Hear
The sleeping beauty of the forestballet in a prologue and three acts, based on the story by Charles Perrault. Music: PI Tchaikovsky. Choreography: Mario Galizzi (on the original by Marius Petipa). By the Stable Ballet of the Teatro Colón. Address: Mario Galizzi. Scenography: Christian Prego. Locker room: Aníbal Lápiz. Lightning: Ruben Conde. Stable Orchestra. Address: Carlos Calleja. At the Teatro Colón. Performances until June 25.
Our opinion: Very good
Princess Aurora bursts onto the scene for the celebration of her sixteenth birthday with a delightful display of steps and turns, a true exaltation of her adolescent figure: light and graceful, Ayelen Sanchezwho in the 2017 season had embodied the Lilac Fairy (and will do so again, in some of the upcoming performances) now assumes the leading role of The sleeping beauty of the forest, according to the revision undertaken by Mario Galizzi in 1990 for the centenary of Marius Petipa’s original choreography. The splendor of the birthday girl will be interrupted by the arrival of the resentful witch Carabosse (Rocio Aguero), whose floral offering cunningly hides the avenging sleeping pill that will paralyze the teenage heroine and, later, the entire forest environment.
But we are anticipating. Before that crucial scene there is a prologue that exposes “The Baptism” of the princess, sixteen years ago, in which an entourage of fairies appears, summoned to the event. It is in this circumstance that the sinister Carabosse appears, snubbed, because Catalabutte, the master of ceremonies, forgot to invite her. Big mistake. And horror: The witch’s revenge will come, someday. But, for the moment and as if to dispel the bad vibes, this first section closes with dance music performed by the Orquesta Estable del Colón, conducted on this occasion by Carlos Calleja. It is the forceful score composed by Tchaikovsky in accordance with Petipa’s precise instructions, according to the requirements of its conception, and which gave rise to this extensive parade of scenic feats, a complex work that has become – in the words of Rudolf Nureyev – “ “the ballet of all ballets.”
Composer and choreographer created the piece in 1890, based on a story by Charles Perrault from almost two centuries earlier. It is surprising that beneath the fairy and youthful shell of the celebrations hides a dark vein, the blood that flows from the evil puncture (which in this revival Sánchez will dramatize with conviction), as well as the paralysis that ensues and lasts a hundred years. As with classical myths, in these chiaroscuro contemporary interpretations find archetypal signs: the lethargy into which the princess falls, for example, is an allegory – according to Bruno Bettelheim – of her growth retardation, the late sexual awakening with that prince. who will be your lover.
The first act, the birthday one (titled “The Spell”), begins with a waltz – one of the “requests.” ad hoc from Petipa to the composer–, in which the silhouettes of the female sector of the Colón Stable Corps (plus the girls from the Higher Institute of Art) emerge, like a kind of human wave, graceful and undulating. The princess appears: alternating with her four suitors and then, in the solo of the final variation, Ayelén Sánchez exercises her fluid ductility there for the déboulés and the penchés.
The evil of Carabosse, with its bloodthirsty prick and the consequent fainting of Aurora, is followed by the witch’s controversy with the Lilac Fairy, who tries to alleviate the effect of the damage; It is a kind of duel, in which Camila Bocca imposes subtle qualities to her fairy-like actions, while Rocío Agüero unleashes ferocious speed, in addition to the nerve that his character requires.
We must talk about the prince and his (late) arrival to the enchanted forest, one hundred years later: Juan Pablo Ledo once again assumes that role with the same efficiency and that extra poise that experience gives him, at a peak – perhaps – of his career. The solo that precedes “The Vision” is impeccable, and the duet with the imaginary princess provides delights that will be resumed in the following act, at the wedding itself. The scene, strictly speaking, is a dramatic resource to delay the prodigious kiss with which the teenager and her surroundings will return to life.
The final chapter, “Aurora’s Wedding” and its undisguisable status as an “appendix” (so much so that it is sometimes offered as an autonomous piece), reserves the gourmet morsels that every ballet lover hopes to see again. There is no magic in this closing, but there is pyrotechnics and discretionary entertainment, which Galizzi, adapter and director of the company, did his best to orchestrate. They are there the Amethyst by Caterina Stutz and the Diamond by Candela Rodríguez Echeniqueas well as the expected variations of men, namely, the Pulgarcito by Luciano García and the spectacular performances of the Paraguayan Jiva Velázquez (the Gold), with his proverbial and athletic figure, and the no less versatile availability of the Venezuelan Yosmer Carreño, with his applauded Pájaro Azul. A repertoire of figures, legends and virtuosities, in short, that adults and adolescents enjoy again and again.
