Polunin Debuts Royal Bayadere 2009

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Polunin debuts Royal Bayadere 2009 and presented below are two reviews of his jaw-dropping performance as “Solor.”

“La Bayadère”
Royal Ballet
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
28 January, 2009

Review #1, from The Guardian… by Judith Cruickshank, posted on February 2, 2009

Polunin Debuts Royal Bayadere 2009 — Sergei Polunin as “Solor” and Yuhui Choe as “Nikiya” – Photo by Bill Cooper

Following a seemingly interminable run of ‘The Nutcracker’, the Royal Ballet embarked on Natalia Makarova’s production of ‘La Bayadère’ with a seriously diminished roster of principals. Both Alina Cojocaru and Sarah Lamb are on the sick list with seemingly long-term injuries. Federico Bonelli has now joined them. David Makhatelli is also injured. Marianela Nuňez has cancelled her scheduled performances as Gamzatti and Nikiya. This resulted in continuous changes from the original cast list and saw the Royal Opera House debut of the Hamburg Ballet’s Silvia Azzoni who was drafted in to dance Nikya to Ivan Putrov’s Solor, which she did to considerable acclaim from the fans.

Most awaited performance

Probably the most awaited performance though was on 28 January when a trio of young hopefuls debuted in the leading roles. Yuhui Choe as Nikiya, Hikaru Kobayashi as Gamzatti and Sergei Polunin as Solor. Choe is listed as a first soloist. Kobayashi and Polunin are soloists; Kobayashi since 2006. Polunin was promoted this year after his first season with the company.

Polunin is evidently regarded as the Royal Ballet’s Great Hope – not necessarily an enviable position as many of his predecessors could probably testify. But there is no doubt that this is a very talented young man. He is Ukrainian by birth and trained in Kiev up to the age of 13. He was invited to join the Royal Ballet School where he studied for four years. But the luxurious stretch of his soaring jump and the breadth of his movement are entirely Russian.

…he gestures towards the stuffed animal being carried past you almost believe it’s a real tiger rather than Pooh Bear’s friend, the bouncing Tigger.

More striking still is the conviction that he brings to his playing of the role of Solor. On his first entrance he gestures towards the stuffed animal being carried past you almost believe it’s a real tiger rather than Pooh Bear’s friend, the bouncing Tigger.

Pretty big challenge

Solor is a pretty big challenge for your first-ever leading role, but I would say the two female leads present an even greater hurdle for a debutante. I don’t count the Sugar Plum Fairy as in the Royal Ballet’s productions the role consists of some kindly gestures and a classical pas de deux. Once upon a time promising dancers had the opportunity of taking a first leading role in a one act work, but the paucity of triple bills and the theoretical abundance of principals rule that out.

If I found Choe less impressive than her partner it is more a tribute to Polunin’s charisma than to any fault on her part. She is a pretty dancer, with a crystalline technique and especially beautiful feet. She gave the impression of having been carefully coached and it is to be hoped that she won’t have to wait too long for further performances and the opportunity to bring something more individual to the part.

Kobayashi possibly had the easier task in terms of characterisation. She appeared to enjoy the opportunity of playing a first-class bitch. She coped admirably with the technical fireworks of the betrothal scene. Here again, further opportunities should help to develop the brilliance that this role demands.

Two other performances deserve a mention; Gary Avis was an impressive Rajah, restrained and dignified. As the High Brahmin Eric Underwood gave a terrific portrayal. He was in no way handicapped by the fact that he looked quite stunning in the costume.

Makarova’s adaptations

I wish I could be as enthusiastic about the corps de ballet, especially in the Shades Act. Makarova has adapted the choreography of their entrance. Each Shade alternates the arabesque between her right and left leg. This may have made things easier for the dancers and reduced the number of wobbles. To my eye it interrupts the seamless, dreamlike flow of their entry. More than ever I missed the languorous tempos and luxurious stretch in the version Nureyev set on the Royal Ballet. I would willingly exchange a few shaky moments for the collective vision and sense of style that he managed to instill in those dancers.

For some reason the order of the Shades variations has been changed, the solo with the cabrioles now coming last. None of these variations were danced with any distinction, although it has to be said that the tempi of what is traditionally the third variation would have been beyond even the most experienced dancer; ludicrously slow followed by excessively fast.

“Something for everyone to dislike”.

The company now moves on to one of its rare mixed bills. A revival of William Tuckett’s “Seven Deadly Sins”, which was almost universally disliked on it’s first showing. “DGV” (Dance à grande vitesse), Christopher Wheeldon in very run-of-the-mill mode, and Mats Ek’s “Carmen”.” A curious mix and it’s hard to see any logic behind it. Perhaps to illustrate Richard Buckle’s description of a triple bill as “something for everyone to dislike”.

Review #2, also from The Guardian… by J. Mackrell, posted on January 30, 2009

Sergei Polunin may only be 19, but he already has a huge fanclub. On Wednesday it was out in force to watch him make his first appearance in the Royal Ballet’s Bayadère. Two days before the show there was a question mark hanging over his fitness. But, aside from one fluffed lift, Polunin performed with an absolute air of entitlement.

…he seems to be flying, slicing and spinning through huge vistas of clear space.

There was no questioning his extraordinary physical gifts. When Polunin jumps, he creates a split-second illusion of stillness. The dramatic stretch of his legs and the deep arch of his back add an extra sense of scale and power. He seems to be flying, slicing and spinning through huge vistas of clear space. His is not just a raw gymnastic talent. Every athletic feat is elegantly finessed and, better than that, he has an unusually eloquent upper body. It curves and twists in graceful musical counterpoint to the forceful power of his legs.

Polunin grounded the role of Solor

As Solor, Polunin also knew exactly what he was doing. Committed to portraying the character’s princely caste, the arrogance of his demeanour was not that of an alpha-male dancer showing off his wares. It was grounded in the role itself. A young man born to privilege and deeply confused by the dilemma he’s experiencing between love and social class. All these qualities made for a thrilling debut. If the chatter about Polunin being the next Nureyev is still wildly premature, Wednesday’s performance did suggest the start of a brilliant career.

What made this performance thrilling, too, was Yuhui Choe, making her own debut as Nikiya. As a dance actor, Choe is of the old school. She approaches a ballerina role rather like an acolyte being initiated into a sacred ritual. She did not impose her personality on to the choreography in terms of vivid facial expressions or detailed reaction. Instead, she acts entirely through her dancing, and the dancing was exquisitely expressive.

The opening act is full of hokey emotional melodrama and faux-orientalism. Choe found her own delicate but compelling style. Beyond the floating, rippling exoticism of her arms, she used her torso with the eloquence of a Martha Graham dancer. She contracted and arched with a sobbing intensity. Choe responded first to Solor’s love and then to the enormity of his betrayal. Crucially, she is also a very musical dancer. She span out the lines of Minkus’s score with fullness. This not only flattered the music but gave her movements a grandeur way beyond her tiny size.

Audiences should not worry about being short-changed

All this she brought to the Shades act, too. In this section of Bayadère, many dancers forget the storyline to concentrate on the classical demands of the choreography. But Choe performed with the emotional nuance that you would expect from act two of Giselle. Her dancing a mix of yearning and retreat, love and loss. This season, the Royal Ballet has suffered some serious gaps at principal level. Both Alina Cojocaru and Sarah Lamb recovering from major injury. But with young soloists like Choe and Polunin poised to take starring roles within the company, audiences should not worry about being short-changed.

All photos in this post are by Bill Cooper.