The Kirov Ballet: Jewels - The Lowry - 13/05/08 by Julia Taylor

How lucky we are to have companies of the calibre of The Kirov Ballet visiting Salford. The 200-year-old company from St. Petersburg under the Artistic Direction of Valery Gergiev and Ballet Director, Makhar Vaziev, are performing three full-length ballets – George Balanchine’s Jewels, a Gala Evening of balletic fireworks, and Don Quixote at the Lowry until Saturday.

I was fortunate to see Jewels – and what a night it was. Balanchine, one of the greatest modern choreographers, has created his classical ballet on the theme of precious stones.

You see the elegant and romantic, green costumed Emeralds set to Faure’s music, the hot and jazzy Rubies, dancing to Stravinsky and the sparkling Diamonds accompanied by Tchaikovsky.

All three compositions are performed by a 70-strong orchestra which adds richness to the ballet. The dancers are overlooked by a shimmering cascade of precious stones suspended in mid air and their equally bejewelled costumes are by fashionable New York designer, Karinska.

The Kirov is the first company in Europe to present all three acts together. ‘Jewels’ received its debut in 2000 in London to the acclaim of both audiences and critics.

The amazing thing about this ballet is that it has no story but as you become lost in the music and flow of the dancing, you find yourself creating your own tales to match the mood of both them and the music.

One of the outstanding moments in Emeralds is when the soloist walks across the stage on points accompanied by her chivalrous cavalier.

The romantic Emeralds are quickly forgotten when Rubies begins. The lead dancer, Olesya Novikova captures the jazzy flavour of the piece – not easy to dance its sharpened edges so different from the gentle lines she performs in ‘Emeralds’

Her partner, Anton Korsakov is a forthright performer, skilfully manipulating Olesya’s movements. Both dancers have the courage to reveal their sensuality in the pas de deux. The pianist, Ludmila Sveshnikova, excels in the Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra, making a wonderful accompaniment to Rubies.

There is much more of the tradition of Russian ballet in Diamonds and the cast seem more at home with Tchaikovsky’s music. The opening pas de deux is particularly beautiful. I liked the Polonaise because it gave the corps de ballet a chance to show off their considerable skill.

As for Balanchine, you could say that he is ballet’s equivalent to an impressionist painter. He presents an image as if the viewer has only caught a glimpse of it. Jewels finishes tonight (Wednesday) but the Kirov are here until Saturday.