EGX closed mostly higher on July 9    Gold hits over 1-week low on stronger dollar    Korea Culture Week in Egypt to blend K-Pop with traditional arts    Sisi commissions panel to investigate Ramsis Telephone Exchange fire – PM    Egypt, France FMs review Gaza ceasefire efforts, reconstruction    Egypt, Pakistan boost healthcare ties – Cabinet    Escalation in Gaza as ceasefire talks remain fragile amid mounting humanitarian crisis    Egypt's electricity, public enterprises ministers discuss expanding renewables in energy-intensive industries    UK, Egypt strengthen cooperation on green transition, eco-tourism, and environmental investments    Egyptian authorities race to contain fallout from fatal telecom fire    CPME shareholders approve EGP 2.8bn acquisition of Qardy, Catalyst Partners Holding    Egypt, UNDP discuss expanded cooperation on medical waste management, human development    Egypt, Somalia leaders discuss strategic partnership, counterterrorism in New Alamein    CIB finances Giza Pyramids Sound and Light Show redevelopment with EGP 963m loan    Egypt's PM, Uruguay's president discuss Gaza, trade at BRICS summit    Egypt, Norway hold informal talks ahead of global plastic treaty negotiations    Greco-Roman tombs with hieroglyphic inscriptions discovered in Aswan    Egypt teams up with private sector to boost university rankings    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Egypt condemns deadly terrorist attack in Niger    Egypt's FM, China's Wang discuss Iran-Israel escalation    Egypt's EHA, Schneider Electric sign MoU on sustainable infrastructure    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    Egypt's Democratic Generation Party Evaluates 84 Candidates Ahead of Parliamentary Vote    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Cabinet approves establishment of national medical tourism council to boost healthcare sector    Egypt's PM follows up on Julius Nyerere dam project in Tanzania    Egypt's FM inspects Julius Nyerere Dam project in Tanzania    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Missing the pumpkin
Published in Al-Ahram Weekly on 06 - 10 - 2005


Amal Choucri Catta enjoys fables and fairytales
Russian Children's Ballet Season, Cinderella by Serguey Prokofiev. Venues: Alexandria Sayyed Darwish Theatre: 21 & 22 September, 10am and 2pm, and Main Hall, Cairo Opera House: 25 September, 11am and 6pm, and 26 September 10am and 12.30pm
The Alexandria and Cairo performances of Prokofiev's Cinderella were presented by the young dancers of The Kharkov Children's Ballet Company from Ukraine within the framework of the Russian Children's Ballet season. Russian ballet has always attracted large audiences in Egypt and Kharkov's eight performances were no exception. The young dancers, aged between nine and 18, gave seven matinée performances -- targeting mostly schoolchildren, and a single evening performance beginning at 6pm in Cairo's Main Hall.
This last was marred by a lack of organisation. Adults and children bearing unnumbered tickets insisted on sitting on seats reserved for holders of numbered tickets. Ushers tried in vain to convince the former to change places while those with numbered tickets grew increasingly shrill in their complaints as the Main Hall filled. Eventually chaos set in, with members of the audience screaming at each other as babies began to cry while other youngsters had fun playing hopscotch on the Main Hall's stairs. Children were still munching and rushing around as the lights dimmed, the overture began and a fairy in azure and silver costume waved her magic wand and executed impeccable pirouettes.
The simple backdrop, showing a landscape with a castle in the distance and a pink slipper in the foreground, was partially covered by a movable tableau illustrated with pans and teapots, saucers and tableware and all kinds of kitchen paraphernalia. Cinderella began her daily chores, cleaning, washing, cooking. An excellent dancer, she displayed a supple, captivating grace, the perfect counterpoint to the two odious and ugly step-sisters. The ill-natured one was particularly unpleasant, her sister merely gruff while the mother, though beautiful and a glorious dancer, was excessively harsh.
Receiving an invitation to the prince's ball the step-sisters brush up on their dances while buying new clothes, hats and jewellery for the occasion, convincing themselves they will be the belles of the ball. When they finally leave in a rented carriage, abandoning Cinderella to her brooms, a fairy appears and grants the poor girl's wish to go to the ball. Sadly for the audience there was no pumpkin to be magically turned into a carriage, though there were plenty of mice to be turned into the horses, pages and coachmen who escort Cinderella to the ball. With a final wave of her magic wand the fairy insists Cinderella leave the palace before midnight or else she will lose her lovely costume and appear in her wretched working clothes.
The scene with the clock's hands was performed by two extraordinarily slim dancers, clothed in grey tights, rushing around to Prokofiev's obstinate musical tune which returns at the end of the first act when Cinderella, having enjoyed her dance with the prince, realises the clock will soon strike midnight. She rushes home, losing a slipper in her flight.
Act Two finds the prince searching for his mysterious dance partner in Spain and in India. Finally he finds her closer to home, and the fairy blesses their wedding. Soloists and corps de ballet were all talented dancers. Though simplified and reduced to two acts, the ballet lost none of its enchantment. Sadly, many in the audience appeared to have trouble remaining quiet.
Les Fables à La Fontaine; Compagnie La Petite Farbrique, France. Modern dance performance. Venues: Main Hall, Cairo Opera House, 28 September, 9pm and Sayyed Darwish Theatre, Alexandria, 1 October 8pm
With the exception of one woman who continued to talk in a loud voice until she was asked to leave the Main Hall the audience attending last week's performance of La Fontaine's fables was better versed in theatre etiquette. The tales, this time, were not of fairies and pumpkins but of rats and crows, foxes, oak- trees and subtly bending reeds. The French company, La petite farbrique, had commissioned several choreographers to create brief dances based on Jean de La Fontaine's famous fables. The three presented at Cairo Opera House were modern dance performances with two or three dancers and some perfect body language.
The show started with Le rat de ville et le rat des champs -- the city rat and the field rat -- choreographed by Dominique Rébaud, with Severine Adamy as the city rat and Hugues Barnouin as the country cousin twisting and turning and somersaulting to the music of Alain Michon. The confrontation between the two, a series of alternating friendly and antagonistic encounters, culminates in mutual understanding with the city rat docilely following her companion into the fields.
The second dance, Le corbeau et le renard -- the crow and the fox -- choreographed by Dominique Hervieu, with Boba Pani and Wuzheng, and accompanied by a video-conception, revolved around the themes of hypocrisy, vanity and the world's cruelty. The third dance, Le chene et le roseau -- the oak-tree and the reed -- choreographed by Mourad Merzouki, with Mehdi Heniche as the reed, Aurelien Kairo as the oak-tree and Halim Houcine as the wind that buffets the trees and the plants, was performed to music by Ahcen Merzouki. It managed, with minimal effects, to evoke the rigidity of the tree and the flexibility of the reed that bends but does not break.
Brief, and executed with exemplary precision, the three dances managed to distil the essence of the fables in a startlingly original manner.


Clic here to read the story from its source.