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Monday, September 16, 2002

By Jane Vranish

LONDON -- It is a land where the natives wade through history like they do through rain puddles. Over the centuries, the kitchens of Hampton Palace have evolved into the sumptuous food galleries at Harrod's department store, and the Covent Garden stalls frequented by Eliza Doolittle have become posh boutiques.

But some things never change in England, such as the comforting dome of St. Paul Cathedral, virtually the only building left standing during the bombings of World War II. Or the double-decker buses. And, of course, the "Royals."

Included in that last exclusive club is the Royal Ballet. Although claiming to be a blend of the theatricality found in Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and London commercial dance, the members of this company effectively echo the aristocratic heritage of this art form with their upper-crust posture and stylish technique.

The company journeyed to Kennedy Center two years ago with a choice collection of Sir Frederick Ashton ballets. Certainly Ashton is the choreographer who made this company famous, the English equivalent of America's George Balanchine.

But any company should be seen on its home turf, in this case Covent Garden's Royal Opera House, an intimate, jewel-like setting with orchestra "stalls" instead of boxes, "intervals" in place of intermissions and a house curtain ornately embellished with the royal crest.

The Royal Ballet recently ended its season there with a 1954 production of "Coppelia" initiated by another English legend, Dame Ninette de Valois.

De Valois was the founder of the Royal Ballet in 1931, then called Sadlers-Wells. Queen Elizabeth II rewarded her efforts in developing British ballet by naming de Valois Dame of the British Empire. De Valois would continue to take an interest in the company and was appointed Life Governor until her death at the age of 102 on March 8, 2001.

Although the company has had subsequent versions of "Coppelia," it reconstructed this particular one in her honor. The ballet itself played a pivotal role in the company's development. When first performed in 1934 under the direction of Nicholas Sergeyev, former regisseur of the Maryinsky Ballet, it used the original Russian choreography in a two-act version and gave the Royal Ballet a certain popularity and credibility in attracting audiences.

De Valois would continue to return to and change the ballet, producing this distinctive version in 1954. It's a charming English countryside of a production, with Osbert Lancaster's set design wallowing in the enduring simplicity of thatched cottages and flame-like evergreens.

The choreography, like many of the Royal Ballet's classical productions, keeps a close connection to and respect for the Russian original. But with the British knack for real ensemble, numbers such as the first-act peasant dances are full of an unorthodox combination of lively camaraderie and lacy filigree patterns.

While "Coppelia" is a tasty comic ballet, certainly not in the same league as Royal Ballet's stalwart productions of "Swan Lake" and "Sleeping Beauty" or even the sublime effervescence of Ashton's "La Fille Mal Gardee," it does afford its leads the opportunity for real tour de force.

Luke Heydon, principal character artist with the Royal Ballet, played Dr. Coppelius in the great tradition of English character dancers, with a crotchety stance but a sympathetic nature that endeared him to the audience.

Marianela Nunez is a young Argentine dancer who has rapidly risen to first soloist with the company. Her strength lies with a clean and pliant technique, her weakness in character development, which could be attributed to a lack of coaching. The role of Swanhilda is easily accessible by a young soubrette who is full of pizazz and confidence. In that vein, Nunez conquered the technical solo parts but had yet to connect with them and her partner.

Carlos Acosta, who joined the company from the wide-open stage of the Houston Ballet, was in a class by himself, the dynamic vortex of any stage action, whether it be a nod of the head or a brilliant jump that hovered in the air. This was a dancer of international proportions and currently one of the leading performers in the company.

Although Acosta dominated the stage, it was the schooling that set the Royal Ballet apart. The openly classical, but always natural carriage of these dancers is something that is rarely seen in the United States. Such homogeneity of purpose is something that can be found only in the repertoire of the New York City Ballet with its essentially American speed and energy.

So the Royal Ballet may have been peasants for this production, but the brilliance and dedication of de Valois' vision was still readily apparent in an unerringly "royal" way.

Jane Vranish is a free-lance dance critic for the Post-Gazette.