"Raymonda"
"Serenade," "And Waltz," "Duende"
New National Theatre Ballet, Tokyo
Opera House
J. F. Kennedy for the Performing Arts
Washington, D.C.
February 16, 2008
by Alexandra Tomalonis
copyright 2008 by Alexandra Tomalonis
We haven't seen a full "Raymonda" at the Kennedy Center since the Bolshoi Ballet brought its production in the 1980s, so the New National Theatre Ballet, Tokyo's version would have been welcome even if it hadn't been so enchanting. But enchanting it was, from the beautiful sets and costumes to the company's artistic vision, clearly displayed through the dancing. This is a company that loves ballet. The dancers, the artistic direction, everyone who works with the company seems to share that vision, and one had a sense that the dancers, whether it was the women relishing the exaggerated arm positions of their court dance, or the corps, breathing as one during its big dance in the dream scene, were dancing with pleasure. That the production scrambled the story, that many of the dances were very "after" Petipa, that some of the dancing was more modest than either the Glazunov score or the Imperial Russian tradition requires, didn't matter. The production, and the company's, virtues made such a case for the ballet that it was easy to take the company on its own terms.
Despite changes in choreography and story, company director Asami Maki's production is a traditional one: nothing jars. The designs, by Luisa Spinatelli, are lovely: the backdrops are reproductions of medieval tapestries, and the costumes, especially those for the courtiers, are in the same soft colors. "Raymonda's" plot is infamous for its silliness, so Maki may be forgiven for tampering. Originally, Raymonda, a young Hungarian princess, visits her cousins in France for her wedding to Crusader Jean de Brienne. A Saracen whom Jean has been fighting, Abderachman, appears to Raymonda in a dream. She is tempted, but Jean comes in and dances with her and she forgets Abderachman, to the relief of a family ancestress. In the second act, the Saracen comes to the castle with a few soldiers and a slew of character dancers, dances to dazzle Raymonda, then tries to abduct her. Jean comes back just in time, kills Abderachman in a duel, and the wedding is celebrated in the third act, one of Marius Petipa's most gorgeous creations, with suites of character and classical dancing in which the ballerina sparkles like a diamond. Maki's changes don't make the plot less silly. Abderachman breezes in in Act I (why don't they show him the door?) and the fully conscious Raymonda rejects him, showing that she prefers her Jean by pointing to his picture. If there was anything more to "Raymonda" than the dancing (i.e., the idea of a young woman tempted by the Tall Dark Handsome Stranger before settling down with the knight next door) it's gone. But if Abderachman appeared in this Raymonda's dream, the sweet, lyrical dancing of Raymonda, her friends, and the dream maidens, would be disturbed. The company is at its best in this act. It seems most at home in lyrical, Romantic-skirt ballet, rather than crystalline classical tutu dancing, and the phrasing of that dancing is remarkable. They breathe together, and dance together the way a fine orchestra plays together. Dancing in the corps seems an honor for these artists, rather than a stepping stone, and that such a secure company aesthetic (not to mention technical unity) can be done in ten years is a stunning achievement. The company's style is a very pure one; no superhigh extensions, nothing pushed or distorted.
Saturday night, Terashimna Hiromi danced "Raymonda" with the same sweet, melodious clarity her sisters had displayed in the dream scene. "Raymonda" is an extremely difficult role, with its seven solos and several pas de deux, and Hiromi had the technique and the strength for the role, if not quite the ballerina aura. Her phrasing, however, was exquisite throughout. Denys Matviyenko, a guest from the Maryinsky Ballet, cut a noble figure in the early acts, but his final act solo was sloppy. His dancing was not controlled, and one never knew how, or where, he was going to land. The men of the company aren't yet up to the level of the women, and the character dancing needs a lot more punch, but these are quibbles at this stage in the company's development. NNTBT has a full repertory of19th century ballets, as well as an interesting range of 20th century works, and I hope it will be a frequent visitor. Judged by the applause, and the enthusiastic comments I overheard at intermission, it would be welcome.
On Thursday night, the company had danced a mixed bill (Balanchine's "Serenade," Maki's "And Waltz" and Nacho Duato's "Duende") and that left a very different impression. Here, the company looked like a very new, young troupe. The "Serenade" was very carefully danced -- so carefully it was almost lifeless. In her "And Waltz" (to Ravel's "Valses nobles et sentimentales") Maki didn't seem to hear the darkness, nor any of the emotional undercurrents, in the score. It was a pleasant exercise in classical dancing and gave a lot of dancers roles, but it didn't show us nearly as much about the company as "Raymonda" did. As for Duato's "Duende," one of the few ballet moderne works in the company's repertory, it made the dancers look not only anonymous, but stateless. They could have been Spaniards, or Poles, or Americans. Luckily, "Raymonda" came last in this brief season, and left a much happier afterglow.