Ballet in three acts
Choreography: NATALIA MAKAROVA after MARIUS PETIPA
Music: LUDWIG MINKUS / JOHN LANCHBERY
Conductor: TADEUSZ WOJCIECHOWSKI
Set and costume design: JADWIGA JAROSIEWICZ
Lighting: STANISŁAW ZIĘBA
World premiere: 4 February 1877, Bolshoi Theatre, St. Petersburg
Premiere of this choreography: 21 May 1980, American Ballet Theatre, New York
Polish premiere: 15 May 2004, Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera, Warsaw
A beautiful Hindu tale about love whose power is stronger than death. The title temple dancer, Nikia, has devoted herself to gods, but she falls in love with a noble warrior Solor who also loves her. At the same time, the omnipotent Rajah has chosen the brave young man as a candidate for her daughter's, Gamzatti, husband. To get rid of her daughter's rival, he treacherously exposes Nikia to the bite of a venomous viper. The girl dies with a broken heart and Solor, in a dream, just like Orpheus follows his beloved into the Kingdom of the Shades. Meanwhile, Gamzatti triumphs and leads her grieving fiancé to the marriage ceremony. However, the gods, who want to revenge for the death of their priestess, destroy the temple, killing all those within. It is only now that the souls of Nikia and Solor are united for good.
Legendary ballet star Natalia Makarova has staged her version of the ballet at the Teatr Wielki adhering to the strictest Petersburg standards. She took an utmost care to reconstruct and smooth out the original version by the great Marius Petipa (1877), retaining his unmatched choreography for The Kingdom of Shadows scene as a gem of classical ballet heritage. Makarova first staged her Bajadère at the American Ballet Theatre in New York, then for a few times with the best classical dance companies. This vibrant, romantic production impresses with its scale, is deeply touching, and impossible to forget. It is full of solo shows of ballet ability and wonderful group scenes. It is a great test of academic skill for any ballet company. Also the Polish National Ballet, who are going to perform La Bayadère this season in Seville, Spain, as well.
Running time: 2 h 50 min.