The Imperial Russian Ballet Company has graced Perth with some fantastic lead dancers and a corps de ballet with plenty of potential.
The first of three acts was Act 2 of The Nutcracker, with a heavy-footed Nutcracker setting off a technically perfect Clara, but neither dancer brought much individual character development to their parts. The ‘Chinese Tea’ movement was spectacular, with both performers showing graceful strength and control. The ‘Russian Candy Cane’, with its exuberant bursts of Cossack movements, was superb, as one would hope from a Russian company. The main disappointment came with the ensemble scenes – the corps de ballet were not staged well for the relatively small area, several ballerinas had costumes that were not fitted correctly, and other presentation details were neglected, such as proper hair and make up – all part of the exquisite fantasy of the art of ballet.
After a short interval, the stage was transformed into a den of shadows and crumpled bodies for a modern Bolero. Again, lovely work by the leads, and the corps de ballet were used to great effect as the music built up – however, there could have been more dynamic range to reflect the musical development, with a greater amount of brio leading to a more impressive climax than the one actually reached.
Another impressively short break saw another stage and dancer transformation, as we were treated to a preview of some scenes from Don Quixote, which the company will be touring as a full production next year. Hopefully by then they will have measured up and re-fitted these corps de ballet costumes also, but presentation details aside, the dance itself looked promising. The leads and character parts had developed personal touches to technically correct moves, creating an engaging entertainment, with male lead costumes emphasising their sinuous strength.
A rapid succession of various dance pieces followed, highlights including a languorous modern reverie of Jacques Brel’s ‘Ne Me Quitte Pas’, featuring delightful costuming and a soloist who captured every heartbreaking moment of song into an enthralling study of movement. The solo from Swan Lake was stunning, a classic that was simply done perfectly. The excerpts from Giselle featured the same lead ballerina from The Nutcracker, who showed beautiful dramatic flair for character, along with strong technique, as she brought the scenes to life. Her lead man, however, let himself down by not preparing some of his moves adequately, leaving him facing the wrong way at times – this seemed to be another rehearsal and staging issue.
Overall, A Festival of Russian Ballet was an entertaining selection of pieces, ideal for an audience seeking something different, but teasing anyone with a deeper love of ballet by its inclusion of plenty of Russian dance and by showing such short snippets of each of the classic dramatic performances.
Rating: 3 stars out of 5
A Festival of Russian Ballet
Imperial Russian Ballet Company
Regal Theatre, Subiaco
5 – 7 September
See website for national tour dates throughout September-October
