Beijing**Client|Reporter Li Yang.
From December 8th to 10th, ** Ballet will once again take to the Skybridge Theatre to present George Balanchine's symphonic ballet masterpiece "Jewels". Compared with the first performance of this work in 2019, it is clear that many dancers have grown rapidly and have already shone like jewels.
Jewels is considered to represent the crowning artistic achievement of master choreographer George Balanchine. It has no plot, the stage is minimalist, and the stage background has only one color, which is very challenging for non-veteran dance fans. In the first part, "Emerald", the dancers wear emerald green gowns and dance to Gabriel Faure's orchestral suites "Perias and Mélisande" and "Sherlock", presenting the delicacy and beauty of the French Romantic ballet. Especially when the famous song "Sicilian Dance" sounds, the dance and the high degree of cooperation make people appreciate the charm of symphonic ballet. In this piece of music, the structure is loose and fluid, and the dancer's body is naturally relaxed, and when he turns around many times, he interprets the purity and softness of the small waves in the sun. In the following pas de deux, the dancers use their arms and feet to simulate the movement of the clock hands from time to time in the classical ballet paradigm movements, and the performance of the light and dark lines in the ** is alluded to.
Some of Ruby's styles have changed dramatically. Stravinsky's Caprice for Piano and Orchestra is melodic and playful. In the orchestra pit, the specially invited piano soloist Tan Xiaotang kept showing off his skills, and his fingertips performed the changeable rhythm like Chaplin's film score. On stage, dancers in red miniskirts and tight red tops are divided into two groups: a pair of young men and women run after each other like childrenIn the other group, a number of male dancers defend a mature woman, exuding a mature style and a distinct American style. In the performance on December 9, the former group performed by Wang Qimin and Ma Xiaodong. It seems simple to pretend to be cute and run and chase, but the "degree" is extremely difficult to grasp. A little more contrived, a little less is not innocent enough. Judging from the applause at the curtain call, it is obvious that the two veterans of the dance world have won the recognition of the audience.
In the Diamonds section, Balanchine pays homage to Russian classical ballet based on Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 3 in D major. Similar to the symmetrical queue in "Swan Lake", the dance clip of the women's quadruple in response to the "Four Little Swans", plus the gorgeous white dance skirts and the celebratory grand scene, all give people a taste of the grandeur and joy of the romantic ballet period. In this performance, Li Wentao, the leading actor of the Chinese Ballet, completed a series of whip turns, big jumps and other dazzling skills. When more than 30 people danced, the formation change like diamond cutting also responded to the theme of "Diamond".
The three styles of Jewels are believed to correspond to the three periods of Balanchine's creative career, and for the audience, being able to experience the three styles in one performance not only enriches the viewing experience, but also harvests a highly condensed artistic popularization.