Romeo and Juliet

By Nellya Blinova

The story begins with the Capulets hosting a lavish celebration. There is revelry and dancing. But there are some in town that have not been invited — the Montagues. Lord Montague’s son Romeo dons a mask and sneaks into the party.

The Moscow Festival Ballet performed “Romeo and Juliet” at the Lehman Center for Performing Arts March 14. The ballet opens in a garden of Verona with “Chopiniana” by Mikhail Fokine. Dressed in snow white dresses, the ballerinas dance in circles, filling the room with movement and light.

In the first act, the dancers express emotions without saying a word. As Juliet dances at her family’s soiree, she meets Romeo, the masked stranger with his friend Benvolio. Suddenly, the music changes, as well as the expressions on the ballerinas faces.

There is a feeling of uneasiness and anxiety between the Montagues and the Capulets. Instantly, the audience understands that something tragic is about to happen. The first act culminates in a confrontation between the two families, as Romeo’s friend Mercutio and Lady Capulet’s nephew Tybalt are slain.

Calm, romantic music fills the stage in the second act with Romeo and Juliet in a passionate dance. So in love and at the same time full of fear, Romeo and Juliet secretly meet to share their vows and become husband and wife. But their happiness together does not last because Juliet’s parents have already prepared a husband for her in Count Paris.

The devastated Juliet races back and forth and decides to put herself to sleep with a hypnotic drug, hoping that the wedding would be canceled. Misery overflows Romeo’s face as he discovers her and dashes around the “dead” body of his beloved Juliet.

Believing that she is dead, Romeo poisons himself. However, Juliet wakes up, happy at first to see her lover near her, but the music escalates as Juliet understands that her Romeo is dead. The ballet ends in tragedy as Juliet abruptly stabs herself with a dagger and falls on Romeo’s chest. Both dressed in white, the loving couple has prepared for “perpetual sleep.”