By LeAnna Hamblin
Onstage Ogden presents Russian National Ballet which was founded in the late 1980s in Moscow during a time of great transition. The talent and traditions which laid the foundation for such a great institution are still strong today with over 50 dancers, some of whom have been with the company for decades. Principal dancer Elena Radchenko was selected as the first permanent artistic directorship of the company and is the founder of the Russian National Ballet Theatre, which performs ballet works such as Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet and Carmen, the latter two which were performed onstage at Weber State University, Ogden, Utah, at the Val A. Browning Center for the Performing Arts.
The William Shakespeare tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, is set to stunning music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, with beautiful sets and costumes designed by E. Radchenko and Sergey Radchenko. In combination with the original choreography by Marius Petipa and restaged by E. Radchenko, this classic story is told in a way that everyone can understand and enjoy. Quite possibly Shakespeare’s most well-known story, sometimes an audience can get caught up in the dialogue when watching the play onstage. The Russian National Ballet takes this story and makes it understandable to all audiences. The beauty and innocence of Juliet (Hanna Zimovchenko, Maria Sokolnikova) is perfectly portrayed through ballet. Zimovchenko is able to show through her movement and expression the excitement and angst that young Juliet feels throughout this story. Her chemistry with Romeo (Pavel Bochkovskiy, Dmitriy Sitkevich) is instantaneous. There is no question that the two young players are seasoned professionals who have a love for performing.
Mercucio (Vladimir Tapkharov) and Tibald (Evgeniy Ermakov) are intense rivals, coming to the aid of their people. The fight scene is beautifully executed, and the intensity makes this scene one of my favorites. Capuletti Father (Evgeniy Rudakov) and Capuletti Mother (Natalia Ivanova) are very passionate about their daughter and how they believe her life should be. The corps de ballet is filled with talent and adds depth and beauty to the performance. In one of the final scenes, where Romeo finds Juliet and believes her to be dead, the corps enacts his feelings as he mourns the loss of Juliet. The ethereal feeling transports the audience into the passion Romeo feels for his only love.
Carmen is an intriguing performance based on a story by Prosper Merimee. With music by Rodion Shchedrin and George Bizet and choreographed by Alberto Alonso, this story is intensely mesmerizing. Carmen (Maria Klyeva, Milena Stashina) finds herself caught in a love triangle after soldier Don Jose (Alexander Daev) falls in love with her and she falls for the toreador Escamillo (Nurlan Kinerbaev). Stashina is captivating onstage. Her passionate performance captivates the audience from the first movement. She is precise and intentional. This dance is full of precision and strength as opposed to the lyrical and romantic feeling of Romeo and Juliet.
The battle between Don Jose and the toreador is intense. The fight is believable as Daev and Kinerbaev are fully engrossed in defeating each other. The choreography for this scene is impressive and the performers exude conflict and contention. Fate, played by Elena Khorosheva,is an ambiguous character who takes on the form of a bull. Khorosheva is a mystical Fate. She embraces the role and is so connected to Carmen that they become one at the end. Korikhidor (Rudakov, Artem Deberdeev) along with the corps de ballet adds fierceness to this performance. A favorite scene is the acapella scene where the corps keeps the rhythm and the choreography is precisely performed, mimicking the battle between bull and toreador.
Onstage Ogden’s presentation of Russian National Ballet is captivating storytelling at its best. The audience was engrossed in the classic tales of Romeo and Juliet and Carmen and were given the opportunity to understand the stories in a fresh way.
Onstage Ogden presents Russian National Ballet’s performance of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikowski. And Prosper Merimee’s Carmen, Music by Rodion Shchedrin and George Bizet.
Onstage Ogden, 638 26th Street, Ogden, Utah 84401
Val A. Browning Center for the Performing Arts, Weber State University, 3848 Harrison Blvd., Ogden, Utah 84408
January 20, 2020, 7:30 PM
Tickets
Contact: 801-399-9214
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