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    The CultureMap Review

    Bollywood-inspired La Bayadère expands the myths of ballet

    Joseph Campana
    Feb 28, 2010 | 7:27 pm
    News_La Bayadere_Kelly Myernick_Houston Ballet_artists
    From the Houston Ballet's production of "La Bayadère," dancer Kelly Myernick and artists of the Houston Ballet
    Photo by Amitava Sarkar

    I was worried about Houston Ballet’s world premiere of Stanton Welch’s La Bayadère. Advance press included invocations of Bollywood, unfortunate local commercials with sitar music distant from the Minkus score, and press photos of what appeared to be generously spray-tanned ballerinas with live snakes. It seemed the snakes were the stars of the publicity campaign.

     

    To be clear, I’d love to see a Hillcroft-inspired La Bayadère, but I feared this would be a 21st-century version of 19th-century Oriental fantasy. And the rubber snakes on sale in the lobby for $6 were of little comfort. But Welch and his company provided a decorous and mostly disciplined revival of an important moment in ballet history, and they did so with a keen sense for spectacle.

     

    Upon entering, viewers are treated to a gorgeous painted backdrop: A palace on water with domes reminiscent of the Taj Mahal. This characteristic visual elegance is important throughout the night as the gorgeously detailed scenic and sexy costume designs of Peter Farmer never let us forget that ballet takes place in a land of fantasy. This change in garb and décor gives fresh eyes on the world of ballet and the bodies of dancers now revealed in glittering, diaphanous fabrics.

     

    But we’re soon reminded that fantasies can be dark and deadly. The lights come up on Solor—flawlessly if not always passionately performed by Connor Walsh—slaying a tiger threatening a village, which leads to a jungle meeting with his Nikiya. If your true love is a temple dancer consecrated to the gods and you meet her over the corpse of an animal, what kind of relationship will ensue? Sara Webb, a potent Manon earlier this season, was an engaging Nikiya and shared palpable chemistry with Walsh. Of course, in the world of ballet, nothing ever does go right when it comes to love.

     

    The heroism that brings Solor and Nikiya together draws the attention of the Sultan, who offers his daughter, Gamzatti, in marriage. An offer from a Sultan isn’t really an offer, and Gamzatti, deviously portrayed by Kelly Myernick, was as imperious as her father in solos that balanced the lack of magnetism of her pairing with Walsh. Perhaps Solor already intuits the doom to come. His fiancé will get her closest confidante, Jessica Collado’s Ajah, to murder his beloved with a basket of snakes. What else are friends for? And if one love triangle isn’t enough, the High Brahmin, deftly danced by James Gotesky, pines for Nikiya; his pent up frustration seals their doom.

     

     La Bayadère isn’t a familiar work, but the ballet balances twisted love plots with engaging spectacle. The first act treats us to the fire god Agni, a role Jim Nowakowski clearly reveled in as he danced like a flame leaping, spinning, and flickering over the stage. In the third act, as Solor sinks into a depressive dream (aided by a nice hit of opium), and the bird god Garuda dazzles with the virtuosity of the talented Joseph Walsh, who leads Solor to his most famous encounter, known as the Kingdom of Shades, where he sees the dead Nikiya and a host of 24 attendants in tutus. This is supposed to be the visionary moment, but alas the corps, as it entered dramatically down a ramp backstage, seemed often imperfectly aligned, thus ruining the visual illusion, and there were too many wobbly legs and feet in view.

     

     La Bayadère could only end in an orgy of violence. Spoiler Alert: The High Brahmin kills Ajah, Gamzatti kills Solor, and the gods bring the temple crashing down magnificently. Amidst the wreckage, it was hard not to think that in spite of the complicated legacy of works like La Bayadère, Welch has done very well to expand the body of myths available to ballet.

     

    And if that’s not of interest, you can always take home one of those rubber snakes.

    Jim Mowakowski in the Houston Ballet's production of "La Bayadère" choreographed by Stanton Welch

    News_La Bayadere_Houston Ballet_Jim Nowakowski
      
    Photo by Amitava Sarkar
    Jim Mowakowski in the Houston Ballet's production of "La Bayadère" choreographed by Stanton Welch
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    Movie Review

    New Superman movie forges into the future while honoring the past

    Alex Bentley
    Jul 11, 2025 | 3:30 pm
    David Corenswet in Superman
    Photo by Jessica Miglio
    David Corenswet in Superman.

    When the character of Superman was invented in 1938, it was perhaps easier to see the world in good and bad terms. Fascism was already on the rise in Germany under Adolf Hitler, and the idea of an all-powerful superhero who stood up for people in need was a welcome one. In the nearly 90 years since, though, the world and the character have undergone multiple evolutions, and the thought of someone who is purely good is often met with cynicism or worse.

    The new Superman, written and directed by James Gunn, puts the superhero (or metahuman, as the film calls him and similar creatures) squarely in the midst of the modern world, with geopolitical conflicts, mega-corporations, and social media all combining to make the altruism of Superman/Clark Kent (David Corenswet) questionable. That skepticism even extends to his coworker/girlfriend Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), whose knowledge of his exploits puts her in a tricky position personally and professionally.

    Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) is out to dominate the world and take down Superman, with his eponymous corporation and vast group of underlings dedicated to doing both. Superman is generally a one-man fighting crew, but he’s occasionally aided by a group calling themselves the Justice Gang, comprised of heroes many have never heard of like Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), a version of Green Lantern; Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), a flying metahuman; and Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), who knows all kinds of technology.

    One of the best things about this new version of Superman is that it mostly dispenses with introductions, putting the audience in a world where Superman is already a well-known quantity who’s adored by many and hated by some. Gunn has used his new position as co-CEO of DC Studios to honor the past of the hero and take him into the future. With the 1978 John Williams theme song echoing throughout and Corenswet giving off Christopher Reeve vibes, it’s clear Gunn wants audiences to feel nostalgia while still getting something new.

    He also appears to want viewers to fight against the negativity that the modern world can bring. The plot involves manipulation of the public, usually at the hands of Luthor, through bombastic talk shows, political theater, and social media, the latter of which — in a great joke — comes to involve hundreds of typing monkeys. The film could be read as a rebuttal of many real-world ills as, despite Luthor’s machinations, many choose to continue to believe in the goodness of Superman.

    There is a lot going on in the film, but somehow it never comes off as overly complicated. Superman’s relationship with Lois Lane and Luthor’s attempts at taking him down are given the most prominence, with everything else supporting those two main things. The Justice Gang is a fun addition, with Mr. Terrific becoming the breakout hero of the group. The addition of the (CGI) dog Krypto provides levity, poignant moments, and unexpectedly great action scenes. The only part that gets somewhat short shrift is the crew of The Daily Planet, with everyone besides Lois and Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) getting little more than face time.

    Being the new Superman is a lot to live up to, but Corenswet is completely up to the job. He, like Reeve, plays the character as someone who is earnest but not naive, a quality that comes through even when he’s in the middle of fight scenes. Brosnahan is also fantastic, providing a nice balance to the relationship while also proving the character’s own worth. Hoult makes for a great new version of Luthor, and Gathegi nearly makes the case that Mr. Terrific should get a starring film of his own.

    Just as he did with the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, Gunn has shown that success can be found through making characters people want to see. Not everyone in this Superman will be familiar to viewers, but in the end a group of people working together toward a goal that serves the common good is one worth watching and cheering for.

    ---

    Superman is now playing in theaters.

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