DURHAM -- This weekend, emissaries from a foreign kingdom will bestow a major gift on Duke University: the American premiere of a new ballet. Coming straight from Monaco, it's part of a global celebration of the 20th century's most influential ballet company.
To understand just how significant the premiere is, a quick course in dance history is in order.
One hundred years ago, a young Russian impresario had the grand idea to cherry-pick star dancers from prominent theaters and whisk them to Paris to perform a season of new ballets. He hired up-and-coming painters as designers and commissioned music from fledgling composers.
Nowadays, we'd call this an artistic collaboration. In 1909, it was a revolution.
For decades, the czar's theaters had employed their own composers and designers, teams that churned out one story ballet after another, ballets such as "Coppélia," "Don Quixote" and "Sleeping Beauty."
But Serge Diaghilev (pronounced DEE-ah-gah-lev) was bored with fairy tales, and he rightly suspected audiences were, too. The first trip to Paris was such a success that Diaghilev planned a grand return for 1910, including the premiere of "Scheherazade," an ancient Persian spectacle set to a score by Rimsky-Korsakov. The production was rapturously received, as much for the acrobatic choreography as for the vibrant music and costumes.
"From the very beginning, Diaghilev created a frenzy of interest," said Barbara Dickinson, a dance historian who teaches at Duke. "He completely revitalized ballet. It really was extraordinary."
The 100th anniversary of Diaghilev's company, the Ballets Russes, has been commemorated around the world with festivals, concerts and art exhibitions. This week, the celebration comes to Durham, when Alonzo King's Lines Ballet gives the American premiere of a new "Scheherazade."
Picasso and Stravinsky
In the spirit of the Ballets Russes (rhymes with "loose"), King's "Scheherazade" is a 21st century collaboration. Diaghilev famously employed Picasso as a set designer and commissioned music from Ravel, Debussy and Stravinsky. King's ballet will feature costumes by a California fashion designer and a score arranged by a tabla drummer. King's San Francisco-based dancers are among the best in the country, but the commission came from overseas - specifically, from the Principality of Monaco, kingdom of Grace Kelly, the Grand Prix and "Casino Royale."
From 1911 until Diaghilev's death in 1929, Monte Carlo was home base for the Ballets Russes. King's "Scheherazade," commissioned by the Monaco Dance Forum Centenary of the Ballets Russes, premiered last month in Monte Carlo's famed Grimaldi Forum.
The performance capped 18 months of collaborative planning. King had met the forum's artistic director during a 2008 trip to France. When asked whether he'd like to reimagine a Ballets Russes classic, King didn't hesitate.
"The first thing I said was 'Scheherazade,'" King recalled. "That music is so beautiful."
Although few ballet companies perform versions of "Scheherazade" today, Rimsky-Korsakov's sublime suite has become a perennial favorite with orchestras, including the N.C. Symphony. Next month at the Vancouver Olympics, no fewer than three American figure skaters will glide across the ice to this sweeping score. The music and ballets have all been inspired by the Persian legend of the Arabian Nights. As the story goes, a maiden named Scheherazade marries a king who has executed every bride on the post-nuptial morning, fearing no sooner will the sun rise than his new wife will betray him.
Symbol of a savior
Finally, there is just one eligible virgin left to wed the king: Scheherazade. For 1,001 nights, she will tell the king a story, saving the ending until the next sundown and thus saving her life.
"She is the symbol of a savior. Her point is to transform and heal this man," King said. "That is the real story of Scheherazade."
In the high-drama Ballets Russes version, with dozens of dancers portraying eunuchs and harem girls, Scheherazade succumbs to the charms of the Golden Slave, a role originally danced by the legendary Vaslav Nijinsky. All does not end well.
By revisiting the original libretto, King cast Scheherazade as a savior, come to restore equality between men and women. Threads of ancient narrative and timeless gender tension gave King ample inspiration for choreography. But the score remained problematic.
The beat of the drummer
"The music is so theatrical, and so large," King said. His solution was a collaboration: Indian tabla drummer Zakir Hussain rearranged Rimsky-Korsakov's score for an ensemble of world instruments. Listeners familiar with the music will still recognize the themes, but the rhythms are more authentic.
"Rimsky-Korsakov was looking to the East for inspiration," King said.
"Zakir is from the East, where Rimsky was looking, but is also bringing his instruments, reshaping those haunting melodies. He created a beautiful score."
Unfortunately, Hussain and his ensemble will not perform live at Duke. But "Refraction," the second work on this weekend's program, will be accompanied by pianist Jason Moran's jazz trio.
Ashley Jackson, a four-year veteran of King's company, says "Scheherazade" may be her new favorite King ballet. She grew up in High Point and spent a year touring the state with N.C. Dance Theatre before joining Lines. Jackson now lives in San Francisco, where King directs Lines, a dance school and a bachelor of fine arts program.
As the name Lines suggests, one of King's hallmarks is pushing his dancers to extend their long, sinewy limbs. King favors tall dancers - at 5 feet, 7 inches, Jackson is the shortest woman - and looks for inner artistry, not just outer technique.
"It's been hard, but it's beautiful and inspiring all at the same time," Jackson said. "I've grown as a person, in maturity and in how I view the world. My mind has been expanded, not just my dancing."
Duke gets ready
Dickinson, a longtime chairwoman of Duke's dance department, planned Lines' weeklong residency with King's teaching skills in mind. The schedule of classes, forums and open rehearsals begins Monday; most events are open to the public. On Friday and Saturday nights, the company performs "Refraction" and "Scheherazade."
Last semester, Dickinson prepped her students by teaching a class on the Ballets Russes. Her hope is that King's choreography respects the original, while still creating something new. Many choreographers have attempted to reinterpret Ballet Russes dances, especially "Firebird" and "The Rite of Spring." Some of those new ballets are good; some are not.
"I don't like it when people just take the music and ignore the original point," Dickinson said. "But as long as the artists and choreographers have a very deep respect for the work - and they are not doing it just for kicks - there is absolutely nothing wrong with trying to reinterpret these ballets."
In the best of cases, Dickinson said, the results have been quite stunning. And that's what she hopes this "Scheherazade" will be.
