those centres which would otherwise not experience live ballet
productions on this scale.
Because the
company depends on attracting large audiences for its very existence, its
Artistic Director, Gediminas Taranda has
become a master at staging spectacular productions which are not only well danced
and respect the Russian Ballet tradition, but which are also highly
entertaining . This exuberant production of “Don Quixote” is a particularly
spectacular example of Taranda’s imaginative staging at its best. The Russian Imperial Ballet Company |
Lina Seveliova and Nariman Bezkhanov |
Lina Seveliova is a beautiful dancer, every
inch the archetypal Russian ballerina, and perfectly cast as Kitri. Animated
and confident, she performed the showy choreography and spectacular lifts
effortlessly and with panache. Her Basilio, Nariman Bezkhanov, on the other
hand, seemed to be having an off-night. In the first two acts he seemed
disinterested, his dancing was lacklustre and his acting perfunctory at best.
For these acts he strangely eschewed the socks worn by the other male dancers,
to display distracting ankle tattoos. However in the third act he rallied and for
the climactic pas de deux, white tights now covering the tattoos, provided
flashes of the expected brilliance.
Anna Pashkova |
There was
plenty of fine dancing from the rest of the company however, especially from Alexandru
Balan who leads the male corps of lavishly costumed toreadors in a spectacular
display of cape twirling, Anna Pashkova who uses her flashing eyes and
remarkably flexible back to great effect as a fiery gypsy street dancer, and
from Dinu Blmagu as the virile, energetic Gypsy Chief.
Told in
three-acts, this delightfully entertaining production by the Russian Imperial
Ballet of “Don Quixote”, provides a satisfying evening of spectacle and
excellent dancing in the best Russian ballet tradition.
This review also appears on the Australian Arts Review website www.artsreview.com.au