The Kirov Ballet - Jewels - Emeralds/Rubies/Diamonds

Published Wednesday 14 May 2008 at 11:40 by Natalie Anglesey

One of the world’s great ballet companies, the Kirov, from the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, returns to Salford Quays, after an absence of five years, with a veritable feast of dance.

An iridescent production of Balanchine’s Jewels, first seen in London in 2000, received its north-west premiere. Originally conceived for his own New York City Ballet, it had already enjoyed its European premiere performed, in its entirety, by this company.

Emeralds, set to Faure’s lyrical score, is a brilliant evocation of the classical tradition of dance. The sweeping movements and exhilarating lifts, beautifully danced by Olesya Novikova and Maxim Zuzin, strongly supported by Anastasia Kolegova and Andrei Ermakov, bore a teasing hint of what was to come.

Rubies, set to Stravinsky, sees Balanchine at his very best, with an explosive transition from classical to contemporary styles. Rich with the signature moves adopted by later choreographers, like Fosse, it contains strong showbiz echoes of the direction he would eventually follow and is executed with sparkling precision by Novikova and Anton Korsakov with Ekaterina Kondaurova making a stunning impression.

Diamonds, superbly danced to Tchaikovsky by Viktoria Tereshkina and Evgeny Ivanchenko, with able support from the rest of the company, provides the glittering finale with its homage to dance and the dancers.

The high cost of the tickets for a regional production, with prices ranging from £35 to £95, could have something to do with the disappointing turn out for such a superb programme.