08.11.2018
Ivan Vasiliev: “Strength from the absence of illusions”
Ivan Vasiliev continues to forge his path as a choreographer. His single-act ballet Prodigal Son will premiere on the stage of the Hermitage Theatre on 26 November. The compositions of Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns provide the musical basis for the production. Ivan talked to us about why he chose an archetypal and timeless story for his new ballet.
„As young people mature, they begin to feel that they are ready to live independently. It’s a natural process. In the canonical biblical parable, the son leaves his father behind; in my ballet, he leaves his mother behind. The world and its glossy shine entice him. Much must happen before he realizes that la dolce vita requires constant gilding. This world in which our hero strived wrings him like a sponge, leaving him only a pistol with one cartridge. Yet the story of the prodigal son does not appear tragic to me. My hero does not entirely lose himself — he was simply looking for himself in the wrong place. This is partly a happy ending, because he retains his former potential, but now it is bolstered by experience which will certainly ennoble his honest urges in the future. Life doesn’t destroy him; instead, it makes him stronger. Strength in this case comes from the absence of illusions. Or from the truth, as they also say.
„Prodigal Son will be my ninth ballet. When you’ve performed enough, your palette of movements changes. It’s inevitable, and is undoubtedly a result of having gained more experience. Every ballet turns out differently — no two are the same, because the dance dictates the music. The classical style is the foundation. When you are working with professional ballet artists who have spent nine years studying classical dance, you can’t make them portray a dog. Dances must remain dances.“
„As young people mature, they begin to feel that they are ready to live independently. It’s a natural process. In the canonical biblical parable, the son leaves his father behind; in my ballet, he leaves his mother behind. The world and its glossy shine entice him. Much must happen before he realizes that la dolce vita requires constant gilding. This world in which our hero strived wrings him like a sponge, leaving him only a pistol with one cartridge. Yet the story of the prodigal son does not appear tragic to me. My hero does not entirely lose himself — he was simply looking for himself in the wrong place. This is partly a happy ending, because he retains his former potential, but now it is bolstered by experience which will certainly ennoble his honest urges in the future. Life doesn’t destroy him; instead, it makes him stronger. Strength in this case comes from the absence of illusions. Or from the truth, as they also say.
„Prodigal Son will be my ninth ballet. When you’ve performed enough, your palette of movements changes. It’s inevitable, and is undoubtedly a result of having gained more experience. Every ballet turns out differently — no two are the same, because the dance dictates the music. The classical style is the foundation. When you are working with professional ballet artists who have spent nine years studying classical dance, you can’t make them portray a dog. Dances must remain dances.“
