Russian star dancers all set to lift our spirits
It promises to enthral audiences with the symphonic beauty of the original choreography of Marius Petipa, Jean Corelli, and Jules Perrot, and the haunting music of Adam, combined with stunning costumes from the Kirov theatre in Russia.
Featuring Russian superstars Ekaterina Bortyakova and Akzhol Mussakhanov, Giselle opens at Cork Opera House on Thursday, November 17 for four performances, including a matinee on Saturday November 19. From there it moves to Wexford Opera House for one performance on Monday 21 at 8pm. In this it follows the path blazed by that legendary matriarch of Irish ballet, Joan Denise Moriarty.
Today the costs involved in presenting any production, let alone a full-length ballet, are crippling, even before you consider the courageous step of taking an entire company, scenery, sets, props and costumes on tour. But Alan Foley is determined not to let the grim economic climate deter him from his twofold mission — to keep ballet alive and prospering in Ireland today, and to do honour to the legacy left to this country by Miss Moriarty.
“It’s tough,” he admits, ruffling his hair as he shifts through the ever-increasing pile of paperwork on his desk. “It really is tough. But you have to get out there and do what needs to be done, and what we are doing does matter.”
But could not ballet perhaps be considered a luxury in today’s grim economic climate? “It’s a luxury maybe, but an important luxury. Now more than ever people need beauty, art, something to lift their spirits and their souls. They always knew that in Russia, where everybody packs in to see the ballet.” And he’s made sure that it’s going to be possible for everyone here too. “I’ve always wanted the person in the street to be able to come in and experience this art form. It is emphatically not just for those who dress up and go to be seen. It’s for anyone who loves beauty, and I made sure that there were affordable tickets.”
This year, after a meeting with the Opera House, it was decided to make even more tickets available at the lowest prices, to reflect current financial pressures. “You can get a ticket to see these Russian superstars for €15. Where else could you do that?”
Securing two such luminaries of the balletic world as Ekaterina Bortyakova and Akzhol Mussakhanov wasn’t easy, but then, observes Alan philosophically, it never is where Russia is concerned, and he’s not a quitter. “The drama of getting the two of them over here — between work permits and visas and flights and bureaucrats — it was nearly impossible. I’ve been to Russia enough times myself, and I know how complicated things get, as well as how to get around the problems, but this was a real struggle. Still, at last we’ve got them here by a long and arduous road, and I’m so thrilled that Irish audiences will have the opportunity to see them in live performance.”
Bortyakova, says Foley, will make an incredible Giselle. “I always thought she would, but she’s never done it for me before. She’s great to work with, though — no superstar tantrums, she will do anything you ask her to. It’s the perfect vehicle for her.” She and partner Mussakhanov, he reveals, only got married recently, “and they’re still very much a couple in love. When he looks at her, you can see his eyes soften and glow, and she is the same with him. It will be perfect for this balletic love story.”
This major production heralds the Joan Denise Moriarty Centenary in 2012, for which many special events are planned. Foley is working with Pat Crosbie on a new production of JDM’s favourite piece, The Playboy, for next March, in which Crosbie will reprise her original role of the Widow Quin. Other highlights will include a forum with many former dancers, a masterclass, a summer school — and a dazzling new production of The Sleeping Beauty, which will tour.
Giselle was chosen deliberately for this opening event, in honour of JDM’s groundbreaking 1959 production. “Lavinia Anderson, who danced in that, has written a wonderful piece for the programme — all about rehearsals, using council offices at the City Hall as dressing rooms (this of course was in the interregnum between the Old and the New Cork Opera Houses), making the costumes, everything. Now we have stars from Russia and Kirov costumes – I wonder did JDM ever envisage something like this happening over half a century later?”
Giselle, Cork Opera House, Nov 17-19, 021-427 0022, www.corkoperahouse.ie; Wexford Opera House Nov. 21, 053 912 2144, www.wexfordoperahouse.ie.
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