The Dutch National Ballet helped shake off those winter blues with a mixed programme that highlighted ballet’s love affair with Latin rhythms and movement. Just days after Bad Bunny’s celebrated Superbowl Halftime show, the evening’s offering of Petipa’s Paquita (adapted by Rachel Beaujean), Ted Brandsen’s Carmen and Hans van Manen’s 5 Tangos seemed to serendipitously meet the global cultural moment.
The curtain rose to a beautiful set design by François-Noël Cherpin that featured a balmy backdrop of palm trees foregrounded by a variety of columns and trellised archways that gave the stage a refined lightness and elegance. Despite a few opening night jitters, the corps women held steadfast to their high à la seconde extensions to arabesque and their coolness throughout gave Paquita much of its regalness.
The opening-night cast of principal artists certainly gave Paquita additional sparkle and pizzaz. Maia Makhateli and Young Gyu Choi were a brilliant pairing, self-assured in their partnership that enabled each artist to perform at their very best. Young Gyu Choi is an impressive dancer with both a likeability and princely charm. Nothing seems forced in his performance and his incredible buoyant jumps and jetés unsurprisingly brought out a few audible gasps from the audience. The four consecutive double tours to end his solo were expertly executed.
Makhateli was a vision in her bejewelled white tutu that contrasted with the deep blush costumes of the corps women. With her perfect placement and articulated pointe work, Makhateli's stage presence exudes a playful purity of movement. Makhateli must have a supporting leg made of steel because I don’t think I’ve ever seen fouettés that began with a series of double pirouettes done so impeccably in a live performance before. Truly a sight to be seen.
The playful and deceptively challenging pas de trois was performed by Nina Tonoli, Sho Yamada and Naira Agvanean who amiably navigated through some tricky petit allegro. Props to Yamada for his beautifully soft landings. The four featured solo women also brought their A-game to opening night. Principal dancer Salome Leverashvili easily conquered her Italian fouettés and Riho Sakamoto injected a lightning bolt of energy with her gravity-defying jeté entrance from the diagonal. Jessica Xuan and Maria Chugai were equally captivating in their respective variations.
Ted Brandsen’s Carmen brought a different energy and point of view to the programme, offering a succinct adaptation to the famous opera. Brandsen moves the story of the deadly love affair between Carmen, performed by the magnetic Anna Tsygankova and José, passionately danced by Giorgi Potskhishvili, into a contemporary, almost film-noir environment. Tsygankova positively sizzled as Carmen, a character who uses her seductiveness and charm to survive a harsh world of men. Potskhishvili is one of those artists who has the rare ability of making choreography appear like a natural extension of what he is feeling in the moment. His performance of a toxic, jealous-ridden José, seemed to nod at Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire, dressed in a white singlet that hugged his physique and added to the swagger he naturally embodies.
Floor Eimers and Edo Wijnen as Carmen’s friends Mercedes and Dancairo were equally well-danced and expertly portrayed, and Vsevolod Maievskyi’s sporty Escamillo brought some bravado to the ballet, performing double tours and double saut de basques, between fixing his slick hair and planting kisses on Carmen. The choreography in the pas de deux between Carmen and Escamillo established a sensual playfulness between the two characters that contrasted the deadly possessiveness of Carmen and Don José. While the flashy dance moments from the ensemble were at times both colourful and chaotic, the cinematic qualities of the dramaturgy successfully moved the ballet through the intricate plot points without losing narrative depth.
Brandsen’s Carmen was a well-curated addition to the programme, arguably being the only story-ballet of the evening. I think it effectively managed to explore the complexity of its female protagonist, addressing the precariousness and danger that women often face in a patriarchal world.
The evening closed with one of Hans van Manen’s most well-known works, 5 Tangos. The ballet, which made its premiere in 1977, is a distillation of tango infused with ballet inspired by the music of Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla. Set to live music by the Carel Kraayenhof ensemble, 5 Tangos plays with relational dynamics that simmers with a minimalist sexiness. Leverashvili was arresting in the lead female role, commanding the spotlight as she danced with cool restraint amongst six male dancers. Timothy van Poucke punctuated the complexity of his solo with precise musicality and flair that garnered him much applause. The breaking of the fourth wall at the end with the dancers staring cheekily at the audience provided the evening with just enough spice to get us on our feet.
