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Recent Review

Russian star shines at Metropolitan Classical Ballet

Posted Saturday, June 20, 2009

By Karen McDonough
www.neighborsgo.com

FORT WORTH – Big leaps, modern movement and classical story lines marked the Metropolitan Classical Ballet’s summer repertory on June 13 at Bass Performance Hall.

While the program offered something for all balletic tastes – including adaptations of two classical works – the highlight for me was watching the company’s star Olga Pavlova dance with her partner and husband, Yevgeni Anfinogenov, in the starkly modern and intriguing Webern Pieces choreographed by Paul Mejia, co-artistic director of the company.

The Russian pair made the dramatic staging set to Anton Webern’s sparse, atonal music (which is hard for many to get) look effortless. Wearing a simple black leotard, Pavlova’s exquisite line and technical precision were evident as she delicately moved with a feline grace and intensity. A slow leg raised to the ear captivated; the careful wrapping of each leg around the waist of her bare-chested partner proved powerfully intimate. A stunning overhead lift by Anfinogenov of Pavlova, in a tightly curled ball, quietly dazzled.

Olga Pavlova and Yevgeni Anfinogenov
Image by Marty Sohl

Pavlova is a former Bolshoi Ballet dancer who has performed worldwide. She has studied with Maya Plisetskaya (who greatly influenced her), worked with choreographer Yuri Grigorovich and danced with Alexei Ratmansky (before he ran the Bolshoi and became the much sought-after ballet maker he is today.) Since coming to Dallas six years ago, Pavlova’s developed a following and it’s easy to see why. With soft, almond-shaped eyes and a small yet athletic build, Pavlova possesses an Audrey Hepburn-like quality to her (ala Funny Face) with a lightness and charm.

“Olga is beautiful,” Mejia said. “I’ve worked with many wonderful dancers, she is an absolute complete artist.. She looks different in every piece she does.”

For Pavlova, dancing is everything. “I was just born for dance, I don’t know what else I’d do,” she says with a playful giggle. “When you breathe, you just do it. For me, dance is the same way.”

Webern Pieces is personal, in a way, for Mejia, who created it 23 years ago when he was co-artistic director of Chicago City Ballet with Maria Tallchief. It was first danced by Maria Terezia Balogh and Joseph Malbrough at the Jubilee Gala for the American Guild of Musical Artists. Mejia is married to Maria Terezia Balogh.

On the classical side of the program, Paganini and Paquita, both staged by Alexander Vetrov, the company’s other artistic director, showed how bright and accessible dance from another century can be.

Paganini, set to Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini, was vigorously portrayed by Shea Johnson, a strong dancer with abounding enthusiasm for the spotlight; his grand jetes and crowd-enjoying fouettes drew audible responses. Marianna Ryzhkina and Andrey Prikhodko radiantly carried this version of Paquita, which included the Grand Pas that wasn’t part of the original 1846 Paris Opera premiere.

The Metropolitan Classical Ballet Orchestra, led by Ron Spigelman with guest pianist Gleb Ivanov, provided the evening’s music.

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