Unmissable, exuberant dancing overcomes quixotic plot
Viktoria Tereshkina — as if she applied superglue to her pointe shoes
THE ROYAL Ballet may be on its annual summer break but the stage at the Royal Opera House is still alive with the sound of pointe shoes tip-tapping across it as the Mariinsky Ballet is here for a three-week offering of classical goodies, including Swan Lake and Paquita.
Monday’s opening night saw the company in sparkling form in a production of Don Quixote, based on the book by Cervantes. Forget the absurd plot featuring thwarted young lovers, assorted buffoons and a wouldbe knight with a windmill fixation, and instead revel in the glorious dancing.
It is interesting to see how the Russian company compares with our own homegrown dancers. A greater emphasis on use of the back is imme- diately obvious: the Maryiinsky’s dancers seem to have rubber spines as they throw themselves into dramatic backbends, offset by glorious port de bras.
To a tuneful if lightweight score by Minkus, the dancers give us a wonderful flavour of sunny Spain, complete with an abundance of castanets, plenty of foot-stamping and a lot of bullfighters’ capes twirling around a stage flooded with colour and light.
On Monday, the lead roles of Kitri and Basil were danced by Viktoria Tereshkina and Kimin Kim. Tereshkina shone throughout, her balances so secure it looked as if she had put superglue on the end of her pointe shoes, while Kim pulled off his spectacular turns with ease.
The climax of the evening saw the couple exuberant in the final, famous pas de deux, beloved as a stand-alone piece at ballet galas. Dancers give us a wonderful ¼KþX^[ of sunny Spain (Anyone who was around to remember the ice-skater John Curry’s winning performances will know the music well.)
Tereshkina dazzled in the coda, effortlessly whipping off multiple fouettes while using her fan to great effect.
Tuesday’s performance saw Nadezhda Batoeva and Filipp Stepin as the second cast Kitri and Basil. Batoeva was a witty, fleet-footed Kitri, and if the couple did not dazzle as much as the previous night’s cast, they still managed some lovely moments, especially in their first act solos.
One gripe: the soloists and principals take their bows in front of the curtain at the end of each act, unlike the usual practice here of waiting until the end of the performance. It slows the evening down and is unnecessary. But this is a minor quibble — these Russian visitors shouldn’t be missed.
The Mariinsky Ballet is at the Royal Opera House until 12 August. www.roh.org.uk