Bolshoi Ballet: Dancing from the Soul

Yulia Edirisinghe

Ballet. No sooner than you hear it, the word is almost synonymous in your mind with Russia… and vice versa.

Ballet is an art without words; it is the expression of events, ideas, feelings and emotions through the subtleties and complexities of movement. It’s an art form that is unique, creating its history by word of mouth. It is a continuity of tradition: the passing down of skill, knowledge and experience gained by dancers, ballets masters and teachers through the ages, being handed down from one generation to the next.

Russian Ballet is a phenomenon greater than the country or the art form themselves. Once described by Russian poet, Alexander Pushkin, as “a dance executed by the human soul”, Russian Ballet represents the feeling and sentiments of the many hundreds of people, throughout its history, who have contributed to the evolution of the art, distilled by the incredible talents and genius of choreographers and young dancers.

The style conveys the unique national character of the world’s largest country. Its fundamental link with various forms of folk dance highlights the profoundly lyrical quality of the Russian woman, who serves essentially as the muse for Russian Ballet. And it is she who inspires in it, its exceptional charm and irresistible appeal.

Ballet, which was uniquely Russian, was born at the St. Petersburg School of Choreography and shaped to what it is today by the Moscow State Academy of Choreography, which serves as the exclusive school for the Bolshoi Ballet Company, one of the best in the world.

The Bolshoi ballet, which visited Sri Lanka in 2004, upon the invitation of the Russian Centre in Colombo is currently in their 234th season of performance. Throughout this exceptional length of artistic distinction, some things still remain the same, for instance, its unfailing adherence to the principles of classical dance. In this regard, Mikhail Fokine, regarded as the best known choreographer of the 20th century, wrote: “Modern ballet companies should derive their inspiration from the unfading works created by their classical predecessors […] in order to carry them on and add a modern dimension to them”.

The strength of classical dance that the Bolshoi holds so dear is its ability to evolve, to absorb new intonations and elements from the contemporary scene.

The Bolshoi we see today stands true to the classics which gave it its signature, but more than two hundred years stronger. Time has introduced new elements and adjustments, particularly the greater attention given to the human personality with all of its contradictions and complexities.

An episode of change for the Bolshoi happened, like for so many things in Russia, during the period of the post revolutionary years. The doors of the theatre were thrown open for the working class audience and the Bolshoi found themselves diversifying its thematic range beyond the traditional world of fairytale to include new subjects and new heros. By the first anniversary of the October Revolution, the Bolshoi presented Glazunov’s Stenka Razin, the first ballet the heroic theme.

Today, this theme has established a remarkable dominance over the Bolshoi ballet’s repertoire.

Conveying a message of courage, dynamism and impassioned emotionality is and always has been an iconic tradition of the Bolshoi ballet. This tradition has been exemplified by the many heroic ballets that have been presented since the post revolutionary years. The challenge of ballets of this theme is its emphasis on the inner world or psychology of the hero rather than merely the storyline. Dancers must relate not only the actions of the characters they play, but also lay bare the motives behind their actions. As a result, ballet has become an increasingly intellectual art, emphasizing a harmonious blend of dance and poetry.

These ballets have enabled the stars dancers of the company to reveal every facet of their talent, making the Bolshoi ballet stand out as second to none. Its dancers exhibit such a high professional standard that hardly any other ballet company can challenge its leadership.

The excellence of the Bolshoi tradition stands unwavering, rendered immortal by the deceptively effortless movement, choreographed and executed to perfection, holding audiences across the world captive for more than two centuries.

The writer is a former student of the Russian School of Ballet and Dancing and has studied ballet for ten years. She was part of the corps de ballet during the Bolshoi ballet’s visit to Sri Lanka.