Tag Archives: Ballet

Looking closely at a Talisman performance


TALISMAN  IS   WORTH  A  CLOSER  LOOK!

In 1955 the Balletmaster Piotr Gusev of the Kirov (now Mariinsky) Ballet compiled various pieces of music from Petipa’s The Talisman and created what is known today as The Talisman Pas de Deux. It’s a bravura piece, but it is lovely too, elegant and graceful, depending on who’s performing.

There is a story in this pas-de-deux.  Niiri, daughter of goddess Amravati – Queen of Heavens – must descend to Earth. The worried mother calls Vayou, God of Wind, to watch over her child while she’s far away.
In this pas-de-deux, Niiri, at first a little afraid of mighty Vayou, learns to trust him, and it is in her protector’s arms that she begins her great journey.

Yes, of course the jumps. Our breath has not recovered from this one, there comes another one, even more impressive. But it is watching in slow-motion that we really realize how Ivan Vasiliev devours space.  Including preparatory anything but small steps, a single big jump takes almost 50% of the stage’s diagonal!


Ivan Vasiliev is a master of épaulement. Few dancers are so accomplished and use it in such an easy, graceful way. 

(There is a note in the end about épaulement, for those not very familiar with the concept). 


And then there are his arm and hand movements. Not just in nice positions (and they are nice), it is in movement that they reach their full beauty.

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Videos of complete Pas-de-deux, first
in Bolshoi, with Daria Khokhlova

and below, in Kremlin Gala 2016, with Iana Salenko


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Épaulement

In Merriam-Webster, épaulement is: “a shoulder movement performed by turning the body from the waist upward and bringing one shoulder forward and the other back”. 
In ballet, the french word épaulement refers to the combined movement of shoulders, head and neck. It is basically, but also far more than oppositional torsion: a seamless combination of all upper-body work possibilities. Twist of head, height of chin, bending of neck, shoulder’s relative height and torsion, shoulders relative to waist or hips, arms and hands positions… AND movement, it’s amplitude, emphasis or subtlety! It takes coordination, a solid notion of good placement, and a great deal of sensitivity.

It was a much valued characteristic in Greek and Renaissance sculpture and painting, known as “contrapposto” by the experts. It’s what makes movement organic, graceful and expressive, beyond a plain physical exercise.

 

David by Bernini


Just imagine what ballet would look like if only legs were visible!

William Forsythe, the great contemporary researcher and theoretician of ballet, says épaulement is “the center and founding element of dance”.

Love is Everywhere! – 14 February 2017

LOVE   IS   EVERYWHERE

capture-3
©Stas Levshin

Read this wonderful, colorful description by a witness in the premiere of Ivan Vasiliev’s moving ballet: Iuliia Brobova. There is a translation to English below, after the original Russian version.

14.02.2017. Любовь есть везде.

Премьера в Михайловском театре.
Музыка: Игорь Федорович Стравинский.
Действующие лица и исполнители:
Герой – Иван Васильев
Героиня – Элла Перссон
Доктор – Андрей Касьяненко
Ассистент – Валерия Запасникова
Санитары – Светлана Бедненко, Андрей Немич
Пациеты – Марат Шемиунов, Сабина Япарова, Анна Кулигина, Алексей Кузнецов, Александр Омар.
Марат Шемиунов не был для меня пациентом. Я видела в нём эдакого амура, который устал от предназначенной ему участи – пускать в сердца людей на земле стрелы любви. Стрелы не помогают, люди выработали иммунитет, и чтобы заставить их полюбить, Амуру приходиться отдавать частичку себя – он достает из груди свое сердце, флюиды которого ещё способны зародить в людях любовь…
Марат продемонстрировал в очередной раз свое великолепное актерское дарование – сыграв эпизодическую роль, он сделал её яркой и запоминающейся. Его амур, посланный с небес пришел в сумасшедший дом, вылечил пациентов этого заведения, и отправился дальше… Лечил не он лично, а через флюиды своего сердца, сам же он мирно проспал всё действие под столом главного врача, свернувшись калачиком и положив голову на ярко красную подушку в виде большого сердечка.

©Sveta Tarlova
©Sveta Tarlova

Любовь есть везде. Слово любовь – ключевое. Балет о любви. А других, не главных там и не было. Любовь – это по меньшей мере двое. Вот и у Ивана действующие лица были парами: Доктор и Ассистент (Ассистентка), Санитар и Санитарка, четверка пациентов, состоящая из двух пар. Только главный герой был одинок.
Каждая пара имела свою хореографическую индивидуальность, в которой отчетливо прорисованы характеры героев. И эти характеры были представлены в трагикомическом стиле. Вроде забавно и с юмором, а присмотреться – печально становиться …
Доктор – солидный образованный мужчина. Андрей Касьяненко – его танец твердый и уверенный, линии ровные (жаль что с одного просмотра мне трудно запомнить как именно танцевали, в памяти осталось лишь общее впечатление от танцующих. Надеюсь балет будет в репертуаре и я смогу более детально рассмотреть хореографический рисунок каждого персонажа, они любопытны мне и есть на что смотреть)… . Интересна их связь с ассистенткой. Она скорее его жена, чем просто помощница, они любят друг друга это понятно из их отношений. В их дуэте, в танце доминирует Доктор, у Ассистентки – Валерии Запасниковой за видимым подчинением просматривается и любовь к нему, и одновременно, женская власть над ним. Её пластика, напоминала мне одомашненную пантеру – мягкость и гибкость остались, но утрачено очарование природной дикости, она никогда не выпустит когти…

©Sveta Tarlova
©Sveta Tarlova

Совершенно другими были взаимоотношения Санитара и Санитарки. Светлана Бедненко и Андрей Немич. Это молодежь. Они находятся в стадии влюбленности и не замечают ничего вокруг. Счастливы и беззаботны. Танец легок и синхронен, в нем отсутствует индивидуальность каждого, они воспринимаются как одно целое. Добры, жалеют пациентов, но частенько забывают про них, предпочитая укрыться где-нибудь в укромном уголке…

©Sveta Tarlova
©Sveta Tarlova

Самыми занятными были пациенты. Две пары – Сабина Япарова с Александром Омаром и Анна Кулигина с Алексеем Кузнецовым…. «Бешенная четверка» – так бы я охарактеризовала и их танец и их пантомиму. Они были главными двигателями балета, они ответственные за юмористическую составляющую, и великолепно справились с этой ролью. Заводилами были мальчики Омар с Кузнецовым, своими проделками, они заставляли не ухмыляться, а смеяться в голос. Мне очень понравилось что юмор передавался посредством пантомины и хореографии, ведь с верхних ярусов лиц не видно, и если играют только лицом, смысл утрачивается для зрителей третьего яруса, а юмористический танец виден и понятен с любого места. Мимика же это дополнительный нюанс, а не основное средство передачи образа…

©Sveta Tarlova
©Sveta Tarlova

Их четверка как шайка озорников выделялась не только пантомимой с элементами клоунады, но и в хореографическом плане была окрашена в яркие движения. Ломанные линии, какие-то дурашливые подпрыжки и дуэты…Всё это в синхронности (когда они танцевали вчетвером) создавало эффект настоящего дурдома, только не мрачного и унылого, а озорного и веселого… И этот эффект служил усилением другого – он подчеркивал одиночество Героя, сидевшего на кровати, он был таким же «ненормальным», но в его лице и позе чувствовалась какая-то печаль. В этом месте посредством танца для «бешенной четверки», хореограф очень доходчиво передает , что у всех есть пара, а у Героя нет. Он один…
….И вот появляется Она – Героиня в исполнении Эллы Персон. Самая нежная и романтичная в балете, словно из другого мира. Не полюбить её Герой просто не мог, она предназначалась ему – хореография её отличалась от остальных – хрупкая и беззащитная – такой она виделась мне в танце. И так же как у Доктора с Ассистенткой, у Героя с Героиней, у каждого была своя индивидуальность в дуэте. Только здесь Героиня намеренно выдвигается Героем на первый план. Он преклоняется перед ней, рисуя в сознании иллюзию Божественности (на самом деле она очередная пациентка лечебницы). А она пришедшая из внешнего мира, сломленная и подавленная, обрела тепло родственной души.

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©Evgeny Pronin

Кульминация была неожиданна для меня по восприятию. Весь балет прошел в гладком повествовании, и я ждала, как написано в либретто: «…больные видят, что за пределами больницы их ждет ещё более безумный и жестокий мир, и закрывают двери больницы, чтобы остаться…». Романтически сентиментальная история с элементами юмора…Но вдруг в эти сентименты «вклинивается» жестокая тема – когда «бешенная четверка» уже собравшая чемоданы и толпой ринувшаяся к открытой двери, резко останавливается. Что там, за дверью? Страшно! Зачем мы будем рисковать! Пусть «белая ворона» первым идет… они хватают Героя, тащат к двери и подталкивают в зияющую темноту дверного проема. Герой не сопротивляется…. заглядывает за дверь, потом возвращается закрывает дверь и ключ кладет в карман доктору… он принимает решение остаться с ними «здесь навсегда», так что же ему пришлось пережить в том, задверном мире? …

©Sveta Tarlova
©Sveta Tarlova

… Молодец Иван! Молодцы все танцовщики, которые помогли воплотить идею хореографа в жизнь! Спасибо всем огромное за прекрасный подарок!!! И Браво !!!!

And translated!  ————————————————————

14 February 2017. Love is everywhere.

Premiere at the Mikhailovsky Theatre .
Music: Igor Stravinsky.
Characters and performers:
Igor – Ivan Vasiliev
Ekaterina – Ella Persson
Doctor – Andrei Kasyanenko
Assistant – Valery Zapasnikova
Nurses – Svetlana Bednenko Andrew Nemich
Patients – Marat Shemiunov, Sabina Yaparova, Anna Kuligina,
Alexei Kuznetsov, Alexander Omar.
Marat Shemiunov was not really a patient. I saw him as a kind of Cupid, who is tired of his intended fate,  to get the arrows of love in the hearts of people on the ground. Arrows do not help, people have developed immunity, and to get them to fall in love, Cupid had to give a part of himself. He plucks his own heart out of his chest, the vibes of which are still able to sow love in people.

Marat has demonstrated once again his great acting talent. Playing a cameo role, he made it bright and memorable. The Cupid sent from heaven has come to an insane asylum, cured patients of this institution, and then carried on. Not having been treated himself, he peacefully slept through all the action under the Desk of the chief doctor, curled up and resting his head on a bright red pillow in the shape of a heart.

©Sveta Tarlova
©Sveta Tarlova

Love is everywhere. Love is the key word. It is a ballet about love and nothing else is important. Ivan’s characters were pairs: doctor and assistant, female and male nurses, four patients, consisting of two pairs. Only the main character was alone.
Each pair had its own choreographic personality, with clearly-drawn characters. They were imparted in tragicomic style, funny and humorous, but still they seemed sad.
The doctor is a respectable educated man. Andrey Kasyanenko. His dancing is solid and confident, the lines smooth (it is a pity that with one viewing I find it hard to remember how he danced. I retain only an overall impression of his dancing. I hope the ballet stays in the repertoire and I’ll be able to consider in more detail the choreographic drawing of each character. They are interesting I want to watch more attentively). His relationship with the assistant is interesting. She’s more his wife than a helper. Their love for each other is clear from the way they relate. In their duet, in a dance dominated by the Doctor, the assistant, Valeria Zapasnikova, is visibly obedient and in love for him, and at the same time, has female power over him. It reminded me of a domesticated Panther – softness and flexibility remained, but had lost the natural charm of the wilderness. She never uses her claws.

©Stas Levshin
©Stas Levshin

Quite different was the relationship between the nurses – Svetlana Bednenko and Andrew Nemec. They are young. They have arrived at that stage of love where you don’t notice anything around. They are happy and carefree, their dance is easy and synchronized. There is no individuality, they are perceived as one. We feel sorry for the patients, but often forget about them, as they prefer to hide somewhere in a secluded corner.

©Sveta Tarlova
©Sveta Tarlova

The most amusing were the patients. There were two pairs of Sabina Aparova with Alexander Omar and Anna Kuligina with Alexey Kuznetsov. “The frantic four” – is how I would describe their dance and mime. They were the main engines of the ballet and are responsible for a humorous component, and perfectly coped with this role. Led by Omar and Kuznetsov Omar Kuznetsov, their antics are funny. One has to grin and laugh out loud. I loved it that humor was conveyed through mime and choreography, because people in the top tier of the theatre cannot see details. If you rely just on individual acting, the meaning is lost for the audience higher up in the theatre, while humorous dance is visible and clear from any seat. Mime adds additional nuance and is not the main means of transmission.

©Stas Levshin
©Stas Levshin

These four as a gang of pranksters stood out not only by mime with elements of clowning, but also in choreographic terms they were painted in bright motion. They had broken lines, some foolish stage business and duets all in sync (when they danced, the four of them) creating the impression that this madhouse is not gloomy and sad, but mischievous and hilarious, and this effect served to enhance another one It emphasized the hero sitting on the bed in loneliness. He was “abnormal”, but in his face and posture one felt some sadness. At this moment, through the dance of the “crazy four”, the choreographer made it very easy to understand the message, that everyone has a mate except for the hero. Only he is alone.

©Sveta Tarlova
©Sveta Tarlova

And then she shows up. She is the heroine danced by Ella Persson. She is the  most tender and romantic in the ballet, as if from another world. One had to love her character, she was meant for him. Her choreography was different from the rest – fragile and defenseless – she made it visible through dance. Just as the doctor and his assistant, the hero and heroine each had their own personality in the duo, only here the hero deliberately pushed the heroine to the foreground. He admires her, picturing in his mind an illusion of Divinity (in fact, it is another patient of the hospital). And she, who came from the outside world broken and depressed, finds the warmth of kindred spirits.

The climax came unexpectedly. The entire ballet was conveyed with a smooth narrative, and I waited, as written in the programme were the words: “…the patients see the outside world outside the hospital waiting for them as an even more mad and cruel world, and they close the hospital doors to stay…”. It was a romantically sentimental story with elements of humor, but what if these sentiments are “wedged” into a cruel theme? When the “frantic four” have collected suitcases and are rushing in a crowd to the open door, they abruptly stop. What is there beyond the door? It is frightening! Why would they risk it! Let the “white crow” go first. They grab the hero, drag him to the door and push him in the gaping darkness beyond the doorway. The hero resists, looks beyond the door, then returns, and after closing it he puts the key in the doctor’s pocket… he decides to stay there with them.  He is here for good. How would he survive in that bleak world?…
… Well Done Ivan! Well done to all the dancers that helped bring the choreographer’s idea to life! Thank you all for this wonderful gift and ‘Bravo’!

GALLERY

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How could bows be, except joyful? Love is Everywhere!!!

Le Corsaire – Mikhailovsky Tour – November 2016

Mikhailovsky Ballet of Saint Petersburg presented four  performances of Le Corsaire in Costa Mesa, California, 18-20th November 2016 – with great success!

This is about the two evenings with Ivan Vasiliev: videos, photos and comments of people who were there, watching his Conrad.


“Mikhailovsky’s production also afforded Orange County audiences a chance to enjoy watching a dancer like Vasiliev perform with a genuineness that only comes from someone who is clearly doing what he loves to do.”  (KAITLIN WRIGHT, The OCRegister)

 

 

“As we saw with “Flames of Paris,” Messerer brings out the best in his corps de ballet during the character dances, and so these scenes snap with spirit. If you’re going for the exotic, it’s good to go all the way. And that too was the motto of the evening’s star, power-jumper Ivan Vasiliev. Seen as Ali in ABT’s superior version three years ago at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Vasiliev was Conrad on Friday, and he commanded the stage and his gang of ne’er-do-wells with mighty charisma. Wearing long, shaggy hair, Vasiliev was a believable fun and roguish leader; when he fired himself up to put down a mutiny, you understood why his friend and nemesis Birbanto backed down. “(LAURA BLEIBERG, LA Times).

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In Facebook:

So excited to see this tonight! Ivan Vasiliev is on fire!! 🔥🔥🔥
– I was there too!
– we were screaming backstage!!!
– We went Fri nite. What did you think?
–  I really enjoyed it! Lovely dancing overall, though a couple of                   stumbles from the soloists. And Ivan was over-the-top                                 spectacular as always! How did you like it?
– I did enjoy it. Ivan was spectacular.
– he was so generous with his love and virtuosity, it was difficult to          maintain my composure.
– He is sooo nice!!! I blow him kisses every time I see him and he              laughs!!😍
– I agree! He is such a great performer…I love how he connects                   with the audience. And those curtain calls! 💛
– I went Fri. night. He is amazing.
– Supernatural…

Other Facebook examples:
– Unforgettable, outstanding , and highly superb performance of Ivan Vasiliev in Le Corsaire by Russian Michailovsky Ballet

– No words! Ivan Vasiliev
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“On Saturday, Nov. 19, at Segerstrom Hall, Southern California audiences experienced our era’s ultimate executor of Le Corsaire’s balletic thrills, Ivan Vasiliev, whose apparently boundless jumping power and nuclear turning momentum met and exceeded the audience’s wildest expectations. (…)
The principal performances offered spectacular distraction for world-weary viewers. The Rocket Ship Vasiliev blasted off in Act I and didn’t land for nearly three hours, dashing off full diagonals of double tours de basque, loop-de-loops of rivoltades, jetés that paused in midair. The former Bolshoi Ballet star even managed a jump within one of his corkscrew turn sequences. He is a magnificent ham who barrels right through the fourth wall, and the audience couldn’t get too much.”  (CLAUDIA BAUER, DanceTabs)

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But the best of all may be a comment in Russian Ballet Forum, translated as fairly as we could:

“The first performance on Friday came out lumpy. Artists visibly worried. Ivan Vasilev was not in shape, seemed tired and danced accordingly. Maybe his mistakes and errors had impact on the overall mood of the troupe, as all danced hard and not too confident. “  (N.E.: Really?!? considering comments of other witnesses, you can’t help imagining what it would look like if he WASN’T tired… But maybe this witness knew him better, and it’s true? Because the writer goes on to the second performance…)

“Saturday’s show compensated for all of the previous mistakes. Absolutely all the actors were amazing. After sleeping, rested Ivan ignited the public from his first appearance on the stage. I must say that such a reaction of the audience, I had never seen in my life. The people jumped up from their seats and began to applaud in the middle of his solo variations. In the final of pas de deux of Medora and Conrad music could not be heard as the audience was already applauding and roaring. I’m always skeptical about reviews of shows, where readers are informed about the roar, but that night I witnessed this for the first time. There were many curtain calls  and each Ivan jumped into scene under cheers of the public. Not being a fan of Vasiliev, I nevertheless will remember this show as an event of historical proportions, because there has never seen such an enthusiastic audience and artists, when energy of the auditorium and the dancers created an unprecedented response. ”
(N.E.: well, maybe the writer doesn’t know Ivan very well, after all, since this kind of response to Ivan’s performances has maaaany precedents… There were 10 curtain calls, by the way. 😉 )

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To end, a few seconds of rehearsal:

 

Each movement an emotion- every emotion a movement

ivan vasiliev special 2-X2

by Leonie Lucas 

Being a real drama queen myself I loved, love and always will love dramatic artists on stage! I love especially artists who live their roles and know what they are doing. So when actually looking for Baryshnikov’s CUP DANCE, but finding instead IVAN VASILIEV,  I was hooked at first sight! An ancient love, buried deep somewhere in my heart for decades, was reborn: ballet rules again (at least beside opera 😉 ).

During the late 70s and early 80s I used to be a real real great fan of KEVIN HAIGEN, First Soloist at  JOHN NEUMEYER-BALLETT, HAMBURG. I almost never missed his performances. HAMBURG OPERA really was my second home in those times. He not only fascinated me by being a wonderful dancer, with beautiful porte-de-bras, powerful grand-jetés and mime, but he was also charismatic and a great actor. He used to cry – really cry – as ARMAND in KAMELIEN DAME, sometimes shouted at TYBALT  in ROMEO AND JULIET during their fight so loudly that we could hear even in the 4th row,  or avoided the steps and jumped from the wall to kneel directly in front of Lady Capulet,  and…and …and…. Yes!!! I admit: I was really in love with him in each single role he ever danced. And to this day I cannot forget his wonderful JOSEPH in JOSEPH’S LEGEND  ( Richard Strauß).

His leaving Hamburg in 1985 meant to me that I avoided the ballet but prefered opera again.
Okay, there might not be any connection between him and IVAN VASILIEV, who was born almost when Kevin stopped dancing. Yes, one was taught in Russia, while the other one went to ballet school in the USA and then came to Germany to dance in Neumeiers Companie, there to remain.

But anyway both have a certain resemblance, represent the type of man – always a boy, never a grown-up – I always had a crush on. And even more important they are both so intense in their expression and dance. There is the same effortlessness in their way of dancing that fascinates whenever you see them move.

Therefore, seeing VASILIEV on youtube in DON QUIXOTE I behaved like an idiot: clapped my hands the same way the audience did, shouted “Bravi!” and since then cannot stop thinking: “I just HAVE to see HIM on stage!”

I never managed to appreciate russian dancers like Polunin, because they never touched my soul and heart, even though their technical skills make me think “Wow!”

He reminds me of another “gentleman-dancer”: IVAN LISKA, whom I liked to see on stage but always without being  much impressed or touched. But to me – VASILIEV as well as Kevin Haigen in former times, really is full of life on stage. As Albrecht, he is truly in mourning and regretful of his faults.

He really seems to feel the young man’s loneliness in LABYRINTH OF SOLITUDE or in Petit’s THE YOUNG MAN AND DEATH (‘Le Jeune Homme et la Mort’). There is real emotion in each movement.

VASILIEV convinces and impresses with Grand-Jetés, Cabrioles, Pirouettes and many other movements which I cannot name correctly. Besides his power and effortlessness there is always- really always – joy!! Joy to dance, joy to be allowed to move, joy to make others happy, joy to BE (on stage)!  Even during the curtain calls he cannot stop himself giving the audience what they expect! JUMPS!!! He never acts in an arrogant, selfish way doing that. No! He just is authentic! Just himself!!!

Yes I admit it, watching Vasiliev videos as well as talking to those fans of his who have seen him on stage already, makes me not only wish to see him but to renew my love for Neumeier-Ballett! There are so many different talented dancers here, and for me the difference in the skills, the charm of the artist is what makes theatre so thrilling, so interesting!

It does not matter whether you prefer the elegant ones like Polunin or Liska or – yes the vital ones like Vasiliev or Haigen! Enjoy their performances and let others enjoy their favorites as well!!

For me dancers like Polunin seem to want to express that dancing for them is nothing but the pure wonderful Art of Dance.

Worries of a Western admirer

It is July 2016, and I want to share what I feel, see if others feel the same?  I don’t know where would be the right place and time to write about my worries, that concern Ivan The Dancer x Ivan the Choreographer – here seems as inadequate a locale as anywhere else.

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Nikolay Krusser

I used to worry about the crazy life Ivan led, his crazy schedule. I wanted to be sure he would be dancing well into his 50s. I also used to worry about our deifying, unrealistic expectations, and wished he would forget about us, his demanding public, and follow just his internal drive. I feared early injuries, overexposure, the fickleness of that part of audience that cheers Fame more than Art. I feared he was being branded and there was confusion between the artist and his roles – all things that could end his career early or eventually take away the joy he had in dancing. We all know examples.

Well, I have no reason to worry now, do I? He certainly is less often on stage, is home near his beloved family almost all the time, and found in choreography a new way of expressing himself in Dance that I very much value and like! A healthy change, and I hope choreography brings him great new success and great pleasure, too.

But it seems, things went from one extreme to the other.  His schedule lately includes not only few performances, but very few roles besides the more acclaimed ones. Is the greatest, unique, most complete artist in Ballet becoming a choreographer INSTEAD of a dancer in front of our eyes? I expected that would happen at some point in the future, but please, not so soon, right?!? That would be a terrible loss!

In MY opinion, Ivan the Dancer is as important for classical/neoclassical Ballet as Impressionist painters were for an empty, already crippling classicism. He has new priorities and rescue is essential, neglected qualities – a restlessness that brings back the vitality that was being stifled in the maze of increasing standards and rules – in Painting 150 years ago and more recently in Ballet.  He turns Ballet into living Art again.

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But now… why no new roles? Where are the princes, the Roland Petit ballets, the Kings? There is no need of an absurd schedule, but maybe a few times a year? While in Russia he seems to give a lower priority to dancing, but here in the West we are on a truly starving diet!

Ivan Vasiliev, you are badly needed on stage, everywhere where Ballet is valued! Others must be inspired and learn from you, and we… we miss the great Dancer, we miss all a performance can become – even the most traditional one –  when it’s you dancing!

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© Ekaterina Vladimirova (cut)

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Maybe it is just a period, not a trend…  I hope my worries are silly and completely premature.

Magda Mundt

Triple Bill – 6th June 2016: I was there

HERE
we will document your reactions
(it takes some time to get the Russian and English versions right, and we lost the first version, sorry, not the most competent ones…).

and BELOW, is an attempt at a review.

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TRIPLE BILL BY IVAN VASILIEV
Videos released of Triple Bill were beautiful, but it was impossible to judge choreography or staging with only one to two seconds of each sequence and maybe edited to get just the best moments or the best angle. Of course, I’m a fan of Ivan Vasiliev, the Dancer, but I didn’t really know what to expect  and I was VERY curious. To see him dance would be good enough, if all else failed, to please me.

Well, now I have seen it and, IMHO Triple Bill is great!! All of it. It felt like a blessing to see a contemporary dance work that meets so many, maybe most criteria, of what I like in contemporary – as I get to them, I will number them.

First things first: choreography. Beautiful!!!! Far from banal, it uses the best of classical aesthetic, but goes well beyond – the whole body is summoned, and cleverly used (1!). Thankfully, it does NOT entail punishing the dancers with the weirdest twists and bends and the ugliest steps for originality’s sake (2!) – probably because there is no need to put the stress on originality, Ivan achieves it anyway. His choreographic language has a very distinct flavour. Plus, his choreography is very expressive. It is pretty obvious how deep Ivan’s understanding of body-language is (3!). His group either is made up of naturals too, or they were very well coached!

All three pieces are a pleasure to see. Ivan uses the stage space well in a diversity of compositions, but they come in sequence, or if not, in different planes that don’t compete. There is always a sense of unity, and/or emphasis, so it is easy on the eyes (4!). In consecutive frames, featuring duos, trios, different numbers of couples, you can choose to pay attention to each unit (good enough), but the whole is always another layer of beauty which is also achieved because the performer’s synchronicity was close to perfection. As a counterexample, watching “Entity” by Wayne MacGregor is an exhausting experience: there is so much going on, you don’t know where to focus, and there is not an overall idea or schema. When it came to an end, I had a head ache, and quietly promised myself never to watch it again!!

There are very few repeated sequences (you can’t help but notice that in some works repeated sequences don’t have any meaning, they just “fill” the score in an easier way. There are beautiful, beautiful lifts and jump sequences. Ivan puts his experience to excellent use! There are small pauses, where you feel momentum gathering to be released in the next second.

Also put to good use is Ivan’s great musicality. The dancing seemed to be the visual expression of the music, a very organic fit (maybe this is one of the reasons why Triple Bill leaves behind an impression of aesthetic harmony) (5!).

The “Corps” is there not just as background, carefully sliding from one beautiful pose to another, they dance, ah!! Ivan’s choreography is not easy. He uses their skills. They REALLY dance, and are amazing to watch (6!).

The pas de deux are stunning. Somehow, all of them are very moving, every one of them a great visual pleasure.

The staging meets all my criteria of excellence. To begin with, it is clean! I’m a fierce advocate for clean staging. I don’t think Dance needs a “frame”, on the contrary, Dance is so beautiful in itself, there is no need for tons of plumes and frills and gold to enhance its value. THIS is “circus”, for me! Cluttered scenarios and over decorated costumes that hide, limit and overburden movement, are absurd. Anything that diverts attention from the dancing, is absurd. That said…

The costumes are just PERFECT. All my praise goes to Alexandra Leonidov and to Ivan, for choosing her. Simple and beautiful (even the zombies!!), they enhance each work’s aesthetic and content to perfection, without being too “loud” or obstructive (7!). I don’t know if they are easy to dance with, but it seemed so. Of course, I cannot begin to imagine what it is like to dance with a blindfold, even if it is probably semi-transparent, but omg,  the blindfolds are effective as a staging element!

The lighting was great! The colours, the choices and ways of emphasis – a great job, and I could not spot a single flaw in execution. In Blind Affair and Morphine it is a most important element, and helped play with our mood.  Light, plus a handful of symbolic elements, that was all. Perfect, no more was needed (8!).

About Blind Affair.

The overall impression is of great beauty and harmony. The meaning Ivan wanted to impart is easily and definitely achieved! Blindfolds, as I said, have a great effect. It was a surprise, though. I expected a sombre, dark visual, but, there is a riot of well chosen colours and chains falling make quite an impression too! The choreography was pure visual pleasure, and the performance was one of 5 stars!

About Bolero.

WHAT A SURPRISE! It was almost incredible how Ivan was able to step completely out of Bejart’s influence, and create something totally new (very Ivan-like, BTW), but he did it! I read somewhere that someone had spotted elements of Bejart. Really??? are we talking about the same piece? Ivan’s Bolero has delicious humorous touches and is a joyful affair that leaves you uplifted and smiling, not in a transcendent mood, but in a light, playful one. It made me want to spring down the Hermitage steps dancing, if you get my drift!

Morphine.

Wow, that is a gripping work! It depends heavily on the principals’ skills of acting, and Ivan is absolutely outstanding in the young doctor’s role, while you see Irina Perren reaching new depths of expression. It proceeds to a dramatic crescendo. The end is so overwhelming  that the audience was reduced to complete silence, motionless for a long time, before all started to breathe again and remembered to applaud.

Some liked this piece more, others liked another one. I’m unable to choose. They are so different that I like the three of them very much, both for their overall quality of choreography, staging and performance, but also because each one excels in different ways.

And of course you have Ivan’s dancing as a big bonus with all its great qualities: fluidity, gracefulness, lightness, partnering, and his perfect jumps. His group, however, was either very well chosen, or very well coached, because they were a great pleasure to watch, each one of them, expressive, skilful, synchronized.

It may have been a coincidence that Triple Bill fitted my taste to perfection. Time will tell which way Ivan will follow, but THIS show, omg, I loved it!!!

In short, Triple Bill did not seem the work of a novice  at all  and earned my deep respect for Ivan Vasiliev as a choreographer. I would gladly see it again (in fact, lucky me, I will, on 14th June in Mikhailovsky… 😉 🙂 )

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Hahaha!!! I notice I did not say a single negative word. Well, let’s try, for equilibrium’s sake…

While wearing the blindfolds, all keep their heads slightly bent. I don’t know if it is intentional. Are they looking at their gadgets or are they just trying to SEE the end point? It is ambiguous. Maybe they should keep their faces either straight forward, or heads really bent.

I did not like the young doctor’s frizzy, stiff curls. Of course, we all like Ivan’s natural curls, so it was maybe because of that. Anyway, it was the single costume element that stood out. His hair behaved strangely while he danced. I believe that it would not detract from the overall visual effect and maybe would be even more effective if they were just tidy  at the beginning, and let loose to become wild and sweaty as the action goes on.

I feel I am being more royal than a king with these remarks, but these are the only flaws  I could think of!

Magda Mundt

 

Ivan, The Terrible – Bolshoi 02.June.2016

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(links to videos at the end)

They were in the audience…
and this is what they felt!!

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Ivan, the Terrible today in Bolshoi.  IT WAS MAGNIFICIENT! It was more than it’s possible to imagine! He is the greatest alive…

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Нам сегодня особенно повезло: партию Ивана Грозного в одноименном балете исполнял Иван Васильев. Ради одного этого стоило прийти, хоть и, справедливости ради, сам балет тоже замечательный! Иван, помимо сумасшедших танцевальных данных, еще обладает и огромным драматическим талантом, что не всегда присуще танцорам. Казалось бы, всего лишь танец, но от сверкающих гневом царских глаз, в исполнении Ивана, мурашки бежали по коже…Ну а от знаменитых его прыжков зал просто стонал, не в силах скрывать эмоции. Огромное спасибо @vasiliev.art за доставленное удовольствие от спектакля! 

We were especially lucky today: the ballet Ivan, the Terrible was performed by Ivan Vasiliev.  It was worth coming just because of him, though, to be fair, the ballet itself is also wonderful! Ivan, besides his crazy skills in dance, has also  huge dramatic talent, that is not always inherent in dancers. It could be only dance, but the wrath of Ivan’s king with sparkling eyes, made shivers run down my spine. At his famous jumps the hall just moaned, unable to hide the emotion. Many thanks to Ivan Vasiliev for the pleasure of the performance!

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Иван Грозный – это абсолютный спектакль одного актёра! Иван Васильев заполнял собой, своей харизмой и энергией как сцену, так и пространство всего балета. Не думала что после одноимённого фильма Сергея Эйзенштейна получится увидеть нечто равнозначное в другой сфере.. Аплодисменты начались с момента открытия занавеса! Декорации завораживали, костюмы восхищали, музыка уносила в другую реальность..и оркестр сегодня был бесподобен! Время летело незаметно. Спасибо всем причастным к созданию спектакля! Не терпится сравнить с другим составом) до встречи 5 июня! Ну и уже мечтаю о Спартаке!

Ivan, the Terrible is an absolute one-man show! Ivan Vasiliev filled the stage  with his charisma and energy during the entire ballet. I did not think that after the film by Sergei Eisenstein on the same theme, I would get to see something equivalent  The applause started the moment the curtain opened! The scenery was mesmerizing, the costumes were enchanting, and the music carried us away to another reality. The orchestra was incredible tonight! Time flew by unnoticed. Thank you to everyone involved in the creation of the performance! I can’t wait to compare this performance with the performance on 5th June! Well, I am already dreaming of Spartacus!

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Иван Васильев, Вы покорили меня совсем и окончательно! Браво!

Ivan Vasiliev, you had me absolutely and completely! Bravo!

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Впервые смотрим Ивана Васильева, Иван Грозный – это, бесспорно, его роль. Темперамент, мощь, страсть, напор.. Сдержанность в мгновение пружиной раскручивается в сумасшедшие прыжки, напоминающие четверные в фигурном катании! 

This was the first time I had seen Ivan Vasiliev – Ivan, the Terrible is certainly his role. He had temperament, strength, passion, intensity. He was like a restrained spring unwinding in crazy jumps reminiscent of a Quad in figure skating! 

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Даже не ожидала такого эмоционального подъёма! За неполные 2,5 часа на сцене Большого ожила такая давняя, известная всем со школы страница русской истории. Это тот Балет, который хочется написать с большой буквы, яркий, запоминающийся, о котором нужно говорить, обсуждать и.. идти снова)) Зал сходил с ума, вызывая на поклоны снова и снова…

Did not expect such an emotional lift! In less than 2.5 hours the Bolshoi has revived  ancient Russian history, known to all from the school books. This is the Ballet that I want to write about with big letters. It was vivid, memorable, a ballet to talk about and discuss and see again. The audience went crazy, causing bows again and again..

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Григорович – гений, и какое чудесное трио сложилось сегодня из Ивана Васильева, Нины Капцовой и Артёма Овчаренко! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Grigorovich is a genius, and what a wonderful trio danced today:  Ivan Vasiliev, Nina Kaptsova and Artem Ovcharenko! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

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Балет Иван Грозный точно войдёт в пятёрку наших любимых, весьма неожиданно для меня) Второй акт был наэлектризован энергетикой Ивана Васильева! Потрясающее единение музыки и танца.

Ivan, the Terrible will definitely be in the top five of our favorite ballets, quite unexpectedly for me). The second act was electrified by the energy of Ivan Vasiliev! Terrific combination of music and dance.

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Иван Васильев подарил сегодня нам всем чудо. Сумасшедшая энергетика, невероятная техника, отличная актерская игра и его фирменная “прыгучесть” – артистов вызывали на бис раз семь, я сбилась со счета. Половину времени я сидела, открыв рот, половину – утирая слезы от невозможности поверить в красоту всего, что происходит на сцене. Ну и, конечно, Григорович и Прокофьев – это какой-то невероятный союз, каждая нота и каждое движение просто созданы друг для друга. Я не была в Москве год и закупилась тут билетами в Большой оптом буквально, и сегодняшний балет, наконец, дал мне все то, о чем я мечтала. Да что там, сегодняшний балет дал понимание того, что если люди могут создавать такие вещи, значит, человечество, черт возьми, имеет право на существование на этой планете.

Ivan Vasiliev has presented today to all of us a miracle. Crazy energy, incredible technique, excellent acting and the firm “jumping” – artists encore seven times, I lost count. Half the time I sat, mouth open half – wiping tears from the inability to believe in the beauty of all that is happening on stage. And, of course, and Prokofiev Grigorovich – this is some incredible union, every note and every movement just made for each other. I was not in Moscow a year here and purchase tickets to the Big wholesale literally, and today’s ballet, finally gave me what I wanted. Why, today’s ballet showed that if people can create such things, then humanity hell has the right to exist on this planet.

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Уже на возобновленном спектакле побывала я четвертый раз, но все еще не запомнила всех мизансцен, и все делаю открытия для себя, а виной тому -личность и мастерство игры и танца Ивана Васильева, “что не можно глаз отвесть”, когда он на сцене. 

I had seen the performance before, four times, but still didn’t catch all of the staging, and made all discoveries for themselves, and the reason for that – the personality and skills and the dance of Ivan Vasiliev, “from whom it is not possible to take the eyes away” when he’s on stage. I went, and go on 4th, too…

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Я посмотрела в партер, когда поклоны начались – не встал и не пошел к выходу ни один человек. Это очень редкий случай. А там сидят преимущественно иностранцы и люди, скажем так, более близкие к обеспеченной демократии, чем зрители с ярусов. Вот просто никто не ушел! И все прямо ладони отбивали – так дружно хлопали. Посмотрела по ярусам – то же самое.

ГРОЗЕН ЦАРЬ!

А вообще спектакль гениальный. По режиссуре для меня самый гениальный у Григоровича.

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Партия Грозного для Ивана Васильева представляется мне крепостной стеной. Ему необходимо ее пробить, но в наличии имеется лишь одно орудие – собственный кулак. Его лицо порой искажает гримаса бессилия и страдания – крепость глуха и неприступна. И вдруг лицо становится стальным, брови сходятся, глаза сужаются, в глубине зрачков закипает ярость. Физически ощущаешь, как набухают его жилы и кровь в них стучит с немыслимой силой. Кулак размахивается и…пробивает стену. Грозный становится им, а он становится Грозным.

Грозный Васильева – это и есть сила. “Скрутить в бараний рог” – про него сказано. Невероятная физическая сила, идущая от природной стихии. Руки, какими раньше бились насмерть на кулаках, купцы Калашниковы, Стеньки Разины, голос предков – это есть только в его танце, обладающем непостижимой звериной силой. Этот танец порой поглощает как гипноз. Когда Васильев падает наземь, взмывает вверх, опять падает, то невольно идут мурашки по телу. Нельзя постичь – как обычный человек может это делать? Словно дракон, не знающий физической боли. Это доминанта его образа – человек-зверь, человек-инстинкт. Миф об Иване Грозном всегда был связан с животным страхом перед ним и с его животной силой. Без подобной силы образ теряет в качестве. Эта сила совпадает и с темной ураганной мощью музыки Прокофьева.

В сцене боя Ивану нет равных в приближении. Его соло – сверкающее “брио”, затмевающее всех на сцене. Но моей любимой у него остается Опричнина. Это абсолютный экстаз, невозможное блаженство! Васильев зримо воплощает здесь темный неумолимый ритм музыки, словно являясь ее порождением. Пляска в маске – вакханалия в языческой неудержимости

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I looked around the stalls when the bows began – on one did get up and not anyone went to the door. This is a very rare case. And there were sitting mostly foreigners and people, so to speak, closer to prosperous democracy than viewers from the tiers. Just no one left! Right away pulsing applause – as clapping in unison. Looked to the tiers – the same thing.

FORMIDABLE KING!

An overall brilliant performance. For me, Grigorovitch is a genius directing, the best.

(…)

The role of The Terrible, to me, seems like a fortress wall for Ivan Vasiliev.  He needs to punch it, but there is only one weapon – his own fist. His face sometimes distorts into a mask of powerlessness and suffering – is a deaf and impregnable fortress. And suddenly the face becomes steel, brows together, eyes narrowed, in the pupils deep boiling rage. I feel his veins physically swell and the blood in them is pounding with incredible force. The fist swings and punches the wall. Ivan becomes The Terrible and The Terrible becomes himself.

Ivan Vasiliev – this is the force. “He twists the ram’s horn” – it is said about him. Incredible physical power like emanating from a natural disaster. Hands, which previously fought to the death with fists, Kalashnikovs merchants, Stenka Razin, the voice of the ancestors – is in his dance only, possessing unfathomable  animal power. This dance sometimes absorbs as hypnosis. When Vasiliev drops to the ground, shoots up, drops again, then reluctantly crawls. You can’t understand – how an ordinary person can do it? Like the dragon who does not know physical pain. It is dominant in his image – the man-beast,  human instinct. The myth of Ivan, the Terrible has always been associated with the animal fear of him, and with his animal power. Without such power, the image loses its quality. This force coincides with the dark and heavy power of Prokofiev’s music.

In the war scene, Ivan has no equal in his approach. His solo’s sparkling vitality eclipsed everyone else on stage. But my favorite remains the Oprichnina [TN: state policy of terror implemented by Ivan, The Terrible] . This is the absolute ecstasy,  impossible bliss! Vasiliev visibly embodies here the dark inexorable rhythm of the music, as if he is its offspring. The dance with the mask – an orgy in pagan unyieldingness.

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Вы знаете, а я тоже обратила свое внимание на то, как дружно в полном составе вчера весь зал аплодировал , кричал браво, просто вопил от восторга, стоя как в партере, так и на ярусах, дожидаясь неоднократных выходов артистов за кулисы. Было ощущение, что людям не хотелось уходить из зала после такого замечательного спектакля! Не восхищаться Иваном было невозможно : такой техники, как у него, во многих элементах, мне кажется, сейчас нет ни у кого – какие вчера были прыжки, вращения, какая скорость – он просто вихрем летал по сцене ! А уж как он выгибается в кольцо назад в последних трех прыжках – это вообще за гранью моего понимания! Ну и его вулканическая энергетика просто мощными потоками обрушивалась на весь зал, захватывая в свой плен всех и вся! Уходила из зала вместе с такими же потрясенными людьми, которых видела в первый раз, мы шли вместе до метро и не могли остановиться, обмениваясь впечатлениями, настолько потряс вчерашний спектакль! Огромное спасибо всем артистам!

You know, I also turned my attention to the way that the whole room applauded yesterday in unison at full strength, shouting bravo, just screaming with delight, like standing on the ground, and on longlines, waiting for repeated appearences of artists from backstage. There was a sense that people did not want to leave the room after such a wonderful performance! Not to admire that Ivan was impossible: the technique that he has in many points, seems to me there is in no one else nowadays – what were yesterday  the jumps, spins, at all speed – he just flew like a whirlwind on stage! And as he bends his back in the last three jumps – it’s completely beyond my comprehension! Well, the powerful flow of his volcanic energy falls on the entire audience, keeping all in his captivity! I left the hall with stunned people who saw for the first time, we went together to the subway, and could not stop exchanging impressions, so shocked by yesterday’s performance! Many thanks to all artists!

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Спартак и Грозный мои любимые балеты великого Григоровича. Ничто так больше не цепляет и не заставляет сердце так бешено биться. Сумасшедшая смесь музыки, хореографии и, конечно, главный герой. Иван Васильев создан для этих партий. Была год назад на дебюте в Грозном, и вот снова тот же самый восторг.
Чёрная фигура. На троне сидел, а потом сорвался с него – Царь. Мощный, сильный, с демоническим взглядом огромных глаз. Он держал в руках невидимые скипетр и державу, и кажется рука его была тяжела… А уж как он потом примерял невидимую шапку Мономаха. Первые стада мурашек побежали… Руки… Не балетные руки Васильева. Я вновь глаза не могла отвести от огромных рук, которые то кричали, то шептали о его чувствах, то душили. И как его буквально корёжило, когда он не мог перекреститься… А когда он сжимал их в кулаки, то сразу становилось ясно, вот они где все у него, вот – в его кулаках, сожмет и сотрёт в порошок в миг.
У меня есть такая присказка / традиция: когда танцовщик ‘идёт на прыжок’ – я тихо говорю “давай родной”. И он сделал это! Фантастические 2,5 круга прыжков, тройные содебаски, и три финальных прыжка с прогибом -запредельные!!! Он смог, он справился, он не обманул наши ожидания. Иван Васильев – одаренный природой, великий труженик, Артист, дарящий нам счастье. Спасибо! На фото я с мамой, которая спрашивает куда / когда платить взносы в фан-клуб Ивана Васильева. После вчерашнего спектакля она намерена в него вступить. 😉 (хитро улыбается) А зрителям сверху все видно, даже бутылочку с водой. 😉 
и Иван отвечает ^_^:
Благодарю Вас за эти слова. И спасибо за поддержку перед прыжками)

The day is cooling down.
Spartacus and Ivan, The Terrible are my favorite of the great ballets of Grigorovitch. Nothing is more catchy and makes the heart beat as wildly. A wacky mix of music, choreography and, of course, the main character. Ivan Vasiliev created for these parties. I was a year ago at the premiere of The Terrible, and came again with he same enthusiasm.
Black shape. On the throne sits, and then descends from it – the King. Powerful, strong, the demonic eyes look huge. He holds an invisible scepter and orb, and it seems his hand is heavy… And he then tries on the invisible crown. The first of many shivers runs… Hands… Vasiliev makes not ballet hands. Again I cannot avert my eyes from the huge hands that are shouting and whispering about his feelings, then choke. And how they literally are mangled, when he cannot make the cross… And when he clenched them into fists, it immediately becomes clear that here is all he is, here in his fists, that clamp and turn into powder instantly.
I have a saying / tradition: when a dancer ‘takes off on a jump’ I say quietly “land safely”. And he does it! Fantastic 2.5 circle jumps, triple saut-de-basques, and the three final jumps with back bend are outrageous! He was able, he did it, he did not disappoint our expectations. Ivan Vasiliev – endowed by nature, a great worker, an Artist, giving us happiness. Thank you! In the photo I’m with my mother, who asks where / when to pay contributions to the fan club Ivan Vasiliev. After yesterday’s performance she intends to join it.
        And Ivan answers ^_^:
Thank you for these words. And thanks for the support when jumping)

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Link to video 1

Link to video 2

Link to video 3

Link to video 4

Link to video 5

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Link to video 9

 

Triple Bill – Overview

Overview  

“Ivan Vasiliev: How wonderful is Life”

Ivan Vasiliev, with his boundless energy and thirst for action, goes on trying himself as a choreographer. “Not even the director can tell what is inside me, better than I do,” – says the dancer. Ivan has always kept closely within the framework of the traditional ballet role: “I do not want to dance fifteen editions of ballet all my life “- exaggerates Ivan. “It is better to dig into myself, give freedom to my thoughts and make something new.”

In April, at the Hermitage Theatre will host the premiere of works by Ivan Vasiliev – choreographer. Of the three one-act ballets, only one is “from the vaults”. “Bolero” , on music of Maurice Ravel, was staged by Ivan last spring in Barvikha Theater, only once. The other two – “Morphine” and “Blind Us” – are completely new, work on them is going on right now.

The unexpected name “Morphine” is explained by it’s literary basis – the director was inspired by “Notes of a Young Doctor” by Mikhail Bulgakov.. The hero is trying to escape from pursuing phantoms, but only sinks deeper into a nightmare – Ivan “confirms he performs himself” this role. The ballet uses music of Gustav Mahler.

Ballet “Blind Connection” on music by contemporary English composer Max Richter – is about society, “where everyone is buried in their gadgets and no one looks around.” “We are living in our boxes and are sure it is where all peace is to be found” – is how Ivan Vasiliev formulates the basic idea.

Ivan Vasiliev does not like what he sees around him. “I want to stir up the crowd! Always wanted!” The young choreographer does not hold back his social temperament. “To do this, I fly all over the world, dance on different stages, and will continue in the same vein, one hundred and twenty years from now. All in order to convince people: look finally around and see how wonderful is life”!

TvKultura

Original Russian text:

«Как прекрасно жить!»

Иван Васильев, с его неуемной энергией и жаждой деятельности, продолжает пробовать себя в качестве хореографа. «Ни один постановщик не расскажет, что у меня внутри, лучше, чем я сам», — уверен танцовщик. Ивану всегда было тесно в рамках традиционных балетных амплуа: «Не хочу всю жизнь танцевать пятнадцать редакций одного балета, — несколько преувеличивает Иван. — Лучше покопаться в голове, дать свободу своим мыслям и сделать что-то новое».

В апреле на сцене Эрмитажного театра пройдет премьера сочинений Ивана Васильева — хореографа. Из трех одноактных балетов только один — «из запасников»: «Болеро» на музыку Мориса Равеля Иван поставил прошлой весной и показал на сцене Барвиха Luxury Village один-единственный раз. Два других — «Морфий» и «Слепая связь» — совершенно новые, работа над ними идет сейчас.

Неожиданное для балета название «Морфий» объясняется литературной основой — постановщика вдохновили «Записки юного врача» Михаила Булгакова. Герой — по словам Ивана, на эту роль он «утвердил самого себя» — пытается убежать от преследующих его фантомов, но лишь глубже погружается в кошмар. В балете используется музыка Густава Малера.

Балет «Слепая связь» на музыку современного английского композитора Макса Рихтера — про общество, «где все уткнулись в свои гаджеты и никто не смотрит по сторонам». «Мы живем в своих коробочках и уверены, что в них заключен целый мир, но это не так», — формулирует Иван Васильев основную идею.

Ивану Васильеву не безразлично то, что он видит вокруг себя. «Хочу расшевелить толпу! Всегда этого хотел! — молодой хореограф не сдерживает свой общественный темперамент. — Для этого и летаю по всему свету, танцую на разных сценах, и буду продолжать в том же духе лет до ста двадцати. Все ради того, чтобы убедить людей: посмотрите, наконец, по сторонам и скажите: как прекрасно жить!»

Morphine, Blind Affair and Bolero were warmly received.
Not a real surprise: Ivan Vasiliev simply KNOWS about Dance
and knows how to communicate with the audience.

 

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Triple Bill clearly bears Ivan’s signature:  in its themes, in choreographic language, in beauty, in expression.

See our posts with more information on each work:

Morphine
Blind Affair
Bolero

Most of us were not there. Even so, you look at photos and
seconds of actual dancing in rehearsal or performance, and cannot help imagine how it would feel to be there, live!!!
We hope he will take this work on tour!

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It was a nice surprise, and a huge pleasure for those that follow Ivan Vasiliev, that he and Mikhailovsky Theatre set a Facebook page
where the making of Triple Bill was well documented. Thank you!!!

FB: Ivan Vasiliev Choreographer Page – click below

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Photo Gallery of Rehearsals

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Congratulations on a beautiful work!!!