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Critics Reviews
The character, created by Ms Sabitova could be named as lyric heroine: on the stage we watch a young girl (plain hair-dress head with a long tail on the back), who absorbed in reading of poetry’s volume. There is nothing happen, yet we already emerged in atmosphere of very special spiritual chastity. Then, we can see visual carnation of amazing Russian romance-song (by M.Glinka-A.Pushkin) “I remember of divine moment” – there is apparition of thin, light dancer’s figure, as if its would been sketched by Pushkin’s feather-pen. …Following her reading, the girl more over and deeper submerged to enchanting of Pushkin’s lyrics magic. And now, she find out herself already switched-on into action of dramatic episodes of the ballet production, whose pathos interlaced with episode piquant about “Terpsichore’s petite legs”. Then, right now follows a dynamic, bravura dance, which really might been danced by ballerinas of the past,- Pushkin’s contemporaries. And then, together with resounding of Akhmatova’s lyrics, the “choreographic jambus, -(metrical foot)” of Sabitova’s heroine changes for exquisite, fragile plastics, so resounding to the decadent ardor of Russian poetry of the turn of the 20th century. But, in the finale, Pushkin’s iambus is glorified again: we see lurking nymphs on the stage, so beautiful in their plastic harmony, and new character comes up to the footlight : girl teenager, who reading the very same Pushkin’s lyrics volume.
(Natalia Sheremetievskaya, “Ballet” Magazine, 1999)

In semi-staged performance of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, presented at Grand Hall of Moscow Conservatoire, the ballet scenes changes for vocal episodes, and for singers always finds out appropriate costume and impressionable character scene. Dramatic fullness to kaleidoscope of motley and different miniatures (both choral and solo), is absorbed by image character of the Fortune, created by Lilia Sabitova. She has not only sculptured her character’s plastic portrait, (takes the original pose from Fortune’s Wheel medieval graphic image, but managed to find organic choreographic genesis to this graphic’s profile). By appearing in this role, Lilia Sabitova confirms again the significant and richness of her histrionic abilities, hr capability to reach the composer’s conceive in whole its depth and multifaceted, ability to gently echoed to emotional nuances of music.
(Galina Inozemtseva “Ballet” Magazine (July-August, 1998)

Mono – ballet “Echo of Isadora Duncan in Russia” is already approved by time. Sabitova turned to creative legacy of Isadora Duncan and adopted not only her “bare-foot” technique, but, mainly, Duncan’s creative ideas. Firstly, the harmony with the Nature and the cult of natural plastic, with the help of which Sabitova sketches in-the-flesh a portrait gallery of various women, including Dunkan’s itself. It is always interesting to watch how Sabitova worked over next project, how its transformed and became more rich. In the baleet “La Traviata” (after Dumas, music by Verdi), Sabitova finds her inspiration as choreographer and ballet actress in Verdi’s opera recording, appeared soloists of La Scala, - Renata Scotto and Gianni Raimondi. Especially memorable for us the very moment, while born out a great passion of heroine to Alfred. To soprano singer’s roulades Sabitova find a visual image – trembe of ballerina’s thin, elastic arms (expressiveness of arms is one of the most charming zest of Sabitova’s plastic).
(Ballet Magazine, 1997)

I couldn’t forget Lilia Sabitova’s “Dying Swan”, which I had opportunity to see at one of the ballet competitions in Moscow several years ago. An artist danced not dying, not shooting swan, - but her snow-white apparition had levitated onto the stage, as visually becoming image of tormented human spirit, the man’s unfulfilled expectations, unreleased dreams and reveries. By the way, several years past, when Isabelle Fokine, granddaughter of great Mikhail Fokine, the creator of “Dying Swan”, speak about her grandfather’s ideas, evolved into that ballet piece, she underline that great choreographer means in his “Swan” mirrored imagination of mortal man soul’s state, while he bid farewell to his life.
(Galina Inozemtseva, “Ballet” Magazine, 1992)

“Dreams of Carmen” (the first version as mono-ballet, guitar music by Torrega, Giuliani, Jens), - it is fruit of modern artist’s fantasy, her understanding of Carmen’s inner world, her character and emotions. Sabitova build-up her own choreography, using the technique and language of classical dance, but Spanish motives are feels strongly piquant in gags of her rendition, - its seems in sharpness of her graphic poses, gestures, in her manner of shawl – playing, and holding a cigarette.
(G. Inozemtseva, “Ballet” Magazine, 1992)

Three ballets: PEER GYNT
Lilia Sabitova created her production after her own script, trying to maximize and reaching out an original narrative base of the story towards to Ibsen's original play. In this ballet real rustic life pictures are changes for scenes in domaine of Throll's King, and spicy, lavish episodes in Arabia, in turn twisted for macabre panorama of bedlam house's masks… And in the finale, the hero's come back home and his meeting with devoted to him Solveig seems as dialogue between founded each other's people, and this scene fragrant with peaceful atmosphere.
Andrei Liapin created the protagonist's part. His understanding of Peer Gynt's character is non-synonymous. Artists project his character in genesis - its a life struck, loose of inner circle, and what most important, - Solveig's pure and devoted spirit towards Peer, is crucially changes his nature. In the end we watch on miserable person, who understands all meaningless of passed life's years. Final duet of Peer and Solveig's seems there as confessional dialogue about experienced in life : soft, like lulliby Solveig's gestures brings, like consolation, a sense of peace in Peer's desolated soul, and prepared him to take up all strokes of Destiny…
Tatiana Borisova created the role of Solveig, which is full of poetry, and her stage appearance brings an aroma of such pure spring water, which we could sense in Grieg's music, and its also obtained an organic expression in Sabitova's choreography.
Lilia Sabitova is painfully worked over all details with her young artists, and demand a logical and precise plastic "sound" of whole dancers' ensemble. But, speaking about "Peer Gynt" production we would like to underline the performance of Sabitova herself in the role of Anitra. Because of original choreographic solution of the character, and precisely founded dramatic narration of the role, and -of course, brilliant performance of Sabitova's, -all this makes her special appearance sounded as the cameo show inside the big one, makes its as shining culmination, which marks the first step of Peer's character towards revelation and coming back to the source of his own life.

La TRAVIATA

The subject of "La Traviata" is treated by Lilia Sabitova constantly during all her creative life. Originally, its first carnation was in form the ballet - monologue, later its has developed into other choreographic narration of life story of poor Violette Valery. Now the ballet master introduce to the audience another cover version of "La Traviata." As basic for music soundtrack Sabitova used opera recording. Together with Tatiana Borisova, who danced the role of Violetta, she created a woman pertrait, whose soul tormented with a dream of doomed soul, seeking for pure and bright love.
Again we would like to point out painstakingly build -upby Lilia Sabitova the ballet cast : very interesting and sincere looks Andrei Liapin, who created the role of Alfred. Their own emotional intonation are found out Alexander Oussov (Baron) and young dancer Andrei Elshanov (Father).
-" Why you so consistent in subject's choice?" - I asked Sabitova, and she replied: -" All moves, all changes. And my impression of music is changes also. As much I learn about life and world, then more fresh and new impressions born out inner self a wish for improvising. Such my soul's call, and every time I'm listening to this music, I would like to express my immediate feelings, born out from Verdi's music. Can't help to changes. The most important, that everything should be organic in those changes. All again its all regards, especially, to all my "Traviatas" created by now."
But, if in case with "La Traviata" Sabitova, while emerging in Verdi, trying her best to reach deep inside into heroine's inner world, then what regarding to her work over the subject of …

CARMEN

… I would rather think that its seems more like metamorphose of the very character, her inner and overt images. In her own lyrics Sabitova called Carmen an enchanting girl, a Firebird and even… Demon.
As a matter of fact, we had an opportunity to watch over last decade truly very different renditions of Carmen's character, created by Sabitova. Now, in current production, the heroine is strictly differ from those beauty vamp, to which we accustomed to see on operatic stage.
As the basic soundtrack for this production, Sabitova used not opera score, or, "Carmen-suite" by Rodion Schedrin, but virtually unknown to a wider audience an original concert suites, compiled by Bizet.
When in her production we saw Carmen appearing on the stage (the role created by Alina Poletaeva), we are reveals that this kind of Carmen is absolutely free of operatic "sweetness" : in fact, she rather fights, stealing goods, flirting with a men. In Poletaeva's dance we feels the pressure, an aggression of tobacco factory girl, and together with this we can sense a hidden mysterious charm of womanly, what pitch-in men hearts to her.
This production is overcrowded with tobacco factory working girls, soldiers, gypsies, and strolling-by lazy playboys. All this atmosphere is the pivot of Carmen's life fabrics, where is she the leader. And in amidst of all this surrounding, its looks like those very black pool towards each the gypsy girl rolled in Jose.
Sabitova herself is danced the image of flying over these mob the "blackbird of Fate", which personified doomed destiny itself, the name of which Sabitova herself gives a different meanings: whether a witch, or a fortune-teller. She appears right in the very beginning and in the end of the show, framing the ballet's action, brings a preaching sound, which clearly corresponds with "Fate" leitmotif in Bizet's music. Here Sabitova over and over displayed her histrionic uniqueness, the variety of her multi-faceted actor's gift.
The production cast features Tatiana Borisova (Michaela), Alexander Oussov (Jose), Andrei Liapin (Toreador), Alyona Yakubovskaya and Tatiana Scherbakova.
All Lilia Sabitova Ballet Theatre company's productions are designed by stage designer Tamara Ilyukhina.
Galina Inozemtseva ("Ballet" Magazine, Summer, 2002)





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