Word: firebirds
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Stravinsky's The Firebird, animated by the brothers Gaetan and Paul Brizzi, becomes a volcano dweller who destroys a forest; an elk and a wood sprite must somehow restore the glade. The story is similar to the Japanese animated film Princess Mononoke but told in under 10 minutes and with a more vibrant palette...
...opens with a scrim, a semi-opaque curtain at the front of the stage that blurs the action behind it, cementing the ballet in the human subconscious that lets the viewer experience and personalize art. The characters are endearing, fictitious, yet and somehow logical, carefully developed through choreography. The Firebird herself, given frantic, bird-like steps, seems supernatural, wrought with the frustration of being the sole guardian of good in a realm deprived of it. The princesses dance barefoot, as if to accentuate their delicacy and femininity in a dismal bleak world, and also their child-like helplessness in Kastchei...
...Firebird, however, is not without comic relief. Giant storks, with five-foot long necks, as well as other odd castle creatures provide laughs, but never does Wheeldon lose the carefully cultivated menacing atmosphere of Kastchei's land...
...music adds to the intensity of Firebird. The choreography is intricately tied to Stravinsky's haunting score, which complements the dancing perfectly. Combined with Boston Ballet's brilliant sets and costumes, the result creates a delicately-synchronized, maximum impact...
...Whether you find The Princess and the Pea a riotous, refreshing break from tradition or overly spoof-y, remember that Firebird is next. It's worth the wait...