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La Bayadère (American Ballet Theatre)by Mary Cargill It is astounding to realize that American Ballet Theatre's production of La Bayadère is almost twenty years old. The costumes look as vibrant and danceable as they did when they were new, and the atmospheric sets look timeless. It could have been designed 100 years ago or yesterday, so perfectly and unobtrusively do they support the production. Of course, the ballet would not have lasted had there not been a production to support it, and, after seeing several other Bayadères through the years, I think Makarova's is the most intelligent, dramatic and satisfying of them all. The pure dance numbers never overwhelm the drama, and Makarova is the only one, as far as I know, to try to restore the last act, with its satisfying resolution. The shades scene is of course the choreographic high point, but to end the ballet with it leaves Solor and Nikiya separated, which true lovers should never be, even if they have to be reunited in death.
It is not surprising that the classical variations have kept their freshness, but the dramatic scenes, too, are still performed with conviction and sincerity. La Bayadère is, of course, a preposterous story, with its poisonous snake, Muslim hero, and Hindu temple dancer heroine, but the emotions of the characters--love, jealousy, lust, rage, and sorrow, are all very real, and the audience should feel these emotions and well as see some of the most beautiful choreography around.
The performance I saw, on a Wednesday matinee, with Ashley Tuttle as Nikiya, Ethan Stiefel as Solor, and in her debut, Gillian Murphy as the murderous Gamzatti, was one this production deserved, and it is too bad that this cast only gets one performance.
Ashley Tuttle is an exquisite classical dancer, with her elegant carriage and fluid back (used to wonderful effect in Nikiya's dance at the betrothal). She was also very effective in the dramatic confrontation scene with Gamzatti, with her air of pitiful desperation. Of course, she was magnificent in the shades scene, where she avoided the Giselle-like warmth for a more detached classical grandeur. This distancing works will in this production, I think, because Nikiya can turn up in the next act as a truly loving ghost, as opposed to just a vision of Solor's, and this gives more variety to the role. Watching Tuttle in the shades scene was like watching a dancer behind a crystal curtain, and seeing unexpected gleams of pure light.
Ethan Stiefel was a thrilling Solor (though not always the most secure of partners; some of the supported turns were a little iffy). His dancing was spectacular, including an astounding series of double tours into fifth position around the stage. But the dancing was an extension of his emotions, and it was always Solor on stage, not just a dancer. From his City Ballet days, Stiefel has always been a very good dancer, but he can now dominate a stage just by standing still. It was impossible not to watch him during the wedding ceremony of the last act, not because he looked impossible handsome in his white turban (though he did), but because it was clear that he was thinking of Nikiya and that his heart was breaking.
The young Gillian Murphy has made her name as a turner, and in the betrothal scene she seemed to do fouettés the way most people breathe. But her Gamzatti was no mere dancing machine. She played her with a vicious petulance, rather like the young Angela Lansbury. With experience, she should be able to generate a more vivid contempt for poor Nikiya in the confrontation scene, but it was an astounding debut.
I was also especially struck by Rosalie O'Connor as Gamzatti's servant. She made a real character out of what is usually a generic servant role. She slunk around, spying and bowing, with a vague sense of evil. She caused chills just by creeping across the back of the stage. This wasn't gratuitous scene stealing. With her supine obsequiousness, she helped create the world in which Gamzatti had always been given everything, and made her fury at Nikiya more believable.
One of the most impressive of Makarova's accomplishments in this version, I think, is the balance between the dramatic mime and the pure dance. Had the betrothal scene been as packed with variations as some other versions, the classical beauty of the shades scene (pound for pound possible the most beautiful act in all of ballet), would not be as effective. It was danced very well, except for one slight mishap. To me, it would be more effective if the arabesques of the dancers coming down the ramp were more evenly matched, but nevertheless it cast its spell. The shades, Anna Liceica, with her expressive eyes, Ekaterina Shelkanova, with her pure line, and Veronica Lynn, with her beautiful legs, were very good. With dancing like this, La Bayadère should be around another twenty years, at least.