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| Wednesday, 03 November 2004 |
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Kirov theatre Renowned for the purity in classical style by Gwen Herat To visit Russia and see in Moscow and St. Petersburg the schools and theatres of ballet in which generations of dancers have danced, is a dream for all ballet lovers from all over the world. When the Royal Ballet danced at the Kirov Theatre, they had tremendous success and they considered the best of their achievements in dance.
It was an honour for them to perform at the Kirov as it was from here that great dancers such as Pavlova, Karsavina and Nijinsky along with dancers from the great Diaghilev Ballet Russe danced. This auditorium considered the biggest in the world is wide rather than deep so that none in the audience is seated far from the stage. There is a feeling of closeness and intimacy with the performing artistes. It is still decorated blue and gold, lovely to look at and retains the characters of Tsars during whose period it was built. Kirov was then known as the Maryinsky Theatre. Kirov has its own classical style in purity of ballet though less spectacular than Bolshoi of Moscow. They are deeply satisfying and can be equally spectacular when special artistes dance. They have produced the greatest of classical dancers as well as lost their best in the later years with a series of defection to the West. Every visitor to Russia is struck by the spaciousness of the entire Kirov and Bolshoi Ballets, considered the citadel of ballet. Expressive gesture This great surprise is encountered when slipping through the tessellated walls of the old Kremlin to come face to face with the new Palace of Congress. Kirov dancers are free to express themselves fully with great sweeps of movements, breath-taking leaps and turns with much generosity and expressive gesture that make a choreographer's job very easy.
They differ from many companies in Russia and with their many influences, shaped its history. Kirov dancers are very disciplined which make them very sympathetic towards each other and do not compete to capture the audience's applause they are also aware that not everyone in the West admires the Russian ballets as against their own but everyone loves Russian dancers like Rudolf Nureyev, Natalia Makarova who danced Giselle in London. Kirov also gave us the legendary Natalia Dudinskya and Konstantine Sergeyev who later became two revered teachers to passed down the Kirov style.
Going back on its centuries, backstage at the Kirov one feels lost in the maze of winding corridors and passages which lead you to countless units, workshops, rehearsal rooms, rest rooms, libraries, music rooms, etc. There is no luxury or anything especial for some one and lesser treatment for the lesser known dancers. They all have to be shared which in a sense build up closer contact with each other. However, the lay-out has been modernised and enlarged. It may have been cramped up during the regime of the Tsars but today it is spacious. Before the rehearsals begin, the stage is heavily raked and gloomy in half-light. Dancers come and go while stage hands keep vigil for assistance. Refurbishing is done often and there is change and experiment towards progress and development. How can the Kirov maintain continuity of style and tradition. No one wants to sacrifice the purity of their dance. Yet, with relish the Kirov dancers tackle the problem with grace. They feel the freshness throbbing into action in their highly tuned bodies, ballet lights up the future of Kirov. Gifted teacher They have had their share of stress when one looks back at Vinogradov and Sergeyev locking horns and the eternal struggle continue with Fokine and Legat. These conflicts urged towards new paths quality productions and swing a new pendulum. During the last war, Kirov was evacuated to Perm in the Urals that resulted a new grafting taking effect of the Kirov strain. Today, the Perm Ballet is a testimony to these changes. Perm also had a famous teacher called Ludmilla Zakharova who caught in the cross-fertilization of Kirov style, produced a new line of ballerinas, especially the extraordinary Nadia Pavlova who became the winners of gold medal at the Moscow International Ballet Competition. Zakharova was a gifted teacher who had the rare instinct to hunt talent and cultivate it to a state of perfection that seemed miraculous. Her ballerinas were all elegant, finely tempered and equipped with inner dynamos to enhance quality and movements. Two such dancers were the ethereal Lubov Konakova and Olga Chenchikova who brought strength to Kirov. To analyse Kirov Ballet, like Russia, is enigmatic and unpredictable. Just when things seem to go wrong, some mystical guidance will inspire to excel, staging a ravished revival that will leave the audience breathless. Restaging under the guidance of Master choreographers, Kirov blossomed with Dudinskaya, Okhov, Legat, Kurgapkina, Koneshev and someonov. These are the beacon lights that shine upon them still. After the explosions of these great productions came the Corpse De Ballet like shining jewels and a feast of dancing ensued todate, enhancing the principle dancers. The passionate virtuosity and the intense flow of human skills have retained the old Kirov magic. Every time it mounts a ballet, memories are reborn and they are bliss not only to the artistes but also to the audience as well. **** Back **** |
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