Kirov is a study in contrasts
Every great ballet is bigger than its stars, big enough to put an entire company to the test. But the leads do define its emotional temperature -- and their technical excellence should heighten that of the company as a whole.
The most recent example: two contrasting sets of principals in the Kirov Ballet production of “La Bayadere,” an 1877 Marius Petipa story ballet about love, jealousy and snakebite in ancient India, which finished a run over the weekend at the Kodak Theatre.
On Thursday, subdued proficiency ruled, though Irina Golub’s forceful performance as Gamzatti (the royal rival to the heroine) gave an extra edge to her scenes. On Friday, a bolder, hotter attack by nearly everyone yielded greater overall excitement, with Irma Nioradze’s especially distinctive and involving interpretation of Nikiya (the title role).
Never subtle in either technique or expression, Nioradze’s portrayal capitalized on intense dramatic contrasts and exemplary physical prowess. Her classical dancing in the “Shades” act proved brilliantly authoritative, and she worked well with Leonid Sarafanov, a disarmingly boyish virtuoso cast as the warrior Solor. In the engagement duet of Act 2, Sarafanov’s spectacular speed and buoyancy helped compensate for the unevenness of Elvira Tarasova as Gamzatti.
On Thursday, Golub and the noble, stylish Danila Korsuntsev gave the same duet a shared technical luster, just as Golub and Sofia Gumerova as Nikiya gave their mimed confrontation in Act 1 a sense of passionate interplay and even danger. Otherwise, however, Gumerova remained unduly restrained, dancing neatly -- small in scale and rather clenched in the most exposed classical challenges -- but always under wraps except for brief glints of freedom and individuality, as in the Act 1 love duet with Korsuntsev.
On both nights, Andrey Ivanov danced the Golden Idol strongly in some passages, unreliably in others, looking strangely diffident in this showpiece assignment. Even in Hollywood you simply cannot come onto a stage, nearly naked and painted gold, without expecting to be noticed.
*
Kirov Ballet
Where: Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa
When: Tuesday through Thursday, 8 p.m. (Fokine program); Friday, 8 p.m., Saturday, 2 and 8 p.m., Sunday, 2 p.m. (“Jewels”)
Price: $25 to $100
Contact: (714) 740-7878
The biggest entertainment stories
Get our big stories about Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more right in your inbox as soon as they publish.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
