Bathed in autumnal sunshine, San Francisco’s Herbst Theater was the setting for a balletic Oscar-like ceremony, complete with red carpet, long gowns and media coverage, when it hosted the Petipa Heritage Foundation Awards, and a gala of ballet stars who demonstrated the timeless qualities of Petipa’s legacy.
Marius Petipa, considered the father of classical ballet, choreographed such historical ballets as Paquita, Swan Lake, La Bayadère and The Sleeping Beauty, which still form the backbone of today’s ballet companies. However, many of his works have been changed over the years and even lost. Eminent Russian choreographer Vasily Medvedev together with former dancer, teacher and choreographer, Stanislav Feco, recognised the importance and urgency of ensuring the preservation of Petipa’s masterpieces, as well as reviving or reconstructing his forgotten works, especially for future generations. In 2019, the Petipa Heritage Foundation Awards was established, to recognise those of exceptional talent who have contributed greatly to the world of ballet.
The brief Awards Ceremony on September 23rd saw luminaries in the world of classical ballet honoured: Natalia Makarova, Pierre Lacotte (posthumously), Lucia Lacarra, Hugo Marchand and Dutch National Ballet.
After the short ceremony, the curtain rose on a shimmering smorgasbord of some of today’s most exciting international dancers, who performed pristine works by Petipa, as well as some from contemporary choreographers who have been inspired by his legacy. It made for an exciting and memorable evening.
However, it was the next generation of dancers who opened the gala showing the importance of handing down tradition, each of the 30 young pupils from Bayer Ballet Academy danced the Night Waltz from Coppélia with confidence and accuracy. Later they prettily performed the French style in Medvedev’s fitting tribute to Pierre Lacotte, entitled Eternal Brilliance.
Elisa Carrillo Cabrera and Mikhail Kaniskin, husband and wife principals of Staatsballett Berlin, know each other’s every nuance and expression. This was evidenced in their seamless partnering in Mauro Bigonzetti’s Kazimir’s Colours and later, in Nacho Duato’s Multiplicity/Forms of Silence and Emptiness in which Kaniskin, bewigged as Bach, uses Cabrera as his cello, her body reacting to each touch of the bow.
Cabrera, as co-director of Mexico’s Compañia Nacional de Danza (CND), brought the company to perform in four works including the final scene in Grand Pas Electrique from the lost 1896 work of Petipa’s Bluebeard, which was reconstructed by Medvedev in 2014. It is a charming and elegant gem, filled with old fashioned mannerisms and joyous dancing. Anastasia Cheplyansky from Atlanta Ballet and Argenis Montalvo, (CND principal) brought youthful delight to the roles of Ysaure and Arthur.
Elisa Ramos and Alejandro Hidalgo performed a wonderfully timed and humorous piece entitled El balcón del amor (ch: Itzik Galili), a take on Romeo and Juliet, in which a bespectacled geek in braces and bow tie, tries to woo a feisty female in bright red boots, who continually leaps on, and at him. Like circus clowns, their split-timing, breakneck actions to bongo beats and a trumpet playing a stretched out version of Cherry Pink and Apple Blossoms White, had the audience riveted. A change of music – All Long Dem Day by Nina Simone – in choreography by Marco Goecke, showed another side of the Mexican dancers’ abilities in their perfectly timed, robotic and finally, frenetic body and hand actions.
In contrast, and with the sentimental strains of the Russian folksong Ya Lyublyu and a backdrop film of snow gently falling in a woodland scene, Yuri Possokov’s atmospheric Storm was beautifully performed by Petipa Award winner, Lucia Lacarra with Matthew Golding. Lacarra has a body that melts and moulds into luscious shapes, her movement an extension of the music, while Golding provides her with a perfect foil, with his angst and powerful lifts.Their second contribution Finding Light (ch: Edwaard Liang), offered more opportunities to show their individual talents.
Pure technique and drama crowned the two performances of Paris Opera Ballet principals, Dorothée Gilbert and Award winner, Hugo Marchand. In the bedroom pas de deux from Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon, they projected the joy and excitement of first love, fairly skimming the floor with passion. Then, in the final heart-wrenching scene in John Cranko’s Onegin, it was the desire and temptation of unfulfilled love, with beautiful footwork and emotion in both extracts.
For Nicoletta Manni and Timofej Andrijashenko, Teatro alla Scala’s two young principals, Petipa offered a quieter gala – a recent gala had ended with Andrijashenko on bended knee proposing to Manni, who tearfully accepted. Now, with beaming faces, they first danced the roles of Sylvia and Arminta in Manuel Legris’s production of Sylvia where Manni’s nymph joyfully flew across the stage with grace and lyricism to her high leaping, loving shepherd. In Victor Gsovsky’s Grand Pas Classique, both dancers demonstrated refinement and elegance throughout – they are certainly a couple to watch.
And there was more to enjoy with technical fireworks from Maia Makhateli and Giorgi Potskhishvili (Dutch National Ballet) and Bakhtiyar Adamzhan (Astana Opera Ballet) in the pas de trois from Le Corsaire. The Herbst stage almost proved too small for the men’s expansive leaps and spins as they flew across it, which had the audience gasping at the heights they both attained. Not to be outdone by their speedy jetés, Makhateli leapt, turned and finally whizzed through her 32 fouettés with aplomb. She and Potskhishvili also performed the atmospheric pas de deux from Raymonda with gentle romanticism and assurance.
No gala is complete without a sighting of Don Quixote, and dancing Kitri was Sasha De Sola from San Francisco Ballet, who especially delighted her home crowd with her sunny, technically strong performance. Her Basilio was Adamzhan again, thrilling with his supreme technical abilities.
Looking down, Marius Petipa would certainly have delighted with this gala in his name, and thoroughly endorse and appreciate the Foundation’s determination to preserve and restore his choreography for generations to come.
