Amal Choucri Catta plays Sheherazade Cairo Opera Ballet Company performing "One thousand and one nights", by Fikret Amirov, choreography by Naila Nazirova, artistic director Erminia Kamel, with Cairo Opera Orchestra, conductor Ivan Filev, artistic supervisor Abdel Moneim Kamel, Cairo Opera House Main Hall, 14-17 June, 9 pm The sets were lavish and colourful, as colourful as the costumes of the stars and of the entire corps-de-ballet performing "One thousand and one nights" on Cairo Opera's main stage. From the very first chords of Fikret Amirov's exuberant melodies, the audience knew they were getting the best of Sheherazade and of Karia Ivanova's remarkable dancing performance. Based on the famous One thousand and one nights, the two-act ballet was magnificently choreographed by Naila Nazirova, who has a liking for extravagant "pas-de-deux" and luxuriant combinations of classical "ballet sur pointes" and Oriental folk dances, creating an enchanting, if rather unusual language of gesture and movement. Hani Hassan, one of the Cairo Opera's main ballet stars, came on as Shahriar, the Oriental prince, in a dramatic black and silver outfit to execute an exotic pas-de-deux with his lovely wife, Nurida. The tales of One thousand and one nights were created at a time when hunting was a monarch's pastime and princes exulted in their hunting prowess. Thus, as Shahriar's companions went on their hunting trip, the prince bade his beloved wife farewell and joined the party to the tune of a happy-go- lucky marching tempi. The music changed as Nurida, in her dashing red sirwal, performed a meditative solo in the palace's large hall, asking herself what she should do with so much useless time on her hands.Suddenly the music turned merrier as she clapped her hands, summoning her friends and her slaves to a bacchanalian orgy. As the dance turned lustful and the performers, in the scantiest of costumes, enjoyed some lascivious motions with Nurida spending some erotic moments in the arms of her favorite slave, Prince Shahriar unexpectedly returned, causing a panic among the performers, who threw themselves on the floor, expecting dreadful punishments. And as the music rose to an ominous Crescendo, Shahriar stabbed his wife and her slave with his sword, settling on a plan to kill all womenfolk in his kingdom. That was when the scanty costumes disappeared, while maidens in blue tunics, their heads covered with floating blue veils, danced into the hall, chased by the prince's executioners. Yet among the wailing maidens and the evil hangmen, a bright light appeared, and as the frightful tunes turned into a joyful beat, a beautiful young vision came triumphantly prancing into the light. In her silver-white tunic she looked like an angel, while her exuberant gestures stopped Shahriar's sword in mid-air, as the curtain dropped on the first act of the ballet. The lovely little lady in a silver-white sirwal still kept Prince Shahriar's sword in midair while the curtain opened on the second act. Nothing had changed: the scene was the same, with the ladies in blue awaiting their death at the hands of their oppressors. Shahriar, however, had changed his mind: fascinated by the beauty and courage of young Sheherazade, he dropped his sword, deciding to give the ladies a chance, to sop the bloodshed and let Sheherazade tell her tales.That was when the scene changed, turning the gigantic palace hall into a vivacious market place, where vendors were exhibiting their edible wares and customers had a hard time choosing among the rich variety. Aladdin, the mischievous owner of an immense magic lamp that was lowered onto the stage, danced his jubilant solo around the bazaar, and then the lights were turned down and all the merchants threw themselves onto the ground, while princess Budur was passing in her pink sedan chair. Aladdin managed to catch a glimpse of her beauty, falling immediately in love with the maiden and winning her love in return. The music beautifully matched the event, with the Cairo Opera Orchestra giving their best under the eminent baton of Bulgarian conductor Ivan Filev, who has been with Cairo orchestras for 20 years. And love did win out in the end; Aladdin finally got his princes and together they danced an enchanting pas-de-deux. The entire tale was presented in a somewhat abstract manner, with the main symbols, such as the lamp, the genie and the magician enhancing the spectacle. This time, a few welcome scenic and choreographic changes were added, developing more fluidity as the plot unfolded.The second tale, "Open Sesame", was that of Ali Baba and the 40 thieves, with one difference: Sesame was a satin curtain and not an opening in the rocks, and the thieves were only a privileged few. The conception was likewise of a rather abstract nature, rapidly moving from one scene to the next with the details left to the audience's imagination. The main message was, however, one of love and loyalty. Sheherazade's stories managed to restore Shahriar's faith in love, beauty and wisdom. She convinced him that many women are virtuous and trustworthy and when he left, once again on a hunting trip, she summoned all the characters of her stories to keep her company. Once again Shahriar returned unexpectedly, but this time everyone received him joyfully, and as the music rose into a tutti-fortissimi, the lovers were blissfully united, and the curtain fell. It seems that the changes introduced established a certain equilibrium the ballet had previously lacked. According to the composer Fikret Amirov, he set a new tone, far from the Oriental tradition, when avoiding to follow the well-trodden path of performing the fairy-tales of One thousand and one nights. His Oriental vision speaks a different language, one that he uses more as an "instrument of thought", remaining loyal to his personal style, he managed to create a "truly modern composition" with, nonetheless, some oriental undercurrents, while, on the other hand, Naila Nazirova adapted the choreography harmoniously to the music. Nazirova commands a remarkable choreographic repertoire and has directed a number of operatic performances as well as dances for movies and theatrical spectacles. Born in Baku, Azerbaijan, in 1936, she studied dancing at the Baku school for choreography and obtained hr diploma in stage direction and choreography from the State Institute for Drama and Theatre in Moscow. Nazirova has won many prizes and toured many countries. Though perfectly modern, there is as much lyricism as realism in her work. With Tair Tairov's captivating sets and costumes, "One thousand and one nights" was once again immensely successful. Audiences loved the show as much as they loved the stories and the brilliant performance of the excellent soloists, the corps de ballet and the orchestra.
