Tom's Life Bits

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Wonderful performance by the Bolshoi live in Bradenton at 10 in the morning.  I learned the composers intention with the various jewels - emeralds - green, rubies - red and diamonds white.  each represented a different city, Paris for ramance and thus red rubies, New York for frentic thus white and diamonds, his city of birth green.\\  
Katarina was once again our host, she's beautiful.

REVIEW: 'Rubies' sparkle least in Bolshoi's performance of
Balanchine's 'Jewels'\\
By Carrie Seidman , Herald-Tribune / Monday, January 20, 2014\\

"Jewels," the 1967 full-length work by George Balanchine that celebrates the French, American and Russian
dance styles, is not always performed in its entirety. Hailed as the first three-act "plotless" ballet, more often one
of its three self-contained sections, each named after a precious stone, is performed alone.
Thus, while I've seen the "Diamonds" grand finale a half dozen times, I'd not seen the full triptych for years — and
never performed by a company outside of the U.S. So even if it was transmitted from Moscow's Bolshoi Ballet at
the odd time of 10 a.m. on a Sunday as part of the Ballet in Cinema series, I welcomed the opportunity to see
what a non-American company could do with this challenging and diverse work.
There may be no better Balanchine primer than "Jewels," which at once encompasses his historical influences,
stylistic breadth and musical genius.
"Emeralds," which evokes the lyrical elegance and romanticism of 19th century France, echoes the intricate
intertwinings and mirrored movements you find in Balanchine's "Serenade" or "Concerto Barocco." The off-kilter
 
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jazziness of "Rubies" draws on his Hollywood and musical theater period,
which can also be seen in a the later Gershwin-inspired "Who Cares?" And
the grandiose "Diamonds," which pays tribute to his choreographic
predecessors (Petipa) and roots (the Great Imperial Russian ballet),
represents his very foundational core.
With each section distinct in music,
mood and style, "Jewels" offers any
company a multi-dimensional challenge and the Bolshoi, which added it to
the rep just two years ago, was clearly more comfortable with what was
familiar to its own roots.
That meant the Tchaikovsky-scored and Russian-inspired grand finale,
"Diamonds," was the standout section. Olga Smirnova is just 21 but still
clearly an old soul, her technical prowess balanced by a confidently mature musicality. Regal yet accessible, in
one of ballet's longest pas de deux she was extraordinary, and ably partnered by a remote Semyon Chudin, who
rightly deferred to Balanchine's emphasis on the female.
The opening "Emeralds," danced in long tutus to the dreamy music of Gabriel Fauré, was also strong, thanks to
Anastasia Stashkevich (partnered by Ivan Alexeyev in the role originated by Violette Verdy), whose phrasing hadThe "Emeralds" section of George Balanchine's
"Jewels," as danced by the Bolshoi Ballet. / Photo
by Damir Yusupov
a sensuous lyricism and whose torso exhibited the necessary languid pliancy.
"Rubies," with its flexed hands and feet, hips thrusts and staccato punctuation, was more problematic. Ekaterina
Krysanova and Vyacheslav Lopatin were technically on target and lead soloist Ekaterina Shipulina did her best to
emit a sexy vixen aura in a slant-hemmed short tunic, but it all seemed a lot less spontaneous — even reckless —
than when I saw it many moons ago in New York. I think something got lost in the cultural translation.
Likewise, Alonya Pikolova's redesign of costumes originally by Barbara Karinska were underwhelming, especially
in "Diamonds," where the sparsely rhinestoned bodices lacked the intricate detailing of the originals and were, in
some cases, ill-fitting. The simplistic backdrop of glittering stars seemed almost trite.
An unexpected highlight was an intermission interview with Bolshoi Artistic
Director Sergei Filin, who has been largely in absentia since the acid attack
a year ago that left him partially blind. Speaking from behind dark glasses,
he praised his "jewels" (ballerinas) and made no mention of his impaired
eyesight or his future plans.
One change that can be attributed to the attack, however, is the further
postponement of "The Golden Age," a revival that was to have debuted last
year. Interviewer Katarina Novokova announced it had again been pushed back and would be replaced in thecinema series by the "swashbuckling" tale of the bandit "Marco Spada," an announcement that did not make my
heart sing.
On the other hand, still photos from "Lost Illusions" — an Alexei Ratmansky commission and the next live Bolshoi
transmission on Feb. 2 — looked smashing, so there is still plenty to look forward to in this welcome film series.

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