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A ballet in need of a bit of clog*
La Fille Mal Gardée Russian State Ballet of Siberia Wolverhampton Grand **** I DON'T know the Russian for clog irons,
or even if such things are available in Mother Russia but this ballet
sure needs some. A feature of Frederick Ashton's whimsical comic
ballet of rural life is the clog dance performed by Widow Simone, the
rich farmer's widow and perhaps the nearest you will ever get to a
pantomime dame in ballet. Alexander Kuimov milks the part for all it is
worth - oh yes he does – so it is a pity that when it comes to his
celebrated solo he is provided with an elaborate pair of clogs with what
appear to be rubber soles – he might as well have been handed a pair of
slippers. The result is rather like someone doing a tap
dance in trainers. The steps might be there but the whole purpose of
Ashton's choreography dictating clogs, the clatter and rhythm, are lost,
which is a great pity as Kuimov did a fine job as the widow, giving the
part a real sense of fun. Star of the show was Natalia Bobrova as her
wayward daughter Lise who refuses to marry the village idiot, Alain
(Denis Pogorely), son of rich vineyard owner Thomas (Arseny Bormotov)
preferring instead the young, and not so rich, farmer Colas (Vyacheslav
Kapustin).
She is a delightful and graceful dancer and her
partnership with the athletic Kapustin, another fine dancer, always
worked well. Pogorely is also worth a mention playing Alain
who is more than a few kopecks short of a rouble. He manages the
exaggerated expressions and movements of an advanced case of idiocy well
appearing with hobby horse, butterfly net and umbrella, wobbly legs,
fear in his heart and confusion in his wide eyes under a shock of red
hair. But when he has to actually dance he manages some
deft touches and skill in making some difficult moves not only look easy
but also gave them an ungainly tweak The production might not have the opulence or
budget of Birmingham Royal Ballet's version of last March – which
even had Peregrine the miniature pony making an appearance – but it
makes up for that with its charm and the enthusiasm of the young cast. The costumes are bright and cheerful and the
orchestra, under Alexander Yudasin gave a good account of themselves
hidden away in the depths under the stage. It might not be a spectacular
production, but it is a solid one with a couple of real stars. All it
needs are some wooden soled clogs or some irons . . . . 20-02-12 The Russian State Ballet will perform Swan
Lake tonight (21-02-12) and Sleeping Beauty on Wednesday (22-02-12) Roger Clarke
*** AS in most theatre events, there is a
moment in this comic ballet which people in the audience eagerly look
forward to - when rich widow Madam Simone gets her clogs on in the
second act. It's a classic scene, but sadly in this Russian
version it lost much of its impact. The clogs seemed to have rubber
soles, so the exciting clatter of the dance was largely lost. Nor did
the music create the expected thrill. Such a shame, because overall the ballet,
recreated by Alexander Gorsky, contained many amusing items as well as
beautifully choreographed dancing and delightful costumes. There is a splendid pantomime-dame-style
performance from Alexander Kuimov as Widow Simone who is determined to
marry off her pretty daughter, Lise, to Alain, the dimwitted son of a
wealthy vinyard owner. The arranged marriage plan stalls, however,
because Lise, superbly danced by Natalia Bobrova, is in love with Colas,
a young farm worker, played by Vyacheslav Kapustin. The couple dance
perfectly together, and Denis Pogorely proves that although playing a
simpleton, he is an exceptional dancer. This ballet was staged on Monday, with the
company performing Swan Lake on Tuesday and Sleeping Beauty on
Wednesday. The orchestra was conducted by Alexander Yudasin. Paul Marston
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