''Impressing the Czar'' is a four-act, award-winning, postmodern Judith Mackrel
Impressing the Czar: Sadler's Wells, London
The Guardian, 7 November 2008

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

choreographed by William Forsythe to music by Thom Willems, Leslie Stuck, Eva Crossman-Hecht, and

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

. It was premiered in its full-length version in 1988 in Frankfurt am Main by the Ballet Frankfurt. The work's title is a reference to the

Czar Nicholas II Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Pola ...

's lukewarm reception of Marius Petipa's lavish production of '' The Sleeping Beauty''. ''Impressing the Czar'' has five sections titled "Potemkin's Signature," "In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated," "La Maison de Mezzo Prezzo," "Bongo Bongo Nageela," and "Mr. Pnut Goes to the Big Top." Though the work has no continuous narrative theme, the ballet comments ironically and often humorously on the history of Western civilization and its economies of culture. The ballet opens with "Potemkin’s Signature," which is a commentary on the culture and history of ballet. The names of the characters and the plot pieces are full of cultural references.The Brooklyn Rail
William Forsythe’s Impressing the Czar
/ref> The second section is the most well known. It is a stand-alone ballet titled "In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated," which was originally created in 1987 for the

Paris Opera Ballet The Paris Opera Ballet () is a French ballet company that is an integral part of the Paris Opera. It is the oldest national ballet company, and many European and international ballet companies can trace their origins to it. It is still regarded a ...

,GIA KOURLA
Dizzying History, With Many Schoolgirls
New York Times, 19 July 2008 where it was danced by soloists Isabelle Guérin,

Sylvie Guillem Sylvie Guillem (; born 23 February 1965) is a French ballet dancer. Guillem was the top-ranking female dancer with the Paris Opera Ballet from 1984 to 1989, before becoming a principal guest artist with the Royal Ballet in London. She has ...

Laurent Hilaire Laurent Hilaire (born 8 November 1962) is a French ballet dancer. Regarded as one of the greatest dancers to emerge from ballet over the past few decades, he was an '' étoile'' of the Paris Opera Ballet for 22 years. From 2011, he was the assoc ...

, and Manuel Legris. The title of this section refers to two cherries which hang suspended over the stage. One of Forsythe's most famous creations, this work is in the repertory of numerous ballet companies around the world. In 1992, its performance by the Royal Ballet Flanders received the Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance. The third section, "La Maison de Mezzo-Prezzo," features characters being auctioned off, clothed in gold, as a comment on the

commoditization In business literature, commoditization is defined as the process by which goods that have economic value and are distinguishable in terms of attributes (uniqueness or brand) end up becoming simple commodities in the eyes of the market or consum ...

of the arts. The fourth section, "Bongo Bongo Nageela," is full of energy and bewitchment. A large group of dancer surround Mr. Pnut, whose name headlines the next act and who is portrayed as a

Saint Sebastian Saint Sebastian (in Latin: ''Sebastianus''; Narbo, Gallia Narbonensis, Roman Empire c. AD 255 – Rome, Italia, Roman Empire c. AD 288) was an early Christian saint and martyr. According to traditional belief, he was killed during the Diocle ...

-type character complete with an arrow in chest. Their circling motion is comparable to a type of folk dance, though not of any particular kind. "Mr. Pnut Goes to the Big Top" is the final section, bringing the ballet to a dramatic conclusion as the title character of the section blows a party favor toy and the lights go out.

References

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External links

1989 review of ''Impressing the Czar'', New York Times

2008 Review of ''Impressing the Czar'', New York Times {{Authority control Ballets by William Forsythe Ballets to the music of Ludwig van Beethoven 1988 ballet premieres