The ten-year joint dream of Andre Lewis, artistic director of the Royal Ballet of Winnipeg, and the famous American Choreographer Lila York about creating the ballet The Handmaid’s Tale based on the novel written by Margaret Atwood came true in 2013.
The 1985 novel quickly won the hearts of readers, filmmakers and critics. Before the creation of the ballet, a film, a series, an opera and a musical appeared. The premiere of the ballet took place in 2013 and now, after a 5-year hiatus, it will open the 79th ballet season in Winnipeg.
The language of ballet is the universal language of the world, the art of plastics, inspired, filled with feelings, pronounced movements, life, embodied in choreography. Weightless, floating, aspiring movements of dancers seem to resist the laws of physics, where music, costumes and scenery play a special role.
Lila York preserving the plot of the author creates a powerful and sharp interpretation of this exciting story. This dance drama brings viewers stunning effects of a depressing, dystopic world. The writer of the novel also participated in the creation of the ballet, recalling that 35 years ago her work was perceived rather ambiguously. Now the story, the plot, the characters are fully included in life, culture and language. People dress up in costumes from the novel, going to street rallies, protests and for the celebration of Halloween.
The Handmaid’s Tale is a real feminist treatise and dystopia. In the brave new world, women have no right to own property, to work, to love, to read or to write. They cannot run in the mornings, have picnics and parties, they are not allowed to get married for the second time. They only have one function. The main character can go shopping once a day but she has no right to talk to anyone. Once a month she meets with her master Commander and prays that after this meeting they will have a healthy child because in this new wondrous world the handmaid serves only for this.
This novel is an amazing panorama of the future because at some point something may go wrong in this world. The writer tells about the influence of ancient stories on the future, where a powerful tolerant regime captured the whole world and brutally dominated there in accordance with militaristic, religious and ultraconservative beliefs. It is about women who are used only for procreation.
Ballet is not recommended for children under 12 years old.
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