Voice of dance: "Red Giselle"
On Saturday we were lucky to get tickets to Eifman's "Red Giselle", latest West Coast import - after "Tchaikovsky" and "Russian Hamlet".
"Red Giselle" is the dance-told story of the ballerina Olga Spessivtseva (1895 - 1991). Eifman's aim is to recapitulate Spessivtseva's story by analogy with Giselle's - its love, betrayal and madness being the common fate of both.
Eifman's scenario knows a personal demon when it sees one. His Spessivtseva is crushed by the rigors of the Russian Revolution and shattered when the Partner (Yuri Smekalov) with whom she falls in love turns his attention to another man. At the end, her personality merges with Giselle, the role that brought her the most acclaim (eyewitnesses believe Spessivtseva was a greater, more rounded artist than even Pavlova).
What Eifman as choreographer possess is an almost cinematic imagination. The episodes when Ballerina (Vera Arbuzova) has a sickening affair with Chekist (Albert Galichanin) and later has nightmares about him before declining into madness are psychologically telling. Far less convincing are the episodes in decadent gay Paree. Yet, despite that, Eifman keeps you watching. The final mirror-themed design by Slava Okunev is the most imaginative i've seen in a long time. Even thou i was not a fan of pick'n'mix treatment of Tchaikovsky, Berlioz, Adam and Schnittke, entire performance left me dizzy with admiration.
"Red Giselle" is the dance-told story of the ballerina Olga Spessivtseva (1895 - 1991). Eifman's aim is to recapitulate Spessivtseva's story by analogy with Giselle's - its love, betrayal and madness being the common fate of both.
Eifman's scenario knows a personal demon when it sees one. His Spessivtseva is crushed by the rigors of the Russian Revolution and shattered when the Partner (Yuri Smekalov) with whom she falls in love turns his attention to another man. At the end, her personality merges with Giselle, the role that brought her the most acclaim (eyewitnesses believe Spessivtseva was a greater, more rounded artist than even Pavlova).
What Eifman as choreographer possess is an almost cinematic imagination. The episodes when Ballerina (Vera Arbuzova) has a sickening affair with Chekist (Albert Galichanin) and later has nightmares about him before declining into madness are psychologically telling. Far less convincing are the episodes in decadent gay Paree. Yet, despite that, Eifman keeps you watching. The final mirror-themed design by Slava Okunev is the most imaginative i've seen in a long time. Even thou i was not a fan of pick'n'mix treatment of Tchaikovsky, Berlioz, Adam and Schnittke, entire performance left me dizzy with admiration.