To me, ballet
is one of those art forms where even if you don’t understand or enjoy it,
you can’t help but sit mesmerised at the talent and the outcome. Not pretending
to know the first technical thing about ballet, I do happen to love Russian
literature, particularly Anna Karenina, Tolstoy’s slightly shorter, albeit not
by much subsequent novel to War and Peace… So, when I saw Anna Karenina, the
ballet, advertised in those posters in tube stations, (the ones that make the
long escalator rides bearable if merely by filling me with a list as long as my
arm of things I want to see or go to but can’t begin to contemplate finding the
time or money to do so), I knew I had to see it. It was performed by the lesser
well-known Eifman ballet, of St Petersburg origin for two nights at the London
Coliseum as part of a season, which also included Onegin, a novel written in
verse form by Pushkin.
The
ballet began with the scene of a small boy sitting in the middle of a
train track as an electric train surrounded him, symbolising his content home
life of a loving father, Karenin and respected mother, Anna. Cutting out the
sub-plot of the tale of Kitty, Anna’s sister and her suitor Levin’s courtship,
the ballet allowed itself to focus on the love triangle between Karenin, Anna
and Count Vronsky, whose chance meeting with Anna at a society ball has tragic
social and domestic consequences for the family and destroys the quaint life apparent
in the first scene.
Eifman’s
choreography was fantastic; a modern take on classical ballet dances with a
great deal of floor work and contortion to highlight the torment and
frustration of the characters. Fast paced scene changes and passionate
encounters between the three main characters brought suspense and drama whilst
retaining some technically impressive and elegant dancing. The scene where Anna
and Vronsky finally succumb to their emotions was an inventive and illustrative
one, flickering between the spotlights of the two characters alone in their
homes and culminating in a dramatic rendezvous, which was marred only by a
rogue blackberry light a few rows in front.
Slightly
shorter than usual ballets at just two hours including the interval meant the
narrative was communicated with an urgency that illustrated the desperation and
desire of the characters, while maintaining high quality performance. Nina
Zmievets as Anna was outstanding, particularly when she was acting under the
influence of opium. The corps de ballet were also phenomenal, with some
excellent stage formations creating the scandalous high society Russian back
drop for the meetings of the three main characters.
Eifman’s
choreography managed to illustrate the breakdown in the Karenin household with
precision, imagination and emotion. Relating the passion of Anna and Vronsky to
the present day by contemporising the ballet, Eifman ensured that Tolstoy’s
novel retained the social and psychological impact it originally envisaged. The
show epitomised Eifman’s philosophy; he is concerned with the spiritual and
mental elements of his characters, striving for representation of the human
psyche through creativity and movement, and the interpretation of older tales
and music. Anna Karenina was a perfect example of this, a unique yet undeniably
imaginative show overflowing with talent and emotion.
The
website of the Eifman ballet contains further information about the company,
the repetoire and future performances as well as a trailer for their current
shows Anna Karenina and Onegin.
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