The Washington Ballet’s new production of The Sleeping Beauty, running through Sunday at the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater, is a breakthrough for D.C.’s hometown ballet company. It is also a study in high classicism.
After two and a half years under the careful direction of Julie Kent and Victor Barbee, the dancers of the Washington Ballet have become much more complete ballet artists. Their command of classical style, precision, and nuance continues to blossom in a way that seemed impossible four years ago. That style is on thrilling display in the company’s new The Sleeping Beauty.
This was especially the case among the corps de ballet on opening night, who dance with aplomb throughout the entire evening exhibiting bright and articulate footwork, gracious port de bras, and a kind of cohesive ease of that is usually only seen in the world’s uppermost ballet companies (and sometimes not even then).
Among the principal dancers, Gian Carlo Perez stood out for his elegant portrayal of Prince Desire as a lonely young man looking for purpose. His jumps were strong and sure footed, especially in the manege of turns in Act Three, and his crystal clear and effortless technique was a joy to behold, and no doubt the result of his training at Cuba’s National Ballet School.
Eun Won Lee as Princess Aurora started out somewhat shaky but ended the evening on a high note. She had trouble during Act One’s famous “Rose Adagio” in which Aurora performs a series of difficult balances with each of her four suitors and must make each balance look effortless. While Lee rallied admirably it appeared opening night nerves got the best of her. She could hold her balances for only a quick moment before grasping each of partners’ hands, and the mounting tension showed on her face.
Once past that perilous section however, Lee relaxed and soared through the rest of the ballet with perfection and ease. Her dancing began to reveal a greater depth, and incidentally, she later nailed every other balance and tricky sequence the choreography threw her way. She and Perez danced not only beautifully but joyfully in Act Three’s grand pas de deux and sparkled like diamonds in each of their solos.
Other standouts of the evening included Brittany Stone as Aurora’s gentle and commanding Lilac fairy, Stephen Nakagawa as the evil fairy Carabosse, Stephanie Sorota as Princess Florine and Andile Ndlovu as the Bluebird. Sona Kharatian as the Queen, and Kateryna Derechyna as the Countess deserve a special mention for their thoughtful portrayals of two characters that often go unnoticed, as well as their skilled and unrushed use of mime.
Sleeping Beauty is an old ballet and one that nearly every classical company throughout the world has performed in one form or another since it was first produced at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg in the winter of 1890.
The original production was the creative apogee of the master 19th Century choreographer Marius Petipa who worked closely with the composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and the librettist I.A. Vsevolozhsky (director of Russia’s imperial theaters from 1881 to 1899) to bring the elaborate affair to the stage. Since then the choreography and staging has been tweaked, modified, and rechoreographed to suit successive generations’ shifting ballet sensibilities and the changing tastes of audiences.
It has also of late been painstakingly reconstructed, most notably in 2015 by Alexei Ratmansky for American Ballet Theater, the company with which Kent and Barbee spent decades dancing and from which they took inspiration for their Washington Ballet production.
For Washington Ballet’s Sleeping Beauty, Kent turned to Russian Ballet historian Natalie Rouland for help in acquiring and translating the Stepanov notations of Petipa’s original choreography. She and Barbee have filled in some of the missing portions with their own choreography. The result is a glittering success, and one for which serious balletomanes should be thankful and make every effort to see.
Sleeping Beauty. The Washington Ballet; Julie Kent, Artistic Director. Choreography after Marius Petipa with staging and additional choreography by Julie Kent and Victor Barbee. Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Featuring The Washington Ballet Orchestra. Scenery and costumes by Peter Cazalet with additional costume design by Judy Hansen. Presented at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Eisenhower Theater, through Sunday, March 3. Reviewed by Maria Di Mento.
The Sleeping Beauty performs in the Eisenhower Theatre of The Kennedy Center through Sunday, March 3, 2019.
Details and tickets.
The post The Washington Ballet’s new Sleeping Beauty is both grand and intimate, a glittering success appeared first on DC Theatre Scene.