Music and Dance Reviews : Diaghilev Evening

The addition of Mikhail Fokine’s “Petrushka” to the Joffrey Ballet’s Diaghilev program this season creates some tantalizing food for thought.

One might expect family resemblances between the movement in Vaslav Nijinksy’s “L’Apres-midi d’un Faune” (1912) and his “Le Sacre du Printemps” (1913). But some of the turned-in stances in “Petrushka” (1911) also looked awfully familiar Sunday evening in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Did Nijinsky steal ideas from Fokine? Probably not: Nijinsky heard the music for “Petrushka” much earlier than Fokine did and there are accounts stating that he began creating the puppet movement (so similar to motifs in “Sacre”) long before Fokine’s ballet went into rehearsal.

In any case, the dancing Sunday made links in style and questions of derivation very vivid indeed. Capped by a joyous Coachmen’s Dance, the “Petrushka” carnival crowd made up for a lackluster Friday performance with one of exceptional generosity. The “Sacre” celebrants, too, blessed the earth with unstinting zeal.

In his first performance as Petrushka, Glenn Edgerton hadn’t yet more than sketched in the contours of the role--but his solemnity proved arresting. Cameron Basden brought a nice venal edge to the classical platitudes of the Ballerina.

As the Chosen One in “Sacre,” Carole Valleskey again danced herself to death with touching vulnerability--a broken blossom rather than an earth mother.

However, “Faune” never fully woke up, largely because Tyler Walters still lacked ideal heat and tension in the Faun’s encounters with the Nymph (Charlene Gehm, a bit strained this season).

Allan Lewis and John Miner shared the program’s heavyweight conducting responsibilities. An exciting night and a reminder of Robert Joffrey’s invaluable contribution to our understanding of our dance heritage.