This 19th-century classic ballet is brought to life once again by Natalia Makarova’s production of an exotic world filled with temple dancers and noble warriors. From the consistent elegance and poise from the whole cast to the romantic ballet duets between Nikiya and Solor. La Bayadère is a beloved classic all over the world and this was evident in the lack of remaining seats.
La Bayadère is about Nikiya, a temple dancer, who is in love with the warrior Solor - this love is reciprocated but Solor has an arranged marriage with the Rajah’s daughter Gamzatti. The High Brahmin also desires Nikiya, and when she rejects him, he plans to take revenge on Solor. Gamzatti and her father fear Nikiya and Solor’s love so kill Nikiya with a venomous snake. The gods are outraged and Nikiya and Solor’s spirits reunite in heaven.
As a complete novice to ballet and someone who was actually not looking forward to this performance. I can gleefully admit that I was pleasantly surprised, I thought that the lack of words would affect my understanding of the production - this was not the case. The proxemics, the carefully crafted routines, the invigorating music and set not only made me understand the story but made me love the story, characters and production.
The best scene by far was the ethereal “Kingdom of Shapes” scene, in which the intoxicated Solor sees a seemingly endless sequence of white-wreathed Shades, dressed all in white and dancing in perfect union. This scene in particular, highlighted the ballerinas’ dedication and perfect poise in which some ensembles had to stay on the side of the stage in the same position for 10 minutes. Increasing my admiration for the ballerinas tremendously.
I had an phenomenal evening at the Royal Opera House watching Natalia Makarova's production of La Bayadère. I would recommend this to avid ballet fans and also people who think that ballet is a tedious watch - it will surprise all.
