A spectacular spin on Cinderella
With lavish sets and spectacular costumes, it will be a must-see for balletomanes everywhere. Their last visit here was a sell-out triumph, and tickets are likely to be much in demand as they make their almost royal procession around the country.
Founded by Anatoly Emelianov and Anna Aleksidze 11 years ago, the Royal Moscow has always mixed the traditional with the new, creating many modern ballets as well as paying full tribute to the old school repertoire. Each year it gives at least 50 performances across Europe. It has also broken new boundaries, not least by touring East Africa and performing Don Quixote on specially-built stages by the dramatic Victoria Falls. On that occasion, it is said, once the performance was over, the dancers lost no time in cooling off by plunging into the legendary falls.
Cinderella has to be one of the most popular of ballets, not least for the wealth of character and entertaining motifs which decorate the central tale of love, magic and the triumph of good over evil. Poor, put-upon Cinders, the mice who keep her company, the outrageous Ugly Sisters, the Fairy Godmother, the handsome Prince — there is always something new, something entertaining popping up to ensure that the youngest theatregoer is kept amused. The Royal Moscow production uses Prokofiev’s music (composed just after World War II) with the original Zakharov choreography re-imagined by Anatoly Emelianov.
We will have the privilege of seeing some of Russia’s finest dancers in this superb production, notably Ekaterina Florya, Svetlana Lisnyak, Sergey Skvortsov, and Vadim Lolenko. All, interestingly enough, are Ukrainian-born. Ekaterina Florya has been performing leading roles since 2003, including Aurora, Odette/Odile, Giselle, and of course Cinderella. In 2011, she was invited to perform as principal dancer by the Royal Moscow and now tours internationally. Svetlana Lisnyak, also from the Ukraine, graduated as a ballet master from the Kiev National University of Culture and Arts, and has since danced solo roles across the world. At present she performs with The Royal Moscow Ballet as a lead soloist.
Two spectacular male dancers are part of the touring production of Cinderella. Sergey Skvortsov graduated from Dnepropetrovsk Academy in 2008 as a student of theatrical and artistic performance studies, thereafter performing as a leading soloist. He has been a principal dancer with The Royal Moscow Ballet since 2012. Vadim Lolenko, who also graduated from the Dnepropetrovsk Academy, went on to the University of Culture and Art in Chersonese and is now a soloist with the Royal Moscow. All four are at the top of their performing careers.
It is not often that we get the opportunity to see such quality and technique (and on balletic technique, Russia has always been, and still remains, the firmest and strictest) in one place, in one company. In Ireland we still rather regard ballet as a somewhat exclusive art form. In Russia, ballet is an intrinsic part of everyday life and experience, honoured and exalted. To become part of a recognised company, aim for Moscow or St Petersburg, become a soloist, a star — it’s a a dream for thousands of young people in every town big enough to support a dance academy. Little wonder then that to experience the beautiful perfection of a flawless Russian performance is to set a personal standard and create unforgettable memories.
* Royal Moscow Ballet, Cinderella. TLT Drogheda, Thursday, Oct 17 (041-9878560); UCH, Limerick Friday, Oct 18 (061-331549); The Helix, Dublin, Oct 19 (01-7007000); Cork Opera House, Sunday, Oct 20, (021-4270022).
