Dance - Natalia Makarova’s ‘Bayadere’ at Ballet Theater

From the NYT:

"Remarkably, since Ms. Makarova’s sole experience of staging was setting the “Shades” act for Ballet Theater in 1974, she mounted the elaborate production for Ballet Theater, where she was a principal dancer, almost single-handedly.

On the opening night she danced the main role of the bayadere Nikiya for the first time, with the British dancer Antony Dowell as Solor, the warrior who loves her but is compelled to marry the Rajah’s daughter Gamzatti.

“When I was dancing in Russia, I never prepared for this,” Ms. Makarova said this month after rehearsals at Ballet Theater’s studios near Union Square.

“But I had come to America, I was dancing all these modern works with Ballet Theater, and I looked at the company, at the people, that eclectic repertoire. At that time dancers didn’t know the differences in port de bras, epaulement, the right line, using the whole body in harmony. I had a desire to give to them what I know.”"

All of this is gold, gold, gold. Another dancer to add to my series. I don't care if the ballet itself is terrible--can't we make something of the same allowances we make for opera?--but I do care that there are dancers like this still in the world today. I think we could do worse than let ballerinas be priests. They speak of the spirit and the body more convincing than any other person--and certainly any other artist.