A-LISTS theatre by tony reverditto
EIFMAN BALLET T LEAPS BACK
O SEGERSTROM CENTER FOR THE ARTS
egerstrom Center for the Arts welcomes back the Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg for its sixth visit presenting the Southern California premiere of the company’s riveting, Don Quixote or Fantasies of a Madman. Boris Eifman is the adventurous artistic director and choreographer of the piece. He draws upon his Russian heritage and classical ballet training and infuses it with contemporary choreography. His reputation is known for
creating compellingly original dance dramas with new twists and invention. His latest endeavor is based on a passage from the epic masterpiece Don Quixote de la Mancha, by Miguel de Cervantes. Eifman says about the Don Quixote first presented in 1869, “I have taken on this ballet because I saw in it the possibility to combine the eternal, abiding beauty that people need so much, with modern-day reality.” The story of Don Quixote has taken many forms and sometimes differs from the following staple: An aging Don Quixote who is obsessed with stories of medieval chivalry. He tells his servant Sancho Panza that he has decided to become a knight-errant and improvises a suit of armor. He also dreams of a beautiful woman, named Dulcinea. Confused between his dreams and reality, he sets out to find her. During his quest, he meets Kitri, who he mistakenly believes is Dulcinea. She uses this confusion to escape with her true love Basilio, against her father’s betrothal to the older Gamache. After a few adventures, true love prevails and the young couple finally ends up getting married. In Eifman’s interpretation, he follows a patient in a lunatic asylum and this is not by
chance! The mentally ill man imagines himself to be Don Quixote, prompting him to be kind, caring and loving toward others in hopes of building a harmonious world. Eif- man’s ballet had its premiere in June 1994 and was revised in August 2009. Back in 1977 when disco was going strong in the states, Eifman founded The New Ballet of Leningrad (now known as the St. Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theater, or Eifman Ballet); Russia’s first and only ballet theater dedicated to performing works by a single choreographer. Having created more then 40 ballets including the following classics (The Idiot, Murderers, Red Giselle and Russian Hamlet). Eifman received Russia’s prestigious Golden Mask Award for his life’s work in contemporary choreography. He
is also a four-time recipient of the St. Petersburg Theater Award: The Golden Sofit. His other awards and distinctions include the Triumph Award, the Russian State Award for his contribution to the development of the performing arts, an induction into France’s Order of Arts; earning the distinguished title of The People’s Artist of Russia and a pro- fessorship at the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. His works are each a complex, all-encompassing spectacle, constantly revealing new forms and principles of dance making. Eifman creates his own type of theater—a theater ruled by emotion. Eifman worked through many paradigms and styles of movement, turning his
theater into a creative lab for exploration and discovery. Concerned above all with the theatrical impact of his productions, the choreographer does not restrict himself to the conventions of pure classical ballet. This presents many interesting challenges for the Don Quixote cast; the score is by Ludwig Minkus and the scenery and costume designs by Vyacheslav Okunev. But it all comes together beautifully. Lorin Johnson will conduct free preview talks one hour prior to each performance. Johnson is a dance professor at California State University, Long Beach and a former dancer with San Francisco Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. Additionally, the busy Eifman Ballet Company of St. Petersburg will perform at
Segerstrom Center on April 28 as part of Tour de Force II. The performance is the second Segerstrom Center dance spectacular to present an array of celebrated dance superstars. For Tour de Force II, the company will dance excerpts from Eifman’s own Tchaikovsky, Who’s Who and Don Quixote. The Segerstrom Center presents a broad range of programming each season for au-
diences of all ages. The 2011/12 season was recently announced and is quite exciting. They continue the tradition of presenting international ballet and dance, national tours of top Broadway shows, intimate performances of jazz and cabaret, contemporary artists, classical music performed by renowned chamber orchestras and ensembles, family-friendly programming, free performances open to the public from outdoor movie screenings to dancing on the plaza and many other special events. Eifman Ballet’s Don Quixote Runs April 26 through May 1 at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Renée and Henry Segerstrom Hall, 615 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Tickets: 714.556.2787 or
scfta.org
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RAGE monthly | APRIL 2011
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