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Cinderella brings golden touch
By Xu Wenwen |
October 27, 2009, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A dazzling production of the ballet "Cinderella" in Hangzhou ditched the traditional glass slippers in favor of glittering naked feet, writes Xu Wenwen.
After giving a luminous show at the ongoing Shanghai International Art Festival, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo dazzled a Hangzhou audience with Jean-Christophe Maillot's brilliant and energetic version of "Cinderella" at Hangzhou Theater last week.
Set up in 1911, the troupe became the official company of the Principality of Monaco in 1985, reestablished by Her Royal Highness the Princess of Hanover in accordance with the wishes of her mother, Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco.
In 1992, Jean-Christophe Maillot joined Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo and was officially promoted to the rank of director-choreographer in 1993. Under Maillot's direction, the ballet troupe has become one of the world's most sought-after companies.
"Cinderella" was created by Maillot in 1999. Though the world-famous fairytale has been adapted into ballet many times and in different styles, Maillot's neoclassic version is hilarious and thoughtful by re-explaining the deep meaning of the story.
Maillot's "Cinderella" resembles little the Disney film version. He describes his production as "the dance of today, a contemporary answer different from the tradition."
The opening scene began with Cinderella sitting despondently in a chair. We see her parents for the first time, and see the affection they have for their daughter, but the scene ends with the tragic death of her beloved mother.
This cruel twist of fate leads Cinderella into unlimited misfortune, to be kicked, mocked and left isolated.
The mother, a character seldom seen in other versions, is beautifully danced by exquisite prima ballerina Bernice Coppieters.
She also plays the fairy after the mother's death who guides the little girl and the prince to find their love.
Unconventionally, Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters are willowy rather than repulsive.
Maillot makes them pretty enough to attract the father, but their inside ugliness is obvious throughout the show.
Cinderella is barefoot instead of wearing glass slippers in one of the ballet's most famous scenes.
While she's dreaming of going to the party with the prince, her fairy godmother appears, magically clothing her in a white satin gown.
Instead of glass slippers, the godmother makes her step into a tub of glitter, coating her feet and ankles with a shimmering sparkle of sequins.
At midnight, instead of leaving a slipper behind, a naked foot bathed in light and sparkle captured the prince's attention as the curtain fell on Act I.
Maillot doesn't think the prince needs to be perfect - even though he's evidently brave and charming. But his role is more than just a rescuer - at first the prince appears immature and is apparently indulging in a foot fetish, which is the main reason he falls in love with Cinderella after seeing her perfectly arched foot.
The second act was preoccupied with the prince's search for the feet he remembers. He travels the world inspecting women's feet for their shine.
Just as he's about to give up, Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters prepare to seduce him.
But their feet, black and bruised beneath bandages, repulse him.
At last he recognizes the purity and whiteness of Cinderella's foot - he finds his true love.
Parallel dances by Cinderella, the prince, the fairy and father show Cinderella has found her own true love.
The fairy godmother performed a final duet with the father, who accompanied her down to her last breath until death cancels remorse, while the curtain falls as the hero and heroine in golden robes kiss in a magnificent golden shower of glitter dust.
As everyone knows that fairytales are not as innocent as they seem, the adaptation, the sets, lighting and costume changes all reflect this dark side.
The scenery looked simple but impressive. A few giant sheets of paper were mounted on wheels. Sometimes they became notebooks, sometimes stairs.
Clothing, wigs, mannequins and magic powder with strong symbolic value was an essential part of the ballet performance, the place of transformation for bodies and power.
Jerome Kaplan, the costume director, worked a lot on transparency and brilliance effects.
He toyed with refinement and the bizarre, mixing references to the 18th and 19th centuries with very modern details, representing a supernatural world.
But Cinderella escaped this distortion, clothed in costumes with a simplicity of lines in contrast with the other characters in the ballet, where transparent dresses revealed the true nature of the body.
After giving a luminous show at the ongoing Shanghai International Art Festival, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo dazzled a Hangzhou audience with Jean-Christophe Maillot's brilliant and energetic version of "Cinderella" at Hangzhou Theater last week.
Set up in 1911, the troupe became the official company of the Principality of Monaco in 1985, reestablished by Her Royal Highness the Princess of Hanover in accordance with the wishes of her mother, Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco.
In 1992, Jean-Christophe Maillot joined Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo and was officially promoted to the rank of director-choreographer in 1993. Under Maillot's direction, the ballet troupe has become one of the world's most sought-after companies.
"Cinderella" was created by Maillot in 1999. Though the world-famous fairytale has been adapted into ballet many times and in different styles, Maillot's neoclassic version is hilarious and thoughtful by re-explaining the deep meaning of the story.
Maillot's "Cinderella" resembles little the Disney film version. He describes his production as "the dance of today, a contemporary answer different from the tradition."
The opening scene began with Cinderella sitting despondently in a chair. We see her parents for the first time, and see the affection they have for their daughter, but the scene ends with the tragic death of her beloved mother.
This cruel twist of fate leads Cinderella into unlimited misfortune, to be kicked, mocked and left isolated.
The mother, a character seldom seen in other versions, is beautifully danced by exquisite prima ballerina Bernice Coppieters.
She also plays the fairy after the mother's death who guides the little girl and the prince to find their love.
Unconventionally, Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters are willowy rather than repulsive.
Maillot makes them pretty enough to attract the father, but their inside ugliness is obvious throughout the show.
Cinderella is barefoot instead of wearing glass slippers in one of the ballet's most famous scenes.
While she's dreaming of going to the party with the prince, her fairy godmother appears, magically clothing her in a white satin gown.
Instead of glass slippers, the godmother makes her step into a tub of glitter, coating her feet and ankles with a shimmering sparkle of sequins.
At midnight, instead of leaving a slipper behind, a naked foot bathed in light and sparkle captured the prince's attention as the curtain fell on Act I.
Maillot doesn't think the prince needs to be perfect - even though he's evidently brave and charming. But his role is more than just a rescuer - at first the prince appears immature and is apparently indulging in a foot fetish, which is the main reason he falls in love with Cinderella after seeing her perfectly arched foot.
The second act was preoccupied with the prince's search for the feet he remembers. He travels the world inspecting women's feet for their shine.
Just as he's about to give up, Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters prepare to seduce him.
But their feet, black and bruised beneath bandages, repulse him.
At last he recognizes the purity and whiteness of Cinderella's foot - he finds his true love.
Parallel dances by Cinderella, the prince, the fairy and father show Cinderella has found her own true love.
The fairy godmother performed a final duet with the father, who accompanied her down to her last breath until death cancels remorse, while the curtain falls as the hero and heroine in golden robes kiss in a magnificent golden shower of glitter dust.
As everyone knows that fairytales are not as innocent as they seem, the adaptation, the sets, lighting and costume changes all reflect this dark side.
The scenery looked simple but impressive. A few giant sheets of paper were mounted on wheels. Sometimes they became notebooks, sometimes stairs.
Clothing, wigs, mannequins and magic powder with strong symbolic value was an essential part of the ballet performance, the place of transformation for bodies and power.
Jerome Kaplan, the costume director, worked a lot on transparency and brilliance effects.
He toyed with refinement and the bizarre, mixing references to the 18th and 19th centuries with very modern details, representing a supernatural world.
But Cinderella escaped this distortion, clothed in costumes with a simplicity of lines in contrast with the other characters in the ballet, where transparent dresses revealed the true nature of the body.
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