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TDK presents a DVD of Natalia Makarova’s legendary choreography of the famous classical ballet La Bayadère. The ballet was originally choreographed in 1877 by the great master of Russian classical ballet, Marius Petipa and later adapted by the Kirov Ballet. The Kirov version has been re-created by Natalia Makarova and is now available on DVD.
The ballet was first seen outside of Russia in London in 1961 when excerpts of the work were performed as The Kingdom of the Shades. It was during this Kirov Ballet tour that Nureyev defected to the West. Two years later he staged The Kingdom of the Shades for the Royal Ballet. The full-length ballet regained popularity with Nathalia Makarova’s (herself a former Kirov Dancer) sumptuous restaging of the work for the American Ballet Theatre in 1980 and subsequently for The Royal Ballet in 1989.
La Bayadère is set in legendary India. The warrior Solor is in love with the beautiful temple dancer Nikiya. This provokes the murderous jealousy of her rival, Gamzatti, encouraged by the High Bramin, whose own designs on Nikiya are less than pure. Seeking solace after the death of Nikiya, Solor’s opium-induced delusions present a ‘Kingdom of the Shades’, creating the most hypnotic and famous line of “arabesques penchées” in classical dance. Finally Solor and Nikiyia are reunited as spirits beyond the reach of man.
With its two starring ballerina roles, this classic is a perennial favourite of the ballet repertory. This DVD captures the Royal Ballet’s famous 1989 'all-stars' performance of La Bayadère with the divine Asylmuratova as Nikiya and today's principal dancer, the much beloved Darcey Bussell, as Gamzatti in one of her first important roles at the Royal Ballet. Royal Ballet’s Tetsuya Kumakawa, who literally sprang to fame as the Bronze Idol, joins these two. Dancing in this role he brought the house down every night and gained himself the Prix de Lausanne.
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