ShowMag.com

Universal Ballet

By Don Kolman
Lavish and sumptuous are two words that come immediately to mind while watching the Universal Ballet production of La Bayadere at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of the Los Angeles County Music Center Friday, July 19th. Oleg Vinogradov, formerly Artistic Director of the Russian Kirov Ballet and currently Universal Ballet Artistic Director along with Natalia Spitsyna and Marianna Zentchenko, is credited with the staging of this production. No credit is given for the set designs. Whoever did design the sets did so with what appears to have been an unlimited imagination and, even more importantly, an unlimited budget. Incredibly elaborate forests, temples, and palaces are presented in rapid succession, one after the other, on the Chandler stage. These sets are mind boggling in their depth, detail, and glitter.

Props are also overwhelming in their number and size. In Act II, the Rajah and Gamzatti are carried into the Rajah's Palace on highly ornate gilded litters, only to be followed by Solor on a full-sized mechanical elephant. Some of these props, unfortunately, become fussy and even manage get in the way of the dancing. This is particularly true of the parrots held by the twelve Parrot Ladies during their dance in Act II. Get rid of the parrots and call them something else!

Again no credit is given for costume design, but they are as impressive and elaborate as the sets and props. This is especially true in Act II with a seemly never- ending array of costumes appearing on numerous individual dancers as well as Drum Dancers, Parrot Ladies, and Fan Ladies.

At times the dancing in this production appears to be secondary to the sets, props, and costumes and is exceedingly elaborate and very Russian. Given the resources, the Russians never underproduce anything - nothing is too much - and this production is certainly one to prove the point.

The dancing, though at time inhibited by the production, is excellent. Hye-Kyung Lim, as Nikia, is lovely and very tall. She dances with speed, precision, and exhibits a lovely line. Miss Lim acts well and appears involved at all times.

Artem Shpilevsky's Solor dances well and is an excellent partner. His turns are swift and controlled, and he jumps with considerable elevation. Being quite tall also, he is a nice fit physically with Miss Lim. His major weakness is that he acts not at all and simply appears to be stoically bored throughout. In this production, as in all others, Solor's costume consists of harem pants. Though traditional to this role, harem pants hide a dancer's legs and make a man look ridiculous.

Seh-Yun Kim, as Gamzatti, is beautiful and very short. Her short stature is not a problem in her solo dancing which is quite nice, but it does become a problem when she dances with Mr. Shpilevsky. To partner her he must bend repeatedly which makes him appears awkward and ungainly.

The role of the Golden Idol is always an audience favorite. It is pure bravura dancing. The assigned dancer must be lighting fast and have incredible control. Min-Young Cho has all of these required qualities and makes an outstanding Golden Idol. He justifiably brought the house down.

Joo-Hwan Cho dances the role of Magadaveya with just the right amount of fear and obsequiousness. He is exceedingly fast and has great elevation in his jumps and leaps. Mr. Cho makes the most of this minor role and was deservedly appreciated by the audience.

As a ballet La Bayadere is judged a success or failure on the basis of the Kingdom of the Shades scene. The traditional entrances of the shades, in this production, takes place behind a scrim with clouds floating across it. This scrim is unnecessary, annoying, and serves no discernable purpose. This scene is the moment of truth for the corps de ballet in any production of La Bayadere. The Universal Ballet's corps de ballet meets the challenge with precision and verve. The dancing in this scene is universally lovely. As soloists, Eun-Joo Cho, Jung-Hee Cho, and Irina Novikova are outstanding.

The opening night audience was interesting. Obviously not a regular ballet crowd, members of the audience at times seemed at a loss on how to react, spontaneously clapping at unusual points in the dance. As the evening progressed, however, they seemed to adjust and appeared to begin to understand and appreciate what they were seeing.

This is a successful La Bayadere, not because of the over-produced, sumptuous production, but because of the beautiful dancing of principals, soloists, and the corps de ballet. Julia H. Moon is to be commended for having created, nurtured, and trained a ballet company which meets the highest standards in classical ballet.

The Universal Ballet will perform at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles County Music Center through Wednesday, July 25th. Tickets are on sale at the box office: (231) 365-3500 and (714) 740-2000 and at all Ticketmaster agencies.