Roland Petit pieces add new splash

By Lee Hyo-won

Staff reporter

If you thought lingerie-clad Christina Aguilera was provocative in the ``Lady Marmalade’’ music video for the film ``Moulin Rouge,’’ the MTV generation may be surprised by the sexy allure of Roland Petit’s ballet ``Carmen,’’ which was created more than 60 years ago.

It was worth the wait to finally see it, among the French master choreographer’s other globetrotting works, in Seoul.

Save for the 1974 piece ``L’Arlesienne (The Woman of Arles),’’ ``Carmen’’ and ``Le Jeune homme et la mort (The Young Man and Death)’’ are from the 1940s _ but the classics are timeless, and in this new millennium they are still adding a splash of novelty and exoticism, particular to the local arts scene where the repertoire is mostly limited to seasonal treats like ``The Nutcracker.’’

The reason for the long wait, according to experts, was due to the fact that Korean ballet was just not sophisticated enough. In this past Saturday’s performance of ``A Night With Roland Petit’’ at Seoul Arts Center, dancers of the Korea National Ballet Company were challenged with rather ``deceptively contemporary’’ ballet sequences, which are rooted in thoroughly classical techniques but require a strikingly modern, dynamic expression ― and they attested to the promise of local ballet.

This reporter had the pleasure of viewing the works by the Paris Opera Ballet in 2005. Korean dancers are relatively svelte in physique and perhaps don’t have enough turn-out, but radiate a particular energy that seizes the stage. Kim Ji-young, who returned to the company after a stint with the Dutch National Ballet, previously told reporters that ``the difficult techniques and dramatic expressions were impossible.’’ But she was being modest; Kim was the sultry Carmen of the hour while her well-proportioned partner Kim Hyun-woong was also a most memorable Don Jose, exhibiting charisma and tasteful, well-tempered expressions. Yoon Hae-jin also stole the limelight with her regal presence as the lethally alluring Death in ``The Young Man and Death.’’

Moreover, the three short pieces speak for themselves ― members of the audience, including ballet buffs and those who have never heard of Petit, will be mesmerized by the strong theatricality and cinematic glamour, and the colorful props, sets and costumes, but moreover, the poetry of the dance.

This sort of time capsule to Petit’s 20th-century world has served as a window to the future of Korean ballet, and it is exciting to see what else the local dance scene has in store.