It takes a gifted ballet company, and a confident artistic director, to stage Marius Petipa's The Kingdom of the Shades from La Bayadere. That's the challenge Hong Kong Ballet under Madeleine Onne will tackle in its upcoming triple bill, Symphony of Movements. The opening sequence, which demands perfection from every dancer, is considered the ultimate test for the female corps de ballet.
The choreography requires dancers to hold long balances in difficult positions, Onne explains. 'And the fact that if anyone wobbles, the audience will see it for sure.'
La Bayadere was created by master choreographer Petipa in 1877 to a score by Ludwig Minkus. Set in India, it tells the story of Nikiya, a bayadere (sacred temple dancer), and the warrior Solor, who are secretly in love. When Solor is forced to marry the Rajah's daughter, Gamzatti, the jealous Gamzatti has Nikiya murdered. Smoking opium to forget his sorrow, Solor has a vision of Nikiya's spirit, accompanied by other 'shades', and dances with her for the last time.
Often performed on its own, The Kingdom of the Shades is one of Petipa's greatest creations and a supreme celebration of the classical ballerina's art. The pas de deux and solos for Nikiya are tremendously demanding, as are the variations for the soloists, often used as benchmark pieces in competitions or examinations.
However, the greatest test is faced by the corps. The dancers - originally 32 but the ballet will have 18 - file in one by one down a zig-zag ramp at the back of the stage, performing a series of arabesques penchees en plie(standing on one leg and leaning forward with the supporting knee bent and free leg raised high behind) in synchronisation as they descend.
Criss-crossing from left to right and back again with white scarves draped along their arms, they form a coiling ribbon of white that represents the smoke rising from Solor's opium pipe.