Grand Kyiv Ballet chills with 'Snow Queen'

Grand Kyiv Ballet performed its disappointing "The Snow Queen" on Friday at the Palace Theater in Albany. 

Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen” is perfect ballet fodder. The good vs. evil tale centers on a boy, Kay, who becomes entrapped in the spell of the cool and evil Snow Queen, but is released from a life of cold cruelty by the love of his friend, Gerta.
 
The narrative is an ideal for an artform that embraces gruesome witches, ogres and the like who capture the sweet, beautiful and innocent. Yet Grand Kyiv Ballet’s version, as seen on Friday night at the Palace Theater in Albany, was less than charming on a number of fronts.
 
The backdrops were lovely setting the scene for Kay and Gerta’s idyllic pastoral village and the Queen’s frosty kingdom. The costumes were equally persuasive with a snow-sprinkled, glittering gown for the Queen, menacing black and red for her retinue of scheming trolls and a sweet floral dress with a blue fur hem for Gerta.
 
But the pleasure in the ballet, as choreographed by Alexander Abdukarimov ends there. The main problem was the choreography was dull and the dancing uneven. The music, as composed by Tuomas Kantelinen, propelled the story forward. But Addukarimov’s choreography just couldn’t latch on and ride the adventure.
 
The movement was limited and repetitive and ultimately boring. For example, the Snow Queen mainly stabbed the air and moved her arms like an airport runway marshal. She was often carried about by her minions as if the choreographer couldn’t think of any other way to present her superiority over the mortals below.
 
For Kay and Gerta, who were unidentified in the program, they suffered through many awkward lifts that at times were dangerous as Gerta slipped through his hands, catching her just before the fall.
 
Oddly, the dancers were very good – individually. They were all strong as soloists. But as an ensemble, they could not dance as one. The heat of a group of dancers all doing the same thing precisely was impossible for this group. All one could see was a mishmash of arms and legs going every which way but together.
 
Making matters worse was the lighting. The Snow Queen was often dancing in the dark. At first, I was certain this must be a technical glitch. But her dim lighting was routine. Her corps de ballet was offered more lighting than she. I have never seen a soloist, especially one with a sparkling costume, left to grab the audience’s attention in the dark.
 
Honestly, it’s difficult to criticize the Grand Kyiv Ballet because I know each of those dancers are suffering emotionally as their country continues to be torn apart by war. I wanted to be enthralled.
 
But they have a second change. The Grand Kyiv Ballet will dance Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” at The Egg on Thursday and Friday, Dec. 19 and 20. In more ways than one, I’m praying for their redemption.