Three fabulous ballet companies are featured in the 2019-2020 International Dance Series - Segerstrom Center for ...
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INTERNATIONAL DANCE SERIES
Three
fabulous ballet
companies
are featured
in the
2019–2020
International
Dance Series
14 ▼ JULY/AUGUST 2019
Mariinsky Ballet's La Bayadère, photo by Natasha Razina
I
ndian temple dancers, Greek romance, and unrequited love fill bloom,” says the Houston Chronicle. “What makes it spectacular is the
the 2019-20 International Dance Series: It’s a thrill ride for all effect of seeing the ballerinas perform it in single file, emerging one at
your senses. With three major productions—including a world a time from the wings as they descend a ramp” until they fill the stage.
premiere—from the best companies in the world coming to the It is truly a mesmerizing sight.
Center, you’ll discover magical worlds opening right in front of you. American Ballet Theatre (ABT) turns to Greek antiquity
Classical ballet loves an exotic location. For La Bayadère, ancient for a world premiere at the Center by today’s most celebrated
India is the setting, with sweeping vistas, majestic grand temples and choreographer, Alexei Ratmansky. The ABT artist in residence’s
exquisite costumes. This story of forbidden romance was actually created renowned work has been performed often on our stage, including
by Russian choreographer Marius Petipa more than 140 years ago for the Harlequinade, The Firebird, Whipped Cream which had its world
incomparable Mariinsky Ballet, and no other company does it better. premiere here, The Sleeping Beauty, The Bright Stream and The Flames
“One leaves the theater elated by the Mariinsky’s sheer concentration of of Paris.
talent, effort, and artistry,” says DC Theatre Scene. The music by Ludwig For this as-yet unnamed work, Ratmansky turns to the earliest
Minkus will be performed live by the Mariinsky Orchestra. extant romance novel of Greek antiquity. That might sound a bit
La Bayadère is the story of Nikiya, a temple dancer, and Solor, a dusty, but Callirhoe by Chariton is a rollicking adventure that can
warrior, who have sworn eternal love to each other, and Gamzatti, rival anything by the Brontë sisters (Heathcliff !) or Nicholas Sparks.
the Rajah’s daughter who wants to marry Solor herself. But the star A beautiful young maiden, Callirhoe (pronounced Calear-ōee), is
of the production is the Mariinsky corps de ballet in the third act separated from her sweetheart, kidnapped by pirates, caught in a
performance of the Kingdom of the Shades. After Nikiya’s death, shipwreck, pursued by multiple suiters, is the subject of plots and
Solor has an opium dream of spirits—perhaps Nikiya—in diaphanous counterplots, and the story still has a happy ending. Ratmansky, who
white tutus who seem to float onto the stage one at a time, moving in is called “The most gifted choreographer in classical ballet today,” by
unison as they step forward in an elegant arabesque and then back and The New York Times, will produce a spectacular production that will
“extend a leg in tendu, their arms opening like tulips springing into be the dance event of the season.
JULY/AUGUST 2019 ▼ 15
Oxana Skorik and Andrei Yermakov in Mariinsky Ballet's La Bayadère, photo by Natasha Razina
INTERNATIONAL DANCE SERIES
A young girl’s crush for a jaded older man and how the tables are
later turned is the subject of Alexander Pushkin’s great 19th-century
verse-novel Eugene Onegin. In the 1960s master choreographer John
Cranko turned the piece into Onegin, a beautiful story-ballet with a
tale of honor, betrayal and regret. Onegin will be presented by Italy’s
Teatro alla Scala Ballet Company with some of its finest
dancers, including the company’s superstar, Étoile Roberto Bolle.
Onegin tells the story of a teenage Tatiana, who falls in love with
Onegin when her sister’s fiancée, Lensky (who is Onegin’s best friend)
brings him to Tatiana’s birthday party. Bored and condescending,
Onegin scorns Tatiana’s secret love letter to him and coldly tears it up
in front of her and the guests. Looking around for a diversion, he flirts
harmlessly with his friend’s fiancée, but Lensky takes it seriously and
challenges Onegin to a duel, which costs Lensky his life. Onegin is
devastated by what he has done and leaves the country.
Years later he returns to St. Petersburg and is invited to a ball given
by Count Gremin. Onegin sees a beautiful woman across the dance
floor and realizes it’s Tatiana. The naïve girl he once knew is now the
sophisticated wife of the count and she spurns Onegin’s very belated
advances. Only then does Onegin realize the full extent of what he has
lost.
One might be hard-pressed to agree with Tatiana’s decision when
the role of Onegin in some performances is danced by Bolle, who is
tall, handsome and very charming. The role of Tatiana will be danced
Teatro Alla Scala's Onegin, photo by Brescia-Amisano
in some performances by Marianela Nuñez, a principal dancer with
The Royal Ballet. The two have partnered in this work before, and
dance website Gramilano says they bring out the best in each other.
Southern California may not get snow at Christmas—not the
real stuff, anyway—but it’s hard to beat our Snowflakes in the holiday
favorite, The Nutcracker. American Ballet Theatre’s production
choreographed by Ratmansky is a masterpiece of imagination, from
the mischievous baby mouse who terrorizes the kitchen, to the
whimsy and wonder of what Clara and her Nutcracker Prince discover
as they journey through a kingdom filled with colorful characters
and pure holiday magic. With a cast of more than 100 performers
and Tchaikovsky’s beautiful score, it’s no wonder The New York Times
praises this bonus holiday treat as, “A production like no other… from
first to last.”
The romance, adventure and breathtaking artistry of this season
16 ▼ JULY/AUGUST 2019
will deliver everything that makes dance such a thrilling experience.
Join us for performances of spectacular entertainment.
Marianela Nunez and Roberto Bollé in Teatro Alla Scala's Onegin,
photo by Brescia-Amisano
Sarah Lane in American Ballet Theatre's
The Nutcracker, photo by Gene Schiavone
2019–2020 INTERNATIONAL
DANCE SERIES
MARIINSKY BALLET AND ORCHESTRA:
LA BAYADÈRE
SEGERSTROM HALL
Dates: October 16–20, 2019
AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE:
ALEXEI RATMANSKY WORLD
PREMIERE
SEGERSTROM HALL
Dates: March 5–8, 2020
TEATRO ALLA SCALA BALLET
COMPANY: ONEGIN
SEGERSTROM HALL
Dates: July 31 – August 2, 2020
AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE:
THE NUTCRACKER
SEGERSTROM HALL
Dates: December 13–22, 2019
Media Partner:
COAST Magazine
The Center’s International Dance Series
is made possible by:
Audrey Steele Burnand and
JULY/AUGUST 2019 ▼ 17
The Segerstrom Foundation
For tickets and information
visit SCFTA.org or call (714) 556-2787
Group services: (714) 755-0236
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