No Business Like `Snow' Business.

Moscow Stanislavsky Ballet Royal Festival Hall London, England December 20, 2001-January 4, 2002

The Moscow Stanislavsky Ballet is the Russian capital's second classical company after the Bolshoi Ballet. Founded in 1920, the company makes its home at the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Music Theater, just a short walk from the Bolshoi Theater. The company has been consistently associated with fine dramatic productions, excellent dancers (many of whom are prizewinners of international competitions), and a varied repertoire that appeals to all ages.

The Russian company made its British debut with a month's stay during the festive holiday season at the Royal Festival Hall on the south bank of the River Thames. Notorious for its lack of backstage space, with no wings, and a choir stall behind the backdrop--the RFH is, after all, a concert hall--the location posed the same physical, mechanical challenges that English National Ballet faced each Christmas before its move to the Coliseum. Set changes on first nights took forever, curtains failed to open or close, and often, workmen could be seen, and heard, at the back. Audiences were not fazed, however, and as the RFH's raked seats offer everyone a good view of the stage, it was the ideal place for a family outing.

The company brought two works here: The Show Maiden, a charming Russian folktale choreographed in 1961 for London Festival Ballet by then-Stanislavsky director Vladimir Bourmeister, and his Swan Lake.

The Snow Maiden tells of an innocent young girl who lives in the Land of Frost with her grandfather. Seeing two young lovers in her snow-filled woods one day, she follows them to their village, desiring also to be loved by the young man. He falls for her; they marry with the tsar's blessing, and live happily together until spring comes and the sun's rays melt her. The leading role demands a ballerina with great delicacy and strength, for she is hardly ever off pointe. And Natalia Ledovskaya was charming as the Snow Maiden and brought the role alive. She flittered and fluttered in her ice-blue, snowflake-patterned tutu and kokoshnik headdress, showing beautiful lines, accurate technique, and a natural sense of wonderment. The young man, Mizgir, was performed with feeling and bravura by Dmitry Zababurin, and Tatiana Tchernobrovkina as his girl, Kupava, was lyrical and dramatic. There were great folk dances, with the ubiquitous drunk, but the strangest character was a young man called Lel, who wore layers of blue eye shadow and a girl's bobbed blonde wig, and was dressed all in white. Performed by Vladimir Dmitriev, it seemed his job was to augment the dancing with his multiple tours en l'air, but as to his function in the story, no one in the audience seemed to know. The production was enchanting to look at and the company made an excellent impression with its neat and exuberant dancing.

Swan Lake also offered lavish sets--especially Act III, which was true Harry Potter gothic, with thirteen hanging chandeliers, tapestries, and candelabra. Tchernobrovkina made a beautiful Odette: slim, graceful, and sorrowful, offering soft, exacting technique. As Odile, she was sharp and cunning, and though her fouette turns were somewhat wild and traveled in various directions on opening night, she kept pace and was mesmerizing. Her Prince was Georgy Smilevski, who possesses beautiful feet and strong technique but never really persuaded viewers of his love for Odette. The Jester, a role much disliked by many British critics, was ably and enthusiastically danced by Vitaly Breusenko. Rothbart, the evil magician, was played (for he doesn't dance in this production) by the company's great principal male dancer of the '80s and '90s, Vladimir Kirillov. The lakeside scenes were beautifully executed by the corps, and the ballroom scene in this production was particularly good. Here, Rothbart used his huge cape to great effect to quickly exchange a character soloist for Odile, thus confusing the Prince with his "now you see her, now you don't" trick. The character dances were splendidly performed with great panache, speed, and authenticity--something that the West rarely sees.