La Bayadère

La Bayadère

Exploring the exotic culture of India and its traditions is not small task. The ballet by Chiara Ajkun is a journey through a romance of pride and mysteries set in this magnificent country as perceived by Petipa in the 19th century. The visually intoxicating colors of costumes of iconic Indian design set the backdrop for the tale of love, death and revenge of bayadère Nikiya and warrior Solor and the spectacular choreography.

This performance is part of the Face to Face Series.

The Story: Nikiya, the most beautiful of the bayadères*, is to become the lead temple dancer. During the sacred Ritual of Fire, the High Brahmin (Kazantsev) sees his love rejected by Nikiya (Burbine) and vows to K*ll Solor (Tafaj), the warrior loved by the bayadère. The Rajah decrees to reward Solor with his daughter’s hand, Gamzatti (Jeong, Takeshima). Gamzatti has fallen in love with Solor’s portrait, and he is overwhelmed by her beauty. Informed of Solor’s secret love, the Rajah decides to K*ll Nikiya. Gamzatti tries to bribe Nikiya to give up Solor but Nikiya, instead, tries to K*ll Gamzatti. Nikiya is to dance at the engagement, and Gamzatti hides in the Bayadère’s flowers a snake that kills her. Grief stricken, Solor finds solace in opium. As the vengeance of the gods unleashes, Nikiya and Solor are united in eternal love. [*temple dancers]

Choreography: Chiara Ajkun after Marius Petipa

Music: Ludwig Minkus

Libretto: Sergei Khudekov

Performing Company: Ajkun Ballet Theatre | www.ajkunbt.org

No intermission. Attendees must have a ticket. No Door Sales.

The Face to Face Series is an intimate and fully immersive live experience in iconic ballets where charming dancers and poetic music transport the audience inside the journey.

Hosted by Artistic Director Chiara Ajkun and Ballet Arts Center for Dance in the intimacy of the Rudolf Nureyev Studio, located at the 6th floor of the historic landmark The City Center, the series offers performances in close proximity of the dancers, complimentary photos with the cast and a meet-and-greet the performers and fellow dance enthusiasts at the end of the show. There are no Door Sales.

Proceeds benefit "A Ticket To Dream" offering free tickets to underprivileged members of our community and supports showings in-Children Hospitals.

For Inquiries about the show, please email [email protected] or call + 1 (347) 346-9951.

Classical ballets are of greatest importance in the Ajkun Ballet Company’s repertory and revisited by Chiara Ajkun with the greatest respect for the original intention of the choreographer and composer. Two centuries later, Ajkun believes ballets to be more enjoyable in a concise form – hence her interpretation of the classics in one-act versions.

History: based on Sergei Khudekov’s libretto, “La Bayadère” (“the temple dancer”) was a great success since its original performance in St. Petersburg in 1877 as a benefit for Russian Prima ballerina Ekaterina Vazem who danced Nikiya. Notably, Vazem went on to become the ballet teacher of Anna Pavlova. Modern versions of the ballet derive from the 1941 redacted version for the Kirov/ Mariinksy Ballet by Vladimir Ponomarev and Vakhtang Chabukiani. Natalia Makarova brought the ballet to the United States, with her full-length production of La Bayadère staged for American Ballet Theatre in 1980.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Ajkun Ballet Theatre at Ballet Arts, 130 West 56th Street, New York, United States