Close Encounter
True story of personal adventure into
La Bayadere
We perched on the highest point of one of the mountains in Capri. The view before my eyes was breathtaking: Renaissance-like sfumato wrapped the distant hills, unique mixture of white-washed houses and private garden hideaways cascaded towards the sea and the sea itself, shining with unbelievably bright colors was inviting. I didn’t want to say anything for fear of disturbing this magic moment but the desire to share the experience was too strong and I quietly, very quietly, addressed my companion:
- Have you ever seen anything as beautiful as this?
- Beautiful, just beautiful! - he replied.
And after what seemed to me like minutes, added:
- There is one thing, though, that I think is even more beautiful than this…
- What, what? - my curiosity was mounting.
He hesitated for what seemed like a very long time and said:
-
The Appearance of the Shades by the Kirov Ballet.
To say that I was surprised is an understatement. I never knew that my friend even saw a ballet performance in his life, let alone hold it in such high esteem. Shortly after our conversation, he died … tragic accident. Remembering one of our last conversations, I wanted to see with my own eyes what he was talking about and decide for myself. Kirov
Bayadere was not available, so I settled for the one by the Royal Opera House. Shortly after, I bought them all, I mean all the recording of
La Bayadere that were available for sale.
There were few differences in each performance, granted. But the key dances and scenes that make La Bayadere what it is, were invariably the same: Solor and Nikya meet, rivalry scenes, Gamzatti-Solor engagement Grand Pas, Death of the bayadere, Adagio and Waltz, Three Shades and of course the Appearance of the Shades.
Here they are, descending one by one from the Himalayan Mountains, gracefully and in perfect unison leaning in
arabesque alonge until they make their way down onto the plain where true magic begins.
Releve, ecarte devant, 1st arabesque, tendu ... These are rudimentary ballet steps, but when put together by Petipa they speak volumes. How did this Frenchman, who possibly had never been to India, came up with the idea of the Shades descending from the Himalayas? May be one day he was strolling along the chilly rainy St. Petersburg when in the window of an antique shop he saw the picture of an Indian dancer.
Or perhaps the vision came like some prophetic dream. He woke up not understanding the reason why and feverishly started to translate his night visions into the language of choreography.
Every time I hear the opening chords from the Appearance of the Shades, my heart skips a beat. And shortly after, sadness the traitor, creeps in. Sadness because the scene is painfully short. But at the end all I feel is awe... Awe in the face of what I consider to be one of the greatest achievements of European culture.
The Libretto, written by Patipa, to this ballet is familiar: love, rivalry, betrayal and retribution. The universal appeal of such story, old as the world is understandable. But where lays the source of magic for his
White Act?
I thought a lot about it and came to the conclusion that the key here is the same laws of harmony and beauty that govern the known Universe. The same principle of the Golden Section which lies in the heart of everything we come to recognize as beautiful – be it Greek temple, Bach's concerto or just an elegant algorithm – penetrates all aspects of Petipa’s choreography.
This is the clear case where Beauty is not in the eye of the beholder.
* * *