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ROBERT HICKSThe Krasnoyarsk National Dance Company of Siberia incorporates acrobatics, spectacle, folklore and humor in its effort to represent the wide range of cultures in its home, Siberia.
Long as it is, the Krasnoyarsk National Dance Company of Siberia's moniker doesn't come close to describing what the 75-member troupe does.
Its shows aim to pull together an astonishing array of influences: the dances of heroic Cossack warriors, Gypsies and working people from the many cultures of Siberia.
At the same time, the troupe wows audiences all over the world with high-energy spectacle, dazzling gymnastic feats, dancers that seem to float across the stage, folk music on authentic instruments and lots of humor.
Like other dance troupes in the former Soviet Union, the 43-year-old Krasnoyarsk company is touring the world to make up for the arts funding it lost when the Communist regime collapsed. At the same time, it has tapped into a popular taste for folklore-inspired showmanship, much like Riverdance and its incarnations. The troupe routinely plays to packed houses and wins standing ovations.
The company is in the Tampa Bay area for two performances, in Clearwater and Sarasota. Each program will include dances based in traditional ballet and folkloric traditions from the 90 nationalities living in Siberia.
The ever-popular Cossack Dance showcases the men's remarkable jumps and pirouettes, and their gymnastic and acrobatic moves. Beautifully costumed women appear to float gracefully across the stage as they gather to share their secrets in the traditional round dance At The Well. And the floating is not a special effect; it's a dance technique in which the women move incredibly smoothly. Their long skirts cover their feet, achieving the floating illusion.
At the core of the performance, however, is storytelling.
"Unlike traditional ballet, this performance is a series of individual stories," wrote deputy director Grygory Dzobak, a former ballet dancer, in an e-mail interview. "Each piece tells a separate story while maintaining a common thread. There are stories of love, of course, and also comic pieces." In the dances, men typically represent strength and power, and women depict the fragile, delicate and lyrical side of the Siberian spirit, Dzobak said.
Artistic director Nikolay Goroshevsky, a dancer with the company for 20 years, assumed choreographic and artistic duties in 1991. Under his leadership, the company has increased the role of conductor Victor Muss' 13-piece orchestra so that instead of just accompanying the dancers, the orchestra also performs solo pieces on traditional instruments.
The company is based in Krasnoyarsk, a central Siberian city of nearly a million people with two universities, a symphony orchestra, an opera, a ballet company and a national dance school with which the troupe is affiliated. Mikhail Godenko began the company in 1960 with the idea of melding modern dance with folkloric traditions, while emphasizing fast pacing and humor. Consider the names of some of its most popular dances: Siberian Fun, Krasnoyarsk Merry Tunes. Other works vary in their subject matter, from family life (The Mother-In-Law had Seven Sons-In-Law) to the work of Russian painter V.I. Surikov (The Taking of the Snow Town).
"It was Godenko who taught Goroshevsky his way of melding folk dance with modern dance to create the beautiful pieces you will see in the performance," Dzobak wrote. "It's our goal to combine history with the present to make our future."
- Information from the Washington Post and the Associated Press was used in this report.
Preview
Krasnoyarsk National Dance Company of Siberia, 8 p.m. Tuesday, Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 McMullen-Booth Road, Clearwater. $20-$39. (727) 791-7400. Also 8 p.m. Wednesday, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, $25-$35. Toll-free 1-800-826-9303.