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The Mass Media

The Mass Media

The Mass Media

Dance it out

Love, fate, revenge and opium dreams were put to classical music and performed onstage in Boston Ballet’s world premiere of the classical masterpiece La Bayadere at the Boston Opera House. La Bayadere was the second of Boston Ballet’s seven productions this season, and featured glittering, brightly colored costumes and lavish sets, including palm trees, mountains, a river, an elephant and a very realistic fire pit. Not just for classical music fans, ballet productions have all the intrigue, suspense, and visual allure of a hit movie. Dancers tell stories without words, performing magnificent athletic feats. They leap with graceful precision, keep perfect balance during dizzying spins, and dance en pointe, or “on the tips of the toes.” And the timeless story lines are better than the latest bestseller. La Bayadere, set in ancient India, tells of the temple dancer, or bayadere, Nikiya, who is in love with the warrier Solor and rejects the High Brahmin. Despite his love for Nikiya, Solor has been offered Gamzatti, the Rajah’s daughter, and falls in lust with her. The High Brahmin vows to kill Solor and the Rajah vows to kill Nikiya. In a dramatic scene coupling the grace of dancing with the rage of fighting, Gamzatti tries to warn Nikiya, but Nikiya attacks her and Gamzatti swears revenge. In a cruel twist, Nikiya dances at the engagement ceremony of Solor and Gamzatti, where Gamzatti kills Nikiya by hiding a deadly snake in a bouquet of flowers that is presumed to be a gift from Solor. Grief-stricken and under the influence of opium, Solor meets Nikiya in a dream, where they are reunited forever. Known as the Kingdom of Shades, the act featured 24 dancers in sparkling white costumes performing what has been considered the greatest choreography ever created for a corps de ballet. The dancers seemed to flutter in mid-air as Solor follows Nikiya off the stage in the final moments of the show. The performing arts are more accessible to students than one might think, with $20 student rush tickets available for most shows at the Opera House Box Office two hours prior to the performance. Next, Boston Ballet will perform its world-famous The Nutcracker, which will run from November 26-December 31, 2010. Other productions this season include Elo Experience, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Bella Figura, and Balanchine/Robbins. For more information, visit www.bostonballet.org. ? An Interview with Boston Ballet’s Corps de Ballet dancer Alison Basford   What got you started? My mom enrolled me in a class [when I was three]. I always loved it, so I just stuck with it. What’s your favorite thing about being a dancer? It’s a very rewarding career, emotionally and physically. The best thing is having a passion, something that you love to do, and you get to share it with the audience. With most jobs you don’t get that. Least favorite? The injuries and pain that can come along with it. It can be a physically demanding career. Could you describe a typical day as a dancer with the Boston Ballet? On weeks that we aren’t performing a show, we have class for an hour and a half, starting at 9:45 a.m. Then we have three hours of rehearsal, an hour for lunch, and another three hours of rehearsal. That’s Monday through Friday. Performance weeks are six-day weeks, with class in the morning and then rehearsal starting at 11 or 12 and going all day. How long did you spend rehearsing for La Bayadere before opening night? Twelve weeks, but we were also rehearsing different things at the same time. It was a long process, but I think it’s come together really well. It’s a group effort, and you really have to feel what other people are doing. Of all the scenes you danced in La Bayadere, which one was your favorite and why? The third act [the Kingdom of Shades]. It’s a love/hate relationship, because it’s so hard coming down the ramp with those arabesques. It’s so challenging, but so rewarding to get through it and to hear the audience- they’re so appreciative. It’s the most difficult thing I’ve ever done on stage, but when it’s complete, there’s a sense of accomplishment and relief. What do you think is most important for local students to know about ballet? There’s something for everyone. We do contemporary, classical, and neo-classical. Give it a try, because you just never know until you expose yourself to it. What advice would you give to someone pursuing his or her dream, like you did? Work really hard and keep going for it. You’re the only one really in control of what you’re doing. It can happen.