Ballet International Gala (BIG) vii Melbourne. What did I just watch?
I feel like I just watched a performance that's been tiktokified. It seemed to have little respect for the audience's attention span or ability to appreciate ballet.
Acts were short (I knew they'd be short but, they were really short), with unnecessary curtain calls, awkward staging. Maria Khoreva did not perform, which I knew beforehand as she was unable to perform in Sydney and was saddened about, however I was still really looking forward to this performance and seeing all of those renowned dancers on stage. I saved up for this, I bought a program for the first time, I have been looking forward to this performance. all. year.
The performance seemed to have no intellectual respect for the audience or their ability to appreciate fine art forms.
The last 40min involved a skit...? I could not believe my eyes. Asinine, cheap humour based on pas de deux positions? I'm sorry, what? I can HEAR the babushkas rolling in their graves.
I may be a Vaganova purist but I too appreciate artistic innovation, expression, challenges and fluidity. I love contemporary blends and fusions of ballet. But none of that comedic skit was enjoyable, none of it was ballet.
Did they perform this internationally? The humour was basically a funny face, or a choreographed stage mishap. There was no depth or substance to any of the humour. If you're going to do something different, please do it well. Is that the bare minimum now?
Was this not meant to be a showcase of the best of the best?
One of the male dancers looked like he was on the verge of injury, every time he slammed down from a jump or a leap without control. I sat in third row stalls and could hear his bones hitting the stage floor. Some of the dancers lacked ballon, some looked like they weren't stable en pointe, some male partners weren't supportive enough of their female partners. I was genuinely worried for how some of these dancers with big names and reputations have even made it to the stage? I have seen students dance better than this...
Nonetheless, the audience applauded immensely whenever male dancers did trick jumps or female dancers did fouettés. (I get it, they're cool, complex movements that demand technical excellence to execute, but 5-7 times in a row??? Did they not have any other choreo to work with?) And of course, they erupted into endless laughter when the skit began.
Since when did ballet turn into stand up comedy? I love both dearly but this was not the right time or place. And not for those obscene ticket prices. Even stand up comedy has intellectual respect for it's audience. I don't think it's a crime to have standards for ballet, and ballet performances that are supposedly as renowned as BIG markets itself to be.
I loved Sofya Khoreva, but she was only there for Dying Swan and then the very last part of the performance.
I feel like I've been robbed of 2hrs of my life that I won't get back. I feel like this performance lacked the essence of ballet, was missing substance and cohesion, and was a compilation of watered down simple and digestible choreography for an uneducated non-dancer audience. I feel like this is deeply related to the overall degradation of modern day society.
I appreciated the athleticism of some of the dancers, as it made for good study, but I fear I cannot in good faith say there was anything redeemable about this show.