Companies

The Abuse of Women

“Troja” (“Troy”)
State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater, Munich
Forum Ludwigsburg
Ludwigsburg, Germany
October 12, 2024

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2024 by Ilona Landgraf

1. Ensemble, “Troja” by A.Foniadakis, State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater 2024 © M.-L.Briane As in previous years, the Forum Ludwigsburg has made an effort to invite a wide range of dance companies to Ludwigsburg (which is about seven and a half miles north of Stuttgart) during this season. Munich’s State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater was the first troupe to pay a visit. They presented their recently premiered one-act piece Troja (Troy) by Andonis Foniadakis. The Greek-born Foniadakis danced with the Béjart Ballet and the Ballet de l’Opéra de Lyon during which time he also began to choreograph. In 2003 he founded his own company, Apotosoma, and from 2016 to 2018 he was the artistic director of the Greek National Opera.
Troja is based on Euripides’s tragedy, The Trojan Women, the intricate plot of which Foniadakis distilled to two overarching themes: the aftermath of war in general and the fate of the women—on the loser’s side in particular.
3. Ensemble, “Troja” by A.Foniadakis, State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater 2024 © M.-L.Briane 2. Ensemble, “Troja” by A.Foniadakis, State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater 2024 © M.-L.Briane The opening scene was promising. Two lines of fourteen men and women moved in sync under a roof framework of metal rods fixed to their chests by almost invisibly thin sticks. They seemed to carry the remnants of their home or, symbolically, their ancestors’ legacy. Being united under the same roof seemed to give them strength but, at the same time, tied them to their positions. A steady thunder of percussion (played live by the Orchestra of the Gärtnerplatztheater) like the impact of distant missiles dictated the rhythm of their movements.
4. Ensemble, “Troja” by A.Foniadakis, State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater 2024 © M.-L.Briane 5. W.G.Rocha, D.Cahier, A.Lambrichts, A.Hille, and ensemble; “Troja” by A.Foniadakis, State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater 2024 © M.-L.Briane They stepped forward and backward for a long time, slapping their thighs and chests, before picking up the pace. Their feet pounded the floor, and their arms swung determinedly. Then they lay down on their backs, and the roof framework covered them like a tent. Their energy faded like an engine stuttering to a halt, and the attention shifted to a gleaming golden shield that a woman carried on stage. The black circle at its center made it look like the pupil and iris of an eye (set design by Sakis Birbilis). The woman ran back and forth, sought cover behind the shield, and flailed her arms to create the impression of an imminent threat. But her fear wasn’t credible, and neither the flashy shield nor the ill-boding music could fill the void.
7. M.Romão and ensemble, “Troja” by A.Foniadakis, State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater 2024 © M.-L.Briane6. Ensemble, “Troja” by A.Foniadakis, State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater 2024 © M.-L.Briane Meanwhile, black side wings and blade-like triangles slowly slid center stage, giving the restricted space a prison-like ambiance. It held captive a group of women who gesticulated wildly, rushed back and forth, and repeatedly threw themselves to the ground. Their distress dragged on until several men entered the prison and circled the cluster of women like warders. In Euripides’ tragedy, the women were divided among the men as spoils of war. Foniadakis had them hauled away from their huddle over and over again. Most women resisted and crawled back, and a few fled. Groups of men manhandled many of them at length. But suddenly, for an unknown reason, the tide turned, and the women overpowered their tormentors. They piled them on top of each other and, later, held one of the men above the other struggling bodies with his arms stretched sideways like a living cross and his mouth open and emanating a silent scream.
8. M.Romão, “Troja” by A.Foniadakis, State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater 2024 © M.-L.Briane9. M.Dalton, “Troja” by A.Foniadakis, State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater 2024 © M.-L.BrianeSoon, the men came to life again. Accompanied by the squeaking violins of an Arvo Pärt remake, they slapped their thighs and chests, crawled across the floor, and lifted one another. Some embraced each other on the floor, and others fought. But the sense and purpose of their actions remained unclear. The warrior who solemnly carried the limp body of his opponent in his arms before suddenly throwing him away like despicable waste might have portrayed Achilles and Hector. If so, the woman who bitterly mourned the dead must have been Hector’s wife, Andromache.

10. M.Dalton, C.-F.Yeh, and ensemble; “Troja” by A.Foniadakis, State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater 2024 © M.-L.BrianeCassandra’s prophecies were repeated several times by an English-speaking voice-over, the sound quality deteriorating with each repetition. I wasn’t sure if the priestesses of the oracle twisted their bodies in ecstasy or despair, but they did so with a frenzy that had worn off by then. Again, gleaming shields were used to divert from the repetitive choreography.
A quick push down the city wall killed Hector’s and Andromache’s son, Astyanax. The crowd screamed, threw their arms up, and left it to the music to fake agitation. Another (mainly) male mob coveted the beautiful Helen with animal-like lust. Partly defiant, partly aggressively lascivious, she seemed to fuel the craving. A man later carried her conquered body away.
Clattering horse’s hooves and chirping birds broke the silence after the storm. Astyanax, also called the child of Troy, was carried on a golden shield like a figure of worship. Accompanied by Arvo Pärt’s Mirror in the Mirror, the crowd returned. Although initially softened, their movements soon became as agitated as before. Hysterical laughter and shrieks indicated drama as the women were yet again dragged across the floor.
11. Ensemble, “Troja” by A.Foniadakis, State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater 2024 © M.-L.Briane 12. J.Baldovino and ensemble, “Troja” by A.Foniadakis, State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater 2024 © M.-L.Briane Huge, shard-like triangles with sharp, red-lit edges guarded the final battle between a man and a woman, and their mirrored surfaces multiplied the conflict into countless fragments. As before, Foniadakis ambiguously portrayed the woman’s reaction. Though abused, she crawled up to the man and wrapped her legs around his waist. Seconds later, she tried to flee. Her breath appeared panicked when he forced himself between her legs. Although the curtain closed, it was clear that she would not escape. It felt as though ending this weak piece in this way was an attempt to use shock to hide artistic impotence.
13. Ensemble, “Troja” by A.Foniadakis, State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater 2024 © M.-L.Briane

Links: Website of the Forum Ludwigsburg
Website of the Gärtnerplatztheater
Trailer “Troja”
Photos: 1. Ensemble, Troja” by Andonis Foniadakis, State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater 2024
2. Ensemble, Troja” by Andonis Foniadakis, State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater 2024
3. Ensemble, Troja” by Andonis Foniadakis, State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater 2024
4. Ensemble, Troja” by Andonis Foniadakis, State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater 2024
5. Willer Gonçalves Rocha, David Cahier, Amelie Lambrichts, Alexander Hille, and ensemble; “Troja” by Andonis Foniadakis, State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater 2024
6. Ensemble, “Troja” by Andonis Foniadakis, State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater 2024
7. Mariana Romão and ensemble, “Troja” by Andonis Foniadakis, State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater 2024
8. Mariana Romão, “Troja” by Andonis Foniadakis, State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater 2024
9. Montana Dalton, “Troja” by Andonis Foniadakis, State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater 2024
10. Montana Dalton, Chia-Fen Yeh, and ensemble; “Troja” by Andonis Foniadakis, State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater 2024
11. Ensemble, “Troja” by Andonis Foniadakis, State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater 2024
12. Jana Baldovino and ensemble, “Troja” by Andonis Foniadakis, State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater 2024
13. Ensemble, “Troja” by Andonis Foniadakis, State Ballet of the Gärtnerplatztheater 2024
all photos © Marie-Laure Briane
Editing: Kayla Kauffman

 

Fighting Evil

“The Sun, the Moon and the Wind”
Czech National Ballet
The Estates Theatre
Prague, Czech Republic
October 10, 2024 (matinee)

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2024 by Ilona Landgraf

1. P.Holeček (Triglav), “The Sun, the Moon and the Wind” by V.Konvalinka and Š.Benyovszký, Czech National Ballet 2024 © S.Gherciu “It has been written that the shrewdest thing Evil can do is to trick us into believing that it does not exist,” warned Štěpán Benyovszký who, together with Viktor Konvalinka, wrote the libretto and directed the Czech National Ballet’s new ballet, The Sun, the Moon and the Wind. It is based on a fairy tale that was first recorded in 1845 in the Czech Collection National Tales and Legends by Božena Němcová who later incorporated elements of Slavik versions. Although the ballet is meant to attract a young audience, it is entertaining for adults as well.

Benyovszký’s and Konvalinka’s adaption tells of the star of creation that illuminated primeval darkness. It split into four parts from which the sun, the moon, the wind, and Zora, the dawn princess, arose. Yet Zora’s part was stolen by Triglav, the vicious Dragon Lord of Time, who kidnapped and bewitched her. Determined to get ahold of the other three quarters of the star and thereby seize world power, Triglav regularly had to suck the souls of young men to stay young and strong. He singled out Prince Jan as a victim, but Jan’s three sisters, Rufflette, Sparkette, and Pallidette set off to rescue their brother. (more…)

Deeper than Thought

“Land of Body”
Laterna magika
The New Stage
Prague, Czech Republic
October 05, 2024

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2024 by Ilona Landgraf

1. J.Kotěšovský (Old Dancer), “Land of Body” by R.Vizváry, Laterna magika 2024 © V.BrtnickýThe sharp sound of wind and a blaze of Arctic white on eleven video screens of various sizes scattered across the stage opened Laterna magika’s 2022 production, Land of Body. Radim Vizváry, artistic director of Laterna magika, was in charge of the theme, choreography, and staging. As the title suggests, Land of Body considers the body as a metaphor for landscapes. Artists of three generations and different genres portrayed a body’s formations and cycles of nature and life.
Some dancers lay motionless on the twilit ground when a senior dancer (Josef Kotěšovský), with an elderly, insecure gait, flipped a mobile phone camera open. Perhaps the solemn voiceover, which seemed to convey a mystical message, belonged to the video he watched on the small camera screen. In any case, a fog of dry ice suddenly wafted across the video screens and seemed to spread onto stage. Drum rolls followed by atmospheric sounds (music by Robert Jíša, sound design by Jan Brambůrek) accompanied a gray-haired man (Matěj Petrák) who moved on old fours like a primordial human. Brawny and nimble, he carried the lifeless bodies of a man and a woman onto the stage. (more…)

Tangled

“Tales of Perrault”
Ural Opera Ballet
Ekaterinburg State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre
Ekaterinburg, Russia
April/September 2024 (video)

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2024 by Ilona Landgraf

1. N.Shamshurina (Mushroom Fairy), “Tales of Perrault” by M.Petrov, K.Khlebnikov, and A.Merkushev; Ural Opera Ballet 2024 © Ural Opera BalletLast week, the Ural Opera Ballet’s joint production, Tales of Perrault, returned to the stage. It combines four fairy tales by Perrault—Puss in Boots, Little Red Riding Hood, Bluebeard, and Little Thumb—that are newly interpreted by three choreographers. Two of them, Konstantin Khlebnikov and Alexandr Merkushev, are junior choreographers from the company’s ranks of dancers; the third, Maksim Petrov, choreographed for the Mariinsky Ballet before succeeding the Ural Opera Ballet’s then-artistic director, Vyacheslav Samodurov, in August 2023.
Perrault’s fairy tales are often dark and scary (which is why Tales of Perrault is reserved for an adult audience and children aged twelve and older) but with a poetic note. From their wide range of meanings, the choreographers distilled a core message that combines all four fairy tales: regardless of one’s physicality, conduct, and wit, everyone deserves love and sympathy. (more…)

An Opening Salute

“The Sleeping Beauty”
Bolshoi Ballet
Bolshoi Theatre
Moscow, Russia
September 07, 2024 (live stream)

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2024 by Ilona Landgraf

 1. Y.Ostrovsky (Catalabutte) and ensemble, “The Sleeping Beauty” by Y.Grigorovich after M.Petipa, Bolshoi Ballet 2024 © Bolshoi Theatre/P.Rychkov The Bolshoi Ballet opened its 249th season with a revival of Yuri Grigorovich’s The Sleeping Beauty, which has been absent from the stage for four years. Because of the thorough change of décor, the production was announced as a premiere. It swapped the opulent (and often criticized) sets and costumes that Ezio Frigerio and Franca Squarciapino designed for the 2011 revival (celebrating the reopening of the theater’s Historic Stage after six years of refurbishment) for the restrained décor that Simon Virsaladze (1909–1989) created for Grigorovich’s second version of the ballet in 1973. The subdued hues and aquarelle-ish style of its courtly surroundings direct the gaze toward the colorful costumes (recalling French court fashion from King Louis XIII’s to the Sun King, Louis XIV’s, reign), beautiful flower garlands and bouquets at Aurora’s birthday party, and, most importantly, the dancers and their performances. Raising the curtain didn’t elicit oohs and aahs from the audience as, for example, Jürgen Rose’s décor for Marcia Haydée’s Sleeping Beauty regularly has done on Western stages. (more…)

Reassuring

Sochi Olympics 2014
Sochi, Russia
August 2024

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2024 by Ilona Landgraf

Given the nauseating freak show at the opening of the Paris Olympics last week, re-watching the ceremony held ten years ago at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi helps to restore belief in culture. It included the mini-ballet Natasha Rostov’s First Ball (choreographed by Radu Poklitaru, Andriy Musorin, and Oleksandr Leshchenko), which was based on Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Russia’s finest dancers were featured next to the two hundred couples waltzing to Eugen Doga’s film music for A Hunting Accident (Russian title: Мой ласковый и нежный зверь, meaning, My Sweet and Tender Beast). The Bolshoi Ballet’s Svetlana Zakharova danced the young, romantic beauty, Natasha Rostova; ballet legend Vladimir Vasiliev played her father, Count Rostov.

The Mariinsky Ballet’s Danila Korsuntsev performed the role of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky; Alexander Petukhov portrayed Pierre Bezukhov; as the dashing hussar, Anatoly Kuragin, Ivan Vasiliev delivered breathtaking jumps that made the audience cheer. The ball came to an abrupt end when Alfred Schnittke’s Concerto Grosso No. 1 ushered in the dark times that subsequently swept over Russia. (more…)

Present-day Perspectives

“Snow Maiden. Myth and Reality” (“Another Light”/“Refraction”)
Ballet of the Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre
Hvorostovsky Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre
Krasnoyarsk, Russia
July 2024 (video)

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2024 by Ilona Landgraf

1. Portrait of Alexander Ostrovsky by Vasily Perov, 18712. Book cover of Alexander Ostrovsky’s “The Snow Maiden”In March last year, the Russian playwright Alexander Ostrovsky (1823-1886) would have celebrated his bicentenary. Around one hundred and fifty years ago, in September 1873, he published The Snow Maiden, a work of narrative poetry about a fairy-tale, fantasy tsardom in prehistoric times for which Tchaikovsky wrote the music. A few years later, it was adapted into an opera by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The Snow Maiden deals with the opposition between eternal forces of nature (represented by the mythological characters of Grandfather Frost, Spring Beauty, the Sun God Yarilo, and a wood sprite), humans (a merchant and citizens), and those in-between (half-real, half-mythological characters, like Snow Maiden and the shepherd boy, Lel). The title character, daughter of Grandfather Frost and Spring Beauty, decides to live among the people, whom her beauty enchants. She is, however, unable to feel love, which complicates her interactions with humans. After her mother grants her the ability to love, Snow Maiden’s passion for the merchant, Mizgir, is ignited. As her hearts warms and she declares her love, a bright ray of sunlight hits her and she melts. Her demise conciliates the Sun God, Yarilo, who, angered by her sheer existence, had withheld sun and warmth. Consequently, the forces of nature become rebalanced. (more…)

Tempestuous

“Le Corsaire”
Ballet of the Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre
Hvorostovsky Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre
Krasnoyarsk, Russia
July 2024 (video)

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2024 by Ilona Landgraf

1. K.Litvinenko (Seyd Pasha) and ensemble, “Le Corsaire” by Y.Malkhasyants, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024 © Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre2. E.Mikheecheva, R.Abolmasov (Pas d’Esclave), and ensemble, “Le Corsaire” by Y.Malkhasyants, Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre 2024 © Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet TheatreThis July, the Ballet of the Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre traveled 2.400 miles eastward to tour their Catharsis Dante at the Helikon Theatre in Moscow. I wasn’t able to fly to Moscow but, by chance, I had the opportunity to watch videos of two of their recent premieres. One of them was a new Le Corsaire by Yuliana Malkhasyants, which premiered on May 19th. It’s based on Petipa’s 1858 version for the Mariinsky Theatre from which Malkhasyants kept seven of the most famous fragments, such as the Pas d’Esclave and the Le Corsaire Pas de Deux for Medora and Conrad. The Jardin animé was refashioned, and the libretto was pruned for better understanding. Malkhasyants dropped the figure of Conrad’s young, faithful slave, Ali, and streamlined Medora’s and Conrad’s escape from Seyd Pasha’s harem. (more…)

Ambivalent

“Manon”
Ballet Company of Teatro alla Scala
Teatro alla Scala
Milan, Italy
July 08, 2024 (live stream)

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2024 by Ilona Landgraf

 1. N.Manni (Manon) and R.Clarke (Des Grieux), “Manon” by K.MacMillan, Teatro alla Scala 2024, photo by Brescia and Amisano © Teatro alla Scala Given the mind-boggling speed with which Western culture is changing, La Scala’s live stream of Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon felt like a relic from the good old days of ballet. Unlike other staples of the classical repertory—Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, or The Nutcracker, for example—with a spiritual dimension that serves as a source of inspiration in difficult times, Manon has the opposite effect. Based on Abbé Prévost’s novel Manon Lescaut (1731), it dives deeply into the social swamp of early-18th-century France and in the real swamps near the then-French colony of Louisiana. Rabble and the poor crowd the streets and the upper class’s silk and satin façade barely hides their rotten morals. Sex, money, and power reign in everyday life, and, for women, alluring men is the only way to secure an existence. Not a single soul remains untainted in the sex-and-crime-ridden love tragedy of Manon. (more…)

Prix Benois Laureates 2024

Prix Benois de la Danse
Bolshoi Theatre (Historic Stage)
Moscow, Russia
June 25, 2024

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2024 by Ilona Landgraf

1. Jurors, S.Zakharova, nominees, and laureates, Prix Benois 2024 © Benois Center On Tuesday evening, this year’s Prix Benois laureates were announced on the Historic Stage of the Bolshoi Theatre.
The Mariinsky Ballet’s Olesya Novikova won the prize for best female dancer for her performance as Aspiccia in La Fille du Pharaon (Marius Petipa’s version as reconstructed by Toni Candeloro). Gergő Ármin Balázsi (Hungarian National Ballet) and Artemy Belyakov (Bolshoi Ballet) shared the prize for best male dancer. Balázsi was nominated for his performance as Leon in Boris Eifman’s The Pygmalion Effect and Belyakov for his performance as Ivan IV in Yuri Grigorovich’s Ivan the Terrible. Marco Goecke was awarded the prize for best choreography in absentia for In the Dutch Mountains, a creation for the Nederlands Dans Theater. (more…)

Dancer Nominees for the Prix Benois 2024

Prix Benois de la Danse
Bolshoi Theatre (Historic Stage)
Moscow, Russia
June 2024

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2024 by Ilona Landgraf

1. Bolshoi Theatre © D.Yusupov/Bolshoi Theatre 2. Statuette of the Prix Benois de la Danse, design by Igor Ustinov © Benois Center Thirteen dancers from eight companies are nominated for this year’s Prix Benois. Of the seven women and six men, two dance in China, Hungary, and Italy; one dances in Japan, and six in Russia. Next week, the laureates will be announced in an award ceremony at the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow.

Here’s a short overview of the nominees in alphabetical order by company names:
(more…)

Choreographer Nominees for the Prix Benois 2024

Prix Benois de la Danse
Martin Chaix, Marco Goecke, Jo Kanamori, Yuri Possokhov, and Maxim Sevagin
Bolshoi Theatre (Historic Stage)
Moscow, Russia
June 2024

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2024 by Ilona Landgraf

1. Bolshoi Theatre © Damir Yusupov/Bolshoi Theatre2. Statuette of the Prix Benois de la Danse, design by Igor Ustinov © Benois Center On June 25th, the Bolshoi Theatre will host the annual Prix Benois charity gala and awards ceremony. It will be followed by a gala concert on June 26th during which laureates of previous years will perform. Prizes will be awarded to the best choreographer and the best female and male dancers. Below is an overview of the five nominated choreographers in alphabetical order. A report on the nominated dancers will follow. (more…)

At a Gallop

“The Pygmalion Effect”
Hungarian National Ballet
Hungarian State Opera
Budapest, Hungary
June 01, 2024 (matinee)

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2024 by Ilona Landgraf

1. A.Szegő (Holmes) and ensemble, “The Pygmalion Effect” by B.Eifman, Hungarian National Ballet 2024 © V.Berecz/Hungarian State Opera Boris Eifman’s The Pygmalion Effect took my breath away. The dancers of the Hungarian National Ballet whizzed through two, at times terrifically fast, acts and then appeared at the curtain call as if they had merely finished warming up. Hats off! Budapest’s audience has loved the ballet, which was created for Eifman’s home company in St. Petersburg in 2019 and has been in the Hungarian National Ballet’s repertory since June 2023. At Saturday’s matinee, the house was packed to the roof.

Greek mythology has two Pygmalions; one was the son of King Belus of Tyros, and the other is from Ovid’s Metamorphoses and was a sculptor who fell in love with his creation. This creation—a statue of a woman who was later called Galatea—subsequently came to life. Eifman took inspiration from Ovid’s Pygmalion and the so-called Pygmalion Effect, a psychological phenomenon that was observed in classrooms showing that a teacher’s anticipated judgments about students will cause them to become true. (more…)

Exemplary

“Little Corsaire”
Hungarian National Ballet Institute and Hungarian National Ballet
Eiffel Art Studios
Budapest, Hungary
May 31, 2024

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2024 by Ilona Landgraf

1. L.Berki, Z.E.Albert, and J.É.Pollák (Odalisques), “Little Corsaire” by O.Chernakova et al., Hungarian National Ballet Institute & Hungarian National Ballet 2024 © A.Nagy/Hungarian State Opera The best way to nurture young talent and groom a new generation of dance enthusiasts is a concern for many ballet companies. The Hungarian National Ballet and its affiliated Ballet Institute have pursued an impressive strategy to address this issue. Last weekend, they premiered the third children’s production in a row, Little Corsaire, at Eiffel Art Studios. The first series of four performances gave students of various ages ample opportunities to present their skills to the public, which at this premiere consisted of family, friends, and many young children with their parents. The scenes that I observed in the atrium during the break proved that the project has yielded the desired results. Toddlers copied dance steps, and girls—already wearing tutus upon arrival—bounced about excitedly. In a corner behind the old steam locomotive (reminiscent of the venue’s historic role as Northern Railway Maintenance and Engineering Works), the young artists posed for photos with even younger admirers. Some children’s eyes were shining, and hopefully, some of those youngsters will be drawn to the ballet barre too. (more…)

Plainly, Art

“La Strada”
Prague Chamber Ballet
Vinohrady Theatre
Prague, Czech Republic
May 26, 2024

by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2024 by Ilona Landgraf

 1. B.Müllerová (Gelsomina), O.Neumannová and L.Muzajeva (Sisters), and M.Dorková (Mother); “La Strada” by J.Bubeníček, Prague Chamber Ballet 2024 © S.Gherciu 2. E.Zappalà (Zampano), “La Strada” by J.Bubeníček, Prague Chamber Ballet 2024 © S.GherciuIt was only a matter of time until Otto and Jiří Bubeníček were drawn back to their family legacy—the circus. Perhaps because they are identical twins, they both chose to tackle Federico Fellini’s film La Strada which, by the way, premiered seventy years ago. Yet, they didn’t work together. While Otto designed sets and costumes for Natália Horečná’s ballet La Strada (starring Alina Cojocaru, Johan Kobborg, and Mick Zeni) at Sadler’s Wells, Jiří choreographed La Strada for the Prague Chamber Ballet. I wasn’t able to watch Horečná’s version in London (I also missed Marco Goecke’s La Strada for Munich’s Gärtnerplatz Theatre in 2018) but had the chance to see Jiří’s work in Prague. He collaborated with, among others, his wife, Nadina Cojocaru, on the libretto and dramaturgy. Cojocaru was also in charge of set and costume design. (more…)