Cast Change Takes Eifman’s ‘Red Giselle’ to New Level

What had looked like a rape scene on the previous evening suddenly became a rough but consensual seduction on Sunday afternoon when new dancers took over the leading roles in Boris Eifman’s exciting backstage ballet “Red Giselle” at the Universal Amphitheatre.

As the doomed prima ballerina, Alina Solonskaya not only proved a more active collaborator in her own destruction than her predecessor, but her high extensions and majestic phrasing helped her dominate the pure-dance sequences more persuasively.

Her intense sexual byplay with the superbly feral Yuri Ananyan (as the KGB agent) not only ignited their initial duets but also made her obsession with him in later scenes complex and utterly convincing. She also found new facets in the character’s final descent into madness, especially in the agonized asylum duet with her remorseful former partner, Alexander Kazmir.

Kazmir emphasized youthful uncertainty in his scenes with Solonskaya and in the duet opposite his character’s male lover (Pavel Gabov), but he ultimately seemed as fearful and even victimized as the ballerina--though his performance never achieved the remarkable charisma and technical luster of his predecessor.

Alexander Ratchinski made a sympathetic ballet teacher, but technical lapses kept his major solo from achieving ideal surety. And, as before, the Eifman Ballet ensemble proved exemplary.

In the continued absence of house programs, ushers passed out booklets printed for an earlier stop in Chicago on the company’s current tour: booklets with full data on the dancers as well as a synopsis of “Red Giselle.”