Going to see a Ballet is something I know which very few

people feel they would like to experience. It is i am sure just

lack of understanding about what Ballet really is. Ballet today

is performed by highly trained dancers who are of the same

fitness as any top athlete or sports person. To become a top

class dancer you need to train for many years, do many

classes daily and do fitness training to enable you to be able to

control every muscle in your body. The stamina needed to
dance a 2-3 hour ballet is huge.

There are many great Ballets which I love but one of my great

favourites is a Grand Beautiful Ballet called La Bayadere. They

say if you don't enjoy La Bayadere you don't like ballet as this

is the most sumptuous feasts your eyes can ever be given The

combination of the music composed by Ludwig Minkus, The

original Chroegraphy by Petipa is astounding, you have grand

sets georgeous vibrant coloured costumes you could not wish

for more in a Ballet. It is a true visual delight.

La Bayadere was first performed in 1877 at The Bolshoi

Theatre in St Petersburg, Russia.When it was first danced it

consisted of a cast of many 100's of dancers plus a large cast

of extras. It was a very spectacular affair and over the years it.

has been edited down by a number of Large Ballet companies

as they don't have the 100's of dancers in their companies like

the Russians have.. Rudolph Nureyev edited it so he could

include a more spectacular role for the male dancer so they

are able to show off their fabulously controlled dancing and

performing some spectacular jumps.

La Bayadere is set in India, Nikiya (a Bayadere is a temple

dancer) and Solor a noble warrior have secretly sworn eternal

love to one another, unfortunately for them both the Rajah has

decided that Solor is to marry his beautiful daughter Gamzatti

Solor forgets his vows to Nikiya when he sees how very

beautiful the Rajahs daughter is and agrees to go ahead with

the marriage . The Rajah hears the gossip about Solor and

Nikiyas love and he decides that Nikiya has to be killed.

Gamzatti also heres the talk about them both and tries to

persuade Nikiya to give up her love for solor but she refuses.

Scene 1

Warriors return from a great Tiger Hunt, the stage is dark and

all that can be seen is a fire in the middle of the stage.this

scene shows fabulous tribal dancing from the warriors, the

warriors dance around the stage leaping into the air, moving

with huge speed as they jump across the stage and fly over

the fire. Nikiya slowly enters on pointe elegantly looking like

she is sliding across the stage. She dances with a graceful

elegance, she jumps into Solors arms and they dance with a

tenderness and passion that very few dancers can create.

ACT 2

This is a spectacular act full of visual delights. The Rajah offers

Solar the princesses hand in marriage, he has no choice but

to accept. Gamzatti summons Nikiya to her as she has heard

about Solar and Nikiyas secret affair. The two women argue

as they twirl around each other it ends with Gamzatti slapping

Nikiya across the face she falls to the floor and Gamzatti tries

to stab her with a knife, her servent rushes over and removes

he knife.

SCENE 2

A fantastic visual scene we are now itaken nside the Rajahs

palace and a huge procession takes place. The Rajah arrives

on a huge canopied chair with Gamzatti arriving on another.

Solar arrives regally sitting on the back of a huge elephant.

The cast for this scene is huge. It is a vibrant mix of colours as

the costumes glitter and sparkle. The warriors again enter this

scene dancing with bongo drums that beat savagely. The

mixture of rhythms in this scene change between loud jungle

beats and the elegance sounds of classical music. it is difficult

to know where to look in this scene as the cast is

enormous,the costumes and sets are breathtaking and the

dancing is as beautiful as you will ever get in a ballet. Here in

Nureyevs production we are introduced to the Bronze Idol. A

god dressed completely in Bronze who leaps and dances

across the stage in a way that makes you feel like he is flying.

He leaps high into the air constantly turning. Solar and

Gamzatti dance a beautiful Pas De Deux here but it lacks the

love and passion Solar creates with his real love Nikiya, the

dancing is all show for the Rajah

Nikiya enters the scene she dances with such beauty and

passion and she begs Solar not to marry Gamzatti, he ignores

here and she dances her heart out twirling and leaping with

arms that gracefully hold all the love she feels for Solar, you

feel the music here telling you of her sadness and her

desperation for Solars love. She is handed a basket of flowers

to give to the happy couple and you know as she moves that

her heart is breaking. A poisonous snake coils out of the

basket and bites her, she reaches to Solar to help her but the

Rajah stops him and he turns away. She trys again to reach

for him and this time he rushes to her but she dies in his

arms leaving him heartbroken.

SCENE 3

This act is called Kingdom of the Shades and Solar desperate

about what has happened smokes a pipe of opium falls

asleep and dreams of the dead bayadere. The warriors come

thumping and twirling onto a stage full of deep red light. The

stage goes dark and when the light slowly comes up you watch

in amazement as 32 ballerinas all of who are dead bayaderes

slowly make their way onto the stage one by one with an

accuracy and precision that you have to see to believe. This is

an act that has been performed on its own by many companies

due to the fact that most companies don't have the amount of

dancers needed to perform the complete ballet. It is one of the

most beautiful ballet scenes ever danced and entrances all

who see it.. Their pure white jewelled tutus shimmer and each

dancer comes on in turn one by one they slowly move with

accuracy, as each dancer joins the line their legs all move in

unison in an arabesque. After they have all entered the stage

they move aside and then the dead Nikiya enters the stage.

Solar runs towards her but she disappears, frantically he

searches for her as the 32 dancers move back to the stage to

hide her eventually they meet up and the final Pas De deaux

takes place, this is all about passionate dancing on a grand

scale, every moment is beautiful every movement precise every

arm in place you really do feel the love between them both. The

dead bayaderes close in and circle them after they finish their

dance and the curtain comes down.

La Bayadere was Rudolph Nureyevs final work for The Paris

Opera Ballet and he has cleverley mixed exquisite classical

ballet with traditional folk dancing. You feel the passion in the

music as it tells the highs and lows, the love and anger of the

story, I could never do this ballet justice with just a description,

your eyes are needed so you can greedily lap up all the beauty

presented to you on stage.

Nikiya ------ Elisabeth Platel

, Solar ---------Laurent Hilaire

Gamzatti -----Isabelle Guerin

Artists from The Paris Opera Ballet

Music ---------Ludwig Minkus

La bayadere can be bought from most Retailers for around

£20 and on Video for around £15.00