Free Encore by Monique Raphel High Page B

style of dance from the romanticism dominant in Europe during the twenties to that of classicism. Now the younger dancers criticized Petipa for his unwillingness to change to a more natural fashion of ballet; some had actually formed a coalition during the politically troubled end of 1905 in an attempt to break the rigid dominance of the French Petipa and his assistant, Lev Ivanov. But their efforts had come to nothing. Natalia had ardently supported them in her heart, but had been too sheltered at the school to aid them in person.
    Lydia had told Natalia all about it, for she had been involved in the committee meetings. She had told Natalia that much promise lay in the young premier danseur, Fokine, and that he should be watched; also, that Pavlova was keenly jealous of Karsavina, who was a gentle creature, and a lady.
    The Daughter of Pharaoh was an opulent Nubian drama that offered one of the best opportunities for miming that Natalia had ever encountered. The entire ballet revolved around Aspitchia; in fact, when it was shown in its entirety, this character did not leave the stage for the entire four acts. Petipa had provided an exercise in virtuosity, while transforming a Russian girl into a Nubian princess. Natalia loved the dramatic challenge of this character change and liked the Eastern abstract patterns of her long tutu embroidered in gold thread.
    The annual performance of the ballet school was not only attended by family and teachers, but also by the most ardent devotees of the dance, such as the critics Svetlov and Skalkovsky. Members of the court came as well, most frequently represented by Grand-Duke Vladimir. Among the students would be found future prima ballerinas and premier danseurs, and the connoisseurs wished to be the first to discover new talent. Natalia stepped out onto the well-watered floor of the little theatre and looked out to her public. The grand-duke was in the imperial box; but, to the girl s utmost surprise, next to him sat the Tzarina, her pale red hair setting off the milk-white features beneath it. Natalia was suddenly very apprehensive. She had never seen Alexandra Feodorovna from so close.
    Then again lights glared and Natalia ceased to see faces before her. She entered the body of the passionate Aspitchia, in love with Taon. Pugni’s music carried her like a wave. She had studied this part so long and thoroughly because she had to mime her story to the audience, and she liked Pavel Guerdt, who had coached her, and wanted him to be proud of her. She had forgotten the Tzarina but not Guerdt, whose watching eyes she could almost feel. Behind her danced the corps, Katya among them. They were Natalia’s own Greek chorus, underscoring her drama.
    In the third act she perspired a great deal, for this was a Petipa extravaganza to show off her skill on pointes. She could feel a muscle contracting strangely as she rose, leaped, and turned, but the cramp did not set in, as she had feared. She felt so relieved that sheer primal joy coursed through her: She was vanquishing the difficult piece, taming her recalcitrant body by the sheer strength of her will.
    Amid pyramids, palaces, and a fisherman’s hut, Natalia danced, her face red and glistening. At the end, when she had successfully convinced the King of Nubia to allow her to marry her lover, exultation shone through her performance. She had triumphed. Aspitchia had won, and so had Oblonova. Natalia made her révérence and went offstage, her eyes tingling, stars shining before her. She stumbled. A gaping black hole sucked her inside it, and she collapsed at the feet of her teacher, Guerdt, who had come to give her his approval.
    She came to in a small room, and found herself on a narrow cot, surrounded by men and women whose faces she could not place but who spoke loudly in her ears so that their voices rang. Somebody was applying ice water to her temples. “It’s all right, ma petite,” Pavel Guerdt said, and,