Ballet premieres

Last night I saw the Slovak National Ballet company premieres of two very well-known ballets, Balanchine’s 1934 Serenade and Raymonda Variations, a ballet staged in many versions, based on Petipa’s 19th-century choreography.

I made the mistake of going to the ticket office when it opened Friday morning, thinking I would have my choice of good seats in the boxes. It was almost sold out, so I had to settle for a seat in the top balcony. I can’t complain about the ticket price of 160 SKK ($6.40), but I will have to plan ahead to get better seats in the future.

Photos are not allowed during the performance, but so many flash bulbs were going off during the curtain calls that I sneaked a shot myself (though with the flash turned off). The depth and narrowness of this stage is striking, along with the less-than-ideal view from the top balcony. The costumes are exactly what you see in every staging of Serenade.

This was an historic night -- the first time the company had performed a work by Balanchine – and the crowd in the orchestra and box seats was dressed in evening finery to celebrate. A young American who writes for the English-language Slovak Spectator sat next to me; he said the press office told him this was the first time any company had performed Balanchine in Slovakia, so that added to the sense of history.

The Balanchine Trust gives permission to perform his works, and Serenade seems to be the favorite for a company new to his work. Was this up to the standards of the New York City Ballet, with their lifetime of training in his technique? Of course not, but it was a lovely first venture into new terrain for this company that will help them grow as dancers and the audience mature in its experience of the possibilities of dance.

NOTE: Click on any image in this blog to see it full-size.