Vienna Ballet Takes Risks with Original Works
Having brushed off its dusty old self over the past three years, the Vienna Ballet showed it was prepared to take new risks Saturday, by presenting a string of its own original works.
In a tribute to "Creation and Tradition", the audience was treated to nine pieces, from classical ballet repertoire to ultra modern creations with a hint of "The Matrix."
It was an evening of extremes, giving the impression at times that two entirely different companies shared the stage.
But it was original works by its own artists -- three current company members and former dancer Vesna Orlic -- that provided the biggest thrills of the evening at the Volksoper theater, all commissioned by director Manuel Legris.
Since Legris took over as ballet director in 2010, the company has greatly broadened its repertoire. But it has mostly relied on established names like Jiri Kylian, Jerome Robbins or William Forsythe, never presenting its own artists' work.
Orlic's "Out of Tango" with its intertwined couples was dramatic and sexy, evoking the tango halls of Buenos Aires, and its lead dancer Rebecca Horner was a revelation.
This was the first major role for the corps de ballet dancer, supported by a strong Mihail Sosnovschi, and her performance drew some of the biggest cheers of the night.
Orlic, a former Vienna Ballet dancer, already created the widely successful "Carmina Burana" for the company last year.
Another company member Andrey Kaydanovskiy, presenting his first major work, set his sights on stageplay and a jarring soundtrack full of squeaks and the sound of breaking glass for a thoroughly modern and thrilling "Zeitverschwendung" (Waste of Time).
Sequences with men and women in black suits recalled the film "The Matrix" or a Michael Jackson music video, interspersed with audio commentary and an actor going about daily tasks, from microwaving food to watching TV.
The company's stars were also on show, performing excerpts from great ballets like "Giselle," "Laurencia" or "La Bayadere."
But the corps de ballet was refreshingly given something to chew on and an opportunity to shine in Kaydanovskiy and Orlic's pieces.
The classical pieces -- although usually flawlessly performed -- also seemed more of an interlude between the string of world premieres on the program.
Crowd favorites and first soloists Maria Yakovleva and Kirill Kourlaev delighted the audience with Vasili Vainonen's light "Moskovsky Waltz".
But a new take on "Swan Lake"'s famous "Pas de Deux" by Andras Lukacs and "Herzblume" by Eno Peci -- both Vienna Ballet dancers -- ensured the evening's original creations received most of the acclaim.
An immaculate Olga Esina and Roman Lazik rendered a beautiful contemporary Swan Lake pas de deux, aided by quirky costumes.
Meanwhile, Peci's fluid choreography was a brilliant showcase for Sosnovschi, Masayu Kimoto, Alice Firenze and Davide Dato, as well as less-often seen dancers like Suzanne Kertesz, Greig Matthews, Erika Kovacova and Dagmar Kronberger.
Only a terribly kitschy trio of Viennese waltz choreographies that seemed to come straight out of the annual television broadcast of the Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's Concert marred what was otherwise an intriguing and versatile program.
Source: Agence France Presse
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