OK, this review is of a live performance, not a film. But I beg the reader's indulgence: Fact is, so much of what we like in film has to do with aesthetics. We revel in the sheer beauty of the actresses and the dashing handsomeness of the actors. We marvel at a scene so perfect in design and substance that it resembles a painting masterpiece. It's not too big a leap (pun intended), therefore, to say a few words about the ballet. Film fans, will you permit me to comment on an extraordinary event? I refer to the Nutcracker presented tonight, December 22, 2010, at the Dodge Theater.
My dear spouse and I always go to the Russian ballets. Be it the Kirov or the Moscow Ballet, be it Swan Lake or The Nutcracker, the Russians do it best. In the former Soviet Union, most people consider ballet to be the finest art form. The top companies recruit dancers at the age of three or four and mold their talent over generations. Small wonder that the likes of Nureyev and Baryshnikov came from the land of the former tsars.
We have viewed the San Francisco Nutcracker nearly every year for the past thirty years. We have watched films of the New York Nutcracker. But the most famous productions here in the U.S. seem to pale by comparison to their Russian counterparts.
Simply put, the dance in this Nutcracker is exquisite, bold, graceful, passionate....unlike any other ballet. Of the 30 or so dancers in the troupe, every single one is capable of being the lead. The stage is simply full of prima ballerinas. The dancers perform duets that boggle the mind: they bend their bodies to create shapes, leap with the ease of cats, and remain in perfect sync. The choreography is original and daring.
So, if you occasionally tire of film, take a break by seeing a Russian ballet. You'll delight in the beauty of the art form and return to film with a new view toward aesthetics.
A beautiful and worthy tribute. The Nutcracker has long-bonded my daughter and me through her childhood, from local Chandler performances, to Phoenix, to her "paying me back" with surprise tickets last year as we soaked in New York City Ballet's at Lincoln Center on Thanksgiving. I hate the last number in the show, because it always denotes the end of the performance which always comes too quickly.
ReplyDeleteNext, I'll have to catch the Russians. (That sounds funny.)
Interestingly, the Nutcracker has always been part of my life too. My mama (whom you know...now nearing 90!) began taking my brothers and me in San Francisco around the age of 4. Among the three brothers, I am the one who still loves the ballet. Have not missed it a single year of my life! So next time we're together, we must share Nutcracker experiences!
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