Universal Ballet to Present La Bayadere
By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
The Universal Ballet Company is bringing the majestic ``La Bayadere,'' also known as the ``blockbuster'' in the world of ballet, this month.
Perhaps the first thing that comes to people's minds when they think of ballet is pale pink toe shoes and fluffy tutus, but ``La Bayadere'' presents the exotic settings of India, along with seductive movements and revealing outfits.
``It's the best of the best, from the settings, costumes, props and choreography to the music. There are about 150 dancers, including extras, who will appear on stage, and even a life-size elephant,'' UBC's principal dancer, Kang Ye-na, told The Korea Times during an interview between rehearsals.
Created by legendary choreographer Marius Petipa and debuted in 1877 by the Imperial Ballet, ``La Bayadere'' is one of the biggest ballet works in the world. Visitors can enjoy graceful dance with colorful costumes and settings, the dramatic movements and the beautiful yet tragic storyline.
The plot revolves around three young lovers: Nikia, the ``bayadere," or temple dancer, her warrior lover Solor, and the jealous and rich Gamzatti. Nikia and Solor swear eternal love, not knowing that they have also touched the hearts of High Brahmin, a Buddhist monk, and Gamzatti, respectively. The relationships get tangled up, and the sad Nikia finds herself dancing at the wedding banquet of Solor and Gamzatti. Nikia is given a flower basket, which she believes is from Solor, but she ends up being bitten by a venomous snake hidden inside the flowers. Finally realizing that the basket was, in fact, from Gamzatti, Nikia dies, leaving the heartbroken Solor behind.
``The scene where Nikia is bitten by the snake is very dramatic. It is also very difficult to act as a dancer, because the snake is pinned down to the bottom of the basket and we have to pull it out while we are still dancing,'' Kang said.
The final scene, ``The Kingdom of Shades,'' takes place in Solor's dream, in which he reconciles with Nikia and swears his love.
This particular scene is one of the most celebrated excerpts in all of classical ballet, and is even extracted from the original work to be performed independently during gala shows. With the setting dark and mysterious with only the light of the full moon shining on them, 32 dancers dressed in identical costumes of pure white tutus slowly dance their way down the zigzag path and finally fill the stage in perfect harmony.
``It's very difficult, as all the dancers have to stay focused and concentrate until everyone is finally on the stage,'' Kang said.
She added that the famous lakeside corps de ballet in ``Swan Lake,'' also famous, was actually inspired by ``The Kingdom of the Shades.''
``The first act tends to be sensual, not sexy. The ballerinas may be dressed in revealing costumes, but the point is to be sensual and elegant. The second act, however, will portray innocence and purity,'' explained Kang.
Unlike other ballet works, there tends to be a lot of mime in ``La Bayadere,'' which may confuse some viewers. In the case of Nikia, for example, she makes certain movements to worship the Gods and makes certain gestures to communicate with both Solor and Gamzatti. So to make the performance more interesting, Moon will appear on stage for about 30 minutes before the show and explain them to the audience.
``Come in early and listen to the tips. It will be much easier to fully appreciate the performance,'' Kang said.
The UBC's ``La Bayadere'' will be on stage at Seoul Arts Center from April 17 to 26. Tickets cost from 10,000 to 100,000 won. For more information, call (070) 7214-1732 or visit www.ubcballet.com.