Published in Houston Ballet's March 2017 Playbill, this feature discusses the historical significance of the "Kingdom of the Shades" in the classic ballet La Bayadère.

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L
a Bayadère, created by French choreographer Marius Petipa and Russian
dramatist Sergei Khudekov with music composed by Ludwig Minkus,
is a perennial favorite of ballet audiences and dancers alike. Ever since
the Imperial Ballet premiered the piece in 1877 at the Imperial Bolshoi
Kamenny Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, audiences and critics have been
enchanted by the “Kingdom of the Shades” scene in the ballet’s third act. The
remarkably simple yet exquisite tableaux—often performed independently of
Simplicity is Spellbinding
inLa Bayadère’s Iconic
“Kingdom of the Shades”
Scene
BY DAVID CLARKE
Photo:AmitavaSarkar
Sara Webb as Nikiya, Connor Walsh as Solor with Artists of Houston Ballet
03.17 Feature 1.indd 6 2/17/17 1:05 PM

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full productions of the ballet—still mesmerizes audiences today and is one of
classical ballet’s most cherished passages.
Petipa staged his “Kingdom of the Shades” as a Grand pas classique, meaning
that the choreographer emphasized classical technique and did not include
character dances or dramatic action. His pure, academic approach to this scene
stands as one of Petipa’s most celebrated compositions. This holy grail of ballet
technique on display would inform Petipa’s choreography for the “white”
scenes in Swan Lake. His original and ultimately poetic vision for “Kingdom
of the Shades” is preserved and honored in Stanton Welch’s choreography in
Houston Ballet’s lavish production of La Bayadère.
As the scene begins, the harpist plucks four notes and a ballerina appears at the
top of a ramp. The conductor waits for her to take her first two steps, and then
continues the music. With perfected poise, the ballerina performs an arabesque
in plié, briefly holds it, rounds her torso forward in a sweeping port de bras, then
arches her back and extends a leg in tendu as her arms open like a blooming flower.
She takes two steps forward, and another ballerina appears behind her. Together, in
perfect unison, the two repeat the phrase. They both take two more steps, a third
ballerina is revealed, and the phrase is performed again.
Elise Elliot with Artists of Houston Ballet
Photo:AmitavaSarkar
The ballerinas illuminate the sacred
while a spellbound audience is allowed
to revel in and worship at the altar of
classical dance.
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This process is repeated as all 24 of the ballerinas as Shades appear on stage,
snaking down the ramp and creating pristine lines with militaristic precision.
The first ballerina the audience sees performs the repeated phrase a total of 38
times. Then, to close the opening adage all 24 of the ballerinas quickly move in
a line and float on their toes, in bourrée. The simplicity of perfected repetition,
technical prowess, stamina, and stability in the opening of the scene carries
audiences to the edges of Elysium.
Through the now iconic set of slow and sustained motions that are
hallmarks of the “Kingdom of the Shades,” the sublime becomes tangible. The
audience is drawn into the ethereal, Nirvana-like state along with La Bayadère’s
hero, Solor. By this point in the plot, he is a grieving warrior, mourning the
Sara Webb as Nikiya, Connor Walsh as Solor
Photo:AmitavaSarkar
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proficiency as danced by the soloists
portraying Solor and Nikiya. Solor
makes a grand entrance, leaping
across the stage. He is reunited with
Nikiya, now a Shade. They dance a
beautiful, robust grand pas de deux
that culminates in a tender and
heartbreaking coda where the lovers
dance separated by the length of a
translucent white scarf—a literal
representation of how they are
symbolically separated by the veil
of death.
The emotionality of “Kingdom
of the Shades” and the sheer amount
of skill needed to pull it off in
performance can bring dancers and
members of the audience to tears. The
gorgeous passage is a treasure and the
crown jewel of any presentation of La
Bayadère.
Houston Ballet presents Stan-
ton Welch’s La Bayadère from
June 8–18.
death of Nikiya, his lover and a temple dancer. After smoking opium, to
ease his broken heart, he is transported to a heavenly realm and greeted by a
procession of Shades, the ghosts of other temple dancers.
The magic of the scene comes from the impeccable harmony in the Shades’s
fluid movements. Performing with a staggering level of control, each ballerina
follows the artist in front of her by mirroring every facet from the angle of her
heels to the focus of her eye. When performed correctly, the ballerinas appear
almost mechanical, flawlessly repeating the phrase in shimmering white tutus
and veils. Through the repetition, the ballerinas illuminate the sacred while a
spellbound audience is allowed to revel in and worship at the altar of classical
dance and usually show their appreciation with thunderous applause.
The dance then transitions into a waltz featuring three Shades in a splendid
pas de trios. Here, all the Shades get to showcase their unique qualities in
the variations that occur during the opulent dances throughout the remainder
of the scene. The “Kingdom of the Shades” becomes a showcase of astute
David Clarke is the Editor-in-Chief of
Theatrical Recordings and a contributor to
BroadwayWorld.com, Out Magazine’s Out.
com, and others. He also works in public
relations at New York’s Lincoln Center for the
Performing Arts.
Top: Artists of Houston Ballet.
Below: Sara Webb as Nikiya, Connor Walsh as Solor with Artists of Houston Ballet
Photo:AmitavaSarkarPhoto:AmitavaSarkar
The simplicity
of perfected
repetition, technical
prowess, stamina,
and stability.
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