Itinerant Balletomane reviews young Sergei and the veteran blogger is blown away
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Sergei Polunin at the Stanislavsky Theater
I am completely starstruck. Last week I saw Sergei Polunin perform twice with the Stanislavsky Theater – first as Basil in Don Quixote and then as the Prince in Swan Lake. I’ve obviously heard a lot about Polunin. For the non balletomanes out there, he was made a principal dancer at the Royal Ballet at the age of 20, making him their youngest principal ever. After two years, he unexpectedly quit the company. A few months later, he signed on as a principal with the (respectable but still not nearly as famous) Stanislavsky Theater in Moscow. You can read an excellent article about him here.
Lucky to catch him
Dramatic intensity with textbook-perfect technique
Polunin’s solo variations combine this dramatic intensity with textbook-perfect technique. I’ve seen a lot of impressive male dancers here in Moscow. Many of them seem to lose a sense of their character and of the audience as soon as they have to perform impressive jumps or turns. Polunin never turns off the artistry. So many other male principals land with the greatest of care in order to avoid falling over or take an extra step. Doing this takes concentration you can see on their faces. Polunin simply lands on the ground perfectly and moves into the next step or pose. He draws us with him in a torrent of movement. His technique does not fixate, even though that technique is beautiful. In addition to having amazing height on his jumps and beautiful turns, Polunin also boasts an arabesque and a back attitude that most ballerinas would kill for.
Nureyev comparison is apt
My favorite ballet orchestra ever
The wonderful partner that Polunin does get at the Stanislavsky is its beautiful orchestra. Having been to five ballets at this theater, I am now prepared to dub it my favorite ballet orchestra ever. It is better than New York City, better than the Bolshoi, and miles better than the Royal. Felix Korobov, the chief conductor, likes a fiery brass section and a quick tempo. He always manages to bring out a full and lyrical sound. Even so when he tampers with the music to fit the choreography. The instrumentalists are a dream, particularly the French horn section and the harpist. Sadly I can’t name them because they’re not listed on the website. Everything in the ensemble provides the emotional background for Polunin’s portrayal. I know that the orchestra isn’t the reason Polunin moved to this theater, but I deeply wish it were.
So, in sum: see Polunin at the Stanislavsky (especially in Swan Lake), but hope with the rest of us that they persuade some wonderful young ballerina to move to the company.
Stanislavsky Theater, Don Quixote, June 14, 2013. Music by Ludwig Minkus, Choreography by Alexei Chichinadze, Kitri: Natalia Somova, Basil: Sergei Polunin, Conductor: Anton Grishanin