The program for **Grazioso, to music by Mikhail Glinka, 2007** proudly stated it was a new ballet. Now, Iâm not one to be a stickler for truth, but letâs face it, a ânew balletâ can have a very subjective meaning. I mean, this particular ballet was choreographed for the worldâs greatest dancer - and she is also 40. The entire premise seemed very specific and oddly dated, even with its dazzling use of the finest dancers the world could offer.
The curtain went up and, after the traditional Russian dancers in their exquisite costumes performed their ritualistic greetings, I realised that this "new" ballet would likely take a traditional approach to the themes of courtship, love, betrayal and revenge - all so reminiscent of **Giselle** and the vast expanse of Romantic-era ballet. Oh, there were moments of flash and contemporary technique. One could tell this was supposed to be ânew.â It was just âŚnew to my time - and so it is I shall tell you now of this perplexing ballet, **Grazioso**, from its stunning visuals, its curious plot, and its fascinating score - because really, I never knew anything of Mikhail Glinka's music, save perhaps his magnificent score for **Ruslan and Lyudmila** which is as breathtakingly complex as it is deeply moving.
**The Music and Choreography of **Grazioso**
Mikhail Glinka's music - well, it truly is magnificent. And here is a choreographic take, in all its modern and "new" glorious detail.
- **Grazioso: A Symphony of Movement:**
- This ballet used the composer's most famous compositions in their original form as the heart of the piece. The music was very Russian, of course. You'll find a whole Russian mood here, full of beautiful, soulful melodies and dramatic rhythmic changes.
- **The Orchestra's Journey:**
- The orchestral accompaniment took me on an adventure, reflecting a love story, with a sense of deep pain, passion and hope.
- **Dance, as though you're telling a Story: **
- The choreography flowed as naturally as water down a mountain. It's beautiful to see how dance can "tell" a story - almost a new way of presenting dramatic content without words.
However, the ânewnessâ of it all - even in the grandest, most well-constructed dance sequences - still left me a bit wanting more. You could feel the choreographers taking themselves a bit too seriously here. It was "high art" but I found it a little pretentious.
There was the story itself⌠This is the stuff that nightmares are made of. It starts out with âboy meets girl.â I was a bit bored at that point, having just attended the ballet **Don Quixote** earlier this year and watching Kitri fall madly in love with the poor, and not so well-off Don. I had a premonition, after witnessing this beautiful but sadly familiar theme of a passionate love thwarted, that this âboy-meets-girl" plot was going to lead to a familiar "bad love" scenario.
And of course, I was right. It was love lost, betrayal and vengeance. If you're a Romantic ballet aficionado you are already bored, because this has been played out countless times, yet for the sake of review - there was still some beauty hereâŚ
**A Star in Motion**: The Ballerina and Her Accomplished Ensemble
- **The Star of the Ballet**: A stunning, experienced ballerina danced this performance with masterful precision. The artistry, the control and the graceful poise of this ballet legend truly embodied the title **Grazioso.** This ballerina really shone and brought the story's narrative into sharp focus through her powerful performance.
- ** The Ensemble's Strength**: A group of ballet professionals that truly supported her, dancing with both the lightness and precision needed to showcase their strength as individual dancers and as a whole.
- **The Ensemble's Choreography**
- A mixture of traditional techniques from the Romantic period (classical and expressive, where movements emphasized storytelling) were laced together in a truly breathtaking ensemble - but only in the moments where there was a complete unity in their performance.
Here we are, almost a decade later and the overall impact of the production was underwhelming. A talented cast danced like their hearts were set ablaze with a powerful desire to captivate the audience - I think this is a real struggle - as itâs never quite clear when âtelling a storyâ can also translate into pure artistry - even as it involves a highly theatrical storyline.
For all its grandeur, there was an oddly contrived nature to the dance moves, an overly serious intention that seemed very contrived. I could feel the dance critic in me wanting to pull the curtain down - it felt too stagey.
Even with its impeccably choreographed moments and stunning ballerina, this production did not offer any innovative theatrical flair. Perhaps that was not its intention? It was supposed to be "new".
**What Made Me Smile?: **
**Glinka's Russian Rhapsody**
- One truly magnificent, heart-stopping composition called â**The Larkâs Songâ**, invoked both feelings of sadness, a beautiful sense of loneliness - and pure joy.
- In an attempt to showcase the dance ensembleâs strengths the choreography mimicked this amazing melodic shift, which resonated within the musicâs complexity of sound.
- The way the "song" was arranged in the context of the production and played out to us as the story unfolded, truly brought me to tears. Glinka's original score, with all its majestic splendor, is what truly shines in **Grazioso** - more so than the ballet itself.
I really wanted to give this "new ballet" more. Perhaps with all the other "new ballets" I'd witnessed during my time at the company (and Iâm only a few years into my career) I would have been able to look beyond its tired plot and see its many other nuances.
A strong production can certainly offer new ways to explore the "classic" with an innovative, modern dance interpretation and fresh use of established musical compositions, **Grazioso** - alas - could not achieve this, however stunningly choreographed and breathtakingly danced the production is.
It's too bad that the real âstars of this ballet were truly the Russian composer Mikhail Glinka and the Russian-influenced scores.