The Mariinsky Ballet is continuing one of its most important tours this season. The first performances have already taken place at two of the most prestigious venues in the USA – the New York City Center and the Kennedy Center (Washington).
On 5 and 6 October the tour opened with the US premiere of Mariinsky Theatre soloist Alexander Sergeev’s debut choreographic piece At the Wrong Time at the modern dance festival Fall for Dance at the New York City Center. After two performances, which were praised as “an enchanting neoclassical sketch about the relationships of three couples” (Theater Scene) the dancers of the ballet company departed for Washington where, from 8 to 13 October, the Kennedy Center hosted the Mariinsky Theatre’s annual series of performances.
The American premiere of the ballet Paquita with choreography by Yuri Smekalov (reconstruction and staging of the choreography of Marius Petipa in the Grand Pas from Act III by Yuri Burlaka) met with a warm response from audiences and received enthusiastic reviews from the press. “Viktoria Tereshkina whipped through her double fouetté turns in the final minutes of Paquita, spinning with such speed you half-expected to see her shoes smoke. And the Opera House audience lost its collective mind. Of course, there could be no other response” was how the critic for The Washington Post began her review. In addition to the performer of the title role, she also commented on Timur Askerov as Andrés: “The Mariinsky men look especially strong on this tour, particularly the elegant Timur Askerov as the caballero’s son.” As well as the dancers who performed the lead roles, young soloists of the ballet company who appeared in the Grand Pas also received lofty praise. “There is much to admire about Smekalov’s new full length Paquita, and the Grand Pas is truly the glittering jewel of this particular ballet. Petipa’s high classicism brings out the very best in these dancers. The female women of the Corps de Ballet dazzled here, as did the soloists who accompanied them. May Nagahisa stood out for the liquidlike flow of her dancing, her generous and graceful port de bras, and her fleet and articulate footwork. Vlada Borodulina, Anastasia Nuikina, Daria Ionova, and Yekaterina Chebykina, who danced the variations that followed also deserve special praise for the affectionate care, beauty, and commitment they gave to their dancing” – (DC Theatre Scene).
The critic of the portal Broadway World noted the artistic design of the production: “With its fairytale castle setting and glamorous costuming, the Grand Pas is where the Mariinsky is its most visually stunning. But the entire work is dedicated to creating striking aesthetics that transport audiences to a gypsy caravan, the countryside and even a jail cell.”
“(This ballet is) a tremendous opportunity for an accomplished company like the Mariinsky to pull out the stops and dazzle you with their mastery of the form. The show (…) is a feast for the eyes, with gorgeously colorful costumes and brilliantly-executed scenic decorations, with moments of pure joy and a healthy dose of good humor. (…) they create an opening for Maria Khoreva and Konstantin Zverev to shine. And shine they certainly do, at the head of a company brimming with talent” – DC Metro Theater Arts.
On 16 October the next series of performances kicks off at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts (Costa Mesa), where the tour will be joined by the Mariinsky Orchestra. The dancers will be performing Ludwig Minkus’ ballet La Bayadère with choreography by Marius Petipa (1877), revised version by Vladimir Ponomarev and Vakhtang Chabukiani (1941), with individual dances by Konstantin Sergeyev and Nikolai Zubkovsky. The principal roles will performed by the company’s leading dancers, among them Ekaterina Kondaurova, Alina Somova, Maria Khoreva, Nadezhda Batoeva, Timur Askerov, Andrei Yermakov, Kimin Kim and Vladimir Shklyarov. Gavriel Heine will be conducting.
The Mariinsky Ballet will then depart for Los Angeles where at the Los Angeles Music Center it will present George Balanchine’s famous ballet Jewels (24 – 27 October). The lead roles will again be performed by the Mariinsky Ballet’s leading soloists and the new generation of dancers. Alexei Repnikov will be conducting. The US tour by the Mariinsky Ballet will conclude with a further series of performances of the ballet La Bayadère at the Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley (30 October – 3 November).
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