Ballet Review: Le Corsaire Is A Ballet of Beauty
The American Ballet has been amazing in this 2016 season. Their selection and execution has been fantastical to say the least. While La Fille Mal Gardee proved that a ballet can leave everyone in giggles, ABT’s current run of Le Corsaire reminds audiences of the beauty of ballet.
Divided into four acts, Le Corsaire plays off like episodes of love. Each act tells a captured chapter of a pirate, Conrad, and his passionate love for Medora, a beautiful slave girl. Whether it be against his own men or the rich and powerful pasha, Conrad refuses to let his lady love go. The romance can get you alone, yet it is the beauty of this ballet that will strike.
There is something entrancing about ABT’s Le Corsaire. The sets and costuming, by Irina Tibilova, are absolutely lavish, and make each scene feel as if it is occurring in a picture frame.The sentiment of everything working in a picturesque format is perfect for this fable that feels like it leapt our of the classic tale, Arabian Nights. Whether it be in the pasha’s gorgeous garden, where he dreams of the most beautiful harems dancing for his favor, or in the grotto, where Medora (Maria Kotchekova) and Conrad (Herman Cornejo) dance in love’s bliss, you feel as if you have been whisked away into a fantasy. Moreover, the costumes are so ornate that the regality of this ballet is unavoidable. You are transported to ancient Arabian times, where color and jewels were a fashion must. Overall, the ballet is a call to you inner child and a permission for him or her to dream again.
I’ll admit the story of this ballet is not revolutionary nor is its playing out quite different from most romances. There are those that get in the way of the dynamic pair, but from the beginning you know they will conquer them all. Thus, you go to Le Corsaire because you want to see the classic, formulaic love story and feel its prettiness. That may seem plain and obvious in describing this ballet, but it is the truth. Le Corsaire is a ballet that strikes straight for how pretty love can be through its vibrant dance.
Once again. the ABT makes everyone feel remorseful for not going to their ballet class. Their recruitment of high caliber dancers makes me conclude that they hold auditions in Heaven. Honestly, they are all so magnificent in grace and lightness that you become hypnotized. There is a tranquility that comes over you as you see some of the most glorious “pas de deux”, grande jetés, and arabesque. Choreographer Marius Petipa assures that each move whether it be grand or small feels fluid in emphasizing a moving picture notion. Daniel Simkin’s Lankendem and Jeffrey Cirio’s Ali are stunning proofs of humanity’s physical capacities. Each one achieves more air in their leaps and bounds than a literal dove. It is riveting to watch them dance. Thus, each dancer feels like they are a painting in motion with unnatural, repetitive leaps and spins encouraging imagination.
What is so wonderful about Le Corsaire is that it plays like magic before your eyes. It is because of this that I find it so hard to properly describe and review. It is simply something to be seen. It is as if I were trying to describe to you the shine of a rare diamond. My description, no matter how detailed, will be insufficient in translating the beauty I have seen. Thus, I will end on this note: Le Corsaire is a whimsical ode to love.
Le Corsaire Will Play Till June 4 At The Met Opera House. For More Information Click Here.
