THE recent performance of "Spartacus" ballet by the Cairo Opera Ballet Company offered a great opportunity for new talents and revealed an excellent level of performance and production. The same ballet was presented last year by the Bolshoi Ballet Theatre of Belarus choreographed by Valentin Elizariev. Although Elizariev's version of "Spartacus" is not as stunning as the choreography of the legendary Russian choreographer Yuri Grigorovich, it was used in the latest Cairo production. Nevertheless, it proved to be suitable for the performers and the artistic technicians alike. Elizariev himself participated in presenting this very ballet for the first time in Cairo in 1982, and therefore we would have expected to see the 2010 production in a rather different form, but this was not the case. His choreography overlooked the historical details and the plot, and devoted a great deal to the personal feelings and sensational portrayal of the main characters. This resulted in long dance scenes without dramatic development. The battle scenes came weak and relied heavily on oversimplified symbolism. Consequently, the work could not achieve the necessary dramatic balance, which led to skipping parts of the original musical score to accommodate the changes in the general scenario. This dramatic shortcoming aside, the performance of the members of Cairo Opera Ballet Company was terrific. This was clear in the dance techniques, and specially the group dances which indicated a high level of training thanks to the efforts of the trainers Adel Afifi, Magdy Saber, Lamia Zayed, Sherif Behader, Ala Chitlova, and Aremenia Kamel. The students of the Ballet Institute assisted in the several group formations on the stage, which is a positive point in this production. A special mention should be made of the Egyptian stars of this ballet. Ahmed Yehia and Hany Hasan alternatively portrayed the role of Spartacus. They showed powerful physique and impressive strength. Their portrayal of the ancient gladiator was breath-taking. Hasan's performance stressed the expressive dimensions of the character, while the physical power was a landmark in Yehia's dancing. This production benefited remarkably from the great scenery designs of Mahmoud Haggag, which combined both elements of impressiveness and expressiveness. He applied the vocabulary of the Roman art in designing the stage as semicircle and used a number of Roman pillars with curtains full of Roman inscriptions and images. In the second act the use of gilded pillars was spectacular. The lighting that played an important part of this production was attributed in the printed programme to Reda Ibrahim, but it is not clear whether it was from his own creation or not. Together with the Haggag's tantalising scenery designs, the lighting enriched and deepened the dramatic effect. A clear example was bathing the stage in blue colours in the romantic scenes between Spartacus and his wife. In the final dramatic scene, however, the red colour prevailed and rendered the dramatic climax in a spellbinding visual language. Khachaturian's great orchestral score was interpreted by the young conductor Nayer Nagui. Although a comparison between his interpretation and the previous Russian conductors, who presented the same work in Cairo in the past would not do him justice, he painstakingly studied the score and tried to bring out the expressivity and vigor of the Khachaturian's music. It is really hoped in the future that the Cairo Opera Ballet Company will try to present this great ballet in the version of the celebrated choreographer Grigorovich, which was presented in Cairo Opera House in 1993 by the ballet company of Novosibirsk Opera. [email protected]
