The last five years have been grim for the Bolshoi, visited by financial and political crises that make The Royal's recent troubles look like a summer holiday. But Alexei Ratmansky's appointment as director has been heralded as the start of a new era, and his choice of Don Quixote to open this year's London season is a clear marker of company pride.
Out of all the classic repertory, Petipa's 1869 ballet is the one over which the Bolshoi claims most particular ownership. And despite its rackety plot, its lurching gear changes between classicism and farce, Don Q still looks like the perfect vehicle for the company - showing off its historic dash and colour while challenging a new generation of dancers to discover their own fun with it.
Appropriately the best thing about Monday's cast was the corps who flaunted their fans and their faux Spanish footwork with delicious brio. Compared with some of the more enervated performances in recent Bolshoi history, everyone danced with a bright sense of self belief in their steps and their characters. This mix of style and sensibility was also vivid at soloist level, with Anastasia Yatsenko displaying a blend of refinement and merriment as Pikkiliya and Yulianna Malkhasyants bringing a wild drama of possession to her Gypsy Dance. This is normally one of the hokiest numbers in the ballet, second only to the buffoonery of Sancho Panza. But even the latter assumed an unusual conviction, with Alexander Petukhov a tender and robust foil to the dottiness of Alexei Loparevich's Don.
It is the ballet's lovers who ultimately set the tone, and on Monday these were the most mismatched element on stage. While Sergei Filin was an irresistible Basil, his handsome face and technique gleaming with assurance and mischief, Maria Alexandrova's Kitri looked brittle. Technically she may be fearless, yet her snap never added up to sparkle, her flirtiness never looked sexy.
As a result the performance as a whole lacked heart - yet with Pavel Sorokin conducting the Bolshoi orchestra at a terrific lick it had almost enough wit and energy to compensate. The omens are good for Ratmansky that this old war horse of a ballet should start the season looking so supple, frisky and young.
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