Novosibirsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre (NOVAT): Cinderella

[Lucinda]

I had the opportunity to visit Novosibirsk, Russia in July. Whilst I was there I went to a performance of Cinderella, in Russian ’Золушка’ (zolooshka) by the Novosibirsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre (NOVAT) https://www.novat.nsk.ru/en/

The theatre is the largest in Russia and seats 1774 people, it was built during World War 2, opening in May 1945. Novosibirsk is the third largest city in Russia with a population of around 1 million people.

For this production Mikhail Messerer has revived the choreography by Rostislav Zakharov and this was the premier of this version for NOVAT. The Mikhailovsky ballet performed the world premier in St Petersburg in September 2017 and there is an excellent review by Graham Watts on DanceTabs http://dancetabs.com/2017/10/mikhailovsky-ballet-cinderella-st-petersburg/

I’ll just explain myself first and my perspective. My daughter insisted on me enrolling her in ballet classes at a very young age. I thought she would ‘grow out of it’, she never did and in fact became more determined than ever to fulfil her dream of becoming a professional ballet dancer, which she has, to my amazement.

So I have watched quite a lot of ballet but from a performance enjoyment perspective rather than the critique of dancers and technique. 

I’ve seen a few versions of Cinderella (Dutch National Ballet and Queensland Ballet) but this version was quite different due to the amazing 3D video overlay onto the stage. Although there was also a traditional stage setup and the most beautiful and elaborate costumes, the addition of the video overlay gave an almost ‘out of this world’ effect. I imagine that ballet traditionalists possibly might be appalled by this ‘magical’ manipulation and feel that it detracts from the true essence of ballet but I felt it was a brilliant fusion of modern technology with a classic art form.

I was pleasantly surprised at the high standard of the dancing, particularly the timing and unison by the corps. There was wonderful expression of emotion by the dancers and funny moments too. The prince was Ivan Vasiliev, who was flawless, energetic and spirited, I also enjoyed the athleticism and antics of the jester.

The dome shaped theatre is impressive with an enormous chandelier. All the productions for Cinderella were sold out whilst we were there. Going to the ballet is very popular in Russia and it’s not unusual for performances to sell out. It was lovely to see people dressing up for the occasion and although the food and drinks in the interval were expensive (by Russian standards) they were beautifully presented and served. 

So if you have the opportunity to visit Novosibirsk, I highly recommend booking tickets for the ballet at NOVAT!

[assoluta]

12 hours ago, Lucinda said:

So I have watched quite a lot of ballet but from a performance enjoyment perspective rather than the critique of dancers and technique.

 

I wish more people posting here followed suit, sharing their enjoyment of ballet rather than feeding negativity, especially about the dancers they can't stand (which usually has little to do with how good they are).

[Lucinda]

I almost didn't post as I knew my review was going to be an 'overview' and a different perspective from serious ballet enthusiasts. Nonetheless through my daughter I have grown to appreciate the art and certainly have some understanding of the dedication, commitment and tenacity that is essential for any ballet student who dreams of dancing professionally.

Oh and did I mention the family financial commitment?!