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Russian Ballerina Makes U. S. Debut
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Semionova
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By Julie Brossy
In her U.S. debut, Russian ballerina Polina Semionova danced the role of Princess Aurora with exquisite grace, dazzling power, and an expressiveness that made the normally stately scenes of Sleeping Beauty crackle with excitement.
Just 20, the Bolshoi-trained Semionova performed three shows March 5 and 6 as guest artist in California Ballet’s production of Sleeping Beauty at the San Diego Civic Theatre. Her partner was David Makhateli, first soloist of London’s Royal Ballet, and an elegant Prince Desire. The production was staged by California Ballet director Maxine Mahon.
Choreographed by Marius Petipa, with music by Tchaikovsky, the role of Aurora is considered a ballerina’s supreme test, because it requires classical purity of line as well as tremendous strength and stamina during all three main acts. Semionova, principal at Berlin’s Staatsoper Unter den Linden, more than met the challenge. On her opening night, she commanded the stage from the moment she burst into the first act with a series of fast, precise turns and powerful jumps. On slender, muscular legs, she balanced in breathtaking attitudes in the Rose Adagio, as each of four suitors presented her with a rose in a celebration of Aurora’s birthday.
With her dark-eyed beauty and an ability to project subtle emotions, Semionova also brought poignancy to the scene in which Aurora pricks her finger on a spindle and dies. In Acts II and III, the storybook romance between her and Makhateli had an entrancing quality, despite the often awkward staging by California Ballet, whose dancers did not approach the level of artistry of the two visiting leads.
Semionova, thoughtful and serious in her offstage demeanor, said in an interview that while performing she tries to think of her character. “In advance of the technical moments sometimes you are nervous and afraid,” she said. “But I always think about who I am on stage – I feel who I am and I feel the emotions of the character. Because ballet is not just technical... it’s first emotion with beauty .”
The Georgian-born Makhateli, trained at the Royal Ballet School and the Tbilisi State Choreographic Institute, was adept as Prince Desire: ardently focused on Semionova, and agile as a panther in his soaring leaps. “I don’t think there is anything more important than the partnership,” he said before the performance. “You can perhaps not do something right. You might even fall on stage. But it’s all forgiven if the performance is there.”
Semionova was recruited by Vladimir Malakhov to join the Berlin Staatsoper Unter Den Linden when she graduated from the Bolshoi Ballet’s school in 2002. She has also danced in London with the English National Ballet, winning rave reviews as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake. In addition, she won the 2002 Junior Prize at the Nagoya (Japan) International Ballet Competition and the 1st Prize at the 2002 Vaganova-Prix Ballet Competition in St. Petersburg. She was a gold medalist at the 2001 Moscow International Ballet Competition.
“She’s young and there is so much in front of her,” said Makhateli. “She’s growing every day, and I think that she will be one of those that people will remember. “
That was certainly the case with her San Diego performance.
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