Makarova Dances With Words

Natalia Makarova, one of the most celebrated prima ballerinas of this century, is performing again. Passionately, holding nothing back--her trademark.

But she’s not en pointe . The tiny, blond, not-quite-ex-dancer is in a Hollywood recording studio, headphones in place, cigarette smoke curling past the microphone as she leans forward, peering intently at the script in front of her.

“Just then,” she reads in a hushed voice, “the moon came out from behind the clouds.” A weightless arm curves upward. “And from the depths of the garden, Prince Ivan saw a gate open slowly . . . .” Dramatic pause.

It is “The Firebird,” one of many ballet triumphs that earned Makarova international acclaim in the ‘70s. But this day, she is narrating and not dancing the exotic Russian fairy tale with Stravinsky’s score. It is part of Delos International’s “Music for Young People” CD series, due for release in May.

Makarova, 49, tells the story with her whole body. Shoulders hunch, hands become claws, a toothy grimace--she is the evil monster Kashchei. A delicate hand flutters to her breast, her supple neck bows--she is the enchanted Princess. In one memorable moment, both arms curve back in an exquisite display of wings--she is the Firebird.

A remarkably versatile voice emanates powerfully from the delicate frame. Now gentle, now strong, now deep and scary, now an evil chortle.

In the control room, there is frequent laughter and thumbs-up appreciation from the Delos people. The group consists of pianist Carol Rosenberger, who wrote the script with Makarova’s input and serves as co-producer; co-producer Adam Stern, who is directing the session, engineer John Eargle, production coordinator and former ballet dancer Rudi Simpson and executive producer Amelia S. Haygood.

This will be the third story Makarova has recorded for Delos. The first two--”Prince Ivan and the Frog Princess,” using Prokofiev’s “Music for Children,” and “The Snow Queen” with Tchaikovsky’s “Album for the Young” with Rosenberger at the piano--have been recognized by the American Library Assn. as 1991 Notable Children’s Recordings.

“Thank you very much, Natasha,” Stern says, when her Russian-flavored words occasionally become too rich, flowing together like honey. “Can we get a little more k in shook ?” And, “we need a little more wind, a little less weened .”

A word throws her. “What is this ri-ve-ted ?” When Rosenberger says that Kashchei should talk faster to fit the music, Makarova jokes, “But he’s old. How’s he going to do fast?”

She is gracious and patient, gifted with an unusual ear for dialogue. She never loses the character, a natural spellbinder.

Haywood praises her “intelligence, humor and constant creative force.”

After 4 1/2 hours, Makarova finishes the session. She will return home to the Napa Valley that evening, and soon after will stage “Paquita” for the National Ballet of Canada, then travel to London for a taping of her Royal Ballet production of “La Bayadere.”

A slender figure in black, she smokes a cigarette and talks about her gift for getting inside the skin of a character--a gift that set her stunningly apart as a dancer.

“Otherwise, there is no art,” she said. “If I couldn’t find an identity, a character, I couldn’t do it.” (She has already proven she can do it away from the ballet stage: Her acting skills in the 1983-84 productions of “On Your Toes” earned her the Tony and the Laurence Olivier Award for best actress.)

She confesses that “basically, I want to go on stage. I want to be in a straight play.” She has officially retired from dancing--although she danced for a Leningrad benefit in December. “It was last, last time,” she protested with a laugh.

In “The Firebird,” she admits to a special relish for the monsters in the tale, thanks to “all those horror movies” she watches with her 13-year-old son, Andrusha.

Makarova hopes the CD series will open the imagination of a child and inspire kindness, and that the music “will become a special interest. Because, you know how youngsters are. They like the rock, they like the roll, and they, like my son, are not paying attention to classical music.”