La Bayadère (Universal Ballet)

24th July 2020, Friday - 8:00pm IST | 104 minutes

-Music: Ludwig Minkus

-Choreography: Marius Petipa, Vakhtang Chabukiany 

-Staging: Oleg Vinogradov, Natalia Spitsyna 

-Costume & Set Design: Marianna Zentchenko

-Lighting Design: Kyungwon Seo

-Casting: Chaelee Kim(Nikia), Taesuk Kim(Solor), Jiwon Choi(Gamzatti)

YouTube: https://youtu.be/6nXQqeo6sTk

La Bayadère is a ballet, originally staged in four acts and seven tableaux by French choreographer Marius Petipa to the music of Ludwig Minkus. Debuted in 1877 by the Imperial Ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg which the one of the prestigious theatre in Russia. In La Bayadère, there are about 150 dancers, including extras, even a life-size elephant.

Act I, Scene I, Outside Temple in the Sacred Forest:  The High Brahmin, priests, and temple dancers are celebrating the Indian Ritual of Fire.  Nikia, the most beautiful of the bayadères, has been chosen to be consecrated the lead temple dancer.  The High Brahmin declares his love for Nikia, but is rejected by her.  Nikia meets secretly with Solor later that evening.  They dance together and swear eternal love over the Sacred Fire, but are discovered by the jealous High Brahmin, who vows to kill Solor.

Act I, Scene II, A Room in the Palace:  The Rajah has decided to reward Solor’s valor and decrees that the warrior will marry his daughter, Gamzatti.  Gamzatti falls in love with Solor’s portrait, and when they meet, he is overwhelmed by her beauty.  Even though he has sworn eternal love to Nikia, he cannot defy the wishes of the Rajah and agrees to marry Gamzatti.  The High Brahmin informs the Rajah of Nikia and Solor’s secret love, hoping that the Rajah will do away with Solor.  Instead, the Rajah decides to kill Nikia.

This conversation is overhead by Gamzatti, who summons Nikia to her rooms and attempts to bribe Nikia to give up Solor.  Refusing, Nikia frantically attempts to kill  Gamzatti.  Nikia flees and Gamzatti swears to destroy her.

Act I, Scene III, The Garden of the Palace:  At the betrothal of Solor and Gamzatti, Nikia is commanded to dance. Gamzatti presents her with a basket of flowers that Nikia believes to be from Solor, and which conceal a deadly snake.  Nikia is bitten, and when Solor leaves with Gamzatti, she refuses the proffered antidote and dies.

Act II, The Tent of Solor:  Solor, grief-stricken and under the influence of opium, dreams of being reunited with Nikia in the Kingdom of the Shades.  Awakening, he realizes that he must prepare to marry Gamzatti.

Act III, The Temple:  The vision of Nikia remains with Solor as the wedding ceremony begins at the Sacred Temple.  As soon as Solor and Gamzatti say their vows and are blessed by the High Brahmin, the vengeance of the gods is unleashed, and the temple along with all the celebrants are destroyed.  Nikia and Solor are once again united in eternal love.