DANCE REVIEW : Tcherkassky in ‘La Bayadere’

The poisonous snake bit a new Nikiya and afterward a new Solor sought the opium pipe to relieve his emotional pain in the Thursday performance of the American Ballet Theatre “La Bayadere” at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

Marianna Tcherkassky danced Nikiya with generous warmth and refinement, offering as well moments of impetuous yearning and a touching, bewildered innocence when dancing for her rival and perjured lover.

Lyric in phrasing, bringing dance impulses to tender blossomings, Tcherkassky also showed herself capable of vigor and brio in the series of speedy turns in her Variation in the “Kingdom of the Shades” scene.

As Solor, Danilo Radojevic danced with nobility, emotional restraint and his characteristically patrician virtuosity, which lacked nothing in high-speed velocity, bounding jumps and maintenance of immaculate shapes in the air.

If such achievements appeared uncalculated to attract applause, Radojevic also offered some dazzling moments of split-second shifts in position while hovering in the air during his Variation in the “Shades” scene. These proved justifiably irresistible to the audience.

After this, Radojevic appeared to warm up emotionally for the final scene, exemplifying idealistic ardor yet already seeming a man half out of this life as he contemplated the vision of Nikiya.

Overall, however, the partnership between the two was not ideal, often lacking in clear emotional connection, though Radojevic always proved attentive and considerate.

Other cast changes included Michael Owen, the Rajah of the previous two nights, as a stolid and decidedly low-profile High Brahmin, and Kevin O’Day, exuding powerful if somewhat stilted authority as the new Rajah.