News
06.12.2013
Compelling and unpredictable
According to a famous Russian proverb, “it’s the retinue that makes the king”. The same applies to the new production of The Nutcracker: in order for the audience to believe the extraordinary story of the transformation of the wooden nutcracker doll into a beautiful prince, and to be transported with him and his heroine Masha (Clara) to a fairytale land, it is crucial that the characters who evolve alongside the story’s protagonists are equally compelling and unpredictable. The charm and atmosphere of a ballet is a product of its many characters. Dancers performing some of the supporting, but nevertheless crucial, parts in the new production have agreed to tell us about their roles.Rishat Yulbarisov
Imagine Chaliapin stepping out of the famous painting by Kustodiev, cloaked in a beaver fur coat and a winter hat topped with velvet on his head — this is the picture conjured up by the character of Drosselmeyer. This is the part that the theatre director has entrusted to Marat Shemiunov and myself. My character wears an elaborate, multi-layered costume, including a shirt, a waistcoat, a suit jacket, and on top of all this a fur coat which weighs around eight kilograms. Thankfully I eventually take it off on stage.Vainonen and Grigorovich made Drosselmeyer into a grey-haired old man, while Nacho Duato imagines him as being quite a bit younger. He is more like an ordinary man than a magician, but even so, from the moment the curtains are raised there is a fairytale aura about him. There is a short prologue as the musical overture plays out, during which my character pretty much introduces the story with the help of marionettes. At that point, everyone understands that what happens next is going to be most captivating.
Anastasia Soboleva
During the second act’s divertissement, I dance a duet called the “Pastoral”. The choreographer really sensed and brought out the distinctive features of all the five dances in The Nutcracker: the Chinese dance is extremely interesting to watch, the Russian is a reflection on the nature of the enigmatic Russian soul, while the Spanish one is pure extravaganza! Our dance exudes French charm: all our movements are elegant, there are no big, sweeping steps, and the characters are like porcelain figures — delicate and fragile. The way this scene is laid out is that I start dancing and my partner Nikolay Korypayev follows, as if trying to catch up with me, so we do not move quite in synch, but in the end we come together. This light-hearted and gracious dance lasts a mere 2–3 minutes, but we don’t just chase each other around the stage. I hope we are able to show the audience that there really is a romantic quality to the story that will be developed later.There are always lots of children at performances of The Nutcracker and they are my favourite audience members! I am sure they will love the new production, but I am worried they might get scared during the battle scene. There is a real fight between the little soldiers and the mice. Victory over the mice is by no means guaranteed, and the scene can leave you on the edge of your seat.
Sergey Strelkov
I dance in every act, so I will probably have time to do nothing but run around and change costumes. For example, I have literally two minutes to change between the Russian dance and the waltz. I think the most interesting part I play is that of the Moor doll during the first act. Before I step onto the stage, there is a melancholic duet between the Pierrot dolls. They move very slowly. My character, even though he is carried out onto the stage in a frozen pose, starts dancing at a furious pace the second the dance begins. This creates a vivid contrast, both in the music and the choreography. Even though he is a doll, my character is a real hooligan, and very expressive. I have to combine mechanical doll-like movements with masterful dancing. The Moor is characterized differently depending on the version of the ballet; mine seems to be a Turk, dressed in wide trousers and a small hat.Valeria Zapasnikova
The Spanish dance I perform opens the ballet’s second act. Nacho Duato puts a lot of emphasis on this scene. He probably wants to show what a real Spanish dance is. He considers all that is “Spanish” in classical ballet a parody. It seems to me that with the Spanish dance in The Nutcracker he decided to make up for all that is “pseudo-Spanish” in ballet. The audience is in for a real treat. As for me, as soon as the music starts I become a real Spaniard!I wear a beautiful costume: a burgundy-coloured dress with a skirt in the shape of the sun, and no fewer than ten layers of flounce! It took 12 metres of fabric to make this skirt! It all looks very stylish: no golden fringes, nothing superfluous. I really hope that the audience will enjoy both my part and the show as a whole — we have all been dazzled by it!