Tradition and Talent

Boston Ballet took on years of history and tradition with the recent opening of the exotic La Bayadere, a ballet known for the opulence of its costumes and sets as well as the extreme challenges it presents to an ensemble as a whole. Set to the music of Ludwig Minkus, the 123-year-old ballet epic premiered in Boston for the first time last week in the ornate Wang Theater. With choreography by artistic director Anna-Marie Holmes after Marius Petipa's original, this was an ambitious enterprise in innovation and the preservation of tradition.

Set in India, La Bayadere depicts the love story between Solor, a renowned warrior, and Nikya, a temple dancer. This performance features the petite Larissa Ponomarenko as Nikya, with Yury Yanowsky in the role of Solor. Although the couple is well-matched, they lack polish in their pas de deux, with shifty landings in their lifts and a lack of sustained movement that sometimes overshadows their individual technical brilliance. The absence of an emotional connection between the couple also seems to underscore the technical faults. Still, Ponomarenko enthuses with her fluid, well-placed positions, displaying long, beautifully shaped arabesque lines that defy the limits of her small stature.

Complications settle into the plot during the latter part of the first act when the Rajah gives the hand of his daughter Gamzatti to Solor in reward for his success as a warrior. Although he loves Nikiya, Solor does not feel that he can refuse the wishes of the Rajah. As Gamzatti, April Ball takes the stage with exceptional presence, bringing to the performance clear, insightful mime and impressive theatrical and technical versatility. Without dancing a single step in the first act, Ball holds full command of the stage, developing the dimensions of Gamzatti's struggles as a woman and further as a princess, striking a perfect balance of contrast between the dual aspects of the role. She continues to impress in the second act, donning pointe shoes to deliver a solid performance filled with beautifully landed turns and jumps.

A wide variety of dances and beautifully constructed sets and costumes by Sergiy Spevyakin dominate the second act, delivering a full offering of the company's diverse talents. The divertissements, although all delightfully and correctly danced, lack any real display of virtuosity. In the role of the Golden Idol, Christopher Budzynski's aerial jumps are imbued with a natural sense of grace but lack any dynamic in movement or musicality. Alexandra Kochis's charming performance as the whimsical Manu also seems to fall just short of true technical precision. But commendations go to the male ensembles for clean, effortless dancing and solid formations.

The curtains open on the third act with low lighting and high expectations in anticipation of the famous Kingdom of Shades. As dancers in white tutus descend the ramp one by one, a hush falls over the audience. Conscientious staging is evident, and the company deserves applause for its careful attention to detail. The corps, perfectly in line, display breathtaking synchronization and attunement to the music. But like much of the ballet, the scene is tentatively danced with a hesitance that takes away from the total emotional impact. Near the climactic ending, the technical prowess of the two leading roles still fails to compensate for the emotional poignancy so essential to a romantic ballet.

Although La Bayadere is faithfully reconstructed in this new rendition, the project seems to have been approahced with almost too much care, as though the choreographers greatly feared deviating too far from tradition. A substantial performance steeped in years of tradition, La Bayadere is nevertheless curiously deficient in the cutting-edge spirit of innovation that distinguishes this century from the last.

LA BAYADERE

staged by

Anna-Marie Holmes

original staging by

Marius Petipa

Through Oct. 29

Boston Ballet

Wang Theater

staged by

Anna-Marie Holmes

original staging by

Marius Petipa

Through Oct. 29

Boston Ballet

Wang Theater