I posted this clip from the Bolshoi’s “The Lesson” (Nikolai Tsiskaridze and Maria Alexandrova) on instagram and got a comment I really wanted to address.
Hopefully in context this is exposing the horrors of violence against women and drawing attention to this horrifying societal issue.
Here’s my answer:
It depends on how you read it. The ballet is based on Ionesco’s play of the same name, and in the context of that play the murder is an act of antisemitism. The ballet lacks this aspect though, and different dancers interpreted it differently. Tsiskaridze’s own interpretation was of a faded star who murders his students out of jealousy (it’s implied that he has multiple victims). This particular murder happened during a manic episode and he didn’t realise what he had done until after the fact. Which is why he’s taking a bow at the end of that scene; he thinks it’s a performance and he’s on stage. Tsiskaridze doesn’t explicitly say that his character is a predator, but he plays him as a predator.
Here’s what I didn’t write:
Russia has a HUGE problem with domestic violence, and part of the problem is that it’s not recognised as a problem by a large chunk of population. Including women. There’s actually resistance to anti-family violence laws in Russia, because people (including women) feel that this would interfere with “private matters”.
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"The Lesson" is, in my opinion. One of Tsiskaridze's best works. The ballet is unique because it relies on acting more than it does on dancing, and Tsiskaridze is a marvellous actor.
d i s c l a i m e r