Dare to Dance with “Ivan the Terrible”

Saturday, May 30 at 6:30 pm at the Orcas Center

— from Artha Kass for the Orcas Center —

“Ivan the Terrible” presented in ballet at the Orcas Center on May 30

Be transported again to the golden, glorious Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow for the live performance of The Bolshoi Ballet’s “Ivan the Terrible” streaming to Orcas Center on Saturday, May 30 at 6:30 pm.

Drawing on the music composed by Prokofiev for the 1944 Eisenstein film, “Ivan the Terrible” is a work in the true Bolshoi style. Yuri Grigorovich’s powerful and fascinating epic dramatizes Ivan the Terrible’s controversial reign, and portrays events in 16th-century Russia in visually stunning scenes. His choreography, full of vigor, strength and wild jumps, also includes great grace and fragility in the female roles. Sensitive classical and powerful character dance blend to create a lyrical epic, rich in the colors of medieval Russia. Recently revived, Ivan the Terrible is an essential part of the company’s repertoire, a 20th-century classic, and a wonderful theatrical experience.

Jean Henigson, Orcas Island ballet teacher writes: “The Bolshoi Ballet brings the tradition of Russian classical ballet from the 19th and 20th Centuries. Choreographer Yuri Gregorivich, a Soviet era choreographer, moved from the tradition of choreographer Marius Petipa to bring the influence of Soviet glorification to the stage. As current choreographer and director of the Bolshoi Ballet, his work stresses strength and power, often based upon Russian stories with the music of Russian composers such as Tchaikovsky, Prokovief and Stravinsky.”

She continues, “This is our chance to watch dancers who are among the finest performers of traditional classical ballet that you can ever see. I also urge you to take your children to see these wonderful dancers, just as you would take them to a museum to see the best works of visual artists.”

Choreographer Yuri Grigorovich about “Ivan the Terrible:” “The ballet world believes that Prokofiev belongs to ballet. And my production was being brought into existence quite naturally, despite seeming contradictions between the central character and the essence of ballet itself. There were no doubts whatsoever that this music can bring the stage dance to life. My conception was based primarily on music, not on something else — stories from Russian history, characters’ biographies, their psychological characteristics, folk background and the like assigned to or even imposed on me by numerous ballet analysts. No — and I will repeat again and again — it was only Prokofiev’s music. My concept started with it forty years ago and it is still confined to music now.

See the trailer for this powerful performance here: https://youtu.be/549f2zyoWXQ

The apt motto from the Guardian for the 2015 season is “Ballet, at this level, is a belief system, and the Bolshoi remains one of its cathedrals.” Come and experience this magic yourself.

Tickets for the Bolshoi Ballet’s “Ivan the Terrible” are $18, $13 for students, $2 off for Orcas Center members, and may be purchased at www.orcascenter.org or by calling 376-2281 ext. 1 or visiting the Orcas Center Box Office open Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from noon – 2 pm.