Coppelia, The Bolshoi Ballet, 24/07/2010

Coppelia is not a ballet of much substance, but is more about pretty movement, to pretty music in the context of a light but mostly inconsequential plot.

Full of light, energetic village scenes, acts I and III are all about the dance. These breezy acts are perfect vehicles for the Bolshoi's impeccable corps, and for the feisty athleticism of another young star, Natalia Osipova (pictured), as she dances Swanilda. Although beguiling, the character of the young girl Swanilda is not a particularly attractive one; think head cheerleader, for a crass parallel. However, it's all good fun, overlooked by the life-like doll Coppelia from the balcony of the old man Coppelius's house, broken into by the village youths and the Coppelia-smitten Franz (Ruslan Skvortsov).

 In Act II (set in Coppelius's workshop) there are creepy chilling elements as the life size dolls dance, and it is this act that forms the heart of the ballet. Coppelius returns and turfs the youngsters out, only to be taunted by Swanilda, masquerading as Coppelia come to life. Coppelius is meant to be sinister and somewhat malevolent, but Gennady Yanin played him as a rather pathetic, lonely old man. While this added an extra layer of emotional complexity to this otherwise fairly inane ballet, it did rather take the fun out of Swanilda's taunting. Finally she achieves her goal, revealing to Franz that the object of his affection is a doll, setting things up for the exuberant wedding celbrations of act III, which are not disimilar to those of Sleeping Beauty (no plot left to tell, random solos... but as part of a much shorter ballet).
 
Coppelia doesn't leave a particularly lasting impression, but is good enough fun, and holds some magnificent dancing. Delibes' music is lovely, and the Bolshoi probably danced this almost as well as it can be danced, with Osipova very much in the driving seat, reigning supreme as Swanilda.

Spartacus, The Bolshoi Ballet 21/07/2010

It would be pretty impressive for any one who regularly reads a newspaper to have missed the sensation that is the Bolshoi's young star Ivan Vasiliev (pictured), dancing the title role in this performance. Almost every newspaper has had a feature article, many full page, and several had interviews with the man himself. This is practically unheard of in ballet, so what's so special about this man?

I was expecting to see the second cast, and running late, didn't pick up a cast sheet before the first act. By the interval I was utterly bemused - how was it possible that the lauded Vasiliev could be better than the man dancing this evening! Of course it all made sense when I discovered that the Bolshoi had rearranged the performance dates, and that the genius on stage was in fact the 21 year old from Vladivostok. His famous leaps deserve every bit of their hype - he flies through the air, with both grace and fervour simultaneously. His turns are full of energy and abandon yet without being the slightest bit messy. He spirals out of them effortlessly. And yet for all this technical genius, we could still have been left wanting, but Vasiliev's acting is every bit the match for his dancing. Every movement of his muscular shoulders spoke volumes, particularly in Spartacus's monologues, and he accurately portrayed both the fierce anger of a man trapped by circumstance and the passion of a man in love.

Gushings of the wonder of Vasiliev aside, there are some very striking elements to Spartacus; the masculinity of the corps,  Khachaturian's music, and the absolutely stunning tableaus that see out each act. The crucifixion of spears, and the finale are moving, haunting. The choreography is heavy in places, and occasionally the stage feels overcrowded. In the other lead roles, the part of Crassus (Alexander Volchkov) is rather static and pathetic, not to mention camp, which is certainly not helped by the gold wig and armour. There is something of the ethereal about Spartacus's love Phyrgia who was beautifully danced by Nina Kaptsova. Aegina, Crassus's manipulative Courtesan, danced by Maria Allash, wasn't convincingly alluring and had slightly soft ankles, but pulled it off well enough.

So Spartacus - some great bits, but not overwhelming in and of itself. This really was all about Vasiliev - with him in the title role, everything hangs together. By all accounts the second cast failed to lift this production out of mediocrity. I have never seen anyone dance like Vasiliev - finally I understand why people camped for days to get tickets to see Nureyev and Fonteyn. I will travel the globe to see him dance. And so should we all.