On Wednesday evening, the Russian National Ballet performed at the Anderson Center to a crowd of both Binghamton University students and members of the surrounding community.
The Russian National Ballet Theatre was founded in Moscow during the transitional perestroika period in the late 1980s when dancers and choreographers of the former Soviet Union’s ballet schools were beginning to accept and incorporate new developments into their ballet tradition. Today, the company is composed of over 50 highly experienced core dancers, many of whom have been with the company since its founding.
Christopher Bodnarczuk, marketing director of the Anderson Center, wrote in an email that the venue was a stop on the Russian National Ballet’s first U.S. tour in 1994, back when the company was known as the Moscow Festival Ballet. The Anderson Center has brought the group to BU on a near-annual basis since then.
“There aren’t many other opportunities to see professional ballet in the region, so hosting the Russian National Ballet has become a spring tradition for the Anderson Center and one of the most popular shows in our annual programming,” Bodnarczuk wrote. “The Greater Binghamton region has deep Russian roots, and we try to pay homage to that when planning our programming.”
The ballet the company performed was Giselle, which tells the story of a young peasant girl who dies of a broken heart after discovering that her lover, Count Albrecht, is promised to another. The count is then faced with the consequences of his deceit, but is ultimately spared by Giselle’s forgiveness beyond the grave. The music for the ballet was composed by French composer Adolphe Adam for its first performance in 1841 by the Paris Opera Ballet. As the ballet became forgotten by the Paris Opera Ballet and other companies in Europe, Russian dancers and choreographers preserved and revived it.
The play’s colorful and lively first act contrasted with its elegantly dramatic and somber second act, as jovial countryside dances ultimately gave way to a sinister scene tucked in a forest. A configuration of dispassionate yet ethereal ballerinas in long white tulle dresses representing the ghosts of young girls seemed to command the audience’s attention and wonder. The dancers received a standing ovation at the end of their performance.
Marguerite Fuller, an educator from New Milford, Pennsylvania who had come to the performance with her mother, said she enjoyed seeing ballets and thought it was worth seeing a renowned company perform outside of big cities.
“We’ve gone to ballets and performances in New York City and Philadelphia,” Fuller said. “It’s really kind of great that they brought this [company] to Binghamton, [since] it’s such a reputable company. I think any kind of art or culture that’s brought to the smaller areas — it’s just nice to see that.”
Mili Raicevic, a first-year graduate student studying public administration, said he heard about the performance through one of BU’s accounts on Instagram, and he was not disappointed.
“I think that the Russian National Ballet is quite famous, so I was excited for that reason,” Raicevic said. “And it was amazing, I really enjoyed it.”
Jorge Hadad, a first-year graduate student studying public administration, had first seen a ballet performance by a national ballet company in his home country of Cuba. He said that while he has past experience watching ballet, the Russian National Ballet brought something new to the table.
“My first time [seeing] a ballet, I think I was 10,” Hadad said. “But what happens with ballet is that every choreographer makes a variation. So sometimes you see the same piece, but you see different movements … and [the Russian National Ballet] is one of the greatest schools around the world.”
Raicevic said he also thought the performance was a pleasant way to have a respite from academics.
“Today [my friends and I] were discussing taking a break from everything, and just relaxing a little bit and enjoying self care, and I think this is one of the great things that [the University] has,” Raicevic said.